When Harry woke up, he was aware of a warmth around him, far warmer than the blanket he slept under at the Dursleys. He also still had the faint taste of peppermint in his mouth. Whatever he was lying on was much softer than the cot he slept on in his cupboard. Where was he?

Slowly, he opened his eyes and saw a man sitting next to him, holding a very large book. He sat up, quietly, and the weight of three blankets lowered a bit below him. He frowned, then recalled the man taking him from the Dursleys to live with him, and the very good meal they had shared at the restaurant. Then, the truly awful experience of App-something, that felt ten times worse than when Dudley hit him, but at least it had not lasted long. The nice man-Sirius-must have put him to bed after they had arrived at his house.

But, no. As he looked around, Harry saw that he was not in a bed, but on a couch. Well, he decided, it was extra comfortable, probably even more comfortable than the beds in Dudley's bedrooms. Not that he had ever been allowed to sit on one, even earlier that day.

Sirius glanced up, and before Harry could react, the man smiled at him.

"Hello, puppy. Did you sleep well?" he asked, placing the book face down beside him.

Harry nodded, smiling a bit shyly. "I slept really well. The couch is very comfortable."

Sirius chuckled at his ward. "Wait until you see your bed."

"My bed?" Harry echoed.

Sirius smiled at him. "Well, I won't make you sleep on a couch, puppy. Yes, your own bed, in your own room, right next to mine. Would you like to see it now?"

His own room. Harry hadn't even thought that he might get one when this nice man offered to take him away from the Dursleys.

It sounded incredible, but also a little scary. He didn't exactly like his cupboard, but it had been his.

"Yes, please," Harry answered, trying to sound brave.

Sirius chuckled. "Well, there's no need to be afraid-it's not like I am putting you in a dungeon!"

Harry stared down at the blankets, wishing he could disappear.

"I'm sorry."

Sirius reached over and gently placed his hands on Harry's shoulders.

"Harry, I don't know everything about how your aunt and uncle treated you, but I understand that you're scared. At least, a little scared," he amended. "I understand. I will never hurt you, but I realize it will take you some time to trust me. So, if you are afraid of something, you can tell me. And I promise I won't get angry at you, and try to help you. All right?"

Harry nodded. "I-I think so."

"Do you have any questions?"

"I'm allowed to ask questions?" Harry couldn't help but ask, looking at Sirius with wonder.

"You weren't before?" Sirius asked, frowning a bit.

Harry shook his head. "No, they didn't like it."

"Well, that's b-that's silly," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I expect you must have a lot of questions."

He did, but there were so many in his head that he hardly knew where to start.

Sirius placed an arm around Harry, as though understanding the small boy's confusion.

Harry took a deep breath, finally deciding on one. Except, he didn't quite know how to ask it.

"What you did earlier that made us come here...?" Harry trailed off.

He knew that his aunt and uncle drove everywhere, but there were also bicycles for kids (Dudley had one but he never used it) and buses. So, perhaps, some people could go from place to place with others?

"Ah, yes, Apparition." Sirius glanced at Harry, who was still half under the covers. "Would you like to sit on my lap while we talk?"

"Really?"

Sirius chuckled. "Sure, if you want to."

Harry did. He carefully got up from under the covers, and crawled over to Sirius, who gently placed him on his lap. It was very comfortable, maybe a little less than the couch, but certainly like a very big chair. Also, very warm, and with a good smell. Harry let out a sigh of contentment, and then another when Sirius ran a hand through his hair.

"Comfortable?" he asked, and Harry could tell he was smiling.

"Very," Harry answered, simply.

Sirius reached over and wrapped two of the blankets over them.

"How about now?"

Harry answered truthfully. "I could almost fall asleep again."

Sirius chuckled, and wrapped his arms around the small boy. "I wouldn't mind if you did, puppy. Now, what we did was called Apparition..."

Over the next half hour, Harry learned that his new guardian was a wizard, and so were his parents (well, his mummy was a witch), and so was he. Harry would soon be doing accidental magic, which should not surprise or scare him, because it was a very good thing. It might be something like getting a book to float to him from a high shelf, or turning a shirt another color. Or, it could be something larger, like not getting hurt if he fell down. Whatever it was, it was important to tell Sirius (if he wasn't already there) and not be scared.

He also learned that his parents did not die in a car crash, but Sirius thought he was too young to know what had really happened. Sirius promised to tell Harry all about it when he was older.

"I think that's enough for today," Sirius finally said, still holding Harry close. "Why don't we have dinner, and then I can show you your room?"

"Okay," Harry answered, reluctantly leaving Sirius' lap.

He watched as Sirius made their meal, using magic, but also using some regular things like the stove and the oven. Of course, they could be magical as well. It was all a lot to take in, but still very exciting.

Harry thought that even if Sirius hadn't been a wizard, though, he might still like it here. His godfather was far nicer to him than his aunt and uncle, even when they were in very good moods!