It had been the best day of Harry's life-until now.
He had left the Dursleys for good (he hoped). His mummy and daddy's best friend was going to take care of him, sort of like he was his daddy. Dudley wouldn't hit him anymore. He wouldn't have to see mean Aunt Marge again. More than that, Sirius had hugged him several times and let him sit on his lap. He had fixed the bruise Aunt Marge had given him when she whacked him with her cane. He had eaten two very yummy meals and even had some ice cream for dessert. While he had needed to take a bath, it had been the nicest one ever. Afterwards, Sirius gave him the softest pajamas he had ever worn. Finally, his godfather had read him two stories and given him a huge stuffed teddy bear to keep him company.
The problem was the bed. The whole room was huge, at least three times the size of Dudley's first bedroom (which was much bigger than his second bedroom), which felt overwhelming, like he was being swallowed up. But the bed was even worse. It was big enough to hold Dudley, Aunt Petunia, and Uncle Vernon, he was sure. Instead, it was only Harry and his bear, and even though it was soft and the covers were warm, he thought that it was too big. In fact, as he leaned over and looked over the side, he was sure it had become even bigger.
Why couldn't he sleep on the couch instead? That was the right size, just big enough for him to be able to move around, but not so big that it could swallow him up. What if, tomorrow, he was really good and then asked Sirius if he could sleep there? Would he say no? Would he get angry at him? Would he send Harry back.
Harry felt his eyes growing heavy, and he clung to the bear tightly as sleep took over.
He was having a nightmare about the bed being in the ocean, like a raft, and drowning when he woke up suddenly. The light was back on, and Sirius was there, wearing a dressing gown like the kind Aunt Petunia wore, except his was dark brown.
"Harry? Puppy? What's wrong?" Sirius asked, immediately sitting next to him on the bed and putting an arm over his shoulder.
It felt nice.
"I-I had a bad dream," he explained, looking down at the bear.
Sirius held out his other arm, and Harry immediately crawled into his lap. His godfather held him close, and with one hand, began to make small circles along his back. It felt as nice as when his hands made circles on the top of his head earlier, and he immediately felt safe. He just hoped that Sirius wouldn't leave...
"Want me to stay with you tonight?" Sirius asked, still making the small circles.
"Will you? Please?" he asked, quietly.
"Of course," Sirius answered softly, holding Harry even closer to him. "Hang on..."
Still holding onto Harry and still making the small circles, Sirius repositioned them so that he was lying down, and used a hand to tuck them in. Then, he pressed a kiss on the top of his head.
"You can tell me about your nightmare tomorrow, if you like," Sirius murmured. "Sleep well, puppy."
"Night, Sirius," Harry murmured, snuggling in close.
He slept easily in his godfather's arms, without any nightmares.
When he woke up, he was a bit confused, because he knew that he was not in his cupboard. After all, someone was holding him close, and he felt far too comfortable. After a moment, though, Harry remembered the events from the previous day.
He would have been truly happy, to know that he was away from the Dursleys and his godfather had cared enough to stay with him after his nightmare. But, what if he was now angry that Harry had woken him up? Or, what if he decided that he was too much trouble, and sent him back?
There was still the question of the bed being far too big to sleep in, as well as the room that was as large as the entire downstairs of the Dursleys. Harry knew that Dudley was spoiled, but even his rooms were not nearly as large as this!
Harry's godfather was still asleep, so Harry lay there, content to be held in his arms. Anyway, he was still a little afraid to get off the bed, even if it was morning and the sun made the bed seem less intimidating.
He wondered what they would do. The Dursleys occasionally gave Harry chores, but mostly wanted him out of the way. Harry had also wanted this. He couldn't play outside by himself, so he often stayed in his cupboard, with the door open. It wasn't so small this way.
Sirius yawned, then stretched his legs, moving Harry a bit closer to him as he did so. Opening his eyes, he grinned at him.
"Good morning, puppy. Did you sleep well?" he asked, very kindly.
He wasn't mad, then. That was good.
Harry nodded. "Yes, I slept well."
"That must have been some nightmare you had," Sirius began, and Harry could hear the hesitation in his voice. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Harry considered. On the one hand, he didn't know any adult that he could trust, not really. On the other hand, Sirius had rescued Harry from his aunt and uncle, given him lots of good food, hugged him, and even stayed with him for most of the night.
"I dreamt that I was on this bed in an ocean and I was drowning," he explained in a rush.
Sirius sat up, and lifted Harry onto his lap. The covers were still on top of them, though, which was nice.
"That must have been very scary," Sirius answered, his voice soothing. He glanced down at the bed. "Did you have a much smaller bed at your aunt and uncle's?"
Harry nodded. "It was big enough for me, and that was about it."
It was Sirius' turn to nod. "I expect your room was smaller than this one?"
"I-I didn't sleep in a room," Harry answered, looking at his hands.
Sirius held him tighter. "In a cupboard, right?"
Harry turned around, surprised. "How did you know?"
"Magic," Sirius explained, trying to smile. "They tried to hide it, putting you in your cousin's second bedroom. But I already knew. I told them that I already knew." Sirius ran a hand over Harry's hair. "I wanted to take care of you as soon as your parents died, Harry. I couldn't. It's too much for you to understand, now, but I will tell you soon, and I knew that the people who made the Dursleys your guardians were very, very wrong. So, I spent nearly three years trying to show them what bad people they were, and they finally saw that you would be better off with me. Not the least of which because your parents had wanted it that way." Sirius' breathing became very quick, and he took a couple of deep breaths. "I know that they were very unkind to you, puppy, and I want you to know how sorry I am that you had to spend even a day with them."
Harry found it hard to swallow. Finally, he managed to say, "You won't send me back, will you?"
Sirius hugged Harry tightly. "Never, I promise. You're my godson, my puppy. I will never let them take you from me. And, Harry, I will never hurt you. I promise."
Harry believed Sirius, or mostly. If his parents had died, so could Sirius. Or, he could change his mind about Harry. The Dursleys had told him what a burden he was, so Sirius might come to think that over time. He had to be extra good.
Sirius let go of the hug, but kept Harry on his lap. Harry took a couple of breaths, preparing himself to speak, but after each one, he grew too afraid.
Finally, Sirius spoke. "Harry, what's wrong?"
Forcing himself to look at Sirius, Harry said, in a whisper, "I'm scared of the room. It's so big, and the bed is so big. I-I couldn't fall asleep for the longest time. I thought it was going to swallow me up. Please, Sirius, if I'm very, very good, could I sleep on the couch downstairs? Please?"
To his surprise, Sirius chuckled, then immediately apologized. "Oh, I'm sorry for laughing at you, puppy. Listen, if you'd rather sleep on the couch, you can. Or, we can bring the couch up here, if you like. Or," he added, thoughtfully, "what if I stayed with you each night?"
Harry's eyes widened. "Really?"
Sirius gave Harry a playful nudge. "The bed won't be able to swallow up both of us, will it?"
Harry looked down at it. There was certainly less space now that Sirius was there, and it didn't feel so huge. "I guess not." Then, smiling a bit, he added, "You could do magic to make it not eat us!"
Sirius chuckled again. "Yes, I can certainly do that. So, would you like to try that? Me staying with you, to defeat the very very very hungry bed?"
Realizing Sirius was making a joke, comparing the bed to the Very Hungry Caterpillar, he nodded. "The whole night?"
Sirius held him close. "The whole night. I promise."
Harry nodded. "Okay. Let's do that."
"Sounds good. And if you change your mind, let me know." Sirius gently turned his head so he was looking Harry in the eyes. "I know this is all new to you, puppy. I want-I need-you to feel safe here. And loved, of course. Because I love you very, very much."
Harry smiled, and tentatively leaned in closer to his godfather, and was rewarded with a very nice, very warm hug.
He thought it was going to be another great day.
Next up: Harry learns that he's going to have another guardian.