"Lunch is ready!" Sirius announced, carrying a tray of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, sliced both in smaller squares and in triangles, because he wasn't sure which one Harry would prefer.

There was no immediate response, and when Sirius caught sight of their faces, his concern turned to worry. Remus looked much the way he had when he, James, and Wormtail had cornered him in their dormitory (locking the door to keep anyone else out) and told him that they knew he was a werewolf. As for Harry, well, he looked as though Remus had told him that he was going to be sent back to the Dursleys.

Absolutely crestfallen.

"Er, is something wrong?" he asked, placing the tray on the table, and glancing from one face to another.

Harry remained silent, looking down at the floor, and Remus cleared his throat.

"It's, er, my fault, Sirius." He took a deep breath. "I mentioned to Harry that Hogwarts is a boarding school."

Sirius sank into the couch next to Harry, and gently pulled the child into his lap. Harry curled up, hiding his face in his godfather's arms.

"He's right," Sirius confirmed, seeing no reason to lie. "But did Remus say when students go to school?"

"H-he said first year, so that's in a year. When I'm six," Harry answered, his gaze flickering to Sirius before returning to hiding his face in Sirius' robes.

"No, puppy," Sirius soothed. "Not six. Eleven. That's over six years away. You're not going anywhere for over six years."

Harry's head emerged, and he seemed to perk up at this, but then, a few tears formed in his eyes. "I don't care! I don't want you to send me away! Please, please don't send me to school! I'll be good, I promise!"

Sirius sighed. He'd been expecting this kind of reaction, and while he didn't blame his best friend for accidentally spilling the beans, he'd rather hoped that he would be the one to tell Harry, and not for at least another month. Kids from wizarding families grew up knowing that they'd go to Hogwarts as soon as they were old enough, and perhaps there was some anxiety at first, but Sirius imagined that their parents talked about it as a great adventure, something far off and exciting. A bit of a coming-of-age event, more to be looked forward to as a sign of maturity than dreaded.

That wasn't to say that no one ever became homesick, although he certainly hadn't suffered from this ailment after his own parents gave him the cold shoulder after learning he'd been sorted into Gryffindor. House loyalty took precedence over familial love, after all, and just by being sorted into Gryffindor, Sirius might as well have become a half-blood overnight.

He didn't think that Harry would retain this opinion that being "sent away" was a horrible thing, but he also knew better than to try to reason with a four-year-old. The important thing was to reassure him, make sure he felt safe.

"Well, puppy, not all parents send their kids away to school," Sirius answered, wiping the tears away from his face. "Some teach them at home."

Harry brightened, at least a little. "Really?"

"Yes, really. And, if the time comes where you will need to learn magic, and you don't want to go away to school, I will teach you here. Remus can help me, too," he added, giving Remus a look.

"Yes, of course!" Remus added, quickly. "Sirius is right, Harry. Certainly, most children go away to school, but you can become just as good as a wizard learning at home. I'm sure that Sirius is an excellent teacher."

"Anyway," Sirius added, running a hand through Harry's hair, "there's plenty to learn before you begin to study magic. Like reading and writing, and how to hold a quill. Maths, too, of course."

Harry nodded. "I'll work really hard."

Sirius placed a kiss on the top of the boy's head. "Not too hard, puppy. You're a kid, and you should have fun. We'll have lessons, but lots of time for playing."

Harry nodded again. "Okay."

Sirius held him closer with both arms. "I promise you, puppy, that I will never, never make you go away."

Harry took a deep breath, then nodded, seeming to trust Sirius, to take him at his word. They cuddled for a bit, until Sirius heard the boy's stomachs begin to growl.

"Time to eat now, I think," Sirius said, softly. At Harry's sad look, he added, "You can stay on my lap."

Harry brightened. "Okay," he said, softly.

He floated the tray of sandwiches over to Remus, who took a couple, and then over to Harry.

"That's so neat!" he breathed, helping himself to a few sandwiches. "When can I learn to do that?"

"Oh, you can learn how to do that early on," Sirius answered, taking some sandwiches from the tray. "It's quite easy, once you get the hang of it."

"Most magic is," Remus put in, "but it takes many children a lot of work in the beginning. Then, when you become used to the easy magic, you advance to the harder spells."

"What kinds of spells are there?" Harry wanted to know. His eyes were wide, in a good way.

He was soaking it all in. Sirius was glad that the fear of being sent away hadn't taken away the excitement of learning magic.

They spent a companionable couple of hours discussing what spells Harry would learn in the beginning, and then later on. He listened with fascination.

Then, the child began to nod off, and Sirius knew that it was time for a nap. Gently tucking a couple of blankets around him, Sirius lay Harry on the end of the couch, where he slept for over two hours.