"Time for dinner!" Sirius called from the kitchen. He made sure to speak loud enough so that Harry and Remus would hear his voice, but not so loud as to startle the small child.
The two arrived in the kitchen almost immediately, Harry in front of Remus, a rather worried look on his face.
"Everything all right, puppy?" he asked the boy, looking down at him.
"W-were we fast enough?" he responded, almost tremulously.
It was all Sirius could do not to give Remus a sidelong look. "Yes, of course you were. You didn't need to run," he added, with a smile.
Harry nodded, then said softly, "Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would get angry if I didn't come fast enough."
Sirius could have swore, but the child was right there. "I won't, I promise. Can I give you a hug?"
Harry nodded once more, and smiled as Sirius lifted him up into his arms and held him tightly. They stayed like that for a few moments, and then, still holding Harry, Sirius lifted his wand to levitate the bowls of stew onto the table. He did the same with the glasses of milk, and utensils, and could feel Harry watch in fascination.
"Wow," he murmured.
Sirius chuckled, placing the wand back in one of the pockets of his robes. "You'll be able to do that when you get older. So," he added, gently placing Harry onto one of the chairs and turning his attention to Remus, "what did you two do all this afternoon?"
Harry opened his mouth to speak, but then shut it, clearly realizing the question wasn't meant for him. Not that Sirius would have scolded him had he answered...
"We started one of the puzzles you bought him," Remus replied, taking a seat across from Harry, not not before giving his shoulder a squeeze.
"The ones that help you out?" Sirius asked, now glancing at Harry, who simply nodded. Then, he added, "Which one did you do, Harry?"
"It was people on brooms, playing a game!" Harry explained, with enthusiasm. Then, he added, "Well, we didn't finish it, yet. There were over a hundred pieces, and I've never done a puzzle before! But we did a lot of it."
"You did very well, especially for never having done a puzzle before," Remus praised, and gave Sirius a rather pointed look.
"Thank you, but you helped a lot," Harry told him, with a shy smile.
"Perhaps, we'll work on it together after we eat," Sirius offered. "How does that sound, puppy?"
Harry beamed, then nodded.
"Well, let's eat, shall we?" Sirius said, waving his hands at the food. "Before everything gets cold."
"Silly Sirius forgot that he's a wizard and can heat the food up if it gets too cold," Remus whispered loudly to Harry.
"And silly Remus forgot that...oh, I can't think of anything!" Sirius retorted, with a mock pout. "Oh, I know. The longer we wait to eat dinner, the longer it will be before we can have dessert."
Remus looked aghast, and Harry and Sirius both snickered at the wide-eyed look on his face.
The truth was, as Sirius knew, Remus was only half joking. While both of them never skipped dessert if they could help it, Remus had a considerable sweet tooth.
As they ate, Sirius asked Harry questions, mostly about what he had enjoyed most during the day, but also trying to understand more about what his godson's life had been like under the Dursleys. His observations had been limited to what he could observe from when the family went outside, and that had been enough (plus, of course, the wishes of Lily and James, which Dumbledore had blatantly ignored) to show that they were poor guardians. Especially to The Boy Who Lived. Sirius could only imagine what Harry had suffered under the confines of the house. All the same, it had only been a couple of days, and he would not push his godson more than he was ready.
Next week, they would have an appointment with a Healer, and the Healer would likely suggest a Mind Healer for Harry to see. The muggle world had a mixed view of their equivalent, and Harry might have already absorbed some of that from the Dursleys, but he was young enough-Sirius hoped-to go against whatever they had taught him and their son.
Now, that boy would likely have a ways to go when he grew up, based on his spoiled behavior in public, and the way the Dursleys fawned over every thing he did.
"Shall we work some more on the puzzle before you have your bath, puppy?" Sirius asked, once they had finished their ice cream and the dishes were all clean and put away.
Harry's grin faded at the word bath. "Will you be giving me my bath, Sirius?" he replied, looking from Sirius to Remus with a concerned expression.
"Well, I thought we could let Remus do it. See if he's good enough," Sirius answered, smiling cheerfully at Harry.
Remus knelt down and put both hands on Harry's shoulders. "I promise I'll be very careful, Harry."
Harry nodded, then looked back at Sirius. "You'll stay?"
"Of course I will," Sirius assured him.
Harry nodded again. "C-can we do that first?"
Sirius privately thought that Harry would be too sleepy from the bath to want to work on a puzzle, but he could see the benefit of attacking the problem head on.
Remus gave him a slight nod, and Sirius gave a similar response to his best friend, and then a smile at Harry. "Sure can. Let's go, then. Shall I carry you?" At Harry's nod, Sirius scooped the small boy up in his arms, and they headed up to the stairs and into his room.
Sirius watched closely as Remus turned on the water, having Harry test it a few times to make sure it was warm enough, but not too hot. Then, Harry removed his robe and undergarments, and stepped inside the soapy water. Remus used a wash cloth to clean the child's body, moving slowly. Harry relaxed under the familiar and repetitive motions, but tensed when Remus reached for the shampoo bottle.
"Please don't let it get in my eyes, Uncle Remus," he said in a scared, small voice.
Remus put the bottle down, and placed both hands on Harry's shoulders. "I won't. And you can use a wash cloth, just like you did with Sirius, if you like."
Harry nodded, breathing quickly, and Sirius' heart broke for the child. He'd heard Harry tell him about what bath time was like under the Dursleys, of course, but it must have been traumatic to experience that several times a week, for years on end. He wished he could put them through the same treatment, let them see what it was like.
He forced a smile at Harry. "Remus won't ever hurt you, puppy."
"I won't," Remus promised, and handed Harry a dry wash cloth that more than covered his entire face.
Harry nodded again before taking it.
Fortunately, as the moments passed, Sirius could see that the worst was over. Even though the child shampoo was charmed not to get into Harry's eyes, Sirius witnessed firsthand as it did what it was meant to. It was rather entertaining, watching the suds do their job of getting Harry's hair clean while Harry relaxed under the gentle scalp massage. Remus, unlike Sirius, did not touch Harry's head while this went on, preferring to let the shampoo do most of the work. When the bubbles stopped moving, Sirius removed the adjustable spray and placed it inches from the child's head. The shampoo rinsed out of his hair within seconds, but Remus continued until he was sure it was completely gone.
"All right, Harry, you can take off the wash cloth. We're finished with your hair," Remus said, gently.
Harry removed the completely dry wash cloth, and gave Remus a tentative smile. "Thank you."
"You're welcome," Remus answered, with a kind smile. "Now, let's do a final rinse of your body, and then you'll be all finished."
That was the easiest part, and after another moment or so, Remus helped Harry step out of the tub and wrapped a large, warm towel over him. Harry's eyes closed, clearly savoring the warmth and softness, as Remus helped him to dry off. Then, he needed only to put on his pajamas and brush his teeth, and the bath was over.
Sirius placed a hand on Remus' shoulder as Harry brushed his teeth. "You did well, Moony," he murmured.
Remus smiled. "It wasn't hard. Not unlike when I have to give you a bath as a dog."
Sirius gave him a mock glare. "Don't you dare tell Harry about that, not for another year. You'll give him nightmares."
"Perhaps." Remus cocked his head. "He might have a good laugh, though. Perhaps you're right, and it's better to wait a bit."
"More than a bit," Sirius answered, with another mock warning look.
They returned to Harry's room, and Sirius asked him if he'd like his bedtime story now, or if they should work on the puzzle.
"The puzzle, please," Harry answered, still looking rather awake.
"The puzzle it is!" Sirius grinned. "I suppose that means we'll have to go downstairs," he added, rather sheepishly.
Harry giggled. "It's not too far."
"I suppose not," Sirius relented, reaching to pick Harry up.
Harry let his head rest against his godfather's for the entire trip, and when they worked on the puzzle, he remained seated in his lap.
They worked for about a half-hour before Sirius noticed Harry trying to hide a yawn. After a few more, he knew that (even with only about twenty more pieces to go) it was best to get the child ready for bed.
"Time for bed," he said, gently.
Harry did not protest, and removed himself from Sirius' lap. "You'll stay with me?"
"I promise," Sirius answered. "I might get up after you're asleep, but I'll be there when you wake up."
Harry yawned again, then smiled. "I love you, Sirius."
"Love you too, puppy."
Author's note:
Another week, another chapter! I finished the thirteenth one earlier, so I expect that I'll be posting chapter twelve next week. Maybe. Depends how much of a feel I have for the next one.
Next up: A trip to the Healer.
As always, constructive feedback is most welcome!