Sirius could see the Healer's stance change as soon as Harry and Remus had left the room. She took a seat across from Sirius, transfigured the third empty chair into a table, and placed her parchment on top of the table.

"Silencio," she murmured, pointing her wand at the door.

Then, she turned to Sirius. "How are you finding things?" she asked, her tone sincere.

Sirius had to laugh. "To be blunt, it's been both easier and harder than I had expected. Harry's a lot better behaved now than he was as a baby." The Healer chuckled. "Oh, if I told you how hard it was to get him to fall asleep..." Sirius smiled as he remembered how difficult it could be to put a toddler to sleep. "All the same, I can tell that he's still very fearful, at times."

"Yes. Sirius-do you mind if I call you that?" At his nod, she continued, "Sirius, while I will say that I have seen children from worse backgrounds, I must tell you that, in my personal history, Harry's early childhood has been unparalleled on the part of his aunt and uncle."

Sirius gripped the arms of his chair. This was no surprise, of course. Hadn't he based that as his claim for custody? Still, to hear that it was the worst she'd had...

"H-how many years have you been a Healer?" Sirius asked, rather bluntly.

"Ten next month, if you don't count the two years of training and study all Healers partake in," she answered, nearly automatically.

He wondered if she got that question a lot.

"What can we do to help him?" Sirius pressed.

The Healer consulted the parchment. "While not starved, his size and weight is closer to a three and a half year old than a child nearly five," she began. Looking up, she added, "This can be remedied with proper nutrition. Balanced meals, of course, and understanding that his appetite will likely be smaller than most children his age, at first. This shouldn't concern you, and you shouldn't try to make him eat more than he wants. Smaller meals, several times a day, may be more effective than three large meals. Listen to him, because he will know when he's hungry and when he's full. Also," she added, "don't insist that he eat everything on his plate. Not if he's not hungry. I have seen parents do this to overcompensate, and it only pushes children to ignore their bodies and eat until they're past full."

Sirius nodded, taking this all in. With the exception of many small meals, this had been what he'd been doing.

"I read about potions that provide extra nutrition?" he asked.

The Healer made a face before schooling her features. "The effectiveness of this is debatable among my colleagues. If Harry were sixteen and looked like he did now, by comparison, I wouldn't hesitate to suggest this. However, that would be a drastic circumstance, and I am happy to tell you that he is nowhere near that. No, I wouldn't recommend potions at this point."

"May I ask why not? Out of curiosity?" Sirius asked.

"Several reasons. First, potions were initially developed to fix injuries or illnesses, and most of the ingredients do not react well with our bodies for long-term use. Primarily, there is the risk of dependency, no matter how innocuous the potion may seem. Second, nearly all potions taste foul, and while you can get a child to take medicine like that for a short amount of time, it will be an uphill battle after a few weeks." She made another face. "Finally, many simply believe that there are muggle substitutes for malnutrition that work better than anything we can brew. Vitamins, for instance, but there are also palatable nutrient rich mixtures that you might try."

"Then, I'll stop at a muggle shop to pick some up," Sirius determined.

"Start with vitamins. There are ones for children that are quite tasty. We can see if a nutrient mixture is necessary in six months," Healer Amanda suggested. "How are you currently handling meals?"

"We have three meals a day, and usually a dessert after dinner. Harry eats what I make for myself and Remus, and he hasn't complained about not liking anything, although he often doesn't know what something is." He frowned as he recollected that Harry hadn't known what porridge, of all things, had been. "Occasionally, he asks for second helpings, which we give him. He's never asked for food in between meals."

"I'd encourage healthy snacking between meals, if he's hungry. Given Harry's physical state, he could certainly use it. However, he likely doesn't feel entirely comfortable asking for food if it's not mealtime, so you should make a habit of asking him if he's hungry, and encouraging him to tell you if he's hungry," the Healer suggested. "Fruits are always a good option."

"Desserts are all right?"

"As long as he's not eating five servings a day," the Healer laughed. "Yes, a dessert after dinner is perfectly appropriate. I imagine he hasn't had much in the way of sweets before now."

"I doubt it," Sirius said, bitterly.

They moved on to discuss sleeping arrangements-the Healer thought it was fine for Sirius to sleep with Harry as long as he wanted, and expected that Harry would feel comfortable enough to sleep alone in time, but not to rush it. They also delved a little into disciplinary techniques.

"This is the least favorite part of my job, because many wizarding families still believe in the old-fashioned and highly questionable methods of physical punishment." The Healer's nose wrinkled slightly, before her face returned to its calm stance. "Even for an ordinary child, these methods are highly questionable, but with someone such as Harry, I must urge you to consider refraining from them."

"I will. That is, I will refrain from using any form of physical punishment on Harry," Sirius explained, quickly. "My own childhood...let's just say that my parents hardly 'spared the rod' as it were, and I suspect that even James encountered some of that. Before he died, he made me promise never to do that to Harry, if I ended up becoming his guardian. Not quite the Unbreakable Vow, but nearly. We'll go with time outs and taking away toys if it comes down to it."

The relief on her face was palpable. "I'm glad."

There was something else Sirius needed to ask about, something he and Remus had discussed the previous evening, after they were sure Harry was sound asleep.

"Remus and I weren't sure, so we thought to ask you about it," he began, rather awkwardly. "Should Harry be seeing a Mind Healer?"

He'd gone to one after the death of James and Lily, for over a year. The guilt he'd felt about insisting they switch the role of Secret Keeper to Peter, essentially sealing their own fates, had gnawed at him. So had the loss of Harry, although he hadn't known at the time just how unfit Petunia and her walrus of a husband would be at raising his godson.

Sirius still felt guilt, still occasionally woke up wanting to visit Azkaban and throw the torture curse Peter's way. Among others. Not that it would bring James or Lily back.

All the same, the Mind Healer had helped tremendously, and he thought he might return on occasion. She'd said he would be welcome to do so, for as long as he needed.

The Healer did not seem surprised at this question. Her face wore the same calm expression it had before they'd had to talk about acceptable punishments for a boy who was not even five. Sirius wondered if they received training in this.

"It's up to Harry, I would say," she began. "The usual response to trauma on the part of a guardian is to take the child, or teenager, to a Mind Healer. It's a great branch of magic in our field," she added, with a smile. "However, unlike a potion regime, it takes longer and requires trust. Harry's only lived with you for a week, is that right?" She consulted her notes as Sirius nodded. "I would wait at least a month before broaching the subject with him."

"Why's that?"

She smiled gently. "Because, Sirius, the ideal outcome is for Harry to speak to you. To trust you enough to tell you the things he would tell a Mind Healer. Granted, you may not know what to ask, at first, but that comes over time. If you're open to what he's experienced, and I can see that you are, you will be able to help him throughout the entire day and night, rather than just once or twice a week. I'm not saying you should dismiss this as an option, mind you, but you must not dismiss your own role in helping him."

Sirius nodded, slowly. This made sense, and besides, he wondered how receptive Harry would be to spilling his secrets to a stranger, even a very kind and gentle one.

No, as the Healer said, he would take things slowly, and work on allowing Harry to be open with himself and Remus. It would require a lot of time and patience, and likely some misunderstandings would occur along the way, but Sirius felt that they were equipped for the task.

The Healer certainly thought so.

Author's note:

Next up: A conversation between Sirius and Harry, a more sobering one between Sirius and Remus, and a flashback of sorts to how their shared nemesis made it safe for Harry to live with Harry and Sirius. Because the blood protection from the Dursleys was not something to dismiss...

As always, constructive feedback is most welcome!

Although I'll likely be posting "The Unlikely Gryffindor" more regularly than either of my other Harry Potter fics, I am hoping to have another update of this one next weekend. Struggling a bit more with "Harry Potter and the Survival of Sirius Black," I'm disappointed to say.