After eating, Sirius turned to Harry with a strange look on his face.
"Harry, pup, we have to talk to you about something important," he said, softly.
Harry felt cold. "Am I in trouble?"
Sirius shook his head. "You did nothing wrong, nothing at all."
"Are you going to send me back?" he whispered.
Sirius stood up and pulled him into a long, warm hug. "Never, Harry. I will never send you back. I promise."
Feeling a little better, Harry nodded. If he wasn't being sent back and he wasn't in trouble, it couldn't be that bad. Well, unless he had to drink more potions, but that was nothing compared to the Dursleys.
"Let's go to the sitting room," Uncle Remus suggested.
"Good idea," Sirius agreed. "Come on, pup, I will carry you!"
Harry grinned as his godfather lifted him in the air, swinging him a bit, and then holding him safely in his arms. They crossed the short distance to the sitting room, and Sirius sat down, placing Harry between himself and Uncle Remus.
The adults looked at each other, and Sirius spoke first.
"Harry, I can turn into a dog."
Harry stared at him. "Really?"
Sirius nodded, grinning. "Want to see?"
Harry nodded, eager to see this great piece of magic.
Suddenly, his godfather was replaced by a dog at least twice the size of Harry. He had never been too fond of dogs, because of Aunt Marge and her mean ones, but this wasn't a mean dog. It was his godfather. Even so...
"Will he let me pet him?" Harry asked Uncle Remus. "Can he understand me?"
Uncle Remus smiled at him. "Yes, and yes. Go ahead, I think he wants you to."
Sirius the dog's tail was wagging, which Harry knew meant he was happy, and his very big tongue was hanging out from his mouth.
Harry gently pet him on the top of his head, and Sirius the dog put his head back, like he was enjoying it.
"Scratch his ears," Remus suggested, crouching next to Harry.
He obeyed, and the tail wagged even more.
"He's huge," Harry noted, still scratching behind his ears. "Smaller than when he's Sirius, but still really big."
"Especially next to you," Remus chuckled. "Reminds me a bit of Clifford the Big Red Dog."
"Who?"
"It's a picture book, about a dog that's enormous," Remus explained. "We can read it to you, sometime."
Harry nodded. His arm was getting tired, and Remus must have noticed.
"All right, Sirius, time to change back. Harry's not supposed to scratch your head all day," he said, smiling at them.
The dog became Sirius again, and Harry's hand that had been scratching his head now touched his robes. Sirius lifted him up and placed him in his lap, on the couch.
"Thanks for the head scratch, Harry," he murmured, smoothing his hair.
"Did you like it?"
Sirius chuckled. "Almost fell asleep, so yes."
Harry grinned and Sirius held him close.
"Can all witches and wizards turn into animals? Could my mummy and daddy?" Harry asked.
"Very few can. It's a very long process, becoming an animagus, and you can't choose what animal you become. I was fortunate to be able to become a big, slobbery dog." Harry giggled. "Your mummy didn't become one, but your dad was a stag...a deer," he explained.
"Will I be able to become a animagus when I am older?" he asked.
"Once you become an adult, you can begin the process," Sirius promised. "It's too dangerous to start earlier."
"Oh. Okay," said Harry, trying to hide his disappointment. It would be a very, very long time, then. He looked at Uncle Remus. "Can you become an animal?"
Sirius held him more tightly, but it wasn't uncomfortable.
"Yes, I can, but it's different for me," Remus began, slowly. "Harry, do you know anything about wolves?"
Harry thought hard. "I know what they look like."
"I become a type of wolf, called a werewolf," Uncle Remus explained. "But unlike your father and your godfather, I didn't become it because I went through the animagus process."
"How did you become one?" Harry asked.
"I was bitten by another werewolf when I was a small child. When a person becomes a werewolf and they bite another person, that person becomes a werewolf," Remus explained.
"When do you like to become a werewolf? Can you show me?"
Remus shook his head. "No, it's not something I can choose. Sirius can turn into a dog, and back, whenever he likes. I turn into a werewolf when it's a full moon, and back after the moon wanes."
There had to be more to it than that. Uncle Remus was looking more serious than he had ever seen him.
"Do you have to bite people when you are a werewolf?" he asked.
"The wolf wants to, so when I first was bitten, I was kept away from others. For their protection. Now, there's a potion, called the Wolfsbane Potion, and it makes it so that I...that the wolf mind does not make me want to hurt others," Uncle Remus explained. "It keeps me safe."
"But you...you don't like to become one," Harry guessed.
Remus shuddered and shook his head. Harry got out of Sirius' lap and walked over next to his uncle, and crawled into his arms. It felt like the right thing to do. Remus wrapped his arms around him, and he felt safe and warm.
"No, Harry. I don't want to become a werewolf. People like us are feared, hated, by other witches and wizards," Uncle Remus explained.
"But you're nice!" Harry protested.
Sirius stood and took a seat on the couch next to Remus and Sirius.
"People can be very silly about things like that, Harry. Just like how your aunt and uncle hated magic," Sirius explained. "Remus can't help that he was bitten and has to transform. He has never hurt anyone, not even before he was able to take the potion. He would never hurt you."
Harry nodded. He was quiet for awhile, content to snuggle with his (still new) uncle. Sirius reached over and began to run his hands through Harry's hair. It felt so nice, he thought he might fall asleep.
Then, a new thought occurred to him. "Does becoming an animal hurt?"
"Becoming a dog doesn't hurt, because I am an animagus," Sirius explained.
"But yes, becoming a werewolf is painful," Remus added, slowly. "The potion helps a little, though."
Harry looked up at his uncle. "I am sorry that it hurts. I wish it didn't."
Remus gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Harry."
"Does it hurt now?"
His smile widened a little. "Only when I change and turn back. Fortunately, there are many potions to help with the pain. After a couple of days of rest, I am back to normal."
Harry nodded. "Can I help?"
"We can make him hot chocolate," Sirius offered. "That's what I do for him. I need someone to taste it."
"That would be very helpful," Uncle Remus agreed. "Are you up for that job, Harry?"
He nodded again. "I think so."
"Thank you," Remus murmured, holding him closer.
"I want you to feel better as soon as you can," Harry explained.
He thought his uncle knew this already, but it probably couldn't hurt to say so.
Author's note:
Next up: Sirius and Remus make plans for Harry's birthday.
As always, constructive feedback is most welcome!