Sirius found himself shaking with relief at the letter he had just received.
When Remus had come barreling into the room after Sirius had shouted for him, the letter was passed on for him to read.
A few moments later, a strangled sound came from the werewolf.
After Albus had told the rest of the order about Harry's fate, they had been worried sick. The order wasn't filled with the most tolerant of folk, and if Harry had been found by them, it might not spell out good things.
They both wanted to see Harry desperately, but with Sirius stuck in Grimmuald with Albus's wards he thought no one else knew about and Remus having a tracking charm that again, Albus thought no one else knew about, their options were limited.
Having to play nice was grating on every one of their nerves, but they didn't want to even accidentally lead the order to Harry's location.
That being said, the house elf that popped in and out of their room was nagging in his brain.
There was something about it that made him feel like he was forgetting something. But what it was remained out of reach.
Harry's letter, it being obvious who it was even though he didn't say explicitly, gave them some hope.
Though the letter did not contain Harry's name, the handwriting and the topic made it obvious. If Albus had not told everyone of Harry's turning, he might have overlooked the handwriting and chalked it up to another attempt at having him turn to the Dark Lord.
It would not be the first time.
Ever since he escaped from Azkaban he had received letters that sought to persuade him to join the Dark sect. It was understandable as his family always produced children with dark cores. However, during school he was held back because of James, and then later he was held back because of Harry.
He honored and respected all branches of magic, but being merciless, passionate, and holding strongly to his morals are what drove the hat to place him in Gryffindor. His tendency to joke in serious situations helped solidify that placement.
If he had not been placed in Gryffindor, and had instead been placed in Slytherin like his family hoped, the focal point of his hardheadedness would have tipped in another direction.
As it happened, he would not have it another way.
Did he have to be more careful about how he conducted his rituals now? Absolutely. However, he had Harry to write letters to.
Or, he used to have Harry to write letters to.
Harry did not know him well, could hardly in the short time they'd known each other. And Sirius had to be careful about what he wrote about, as Harry came across as light as could be.
Now, however, he wondered.
Being with Remus helped him maintain an equilibrium with his dark core and the mask of a Light wizard that he had to wear around everyone else.
Remus knew exactly who his mate was at his core. Literally. Being a dark creature changed who he was fundamentally.
The Light would try and say that there was always a chance for dark creatures to turn to the Light. They were fools.
The method in which they would try to convert said dark creatures was cruel. Suppression, blocks, starvation.
All in the name of the greater good.
He wished desperately that the Dark Lord hadn't been insane.
There was no winning side, both sides would end in tragedy.
Now however, it looked like there was hope in his godson being able to share what Sirius and Remus were so passionate about. With Harry officially no longer being attached to Dumbledore, Sirius no longer had a reason to pretend.
Imagining being able to be himself around all those he actually cares about, not having to hide, made him grin uncontrollably.
Looking over at Remus, who had been staring at the letter in inspirited awe after his first moments of shock, Sirius felt a warmth he hadn't experienced in years. A hope starting to burn, from a bit of a spark. This time he wouldn't have to purposefully extinguish it.
When Remus looked over at him, they shared a soft smile.
"Our cub is growing into himself." Remus sounded satisfied, for good reason. The order put up with him, but dark creatures were always feared almost on a subconscious level. He could talk to Harry before, but blinders had been put on the boy's eyes since he entered their world.
The letter may have been vague and reluctant, but they would show their kid just how much he could rely on them.
He would show Harry the side of magic that the Light would outlaw. Has outlawed.
Even though laws prohibit vampires from being killed without reason, when there is enough prejudice, reasons are fabricated to fit the interest of the prosecutor.
What people do not understand, they fear.
That is what Dumbledore accomplished years ago with dark magic. He took it out of the curriculum, out of the library, and put the image of an insane dark wizard on a podium for people to look upon and fear.
Dumbledore could no longer use Harry as a means to keep him leashed.
Sirius wished… but wishing alone was dangerous. Now, he had more than a wish, he had hope.
Harry had reached out to him, and he would not let his godson down.
Turning Harry's own method against him, after composing his response, he called Kreacher.
Popping in with a sneer already on his face, Kreacher folded his arms, staring at Sirius. "What is nasty traitor master wanting?" His gravelly voice filled with loathing.
Kreacher is going to love this... "I need to you take this letter to Harry Potter. Do not take it to anyone else, and you are to go from here, give him the letter, and quickly come back here with no other stops. He is a vampire, so I would be careful, otherwise you might become a snack." He couldn't help but say the last part with a grin.
He severely doubted Harry had changed so much as to go after a house elf, but if the threat helped Kreacher behave, well.
"Kreacher will give letter to half-blood leech, yes he will. Kreacher be's listening to Master." When he popped away promptly, Sirius looked at where he had left from with a bit of bafflement. Kreacher not adding on expletives before the word 'master' was unheard of, and apparently associating with a vampire, even if it was Harry Potter, endeared him to the elf temporarily.
Presuming Kreacher had given Harry the letter and then returned to a different part of the house, Sirius leaned into Remus. His heartbeat had always been soothing.
Now, they could only wait.
- S.O.A.R. -
Harry felt like death, pun fully intended. After only sleeping for a couple of hours, he heard a pop, felt something pointy hit the blanket he had over his head, and heard the popping sound again.
Groggily, he sat up, looking at a letter that had fallen into his lap.
His head cleared somewhat when he saw the Black family signet pressed into the wax seal.
That had been a startlingly quick response.
Hesitating, he called Millie to him.
"Master Harry be calling Millie?"
"Yes, Millie, are you able to detect whether a letter has curses on it, or is otherwise dangerous?" Even if she wasn't, it was worth an ask. He didn't know any detection spells, though in hindsight he should have thought to look them up years ago. He didn't know enough about his ability to see magic to rely on it fully.
"Yes Master, Millie be's checking." As she reached toward the parchment Harry was concerned she would touch it to check, but her hand stopped a few inches above the letter. Watching it glow green, a lighter green than the glow of wards he'd seen before, she nodded. "It's be clean Master. Does Master Harry be's needing anything else?"
"No Millie, that was all. Thank you." She nodded again happily, and popped away.
Still wary, though this time for the words the letter might contain rather than physical harm, he picked up the parchment and broke the seal.
After skimming the contents of the letter, he collapsed back as optimism started to take hold. He did not dare let himself hope before, but Sirius exceeded his expectations.
He said he cared, that it did not matter that he was a dark creature and had to drink blood to survive. He asked if Harry might tell him where he was living so that Sirius and Remus could give their full support. They did not require him to tell them where he was, but Sirius wanted to be there for him.
Both Sirius and Remus missed him, they loved him regardless of what he has been through and done these last months.
He could still have a family.
His eyes started to water. He had been so convinced that Sirius would berate him. That he would call him a blight on the Potter name. After all, James Potter was as light as they came, right? There was no way that a son of his could have a dark core, no matter how it came to be.
Even though Sirius and Remus sent word of their support, Harry couldn't help but wonder what his father and mother would think of his situation. Would they disown him, or hug him?
It was hard to imagine the response of parents he had never met.
He liked to think at least his mother would not care. It's said that a mother's love is one of the strongest things there is, right?
Though the doubt lingered, as he knew not all mothers has undying love for their offspring.
Perhaps he could ask Sirius the next time he saw him. He knew much better how Harry's parents would respond. Though he hoped Sirius wouldn't sugarcoat it.
He needed to know the truth.
And with his now enhanced hearing, he might be able to discern if Sirius was being honest. He hadn't practiced, but it seemed a practical application to being able to hear heartbeats.
He wonders if Remus ever used that ability, and what it was like being in the order being able to tell if people were lying or not.
Quite eye-opening he would imagine.
Putting the letter on the nightstand, he laid back down.
He was exhausted, and now the relief of his family still being there for him made him even more tired from the release of underlying tension.
There was still some time to prepare for them coming to the townhouse. Sirius undoubtedly knew the property existed, so them not coming over immediately was a nice show of respect.
They wanted to give him space if he needed it, and he appreciated the sentiment.
For now, he would rest, and leave his response for when he woke up. His godfather knew he was alive, and for now that would suffice.
Head throbbing, he closed his eyes. A smile graced his lips despite his exhaustion.
Soon, his family would be with him again, and he could start learning what he needed to in order to not just survive, but thrive.
He finally had people in his corner, not just people holding him on an unwanted pedestal.
We're finally getting going! Parental Sirius (and Remus) for the win. I love them.
Excited to have gotten beyond 10k words! Here's to 100k more. Or however long it ends up being xD
Thank you all for reading! I appreciate every one of you.
