Harry is finally introduced to Wizarding Britain and things take a turn for the worst

Did I really just do that? Yes. Yes I did. Lol read to find out :)

"Harry?" his godfather asked. He'd been silent ever since Sirius revealed about his parents. He wondered why the news would change their names, but if they were magic, it makes sense they couldn't have their real names. It would have caused more people to question his aunt if people knew his parents were killed. The fewer questions asked, Harry knew was better. Harry looked at Sirius and allowed a small smile to form on his face. The smile grew a little brighter when Sirius smiled back at him.

"M' sorry," he said. "No one ever told me anything about my parents; it's a lot to learn."

Suddenly, Harry found himself in a strong hug that smelled a little like wet dirt, grass, and chocolate. He could only sit there for a few seconds before wrapping his arms around his godfather. Hugs were nice. Harry noted that his godfather was warm and soft, despite his skinny appearance. Harry buried his head in his godfather's chest and closed his eyes, listening to his heartbeat until it matched up with his own.

"arry, Harry!" Jumping up, Harry looked into the worried eyes of his godfather and smiled shyly.

"You worried me for a minute there, kiddo when you didn't answer." He said.

As much as Harry tried, he couldn't fight the blush that threatened to appear on his face. "I'm sorry, it's just..." he shook his head, frowning. He didn't want to admit that he'd never been hugged before; he didn't want to see the pity in their eyes or the dislike in Snape's. Luckily, the adults didn't push him, and he was able to settle back down.

"Can-can you tell me more about my parents?" Harry asked.

"Of course, kiddo, that's part of me being your guardian."

"My guardian?"

Slapping himself on the forehead, Sirius sighed. "We completely forgot, but yeah, since I was found innocent, I'm your guardian." Frowning slightly, he continued, "Technically, I'm your uncle, but we can talk about that when we get to my house. You were never supposed to go with your aunt and uncle; your mom didn't want you anywhere near her sister." Harry didn't ask why; he already knew based on his aunt's actions; besides, he was a bit too focused on the "uncle" part to give much thought to his aunt.

"So," he said, "I don't have to go back to the Dursleys?" Harry didn't know what look he had on his face, but from the looks of pity on both Ms. Figg's and his godfather/uncle's faces, it spoke of his dislike of staying there.

Sirius's face softened, and he shook his head. "No, kiddo, you don't," Sirius said gently.

Nodding, Harry tried to keep his tears at bay. He didn't want to look like a crybaby; he was 11; he shouldn't be crying this much, but he was happy. He was so happy even if everything was happening fast and he was confused by it all. Harry was happy he was finally leaving his aunt's house. As he tried to keep from crying, the question of why Dumbledore had placed him with his aunt came to him. Why did he ignore his parents' will? Harry couldn't help but wonder whether Dumbledore knew how his aunt treated him.

"Wait, if I wasn't supposed to go with Aunt Petunia, why did Dumbledore put me there?" This time, it was Professor Snape who answered.

"The headmaster believed your mother's sacrifice provided you with protection based on blood relations. As long as you were with your aunt, no harm would come to you from the one who killed your parents or anyone who bore his mark." Through it all, Snape still had that mean sneer on his face, so Harry only nodded and turned back to his godfather/uncle. The less Harry says to the man, the better. Besides, Harry was a bit caught up on the fact that Voldemort still has people out there.

"So does that mean I have to stay there because of the protection?" Harry asked, secretly hoping his godfather would say no.

"No, I can protect you just fine at my house," Sirius answered with a shrug, and Harry relaxed at his response. "My parents were pretty nutty and paranoid, so the house is protected against anyone who has bad intentions towards anyone living there, meaning no Death Eater can enter."

"Death Eater?" Harry wondered.

Stepping forward, Ms. Figg placed a hand on Sirius' shoulder. "Perhaps this should wait until you and Harry get settled?" At that, Harry frowned, but it didn't sound like they were going to keep it from him, so he let it go.

"I'm glad I get to bring you home, Harry," Sirius said, and looking up, Harry could see a spark of light appear in his gray-yellow eyes, and Harry's fight against his tears was lost as he began to cry. He was finally going to have a home where he was wanted. He wouldn't have his aunt or uncle say mean things about his parents. He was sure his godfather wouldn't make him sleep in a cupboard or do all the chores in the house. Harry was too busy crying to notice that he was being pulled into another hug. He heard his godfather whispering assurances to him as he stroked his hair while Ms. Figg came and patted the arm that wasn't covered by his godfather's body. He didn't have to wait to go to Hogwarts in order to get away from his aunt and uncle, and that was the best birthday present of all.

Harry still had a hard time believing that he would never have to go back to the Dursleys, but sure enough, when his family returned home, Harry was marched right over, where it was explained that he was leaving.

"Black," Aunt Petunia turned to face Sirius, her arms crossed in front of her chest. "I wasn't expecting you here so soon, but I should have known better when I saw you on the news," she sniffed as she looked him up and down. Even though he shouldn't have been, Harry was surprised at his aunt's actions. To be fair, Harry had never seen her act this way with anyone besides himself, and something inside him settled at the fact that it wasn't just him she hated.

"That's what happens when you're not meant to have custody," Sirius replied, crossing his arms and mirroring Aunt Petunia's pose. Harry tried to ignore when his uncle and cousin came down the stairs, but he took a bit of pleasure in their shocked faces, especially when he saw the moment Uncle Vernon realized where he'd seen Sirius's face before. Maybe Harry thought, he shouldn't be so happy, but he couldn't deny that it was a nice feeling for them to be scared instead of him.

"I didn't even know he existed until he was on my doorstep." Aunt Petunia rebuked, an accusing tone taking over.

Rolling his eyes at her, Sirius scoffed, "Lily didn't trust you enough to tell you about Harry. I don't need to rehash your cruelty," Sirius said, narrowing his eyes at her, his mouth settling into a thin line. "Snape and I have heard and seen plenty enough, and unfortunately, Harry has had first-hand experience with the levels of cruelty you're capable of showing."

Aunt Petunia sniffed indifferently. "I never asked to be related to Lily and her freakiness." She looked down at Harry, dislike shining in her eyes, and said, "Nor did I want that in my house."

All Sirius did was shake his head at her and ask, "Where is his Hogwarts letter?"

Aunt Petunia stared at Sirius for a long moment before huffing and grabbing a small envelope from inside her purse on the table. She held out the envelope to Sirius, who snatched it out of her hand.

"I know your mother taught you that it's not nice to take things that don't belong to you." Sirius started to pass the envelope to Harry when the address caught his eye. He stared at the words for a long time before he slowly lifted his head to meet Petunia's eyes who flinched upon meeting Sirius's gaze. His next words were spoken calmly, so calm that Harry had a hard time deciding if he was angry or not.

"You kept my godson, your sister's son, and your nephew in the bloody cupboard?" His voice was practically devoid of emotion; only his eyes betrayed how angry he was. The yellow in his eyes flickered once and then twice before completely overtaking the little gray that was there.

Sirius took a deep breath and turned to give Harry his Hogwarts letter, a tight smile on his face.

"Just gather up his things so we can leave," Sirius said, and Uncle Vernon and Dudley made their pleasure known very loudly by running towards the cupboard and grabbing all of his things.

Again, Aunt Petunia merely sniffed, although there was a brief flicker of shame in her eyes. "He was perfectly fine there. He is not my son; he's barely my family," she defended.

The entire time, Harry just stood there, but at that, he frowned slightly and balled his hands into fists. Harry never expected her to admit not seeing him as family; he didn't think she thought otherwise. He knew his aunt disliked him—maybe even hated him—but it never crossed his mind that she didn't think of him as family. After all, you can dislike your family; you can hate them too, but Harry didn't think you could ever deny them as family.

"Why did you tell me about my mother's eyes then? Why did you protect me that time someone tried to touch my scar?" Harry blurted out. Although the question was directed at his aunt, Harry's eyes were downcast. For a long time, the only sounds in the house were those of his uncle and cousin gathering his things. Harry didn't realize he had so much; it always felt like he had so little.

"Because I hated them and it was the only thing you have of hers," she eventually replied, but Harry didn't believe her. He knew she was lying, but he didn't know why. But silence once again took over the room. It was broken when Harry noticed his uncle and cousin returning with his things in a plastic bag, which they tossed at him. 'Huh,' he thought; it seems like he really didn't have much after all. Normally, their behavior would embarrass Harry, but he was too busy pretending to not see the looks of horror and disgust at the bag he currently held in his hands.

"Harry, is that all you own?" Ms. Figg asked quietly, and Harry could only nod. He didn't want to give a verbal answer, but he could feel his cheeks heat up as he blushed. Chancing a peek, Harry noticed Professor Snape also looked mildly horrified, and somehow that made Harry flush even more. He didn't want the change in that man's expression to be because he felt pity for Harry. That's worse than the looks he'd been giving before. Glancing at Sirius, Harry was surprised at the look of hatred he had in his eyes.

"You had better be glad that there are laws preventing magic from being used on muggles, Petunia." Sirius all but growled out his words between gritted teeth. "You'd deserve nothing less than to feel all the pain you've inflicted on both Lily and Harry. You're an awful person, a horrid sister, and an abomination of a guardian, and one day," Sirius hissed. "One day, you will receive all the karma that is owed to you."

After that, Sirius made sure he had whisked them all out without another glance. As they were leaving, Harry was conflicted. Part of him was glad; actually, there was a large part that was happy, but there was a part that was bitter, angry, and sad. He is bitter because he should have been able to call this place home, angry because he never should have been placed here in the first place, and sad because there is so much he missed out on. He was 11, and he had no baby pictures or videos of his first steps like Dudley did, but most of all, he didn't have parents. Harry had known from a young age that life wasn't fair. All the times he was punished because his cousin made a mess and blamed him or when he was accused of cheating, it was his cousin who taught him that life wasn't fair, but it was the fact that Harry was finally getting something taken from him that drove that point home.

"I knew Petunia was a piece of work, but Lily never said she was that bad," Sirius muttered. "And that whale of a husband and son! It's like she chose him just to piss Lily off." He grumbled.

Harry only watched as his godfather muttered some more under his breath and wondered just how well Sirius knew his aunt. They were just about to cross the street when a familiar hiss stopped Harry. Turning around, he lit up with a smile and ran across the lawn towards the large tree.

"Ah, young speaker, I was wondering when you were coming to say your goodbye." The snake hissed out its displeasure at almost being forgotten.

Bending down, Harry smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry; I was really excited and forgot." He rubbed his hair in embarrassment. Harry didn't notice his company had stopped and followed him until Sirius spoke, causing him to jump slightly.

"You can speak Parseltongue?" Sirius whispered, wide-eyed, and Harry couldn't help the way his body tensed at the words. He remembered the way his aunt reacted, and he was scared that he was going to find it weird like his aunt, but there was happiness in Sirius's eyes that had Harry nodding, albeit hesitantly.

"Be careful, Black; your prejudice is showing." Professor Snape told him with a nasty smirk on his face. Harry was seriously wondering why Professor Snape disliked his godfather. He was just like Petunia, Harry thought—always unhappy with people and life, it seemed.

"It's not prejudice, you greasy git." Sirius snarled, and Harry couldn't help but laugh. But one look at Professor Snape's face, and Harry was quiet again, but his godfather smiled at him.

"Lily and James were parselmouths," Sirius explained with a shrug. "We just didn't know if it would pass along to Harry since Petunia didn't inherit the gift at all and neither did James's parents," he said, and Harry's eyes widened and a small smile made its way onto his face. While the snake already explained why his aunt didn't have the gift, Harry was surprised and excited to know his father was a Parselmouth too. He'd gotten his gift from both of his parents and for Harry; that showed he was truly their son, that he really was a wizard, and Parseltongue was part of him. With that thought, Harry's smile widened.

Professor Snape scoffed, glaring hard at Sirius. "Impossible; I knew Lily longer than both you and Potter. If she were a Parselmouth, she would have told me." Harry really didn't understand Professor Snape, but he was sure he didn't like the man.

Sighing, Sirius made a face before turning toward Professor Snape. "She kept it hidden from everyone, including her parents. The only one who knew was Petunia." Turning back to Harry, he gave a small wink after squeezing his hands. "James only found out once you were born," he said with a wistful look in his eyes. "It surprised us all, especially your mom when James admitted he already knew. Speaking of which," Sirius eyed Harry for a moment, his gaze switching between him and the snake.

"I'm guessing the snake told you about you being a Parselmouth?" Sirius asked. Nodding, Harry moved aside so they could see each other. The snake gently lifted its head and stared at each of them. The only one who was noticeably disturbed was Professor Snape. Harry noted this, and apparently so did Sirius, because when they looked at each other, they couldn't help but break out in small smiles. Turning back around, Harry introduced them all. "This is my godfather and uncle, Sirius Black; he was falsely accused of killing my parents. That's Ms. Figg, but you've already met her…kinda. Anyways, she helped him get free, and then that's Professor Snape, a friend of my mom." Harry explained as he pointed them out.

Bending down, Sirius held out his hand, allowing the snake to slither over and taste him with his tongue. The snake then lifted itself toward his face, and Harry watched as they looked at each other for a long moment, and the tension was so thick that Harry couldn't help but squirm. Then the snake moved and let its tongue out to faintly touch Sirius' fingers, and Harry sighed in relief.

"Do not worry, young speaker; your godfather is a good man...if a little broken. His magic smells strong; he will protect you well." The snake hissed before moving back to Harry and bumping him lightly on the legs.

"Watch out for the angry one; he has an untainted soul, but that doesn't mean he has pure intentions for you or your godfather." Harry looked up to see Professor Snape sneering between him, the snake, and Sirius. This time, Harry just rolled his eyes. He's had 11 years with his aunt glaring and sneering at him, and while Professor Snape was scarier, Harry could easily tune him out.

"He can't make up his mind which of us to hate more." Harry grumbled, "I don't even know why Ms. Figg brought him." If the snake was wary of Professor Snape, it would be good to listen to him and stay far away.

"Alright, Harry, we have to go," Sirius said, a pleased expression on his face. Harry, for the first time since meeting Sirius, didn't want to leave. Gently, he petted the snake once more before tipping his head down to the snake, a few tears escaping his eyes. He knew it was going to be the last time he'd see the snake for a while, and he still wished he could take him with them.

"We'll meet again, young speaker," the snake finally hissed before disappearing behind the large tree.

They left the snake and the Dursleys behind, with Harry making a silent promise to visit only one, and they made their way back to Ms. Figg's home. Once inside, Sirius immediately pushed Harry towards the fireplace.

"First things first, Harry, we need to get to the Wizarding World so we can get settled and buy you some new clothes. I can tell you all about your parents, and there is someone who has been waiting to meet you." Sirius said.

"New clothes?" Harry questioned.

Sirius merely stared at Harry with an unidentifiable look and said,

"Yes, new clothes. The ones you're wearing cover too much of your body; they don't fit." Sirius paused, his gaze intensifying. "They belong to your cousin, don't they?" he asked.

Slowly, Harry nodded, his head ducking, embarrassed. He didn't want to see the look of pity on his godfather's face. Sirius sighed before kneeling down and bringing Harry's head up by his chin. When Harry met Sirius's eyes, he was surprised to see that there was no pity, but something entirely different. "Trust me when I say I understand you more than you think. We both had to deal with families that didn't care enough about us," Sirius said softly, rising to his feet and gently ruffling Harry's hair. Suddenly, Sirius clapped his hands together, causing Harry to jump slightly. He looked up at his godfather and scowled slightly when he saw the smirk on his face.

Laughing, Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. "Now for your first and perhaps most important wizarding lesson," he said. "We have something called Floo travel, which requires the use of fireplaces." Sirius grabbed a pouch on the mantel and opened it up. Inside was a glittery green powder that seemed to shimmer as if light were hitting it. "You grab a handful, step into the fireplace, and say very clearly the place you want to go. Why don't you go first, Arabella?"

Harry watched as Ms. Figg did as Sirius said, and she disappeared into a cloud of green smoke.

"Whoa!" Harry yelled. "It's like Maleficent!"

"Maleficent?" Sirius raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Nodding, Harry turned to face his godfather. "It's from a fairytale, and the bad guy can disappear or appear in a cloud of green smoke or flames," Harry explained with a wide grin, and Sirius's eyes widened for a moment as if he were realizing something before he chuckled, ruffling Harry's hair.

"Alright then, are you ready to try?"

"Wait, where are we going?"

"Ah, the leaky cauldron," Sirius said, running his fingers through his hair. "It's a bit dingy and rundown, but it's a pub, so that's natural. It's the most known access point between the muggle and wizarding Britain." Smiling, Sirius nudged Harry, placing the pouch in front of him.

Harry POV

I know they said the Leaky Cauldron was dingy, but I could see speckles of dirt flying through the air as people walked and sat down. The smell and feel of the dust as I breathed in and out made my nose itch, and I couldn't help but sneeze. Unfortunately for me, that brought everyone's attention to the kid in the pub.

"Oi kid, you ain't supposed to be here by yourself; where's ya mum?" An older man at the bar called out to him.

"He's with me." Ms. Figg spoke up from beside him. Satisfied, the man turned back to the people at the bar and promptly went back to his conversation.

"Kiddo! Glad to see you made it here all right." Sirius moved to place his hand on my shoulder, and I smiled up at him. "My first time flooing was horrid; I ended up in a random house across town," he explained, and I giggled at the thought.

"It was nothing compared to James," a tall, lanky man approached us. He had scars all over his face, but he had gentle brown eyes and tousled brown hair. He looked a bit like Sirius with the ragged look, except he was dressed more like me. His clothes are a bit too big for him, and there were patches on his cardigan and pants where he mended them. I felt a lot less conscious about my own clothes after seeing him.

"Remus," Sirius breathed with a soft smile. I looked back and forth between the two as they just stared at each other. It wasn't until Ms. Figg cleared her throat that they both jumped and broke out of whatever trance they were in.

Sirius cleared his throat, a light blush on his face. He turned toward me and grabbed me by the shoulders. "Harry, I'd like you to meet your Uncle Remus."

I frowned at Sirius's words. I didn't know my dad had a brother other than whatever Sirius was, I guess. Remus laughed at my confused expression, waving his hand from side to side.

"I'm not your biological uncle; I was just a very close friend of your father."

"Oh," I said, still a bit confused and a bit angry. Apparently, my parents had people who cared for them…So why did they not care for me?

"How come I've never met you before this?"

Remus grimaced for a minute, and Sirius's hands tightened briefly on my shoulders before letting go. He rubbed my shoulders in apology. "Remus was occupied and wasn't able to visit you. Besides, Dumbledore wouldn't tell him your aunt's address, so..." Sirius trailed off. Sighing, I offered a smile to Remus and was glad when he returned it. It seemed like Dumbledore kept ruining things for me, and I still couldn't understand why.

"Yes, yes, what a touching reunion," Professor Snape mocked. "If we're all situated, I would like to get back to Hogwarts, and I'm sure Mr. Potter would like to be an annoyance somewhere else."

Sirius growled at him while I frowned. Honestly, what did Snape have against me? He was quickly getting as bad as my aunt; I could have just stayed there if I wanted to be insulted. After he spoke, the entire pub went silent before someone yelled out,

"It's Sirius Black and Harry Potter!" and then mayhem followed soon after.

There were yells of "Harry" and "Thank you," and those that weren't yelling were making grabby hands at me. From the corner of my eye, I could see Professor Snape smirking slightly, and I wondered if he knew this would happen. Hands were suddenly in my hair and on my cheeks, and people were grabbing onto me wherever they could as if touching me was some sort of ritual. I could hear and feel Sirius and Ms. Figg trying to get people to leave me alone, but it was overwhelming, and I felt like I couldn't breathe. What was so special about me that people acted like I was the queen or something? I slowly backed away until I was completely flushed against Sirius, and I could feel him start to move me behind him along with Ms. Figg. It only got worse when someone attempted to touch my scar, and Sirius moved completely in front of me, his wand pointed at the neck of a man.

"Alright! Back off!" He yelled, "He's just a kid, not an object to touch however you bloody want!" Sirius turned around to face me, his gray-yellow eyes full of concern and anger. I didn't know if I was in shock, but it seemed as if the yellow surrounding his eyes glowed brighter. Luckily, I think the crowd noticed he wasn't in the mood, and several of them took a step back.

"Harry, are you okay?" He asked, and I nodded but stayed behind him as he moved us through the crowd. They were scared of Sirius, but I was thankful they were. That was terrifying.

My head began to hurt as we got close to the door, a dull pain beginning in my scar. Reaching up to rub it, I hissed as it burned my hand. Stopping, Sirius turned around to stare at me.

"What happened?" Sirius asked. Looking up, I showed Sirius my hand.

"I don't know," I said. "My scar started to hurt when I reached up to rub it; I burned my hand, but I don't know how." Reaching out, Sirius moved my hair away from my scar, and I saw his eyes go wide.

"We're going to need to get him to a healer," he said to Ms. Figg. With that, we picked up our pace until we were once again stopped by another voice.

"Ah, P-Pro-Professor Snape, M-m-Minerva said yo-ou-u were going to pick u-up Mr. P-P-Potter, but I-I-I couldn't be-bel-believe it myse-e-elf until now." Turning around, I was met with a man in a large purple turban who smelled like he'd been around garlic all day. His face was really small, and his left eye was twitching—kind of like Aunt Petunia did when she was really angry. Wrinkling my nose, I squeaked when a hand was shoved in my face.

"P-pl-pleasure to meet yo-u, Mr. Po-Potter. My name i-i-s Pro-Professor Quirrell." The man smiled at me, but I couldn't smile back. There was something off about him, but I didn't want to be rude, so I shook his hand. The minute I made contact, both my hand that held his and my scar burst into pain. The burning feeling I had before was back, and the room smelled like burning flesh. I could only look down for a moment to see that my hand was smoking. The burning of my hand didn't compare to the pain; my head felt like it was going to burst, and I could only cry out. I could feel something moving behind my scar, like it was trying to come out. it hurt.

I could hear voices calling out my name, but I couldn't answer; my mouth wouldn't speak the words; only pained whimpers could escape. Then suddenly, flashes of images went through my head: a skull and snake in the sky; a greenish, glittery tint given to the clouds; something that looked like a crib; another flash of green light; and then a scream.

"Sirius! It hurts!" I cried out before my world went black.

End POV

The entire pub went dead silent at the screams of the 11-year-old Harry Potter as he clutched at his head. It was a sound nobody ever expected the young boy to make; in fact, they never believed a young voice could make a scream that sounded so anguished. It was only made worse by the frantic calling of his name by his godfather. No one knew what had happened or what caused the sudden outburst. No one except a man with a large purple turban that smelled too much like garlic stood by with a curious look on his face, and no one ever paid him any mind. Most importantly, no one noticed the faint black mist that made its way to the man with the large purple turban. No one noticed how he inhaled the smoke and then went on his merry way.

Sirius POV

"Harry!" I screamed out as he began to clutch at his forehead. Time seemed to slow as his screams penetrated my ears, and then, as soon as they began, they stopped, and he began to fall backward. As I dove forward to catch him and hold him in my arms, my eyes widened as I noticed his scar; it had split open and blood had seeped from the wound. I tried to shake him awake by gently slapping his cheek, but calling out his name only got more frantic as his eyes stayed closed. It was only his chest rising and falling that kept me from having a full-blown panic attack. 'He's not James; he's not James; he's not James.' I chanted in my head over and over again, but when I looked at his face, the pain and fear began to rise again. For all I chanted, Harry was almost James's spitting image, and the memories of my brother dead in my arms were too much.

"Harry! Wake up, dammit!" I cried. "FUCK!" I could hear the whisperings of the other people in the pub, but I could not bring myself to pay attention to them. I could not look away from my godson, who was currently limp in my arms.

"Sirius, we need to take him to St. Mungos. They'll know what to do, but we have to leave before someone calls the papers." Arabella placed her hand on my shoulders, and I could only nod. Picking Harry up, I cradled him close to my chest before turning toward Snape.

"I'm guessing you're probably going to inform Minerva and most likely Dumbledore about this; tell Minerva I'll speak with her later." I didn't bother to wait for his reply before turning toward the crowd.

"If I see one mention of this in the paper, I will find out who spoke out and sue you so bad, whatever descendants you have will still be paying your debt 20 years later." With that, I nodded to Arabella and apparated to St. Mungos. The minute I appeared in the lobby, a nurse moved me over to a private room where a group of healers were waiting by a single bed in the middle.

"A man came ahead and warned us Mr. Potter would be arriving with Sirius Black. At first, we didn't believe him, but he insisted, and we've been on standby ever since." Frowning, I placed Harry on the bed before stepping back to let the healers work.

"Do yo know who it was?" I asked, my eyes staying on Harry.

"Yes," a nurse told me, pointing to where Remus was standing on the opposite wall. He looked up and gave me a small smile before turning his attention back to Harry. I was shocked and a little surprised. I didn't realize he'd left; my focus was on Harry. I nodded to her, and she left with a small smile as she was called by another nurse. Shaking my head, I began to make my way over to Remus, who wrapped me up in a hug the moment I was within arm's reach. I sighed deeply as I felt my body relax at his familiar scent. I didn't realize that, despite being nearly a decade apart, some things would stay the same, and the deep earthy scent of Remus was one of those things. We didn't talk; there wasn't anything we could say out in the open like this, but the company was all I needed at the moment. Time seemed to pass by before I was approached about Harry's condition.

"Lord Black?" Looking up, I was met with the same nurse as before. Standing up, I peeked over her shoulder at Harry.

"How is he?" I asked.

Smiling tightly at me, she turned her head to look at Harry briefly and said, "Lord Black, there isn't an easy way to say this, but Mr. Potter had traces of soul magic lodged in his scar."

For a moment, my heart stopped beating. Soul magic… While the nurse didn't say what type of soul magic there was, the point was that there was soul magic performed on Harry, and I had a grim guess of who it was, and if my guess is correct, it was the type of soul magic that never should have been created.

"Whatever happened," the nurse continued, "it caused the magic to erupt from the scar, forcefully removing itself. That's what caused him to faint, but we still don't know what caused it to react in such a way."

I took a deep breath, willing my heart to calm down. At this point, the magic is gone, and Harry's well-being is the only thing I'm worried about.

"Is he going to be okay? Will there be any backlash or side effects?"

There was a brief moment of silence before the nurse sighed and shook her head. "The magic had essentially attached itself to Mr. Potter. I'm guessing whoever placed the magic in Mr. Potter will undoubtedly share some form of connection. I do not know much else; as you know, St. Mungo's does not deal with soul magic very often unless it's the Fidelius Charm." She narrowed her eyes briefly before sighing.

"I'm afraid you'd have to seek outside help for this one."

Sighing, I ran my hand over my face. I wasn't expecting anything like this, and to be quite frank, the only thing I want to do right now is take Harry and hide. The only way that magic would react this way is if Harry met up with the man who did this, but there were so many people in the pub that trying to narrow it down felt like it would be looking for a needle in a haystack. I focused my attention on Harry, who was still asleep but very much still breathing. I took another deep breath before nodding to myself.

"Were there any other medical or health problems you were able to sense?" I asked.

Nodding, she handed me a list of past and current medical problems, and my eyes widened. I looked up at the nurse, and she shook her head sadly.

"Mr. Potter, it seems, has not been to a single doctor since his parents' deaths except to get the basic muggle shots that are required for muggle schooling," she said. "Broken bones, a history of cavities, some of which have been healed when his magical core grew, and malnourishment," the nurse took a deep breath, her head shaking, "this young man has been severely neglected by whoever his guardians were." The nurse finished, squeezing her hands into tight fists before she took a breath to calm herself, and something inside me calmed at the vocal anger at Harry's treatment by Petunia and her whale husband.

"It was only due to his magic that he survived as well as he did."

"How the bloody hell can you call this surviving as well as he did?" I said, looking back at the list. This list was full of injuries a normal person would receive in their lifetime if they were unlucky or extremely stupid, but not within a few years and not at the age Harry was.

Frowning at me, the nurse said, "Because any muggle child would have been dead by now, Lord Black-Potter. That is how terrible his condition would have been if he had been born a squib," and my shoulders slumped at her words. Remus rubbed my arms, but the comfort was lost on me.

"I know," I said, frustrated. "I know..." For a long moment, there was nothing but silence and the steady but mostly silent breathing of Harry as he rested in the bed.

"I'll discuss a routine with a healer later and figure out how best to treat his problems," I said before walking toward his bed. I was tired, and all I wanted to do was spend a nice day with my godson. It's his first visit to the Wizarding World, and instead of going shopping, he's lying in a hospital due to soul magic. Sensing my mood, the nurse took her leave as I took a seat in the chair next to him and merely stared at his chest as it fell up and down in a steady rhythm. He was alive, and that was the most important thing I told myself, even though I wanted nothing more than to return to Petunia and rip her and her family to shreds. Neglect didn't begin to cover what they did to him; it was abuse, plain and simple. Sighing, I shook my head again before reaching up and smoothing back his hair to reveal his scar. It was swollen and red, and it reminded me of the single worst day of my life.

*FLASHBACK* Halloween 31st, 1981

My heart was pounding in my chest, and the wind was pushing against it like nature herself was trying to prevent me from reaching James, Lily, and Harry.

"Fucking Wormtail, that traitorous bastard!" I swore, cursing his existence.

I knew something was wrong the minute he didn't answer my call, and stupidly, I thought he might have been attacked and just didn't have the time to reach his mirror, but when I got to his apartment and saw that it was empty, I knew then that he had betrayed us. From the lack of furniture, I knew he never even moved in, which meant wherever he called from was set up. Every time I called to make sure he was safe, he was lying to my face. I knew I shouldn't have agreed to keep meetups as phone calls or floo calls; I knew it, and yet I trusted him. More than I should have, more than Remus. Oh, god, Remus. We all hoped and prayed the entire time, but when did he lose our trust? When did we lose his? I refused to think any more about that, and unless I was too late, there would be time for us to make up. We'd just become one member short... In the grand scheme of things, it wouldn't be something we haven't gone through before, but somehow I knew this one was going to have lasting effects. At that moment, I could see myself killing Peter. I hated him. I hated everything about him.

Cursing again, I pressed the gas on my motorbike a little harder. I was so close and yet too damn far. As soon as I saw the house appear from the distance, I almost swerved my bike to a halt. From where I was, I could see thick, dark clouds of smoke contrasted against the blue sky, and my heart felt like someone whacked it with a hammer.

"No, no, no, no," I chanted over and over again as I picked up speed once more, cursing Halloween for the first time.

The number of muggles outside right now kept me from apparating from the chosen spot, and with the Fidelius charm, it was impossible to apparate directly there. It should have been broken, and it partly was, and I refused to think about or even entertain the reasons why that was. However, I still couldn't apparate because the nature of the charm meant that only when all members of the family were dead would the charm break. It gave me hope, and I held on to that hope; it was the only thing that kept me from completely breaking down. By the time I reached their house, the smoke had covered the sky, and I wanted to weep at the sight of their roof blown out. Even from my position, I knew it was where Harry's nursery was located; I was the one who picked out his bedroom. It was at that moment that I felt my heart break a little bit more.

Rushing up the front yard, I saw the front door blown to bits. Stepping inside, two things happened. Firstly, I was met with the smell of something burning. A quick look at the kitchen showed that the oven was smoking.

'Lily always made pumpkin pie on Halloween.' I remembered that it was a tradition her family always had. One she was desperate to share with Harry and pass on since her parents were killed and her sister was the devil incarnate. Secondly, as I moved my gaze around the room, I was met with the sight of my best friend, my brother, only a few steps away. His body was strewn on the bottom steps of the stairs. He was still in his pajamas; his cozy, fuzzy socks stood out in the dark and muted house. All the colors that made their home warm and welcoming were gone. It was as if all the colors that brought life to the house were only there because it meant they were alive. Now…now everything was just a bit too clear, despite the fact that I was surrounded by smoke. That was when I noticed his wand was missing. Taking another look around, I shut my eyes tightly when I spotted his wand lying on the couch.

"Oh James…" I whispered as I shook my head. I wondered how it happened that would have made him forget his wand. How off-guard he must have been and the panic he must have felt. My knees felt weak at the implication and it felt like I was drowning in it all. Slowly, I made my way up the stairs, pausing only to close his eyes.

'There will be time to mourn him after.' I thought. As I made my way, I passed different scorch marks; there was a fight here, and it was evident it was Lily since James didn't have his wand, but where was Harry through it all? When I came to his nursery, I dropped to my knees at the sight of Lily's body lying in front of Harry's crib. A part of me wanted to die right alongside them; it was my fault. I trusted the wrong person and had a complete lack of faith in the right one. I could feel the sobs making their way out of my chest, where my heart was shattering, the grief threatening to utterly consume me.

"Pafu," a small voice called out. Whipping my head up, I spotted Harry in his crib, unharmed except for a single scar on his forehead. The moment he saw that I noticed him, his pudgy arms reached up, a silent request to be picked up. I picked myself up and ran towards his crib, where I gathered him in my arms and cradled him to my chest. He smelled distinctly like Harry, a perfect mixture of Lily, James…and me. Our pup, the only thing keeping the charm from falling completely, the only thing keeping me from tearing the world apart at the seams.

"You're alive, pup, you're alive." I choked out, my tears streaming down my cheeks—this time of bitter happiness. The realization that James and Lily died to protect him—they did what they promised to do, and despite the pain of their deaths, I was so very proud of them. Proud and, at the same time, completely devastated. Slowly, I felt his hands touch my face to wipe away my tears, and I couldn't help but cry harder. Looking down at him, I was met with the greenest eyes—Lily's eyes—and he smiled briefly at me. My chest stuttered a bit; his smile was his—completely and utterly Harry—and despite the carnage, I couldn't help but be happy that I got to see it again. My eyes traveled up to his forehead, where the scar shaped like a lightning bolt lay proudly on his head. It was the ultimate sign that Harry had defeated the darkest lord of the ages and lived to tell the tale. Snorting, I shook my head as I smoothed down his hair. Staring down at Lily's motionless body, I hugged Harry a little tighter.

"All it took was you losing both of your parents," I whispered, and my hatred of Wormtail and myself grew a little bit more.

*END FLASHBACK*

Shaking my head, I stared at the scar a little longer. There was only one person whose soul it could belong to, and damn it all if I'm going to let him have a single piece of Harry any longer.

Did I really get rid of Voldemort's soul inside Harry's scar? Yes I did. Trust me, I have a plan, it'll all make sense in the end.
Snape is an asshole but what else is new and look...there's Remus again. He's not gonna play a vital role just yet...more like a supporting character until we get to that conversation that Sirius hasn't had yet.
Did anyone catch Sirius's reaction to the Maleficent comment? There's a reason for that, stay tuned :)
Also Petunia...you heartless creature you
Also, Sirius's recount of the night James and Lily died...my poor heart