Hello.
It's time.
It's finally time.
It's time at last for Harry and Sirius to meet. Dear god the feels!
Disclaimer: I own nothing!
Chapter Thirty-Two
By Rosa241
Sirius POV:
There it is.
After all these long years I'm finally within touching distance.
He's right there in that house.
"Take a deep breath and try to relax." Despite his words I can tell that Remus is more nervous that he'd ever willingly let on. He'd protested of course that I should come alone. Harry was my godson after all he'd said. Not a chance. James and Lily were our friends. They'd have wanted us to both be involved in his life. After everything they'd have wanted us both to raise him not just me. Besides…
There's no way that I can do this by myself.
We'd apparated a good distance away from the cottage to give ourselves the chance to calm down before we approached the door. They'd accepted us within their home, given us the chance to finally see Harry but that didn't mean we would be entirely welcome. Right now however as we walk towards the front door I'm wishing we were closer. With every step I can feel my legs shaking and my heart beating wilder and wilder. For a moment I almost feel as though I'll collapse before I get there. As we finally reach the front door Remus reaches out a hand, a hand I note is shaking, and knocks loudly. Within seconds the door opens and a friendly smile greets me.
"Ah you must be Mr Black and Mr Lupin. Come on in out of the cold." It's only the man before me says it I realise just how chilly is was out here. Not as cold as Azkaban though. No. Not today.
Banishing all thoughts of that torturous place from my mind I step inside the warm cottage. Looking round one thought comes to me mind.
This is a family home.
My own childhood home was so far from this but it's what I always wanted growing up. Warmth, happiness and love instead of the cold, darkness that always greeted me. Shaking off the dark thoughts I turn back to face the man who greeted us.
"Please call me Sirius." Extending a hand he shakes it with a firm grip and gives me another friendly smile.
"And you may call me Remus." Shaking the hand of my friend I have to wonder whether he knows of my friends condition.
"Call me Arthur. Sit, sit please." Taking a seat at the table is something I'm more than happy to do since my shaking legs will only hold me for so long. "Ah here she is."
"Ah hello, so good to meet you." The smiley woman greets us both with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. Her warmth radiates throughout the room and, just like her husband, the smile is friendly. She quickly introduces herself as Molly and, with the pleasantries exchanged, the reason for our visit arrives. "Now dear why don't you go and get Harry. He's out in the garden with the others, they were having a snowball fight last I checked."
Her words bring a smile to my face but do nothing to settle the nerves sitting in my stomach. It's happening, it's actually happening. After what feels like an age Arthur returns followed by a sight that makes my heart melt.
"My word." Remus breathes beside me and I can tell he's seen it to.
"Now then Harry this is Sirius and Remus." He offers us both a small hello before being ushered to sit down at the table. Before long there's several steaming cups of hot chocolate in front of us. "We'll go check on the kids, give us a shout if you need anything."
With that the two leave and an awkward silence descends upon us. Harry takes several sips of the hot chocolate and before I can stop myself I find myself blurting it out.
"Dear lord you look so much like your father."
Well done Sirius! Well done. What a great start.
Harry POV:
"Oi! You little cheat, we agreed no magic." Charlie responds to his brothers accusations with a very grown up sticking out of the tongue and launches another snowball that magically hits it target.
"Now that was definitely magic." Percy calls out from his position on the side lines. He had chosen not to join us since apparently the cold didn't usually mix well with him. We'd been split into two teams which were more fair than the last attempt. Charlie, George and Ron were on one team whilst Bill, Ginny and myself were on the other. So far Charlie's team were winning although that was more down to the outright cheating than anything. As fun as it is I know it's too good to last.
"Harry my lad." Mr Weasley doesn't need to say anything more before I know what's going on. They're here. They're finally here. Ron offers a whispered 'good luck' whilst Percy squeezes my shoulder on the way past. None of it helps the churning in my stomach. Before we reach the house Mr Weasley stops me and bends down to my level. "Now Molly and I have already decided to leave you to it we told you that but if you need us we're right outside."
Again his words do nothing to help the churning and for a moment I actually feel like I might be sick right there. Thankfully I manage to somehow not throw up and instead I step inside the house. Whatever I was expecting to see when I looked at him I don't know but it wasn't this.
The first man I see, who I'm quickly told is Remus, is taller than I would have thought. Between his slightly grey hair and moustache are a pair of really kind eyes that make me smile. The other man has wild black hair and looks paler than I would have thought possible. Then again he's spent years locked up inside a prison so it's not like he'll have gotten much sun.
"Now then Harry this is Sirius and Remus. We'll go check on the kids, give us a shout if you need anything." With a squeeze on my shoulder, something that seems to run in the family, they leave and all of a sudden the silence is louder than I would have thought possible. Unsure of what to do I open my mouth to speak but the words don't come. Instead I grab the mug of hot chocolate and take a rather too large sip.
"Dear lord you look so much like your father." What? Really?
"Do I?" My voice doesn't come out as loud as I would have liked but I'm too surprised to care. I've seen the pictures that they'd sent me before but I've never had anyone tell me that I look like them.
"Oh yes. It's almost like looking directly at him." I look like my dad. I really look like someone. In all the time with the Dursleys I've never once felt like I was part of their family. I was always aware of how different we looked."Apart from your eyes."
"My eyes?" What about my eyes? This time it's the other man, Remus, who speaks.
"You have your mothers eyes." I almost feel tears building up as they speak and take another sip from my mug before I can speak.
"How did you meet them?" It's not the question I want to ask but it's something I've thought of.
"Ah well we met your dad on the train. We all got sat in the same compartment and ended up talking. Then we were all sorted into the same house, Gryffindor. We were friends from the start." So they met the same way I met Ron and Hermione. But what about my mum? As if sensing my thoughts Sirius continues. "As for your mother well we met her on the train as well although we weren't friends with her as fast as with your father."
"How come?" As we talk I can feel my nerves settling down a little. "Did you not like my mum?"
"Oh heavens no. Believe me there was nothing wrong with your mother. Lily Evans was the kindest person I've ever met in my life." As Remus talks I can see how sad he is, how sad they both are. "But well…we were rather mischievous and she didn't always approve of that."
"Mischievous? Like how?" The grin Sirius gives me is almost contagious and it takes a good ten years off of him.
"Ah well you see…" The next two hours pass in a blur and for the first time in my life I don't miss my parents so much. For the first time I feel like I actually know them, like I know who they are and what they were like.
"My dad was really scared of Professor McGonagall? Seriously?" I knew that most people were terrified of her but I'd never thought that my dad was too.
"Oh dear lord yes. Professor McGonagall is the single most terrifying woman I've ever met and one of the best of course." Before I can answer the door opens and the others come pouring in.
"So sorry to intrude dear but the weathers taken a turn." Glancing over Ginny's shoulder I can see the show pouring down outside. They must be freezing.
"No need to apologise I feel we've taken up enough of your house today." Does that mean they're leaving? Despite my earlier fears I'm saddened at the thought of them going. I want to know more. I want to know everything.
"Well then I suppose I best get started on dinner." Dinner? Checking my watch I'm surprised at the time, I didn't realise time had passed by so quickly. "You'll be staying of course."
Smiling at Mrs Weasley I hold my breath at the two of them give each other a look before turning back to me.
"We'd be delighted of course." The smile on my face is threatening to split my face in half but I don't care. I've never been so happy.
Percy POV:
"Relax. Everything's going to be fine." Despite Charlie and Bills best attempts at entertaining everyone with magic it wasn't working. They were nervous and worried about Harry, truth be told we all were. Even me. This didn't happen the last time so I've no idea how it will turn out. Not knowing is making me more nervous than anything.
"Yeah Percy's right. Harry's fine." From over near the house where Mum and Dad are helping Ginny build a rather impressive snow man I can see the way they both keep glancing back towards the house. Just as I'm wondering how things are going Ron opens his mouth and asks something I didn't think I'd hear.
"You ever heard of Nicolas Flammel?" What? Yes! It takes everything in me not to cheer out loud as his words hit me. This is exactly what I've been waiting for.
"Flammel? Isn't he the alchemist?" Turning to Bill who tilts his head as he thinks I'm hard pressed to keep the smile from my face.
"I think so yeah. The name rings a bell." Looking at Ron his expression could be mistaken for genuine wonder but I can see the apprehension in his shoulders. "What brought this on anyway?" He tenses as Bill comes to perch next to us on the bench and I can see him floundering for excuses.
"It's err…homework." From the look on his face I doubt he's actually buying this but he says nothing of it and lets Ron lie.
"Homework? Today?" Fred and George say in tandem, thankfully Charlie cuts off whatever comment they were planning on making by dumping snow on them both. "Oi!"
"Nicolas Flammel. He was definitely an alchemist. I think he made something didn't he." Bill turns to me for confirmation and I make a pretence of thinking before I speak again.
"Yeah. He made the…oh what was it called…the philosophers stone!" Several eyes turn to me as I speak.
"The philosophers stone now there's a topic of conversation. If I remember rightly it was also known as the elixir of life. It has the power to grant the one who uses it eternal life. Nicolas Flammel and his wife are both several hundred years old you know?" As the snow starts to fall and the weather turns colder I can see the smile on Ron's face as we give him another piece of their puzzle. Before long though the moments over as mum finally declares that it is now officially too cold for us all to be outside any longer. Rubbing my freezing hands together I'm quite sure she's right.
Later that night, after Sirius and Remus have both left, I can see the happy smile on Harry's face and for the first time since this whole thing started I actually feel like maybe I can do this. Maybe this will work.
Tada! I did it! I did it! They finally met and Harry finally has a family member in his life. Woohoo! So I know what you're thinking, that this should have been Sirius and Harry's moment but Remus was as much apart of their lives. He cared deeply for them both and I had to include him. I actually originally wrote this without him but it felt dishonest and just wrong so I rewrote it and included him.
Hope you enjoyed it.
Until next time,
Bye x