2

He ended up not seeking out Dumbledore again. What news had he to tell? His suspicions had been confirmed, Harry was being mistreated, but that did nothing to refute Dumbledore's point. Living with Petunia Dursley provided Harry with a safe refuge. If Voldemort came back in a few years' time, would Harry thank him for robbing him of the only truly secure protection? Everything else could be broken – as Lily and James' death made so painfully clear.

It was a dilemma, and Sirius hated it with every fibre of his being but what was he to do? He could not simply walk in and whisk him away but he could not simply leave him to be abused, either. If Sirius continued to threaten the muggles, he hoped he could force them to treat them relatively decently but whatever he did, Harry would never be happy with them. The question was whether this was too high a price to pay for his safety or not. Sirius could not tell, could not even theorise until he knew exactly what was happening, and it did not seem as if Harry would tell him any time soon.

He arrived at his house, his head whizzing with all the unanswered questions. He told Moony all about the day and they continued to discuss all the implications into the early hours of Sunday morning when exhaustion finally caught up with Sirius and he fell asleep.

He woke up at noon to find that Moony had made lunch. Sirius forced himself to eat two helpings, as he always did these days. He was painfully skinny still and he resented that. He wanted to get back to looking the way he had before Azkaban even though he knew that there was little chance of achieving that. He had aged and that could not be undone – but he could regain his strength and get enough sleep. He had started on both frontiers the day he had been moved from Azkaban to the holding cell at the Ministry. He had shaved and cut his hair before the trial and had been forced to do so quite radically. His hair was short now, hardly an inch long, shorter than it had ever been, but there had been no way of untangling the matted mess on his head, certainly not without a wand.

Harry was being pushed out of his mind by the fact that it was a full moon. They spent the rest of the afternoon putting every security spell and enchantment they could think of on Moony's room. They reinforced the door, barred the windows and blacked them out, removed what little furniture there was and made sure to put up spells to soundproof the room.

Moony was nervous but grateful. He had suggested several times that Sirius did not actually have to stay with him but Sirius had told him flat out that he was being ridiculous. He had spent dozens of full moon nights with Moony, tonight would not be any more dangerous, and they knew that. Nonetheless, they both felt that the times of roaming around outside were over. The risks had not increased but their awareness of possible consequences had. Life in Azkaban was the best that could happen to Moony should something go wrong, not to mention what it would do to his conscience should he bite or kill somebody. So, locking themselves in it was.

Despite Moony's anxiousness, the night was positively boring. Sirius' presence was enough to calm the werewolf down, at least enough for him not to bite himself or try to rip out the floorboards. In the early hours of the morning, both of them curled up on the floor and dozed off.

Sirius was the first to wake, once more just before lunchtime. He yawned and stretched, still in his animagus form and took in the room. Moony had changed back and now lay curled up and naked on the bare wood. Sirius sighed and after turning back into a man, swiftly conjured a thick blanket to cover his friend with. The transformation was exhausting and Moony would be sleeping for most of the day.

He dragged himself into the shower and then to the kitchen. Now that the full moon was done with, his thoughts returned to Harry and without Moony present to cheer him up or distract him, he grew restless.

There was something fishy about those muggles – he knew that for a fact now. Dudley was obviously subject to preferential treatment but there was more to it than that. Harry was being bullied by his cousin and his aunt and uncle had, at least until two days ago, taken no steps to stop that. Harry was terrified of his uncle and the reaction he had shown when Sirius had tried to intervene made him assume the worst.

Sirius knew that he had scared Vernon Dursley but he was a man with a temper, one that might forget the possible consequences of his actions in a moment of anger. The more he thought about it, the more worried Sirius became for Harry's wellbeing.

He made lunch – steaks, boiled potatoes and steamed vegetables. Moony had prepared the steaks the day before. They just needed to be fried. The potatoes and vegetables needed to be chopped and cooked, no more than a little salt and pepper needed as seasoning. This more than exhausted Sirius' skills as a cook. The pot with the potatoes boiled over and the carrots were still a little hard when the broccoli was becoming mushy but to Sirius' relief it was all edible enough. Moony would not be picky, anyway. He would need food when he woke up, no matter what.

However, when Sirius sat down to eat, he could barely swallow a bite. He had a picture in his mind of Harry cowering in front of his uncle who had his hand raised to strike. He pushed his plate aside and paced up and down the kitchen, finally reaching the conclusion that he would not find peace until he checked.

With that resolution, he scribbled a hasty note to Moony, explaining where he was going and that he was simply going to wait and watch, that there was no need to worry. There was not, at least if Harry was fine. It was almost time for school to finish, so he would simply wait for Harry to leave the building. He would be in his animagus form that Harry did not know about yet. Nobody would suspect a thing even if there was a stray dog around.

That was what he did. He apparated to Little Whinging a few minutes to three and transformed into the big black dog. He loitered by the school gates, hidden between a few bushes. He watched Petunia walk towards the school just after he had arrived and a few minutes later, she re-emerged with Harry and Dudley.

Harry seemed completely fine and unharmed. There were no bruises on him, nothing funny in the way he walked or held himself, and he did not seem upset or scared. He was okay, Sirius told himself, breathing out in relief. He had been worried about nothing.

Dudley was grimacing, aiming kicks at little stones and twigs on the ground. Harry was bemused, watching his aunt carefully. She was looking harassed. 'I told you,' she snapped and Sirius' dog ears picked up on her shrill voice easily, despite the fact she was thirty yards away. 'We decided that you need new clothes. Now stop asking questions.'

Harry remained silent but Dudley began to wail. 'Why does he get something? I want new things, too. I want a new Gameboy – mine broke. And the new game, Piers has it and it's great.'

'I know, Diddykins,' said Petunia, her voice sweet and soothing now. 'And I'm going to get you one first thing, and two new games, how does that sound? You can play while we pick out clothes for him, what do you say?'

Dudley scowled again but nodded. Sirius gave an unheard growl at the tone in which Harry was spoken to and about.

Dudley and his mother continued to chat as they walked off along the road, Harry trailing a few steps behind them. Sirius followed at a safe distance, not wanting to be spotted. They were making their way to the town centre, all the while ignoring Harry. Sirius had to leave them in the end, knowing that he could not enter any store without attracting attention. He decided that this was going as well as could be expected and resolved to check in on Harry the next morning.

Moony was up and tucking into his food when Sirius returned. He seemed worried at first but when he saw that Sirius was in a good mood, his expression changed to a mixture of annoyance and amusement. 'Is this what happens when I'm not constantly there to keep you in check?' he asked.

Sirius shrugged and let himself drop into a chair. 'I got worried – and don't tell me there was no reason for that – but he's okay. Still, I'll go check again tomorrow. I don't trust those muggles.'

Moony sighed but dropped the matter. 'Thanks for lunch,' he said after a pause, a more serious tone in his voice. 'Eat yours.' He gestured to Sirius' almost untouched plate from earlier.

Sirius chuckled. 'You sound like Prongs' mum. What's next? Telling me to tuck in my shirt and go to bed on time?'

Moony smiled. 'Someone has to.'

Sirius shrugged, knowing that there was truth to his words. He drew his wand and reheated the contents of his plate. They ate in silence for a bit.

'Thank you, Sirius,' said Moony finally, 'for last night. I haven't had a transformation that… It's always been a lot harder since…' He did not finish the sentence but he did not need to. They both knew very well about the time when Moony had last had company for those nights.

Sirius shook his head. 'Don't thank me, Moony. You'd do the same for me.'

Moony nodded severely. 'Still,' he said quietly. 'I think I only really began to understand what I had in you and Prongs until after you were gone. Ten years with you… I think I'd gotten used to the fact that people can like a werewolf. Somehow, it seems like in the real world that doesn't happen too often.'

'It's their loss,' offered Sirius the one sentenced they had used to cheer up Moony time and again, whenever anti-werewolf articles appeared in the Daily Prophet or someone casually mentioned over breakfast that "they're just monsters" or "it's irresponsible, I'd kill myself rather than risk infecting others".

Moony smiled sadly. He, too, remembered. 'Somehow, that's easier to believe when you're thirteen. These days…'

'Remember what we used to say at school?' Sirius interrupted him. 'We'd get the bloody Ministry to change. We'd waltz in there and get rid of the prejudice and corruption, and one day, you'd be Minister for Magic, like you deserve.'

Moony nodded and even thought the corners of his mouth twitched upwards he did not quite manage to smile.

'And Prongs would still want me to do it, I know that,' insisted Sirius, determinedly sounding more cheerful about that than he actually felt. 'And Lily… can you imagine what she'd do to you if she saw you just now?'

This time, Moony laughed. 'She'd threaten to hex me if I didn't stop moping.'

Sirius nodded. 'So, we do it for them. Both of us. We'll do everything they didn't get a chance to do. We'll work hard and only stop when every last bloody pureblood supporter has been thrown out of the stinking Ministry with a good Blasting Hex up the backside. And before all that, we'll plant dung bombs in the Minister's office, Gringotts and the Headmaster's office at Hogwarts and go down in history as the two biggest pranksters the world has ever seen.'

Moony burst out laughing at the final words but the sound was soon swallowed by his tears.

'Together, Moony,' continued Sirius, fighting with a shaking voice himself now. He held up a hand, his elbow on the table as if wanting to arm-wrestle.

Moony mirrored his pose and grabbed his hand. 'Together,' he confirmed. This was like the vows that had made to each other at Hogwarts, back when there had been four of them. They had been naïve and young but Sirius had succeeded in evoking enough enthusiasm to recreate the feeling.

'I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,' they said together and grinned at each other through their tears. Sirius was filled in equal parts with youthful elation and grief. Prongs was missing – as was the rat, though he did not like to admit that to himself. Prongs would have liked this, would have made a speech ten times better than his, would have teased them about their bloody tears… But he was not there, would never be again, because a monster had taken him.

Still, Sirius had meant what he said. He would make Prongs and Lily count, would make them proud so that if they ever met again, he could look them in the eye. And the first step to that was Harry.

He continued to watch Harry on his way to and from school, all the while staying out of sight. This worked well until Wednesday afternoon. Petunia had picked up only Dudley. Gathering from what Sirius had overheard, they were visiting a friend of hers. Dudley did not seem thrilled by the prospect but let himself be dragged along with the promise of cake and an extra treat if he was good. Harry was instructed to go home and wait for his uncle to come back from work, who would then open the door for him.

Harry was walking slowly, no doubt wanting to shorten the amount of time he would have to spend sitting in front of a locked door, and Sirius followed him. He heard and smelled the boys before Harry noticed them. They cornered him easily, all four of them bigger than Harry. They were the same ones Sirius had scared off the day he had first met Harry.

'How are you, Potty?'

Harry backed against a row of hedges, pale and silent. Sirius took the chance to come closer unnoticed, running along the back of the hedge, out of sight of the kids.

'Stolen a uniform, Potty?' asked one of the boys, the tallest with short-cropped blonde hair. He stepped forwards with an arm outstretched. The other children laughed but before he could touch Harry, Sirius had pushed himself through the twigs next to Harry. Harry did not spot him at first, his eyes fixed on the bullies, but all of their attention was suddenly captivated by Sirius.

'What's that?' asked another boy. 'Trained a mutt, Potty?'

Sirius growled, showing his teeth and everyone except Harry who had nowhere to go unless he wanted to jump into the arms of his attackers took a step back.

'It's just as ugly as you, Potty,' sneered the first boy.

'Do you think it's rabid?' asked a boy with dark hair. Sirius growled in his direction. 'Look at those teeth. Maybe we should get out of here…'

The first boy hit him on the back of the head. 'Don't be such a wuss, Gordon.'

'Yeah, don't wet your pants, chicken!' said the last boy, the one with a face like a rat, although he, too, was eyeing Sirius cautiously. 'It's just a dog.'

Harry remained silent, motionless. He was obviously hoping that he would be forgotten about but no such luck. The first boy returned his attention to him, cracking his knuckles. 'So, freaky-potty, what will it be first? Piers, Gordon, hold him!'

The two of them made to move forwards but instantly halted when Sirius growled again. They exchanged a hesitant glance.

'We could do it tomorrow, Malcolm?' suggested Gordon.

Malcolm, the first boy, glared at him and shoved him aside none too gently. 'You're such a poof, Gordon. Run home to Mummy!'

Gordon remained where he was, relatively untouched by the insults, making Sirius conclude that this sort of argument was a regular occurrence.

Malcolm stepped towards Harry now, unfazed by Sirius' growl and his bared teeth. 'See, it won't do anything!' he declared, taking another step, his arm outstretched to grab Harry.

Sirius took that as a signal, leaping forwards. He snapped, deliberately missing the boy's hand by an inch or so. The Malcolm jumped back, tripping over his own feet, and landed in a puddle. All the other boys had taken off at a run, leaving their leader to fend for himself. He pushed himself up and ran after his friends, sending a trail of muddy water flying behind him.

Harry had been watching in silence, and when Sirius turned to face him, he, too, looked as if he was considering legging it. Sirius cowered and gave a high-pitched whimper. That was submission and everything he could do in this form to tell Harry that he did not have to be scared.

Harry seemed to understand and relaxed a little but was still eyeing him carefully. Sirius whimpered again and took a careful step forwards. Harry tensed but remained still and Sirius nudged his knees with his nose. Harry giggled and Sirius wagged his tail happily in response.

Harry petted his head that was about level with his own. Sitting down, Sirius' eyes would be higher than the child's.

'You almost bit Malcolm, Doggy. He was really scared of you.'

Sirius was not quite certain what he heard in his voice. He believed to make out relief and awe but also fear and what he thought was a trace of a bad conscience. Sirius shot his head forwards and let his teeth snap shut just next to Harry's hand, once, twice and finally a third time. The boy watched with interest.

'You didn't really want to bite him,' he concluded. 'It was just pretend?'

Sirius nudged his knee again.

'They haven't done that for a while now. Sirius said they mustn't do it and then Dudley told them that, too. Dudley is scared of me now.'

He was very lonely, Sirius realised upon hearing the words. He had nobody to talk to.

'I need to go home, Doggy, otherwise someone will tell Aunt Petunia that I wasn't waiting for Uncle Vernon like I should and then she'll be angry with me.'

He set off along the road again and Sirius followed on his heels. Harry seemed surprised at first but then quickly accepted his new companion. When he sat down on the step in front of the door, Sirius rested his head on Harry's feet. Harry giggled again.

'You are a nice doggy. Are you lost? I wish I could keep you but Aunt Petunia doesn't like dogs. She hates when Aunt Marge comes to visit with Ripper. He's a dog, too, but not a nice one. He chased me up a tree once…' He paused, pondering. 'Aunt Petunia doesn't like pets. I don't think she likes anything much, except Dudley and cleaning.'

Sirius laughed, something that he had been told always looked rather goofy when he was a dog. Harry seemed to think so, too, as he grinned at him.

'I think that Sirius would like you, though. Sirius likes a lot of things – motorbikes and ice cream and flying… I like those things, too. He likes Moony – that's his best friend – but I haven't met him yet. He didn't tell me but I know he doesn't like Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon or Dudley but I think he likes me. I'm not sure why. I know he liked Mum and Dad. He was really sad when we were at their grave.'

Sirius gave an involuntary whimper at the memory. This form was not good at hiding feelings, one of the disadvantages. Harry extended his hand and scratched Sirius' ears.

'He's really nice. Uncle Vernon said he'll lose interest in me eventually because I'm just a burden on everyone. I hope he doesn't. He promised that he wouldn't and he says that he does what he promises. He did come back last weekend when he said he would, and he made it so Dudley didn't break my motorbike again, and he made Aunt Petunia not take my book away.' Harry paused and when he began to speak again, he sounded more pensive.

'He said he'll come back every weekend if I want him to but I want him always to come back and that's a long time, isn't it, Doggy?'

Sirius licked Harry's hand to show affection. The child pulled a face. 'Ugh, that's slimy,' he said but promptly grinned. That was a definite advantage of being with kids – they did not tend to mind slimy, sticky, muddy or smelly, all of which Sirius regularly was in his dog form.

Harry continued to talk to the dog, mostly about school. Some of it, Sirius had heard before but he listened carefully. It was a rather one-sided conversation, obviously, but Harry seemed happy to be able to talk to someone, even if it was just a dog. It ended suddenly, when a car pulled into the driveway.

Harry became tense. 'You better go, Doggy. I don't think Uncle Vernon will like you.'

Sirius got to his feet. He was tempted to snarl at Vernon Dursley but there was no real point in making him angry. He licked Harry's hands again and nudged his knee to say goodbye. By then, the engine noise behind him had died. He backed away, making sure to give the car a wide berth.

'What have you dragged to our home now, boy?' asked Vernon, squinting at his nephew.

'Nothing. He followed me. He's leaving now, see?'

Sirius remained where he was, a few yards away, determined to see the scene end peacefully.

'You didn't give it food, did you?'

'No, Uncle Vernon. I didn't give him anything.'

'And you won't in future. Mutts,' he spat. 'You give him something once and they'll occupy your house waiting for more. Bloody leeches…'

'Yes, Uncle Vernon,' said Harry.

'Ah, well.' The man huffed and unlocked the door. 'You go to your room. I don't want a sound out of you, understood?'

'Yes, Uncle Vernon.' With one last look at Sirius, he ducked into the house. Sirius waited where he was, listening. He could make out footsteps. Heavy ones stomped off, away from him, probably to the kitchen. The lighter ones climbed the staircase. Upstairs, a door was opened and closed again. Then, things were silent. Sirius decided that Harry was safe, and that him hanging around would only make his uncle angry. He disappeared around a corner before turning back and apparating home.

Sirius dutifully accompanied Harry on his way to and from school every day that week. In the time he did not spend running around as a dog, he worked on the house with Moony. There were still bits unfinished but it was comfortable to live in now. He even asked Moony to get his sitting room fireplace connected to the Floo network although he was not certain why. There was nobody he was in contact with except Moony, who lived with him, and Harry, who was unable to use it, but hopefully that would change in time. It would come in handy when all of the Weasleys would visit around Christmas for the dinner he had promised them and Dumbledore had authorised a connection to the Headmaster's Office at Hogwarts, just in case.

He had not told Moony about what Harry had confided in the black dog. It had been private, not even intended for Sirius' ears. He could not change what he had heard but he would not pass it on.

On Friday morning, Harry hung even further back behind his aunt and cousin than usual. Petunia had protested at first but Sirius had growled at her and she had left it alone.

'Sirius is picking me up this afternoon, Doggy,' Harry told him excitedly. 'That's why I've got my rucksack. I'm staying with him all weekend. That means I won't see you again till Monday but you'll be okay, won't you?'

Sirius nudged Harry's knee, as he always did when meaning to say yes.

Harry smiled. 'That's good. I'm really excited. I'm going to see Sirius' house and I'm going to meet Moony, too. I hope he likes me. I've never had a sleepover. Is it very weird to sleep somewhere where you haven't slept before? Aunt Petunia had to pick up Dudley once because he got scared when he stayed at Piers'. I don't think that's going to happen with me 'cause Sirius is much nicer than Piers. They wouldn't pick me up anyway. Sirius would probably take me home if I asked him but I won't. If he thinks I don't like him, he might not come back for me again.'

Sirius wanted to reassure Harry desperately but there was no way of doing that in his animagus form. He thought for a second about changing back but that would probably do more harm than anything. Just listening was probably the best he could do for Harry at the moment.

'Why do you think he invited me? Do you think he'll invite me again after that?' He paused, deep in thought. 'I don't really understand Sirius – but he's nice to me. It's nice to have someone who's nice to me.'

...

Sirius returned that afternoon on his bike and was waiting, this time in plain sight, in front of Harry's school when the bell rang. Many of the parents who had come to pick up their kids eyed him suspiciously. He reckoned that this was mostly down to the motorbike he was leaning against. Moony had suggested wearing different clothes this time to make a better impression on everybody. He was sporting a pair of jeans and a white shirt under a light brown jacket, all brand new. Looking at himself in the mirror, he had decided that he made a rather family-friendly impression – even though the bike probably negated all his efforts.

When Harry came running out of the gates, he was grinning broadly. His eyes were shining happily and in his new uniform, he finally gave off a picture that Sirius could whole-heartedly smile at. He high fived Sirius and was again hopping up and down with excitement.

'Sirius,' he grinned, very obviously glad to see him.

'Hey, Harry. How was your week?'

'It was good. Aunt Petunia bought me new clothes and shoes and a new uniform and everything,' the words came in a rush. 'She even asked me what I wanted and when I said a rucksack, she did get me one. I've got all my things in here and the book you gave me. You were right – she did not take it away.'

'See, I promised, didn't I?' He laughed at Harry's happy face, simply unable to resist the infectious enthusiasm. He had made some improvements in Harry's life, however little they might be.

'Are we leaving now?'

From the corner of his eye, Sirius could see Dudley approaching, accompanied by the four boys that Sirius had already scared off twice. 'Sure, get in.'

Harry climbed into the sidecar again and not few students stared as Sirius kicked the machine to life and the bike roared off along the road a little faster than was strictly necessary. Harry laughed as he was pressed backwards into his seat by the acceleration. Sirius chuckled – he had never been able to resist speed and the chance to make an impression – and if it made Harry happy, there was really no alternative…

'Where do you live?' asked Harry.

'Not far from here. It's about half an hour away – provided you don't mind flying,' he teased.

Harry grinned, as Sirius had expected. 'I like flying.'

Indeed, they landed in front of his house about thirty-five minutes later that Harry had spent talking about what had been happening in his life, most of which Sirius already knew since Harry had told the black dog. Moony was waiting for them in the open front door. He would have heard the bike approach.

'Harry, that's Moony,' said Sirius and gesticulated to the house. He had reminded a bemused Moony to be extra nice to Harry – something that, knowing him, was completely superfluous. Still, having heard Harry repeatedly worrying about Moony not liking him, he had not been able to help himself.

Harry nodded and carefully climbed out of the sidecar with his rucksack. He was looking around curiously as they made their way through the overgrown front garden towards Moony. Sirius could tell that Harry was getting more and more nervous as they got closer but he kept walking unperturbedly.

Moony smiled, knelt down to be on Harry's level and held out a hand for him to shake. 'Hi, I'm Remus.'

Harry shook his hand. 'I'm Harry,' he said cautiously.

'Nice to meet you, Harry,' Moony smiled, 'Are you hungry? I made chocolate cake, do you like that?'

Harry nodded and followed Moony who had taken the lead to the kitchen. Sirius tried to see the house as Harry would. It still bore definite signs of building work, especially in the hall, the one room that needed the most work still. It smelled of fresh paint, the door to the living room was missing, the banisters needed painting and the stairs that had been covered in fifty-year-old carpet when Sirius had bought the house were yet to be polished.

'I told you that we only just moved in,' he explained to Harry. 'So it's not quite finished yet. I hope you don't mind too much.' Overall, the house was perfectly habitable, aesthetics the main thing they would need to work on.

Harry shook his head silently. Sirius guessed that he was rather overwhelmed – understandably so. While they settled at the kitchen table, Moony and Sirius made small talk, discussing the flight on the bike to give Harry a chance to acclimatise.

It was Moony who directed the first question to Harry after they had all started on their large slices of rich and still warm chocolate cake. 'Harry, what would you like to do today? We've got all afternoon.'

'What is there that we can do?' asked Harry carefully after a moment's deliberation.

'Not that much, I'm afraid,' said Sirius. He had planned to buy a broomstick and let Harry have a go since he seemed to enjoy flying so much but Moony had forbidden it. He had stressed that Harry was not used to magic and therefore they should cut down on it as much as possible. Sirius had agreed with that. Being here would be strange enough for Harry, even without them waving their wands about every few minutes. Instead, he had bought a muggle ball that was not nearly as exciting as a broomstick in any respect.

'We have some board games here that we could play. We could go for a walk outside or maybe play ball in the garden.'

'What do you want to do?' asked Harry.

'All of it sounds good to me,' said Sirius, determined to have Harry make a decision. He had gathered that Harry never had a say with his aunt and uncle.

Harry looked to Moony who nodded his agreement with Sirius, and finally said, 'Playing ball?' It sounded like a very tentative question but Sirius overheard that.

That way, they went outside after their meal, and threw and kicked the ball around the garden. After a hesitant few minutes, Harry began to thaw. Moony had been teasing Sirius after a poorly aimed kick that had the ball fly several metres past Harry. Sirius had grinned back and thrown the ball at Moony's head – he only just managed to duck it and came up again laughing.

They kept up the banter that they so easily fell into after all their time at school together and finally, Harry joined in. He grew so confident that Sirius even risked teasing him a little, too. Moony had to feed him a witty reply the first time but he delivered it with a grin.

Harry was having fun, there was no doubt about that, and so were Sirius and Moony. It was nice to spend a few hours focussing solely on kicking a ball. Harry had been teaching them the basics of football, a game that neither Moony nor Sirius had ever watched or played. Their skills were accordingly poor but Sirius guessed that that was probably a good thing. It made Harry more confident.

When the sun began to sink, they returned to the house, thirsty and physically exhausted. They had spag bol for dinner and afterwards, in return for introducing them to football, Sirius and Moony decided to teach Harry how to play Exploding Snap. He was a natural.

At around half past ten, Moony fell asleep on the couch and after laughing at that for a while, Sirius reminded himself that he was supposed to be a responsible adult.

'Harry, I think it's time for bed,' he said, trying to sound like he knew what he was doing. When were kids Harry's age supposed to be in bed?

Harry looked up at him disappointedly but said, 'Okay.'

'I'll show you where you sleep,' said Sirius. In the hall, he picked up Harry's rucksack that had been dropped there and forgotten about until that moment. 'Your room is upstairs.'

Harry followed him as they climbed the staircase.

'This is the bathroom,' he pointed to the first door on the left, 'and this is you.' He opened the door and switched on the lights. This was the only room in the house that was completely finished. He had painted the walls a pale blue and Moony had found matching curtains. They had bought a bed, desk, chair and wardrobe and found some animal posters that now decorated the walls. Sirius had also framed a picture of Harry and his parents and put it on the bedside table.

'Is this all for me?' asked Harry, awestruck. 'Just for me?'

'Sure. Do you like it?'

Harry's eyes darted around the room, taking in every detail. After almost a minute of stunned silence, he nodded, obviously too overwhelmed to speak.

Sirius hoped that this had been a good surprise and smiled at Harry as he spoke. 'Great. Tell you what. You get ready for bed, brush your teeth and everything, and I'll do some tidying downstairs and look in on you in about ten minutes?'

Harry nodded again and obediently started rummaging in his rucksack for his pyjamas. Sirius went back into the kitchen where he quickly cleared the table and washed the dishes. Then, he tidied up the playing cards in the living room. Moony was still asleep on the couch. Sirius grabbed a blanket and laid it over his sleeping friend. He turned off the lights, checked that the front door was locked and ascended the stairs once more.

Harry was already waiting for him. He had stacked all his clothes neatly in the wardrobe. His schoolbag was sitting on the desk and he was now rolling his motorcycle up and down the room.

'Brushed your teeth?'

Harry nodded and jumped onto the bed. 'I'm not even tired yet,' he declared.

Sirius laughed and resisted the urge to give in. He did what he knew what he ought to be doing – what Moony would do. 'I know. But it's late. Do you still want to go to Thorpe Park tomorrow?'

'I do. Is Remus coming?'

'Yes, I think he is. Now, come on, get under your duvet, head on pillow and sleep.'

Harry did as he was told but almost instantly sat up again, apparently too excited to control himself. Sirius had to smile at this. 'When are we leaving tomorrow?'

'After breakfast,' he answered. 'Good night. If you need anything, I'm right next door.'

'Good night.'

Sirius switched off the lights and closed the door. He thought about Harry while he got ready for bed. Was it wrong that he wanted him to stay? It might have even been wrong to make his room look so nice. The more Harry liked it here, the more it would hurt him to go back to his aunt and uncle's.

He got into bed and got to work on the crossword puzzle from the Daily Prophet like he did every night. This time, he drifted off before he had even finished half of it. He had exhausted himself and for the first time in a week, he did not have to worry about how Harry was doing.

He woke up again at around three, blinking confusedly into the light that had been left on. He dropped the now crumpled newspaper on his bedside table. Since he was awake, he decided to visit the loo before going back to sleep. When crossing the hall, however, he spotted light in Harry's room. It was extinguished almost immediately, probably when Harry had heard him moving. Concernedly, he went over and knocked. There was silence. He opened the door. Harry was pretending to be asleep.

'I saw the light,' he let him know. 'Can't you sleep?'

Harry remained motionless for another few seconds but then sat up and looked at him. He shook his head.

'Have you been up all that time?' He was wearing his glasses.

Again, Harry shook his head. 'I woke up a little while ago.'

'Is there something wrong?'

Once more, he shook his head.

They had not turned on the lights, so the room was illuminated only by the dim shine of the bare lightbulb that fell in through the crack of the half open door. Sirius crossed the room and lowered himself onto the edge of Harry's mattress. Was he homesick after all? Maybe it had been too soon to invite him to stay overnight, considering that he hardly knew Sirius at all and had only met Remus a few hours ago. 'It's bit strange, huh?' he asked. 'Sleeping in a new bed.'

Harry took a while to answer. 'It's a nice bed,' he said finally.

'Harry, if you'd rather sleep at home, I can take you back. I can understand that. I could pick you up again after breakfast, and we could go on our trip.'

Once again, he only got a shake of Harry's head as a response.

'Okay,' he said gave in, not wanting to pressure Harry. 'Is there something I can do for you, then? To help you go back to sleep?'

Harry hesitated and Sirius' heart lifted. So there was something, something he was not quite daring to ask, but it was there. He silently waited for Harry to answer.

Finally, he opened his mouth. 'I… I think… I think I'm a bit scared on my own,' he confided, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Sirius knew Harry well enough by then to appreciate how much it would have cost him to make that confession. He did not trust easily, that much was obvious. 'What are you scared of?' He thought about the things that he had been scared of as a child – thestrals, malevolent ghosts, and the inferi that one of his least favourite uncles had told him about when he had been five.

'The dark.'

'Oh, but all good magic happens in the dark.' The words had slipped from his mouth automatically and he needed a moment to remember where he got them from. They had been the title of a book, one of James' that he had seen in his room when he had visited for the first time, around Christmas when he had been only twelve. James had called it "babyish" when he had seen Sirius reading it, and it was, really – a picture book.

Harry looked puzzled by his outburst.

'It's a story,' Sirius hurried to explain. 'Your grandma used to read it to your Dad when he was your age.' Prongs had never actually told him that but Sirius could read between the lines.

'What's the story?'

'I can't remember the exact words, but I can try if you like?'

'Yes, please.'

'Lie down, then,' Sirius instructed and tried to order the snippets he remembered as Harry settled himself. Sirius cleared his throat and began to speak. What had become of him – he asked himself with a little smile – telling bedtime stories? Who would have thought?

'In the evening, when the sun goes down, all muggles go to sleep. That's when witches and wizards get up because at night they can do magic without anybody watching. The most adventurous fly with the owls, so high that they can almost touch the moon. The wisest make fires in the woods and dance all night with the centaurs. The cleverest trade gold and rubies and everything that shines with the goblins. The most curious dive deep in the water to sing with the mere people.'

The list had been longer in the book, but he could not remember all of them. Each example had had a page to itself and a moving picture to accompany it. 'The most studious brew potions to cure all illnesses. The bravest ride dragons. The gentlest feed unicorns.' Harry eyes were closed now but they fluttered open when Sirius paused. 'But when the morning comes and the muggles wake up, the magic goes to sleep until the stars shine again.'

'That's the story?' asked Harry.

'Yeah, that's the story.'

Harry nodded and yawned. 'I like it. Did Dad like it?'

'I'm sure he did.'

'Do you think I can fly on a broomstick?'

'I'll teach you.'

'You will?'

'Yes, I'm definitely planning to.'

Harry smiled at that and sighed but did not speak. Sirius followed his lead and remained silent, and just a few minutes later, Harry's eyes had fallen shut and his breathing was slow and even. Sirius watched him for another while. He was amazed that he had actually managed to calm Harry down to get him back to sleep – or at least, he had not hindered him in the process. That was something, he told himself as he returned to his own bed with a smile on his face.

–oOo–

When Sirius came into the kitchen the next morning, he found Moony and Harry pondering a large map of England. Harry greeted him with a big grin. 'We are planning how we're gonna get there,' he explained unprompted.

Sirius nodded and poured himself a coffee. He was not ready for conversation yet.

'He needs to wake up first,' Moony told Harry. 'Give him a few minutes.'

Harry nodded and continued his breakfast. It looked as if Moony had made him eggy bread and cocoa.

'French toast, Padfoot?' asked Moony. When Sirius nodded, he got up and busied himself with the frying pan. Sirius yawned. His brain was slowly starting to run and his eyes opened a little wider. Harry seemed already wide-awake.

Moony set a plate in front of him. 'Cheers,' mumbled Sirius.

'Ready to talk?' asked Moony.

'Pretty much.'

'Okay, so we've had a look and Thorpe Park seems to be here.' He pointed to a spot not far from where they were, to the west of London. 'I reckon it'd take not much more than half an hour to get there on your bike.'

Sirius yawned again. 'We don't all fit on there.'

'So you say we should apparate?' asked Moony, giving Harry a calculating look. 'Are you sure that's a good idea?'

'Well, what's the alternative?' He looked over at Harry. 'Apparating feels a bit weird, but it's very quick.'

Harry shrugged. 'I don't know what that is.'

Moony did not look convinced.

'Come on,' said Sirius. 'Prongs would have taken him along.' Fleamont had been side-along apparating his son ever since he had been five, claiming that it was good to get used to it as early as possible. James would with all likelihood have done the same with his own son.

Moony chuckled and sighed. 'He's your godson, your responsibility.'

With these words, the matter was settled. Sirius nodded. This was a decision he could make that did not give him a stomach-ache.

'Have you got muggle money?' asked Moony.

'Yeah, I exchanged quite a lot yesterday.'

'Can you lend me some? I'll pay you back in Galleons.'

Sirius waved it off. 'Rubbish. You're invited. I have to find a way to spend that money the Ministry paid me as compensation.'

'If you're certain?' asked Moony uncomfortably. Why was it that he was still uncomfortable about this? He should know better by now.

'Sure. It's my pleasure.' In the past, it had always been Prongs who had had the money. Sirius had never hoped to inherit anything except for what is uncle Alphard had left him. He had always expected Regulus to get everything but since his brother had gotten himself killed and Sirius was now the only remaining Black, he had inherited the entirety of the family fortune plus the impressive amount of compensation for being unjustly locked up in Azkaban for seven years. Inviting Moony along on a daytrip was nothing.

'When are we leaving?' asked Harry when he had finished his breakfast.

'As soon as we're all ready. Why don't you go get dressed?'

Harry slid of his chair and sprinted up the stairs.

Sirius yawned once more and downed the last of his coffee. 'Thanks for looking after him.'

'No problem.'

'What do you make of him?' asked Sirius. They had not had a chance to talk alone since Harry had arrived.

'He's a good kid.' Moony raised his wand and made all the dishes fly into the sink, hesitating before he continued. 'You were right. He looks so much like Prongs but he has Lily's eyes. Do you think we should take snacks?'

'I guess, I've got no idea if they sell food at that place.' He looked at Moony. 'Am I doing the right thing? Bringing him here, I mean?'

'You are doing what James and Lily wanted you to do. Harry is their kid. It's their opinion that matters.'

'Yes, but that was seven years ago. Things have changed, haven't they? Who knows what they'd say today.'

Remus sighed sadly. 'We'll never be able to tell for sure but… Lily didn't want him to go to her sister. She never intended for that to happen. They picked you as godfather because they thought Harry would be safest and happiest with you.'

Sirius sighed. 'I never understood why they didn't pick you. You know how to deal with kids. You made him breakfast. You know what's safe and what isn't. You're a lot better with him.'

Moony smiled. 'I don't think that's how the whole godfather thing works… and it's certainly not how love works. I can tell he adores you.'

'He doesn't love me. He doesn't even know me yet.'

Moony shrugged but Sirius could tell from the look in his eyes that he was not at all convinced. He dropped the subject anyway as he heard Harry's footsteps coming down the stairs. He took that as a signal to get up and get ready himself.

When he came back downstairs, he found Moony packing a rucksack with sandwiches, bottles of water, tea and cocoa, and leftovers from yesterday's cake. Harry was watching, fidgeting excitedly on a kitchen chair.

It took another few minutes until everybody was wearing shoes and coats. They stepped out onto the street.

Sirius turned to his godson. 'Okay, Harry, what you have to do is hold onto my arm and not let go, understand? It's going to feel a little weird but it'll pass. Just hold onto my arm, alright?'

Harry nodded and followed the instructions. Moony gave them a nod and he and the rucksack disappeared with a faint plop. Harry stared at the spot where he had vanished.

'Is that what we're gonna do?' he asked.

'Yes. Are you ready?'

Harry grip tightened and he nodded determinedly. Sirius took a second to admire his leap of faith before spinning on the spot and into the familiar feeling of tightness and discomfort. After a few seconds, he felt the ground beneath his feet and looked down at Harry. He staggered a little and his face was whiter than usual.

'Are you okay?'

'I'm feeling a bit sick.'

'I know. It'll pass,' he said and decided to distract him. 'Now, where do you think Moony got to?'

He looked around. They had appeared on the edge of a large and mostly empty carpark. He looked at his watch. It was only half past nine. A person waved at them from about fifty yards away – Moony.

They made their way towards him and after being greeted with a wide smile followed signs that pointed them to the entrance. The closer they got, the more people were walking in the same direction. Finally, they joined a queue to buy the tickets.

'We could just apparate in,' suggested Sirius but the look of horror on Harry's face convinced him otherwise. They were moving quite fast, anyway.

After buying the tickets, Sirius picked up a map of all the rides and together they made a plan of where to go first.

Luckily for Harry, he was just above the minimum height required to be allowed on most of the rollercoasters. Harry had a fantastic time going on one ride after the other and Sirius enjoyed seeing him laugh.

At lunchtime, they sat on a bench and ate their picnic, followed by ice creams. By late afternoon, they had been on almost every ride there was. They decided to have some dinner and afterwards go on just one more ride before returning home.

'Please may we go on that one?' Harry pleaded. They were standing in front of something that was advertised with skeletons and monsters.

'It might be a little scary,' said Moony doubtfully. Sirius looked up at the werewolves painted on the front and could not help but grin at his friend.

'Dudley said he went on it and he was not scared at all,' insisted Harry. 'Please may we go? It says kids are allowed when they are eight or older.' He pointed to a sign.

Moony shrugged and looked to Sirius for a decision. He sighed. 'Okay, but it's the last one. No arguing afterwards. It's this ride and then we go home. Deal?'

Harry nodded with a broad grin on his face and ran ahead to join the queue. Moony and Sirius followed.

'I can't say I'm much of a fan of muggle entertainment,' said Sirius. 'Just think how good this stuff would be with a little magic. Frankly, making a deposit at Gringotts is more exciting than this, isn't it? I reckon a dragon might spice this place up a little, don't you?'

Moony laughed. 'You should get onto that – a magic theme park. You could make the muggles think that everything is just really clever muggle technology. Might be a good moneymaking strategy.'

When they were about to take their places in the carts, Harry looked slightly frightened.

'We can still go back,' said Sirius but Harry shook his head.

In Sirius' opinion, the ride was not exactly scary. There were some dummies and even more skeletons, colourful flickering lights and high-pitched laughter being played from a track. Artificial spider webs covered the walls and mechanical vampire heads turned as the passed them.

Sirius was not scared in the slightest. Harry, however, buried his face in Sirius' arm about half way through and almost ran from the ride when it finished.

Sirius and Moony hurried after him. He had stopped a few dozen yards away, panting and looking absolutely terrified. Sirius looked at his friend, asking for advice, but Moony just shrugged. He had obviously no idea what had scared Harry this much, either. Sure, some of the other children who had been sitting near them had gone a little quiet but none showed a reaction nearly as extreme as Harry.

Sirius placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. 'What's wrong?' he asked.

Harry shook his head and did not answer.

'Shall we go home?' suggested Moony and Harry nodded this time. They made their way to the exit along with most people. Harry was staring into nothingness, walking so slowly that Sirius picked him up at some point and carried him on his shoulders. He seemed to have gotten a proper scare. He did not say a single word until they arrived at a spot where they would be able to disapparate without any muggles noticing.

'Harry, please hold my arm again.' Harry did as he was told and within seconds, they were back at Sirius' house. This time, the journey did not seem to have had any impact on Harry. He was still staring into thin air.

'Do you fancy a snack before bed?' asked Sirius as they walked inside. 'Or a hot chocolate or something like that?'

Harry shook his head again and Sirius and Moony exchanged another look. What had gotten into him?

'Okay, off you go then.' Sirius pushed him gently towards the stairs. 'Go get ready for bed. I'll be up to say good night in a bit.'

Harry slumped up the steps. Sirius watched him and then followed Moony into the kitchen to help unpack what was left of their picnic.

'We shouldn't have let him on that thing,' said Moony. 'Do you know why he got that scared?'

'No, not a clue.' He sighed. This parenting business was harder than he expected. He thought about what James and Lily would say if they saw Harry now, and swallowed. What had he done to their child?

'Don't worry,' said Moony who had been watching him. 'He'll snap out of it. Kids get scared easily and the next moment they're completely fine again. I bet he won't even remember this tomorrow.'

'I guess.' He looked up at the ceiling. 'I'll just go and check on him.'

Moony nodded and he climbed the staircase.

Harry had not changed into his pyjamas yet. He was sitting next to his bed, holding the picture of his parents. Sirius sat down next to him. 'Can you tell me what's wrong?' he asked quietly. ''Cause I really do want to help you.'

Harry did not answer – he just kept staring at the little picture in which Lily and James were laughing. Sirius was not even sure he had even heard him until he shook his head. 'I don't know,' he said quietly.

Sirius wrecked his brains trying to work out what to do. Should he keep asking? Should he drop the subject completely? Or something in the middle? 'Okay…' he said finally. 'So you didn't get much sleep last night and today was a long day. Do you think you could go to bed?'

Harry looked at him in bewilderment and then nodded. 'Yeah, I'll…' His voice drifted off into silence.

Sirius left him to get ready but when he returned, Harry was still acting oddly. He did not ask again but gave Harry a general reassurance that he could tell him anything. He also offered to stay until Harry was asleep. Harry nodded eagerly to that.

That night, it took a lot longer than before. Sirius sat at Harry's bed almost until midnight when he finally dozed off. He had not been crying but he did not want to be alone, that was obvious. Sirius had assured Harry over and over again that he would be just next door and that he was very happy for Harry to knock if he could not sleep, all the while cursing himself for letting Harry on that stupid ghost train.

...

Sirius' alarm showed one in the morning when he slowly dozed off into an uneven sleep but he was disturbed again much too soon by a gentle knock on the door. 'Mhm?' he groaned and turned his head, expecting Moony who wanted to talk to him about something, but the figure was smaller.

'Sirius?' came a quiet voice.

'Yeah?' He was so tired… But this was important! This was a test. There was no doubt in him that Mr and Mrs Dursley would not allow their nephew to disturb their sleep. He knew that if this went badly, Harry would probably not ask for his help again. He reached for his lamp and turned it on.

'I'm scared. I don't want to be alone.' He was clinging to the doorframe for support, his pyjama-clad figure looking lost.

Sirius sat up and ran a hand through his hair. He wondered what he should do. There were two options, and he had already spent hours on one of them that night. 'Come here,' he said finally, and threw back the duvet on the free side of the bed.

Harry eyed him carefully.

'Or I can come and sit with you for a bit,' said Sirius, instantly doubting whether he had made the right choice.

Harry shook his head and stepped closer tentatively. 'Dudley is allowed in Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's bed but I'm not,' he said almost too quietly for Sirius to hear.

'Well, Dudley isn't allowed in this bed,' he said. 'That's fair then, isn't it?'

Harry smiled shyly. 'Uncle Vernon says that kids are only allowed in the beds of their real parents.'

Sirius tried to supress the emotions this sentence raised in him. Now was not the time for a discussion on that sensitive topic. 'I don't think your uncle is always right,' said Sirius. 'I say you're allowed in this bed. Okay?'

Harry studied him for a few seconds and then nodded. He crawled under the duvet.

Sirius' bed was easily big enough for two but Harry had definitely not been the second party he had imagined when he had bought it. He sighed and settled back into his pillow, too, turning off the lights.

'Sirius?' said Harry's little voice after a few seconds, loud in the darkness even though it was barely a whisper.

'Yeah?'

'Thank you.'

'That's okay, Harry.'

There was only Harry's breathing to be heard after that and Sirius spent quite some time listening to it before it finally became deeper and more relaxed. Satisfied that he was asleep, Sirius closed his own eyes.

The sleeping arrangement felt oddly familiar. Back at Grimmauld Place, crawling into the parents' bed after a nightmare had never been an option. Sirius had tried once but it had ended with his father dragging him back to his room by the ear before locking him in. It had also landed him on the receiving end of a talk about how unseemly it was for "the heir to The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black" to behave in such a way. After that, he had always remained where he was, no matter what he had feared was lurking under his bed. He could not have been older than four.

Sirius did not know if Regulus had experienced the same thing but he did know that the younger boy had taken to coming to Sirius after bad dreams. Back then, Sirius had loved his little brother, his only accomplice in their dark and scary world. He had been glad to provide some consolation even if at the same time he had resentfully accepted that he would never be able to run to an older brother for comfort – to anybody at all, for that matter. He had been wrong about that, of course.

During their first year at Hogwarts, Peter had suffered horribly from homesickness, leading to Moony letting him into his bed to stop him from crying in their very first week. He had returned the favour by letting Moony into his bed whenever Greyback visited him in his nightmares – although none of them had known that back then, of course. It had soon become an unspoken agreement that whichever boy was woken first by somebody else's distress would drag him to his own bed for the remainder of the night. Over the years, Sirius had ended up with Prongs a few times that way. It had been one of their best-guarded secrets, something that had never left their dormitory. Sirius doubted that James had even told Lily about it.

Sirius lay awake for some time, pondering. While he did, Harry turned over a few times, inching his way towards Sirius unconsciously. He ended up cuddled against Sirius' side, curled up almost like a cat. Sirius had to smile at that and very cautiously placed an arm around the child's shoulders, careful not to disturb him.

'I've got you, Harry,' he muttered under his breath, using his thumb to stroke his back just the tiniest bit. 'I'll look after you.' With that and an unfamiliar warm feeling in his stomach, he finally fell asleep.

He was woken when Moony knocked on his door. 'Harry wasn't in his room, have you…?'

Sirius nodded sleepily and pointed to the child who was still snuggled up to his chest.

Moony exhaled in relief. 'Good, I was worried for a moment there. Did he sleep?'

Sirius nodded and yawned. 'Yeah, he came in some time last night. Slept like a log as far as I can tell. What time is it?'

'Almost eleven. I made breakfast for the two of you.' He made two trays of food levitate into the room.

Sirius felt his mood take a leap upwards at the sight of food. 'Brilliant,' he assessed and ruffled Harry's hair. 'Morning, Sleepyhead. Breakfast in bed.'

Harry opened his eyes and blinked a few times. When he realised where he was and that he was laying half on top of Sirius, he jerked back quickly, obviously worried to have crossed some sort of line. Sirius smiled at him. 'Moony made breakfast.' He did not want him to feel guilty. He did not mind being cuddled.

Remus sat down on the bed and they shared breakfast. Harry's appetite seemed to be back to normal. After they had finished eating, they sat on the bed for a little longer, talking. Harry gave Sirius a few calculating looks before leaning against his arm. Sirius ruffled his hair again in response and caught Remus looking at them in amusement.

It was raining outside and since Harry did not have a mac or wellies (neither did Sirius, for that matter) they did not have much of a choice but to stay inside. They spent a lazy afternoon playing Exploding Snap and Sirius successfully managed to push the increasingly close goodbye to Harry to the back of his mind, putting it off hour after hour. They might as well play one last game of Exploding Snap, what difference did that make? And another. Oh, and it was still raining so they might as well wait to see if it eased off in a few minutes – rain on the bike was a pain. Moony had won another round and they could not possibly let him take the lead, so they had to have another rematch.

Sirius only broke himself out of this reasoning when it was almost nightfall and a bad conscience made him send Harry upstairs to pack his rucksack. Sirius and Moony remained sitting in the living room, waiting. The impeding goodbye seemed to loom over Sirius, managing to destroy his good mood as effectively as a dementor could have. Five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen…

Sirius was on the verge of going upstairs and checking on Harry when there were finally footsteps on the stairs. He heaved himself off the sofa, his lips itching to suggest just one more rematch. As much as he wanted it, he could not simply "keep" Harry, refuse to return him like a good book from the library.

He mind was locked in a fierce battle. The weekend had been good – well, at least for the most part, disregarding his rather sensational cock-up of the previous afternoon. Overall, it had been brilliant to have Harry around. Scary, yes, but utterly brilliant, too.

Still, he told himself as he tied his shoelaces, nothing had changed. It was easy to forget when talking to him but there were people out there who wanted to see Harry dead. Sirius would make himself the most reckless godfather in history if he disregarded that fact in favour of how much fun it was to play cards with the boy.

He was dragged out of his thoughts by Moony who was saying goodbye to Harry. 'It was very nice having you here. Maybe you'll come and visit us again soon?'

Harry nodded silently. He stood on the third step of the staircase and did not move when Sirius opened the front door.

'Let's get going then,' he said much against his will. When Harry stayed rooted to the spot, he felt both annoyed and glad to put off the inevitable moment of saying goodbye.

'What's up?' he asked. Stepping closer, he could see tears rolling over Harry's face. He looked to Moony for help but he just shrugged, looking just as helpless as Sirius felt. 'Harry?'

Harry looked up now. Seeing him like this felt like a punch to the stomach, this little boy who looked so much like his best friend. There were Lily's eyes, swollen with tears, looking at him pleadingly.

Sirius stepped closer and Harry jumped at him, his arms around his neck and his legs around his waist. Sirius automatically hugged him to hold him in place, following an instinct he did not know he had. 'There, there,' he said in what he hoped would be a soothing tone. He wanted to say what Harry wanted to hear, to dry the tears – but Dumbledore's point still stood. Harry's life might one day be saved by the fact that he lived with his mother's only blood relatives.

'I can be quiet and be in my room most of the time and I won't bother you,' Harry burbled in a rush, 'and I can cook and I can wash dishes and… Aunt Petunia doesn't make me do the hoovering and the dusting but I'm sure I can learn… and I can weed the garden and I can tidy up and maybe I can even work somewhere else and make some money to pay you back and I can take care of myself and I promise I won't be a burden and…'

Sirius felt his heart break. 'Shh,' he said gently and Harry fell silent. He looked to Moony and instantly saw that they had both heard the same thing. 'Moony, please get Dumbledore,' he said, trying and failing to keep his voice steady. 'Tell him it's urgent.'

Moony nodded and hurried into the sitting room. The fireplace roared into life before Sirius had moved. He followed Moony slowly, still carrying Harry.

'I would love for you to stay with me, Harry,' he said quietly, 'but this is more complicated than you understand.' In fact, complicated did not even begin to cover it.

He wanted Dumbledore here even though he knew that it was not him he had to convince. Dumbledore had never forbidden him to take Harry. He had told him that it was unwise, rash and shortsighted, but he could never have kept Sirius from doing whatever he wanted. Sirius was Harry's legal guardian and there was nothing the old man could do against that.

No, Sirius had to convince himself. He knew better than to ignore Dumbledore's advice light-heartedly. He had an insight into almost all part of the magical society and more experience to draw on than Sirius could ever dream of, the man was a legend… but if Sirius could only get his point across to him, make him see all the facts, and if Dumbledore agreed that Harry would be best off with his godfather, then Sirius would know that he was doing the right thing.

Responsibility… Maybe he was being a coward, maybe he was being childish, but he knew that he would not be able to bare Harry's death on his conscience… but he could just as little take him back to rot with a family that treated him so badly that he would prefer a life of housework at Sirius' to being with them.

No, he needed help, and Dumbledore and Moony were the only two people he could ask. Moony did not know any better than he did himself, he already knew that. Dumbledore was his only hope. When they had last talked, Sirius had not even been sure that Harry wanted to be taken away from his relatives. That had changed. He had more information now, more insight into what Harry's life with his relatives was really like.

Harry's head was buried in his shoulder and he could feel his tears soaking his shirt. He was clinging to him with all his might, his little arms so tight that they almost hurt Sirius' neck. His sobs were shaking his whole body and Sirius could only imagine what it had cost him to show so much vulnerability. He had seen the tension in Harry's body when he had confessed to him that he was scared of the dark but this was a whole other dimension.

He sat down on one of the sofas with Harry on his lap.

'We'll find a way to make it okay,' he promised. 'We'll find a way, I promise.' He knew that he could not send him back to the life he had been living. It was sad, lonely and hopeless. Prongs and Lily had loved Harry so much. They could not possibly want this. He stroked Harry's back. 'I can't promise you anything I'm not sure I'll be able to keep – but I do promise that I will do everything I can to make sure you're safe and happy. I will look after you, I give you my word.'

The fireplace turned green again and Moony stepped out, his face grave. Sirius caught his gaze, looking for support, for confirmation that he was doing the right thing. Moony only nodded.

The fire roared up once more and Dumbledore emerged. He, too, was sporting a sombre expression. Sirius instinctively tightened his hold on Harry as Dumbledore's blue eyes found his. His former headmaster sighed. 'Good evening, Sirius, Harry.'

'Albus,' replied Sirius. Harry had fallen silent when things had started moving. He was listening but his face remained hidden. 'Take a seat.'

Dumbledore sat, as did Moony. 'Perhaps it would be best if Harry was not in the room when we discuss this,' the old man suggested mildly.

Sirius was inclined to agree but he knew that there was no way he could pry Harry out of his arms. Even at the words, Harry had begun to shake again and his hold had tightened.

'He has a right to know,' said Sirius, stroking Harry's back again to reassure him. 'This concerns him more than anybody.'

'I have offered you my opinion on this, Sirius.' Dumbledore was watching them closely. 'That is all I am able to do. It is your right to decide what happens to Harry – that is how James and Lily wanted it.' He sighed, his tone becoming more compassionate. 'I can see that you love him…'

Sirius froze. Did he love Harry? He had never thought of it like that but… yes – yes, he did love him. The realisation hit him like a bludger to the head. How had he not even noticed? In his confusion, he looked to Moony who nodded at him sadly and gave him a knowing smile. He had known. How had he known before Sirius had himself?

He knew what love felt like, he had just not expected it, at least not like this. He had thought that it was his devotion to Prongs and Lily that made him act so protective of Harry, but he had been wrong – at least, that was only a part of it. He thought back, trying to pinpoint the moment when he had started to love Harry, to love him as more than just his best mate's kid. When he had first seen him in the hall of his aunt and uncle's house? When he had given him the picture of James and Lily? Or had it been in the graveyard when they had cried together, or maybe only last night, when he had watched Harry sleeping?

'… and I can see why you want him close,' continued Dumbledore, forcing Sirius to put off trying to find an answer to that mystery. 'You made a promise to your best friend, you feel you have to make up for the time that you weren't there. You have made your point clear to me and I understand your reasoning. Nonetheless, I remain convinced that acting rashly is not in Harry's best interest.'

Sirius opened his mouth in protest, to say that he had not acted rashly in any way. The fact that Vernon and Petunia Dursley were still unharmed and happy – the exact opposite of what he wanted them to be – should serve was proof that he could control himself. His wand arm had been itching for a good curse ever since he had found out that Harry had not known what his parents looked like before he had shown him the picture. That had been two weeks ago.

'Sir, Sirius did not act rashly,' said Moony calmly before Sirius had found his voice. 'It was not him who suggested that Harry stay here.'

Dumbledore nodded gravely. 'Not directly. Nonetheless, what did you tell me, Sirius? You went to see Harry, and bought him sweets and gave him presents. You offer him access to information on his parents. You spend whole days doing nothing but focus on him, not to mention showing him the magical world. It is only natural that Harry would want more. Any child would.'

Was that true? Had he only bought Harry's sympathy? Dumbledore had a point, he had started to give Harry things almost as soon as they had met. He had done even more, things that Dumbledore did not know about. He had given Harry a whole room, a trip to an amusement park…

Before he could ponder the matter further, Moony intervened once more. 'He showed him affection,' he disagreed. 'That alone would not be enough to make a child want to leave the only family they ever knew, not if they treated him decently. I know I would not have, and I credit Harry with enough sense not to voice a desire like that light-heartedly.'

Harry had not made the impression of expecting a life of presents and luxury when he had asked to stay. On the contrary, he might as well have been a house elf asking for work. Bloody muggles…

'There's something wrong with them,' Sirius jumped in. 'They don't treat him well, I told you.'

Dumbledore sighed and just as he opened his mouth, Harry whispered something.

'Pardon?' asked Sirius, instantly alert.

'They made me sleep in the cupboard,' repeated Harry, just loud enough for Sirius to hear.

He tried to make sense of that snipped. 'The cupboard? Were you hiding in there?'

'The cupboard under the stairs,' muttered Harry. 'That's where I used to sleep before they gave me Dudley's second bedroom. They'd lock me in for days when they were angry with me.'

Suddenly, the whole episode of Mr Dursley not wanting Sirius to see Harry's room fell into place. It was because there had been no room. "Dudley's second bedroom" – that explained the argument between the boy and his parents.

He loosened Harry's grip to be able to look at him. His eyes were red and Sirius searched them desperately for some sign of deception, for any trace of dishonesty. He found nothing of the sort, just pain and fear. He was telling the truth even though Sirius wished with all his might that it were different. Harry, precious Harry, whom Prongs and Lily had considered the most important person in the world – how could they have treated him that way? How could they have been so cruel to such a small and innocent person?

'That's it,' he growled, struggling to keep his anger in check. He pulled Harry close again, only just reminding himself that he had to be gentle not to hurt him. 'You are never going back there! You are never again setting one foot in the place, you hear me? There's no way I'm letting you! You're staying with me.' He got less angry as he spoke, suddenly realising what he was saying. He meant all of it. 'You're mine now,' he said softly.

Harry's breath caught. 'I can stay?' he asked quietly.

'You can stay,' confirmed Sirius, tears gathering in his eyes. 'I want you to stay. You're never going back to them.'