Rules and Respect

Guardianship Decisions

Over the rest of the holidays Sirius and Harry got to know each other better. Harry had the impression it could be possible to live with Sirius. The man somehow made him feel like he could trust him. He didn't know why, there was no logical reason for his feelings. Perhaps there still were a few, subconscious, remaining memories from his time as an infant. And he could see that Sirius really wanted to keep his promise to his parents to take care of Harry in case something happened to them. While he definitely wasn't the most mature kind of adult, he could turn serious if it was needed. He had loved Harry's prank on Christmas. He thoroughly praised Harry for his ingeniousness. But when Harry wanted to talk about how he could imagine Sirius being his guardian he had turned serious and listened to Harry's ideas.

To say Sirius was surprised by the complexity of thoughts Harry had spent on the topic was an understatement. It proved how much Harry had been hurt in the past to think that kind of planning was necessary.

Harry wanted that he had an adult in his life that he could turn to if he needed advice, who didn't think that as a child he didn't know what was best for him. Harry knew what he wanted. He had some ideas of future professions, nothing really specific, but a rough idea. He wanted to get to the top of the wizarding world by his own merit. He wanted to excel and be acknowledged for it. He also wanted to play Quidditch for as long as it was possible. He had come to love the sport. It didn't only mean a way to be popular in his house and earn a buck load of money if he went professional; it was a stress-relief for him. In the air he was happy. Tricking a keeper was exhilarating. Fast paced plays made his blood rush through his veins.

From what Harry had heard about some parents, especially Molly Weasley, they tended to smother their children. Harry didn't want that at all. He wanted to be included in decisions that concerned him. He wanted to know the reasons why certain things weren't possible for him. He thought he was mature enough to understand why he couldn't do something if he got it explained. Not having information was much more dangerous in his eyes than worrying about something. If he knew there was anything dangerous for him, he wanted to know it to avoid it.

Sirius had just listened until Harry was done. He had taken his time to ponder Harry's ideas. He didn't think they were over the top. They seemed reasonable enough to him. While he knew he would want to protect Harry from certain things, he also knew that Harry was too much like Lily to let things be if he was curious. And like Lily and James he wouldn't stop until he found out the things he wanted to know. Harry had always been curious, even as a baby. So not giving him information would only lead to more trouble.

"I agree with you that you can't be kept in the dark. But sometimes it could be that I'm not allowed to give you information, be it if I returned to my job as an auror or something else. In those cases I wouldn't lie to you but tell you why I can't tell you. I won't just forbid you certain things, but explain why I do so. There will be things I won't allow if I think they'll be too dangerous for you. As mature as you may be, you're still only eleven years old. But I also expect the same honesty from your side, Harry. I want you to tell me if you have problems. You have been forced to rely on yourself for ten years, but if I become your guardian, I want to change that. I'm aware that it will take time, but if you really need help, don't hesitate to ask for it." Sirius said.

"I'll have to set up some rules, but if you absolutely are against one of them, we can discuss them. I want you to know that I'll never resort to any kind of physical punishment. I have been a victim of that myself and would never hit you. But if you misbehave you will be punished."

Harry nodded. He could accept that. It was reasonable.

"The next point would be where we would live. We can either use one of your properties or I can have my parents' old house renovated." Sirius said.

"Would you mind if we moved in at Potter Manor? The place has ancient wards and I would like to live where my Dad grew up." Harry asked.

"No problem at all. To be honest, I don't like my parents' old house at all. If I don't have to return there, I'm more than happy. The place just has the most powerful and intricate wards you'll find. My father was a paranoid bastard." Sirius said.

"Do you know more about wards?" Harry asked.

"A bit. Not that much. Is warding also an area you are interested in?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded.

"It's interesting. I have been theorising some things from the few books I've read about runes, not much, but I intend to take the subject in third year." Harry said.

"I didn't take Runes myself; I had Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy. But from what Remus told us, it's a very interesting subject." Sirius mentioned. "If you want to you could ask him more about the subject. I'm sure he would be happy to answer your questions."

"Okay, so we will try this. With the things you told me so far, I think we'll get along okay. But please don't be offended if I don't trust you fully from the start. That just takes time for me. I'll try to be open, but I've kept my thoughts secret for so long that it'll be difficult." Harry admitted.

"Don't worry, I understand, Harry. Take your time." Sirius replied.

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