hogwrites | Raising Harry

Harry was fascinated. This man knew him as a baby? So did he know his parents? He looked nervously at his aunt and uncle and then back at the man as a butterfly flew out of his magic stick. Something familiar about the butterfly made his heart warm, smiling faintly as he reached out to touch it, watching as it became rainbow dust in the air. With a small laugh, he looked up at the man and then he remembered that he'd seen the man on TV. For bad things.

But he knew him... no one ever knew him.

"Stay away from him, darling. He's dangerous! He's one of their lot." The sneer was hard to miss and Harry found it kinda funny. She had the same sneer for him as for his father. Looking at Sirius, he shuffled forward a little and then he had to pause.

"Are you a bad man? You were on the TV." Despite the sneer from before, he could hear the fear in his aunts voice and that made it easier to talk. They couldn't hurt him if someone scarier was around. He liked that.

"I'll be bad to that rotten lot," Sirius told him, as if in secrecy, gesturing at the Dursley's with his thumb. But he smiled at Harry still, sharing a conspiracy. "I'm gonna be really good to you. I promise. I promised it to your parents, you know?"

His face softened and he held his hand out to Harry, hoping he'd take it. "You belong with me, Harry. Not them."

Finally Vernon burst out, making himself as big as he could. "I'm not scared of some runaway hoodlum! The boy is in our care!"

Sirius turned his head, his eyes narrowing and, yes, he pointed his wand. His voice was colder now. "Do you feel they do a good job of caring for you, Harry?"

The promise of being with someone who smiled like that, belonging and having someone who knew his parents? It hurt his chest so much, he felt like he could burst. He wanted it so badly. Harry had dreamt of his dad coming in to save him or his mom, he hadn't expected it to ever really happen but this felt too real. He got up to move, slowly approaching with a timid creep.

But as soon as Vernon yelled, he stopped still on the spot with wide, scared eyes.

"Get back over here, boy!" His aunt was yelling now, hiding behind his uncle and holding Dudley tight. He looked at them, all the promise of punishment and anger for what had happened, and then he looked at Sirius. A mystery but at least he stood a chance of not being punished.

Impulsively, he rushed over and hid behind the man's leg, peering out. "Not overly, no. They don't like me much."

Sirius smiled at Harry, leaning down to ruffle his hair. Damn. He looked like a young James. With Lily's eyes. His heart hurt every time he looked at him. He wrapped one arm around the boy and lifted him up with ease. He barely seemed to weigh anything and Sirius wasn't a weak man either. He sat him down on the motorcycle, catching his eyes. So familiar and at the same time, so different. "Stay right there, all right?"

Not that he planned on going anywhere. All he did was turn back around to look at the Dursleys. "I thought you saw me on television. 13 dead. A single curse." He held his wand and he looked at Vernon, remembering James' words. "Orbis!"

And with that, the man collapsed. Well, no. Actually, Harry's uncle appeared to have sunk into the ground. Just about until his middle, but enough to terrify him, screaming in panic. Sirius turned around and walked over to Harry, smirking as he got onto the motorcycle behind him. "That was supposed to actually get him swallowed up. He must be too fat."

He wanted to see the boy smile or laugh again. "Are you ready?"

Harry was on a motorcycle. An actual motorcycle! He looked around in shock and awe, unsure what to do or how to feel. Was he really going? He was scared but then, he was usually scared. Could it get any worse? It was already bad so he supposed it wasn't too scary. Not as scary as when Vernon got mad. He swallowed as he watched his aunt try to save his uncle, feeling no sympathy for them. Not really. He smiled faintly and then looked up at Sirius. He looked wild and crazy but, at the same time, he looked at him with such love.

And he couldn't miss it. Rare as it was, he knew what it looked like. He saw his aunt look at his cousin like that.

Turning his head, he noticed said cousin was watching him on the motorbike and he felt the most intense urge to rub it in. He had no monster trucks or toys but he was on a motorbike. Ha. Maturely, he stuck out his tongue. "I'm ready."

"Then off we go." Sirius wrapped an arm securely around Harry. He checked the spells he had placed on the motorcycle, not unlike the kind on modern brooms, the ones that should make sure that Harry would stay relatively warm. He had no time to lose. "I got you," he promised, then he started the motor and backed out of the house. He waved his wand and the wall started to repair itself. Putting one hand on the handle, he tightened his hold on Harry.

"Now we fly." With that said, he took off with him, right up into the night sky, not bothering to even spare a glance for that horrible house. And the horrid, now ruined flower beds. He was flying, he had Harry. This elated feeling, it was happiness. Strange, but he loved it. Enough the he whooped, laughing loudly now. "It's wicked, Harry, don't you think?"

Harry cried out in fear at first, it was so new and terrifying because he hadn't expected it. He gulped hard and looked down as the ground got further and further away. What if he fell? It'd be just his luck to fall. He was always so unlucky. He peered down and then he heard Sirius whoop and laugh - it melted so many of his anxieties.

If Sirius was laughing like that, it couldn't be bad. He was flying. The magic man made him fly... God, he hoped this wasn't a dream cause it felt like one. "Is this real, mister?" If anyone knew, it'd be his dream companion.

"Yeah. It's real. That back there, life with them? That's the nightmare, kiddo. And they aren't getting their grimy hands on you again now."

Sirius looked down at Harry, cuddling him close. Damn, he was thin. Not that he was one to talk, but they definitely needed to get some food. He really should have more of a plan, but he was mostly winging this. "My name is Sirius. So just called me that. Or Padfoot. That's my nickname."

He didn't want the boy to address him like a stranger. "I have a lot to tell you, I know. But one thing after the other, all right? For now, I am taking you to my uncle's house. He died a few years back and he left the house to me. I've never been there, but he lived by the sea. Seems nice."

"The sea? I've never seen the sea. Aunt and uncle go every year with Dudley. They told me I could go if I cleaned the whole kitchen but I didn't do a good job so I didn't get to." He hadn't caught one tea spoon and that was enough to dash his hopes and send him to the neighbours to be watched. Not that he minded the elder lady who watched him but she was hardly fond of him either. "The sea is blue and there's shells and sand, right?"

Dudley always boasted about getting ice cream there too. Maybe were going to live in an ice cream shop! It was crazy but everything kind of was here.

"Sirius? What's a Godfather? You said you were mine." What did that even mean?

"Let me tell you something, Harry. Your family, the Dursley's? They are the worst. We have that in common, my family was terrible too. But your parents, they were brilliant. They were brave, brilliant and they loved you so, so much. I was their friend. Their best friend." For better or for worse. For the worst, really. But now he had to live up to it, after every mistake he had made. "They asked me, when you were born, that I should take care of you if anything happened to them. And I promised. I couldn't do it sooner, but now I'm here. And we'll have a brilliant time together, yeah?"

He hugged him close. "We'll have so much fun! At the sea and in the house. Everywhere. I'll teach you how to fly on a broom. Your father was really good at that, he loved it."

"He was?" Woah. His father was a wizard. This was all so strange, could it really be true? He didn't think he could ever be that special. Dudley was the special one, after all. Not him. Never him. He didn't even have his own clothes - nothing he owned fit him and it all had Dudley's signs of wear and tear all over it. "I don't my parents well, they wouldn't show me a picture. They died in a car crash."

He knew that much. That was about it. He raised his hand and touched his scar. "I'm sorry." He didn't know why, he just felt like he was at fault. He was usually at fault. His parents died and he lived so he probably did something wrong.

"What?!" Sirius said it a bit too loud and then he hushed himself. Of course Harry didn't know the truth. But a car crash? "Lily and James... Your parents, Harry. They didn't die in a car crash. They died being brave. Protecting you. And you, my darling boy, you have nothing to be sorry for. Ever. You haven't done anything to be sorry for in all your life. Trust me."

He hugged Harry tighter for a few moments, taking a deep breath. "This is a lot all at once, I know. I'm the one who is sorry." He laughed. "For so many reasons. But also... See, my family was all wizards and witches. So I don't know what it's like not to know. But I can tell you and then you'll see. When you were born, Harry, there was a bad, evil wizard. We call him the Dark Lord. Or You Know Who. No one wants to say his name. Your parents and I and some others, we were fighting against him."

"So my dad was a wizard then?... Are they Lily and James? Those are nice names. I like James." He wished he was a James. He felt like it'd be better than Harry. Vernon said it was a common name, not one he'd have picked for anyone. He didn't think it was such a rotten name - his parents gifted it to him, after all. It was special. "Were they killed by the bad man?"

The Dark Lord? It sounded scary. He didn't know what he felt. He leaned back against Sirius and tried not to overthink it. His parents were very brave, they saved him so the bad man had to be gone, didn't he? "Did they kill him too?"

"Lily and James, yes. They were both very powerful wizards and they were the best people. Your full name, actually, it's Harry James Potter. That's a strong name. You'll be a strong wizard too, I can tell." Sirius smiled down at him, glad that he didn't exactly have a road to watch up here.

"The bad man killed them, yeah. And then he wanted to kill you, but he couldn't. Something about you stopped him. You defeated him. You were still a baby, but you already saved everyone else from the bad man." How did he even begin to explain that? "He aimed a curse at you, but it fired back at you. That's where you got that scar from. It's a symbol of how amazing you are, Harry."

"But... I'm not that special." He couldn't have done that. He raised his hand and touched his scar, not sure how to feel. He wished his mom was alive so he could have some hugs, mostly. It was nice to know he wasn't entirely useless but it seemed like a lot to comprehend and his tiny mind couldn't even process it.

Biting his lower lip, he looked down at the clouds and shivered a little. It was getting colder when they got closer to the clouds. "Why didn't you come and get me?" It seemed odd that he waited this long. "You were in jail like a bad man... what did you do?" Did he hurt his parents?

"It's really, really complicated." Sirius didn't even know where to start. But he noticed the boy shivering and he didn't hesitate. He had to be careful about it, keeping the handle steady with his foot at one point, so he could always keep one arm around Harry and get out of his jacket. But in the end, he could put the jacket on Harry, even if it was too big on him. Still, he zipped it up for him and then leaned down, hugging him close and, after a moment's hesitation, kissing his cheek.

"I need you to understand and believe some things first, yeah? I was there the day you were born. I held you when you were given your name. I've always, always loved you, like you were my own son. All right? I love you so, so much, Harry. I'd do anything for you. Can you believe that? Please."

"I can believe that." He really, really wanted to believe it and besides, he hadn't done anything to him yet. Maybe he was protecting his parents and got caught. It could happen. Feeling protected and taken care of was a new feeling but he was not willing to give the dream up just because circumstances could be confusing. He wriggled a little further into the jacket and smelled the scent that lingered on it - the jacket smelled like a dad's jacket. All like a proper adult and all.

Aftershave and a bit smokey. He liked it a lot. "Will you take care of me now then? I don't really want to go back."

"I will take care of you," Sirius promised, still holding him close, "And I promise, I look less scary when I've washed my hair and all. I was in such a hurry to get you."

That much was for sure. Sirius might have started on another round of explaining, but as they made their way through the clouds and he looked down, he smiled. "I think we're getting close."

He stirred the motorcycle, gently lowering them. The place looked pretty quaint. Definitely muggle, which was a positive in this case. He got even closer, then gestured. "I think there's a pizzeria down there. Do you like pizza, Harry?"

"I've never had it." So he wasn't entirely sure but it did smell nice. "Actually, no, I had one of those fifty pence ones from ASDA for my birthday last year." He had a small little pizza that wasn't the best but it was pretty good and a little can of off-brand coke. It was a pretty nice birthday actually, best he'd had in years. "The little one I had wasn't very nice but Dudley told me I got the gross one."

Harry smiled regardless. He didn't like to complain. Complaints were never good. "Is it good?"

"It's bleeding brilliant, Harry. Now be quiet, let me show you a trick." Sirius cast a spell to mute the motor of his machine, then he took a deep dive. They were almost down to street level and yet, it seemed as if no one could notice them. His charms were clearly working, good to know.

Sirius looked in through the huge window that lit the way into the pizzeria. He looked at the oven, looked at the pizzas being made. And he watched as two of them were just now, ever so luckily, put into boxes. It only took a spell to vanish the window, another to accio the boxes right over to them and then he let the window reappear and put the boxes into Harry's arms. "You hold on to these, yeah?"

That said he took them back high up, whooping again. "You know what we say now, mate? Mischief managed!"

"Mischief managed?" Harry copied tentatively, smiling as he looked down at the pizza. It was hot, warm and half the size of him! He had seen these before for that one year Dudley had a pizza party. It smelled so good, his stomach gurgled already. Blushing, he ducked his head and hoped Sirius didn't tease him.

Sirius was so strange, he was like a dream. He could do anything. Literally anything. He was magical, he had a motorbike and he felt so strong too.

And he knew his mom and dad! "Did my dad like pizza?"

"Yeah, he loved it. When he was young, one summer, he went to Italy. That's the country where pizza's from, it's shaped like a boot. Funny looking. And he said there were lots of pretty girls there, but none as pretty as your mother. Always adored your mother, he did."

Sirius zeroed in on the house that was a little removed from the others, up a small hill. It looked abandoned and like nothing much, but of course it would. Muggle protection. Sirius landed, setting the bike down in the driveway. "Here we are."

There was a garden, a fence all around it. Overgrown with bushes. The house really wasn't much to look at. "Home, sweet home."

Harry didn't like to be a burden, he didn't want to give the nice adult extra work. Vernon always said he annoyed everyone when he acted so helpless, he had to grow up fast and stop being a burden. So he tried to get off the bike himself, attempting to copy Sirius because he just slid off the bike all cool like.

And Harry tried to do that in Sirius' all too big coat and, hence, no arms to stabilise himself.

He just straight up fell off the bike and onto the floor. Ow. He tumbled. Looking concerned, he looked up at Sirius with panic. "I'm sorry!" Did he get his coat dirty? Oh no. His dad probably never fell over like this. He was being bad.

"I would have helped you down!" Sirius hurried to crouch down next to Harry, reaching for the pizza with one hand and using the other to pull him close, concern plain on his face. "Did you hurt yourself, Harry?"

Damn, he was doing a bang up job of taking care of him already, wasn't he? "Do you need me to carry you?"

Honestly, he didn't really have much reference for just how small a child this small child was.

"I dropped the food. Are you mad?" It didn't open but it did fell so it probably got all thrown around. He was always making a mess and Sirius had yelled. Not intentionally but he raised his voice so now Harry was in a panic because he didn't know what to do. He wasn't used to concerned yells.

"I didn't hurt myself."

He didn't know if he did or he didn't but he wasn't about to admit to it. He was far too embarrassed and ashamed. "I'm really, really sorry. I won't do it again."

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