[ jessi ] (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} jessi_muses) wrote,@ 2008-09-13 21:32:00 |
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| Entry tags: | *[hp] lily potter née evans, rpg:rp:archive |
[ARCHIVE] Log - Lily Potter née Evans (2);
Originally posted: September 13, 2008 @ ![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small}
parabolical [link]
WHO: Sirius Black, Lily Potter, James Potter
WHERE: Random LA alleyway, to their apartment.
WHEN: Tuesday, September 13, 2005; late afternoon
WHAT: Sirius' arrival.
RATING: PGish
STATUS: log of thread; COMPLETE!
| No time. No time, no ground. No time, no ground, no sight, tra la la, la la. Three hundred fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred and eighteen bottles of butterbeer on the wall, three hundred fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred and eighteen bottles of butterbeer! If one of those bottles should hapen to fall, three hundred fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred and seveneen bottles of butterbeer on the wall! Oh, look. His hand. It was floating by again. Sirius waggled his fingers at it. He couldn't feel it, but he saw the fingers move. Had he done that, or was his hand waving back at him? Hmm. Did it matter? Helloooo hand! There had to be better things to do than float around in smoky grey nothingness. He felt sure there were. There were... things. He could try to remember them, but every time something got to close, it started to scurry away again. Like a ra-- (not the R word, don't say the R word) no. Like a mouse. Scurrying like a mouse, getting into the walls, and running running running until... until... Three hundred fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred and seventeen bottles of butterbeer on the wall, three hundred fifty-eight thousand, nine hundred and seventeen bottles of butterbeer! until the mouse scurried into a pot, and you had to pick up the pot and turn it over and... (Pot?) NO, no. You turn IT over and then (pot over?) and THEN, are you still listening to me? (Pot...er?) POTTER! JamesLilyHarryHARRY lefthimlefthimlefthimalone! Bright light. Blinding. How long had it been since he had seen the light? Far, far too long, as the rays burned his eyes even through his eyelids, through the hands he was pressing against his face. Hands? Yes, his hands, his own hands, that he was feeling now, feeling his face against his fingers, and his fingers against his face. Feeling sharp - ow! - sharp twinges of -ow!- pain as he was squirming. He was laying on something. Something hard. Something that - ow! - was making his limbs unhappy. Unhappy? Uncomfortable. Too much, there was too much. Hardly before the thought had been finished, he was changing. It was easier this way. The brain was so much simpler. Where there had so formerly been a wretched, pale and thin man, there was now a large black dog, paws pushed over his eyes, whimpering pathetically at the brightness of the sun. Lily had simply been walking past the alley, out getting air and a sense of perspective, when she heard the whimper. Stopping, she peered down the alley, then hastened her steps when she saw the dark form, obviously concerned for whatever was down there. It was barely halfway into the alley when she realized what she was looking at down there. A dog. And not just any dog, but one she would know anywhere, no contest. That relief – she'd told them that Sirius would come, of course he would if they were all there – was countered by the heartwrenching sounds he was making and she dashed the rest of the length of the alley, dropping down next to the dog. Without thought, she buried her fingers in his thick fur, dropping her head to his, red hair pooling around him. "Shh shh, what's the matter, eh?" she soothed, not even thinking for a moment that this dog was any other than Sirius. "Little confused there, mate? I don't blame you, this place is beyond mad." LILY! No, no, no! Lily's dead. She died back in '81. but, Lily! The dog's tail thumped once, before he let out a whimper. It sounded like her voice, didn't it? How do you remember? You've been in a bloody windowshade for however long! The whimper was long, partly scared, partly a plea. Lily let out a sound that was half chuckle, half concern, and ruffled the dog's fur before she hugged him. His thinness was further cause for concern, but she could fix that. Had to get him out out of the alley to do it, however. "Oh now, love, it's mad but it's not that bad. Come on, up you get and human you go, I'm here, James is here, we're all here." She kissed the top of his head, then rubbed her cheek against the spot. "Told them you'd be here soon enough, not a law or power in the world keeping you from the rest of us." Padfoot tilted his head at her, tail ceasing the unwitting wag it was attempting to keep up. He shrank back a bit, the whimpers deeper in his throat. He didn't want to change back. That made things too hard. Too complicated. It was easier to be a dog. He didn't have to wonder so much. It didn't hurt so much. She smelled familiar. Padfoot sniffed at her hand, and licked it before dropping his chin against it and whimpering again. This was getting a little worrisome to Lily. She wasn't a stranger to them using their Animagi forms when upset, but even the shock of coming here should have subsided somewhat with a familiar face. He shouldn't still be this upset. Lifting the dog's head gently, she went to speak, and then stopped. All wasn't entirely as she had known it. She examined the telling few grey hair there with a frown, and then came a sudden, painful understanding. What if he wasn't from before, as Peter was? What if he was from after? "Oh, Siri, I'm alive here," she said, stroking his muzzle gently. "Right as rain. Jamie is too, promise. No need to hide." Siri. Jamie. It was a trick, this had to be a trick. A nasty, bitter, evil trick. Lily was dead, and James was dead, and no one was going to call him Siri anymore, even if it had always only ever been Lily. She was stroking his muzzle and it felt nice. And Padfoot was tired, he'd been in the dark for so long, and maybe he was hungry too, he couldn't remember eating. His head was pressing harder into her hand as gravity caught up, eyes wanting to close at the gentle petting. A sleepy Padfoot was even more troubling to Lily, as he should have turned back by now, no matter what time he was from, there was nothing that should have kept him drawn within the protection of his dog form this long. She closed her eyes. What if it wasn't him at all? Had she been so eager for it to be him that she'd cuddled some dog who was just a dog, rather than then Padfoot she loved? This dog was older, certainly, but that wasn't indicative of it not being him, and yet – maybe she'd been too hasty. "Nattering on at you, poor thing, and you likely haven't a clue what I'm saying." She sighed softly, still stroking his muzzle. "I can't just leave you here," she whispered, resting her head on his again. No, if there was a dog who looked like Padfoot, the only place he should be would be with her and James. James would understand and he could explain to Harry what a soft touch bordering on bleeding heart she could be. "Well, mate," she finally said, sighing again, "would you like to come home with me? Get you something to eat, all perked up and then a nice bed set up for you?" She omitted the word 'bath', as all dogs, regular or Animagus, knew and were heavily opposed to that word. He stretched out his neck for her to keep petting. But when she mentioned something to eat and then bed, his ears perked up. Hallucination or not, he was hungry. And if someone wanted to feed him, even if it was someone his mind was telling him wasn't supposed to be there, he would follow. Especially for the promise of a bed. And if the hallucination was one of those ones that would lead him into something that would kill him... well, the part of him that was still Sirius wasn't sure that was the worst thing that could happen. He started to stand, tail swaying back into a wag. He was far too thin, each rib fully visible against his skin, fur matted and knotted and dirty. He picked up his paws and put them back down, as though getting a feel for the ground under his pads. Lily was able to get a better look at him once he did start to stand, which only drew a deeper line between 'this is Sirius' and 'this is a regular dog' and there was no way Sirius would ever look like this, at all. Her heart sank in one regard, but welled in another, as it might not be Sirius but the poor thing still needed some love and care. And she would give it to him. "Oh no, mate, we're not walking home." She frowned. "Not sure you could, even if we tried. But the ride is going to be a little scary, so it's best you close your eyes." She wrapped her arm around him, able to get it the entire way around him despite him being a large dog, covered his eyes with her hand and then grasped her wand with the arm around his body, Disapparating a moment later. James was getting more and more worried by the minute. Her "walk" wasn't something he had been very approving of from the start, and now she was Merlin new where with Merlin knew who likely hexing her or, because this was a Muggle neighborhood, shooting at her. He sighed softly in relief when he saw her materialize out of thin air a few feet away, but his breath caught in his throat when he saw the dog she was supporting. If he didn't know better, he would think that it was Padfoot, but Sirius looked so different from the thin, older looking dog that he knew it had to just be a stray. He knew every detail of Sirius's Animagus form, and this dog, while being very similar (too similar for comfort if James was being honest)was too starved and frightened looking to really be fun loving Padfoot. He gave Lily a long look, unsure of where to even start with the creature. She was kindhearted bringing a stray home, and no doubt the resemblance to Sirius hadn't been lost on her either. "Come here..." James said quietly, bending down and making a low whistle to try to coax the dog forward so that he could get a better look. "Where did you find him?" He whispered to Lily. "He looks so much like him." The suddenness of moving from one place to another like that created three distinct reactions. First, Padfoot didn't like it at all. Instincts told him to run, but the female was still holding him. Second was a sense of familiarity from that inner Sirius. He knew how this worked, and what it was meant to do. Third, was a feeling of fear that, once again, he was in a situation, in a place, where he had no control over being in or not. Padfoot shrank back against the female, until the male whistled. He lifted his head towards the sound. Harry! Tail wagging with renewed enthusiasm, he moved towards Harry. His steps were slow and painful, but he did it just the same. Once he was within range to smell him properly, he did, stopping short for a moment as his eyes widened. JAMES! Padfoot jogged the last few steps. It didn't matter suddenly if they were real of a hallucination. When there was a scant foot between tham, Padfoot leaped. His shape blurred, and when he fell against James, it was Sirius who did, clinging tightly enough to wrinkle James' shirt, fingers clutching at his shirt so badly he would have bruises on his palms for a few days. His breathing was heavy - panting, really. He was faintly aware that he could feel his bones against his skin. That wasn't good. There were still questions - hundreds of questions - but Sirius wasn't going to bother with them. He took in a breath to say one word, and that mostly a whisper into the side of his best friend's neck. "James." Lily watched the dog move toward James, worriedly checking him over to get a complete map of the things she would need to tend to, then gasped when the dog threw himself at James. It wasn't alarm so much as another flicker of that instinct that had said this dog was Padfoot, an instinct that was given real proof when he was a dog no more a few moments later, James falling back from his crouch onto the sidewalk with the impact. For a moment, she stood there, shocked that this dog she had thought was Padfoot, then thought a stray, was Padfoot, but then that gave way to shock over his state. If she had thought Padfoot was too thin and in poor shape, it was nothing compared to the state of Sirius. It was impossible to deny he was almost skeletally thin, hair matted and knotted, his robes hanging on him as though on a coat rack, rather than a person. But it was Sirius. She knew that as certain as she knew her own name. Closing the distance between herself and them, she dropped to the ground and wrapped her arms around both of them, burying her face somewhere in the vicinity of Sirius' back, making it impossible now for James or Sirius to get up, a comical bone pile on the sidewalk, if not for the heart pains of the situation. "Oh, Siri, what's happened to you?" she whispered, crying without really paying attention to that fact. James didn't think for one minute that dog would attack him, though perhaps some in his situation might have. It wasn't the wagging tale that gave it away, not any real knowledge of dog body language, so much as a sense, a feeling. Whereas before he was certain this rugged mutt was a stray, now he was certain that it was Padfoot. The guess was affirmed a split second later when Sirius leapt at him instead of a dog. It was strange, how the man could be Sirius and not Sirius at once. Most obviously, the man clutching James's robes so tightly was aged a good deal, worn. He was thin, far too thin, and James could almost feel his bones through his clothing. His hair, the state of his clothing....nothing was as it should be. Then again, what here was as it should be? Harry was alive, but he was old enough to have nearly grown children of his own. Peter...well Peter was younger and a traitor and... James shook his head. He didn't want to think about it anymore. Sirius was here and hurt but alive and he needed them. James knew Lily would help him make Sirius better, but James also knew that Sirius would need him a great deal. You didn't just go through the things Sirius had so obviously been through and just bounce back without a hand to help you...but James was determined that Padfoot would bounce back. James was suddenly quite sorry he hadn't asked more questions about the fallout from that Halloween night, hadn't demanded to know the details of what happened to everyone rather than just wishing that Sirius and Remus would join them. "Bloody hell...." he whispered, one hand going to clutch at Lily's robes as though to ground himself and the other gripping Sirius back fiercely. "What have they done to you, Padfoot?" Sirius was shaking a good deal. Most of it due to the overwhelming emotion; joy, sorrow, grief, relief, all clamouring for the top position. Tears were spilling from his eyes, but Sirius couldn't care less. It was James, James that he was holding onto. James, the man who had been his brother in all ways that mattered. What happened? What have they done? The innocence of those questions collided with the harsh reality of the answers. "A-a-a..." Sirius shut his mouth, shut his eyes, and took a breath. His nose was filled with the scent of James. For a moment, he was dizzy with the sensation. One of his hands worked itself free of James' shirt to slip over Lily's and clutch at her as well. Now, he tried answering again. "Azkaban. Twelve years in Azkaban." He might have tried to pull away then, to see James and Lily, see them, with his eyes, but even as the idea flickered into his mind, he clung tighter to the both of them, not ready to be pried away. "Oh, it was brilliant James, getting out of there. I'm the only man to ever escape Azkaban, know that? No, you don't know that, but now you do. Got out, slipped away. Dog brains are too simple for dementors. Haha! They never even knew. Had to get out, had to find that rat." The word turned into a growl the way Sirius said it. "Even got into Hogwarts. Hee! So much you can do, when you're just a dog. Just another dog. Good dog! Bad dog! Sit! Stay! Roll over! Play dead!" He gave a shudder after that, the flow of words cut off as suddenly as it had begun. Azkaban? He was raving like a madman and Lily wouldn't be able to deny it frightened her if asked, but if there was one thing Sirius Black wasn't, it was a genuine and fully-fledged lunatic. That job was better left to the acknowledged members of the Black family. He'd been tortured, perhaps. Death Eaters seeking revenge for their lost master, most likely. That was the only explanation for his state and the things he was saying, as there was absolutely no way Sirius would have gone to Azkaban. He said I killed Muggles, Lily. That Ron fellow. He said I killed twelve of them. And then framed Sirius for it. For all of it. That bit of conversation recently had surfaced from where Lily had dismissed it as further insane lies, taunting her next to the sight of Sirius. No, no, no. It wasn't possible, it was all part of the ongoing lies. Peter would never do that, would never do anything to hurt any of them. He would never do this to Sirius. What was important now was taking care of Sirius. "No more playing dead, not for you, not for us, not for anyone," she whispered, squeezing tighter the hand he was clinging to hers with, wanting to reassure him in a million ways that whatever had happened, it would not continue, that everything would be better now. Even if she had yet to know what the 'whatever happened' was, she wanted to promise that just the same. She did know one thing absolutely, however. She was going to murder the person responsible for this. Lifting her head, she squeezed James to get his attention and then mouthed 'let's all go inside' at him. They were nearly defenseless, lying here on the sidewalk, they needed to get inside, inside there apartment where they could throw up every ward and charm possible to protect them while they took care of Sirius. James knew that he was mad at Peter Pettigrew for killing him and Lily before, but that was nothing compared to the pure RAGE he felt now. What had happened to him and Lily was brief, an end, what happened to Harry was like a hallow void, but what happened to Sirius was years, a LIFETIME of torture and pain. Because of Pettigrew. Rage boiled up in him, because though he was close to all of his friends, closer to his Marauder friends, Sirius was his brother in every way that mattered. Sirius suffering hurt him the way that Lily or Harry suffering might...the way that family suffering hurt. Peter was responsible. Peter had done this... He shook his head. There wasn't time for that, not when Sirius was nearly passed out and thin and barely alive by the looks of it. He needed food and decent clothes and shelter...and James was sure that he and Lily would help Sirius get everything that he needed and more. "Let's get up, Padfoot, get you indoors where it's clean and safe." He helped Sirius to his feet, supporting most of his weight for him, then started to take one tentative step after another toward the house. He looked at Lily for a long moment, unsure as to what to suggest first. A bath? A warm bed? New clothes? Food? Sirius needed all of it so desperately that James was almost afraid that by suggesting the wrong one he could put Sirius in a worse situation. Between James and Lily, Sirius got to his feet. He would have stumbled a bit if not for the arms supporting him. It was far easier to walk on four legs than on two, but if he changed to dog shape, he wouldn't be able to hold onto them like he was now, one arm draped across James' shoulders, the other loosely holding Lily by the waist. The sunlight was still troublesome, but he was managing. Mostly by not looking up at all. The ground was what he was watching, when he was able to pry his eyes from the copper shade of Lily's hair, or the familiar cleft in James' chin. It was them, it was really, really them, and Sirius would have danced if they hadn't been holding him so tightly. So he watched the ground when he could, taking his steps slowly at first, then keeping at a comfortable pace the more they walked. His joints felt stiff, unused to being used. How long had he been in that bloody drapery? "What's today?" he asked, his voice a harsh whisper. "What.. what year?" The gate opened and then closed behind them with no more than a silent wave of Lily's wand, and then they made their way into the courtyard, thankfully not encountering anyone on the way. Lily wanted Sirius tucked away somewhere secured and safe now so he could be tended to, trusting the others or not. He deserved to have that care and security without being overwhelmed by people and she and James would give that to him. She was content to walk in silence, supporting him as much as she was latching on to him, and guiding him to their apartment, but Sirius did speak again, and not an easy question either. Her initial reaction would have been reluctance bordering on the intense desire to not answer, but there was the fact she and James were alive to make her reevaluate that. Certainly the time issue would be less jarring than having the dead alive and around him after whatever he had gone through, but she was still reluctant to reveal the further intricacies of the madness surrounding them. Sticking to the very simplest answers would be best for now. "It's 2005 here," she said softly, opening the door to the apartment she and James had chosen, one with two bedrooms in expectation of Sirius' arrival. This hadn't been how Lily imagined bring him here, however. James let out a soft sigh of relief when they reached the safety of the apartment. It felt right to bring Sirius there, even if he wasn't the Sirius they were expecting, he was Sirius none the less. At this rate, James knew he would happily convince Sirius to curl up at the foot of the bed in Padfoot form where he could have both Lily and Sirius close and safe where he could watch over them. "Are you hungry, mate?" It was a ridiculous question. How could someone be as thin as Sirius as and NOT be hungry, but James asked it out of habit and courtesy even as his mind was whirling with options that hopefully wouldn't upset Sirius's empty stomach. "Cold? I've not been here long but I do have a few changes of clothes...." Granted, James' clothes would likely hang off of Sirius, but James knew Lily could mend then. He squeezed Sirius extra hard with the arm he was supporting him with. "I've been waiting on you, Padfoot, hoping you'd come. We even have an extra room here for you." Sirius stared at Lily for a moment, blinking. 2005? 2005? Nine bloody years? Nine, plus the twelve in prison, lead to 21 years total, cut off from the world. A high-pitched giggle that was in no way signs of a healthy mind escaped from his lips as he realized that more than half his life, he'd been existing. Not living. Azkaban and the veil. "Bloody fantastic." He was starting to consider options when James said that. I've been waiting on you, Padfoot, hoping you'd come. We even have an extra room here for you. Fresh tears pooled in his eyes, but Sirius blinked them back. Now for the hard part; answering the questions. Sirius considered. "I might be able to keep something down. Maybe soup? After a nap. And... yes. I'm bloody freezing." A nap seemed the best option. He felt utterly exhausted. With the impetus of things to do for Sirius to push her forward from clinging support for an indefinite period, Lily was ready to surrender him to James' hands, even if it would only be briefly. With that chilling giggle still in her ears, she considered the apartment briefly and then started them in the direction of Sirius' room. "Jamie, you help him change out and clean up enough to rest, I'll fetch some clothes and start on working my magic on some blankets." If Sirius was freezing she'd make certain he stayed as warm as possible in here. Given that the Los Angeles weather was far removed from the weather they'd all grown up with, the apartment had been cool, but that was changing even as Lily drew her wand and altered the air temperature. Popping up, she kissed Sirius on the cheek, holding it longer than a brief peck as much for him as it was for her and then squeezed him, gently but surely. "I'll be back in two twitches of your tail, love." Despite the motions to leave the room, she didn't let go yet, part of her uncertain if she actually should right now. If she sensed in any way that her departure would upset him at all, she was fully prepared to summon everything she needed straight to her, prop the bathroom door ajar a bit and chatter on like a magpie from the bedroom while James helped Sirius clean up to reassure him she wasn't going anywhere. James cast a worried look at Lily, almost not wanting her to leave himself because she was so good at taking care of people, and especially Sirius. However, Sirius was his best mate, and James was determined that he would handle something simple like getting him cleaned up and in warm clothing. He heard Sirius's soft whimper at the mention of Lily leaving, but James's determination grew. He and Sirius could handle this, and Lily could work on making other things easier for Sirius, such as blankets. Already the apartment's temperature had gone up to a nice cozy atmosphere. "We've got it, love." He told Lily gently, knowing that it would be just as hard for someone with a huge heart like Lily to leave Sirius as it was for Padfoot to see her go. He used his wand to summon the warmest pair of clothing he owned. There was a Muggle hoodie with soft, downy fleece underneath and a pair of flannel pajama bottoms. They didn't even match but they were warm and clean, which was in and of itself a miracle considering the short amount of time James had been here and the warm climate. "We'll get you cleaned up and dressed, Padfoot, and then you can sleep for as long as you like. I'll even persuade Lily to make you some soup when you wake up so you don't have to suffer through my attempts making the kitchen explode." Sirius wasn't exactly happy with the idea of Lily leaving, as the whimper proved. But he clung tightly to James. Lily wasn't going anywhere without James, and if he was still holding onto James, then Lily would return. He relaxed a bit against Prongs and let out his breath. "Clean. That sounds good, James. I don't know when I last felt clean." He saw the warm clothes, and smiled a bit. It didn't matter that they didn't match. Not in the least. He would have been happy with cotton and saran wrap, if he was here. "I missed you, James. Every day. Every single day." That whimper going straight to the pit of her gut, Lily nearly latched on to Sirius tightly again, but James had guessed correctly and his quiet prompting did enough of what was necessary for her to let go of Sirius entirely. She had things to find and transfigure and charm and whatever else necessary to keep her hands busy and her attention occupied while James helped Sirius. "Back in a blink," she murmured as she smiled at them both, backing off before she could change her mind. When she reached the door, she flashed one more reassuring smile over her shoulder and then slipped from the room. James cast a few quick cleaning spells over Sirius and helped him get into the clean clothes, for a moment too afraid of his voice betraying him to speak. It was easier to focus on the actions, to help Sirius as best as he knew how rather than thinking about how hard everything must have been for his best friend. For him, it had not been so bad. He had been in hiding, yes, but the Sirius in his time was never gone...the only time he had ever had to worry about Sirius, miss him really, was here hoping and waiting on Sirius's arrival. Once again the enormity of what Sirius had suffered seemed overwhelming. "I missed you too, Sirius." He said quietly when he trusted himself again. "When I got here and learned where we were, I was worried I wouldn't see you again. Lily was so certain you'd turn up, but I...I wasn't. I wanted to wish that you wouldn't come here, because I knew Harry would need you, but I was selfish. I was waiting and hoping for you to be here so much." The cleaning spells were a world of welcome. Sirius discovered his wand somehow in the pocket of his robes as he pulled them off, but set it aside after a moment of puzzled staring. With James' help, he got into the new clothes, already feeling more refreshed and comfortable than he could remember. After that, he just leaned against Prongs, listening to his voice. "I'da broken every rule in the book to get here, Prongs. Every single one. Hell, I would have made some up, just to break 'em." Then, a name. Harry. Sirius shivered, and drew in his breath sharply. "I left him. James, I left him there. Oh Merlin, what did I do? Death Eaters everywhere, Malfoy and Bella--" His eyes narrowed, and the name turned into a growl. "Bellatrix. She pushed me in. I couldn't get back. I left him there, James, I left Harry!" Blankets gathered and helpfully aided in their job by warming charms, the stack floated back in the room before Lily herself returned. She walked back in on the growled name of Sirius' insane cousin, pausing to listen to the rest as the stack continued to the bed and then settled on the end of it. From what she was hearing, if this was reality versus the things he'd thought while being tortured, then Bellatrix was to blame. There were no details, but there was a reassurance she could offer him. "Harry's right as rain, shh, don't fuss, Sirius," she promised. Harry was fine, and what more, she was certain whatever Sirius did believe, Harry had survived it, as Harry had lived beyond it to be the age he was here. "I told you, we're all well and whole and here. But you need to get some rest before you fall right over and miss out on enjoying all of it." James nodded quickly. "We've met him, Padfoot, here. He's different, older too, but he's brilliant." Perhaps even older than you... James thought with a look of concern. How old was this Sirius? He mentioned being in Azkaban for over a decade, but was that after he raised Harry? He looked so tired and worn now that it was hard to even begin to guess at his age. "You can see him too, later, after you've had a rest." Sirius had been a father for all intents and purposes to Harry, James was certain of it, and it was important they see each other too. It was never an ideal situation when parents could not raise their own child, but there was no one on Earth James would want Harry to think of as a surrogate father more than Sirius. It gutted James to think that he had missed out on the best parts of being a parent, that he and Harry were just getting to know one another. However, his one consolation was that Sirius was Harry's godfather, that Harry would have been well cared for. While not the typical model of a great parent, James knew that Sirius must have done a good job. After all, Harry had gone on to do great things and raise an even better family. Their words were perfect. "He's alright?" A smile settled onto his lips. "He's alright." His eyes slipped closed when James mentioned rest, and he nodded, still leaned up against his best friend's shoulder, despite the pillows behind him. He was warm enough, with the clothes and the blankets Lily had brought a distant second to the warmth and joy of having them near. And for the first time in far, far too long, Sirius drifted off to sleep with the scent of James Potter dancing in his nostrils. |
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