2
This is a short chapter but I wanted to post something else cause I have nothing to do at all.
This chapter kinda involves abuse and stuff, so trigger warning if that stuff bothers you.
Enjoy!
Sirius is clenching his coffee mug so hard, he isn't sure how his fingers haven’t broken off. He’s on his 6th cigarette in a row as he looks at Harry sleeping peacefully on the couch.
How could he let it get this bad? The kid has fucking bruises everywhere. His lip is so scabbed up that it almost looks like it could leave a scar. He should’ve never left him in that house. Let that bitch call the cops. He’d go to jail swinging.
“This is insane,” Remus says, his words coming out breathless. He’s been pacing for the last hour, muttering under his breath how crazy this was. Sirius has been letting him have his moment because in all honesty, he needed his moment too. This was crazy. It felt surreal.
Harry Potter was in his living room.
Harry Potter. Was in his living room.
Harry Potter.
Harry.
Potter.
“What the fuck did they do to him?” Remus asks. Sirius doesn’t look away from Harry, but he can feel Remus finally sit down beside him and hear the click of a lighter. Cigarette smoke floods his nose.
Sirius can’t answer. It makes his blood too hot to even think about anyone putting his hands on Harry. On James and Lily’s Harry. On his Harry.
“We can’t let him go back,” Remus continues. “There’s no fucking way.”
Sirius nods along.
“This is so fucked. This is so, so fucked.”
“What’s fucked?” A voice joins.
Both Sirius and Remus jump at the sound. Effie stands at the bottom of the stairs, yawning and squinting over at her parents.
“Jesus, Effie,” Sirius sighs, hand over his heart as he calms himself. “We didn’t even hear you come down.”
“Don’t say that word, honey,” Remus scolds gently right after.
Effie walks her way over, settling herself into Remus’s lap while muttering, “You said it.”
“We’re grown ups, we’re allowed to.” Remus stubs his cigarette out while Effie burrows herself into his chest.
“Who’s on the couch? Is he new?” Effie asks.
They all look over at Harry once again.
They’ve fostered with Effie before. Usually just emergency placements. When they finally got custody of her, they decided that it would be best if most of the attention was on her. She deserved a childhood neither of them had, with two present parents that gave her the world. When they’ve had placements before, they usually have time to warn Effie. Sirius can only imagine her confusion.
“Not quite,” Sirius explains. He takes a deep breath, taking one final drag and stubbing his cigarette out too. He keeps his gaze on the sleeping boy as he says, “That’s Harry.”
Effie’s eyes widen. “That’s Baby Harry?”
Sirius smiles a bit. “Yep. That’s him.”
Effie’s jaw drops as she takes Harry in from afar, then looking back at her parents, then back at Harry. “Like, from the picture?”
“From the picture.”
Effie’s silent for a moment. Sirius can practically see the gears turning in her little head. “He’ s not a baby anymore.”
Remus snorts at that.
Sirius himself bites back a smile. “Well, he grew up. Just like you will one day.”
Effie wrinkles her nose. “I don’t think I want to do all that.”
This time Sirius lets out a laugh, ruffling Effie’s hair.
A rustle on the couch makes the whole house fall silent. Even the wind outside seems to stop.
Harry Potter stretches on the couch, sitting up slowly. Eventually he seems to realize he is not in his house and whips his all around, before settling his gaze on Sirius and his entire body tenses.
“Oh… hi,” he whispers.
The air is knocked out of Sirius’s body as he locks eyes with Harry. With James. With Lily. No, just Harry. It’s just Harry.
“Good morning,” Sirius says.
Harry nods in response. He lets his gaze drop to the floor and says nothing else.
“Good morning, Baby Harry,” Effie announces brightly.
Harry looks up at that. His eyebrows scrunch together in confusion as he stares at Effie, unsure what to say. “Um, hi… baby… kid?”
Effie giggles at that. “You grew big. Pads says I will too but I think he’s lying.” She jumps off of Remus’s lap, ignoring his hands that try to grab at her again to keep her still. She makes her way to the mantle and gets on her tiptoes to grab the framed picture that sits atop it. “He’s a fibber.” She walks over to Harry, plopping herself beside him like she’s known him all her life. “This is you, right?”
Harry’s body freezes as he looks at the picture. He takes it slowly and gently from Effie’s hands and stares at it. That’s all he does is stare. No one says anything.
“Alright, Effie. Why don’t we get you dressed for the day?” Remus suddenly says. He gets up, squeezing Sirus’s shoulder as he walks towards the stairs.
“But.. Baby Harry-”
“Now, Effie.”
Effie pouts and crosses her arms but walks over to Remus, grumbling the whole way to her bedroom.
Sirius is alone with Harry Potter. With James Potter. With Lily Potter. No, just Harry.
He stays on the bench. “I wanted to come see you.”
Harry doesn’t look over at him. He keeps his gaze on the picture.
“I did come see you actually. A couple times. But your Uncle Vernon, he had a nasty mouth and I… lost my temper.” Sirius chuckles, though it wasn’t a happy one. “Your aunt threatened to call the police and have me arrested. She said she’d tell you about how horrible of a person I was and you would never see me again.”
He gets up slowly, and carefully, step by step, makes his way to the couch.
“But I wanted to be there. More than anything I wanted to be there.”
Harry’s eyes glisten and he takes his fist and rubs them harshly.
It makes Sirius’ throat close up.
“I’m not trying to talk bad about your family or anything either I just wanted you to know-”
“They’re not my family,” Harry cuts in sharply.
Sirius freezes. Then slowly nods. “Alright.”
Harry shakes his head. He still doesn’t look at Sirius, who is now cautiously sitting down beside him. Not even when he says, “They didn’t even tell me about you guys. They said Mom and Dad had no one. Not a single person.”
Sirius’ fists clench at his sides. God, those fucking assholes. Of course they would do that. Of course they would make Harry feel trapped. He was going to beat the shit out of them. Even the little fat one.
“I found old photo albums. In the attic. Found your name. Thought I would check it out.”
Sirius nods along.
Harry finally looks over at him. His eyes are wild, racing with so many thoughts Sirius can almost hear them, all jumbled up, swimming around his brain. “And here you are.”
Sirius smiles sadly. “Here I am.”
Harry bites his cheek and looks back down at the picture. His thumb rubs over him as a baby over and over again as he takes it in.
“Did they… Do that to you?” Sirius asks once he gains the courage.
Harry shrugs. “Doesn’t matter.”
Sirius can feel his blood running hot in his veins. Oh he was going to kill them. Maybe chop off their hands so they could never touch anything again.
“I can get you out,” Sirius blurts out.
Harry’s hand stops and his head shoots over towards Sirius. “Really?” His voice is so desparate it hurts Sirius’s heart.
Sirius nods. “Of course. I can make a couple calls. Get you out of there really soon.”
Harry’s eyes go back and forth between Sirius’s at such a fast pace it causes a mini migraine to form in the back of Sirius’s head. He does that for a long time, then slowly starts to nod. “Yeah. Yeah I think that’s a good idea.”
Sirius swallows hard and nods one time. “Alright. You stay here. I’ll make the call.”