Chapter 4
February 6, 1986
"Do you think daddy likes it?"
"Of course, Harry, your father loves puddings." Answered the older man while he grabbed the hand of the infant.
“Uncle Moony said to choose the chocolate one, because daddy likes it so much. But I think that he told me that because he likes it too.”Harry was grinning widely.
Since his father had woken up the child did not stop doing it, since that day he got up early to visit him.
“We arrived!” The minor shouted when they reached the corresponding room.
James had moved rooms, Violet and the rest of the healers thought it would be a good option and he would also need some company, although his companions did not. They were precisely the best patients in the entire hospital.
“Remember to speak clearly and loudly, Harry.” Sirius reminded him with a sad smile before opening the door.
The youngest nodded happily and entered the room together with his godfather. It was a special place for patients who had been victims of irreversible curses. It was not a good place for James, he wasn't like the other patients in Sirius Black's perspective. A man, head down, was looking at the wall in the first bed in the room, he said nonsense things and very quickly, he had been the victim of a curse from a death eater. Seeing them he turned his head to the wall in terror. He was a strange patient. Later a couple of wizards walked from one side to the other, their lifeless eyes were terrifying for the minor, they wore a gray tunic that allowed them to move easily. They were wandering beings.
"Good morning, Frank and Alice.” Sirius greeted.
One of the reasons why he didn't like that room was being able to see that couple of magicians who had been his friends and companions. They had been very brave in facing off against some of the more powerful death eaters. Lord Voldemort's loyalists, including his cousin, Bellatrix Lentrange. At the academy of Aurors spoke of the Longbottoms with great nostalgia, in their honor they placed a large plaque with their names at the entrance to the Aurores department in the Ministry where had started working.
“Good morning!” Harry greeted with a smile.
Both wizards stopped and looked at them. a few seconds before continuing to walk across the room. Black missed his friends, Dorcas, Marlene, the Prewett brothers, Sturgis, Emmaline…most of them had been part of the Order of the Phoenix. The few survivors had drifted away after the sacrifice of Harry's parents, he heard that Dedalus had died shortly after some death eaters deserted, Bengy was dedicated to the sale of legal alcohol, from time to time he bought it to calm his pain, Elphias was lost, no one knew about him, but he had heard the rumor that the giants had ended his life and Edgar Bones had had a family, he had a daughter the same age than Harry and the Longbottom son. They continued advancing to meet a woman with a lost look, she was tied hands and feet, apparently she was calm, the other times they had gone to visit James, she screamed. A healer was reading aloud a letter the patient had received. It was probably from her family, Sirius didn't care at all, just that he wasn't there close to Harry's father.
"Good morning, Louisa.”
"Good morning, Black and Potter!" The healer greeted them with a smile looking up. She was a very close friend of Violet's, therefore Sirius knew her well.
"Dad is awake?" Harry asked, moving a little closer to the woman's gurney. His godfather pulled him gently, he did not want to disturb the peace of that woman.
“He is, did you bring him something?” The healer smiled sweetly when she saw the small package of pudding.
The infant opened his eyes and hid what he was carrying behind his back with a naughty smile. They weren't allowed to feed the patients, Sirius knew, but his instincts rebel had won. Also, he was influencing his godson to break certain rules. It made him proud and he was sure James would be too. The rules were not for them.
"Come on Louisa, you're not going to deny her a gift from her own son, are you?" Sirius said in a tone persuasive. Lately he took advantage of the influence he had in the hospital, not only for visits, nor because of his relationship with Violet, it was all thanks to his charm. He hadn't lost him despite being in depression since that Halloween.
The witch bit her lip and rolled her eyes in amusement. "Okay, but just this once."
“Thank you.” They both answered at the same time.
Walking away, the woman read the letter to the patient again in the same affectionate tone. They arrived at a stretcher where the dark-haired man was, away from the other patients for many reasons, one of which was because Sirius and Dumbledore had requested it and the other were because it was a special patient, no one had survived the most unforgivable curse strong of all, besides Harry, and because of his current mysterious condition. They still did not find an explanation of what had happened for James to expel from his body what was considered the curse. That liquid had been sent to a special department of investigation, there was still no news of what it was, but it was undoubtedly black magic.
“Dad!” Harry released his godfather's hand to run towards him; however, he was arrested when his guardian grabbed him again.
"Harry, be careful. Remember that you shouldn't be so abrupt with your father.”
“But Dad!”
“Remember to behave yourself, we have to treat him with affection so that he trusts us.” Seeing that the younger looked at him with confusion, he sighed and changed his authoritative tone to one more gentle. “Just control your emotions.”
“But you don't.” Harry replied with a frown.
“Of course I do.”
“That's not true, uncle Regulus told me you cried because daddy was moved to another room.”
Sirius was outraged. “That is not true.
“Uncle Regulus never lies.”
“I didn't cry, besides, your father was moved to another room a few months ago.” He answered.
Harry was close to Regulus and Remus, sometimes he worried that they would tell him things that could harm him in the future, such as manipulating him to buy him a pet.
“My uncle Regulus and I saw you cry with uncle Moony.”
“That is a lie. When did I?”
“Yesterday.”
Sirius was speechless, he didn't think they had seen him in that state. A few hours before had had one of those sad episodes where alcohol was his comfort, Regulus and Remus visited them as usual. He took the opportunity to drown his sorrows meanwhile, that they distracted Harry and could drown his sorrows. Unfortunately Moony discovered it and supported him throughout that period. Could be something sentimental behind that rebel facade. He remembered that he had hugged Harry a lot before going to sleep.
“There were a few tears.” He defended himself.
“Dad, you were crying when you saw me. It was funny because uncle Moony made funny faces.” Harry smiled innocently.
Sometimes he wondered if he was a suitable father figure for Harry. The boy walked with his godfather to his father's bed, he was looking at them through his glasses. His neutral expression made Sirius uneasy, he wasn't used to James not being able to express anything, he didn't even speak and he only moved his head and hands, that's why he had started muggle therapy so that he could walk in no time.
“Hello Daddy!” Harry sat in the chair next to him. “How did you sleep?”
James stared at him, expressing nothing. Black felt guilty every time he saw him, he didn't even have the strength to look him in the eye.
"I slept well and so did dad Sirius. Today I had a strange dream! Do you want me to tell you?” The minor made a sign to his godfather to sit with him.
“Hi Prongs." He smiled sadly, avoiding his gaze. “How is everything?”
James didn't answer as expected. They had to be very patient and optimistic. They must show him affection, for Sirius it was very difficult. Although he had learned to receive love and affection from the Potters, he did not fully express it, as his family trauma had marked him for life. Neither he couldn't even call Harry some cute nickname, not because he didn't want to, he just didn't.
“I could see it.” He answered his own question.
"Look dad, I brought you this. I'm going to give it to you before I tell you my dream, because if not already does not taste the same It's a chocolate pudding. Uncle Moony told me you liked it, he liked it too, like a lot, well, he likes chocolate.” Harry placed the small packet of pudding in lap and he looked down at the dessert for a few seconds, then looked up meeting Sirius's eyes.
Black didn't have time to pull him away from him. The look of his best friend had changed completely, in them he saw with greater intensity the damage caused by his impulsiveness. “I'll go get a spoon, I forgot.” Said the youngest, taking his godfather out of his thoughts.
"No, I'll go. Stay with your father.” He cleared his throat looking away. He had to get out of there.
"No, you have to talk to dad."
“What?”
“Dad” Harry widened his eyes, turning away. "I'll go, I'll tell Louisa to accompany me.”
“Harry..."
The boy had started to run to where the healer was before he gave him a sermon. He watched both of them leave the room, he realized that there was no healer nearby, the patients were calm, which was good. He hadn't been able to run away from James, although a part of him didn't want to get away from him anymore. I guess now we are both... He turned to his friend, avoiding his gaze. He saw the pudding open in his lap.
“I hope you remember Prongs, that boy who praises like you don't have an idea. After all, you are his father.” He cleared his throat. “I heard that you are improving your movements thanks to muggle therapy, I'm glad it is. Harry hopes you can run soon, I told him how competitive you are. That trait of yours.” He inherited it himself. “He is a very lovely boy, you know?” Looking down, he realized that there was a package under the stretcher, because of the wrapping it was.
He realized it was from Remus, he used to decorate his presents with a big white ribbon. He smiled Because Lupin came to visit him, James did the same with him at night after the full moon. He remembered when they slept in the infirmary together with his werewolf friend that he did not feel alone.
"What did Moony give you?" Sirius asked, opening the package. Inside it was a sweater of a wine red color. “It's pretty, the color red was always your color, you know?, although personally, orange suits you better.”
Suddenly he stopped smiling, James didn't understand him. To tell the truth, he didn't understand anything, he put pudding from his lap to place the sweater and moved a little closer to him.
"This is a sweater, it's clothing, like this." He pointed out his friend's white nightgown and then his own white shirt. Her voice was strong and clear. "And this too." He pointed to the sweater. “ You'll ask Louisa to put it on for you, even if it's not cold here I don't want you to get sick.”
He didn't take his hand from James's lap, the sheet was soft, it smelled of lavender.
“I remember that you always smelled like a special lotion, you never wanted to tell me what it was, but I remember you I liked it a lot, then you stopped wearing it when you married Lily.” He slid a finger up the hand of the brunette, it still seemed strange to touch him, after the physical contact was common between the two of them. His skin was softer than he remembered. He wasn't like Violet's, It was different.
“Ready!” Harry walked over with three spoons in hand to sit in the nearest chair.
Sirius removed his hand from James's, a strange feeling coming over him. "Three spoons Harry?"
The older man raised an eyebrow, ignoring that feeling.
“I couldn't say no to that little face.”
Sirius turned, Violet was standing behind them with a smile. The youngest began to tell his father James about his dream without giving importance to the other adults.
“Hello darling.”
“Hello Black”
He smiled affectionately, getting up from his seat to give her a little kiss to the witch
"How is our patient?" Asked the witch with a loving smile.
“What can I say?” Sirius hugged the witch around the waist, they both looked at the Potters. Harry recounted his dream very happily as he spooned into the pudding and James who was staring at him without moving a muscle.
"At least Harry hasn't realized that his father hardly recognizes him. But he believes that very soon he will be able to play with him, he tells me that he wants to beat you in a race, he hasn't told me what exactly.” He smiled sadly. “I liked to imagine that would happen very soon.”
"Can we talk in private?" The healer said suddenly.
"Is this a good time for you?" Asked the other with a mischievous smile; however, he erased when he saw the worried look of the blonde. “Violet…”
"I have to tell you the truth about Potter, I don't think I can take it any longer."
"What's wrong with James?" He didn't like the direction the conversation was taking.
"Could we talk about it in a private place? We don't want little Potter to overhear." Dumbledore's voice made her turn her body completely, releasing the healer from the waist. The wizard was looking at them in a way that he couldn't interpret Sirius, but somehow. What he was sure was that if Dumbledore was there, it wasn't good news.