Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

The first thing Sirius knew when he woke up was that he didn’t know a damn thing. Not his name, not his location, not a single idea on what was happening.

The last thing he remembered, quite clearly, was sitting in the woods with Harry, finally chatting with his godson. Then there was a lot of nothing, mixed with a lot of whispers that were fuzzy in his mind, and then white.

Sirius woke up in a white room surrounded by people in blue scrubs who were all calling him Ares.

“You’re incredibly lucky, Mister Frump,” a man with grey hair and a white healers coat on, said after shining a light in Sirius’ eyes and giving him water to sip. “You may feel weaker than usual, you’ll need to take it easy before your sister takes you home.”

“Sister?” Sirius had to sip water again and clear his throat to make his voice work correctly. Sirius didn’t have a sister, his name wasn’t Frump, but bloody hell did he feel weak.

“Mhmm, she’s been calling for daily updates,” the muggle doctor confirmed. He clicked his little light off and slid it in her coat pocket with a kind smile. “And your nephew’s going to be quite relieved to see you awake. He’s been here nearly every day, you know.”

“Nephew?” Sirius did have a nephew, sort of. “Is it Harry?” he asked hopefully.

“Black hair and glasses?” The doctor chuckled when Sirius nodded as eagerly as he could, which admittedly wasn’t much.

He’d give anything for a Pepper Up Potion or Elixir of Energy.

“That’s the one,” the doctor said. He patted Sirius’ hand kindly. “You just get some rest tonight, Mister Frump, I’m sure he’ll be here in the morning.”

That was the only assurance Sirius needed to slip low on the bed, lay his head on his pillow, and remain in place. If he could see Harry in the morning, he’d wait around.

He was rather amused when he caught a board across from his bed that stated ‘Patient Name: Ares Frump’ though.

What the hell kind of name was Frump?

Sirius was in a better mood the next morning when he woke up and discovered he was in the Jericho County Hospital where apparently he’d been a patient since a bear attack.

Merlin, the ‘nurses’ showed him his torso when they came to change his bandages and no spell in the world was going to diminish those scars.

“That wasn’t a bloody bear,” Sirius muttered mulishly when he saw the depth of the cuts and the layers of scar tissue that was beginning to build up. No spell in the world would remove those, and Sirius didn’t know of any bear with three claws and who could have taken him down.

“Are my clothes still here?” Sirius asked with a suddenly terrifying thought. He had his wand and James’ cloak in a moleskin pouch with an undetectable extension charm on it, he’d rather have died than lost his wand and Harry’s heirloom.

“They’re a bit destroyed,” the nurse said with a frown. “I think it’s all bagged up, would you like me to check?”

“Please?” Sirius asked. He tucked in to the breakfast the nurse brought him and waited for her to bring his belongings.

And to see Harry. Merlin, what a time to be attacked. He bet that Harry had been brimming with a thousand questions that all went unanswered in his temporary little coma nap.

When a knock came on his door, Sirius perked up, hoping for Harry or the nurse to be returning.

“Come in.”

The two kids who entered were neither. They were both about Harry’s age, and they looked vaguely familiar, but Sirius couldn’t place them immediately. One had blonde curls and dark grey eyes, the other had shoulder length dark hair and deep brown eyes.

And they both had looks of misery so deep that Sirius wondered who died.

The boy with the dark hair spoke first. “You’re Harry’s Uncle Ares?”

Aah. Apparently Harry gave Sirius a fake identity to check him in the hospital with - smart kid.

Where the hell he came up with it, Sirius would never know. Ares was a bit funny though, considering Sirius tried to get James to name Harry that before he’d been born.

“My godson needs a star name,” Sirius whined just before jumping over the back of the sofa in Potter Cottage and landing on James’ lap. James laughed and shoved Sirius to the floor before fixing his glasses that Sirius knocked askew.

“He doesn’t need a star name, Pads. That’s a Black tradition, not Potter.”

“The God of War for the baby of war,” Sirius countered with. “C’mon, mate, think about it.”

James had smiled wistfully and Sirius knew it was a lost cause.

“We’re thinking Harry, it’s a family name,” James said with his goofy grin.

“Fine, Harry Sirius Potter, I love it.”

James laughed then and smacked Sirius in the head with a little pillow.

“Seems like it,” Sirius answered the kid, shaking off the past and focusing on the present. He craned his neck, trying to see in the corridor past the boys. “Is he with you?”

Sirius’ question was answered by the full body flinch from the blonde. Sirius straightened up in his bed and stared them down when neither boy would meet his eyes.

“Who are you and where the hell is my godson?” Sirius asked slowly. He clenched his fists tightly and couldn’t even find relief when the nurse bounced right past the boys a moment later with Sirius’ possessions in hand.

Sirius absently dug in the bag of bloody clothes until he found his moleskin pouch and then he swung his legs off the bed and started to get really pissed. They had ten seconds to tell him where his godson was before Sirius cursed them to hell and back.

“I’m Xavier, this is Tyler, we’re friends of Harry’s,” the dark haired boy said, finally clicking in Sirius’ memory who they were. He’d seen them walking around with Harry before, nice kids.

“Something happened last night,” Tyler said. He looked up from the floor and Sirius was caught in a gaze so full of true anguish that he felt his lungs restrict in his chest.

Sirius knew two things for sure-

That boy loved Harry and something horrible happened to Sirius’ godson.

Harry woke up and a groan slipped through his lips as he stretched.

He looked around blearily, trying to make sense of the darkness he found himself surrounded by. Everything was blurry and all of Harry’s body ached and nothing made a lot of sense.

Or it didn’t, until a familiar voice spoke up.

“How do you feel?”

Harry rolled on his side and squinted until he could see Enid standing beside him. Once he saw Enid, the rest of the room fell in place. He was in Wednesday’s room again, laying in her bed. Harry sat up slowly, hissing at the way his body disagreed with his decision, and ground his fists against his eyes until he could almost make out a lump beneath Enid’s colorful quilt that had to be Wednesday.

“Blind,” Harry answered with a weak smile as the events from the night before rushed back. He reached up and touched his forehead. “Bit sore.”

“You’re also filthy,” Enid tsk’d. She was already dressed in her uniform with her hair done and makeup applied even though the clock said it was barely six.

“Come on,” Enid told him, holding a hand out to Harry. “You need some ibuprofen and a shower.”

Harry gave her a grateful smile when he went to stand and her quick and strong grip kept him from falling to the floor. His legs felt like gelatin, apparently dying was a painful experience.

Who knew?

“Tell Wednesday we went to Harry’s room and to see Principal Weems,” Enid told Thing while she guided Harry toward the door. “It feels like a good day to skip class.”

Harry made a sound of acknowledgment and focused on not falling while they slowly and clumsily made their way toward Apollo Hall. It would be a good day to skip class, Harry didn’t relish the idea of heaving himself all around the vast campus that day and Sirius was awake.

Surely Principal Weems would let Harry plead off one day to go see Sirius. It wasn’t like Harry’s grades were bad, even with all the recent craziness with monsters and magic, Harry was a decent student.

When they approached Harry’s dorm, passing Xavier’s room where the lights were off and the door was firmly closed, Harry and his roommate stepped up to the door at the exact same time.

“Uh… what are you doing?” Ajax asked Harry, blinking slowly as he looked from Harry to Enid.

“What are you doing?” Enid asked. She leaned forward and sniffed before smirking. “And why do you smell like Chanel Coco perfume?”

“You know what?” Ajax raised his hands and backed away slowly. “I’ll catch a shower in Marcus’ room, you guys enjoy.”

Enid giggled when she opened the door for Harry. “Yoko wears Chanel Coco,” she explained even though Harry didn’t ask.

“So Ajax has on Yoko’s perfume?” Harry asked while he made his way to his dresser and began quickly snagging what he needed for a shower.

Enid sighed dramatically and plopped down on Harry’s bed, watching him with thinly veiled amusement.

“Yes, Harry, Ajax went and spent the night in Yoko’s room and then just before he left he sprayed on some of her perfume.”

“That’s weird,” Harry murmured as he snagged a pair of socks and hid a pair of pants beneath his school trousers.

“Hopeless, Harry, you’re hopeless!” Enid yelled at Harry’s back when he delicately made his way across the room to the loo.

Hopeless he might be, Harry still felt loads better after a long and hot shower.

“D’you… d’you have my glasses?” Harry called to Enid while he finished doing up his shirt and clipping his school tie on. It was straining his eyes to squint at everything and bumping into countertops was going to get old.

“I think Xavier and Tyler do,” Enid called back. “Want me to go check in Xavier’s room?”

“Please?” Harry said.

He didn’t know why Enid was being so nice to him, but he wasn’t complaining. She was a good friend, Harry wished he’d talked to her before Wednesday arrived; it might have made school less lonely when he arrived.

Even after taking his time brushing his teeth and combing his hair, Enid still wasn’t back with Harry’s glasses.

Harry managed to get his trainers on and laced up, completely dressed for his day, by the time Enid returned with Wednesday in tow.

Wednesday was easy to see, she was just all black and white.

“Do not sneak away again,” Wednesday said as way of greeting. “I’m going to permanently attach a bell to your neck… with incredibly thick stitches.”

Harry nodded, “Right…” He looked toward Enid, “Glasses?”

“Xavier’s not in his room, I went though his stuff and didn’t find them,” Enid shrugged. “I did find Principal Weems though! And she said that if we promise to catch the shuttle or taxi, that you and I can go to the hospital together but you have to go see Dr. Kinbott at three with no exceptions.”

Harry frowned and touched his face idly. He felt a bit naked and a lot vulnerable without his glasses. And where was Xavier? Classes would be starting in about an hour… also…

“You and I?” Harry blurted. His eyes flicked to where Wednesday stood, fully dressed. “Er… and Wednesday?” he asked, trying to not sound too needy. Enid was nice enough, but Harry kind of wanted to go with Wednesday. It was less overwhelming to travel places with Wednesday, especially if he was currently blind.

“Weems said that I am absolutely not allowed to leave as I am a menace to Jericho and cannot be trusted,” Wednesday quipped. Her lips curved to the side in a smirk. “Obviously I’ll be accompanying you.”

Harry grinned at his cousin, feeling incredibly fond of her. “Obviously,” he agreed.

Wednesday’s complete disregard for rules was easier to swallow when it was benefitting Harry.

And as he was bloody blind until he found Xavier or Tyler, he’d rather have Wednesday guiding him.

During the taxi ride to Jericho Hospital, Harry quietly told the girls about seeing his dad. Wednesday seemed skeptical, but Harry was insistent.

“Either your father is a killer, or the rules for heaven and hell are even more arbitrary than I always assumed them to be,” Wednesday said.

“Or you imagined what you wanted to see,” Enid added.

Harry glared at them before turning to look out the window with crossed arms. “I couldn’t have imagined it, I didn’t even know some of the things he said.”

Like how his mum liked ‘angsty art types’ or how his dad wanted him to take care of Sirius. Harry couldn’t have imagined it.

Tyler and Xavier would believe him.

Harry glanced at Enid with equal parts hope and irritation. “Did you text Xavier?”

“His phone isn’t on,” she said with a shrug. “Must have a dead battery or something.”

Harry nodded and looked out the window. Even if Xavier wasn’t answering his phone, Harry could probably convince the girls to go to the Weathervane after they left the hospital before Harry had to be at Dr. Kinbott’s office. Hopefully Tyler would be there and Harry could tell him about Sirius; he’d been nearly as worried as Harry had been.

Except Sirius wasn’t at the hospital. They lost him. And Tyler wasn’t at the Weathervane, he ‘called in’.

By the time Harry got to Dr. Kinbott’s office, early for his appointment, but she said she could get him in sooner, he was about as miserable as he was sick of bumping into things.