Sirius Black V
“Harry James, get down this instant!” Remus bellowed with wide frightened eyes while Sirius snickered. The little boy had somehow managed to grab Sirius broom and was currently flying higher than his own kid-broom would ever allow.
The fact that the broom was much too big for someone his size to manoeuvre wasn’t that much better.
“Sirius do something!” Remus practically shrieked.
Said man had a grin on his face and watched his godson intently, it would have been easy to miss the flicker of worry in his grey eyes if it weren’t for the way he hugged his wand tightly. Sirius found the whole situation hilarious. The little boy was mischief reincarnated. While the sight of a little five-year old – soon to be six according to Harry himself – flying on such a large broom was amusing, it was also very frightening.
A fall from that kind of height would break his neck without a doubt.
“We don’t have any other brooms, love” Sirius murmured and winced when Harry suddenly dived, only to straighten the broom a second later.
The kid was unnatural when it came to flying.
“Why the fuck do we only have one broom?”
Sirius would have laughed at his friend’s swearing if he wasn’t feeling dread as Harry ascended even more.
“Because you refused to spend money on such a frilly thing for yourself, I remember you saying that you had no interest in sitting on an equipment meant for cleaning”
Remus let out an exasperated sound and gasped when Harry suddenly started to accelerate in the air.
“Can’t we stop it or something?”
Sirius rolled his eyes. “You know very well that the only thing that would work on a broom of that class would be a very nasty jinx. I’d rather see my godson descend on the broom than off it”
“Harry, please come down now. You’re giving Remus grey hairs and he has enough of them already!”
Sirius could swear that he could hear a giggle at that. Harry did always find it funny how Sirius would mock Remus about already growing grey hair while complaining about how the werewolf had gotten boring with old age, purposely ignoring that Sirius himself shared that age.
It was ten minutes later that a small boy with unruly black locks descended on his godfather’s broom. His hair was windswept, and his green eyes glowed with giddiness behind his round glasses.
He looked just like James at that moment.
Remus stalked forwards and lifted him off the broom that fell to the ground thanks to the action.
“What in merlin’s name were you thinking?”
Harry’s eyes widened and he blinked confusedly.
“I’m sorry Moony, I don’t understand. I asked you if I could go flying and you said yes”
Sirius had to bite back his laughter.
“On your own broom, not that death trap!”
Harry looked down tearfully. “I’m so sorry Mooey, Sirius had promised me that he would let me fly his broom. So, I just thought - I did not mean to make you angry” The child sniffed and had his head bowed deferentially.
The little rascal.
Remus sighed and bent down, hugging him closely while hushing him.
“It’s alright Harry, I’m not angry. You just worried me that’s all, just promise to not do it again”
The green-eyed boy nodded fervently.
Remus whispered something and it was a second later that Harry was running towards the house, Sirius almost missed the slight smirk the boy threw in his direction.
“How irresponsible can one be, Padfoot?”
Sirius scoffed. “I promised to take him on a ride with me on the broom with him! Don’t let the hellion trick you”
The werewolf rolled his eyes.
“He is five”
The grey-eyed man snorted. “Yes, imagine the marauder he’ll be at the age of eleven!”
“You are being ridiculous” Remus grumbled, but Sirius did very well know that Remus was very aware of the boy’s love for trouble. The other man was simply too easy to manipulate, one would think that he had learned to resist such tricks after spending years in the company of pranksters but Harry’s green eyes and tendency to call him ‘Mooey’ broke the stature of the werewolf.
“I would think that I am being Sirius”
The werewolf groaned before stomping towards the house, very much resembling Harry when he had to get a shower against his wishes.
Sirius followed, whistling to the latest tune stuck in his head.
One of those muggle songs Lily had liked to play.
He could hear Remus stumbling around in the kitchen as he entered the house, he was about to join him when a little someone barrelled into him. Sirius harrumphed as Harry threw his arms and legs around him, clinging to the tall man like a monkey.
“You’ll push me over one day you know” Sirius murmured as he let his hand run through the raven locks of his godson.
“You shouldn’t have done that Harry” Sirius said with a frown, he meant it.
Flying is just as wonderful as it is dangerous.
“Sorry Padfoot”
Sirius sighed and lifted the boy. He had grown quite a bit these past years. James and Lily had been quite tall and Sirius taller even so. It would not surprise him if Harry would find himself taller than average later in life.
“You’re a rascal you know that right”
Harry smiled crookedly.
A little dimple appeared on his left cheek and Sirius could see Lily in him at that moment. It was a nice sight to see. Harry was the perfect blend of the Potter and Black lines, it made him quite the adorable child and Sirius could only grin at the future heartbreaker most of the times.
But it was when Harry would smile cheekily like this that Sirius saw Lily in him, he had Lily’s smile. Sirius was certain that there were even more hidden traits from his mother in him, James would surely have been able to see these traits if he had been here. James Potter who had been obsessed with everything regarding Lily Evans.
“I want a new broom” Harry suddenly said with a straight face.
“You got a new one only last year Harry”
The boy gave a loud sigh in defeat, shaking his head.
“It’s too small and too slow” Harry explained while looking at Sirius imploringly, his green eyes staring intensely through his glasses as if he was trying to will his godfather to obey his wishes.
The man had to admit that broom had gotten a bit small already, Harry had grown quite a bit the last year and his gangly form did not longer fit the kid broom as it was supposed to.
The fact that it was too slow did on the other hand surely derive from the fact that the young heir had just gotten his first taste of what real speed was. Not a good thing when considering the boy’s lack of self-preservation.
“I think your latest stunt just five minutes ago will have made Remus very opposed to the idea of a new and faster broom” Sirius said through narrowed eyes. It was just month left to his sixth birthday.
Harry pouted. “But I said sorry”
Sirius snorted. “Yes, but that doesn’t matter. We’ll revisit the matter before yule, alright?”
Harry sighed in defeat. Disappointment shone in his eyes, but Sirius was grateful that boy let it go.
It felt like a true victory as it had been hard teaching the boy boundaries, Sirius wished to give him the world, but Remus had argued that the world was too big for a boy his size. A blasphemy really but Sirius did have to admit that it would be better if Harry knew some humility lest he turned out like Sirius or worse – James. Heirs tended to get spoiled, and it felt good that Sirius had just managed to enforce something for once, Remus would be proud when he heard about it.
“That little…” Sirius said through clenched teeth as he glared at his godson who was glowing with happiness. A small blonde boy was sitting beside his ‘cousin’, appreciating the gift as well.
Sirius grandfather had apparently bought the newest and most expensive children’s broom on the market. One made for children between the ages of eight and eleven. It was a top-notch broom, the best one a child of six could ever wish for.
Arcturus Black had spared no expenses when it came to gifting Harry through the years and this year’s birthday was no different.
Harry was caressing the broom tenderly, stars shining in his eyes while he and Draco whispered excitedly.
“There, there, Sirius” Remus said.
The werewolf was looking at him with mirth in his eyes, the grey-eyed man had bragged extensively about how Harry had listened to him just a month prior. He should have known better than to believe that the young wizard would heed the adult’s wishes.
The little marauder had instead gone behind their backs, straight to the patriarch himself. Sirius did not know when he had stated his wish for a new broom, he only knew that the boy had gotten his wish fulfilled by the lord Black.
One could think that it was a mere coincidence, but Sirius had seen the smirk Harry had thrown his way before opening the large gift from his great-grandfather.
Harry had planned it.
The hellion had lowered Sirius guard through pretending to be compliant.
Sirius had been played by a six-year-old.
It hurt - a lot.
“Really grandfather?” Sirius sneered, throwing the old man a stink eye.
Arcturus Black merely raised an eyebrow.
“We should head outside and let the boy try it” Cygnus Black said, his uncle was staring at the broom with the same excitement that could be seen by the boys. Sirius could see Narcissa roll her eyes at her father, the blonde woman was seated by Cassiopeia.
The old woman was completely disinterested, Sirius had half a mind to curse her as well, she had given Harry very dark and very illegal books. He shouldn’t be surprised by her madness by this point, he had only last week caught her teaching Harry the levitation charm by letting the not yet six-year-old use a wand belonging to Sirius great-grandfather. The late lord Sirius Black.
The animagus had been apoplectic at the sight but had then nearly fainted when the feather left the ground. Harry was much too young to control his magic through a wand, children below the age of ten could not amount enough magic to focus it one thing.
Everyone knew that.
Everyone but Harry James Potter-Black.
Sirius sighed.
He had a very strong feeling that James was watching him this very moment.
Laughing at his misery.
Sirius was almost certain that his godson was the payback for the hairspray-incident fifth year.