"We'll play after she hides away in her office to work," Harry whispered loudly.
"What did you do to get grounded," Sirius asked with a laugh. "Get in trouble at school just like your old man?" He smiled wistfully at his own Hogwarts memories. If Harry was half of the little shit that James had been, then the world was fucked.
"Sorta. She's just mad about the basilisk I killed without permission."
"W-what?" He choked on his tea.
"Yeah, it was pretty scary at the time, but looking back at it, it was very cool. Oh - but mama doesn't want to hear that story. She was really mad. I went after it without getting help, thus the grounding."
"This was at Hogwarts?" Sirius demanded.
"So there was a hidden chamber Slytherin had made for the basilisk, it got out and started petrifying students, including one of my best friends Hermione. So I decided to look into it. Then I - mama, can I tell Sirius the story?"
"Yes, fine. I suppose it's for the best that I finally hear the whole thing as well. All Dumbledore had mentioned to me is that you'd been attacked and poisoned by the damn thing."
"Wait, did you get infected with basilisk venom?!"
"Yup!" And Harry began to tell them the whole story, starting at the graveyard. It was tremendously offensive that his sound effects and dramatic reenactment was not being appreciated by his stunned audience. Mama wasn't even looking at him, her hand slapped over her forehead in exasperation. Sirius looked like he was going to faint again. Harry's voice trailed off, but there was no applause.
"That was an absolute clusterfuck," Alabasandria finally said. "You mean to tell me you went down there without a plan?"
"We came up with one eventually," Harry defended. "Ron was very helpful with that. The snake was magic-resistant, none of my usual tricks worked!"
"You're grounded through August now, too."
"I have many, many questions," Sirius said, a touch hysterical. "But I think I'm going to faint again. Give me a moment."
...
Harry went outside to fly for a bit. Eventually, he looked down to see his audience of one - Sirius staring up at him with undetectable emotion crossing his face.
"So, what did you wanna ask me about?" Harry said after he'd landed, kicking at a rock to avoid eye contact. Sirius slumped against a tree.
"I don't even know where to begin," Sirius said. "How did you end up in your mama's custody? When did you start practicing Dark magic?"
"Ok. I lived with the Dursleys - my mum's sister - until I was six. They weren't good people. My uncle hit me a few times, I wasn't allowed enough food. For his birthday, my cousin demanded we go on a camping trip. We… ran into mama there. She was in the middle of a ritual when she found me. I was really scared at first, but I dunno, it seemed like the better option to go with her than stay with the Dursleys. I hadn't known I was a wizard until then, so I really wanted to learn magic.
She showed me a healing spell - we used a version of it on you, actually - to heal me. It transferred energy from my uncle to me and made him experience all the pain he'd caused me. It almost killed him, which was pretty scary too, but it was also nice to be healthy. That was the first Dark magic I did. I realized quickly that mama was great at being my mama. She gave me ice cream after that, let me have my own room, and helped me make friends and it has been great. I know the necromancy stuff seems terrible, but it really isn't. I like learning about it, and mama makes sure I practice safely."
"Safely," he muttered. "Well that's good, I suppose."
Now Sirius was a Black, no matter how little he enjoyed being so. He was in no position to lecture Harry about Dark magic, not when his own soul was tainted by his own upbringing. He'd been an auror, fought in raids against Death Eaters. He'd killed, he'd used whatever spells he needed in duels. But necromancy? That was some intense shit.
He looked over towards his young godson. His face flushed and his hair was in disarray from his flying, a soft grin on his face. In Azkaban, there had been nothing to do but think in the months between the first serious desire to escape and now, and he'd had many thoughts about how he'd find Harry. On good days, he assumed he was being raised by Remus, the Longbottoms, or even Andromeda. But on bad days (most days) the dementors helped him imagine a variety of scenarios, Harry dead or captured by the Death Eaters or worse.
"You're happy?" He asked. Harry looked happy. Healthy and flourishing despite his unconventional upbringing.
"Yeah," Harry grinned, pausing to think over his answer. "I am, actually! I like Hogwarts. I have my friends and Quidditch. My mama too, I love her even if this grounding has been carrying on for ages." Harry shot him a wide grin, an impish one that sent a blast of nostalgia and sadness through Sirius. James' smile. "It's been annoying knowing Voldemort isn't dead and he keeps bothering me every year, and the Chamber stuff was stressful, but it's all been really good otherwise."
"I'm glad." It had been his memory of Harry that had encouraged him to escape. It was a baby Harry he had sworn to protect since the first time he'd held his godson, back when everything was happy and good. Harry was all he had left.
"You know, I ran away from my parents when I was sixteen. They treated me terribly and were trying to force me to join Voldemort. I was able to escape and live with your grandparents and James, but I remember - I had been so desperate on that day that I would have done anything to get away from my parents. What I'm trying to say, kiddo, is that family isn't always the people you're related to. I could never fault you for leaving a dangerous situation like your aunt's house. And I'm glad you found someone to take care of you." Harry perhaps could have picked someone less dangerous to be his new mama, but Sirius could never, ever fault the boy for taking protection and safety where he could get it.
"That being said, I swore to your mother and father that I would love and protect you, because we were family, and I promise you the same thing. I feel so ashamed that I went after Pettigrew instead of staying behind to make sure you were safe. I'd like to be here for you now, if you wanted."
Harry looked a bit overwhelmed at the sudden intensity of their conversation, and his grin turned bashful.
"I'm glad to have met you. I've talked to mum and dad a bit, but since they're dead it's really not the same. They said you were supposed to raise me and I guess - I dunno, it would be nice to get to know you."
For his sanity, he shoved that bit about James and Lily into the back of his mind. They were dead and Harry was right here.
"I'd like to get to know you too," he said.
....
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