Come Home + Sirius Black

fourteen: sirius returns

July.

Two weeks had passed since the trial, and Sirius had yet to show up. She was trying not to let it worry her, but he had not written yet. Every magical newspaper had been reporting the results of the trial — and about his continued absence — for days. He was either staying away on purpose, or he was somewhere he didn't have access to all this news.

"Do you think he'll come back soon?" Harry asked on the morning of his fourteenth birthday.

"I do. After everything, I know for a fact that all he wants is to be in your life like he should have been from the start," Charlie told him. "I suppose he just needs a bit more time... Twelve years of imprisonment and then breaking out just to be on the run... I'm sure it's a lot for him to take in."

Harry nodded as he dug into his breakfast. "What about Moony?"

That, she didn't know how to answer. "...He hasn't been responding to my letters. It's always been hard for him, his condition. And now, just about the entire Wizarding World knows about it. I expect he'll be wanting to lay low for a few more weeks."

He nodded again, but quietly.

"Hey," she said softly, reaching out from across the dinner table to place her hand over his in comfort. "Harry, no matter where they are in this world or the next, you have people that would do anything for you. You have family."

"I know," he said without looking at her. She knew he must have been disappointed that he didn't get to spend his birthday with his godfather, and she could only wish she knew where Sirius was so she could at least write him.

"Come on, finish your breakfast so you can open up presents."

Silence filled the kitchen again as they both busied themselves with their meals. It was another birthday that was being celebrated just the two of them; Hermione was off travelling with her parents, and though Ron's leg should have fully healed by now, Molly had been quite insistent on not letting him out of her sight, telling Charlotte that he still needed his bedrest. They sent in their presents to Harry anyway via owl, and they relocated to the couch so he could open them. Like always, Harry seemed grateful to even be receiving presents at all. When he finished opening the ones from his friends, she handed him a big envelope. "This one's from me."

She watched with anticipation as he tore open the envelope to pull out it's contents. His reaction didn't disappoint. His eyes grew wide as he read over the paper within, then looked up at Charlotte. "Are these —"

"Quidditch World Cup tickets, yeah."

"I thought these were sold out!"

"I had to pull some strings at the Ministry. I was ready to fight someone for them," she laughed. "Oh, and I spoke to Molly and Arthur, and our tent will be right next to theirs. I believe they're taking Hermione along, too."

She watched as he read over the details of the tickets, then she sees the realization dawn on him. "Charlie... there's three tickets there."

"Yeah, well... I figured if Sirius came back by then, he wouldn't want to miss it."

"Did he play?"

"No, your dad was the Quidditch player among them," she laughed. "But he was the commentator for about two years before Professor McGonagall had to kick him off and replace him."

This got him to grin, and she would have gladly told him all about the foolish things Sirius said whenever James was playing, but at that moment, there was a knock on the door. Leaving Harry to revel in his gifts on the couch, she got up to stride over to the front door.