Time Astral | Sirius Black

26||The Prophecy

April 26th, 1996

Sirius landed on the floor of Grimmauld Place, 12 beside his godson.

Harry was trembling, his body so cold he could barely breathe.

"Harry." Sirius called softly. "Hey, get up. Let's get you to the fireplace, yeah?"

He nodded meekly, and Sirius helped him walk towards the hall where the fireplace was. Harry settled there and Sirius brought a blanket to cover the boy from feet to shoulder while his head rested on a cushion behind him.

"Do you need anything?"

"I – " Harry suddenly sat straighter, the blanket falling off. "Sirius...Sirius, you almost died – "

"But I didn't." Sirius smiled. "She saved me."

"She – She...I know her." He croaked. "I've met her twice before. I've written to her so many times!"

Now that, was something Sirius wasn't expecting. "You've met her?"

"I went to her house." Harry said quietly. "I sneaked out the day we returned from St. Mungo's after visiting Mr Weasley. She made me pancakes and I told her of how grieved and scared I was. She told me she felt the same sometimes. I believed her. I – I believed her..."

"Harry, it's not her fault."

"She kept asking me if I knew Alasia Serpens!" Harry stood up. "She knew! All this time, she knew! She knew who I was, Sirius, she lied...she..."

"Harry, listen to me. She must've had a reason. Allie does nothing, nothing, without a reason, trust me."

"I...I don't know...I – "

There was a crack and someone had appeared in the hall.

"Harry!" It was her. Merlin, he'd nearly forgotten, nearly thought it was a dream. "Are you alright?"

He swatted her arm away when she tried to touch her forehead to see for fever. Hurt, raw and fresh flashed on Alasia's face before she replaced it with a soft smile. "Harry, I can explain."

"You told me your name was Josephine."

"I didn't..." she grimaced.

"You didn't trust me?"

"No, that's not it." Alasia shook her head. "I trust you. I just...I wasn't ready – "

"To reveal that you're my damned godmother!?" Harry yelled.

Alasia flinched. "Don't talk to her like that, Harry." Sirius frowned.

"I – "

Harry was interrupted by someone else entering the house. Alasia stood straighter as Dumbledore strode inside the living room.

"I need to talk to you."

He wasn't speaking to Sirius, or Alasia. No, he was looking right at Harry.

***

"You are not going to talk with my godson." Alasia declared at once.

"I think that is more of Harry's choice, don't you think, Miss Serpens?"

"Harry will not be alone with you." She sneered. "Get the hell out of our house."

"Is it really your house?"

"Yes, it is." Sirius piped in. "She's going to be my wife. Or she would've been already had you not done something very, very unforgivable, Albus."

Dumbledore raised his brows, and turned to Harry. "A word?"