Consuming Shadows

Chapter 27

Sirius carefully let his arms slip away from the boy, watching him with blatant concern.

Harry stared up at him, eyes swirling with a number of emotions. And yet, Sirius could not read a single one of them.

It was intimidating, more so when he remembered the boy's vehement reaction after discovering the letter from Dumbledore. The remnants of Lily's pillows still saturated the ground around their feet.

Confronted with this, Sirius was forced to acknowledge that the biggest challenge with his task would not be convincing Lily to join them, but convincing Harry.

Lily had told him that they both held less than stellar opinions about the Order, but he had not expected something to this level.

Harry had been legitimately furious. Not annoyed. Not angry. Those words seemed childish in comparison to the danger that swathed the boy before him.

Just what had happened to the little boy that squealed with laughter whenever he used to throw him up in the air?

Life changed people, he knew that. But this was more than that.

"Let's take a seat." He suggested, glancing between the mother and son tensely. The air was still choked with Harry's magic, and Lily was staring fixedly at her child, an odd expression on her face.

An almost physical weight hung over them.

"Yes." Lily agreed with him swiftly, seizing the idea with both hands.

They both watched as Harry stalked past them and out into the lounge room without a word.

Sirius bit his lip, "He's pissed." He murmured to the woman.

Lily sighed at his words, eyes clenching shut for all of two seconds before opening in determination. "I knew he would be." She told him. "There was no way around that. Come on."

They trailed after the boy, exiting the bedroom and leaving the fluffy white carnage behind.

Sirius hesitated when he saw Harry sitting on one of the leather chairs, his left leg thrown comfortably over the arm of the chair. His side leaned against the opposite one. Sirius was bitterly reminded of times he would take up a similar position, all on the account of aggravating his parents.

He doubted he had ever managed to look as casual as Harry did though. The boy's face was so passive, there was not a hint of his previous fury on his features. And with his magic wrapped up so tightly once again, there was nothing to suggest he had ever been mad in the first place.

And that was somehow more terrifying than Harry's rage had been.

Sirius remembered being seventeen. No one that age should be so skilled at masking their emotions.

He took a seat across from Harry, Lily beside him, and just took a moment to look.

This was the first time he and Harry had officially met, face-to-face, fully aware of who the other was. No secrets.

Merlin, he looks so much like James.

Except the eyes. Those were all Lily, right down to the steely glint.

"You wanted to talk." It was almost a demand, and Sirius found himself straightening intuitively in response to the tone. Harry's eyes were half-lidded, and his mouth nothing more than a flat line.

He appeared patient, but there was an energy to him, writhing just underneath his skin in a way that told Sirius he would probably prefer to be on his feet pacing than sitting.