Rescued

Love and Children: Sirius

It literally breaks my heart to see Harry so terrified of us. It makes me wonder what he's been through, but I'm not so sure I want to know. Harry finally relaxed in my arms. His tears are still streaming down his sunken little cheeks. Even that hurts me. Little kids are supposed to be fat and happy. They're supposed to be trusting and greedy. Not wary, tense, near starvation, and secretive.

"I love you, Prongslet," I whisper. I don't know how long we sat there. I stopped rocking when Harry's head lolled onto my elbow, eyes shut and mouth a little open. I stood up and Remus pulled back the covers. The boy looked so tiny in the massive bed. We left the light dim and quietly crept from the room.

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"What are we going to do? I don't know a thing about kids, Moony." I leaned back in my chair, rocking it ominously back and forth.

"Stop rocking, you'll fall. And I honestly don't know anything, either, so I bought these." And from out of nowhere he pulls out a huge stack of books. I glance at one- Gorgot's Guide to Raising Children. Oh, lovely. I groan and lean back, and my feet leave the floor. And so the chair tips and a loud thunk sounds through the kitchen. My head whacks the stone floor.

"BLOODY--"
"Shhhh. You'll wake up Harry!" Remus hisses. I get up from the floor and right up the chair, nursing a lump that's forming at the back of my head and ignoring the smirk on Moony's face.

I continue muttering, and stop when Remus hands me the horrid guide to children. Then I just sigh. "Why, Remus, why? This is horrible torture. Why must you enforce this terrible thing upon me?"

"It's for your own good, and Harry's. Speaking of which." Remus nods behind me. "Hello, Harry. Did you sleep well?" He puts a warm smile on his face. Harry nods. He comes and climbs into my lap. I grin triumphantly at Remus. I chuck the book at him and look at Harry.

"Hello, Prongslet." Harry smiles a bit. We are interrupted by Remus saying an unprintable word. I cover Harry's ears. "Why, Remy. It's not you to act this way," I say in a mocking tone. He just glares at me and rubs a purpling lump on his forehead.

"Don't send me back," a little voice whispers. I turn to Harry in surprise. The bright emerald orbs I know so well are glistening with tears again.

"Harry! I would never send you back!" I say. "Why would you think that?"

"Y-you were fighting and angry so you would send me back," he whispers, and a tear escapes from his eye. I wipe it away with my thumb, and look him in the eyes.

"Harry, listen. We will never send you back. Ever." Remus chimes in.

"And we will never hit you or hurt you in any way," he says in a grave tone. Harry looks at both of us.

"Promise?" He says, for the first time not whispering.

"Promise," we both say. And Harry sighs contentedly and leans against me. Then he hops over to Remus and does the same thing.

"I love you," he says. The tear tracks have dried. My heart turns warm and my eyes, to my surprise, fill up.

"And we love you," Moony and I chorus. It's amazing how much those three little words can encompass.