The Dogfather

Chapter 2

Chapter 2-

The cottage was small, with a plush white carpet and neat beige furniture. The sitting room was cozy, it had a large fire blazing in the fireplace and the cream curtains were closed, effectively trapping all the heat inside. The trio bypassed the sitting room and the kitchen, they passed the library and the study, they didn't stop at the bathroom or the first two bedrooms. They only came to a halt when they were standing in front of the last door down the hall. The door had a small red plaque on it, which read 'Harry's room'. The boy watched in astonishment. "I don't have to sleep in the cupboard?" He asked innocently, hopefully. Sirius tightened his grip around his godson.

"No Harry. You will never have to sleep in a cupboard again" Harry's eyes went wide and he watched With rapt interest as Remus swung open the door to reveal a large room, painted red and gold. There was a four poster bed and a wardrobe, a desk and a set of draws and a toy chest. However, the thing that first caught young Harry's attention, was the large bookcase, crammed full of children's books. Remus took one of the books and handed it to Harry, the young boy held it gingerly in his hands, as if it were the most precious item ever made. It broke Remus and Sirius' hearts to see a child, once so full of life and joy, treat something so simple as if it were the best thing he had ever received. "Come on Harry" Remus said with a smile "why don't you go to bed, you must be tired" Harry nodded his head, just as a yawn overtook him. He WAS tired and it would be nice to sleep in such a comfy bed. Remus took the young boy from his godfathers arms, he laid him in the bed and wrapped the blankets tightly around him. "There, now sleep Harry, we'll leave the door open in case you need us" Harry nodded a little and let his eyes droop. sirius chuckled and the two men left the room, leaving the door slightly ajar after they had gone.

"Well?" Sirius asked as he slumped into a chair opposite Remus.

The werewolf rubbed his temples and groaned "they haven't been feeding him, he looks as if everything will be taken away from him and he flinches when we try and reassure him. What do you think? This is going to be hard Sirius. Curse those evil muggles to hell" Sirius laughed darkly, he couldn't help but agree with his friend.

"I think we should call Poppy. She'll be able to help" the animagus suggested and Remus nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, that seems sensible" the two men sat up late into the night, not speaking, just thinking, thinking about the friends they had lost, the childhood they sorely missed, but mostly, they thought about the little boy who was sleeping silently down the hall.

Sirius Black woke with a start, the house was silent and he couldn't remember exactly why he was awake. He rolled over to check his alarm clock and groaned when he saw that it was only 3:00am. Just as the ebony haired man was about to go back to sleep, a bloodcurdling scream tore through the house. Sirius was on his feet and down the hall in seconds, he followed the noise and nearly died when he saw that it was coming from Harry's room. The little boy was sat up in bed, tears streaming from his wide, terrified emerald eyes. His little hands were clinging tightly onto the blanket and his jaw snapped shut when Sirius ran into the room. "Harry?" He asked the bit gently "what's wrong?" Remus had rushed to the room and was standing beside Sirius. Harry watched the men with fear evident on his face.

"I-I'm sorry t-that I w-woke y-you. I-it was an a-a-accident. P-please don't be m-mad" Sirius and Remus exchanged a look at Harry's terrified words, everything about him seemed to scream fear.

"You didn't wake us Harry" Remus quickly lied "and it wouldn't matter if you did. We're not mad at you. Now what's wrong?" They stepped slightly closer to the bed, but not close enough to scare the boy.

"I-I had a nightmare" Harry whispered and it broke his guardians' hearts to see him look so scared and crestfallen. "It was about a Uncle Vernon getting mad because you took me back because you didn't want me no more"

Remus' eyes went wide and he knew that Sirius was the same. He quickly walked next to Harry and scooped him into a hug, ignoring how the boy tensed in his arms.

"Oh Harry" he whispered "poor little man" Sirius was gently missing the boys messy hair and, much to their relief, they felt Harry relax into tier hug.

"We will never hurt you Harry" Sirius told him gently "never. So please don't be scare of us"

"And we will never, NEVER, send you back. So please don't think we will" Harry gave a little nod but didn't respond, as he was already falling asleep in their arms. Despite everything that had happened, Remus and Sirius couldn't help but smile, Harry had fallen asleep in their arms, feeling safe. It wasn't a big step, but it was a step nonetheless and it was a step in the right direction.