Black & White - A Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Chapter 8-4

To avoid useless risks, Sirius went to the border of town. He planned to materialize near Hogsmeade, but he knew that charms could be traced and he didn't want anyone to be able to link his little journey back to Grimmauld Place.

He would be in trouble for that unscheduled outing, just like the last time. At least, this time, he had a good reason. He needed to see Harry.

He hadn't spent as much time with him as he would have liked but knew the boy well enough to know that injustices could induce him to do something stupid, especially if he felt abandoned.

He searched for a secluded spot where he could transform and dematerialize. Truthfully, he couldn't wait to be at Hogwarts again. He missed that place.

Hidden behind an overflowing garbage bin in an alley, he went back to his human form and disappeared. He materialized again in the cavern where he had spent the better part of the previous year. It was close enough to reach Hogwarts, but far enough not to draw attention.

The stroll in the Forbidden Forest wasn't a problem for Padfoot, but he had to turn back again to send a message to Harry. The afternoon lessons should be over by then. Sirius conjured his Patronus and sent him to deliver his message so that it arrived at Harry and Harry alone. At that point, he could only wait.

Hidden behind the trees at the border of the forest, he got lost in memories of his teenage years spent running among those very same trees with his friends. Then he couldn't have imagined how horribly wrong things could go. The cold air and the scent of the wood had their own way of making his memories vivid. Sitting on the ground among fallen leaves and broken branches, he leaned against a trunk and let melancholy wash over him.

Harry didn't take long to arrive. The grass bending beneath the weight of his steps announced his arrival. Shaking off his torpor, Sirius stood and peeped from behind the tree to let Harry see him. A few feet away, the boy took his invisibility cloak off.

"Sirius!" He took a step toward him, then stopped abruptly and pulled out his wand pointing it at Sirius. "Where did we meet the first time?"

Sirius lifted his hands and smiled. It was a trick question. The boy was learning fast. "At Little Whinging, Surrey. In an alley near the Dursley's house."

Harry lowered his wand and got closer. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you. Come." He patted him on the back and led him deeper into the forest, toward a fallen tree where they could comfortably sit.

"Is something the matter?" Harry looked worried and tense.

Sirius sat on the tree and waited for him to do the same. "No, nothing is the matter. Your parents are well, and they send you their love."

"Do they know you're here?" Harry lifted his eyebrows behind his glasses. God, he was just like James at the same age.

"Your father does."

Harry half smiled. "My mother doesn't because she would get angry if she knew you went out."

"Exactly." Sirius sighed. "So, tell me. How are things going here?" He hadn't much time, he might as well get to the point.

"Fine." As usual, the boy was terrible at lying, but he probably realized it for himself, because he immediately changed version. "No, it's not true. Things are not fine."

"Due to Snape? Your mother showed me your letter."

"Yes. That, too. Occlumency lessons are a disaster. And a waste of time. He's not teaching me anything. He keeps attacking me to get inside my head without telling me how to close it."