Expecting the Unexpected

Chapter XIII

Sirius had never felt so fucking relieved in his entire existence on this shithole of a planet. "HARRY JAMES POTTER! YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW TERRIFIED I WAS! BE THANKFUL THAT I AM TOO HAPPY TO SEE YOU, OTHERWISE I WOULD HAVE PUT MOLLY WEASLEY'S SCREECHING TO SHAME!" Harry cringed slightly at the loud volume before his face split into the biggest grin ever.

"Padfoot! Hi! How have you been?" Harry asked, trying his best to divert Sirius' attention from the fact that he had ran away from Privet Drive. He expected Sirius would scold him for not obeying Dumbledore but he had no idea of what would be said next.

"Don't you dare deflect my concerns!I don't understand why Dumb-as-a-door even kept you with those dreadful pigs! What did those horrid Dursleys do that had you running away from that boring as fuck neighborhood?" Sirius questioned , not letting Harry off the hook so easily.

"Padfoot being a mother hen, never thought I'd live to see the day!" Mr. Chakravarty chortled.

"Fuck off, Raj. Harry, definitely use that terminology freely." Sirius replied nonchalantly as if it were an everyday thing. Harry had not realised that Mr. Chakravarty had been a such close friend to his father and Sirius.

"Can we speak about what happened at Privet Drive afterwards? I do not feel like talking about it right now." But Harry knew that he would never feel like talking about it.

"As you wish, pup. So when should Moony pick you up?"

"What?" Harry asked, surprised. He hadn't even asked Padfoot about living with him for the summer.

" I told you in your third year that you could live with me if you wished. The offer still stands, pup." Sirius replied trying to seem casual but his voice quivered with doubt and emotion.

Harry replied instantly, " I'd love to stay with you , Paddy."

Mr. Chakravarty and Sirius gasped in sync. Harry asked ," What?"

"You called me/him Paddy." They replied in unison once again. Sirius groaned ," We still do that?"

Mr. Chakravarty smirked, " Of course we do. You looove me and I looove you , Padsie-poo!!" He whined in an annoying high voice.

Sirius chuckled and continued, " Don't mind him, Harry.  I'm sure his brain stopped growing at the age of 7, didn't it Raj?"

Rajiv grinned, " Atleast my brain grew uptil 7. You don't even have one, Pads."

Harry chuckled throughout their conversation but then remembered the Paddy thing. " Why were you so surprised when I called you Paddy?"

Sirius was silent for a few moments before he spoke in a quiet reminiscent tone, " You used to call me Paddy when you were a little kiddo. It was your first word."

Sensing the sombre mood, Rajiv snorted and tried to lighten the mood. "Ah yes! I remember that! James was trying so hard to make you say Daddy before Mummy. All of us had bets on whose name you would say first. So this very fine evening when we all gathered at your house for a nice little dinner, James was trying his best to get you to say Daddy or Dada, any form or variation of the term "dad". And Padfoot strolled in after kicking atleast 12 Death Eater asses in one day and casually walked upto you and picked you up to give you your daily kiss. And you said very clearly for all to hear, "Paddy!" Everything went silent. All of us were standing still and James plucked you out of Padfoot's arms and growled in a low voice, "Out. Out, you traitor. Don't even dare to step back into my home, you homewrecker. I don't want to see your ugly mug around again." He literally pushed Siri out of the cottage. And fifteen minutes later, he walks out to see Sirius sitting on a conjured armchair, happily reading. "Come back, Pads! The little bugger's been screaming our ears off! He couldn't even say a bloody single 'Dada' yesterday and now he's screaming 'Me wan' Paddy!' at the top of his lungs!" Sirius just smirked and walked back in. I won a lot of money that day though."

Harry's eyes were a bit moist with tears and one look at Sirius confirmed that he wasn't faring any better. "You bet I would say Sirius' name first?"

"Yes of course! What else with you clinging to Uncle Paddy like a koala for  every single second he was at the cottage?" Rajiv chuckled and patted Harry gently on the back.

"So are you coming to live with me, pup? I'll need to figure out how to get you to my house. Can you contact me again in the morning tomorrow?" Sirius asked.

"Yes, we'll call you back in the morning tomorrow. Pick that package on your windowsill right now." Rajiv replied.

Sirius turned around to see an owl on the windowsill. "Oh! What's this?" Sirius asked while untying the package from the owl's leg. "This isn't Lilith , what happened to her?" He asked Rajiv.

"The package has some of your favourites of the Indian cuisine. Courtesy of Mehtaab. And that's Divinity. Lilith died three years ago." Rajiv replied sadly.

"Oh I am so sorry! She was a great owl. The best owl ever. I loved her for shitting on Lucius' head."

Harry burst out laughing. That was such a Sirius thing to say.

Rajiv grinned before speaking, " I'll arrange for transportation and anything that may be required. I have one favour I must ask of you though..........."