Late that night, after everyone had gone to bed, Sirius slipped into Harry's room and sat on the edge of his bed.
'Aries, are you awake?' he asked.
Harry yawned. 'I am now,' he mumbled.
'We can talk tomorrow, if you'd rather,' Sirius offered.
Harry shook his head. 'No, I'm up.' He sat up in his bed. 'Thanks for looking out for Draco earlier today,' he said. 'I think he's feeling left out.'
Sirius chuckled. 'I noticed. I saw the way he was watching us at dinner. It reminded me actually of how envious I used to feel of James and his family. Mr Potter did his best to make me feel at home, and I suppose the least I can do is try to do the same thing for Draco.' He paused. 'Harry, we need to talk about something.'
Harry's face fell. He knew it was too good to be true. 'Don't worry. I know you're not my real father.' He looked up at Sirius earnestly. 'I really appreciate your playing along. I don't want to go back to the Muggles.'
'That's not what I meant, Harry,' Sirius said. 'In the first place, I want to make sure I know the whole story. Aunt Cassie explained most of it, but I don't know how much you've told her.'
Harry's eyes went wide. 'Aunt Cassie knows? We haven't told her anything. How did she find out?'
'She didn't tell me.'
'Why does she play along then?'
Sirius smirked. 'Let's just say that the fact that you vanquished Voldemort as a baby feeds her fantasies about your Dark power.'
'You said his name!' Harry exclaimed. 'No one ever says his name.'
Sirius just shrugged. 'Let's start from the beginning, shall we?'
Harry explained how life had been at the Dursleys before the Squibs rescued him, and how they had disguised Harry using a potion. He talked about the past few years and how he appreciated his quirky family. He talked about Draco and the pranks they played. Sirius laughed at that.
'It sounds like me and your dad,' he said. 'We did that sort of thing all the time.'
'I know, Dad,' Harry said. 'Uncle James told me. Where do you think we got the idea?'
Sirius frowned. 'I want you to remember that James Potter is your real dad. You can even just call me Sirius when we're alone.'
Harry nodded. 'I understand. You'll probably want children of your own some day. Real children.'
Sirius looked at Harry strangely, and then laughed out loud.
'That's not what I meant, Harry,' he said fondly. 'Your dad was the best friend I ever had, and a wonderful man. It would feel like betraying him if I let you forget that you're really a Potter. I could never forgive myself.' He put his hand on Harry's shoulder. 'As for you, though, I've loved you since before you were born, and I'm honoured to have the opportunity to care for you.'
'Really?' Harry asked in a small voice.
'Absolutely,' Sirius replied. He chuckled. 'In some ways, I feel guilty. You look like me. You use my name. It's like I've stolen you.'
Harry looked surprised. 'I never thought of it that way. I've just always wanted a real dad. The portraits are great and all, but...' He trailed off.
'They get old after a while,' Sirius finished for him. 'They never change or grow.'
'Exactly. Once I accidentally went two whole days without talking to them, and they didn't even notice.'
'Of course they didn't,' Sirius said. 'They're designed that way.'
Harry shrugged. 'I think that's when I realised for the first time that they weren't real people, that my real dad was dead.'
'Well, I don't know how good I'll be at filling his shoes,' Sirius said hesitantly. 'He was a special man. But I'll do my best.'
Harry chewed his lower lip. 'Do you mind if I call you Dad, even when we're in private?'
Sirius looked surprised. 'Not at all. I thought you wouldn't want to. I'm just some stranger who's barged into your life, after all.'
Harry laughed. 'Hardly. I've been looking at your pictures and hearing stories about you since I was six. I used to dream that you'd come live with us, and that we'd finally be a real family.' He paused. 'Sometimes I had nightmares, though, that you wouldn't want me.'
Sirius hugged Harry tightly. 'Never think that, Harry. Never think that.'
Harry chuckled. 'It's just a stupid dream, right? I used to have lots of dreams about an enormous black dog too. They say that's the Grim, and to dream of it is bad luck, but nothing bad ever happened.'
Sirius smiled. 'Actually, Harry, in your case, I think the Grim is good luck.'
'Why's that?'
'Can you keep a secret?' Sirius asked.
Harry rolled his eyes. 'Think about who you're talking to.'
Sirius laughed. 'Good point.' He transformed, then and there. Harry let out a small yelp, but then began to run his fingers through the dog's magnificent fur. He sniggered.
'Aunt Cassie's going to have kittens,' he said with a grin. 'She hates dogs.'
.....
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