And in that instant, Sirius knew what he had to do. It was honestly the last thing he actually wished to do, but he could think of no other plan. He wanted nothing more than for Harry to fight for his place at Hogwarts, and to have his innocence proven. He would give up the whole world so that Harry could have the peace he yearned for. He desperately hoped that there would come a day in the future when that would be possible. But now, at this exact moment, Sirius knew this was nothing but a beautiful dream.
The Portkey to Twelve, Grimmauld Place burned a hole in his robe pocket. During the time he'd been on the run, he had taken a Muggle coin that was lying forgotten on the ground, used the new wand Dumbledore had helped him to acquire, and charmed it into a Portkey, one that nobody knew about, not even the Headmaster. He had had to set foot in the house, because you had to be in that precise location to cast the necessary spells to create the Portkey. Sirius had despised every second of it, but something niggled at him, telling him this action was warranted.
It was almost funny, Sirius thought with a note of bitter sarcasm, that his old childhood home could actually be a safe haven. Growing up, there was nowhere Sirius despised more than the frigid, unwelcoming house. When he had made the Portkey there, he had tried to convince himself it would never, ever have to be used. Grimmauld Place was a last resort only, when there was truly nowhere else to turn. It was useful, because the entire house was unplottable. It had wards protecting it which were almost impenetrable.
The thought of taking Harry there made him feel physically nauseous, but what else was he supposed to do? Aurors were literally moments away from snatching his godson and subjecting him to more trauma than he'd already had to deal with. Sirius also knew that if he himself was caught, his life was over. He realized this with a crystal clarity, but even though he knew it was true, his focus was on Harry's suffering and not his own. He'd promised to never leave his godson again, though, so he couldn't let himself come to harm if only for the boy's sake.
But he despised the fact that he would be taking Harry away from Hogwarts, and doing exactly what Jeff's stupid petition wanted. Many would think that because Harry was removed from the premises, it alleviated the danger they faced. Sirius knew this was far from true; Voldemort and the Death Eaters had many targets; Dumbledore was right next to Harry on his "to kill" list. But fear was permeating the school right now, after Cedric had been kidnapped and killed. And many would deem it much safer once Harry was removed.
Sirius knew there would be many consequences for this hasty action. He might end up making things far worse than they already were. Throughout his life, he had always been reprimanded for his rash, impulsive behavior. It had chased him through his whole existence, and was a defining factor that led to his twelve-year stint in Azkaban.
But there was a marked difference between then and now, Sirius reasoned with himself. Then, he hadn't put Harry first and had gone haring off to seek revenge for James and Lily, whose lifeless bodies would always be glued to the backs of his eyelids. All his mental faculties were gone; his blood had screamed Peter, Peter, Peter. Catch, tear apart, destroy, kill. His anger had been out of control, and Peter had known it. Known it, and used it against him, landing him in the hottest pit of Hell.
But now, he felt as though this was a major step he could take to put right what was done wrong. He was doing it, and he was damn well prepared to deal with any consequences that arose from his decision. He was going to do what Lily and James had wanted, what he had promised them fiercely that he would do. He was finally going to show Harry what having a real family felt like. He was going to take care of him like no one else ever had before. As his hand entered his robe pocket and felt the warmth of the coin inside, he was just sorry it had to happen this way.
"What are you planning, Sirius?" asked Madam Pomfrey quietly without preamble.
Sirius looked her straight in the eye, the simple Muggle coin clutched in his tight grasp. "I'm getting him out of here," he said just as quietly.
"What?" exclaimed all three teenagers, sounding frantic.
Harry's grip on Sirius grew extremely tight, almost to the point of pain, but the man couldn't have cared less. He looked into the boy's green eyes, and swallowed convulsively to try and dislodge the sudden lump that was constricting his throat. Those eyes were looking at him with fear, but there was hope and trust there, too, which Sirius truly didn't think he'd earned. "Where are we going?" he asked softly.
"Don't you trust us?" Hermione asked desperately, her eyes flicking back and forth between godfather and godson.
"We're his best friends! He needs to stay with us!" Ron protested, his breathing sharp and quick. "And Dumbledore is here. He'll get Harry out of this."
Sirius felt anger come over him again, but he forced it down. He was not going to snap at Ron for his faith in Dumbledore. After all, Sirius used to possess it himself, until the man had let him down, and above all, let both Cedric and Harry down in unforgivable ways. Instead of shouting, he only said to Ron, "I don't trust him. Dumbledore is not infallible. He's only human."
"Madam Pomfrey?" Ginny asked softly, her face white.
Poppy and Sirius exchanged a meaningful glance that seemed to last for an eternity. "Do what you feel is best," she finally said.
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