Godsend

Sirius woke to find Harry sprawled halfway on top of him. His leg was draped over Sirius' abdomen, his arms under his head and resting on Sirius chest. Sirius smiled and kissed the top of Harry's head.

Harry stirred a little and lifted his head a bit.

"Morning," he murmured and flashed a dazzling smile in Sirius' direction.

Sirius found that he suddenly had butterflies in his stomach as he replied, "Morning. Had a good sleep?"

Harry nodded and rested his head on Sirius' chest again.

"Yes. I had a good dream. You were in it," Harry said while a smile played across his face.

"Oh?" questioned Sirius, raising an eyebrow. "What happened?"

"It was actually something like this," Harry stated, shifting over so that he was fully on top of Sirius. "We were talking... about absolutely everything. And then..."

Harry leaned up close to Sirius' face.

"We got..."

Harry leaned some more.

"Closer..."

"And then?" Sirius breathed softly.

"And then..."

Their lips were only two inches apart.

"I..."

One inch now.

Harry slowly closed the remaining distance between his lips and what he wanted so badly. Their lips were but a breath away when -

"Sirius!"

Harry jumped off Sirius and exclaimed, "What the bloody hell was that?!"

Sirius was ready to murder. Harry was about to kiss him, for Merlin's sake! He hoped that the intruder was ready to die a slow and painful death.

"It's the fireplace. Someone needs to speak to me," Sirius growled as he slid out of bed and went to the door.

Harry followed.

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"Dumbledore, what are you flooing me for this early in the morning?"

The head of Albus Dumbledore sat in the flames of Sirius' fireplace and looked surprised.

"Morning? Sirius, it's nearly one o'clock in the afternoon," Dumbledore said.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but he was cut off by Harry.

"Professor Dumbledore! I haven't seen you since June," he blurted. "Can you please, please, please let me stay here for the rest of the summer with Sirius?"

"Relax, dear boy, of course you can. I cleared it with your uncle, though he was quite angry..."

Harry laughed.

"Indeed, I had to blow up half his living room in order to get him to stop trying to throw the furniture at me. Oh dear, I forgot to go back and fix it..."

Harry and Sirius roared with laughter.

"Oh well, that's not of importance right now," Dumbledore said, also chuckling.

"Dumbledore, you told me to check with you after two days. What are you here only after 24 hours?" Sirius asked.

"I've discovered another potion that'll help Harry in his recovery," Dumbledore said.

"That's great! What's it going to do?" Sirius asked.

"Well, it'll mend any ailments like cuts and bruises, as well as reducing swelled areas. It'll help if you add root of asphodel; it'll soothe Harry's nerves, Sirius," Dumbledore added.

Sirius nodded as he said, "Of course. How long will it take for Harry to fully recover?"

"After the first potion does its job, I guarantee Harry will be back to normal in a day or two."

"Thank you, Professor," Harry smiled.

Dumbledore winked and disappeared from the fireplace.

Harry and Sirius went to the kitchen to start breakfast. After they ate, Sirius fell in deep thought.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked.

"Oh... nothing. Er... I need to go to town to meet Remus. Do you remember him?"

"Of course! He was my favorite Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Harry exclaimed.

Sirius nodded and said, "I was going to floo him and cancel, but it seems I'm going to have to go anyway. I'm out of Root of Asphodel. I don't want to leave you here alone, Harry. Do you want to come with me?"

"Alright," Harry said hesitantly. "But bring your wand, ok?"

"Wouldn't dream of leaving without it," Sirius replied.

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"Sirius! Harry! How wonderful to see you," Remus Lupin beamed when he saw his friend and former pupil.

"Remus! Oh, I've missed you," Sirius smiled as he hugged his friend.

"And Harry," Remus said, ruffling his dark hair. "My favorite student. Are you doing ok?"

Remus looked tired and pale, so Harry didn't want to stress him further.

"I'm fine, thanks."

"What are you doing in this part of town?" Sirius asked.

"A man who makes my Wolfsbane Potion owns a bar here. I'm going to need it for tonight," he said miserably.

"Sorry, mate," Sirius sighed sympathetically, "Tell you what; Harry and I will go with you now to keep you company."

Remus smiled.

"If you must," he said jokingly. "It's over there."

The three men walked over to a pub called The Drunken Sailor.

"Hang on, Harry," Sirius said, stopping him in his tracks.

"What?"

"Look at that man over there."

Harry looked. At the entrance of the pub, a man dressed in shorts and a track jacket stood reading a newspaper.

"That's definitely a wizard," Remus said, eyeing the man's clothes.

"And a Ministry Official," Sirius noted, pointing at the man's chest.

There was, indeed, a MoM badge pinned to his jacket.

"So what's he got to do with me?" Harry asked, confused.

"He won't let you in the bar," Sirius said. "Can you wait out here, Harry? We'll only a few minutes."

Harry looked up and down the street. It was broad daylight, but there was only one other person in sight, and that was the Ministry Official, who looked like he wasn't looking up from his newspaper anytime soon.

"Alright, but hurry up," Harry replied.

"We will," Remus called over his shoulder as he followed Sirius into the bar.

Harry sighed and leaned against the wall.

"Blimey, you're Harry Potter, aren't you?" asked the wizard.

"Yes, I am."

"I've heard a lot about you. It's a pleasure to meet you, sir," the young wizard replied.

Harry smiled and said, "thank you."

"Nice meeting you, but if you don't mind, I'm on shift and I have to go."

"Of course not. Good-bye."

He watched as the wizard disapparated into thin air. Harry turned and bumped into somebody who was rather tall.

"Sorry," Harry apologized, adjusting his glasses. He looked up at the man.

Harry's stomach dropped into his feet. Oh no.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is, Rancit," Oren laughed evilly.

"Why, if it isn't that brat who gave us so much trouble," Rancit replied, appearing from behind Oren.

Harry stumbled backwards and turned to run, realizing they'd probably kill him now that they had a chance.

Before he'd gotten more than five feet, Harry felt two rough hands reach around his neck and tighten.

He tried to loosen Rancit's grip, bit it was no use. To Harry's horror, he felt his belt being ripped apart and his pants being pushed down.

"No! Get off me, you bastard!" Harry yelled as he tried to kick Rancit.

He felt his foot connect with a shin, and then heard a howl of pain. The hands released him, but another pair grabbed his waist and refused to let go.

"You're going to pay for that, you filth!" Oren sneered.

"GET THE FUCK OFF HIM!"

Sirius practically flew out the door of the bar and attacked Oren.

Remus took out his wand, stunned Rancit, and took Harry's arm, dragging him out of harm's way.

Harry looked onto the scene, breathing heavily.

Sirius rained punch after punch to the man's face, snarling swear words every time he brought his fist back.

"You'll...never...touch...this...boy...again...or...I'll...fucking...KILL...you...Understand...that...you...scum?"

Oren fell to the ground. Sirius aimed a few kicks to his stomach, and would have continued had it not been for Remus' warning.

"Sirius! Stop that or you'll kill him! The Ministry will have your head if they find out! I'm sure he won't go near Harry now."

Panting, Sirius turned towards Harry and looked him over.

"Are you hurt?"

Harry shook his head.

"They - they were going to kill me this time," Harry choked.

Before Sirius could stop himself, he put his arms around Harry's waist and hugged him close. Harry was only a couple of centimeters shorter than Sirius, so it was easy for him to hug back.

"Nobody's going to kill you, Harry. You have my word," Sirius whispered into his ear.

As they pulled apart, Harry and Sirius' lips brushed slightly. It was the faintest of friction; barely enough to be felt, but both wizards noticed it.

Sirius and Harry said goodbye to Remus and headed towards the ancient and most honorable House of Black.

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"Your knuckles are bleeding."

"Hmm?"

"Look," Harry repeated, fingering Sirius' left fist. There were little bruises forming around the base of his fingers, and there was some blood around it as well.

"Oh," Sirius murmured. "I'll go clean it up - "

"It's ok, I'll do it," Harry said, getting up and going to the kitchen. He came back with a wet washcloth.

Harry took Sirius' left hand and gently wiped away the dried blood. He worked slowly, enjoying the feel of Sirius' warm skin against his fingers. Sirius closed his eyes. It felt nice, having Harry do this so carefully, so gently...

"Why didn't you use your wand?"

"Oh... I suppose I just forgot about it at the moment. I got mad when I saw them doing that, and there was only one thought going through my mind," Sirius replied.

"What's that?"

"You."

Harry continued gently caressing Sirius' hand.

"Do you remember much of what happened that first night?"

Harry shook his head.

"Dumbledore had told me to look for you and bring you here. I'd scoured most of the place before I heard something in an alleyway. I looked, and there you were, barely conscious, being raped by those scumbags. What went through my mind was unimaginable. When I approached you, you backed away from me as if you were scared..."

"I'm sorry... I thought you were going to -"

"I know, I know. I'd never do that. Never. You passed out, and then I brought you here."

Harry took Sirius' other hand and started cleaning it. When it was clean, Harry let go and sat down on the couch

"Sirius?"

Sirius turned away from the window, where he had been thinking about Harry and him for the last ten minutes. Harry had been staring at the ceiling, thinking of similar matters.

"Y'know, I've been thinking," Harry said as he got up and walked over to Sirius. "About what happened today... I realized that there's this... thing between us... and... I can't wait forever. I'll spend the rest of my life regretting it if I don't do it..."

Harry moved closer and planted his lips firmly on Sirius'. Sirius was shocked. Harry surely couldn't want him... But as Harry ran his tongue over Sirius' bottom lip, he realized just how much he had been longing for this. Sirius parted his lips slightly and let Harry push his tongue in. Harry moaned as Sirius suddenly slid his tongue over the roof of his mouth and pulled him closer.

Their hips meshed together, both noticing each other's hardness underneath. Harry broke the kiss momentarily to get some air, but practically groaned in delight as Sirius forcefully started grinding their hips together.

Sirius arched his neck back in pleasure and buried his hands in Harry's silky black hair. All of Harry's actions were making Sirius' blood rush through his veins and straight down to his groin. Sirius moaned softly as he found Harry's mouth again. The two snogged passionately for a couple of minutes before Harry pulled away again.

He took a deep breath and whispered, "Do you want to take me to the bedroom?"

Sirius wanted to scream MORE THAN ANYTHING, take Harry upstairs and shag the daylights out of him, but something held him back.

"Harry, if you're not ready, I can wait. There's no pressure, when -"

"I - I am ready."

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Sirius yawned and stretched out on the bed. He was puzzled when he didn't feel Harry's body next to him.

"Harry, where are you?"

He heard some sounds coming from the bathroom and walked over to it.

"Harry?"

Harry was currently kneeling in front of the toilet and vomiting in it. He looked up.

"I don't know why - "

Harry was cut off by some food rising up into his throat. He deposited it in the toilet and grimaced. His throat was sore beyond measure and it felt so raw...

Harry wiped his mouth and said, "I went down to the kitchen and got some food, but as soon as I ate it all, I started throwing up."

Sirius knelt down next to Harry and rubbed his back. He felt Harry's forehead and remembered that he was supposed to have a high fever by now. Indeed, Harry's forehead was hot.

"It's still sensitive to food... I wonder why," Sirius murmured. "We'll have to floo Dumbledore. Come on, let's get downstairs."

He put his arm around the young wizard as they walked down and Harry smiled despite the circumstances.

"I'll floo Dumbledore this time," Harry said, reaching for the powder. "Where is he?"

"He told me to contact him at Hogwarts."

"Hogwarts Castle, Headmaster's Office!" he yelled as he put his head in the flames.

"Er, Professor Dumbledore, sir? Are you here?"

"Yes, Harry, I'm here. What's the matter?"

"Whenever I try to eat something I throw it all up. What's happening?"

Dumbledore looked at a complete loss for a second, and then replied, "I have no explanation for that, Harry. Perhaps I should contact Professor Snape and - "

"No!" Harry shouted. "I mean, no, sir, I... don't want Professor Snape knowing about my situation. I'm sure Sirius and I can figure it out."

"Harry, you could be in great danger, for all we know. I'm going to have to tell Professor Snape," Dumbledore said serenely. "The best you can do for now is not to eat anything, but keep taking your potions no matter what."

Harry sighed.

"Yes, sir. Thank you."

He pulled his head out of the fireplace and stood up.

"Well?" questioned Sirius. "What did he say?"

"He told me not to eat anything and for you to keep giving me my potions," he replied.

"Alright, if Dumbledore says so... but you'll starve to death at this rate," Sirius mumbled as he went into the kitchen to get the potion.

After Harry drank the two required gobletfuls, he sat down on the couch and pulled his legs up to his chest.

"I'm freezing," he said.

Sirius saw with apprehension that Harry's cheeks were very red and that his eyes were overly bright.

"It's the fever acting up," he said. "Hang on; I'll go get you a blanket."

Once Harry had a comfortable blanket around his shoulders, he motioned for Sirius to lie down on the couch.

Harry lay down on top of him and got comfortable before he realized that he might be too heavy.

"Oh, am I too heavy?" Harry asked.

"No," Sirius said, kissing the top of Harry's head.

The minutes passed by like that, Sirius absently running his fingers through Harry's hair as he enjoyed the sensation.

"What were my parents like at Hogwarts?"

Sirius stilled his hand for a second and cleared his throat before he continued.

"James and I became friends on the train. He knocked on my compartment door and just walked in. Before long, we were running away from the prefects because we'd put itching powder in some uniforms," he chuckled. "The moment James saw Lily; it was all he could talk about. In third year, he asked her out, but she just stomped on his foot and walked away. I suppose it was because we kept torturing Snape... Anyway, after James turned over a new leaf, she agreed to go out with him. Before long, they seemed in love and oblivious to the world around them. After school, they spent couple of years at James' house, and then they moved in together. After that, well, you know what happened."

"They were really happy, weren't they?" Harry asked quietly.

"Yes... they were. It's horrible the way things turned out. They shouldn't have been taken away from you."

Sirius hugged Harry closer and whispered, "you have me now. I know I'll never come close to an actual family, but it's the best I can do."

"I know I have you. Thank you."

They lay in that position for a while longer before Sirius had a thought.

"How do the muggles treat you?"

Harry sighed before replying, "Not too good."

"What do they do?"

"My aunt treats me like a freak because I'm a wizard. She can't even look at me, let alone feed me. Dudley's gang and him have a steady routine of beating me up once every week, and my uncle treats me like shit, always forcing me to cook and clean, always threatening me, as well as..."

Harry trailed off silently.

"What else?" Sirius demanded. He had a good suspicion, and he wanted to know about it.

"Nothing, that's all," Harry said uncomfortably.

"Sure," Sirius mused, "Harry, tell me. Please?"

"There's nothing to tell," Harry said, feeling a twinge of guilt. He was lying to Sirius. There was something to tell. After all, Sirius did tell him the whole story about when he was younger...

"I'm a good Occulemens, Harry. I'd hate to break through your memories, but if it's for your safety, I'll be forced to."

Harry tensed.

"Alright," he said. "It was only a couple of times, no big deal... he used to hit me."

Sirius' eyes flashed angrily at those words, but he made no movement.

"I remember once, I asked him if he'd seen my Invisibility Cloak, and he hit me round the face. I was only 12..."

"Oh, gods, Harry..." Sirius said in a strangled whisper. He shifted so that he and Harry were lying chest to chest on their sides. "You'll never have to live like that again if Dumbledore lets you move in here. It's horrible, having you go through that, and having you be the Boy Wonder in this world."

Harry leaned in and rested his head on Sirius' shoulder. Sirius kissed Harry's cheek softly. He ran his thumb over Harry's cheekbones and fixed his gaze on his green eyes.

"God, you're so beautiful," he murmured.

"Thank you," Harry whispered as his cheeks turned pinker than they already were.

Sirius closed his eyes for a moment. He opened them and was about to say something when -

The words died on his lips when he looked at Harry and felt his heart melt.

He had fallen asleep so quickly with his head on Sirius' shoulder. His long eyelashes cast shadows on his cheeks, which were rather red due to the fever. Underneath a thin layer of black hair, Sirius could still see the lightening-bolt shaped scar.

He realized that this was his only weakness: Harry.

He draped his arm around his lover and closed his eyes as well.

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