A Better Ending, A New Beginning

Harry paced nervously outside the hospital wing. 'What if he dies?' thought Harry frantically. 'He's the closest thing I have to a father.' The idea of losing Sirius gave Harry a sick feeling. The longer he waited, the tighter the knots in stomach felt.
A hand on Harry's shoulder caused him to jump.

"Harry," said Remus. "It's late. I think you should go to your dorm and go to bed. We'll know more about Sirius' condition in the morning."

"No," objected Harry. "I want to be there when he wakes up."

"Harry," said Remus in a soft tone. "Sirius was hurt very badly by the curses. We're not certain that he will pull though."

Harry looked at Remus in disbelief. He felt a lump in his throat and the knots in his stomach tightened.

"Sirius WILL be okay!" Harry said with near-tears emotion.

Remus sighed and decided to let Harry do what he wanted.

Almost everyone involved in the dual had been injured, but Sirius had suffered the worst of it. Remus' lower left leg was bandaged. It was just a flesh wound, but Madam Pomfrey had advised him to take it easy and not walk around too much until the wound healed.
Remus was seated in a chair and he watched as a very worried Harry paced the floor. He wished he could say something encouraging to Harry, but he didn't want to give the boy false hope. He knew that Harry cared a lot for Sirius and thought of him as a father figure. Remus knew that Sirius' feelings for Harry mirrored that of a proud father.

Remus thought back to their innocent days (or not-so-innocent if you ask one of their Professors) when they were students at Hogwarts. Remus had been a rather timid boy. Sirius and James had helped him overcome his shyness. They stuck with him even when they had discovered the true about Remus' condition. Remus couldn't have asked for two better friends.

When the door to the Hospital Wing opened, Harry and Remus both snapped out of their deep thoughts. Madam Pomfrey appeared in the hall. Harry felt as though his heart were in his throat and he was afraid to ask the question had had been wanting to ask since they had arrived back at Hogwarts five hours ago. Remus, seeing Harry's scared hesitation, asked Harry's question: "Is Sirius going to be okay?"

He will recover. He will have to stay in the Hospital Wing for a couple of weeks, maybe longer," said Madam Pomfrey. Harry felt as a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He was still worried, but now he was nearly has scared.

"Can I see him?" asked Harry.

"He hasn't woken up yet. I have given him a sleeping potion that is also a healing potion. He will stay in a deep sleep while his most painful injuries heal. Sirius has a few broken ribs, a broken wrist, a sprained ankle, and a head injury. The head wound is the most serious and needs to be closely monitored," informed Madam Promfrey.

"Can I see him?" Harry repeated.

Madam Pomfrey was about to tell Harry that is would be wise to wait until Sirius' condition improved, but as she looked into Harry's worried expression, she relented.

"If you really want to see him, I advice that you keep you voice down and don't even think about attempting to wake him," said Madam Pomfrey.
"I won't disturb him," said Harry indignantly. "I just want to see him."

"Alright. You may go in," said Madam Pomfey.

She gave a nod to Remus to let him know that he could go in as well.

Harry entered the Hospital Wing. He walked over to the nearest bed where his Godfather slept. Sirius looked pale. He facial expression was relaxed in painless sleep. Harry tentatively reached out his right hand and lightly touched Sirius' right hand. Harry felt a hint of relief as he felt Sirius' warm hand. Given Sirius' pale face, he had thought that his hand would be cold. Despite Madam Pomfrey's assurance that Sirius would recover, he still felt worried.

"He'll be fine, Harry."

Harry looked up and saw Remus sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed.

"You really think so, Remus?" asked Harry.

"Yes, I do," said Remus.

Remus' comforting words eased Harry's fears.

Harry was startled when he felt something grasp his hand. He looked down at Sirius' hand holding his own. Sirius was still asleep, but he seemed aware of Harry's presence. Harry felt the knots in his stomach disappear and he smiled.