The man who could only be Vernon Dursley shrieked. "FIRST THE OWLS NOW A DOG. THE FUCKING FREAK GOES!"
Sirius hadn't even noticed the tall woman and fat boy behind Dursley but he knew who they were as well as he knew the boy he was crouched in front of was Harry. The smell rolling off of him was far from what James's had been, filled with fear, pain, and hunger. But he knew it was his godson, by not only his looks but by the hint of magic he could smell underneath the Muggle stink.
Harry whimpered in fear as his Uncle stepped forward and Sirius snarled a growling his hackles raised and his teeth glinting in the light.
The Muggle wisely stepped back and Sirius rapidly formed a plan. His escape had yet to be noticed by the Ministry since the cells were only checked the first day of the month by someone other then a dementor so he had a few more days before being discovered so he though he could risk showing his true self and having a nice pleasant chat before getting his godson the hell out of there.
Focusing on his human form Sirius reared up so he was once again a tall proud man that was thankfully clean since he'd stolen clothes from a Muggle store. He was dressed in a pair of slightly tight black jeans, a black T-shirt with the Harley Davidson logo peaking out from beneath his black leather jacket. He wore a pair of comfortable black boots on his feet which thudded loudly against the wood floor as he stepped forward his hand in his jean pocket tugging out his wand with his bandaged wrist.
"I would think very carefully before you even dream of laying a finger on Harry." Sirius snarled watching as Dursley's face turned from one of anger to fear and hatred. His wife gave a shriek of fear before trying to shield her son behind her which didn't work since he was about triple her width.
"Your suppose to be dead. We got stuck with your spawn while your wandering around alive?"
Sirius was now confused. Since when was he dead? He hadn't heard that rumor. "What the hell are you talking about?"
"Your that freak's father."
Out of the corner of his eye Sirius saw Harry inch forward his face hopeful and Sirius hated to shake his head in a no and see Harry's face fall but he wasn't going to pretend to be James. "How fucking stupid are you Dursley? You know I always heard that pigs were smart but apparently you didn't get the memo. Or maybe I need to do something to remind you of who I am?" Sirius stepped forward and grabbed the much larger man by the throat slamming his head against the wall jabbing his wand into what little neck the man had in a position identical to how he and James had held the man at their last meeting. "Remember me now?" He hissed.
"Your Sirius Black. The best man at my sister's wedding." Petunia whispered her eyes widening and Sirius flashed her a savage grin before returning his attention to keeping just enough pressure on the pig's throat to make breathing hard but not enough to kill. If Harry and the other kid hadn't been their he would have happily killed the man but he wouldn't kill or maim in front of a child. That was a Marauder rule that James had been adamant about. No, he'd get his revenge when Harry was safe.
"Your his godfather. But you were thrown in jail for killing people after their deaths."
Sirius winced internally not wanting Harry to find out that way but the boy didn't seemed to scared from what little of his face Sirius could see. Instead he looked amazed and hopeful. "I was in jail but now I'm out and I came to see how my godson had beenf treated. And let me you tell you unless there has been some major screw up here I have a feeling I may be adding some more deaths to my record. So lets have a little chat shall we?" Sirius waved his wand knowing that the underage magic charm was only in place from 11-17 or else the Ministry would be swamped with cases of accidental underage magic since a child had no way of controlling the magic until they had their wand. The Dursley's were all sent flying across the room and forced to sit in the arm chairs while Sirius took a seat on the couch and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. Petunia's eyes narrowed but she wisely kept quiet while Sirius turned his attention to Harry who was still in the corner.
"Well what are you doing over there Prongslet? Come here." As Harry slowly slunk forward and took a seat beside him Sirius threw him a loving smile. The boy was trembling ever so slightly and even human Sirius could smell the fear rolling off him in waves. Up close he could see the yellowing bruises under Harry's eyes from a black eye and his lip was split in two places. His nose also showed signs of a recent nose bleed. His hands were covered in a mix of cuts, scars, bruises, and burns and he was far to thin. Sirius could see every bone sticking out on the small body and he hated himself all the more knowing it was his fault the boy was like this. Growling in anger Sirius turned towards the Dursley's knocking them out with a whispered spell before turning to Harry. "There asleep not dead and we have a lot to catch up on." Harry nodded eying his wand nervously but curiosity sparkled in the bright green eyes. Like a child who wanted to pick up a snake but wasn't sure if it was venomous.
"Hey Harry do you remember me?" Sirius asked softly hoping the boy had some recollection of him. It would make this so much shook his head but seemed to remember something. "Motorcycle. That was flying." Harry winced as if expecting to be hit but Sirius just grinned.
"Yep. I use to have a flying motorcycle that you loved when you were little. When you were teething or had colic and you were a colicky baby it was the only thing that could get you to sleep. The thing could wake the dead it was so loud but you would be out like a light in five minutes of me driving you up and down the street on it."
Harry gave him a timid grin but cocked his head to the side seeming confused. "Are you a magician?" Harry asked so softly Sirius doubted he would have made it out if he hadn't been a dog Animagus with sensitive hearing.
"I'm a wizard Prongslet. Your dad was one and your mom was a witch. And you my little pup are a wizard to."
Harry looked as if he wanted to believe him but was to scared to begin to hope. Sirius scooted closer and reached out his hand stopping the instant the boy flinched back. "Easy Harry I'm no gonna hurt you. I just wanna check those wounds. I can fix them up and you can see more magic."
Moving ever so slowly so Harry would see he meant no harm Sirius managed to get Harry to let him examine his left arm. Harry winced as Sirius lifted up his wand and began to slowly and carefully heal each cut and bruise and other injury. He took his time making sure the wand knew what he wanted it to do so he wouldn't end up with a godson with an extra few fingers. He was in the middle of healing a particularly nasty bruise around his wrist which appeared to have been caused by someone grabbing the thin wrist and twisting it sharply leaving the area bruised and swollen and very tender when the boy's stomach growled loudly. Smiling Sirius let Harry have his arm back and made to stand. "Come on pup I'll make us something to eat." He flicked his arm at the window to repair it and walked towards the kitchen Harry close on his heels. Now that his adrenaline was starting to wear off his wrist was killing him from him landing on it but Sirius pushed the pain aside more worried about Harry. Harry hurried to the stove and pulled out a pan but Sirius reached over and took it away. "I got that Prongslet go sit. What do you want to eat?"
"It doesn't matter sir." Harry whispered sitting at the table and looking at his hands.
"Don't call me sir. My name is Sirius Black but your dad always called me by my nickname Padfoot." Sirius stuck his head in the fridge and began to pull out ground hamburger, lettuce, tomatoes, an onion and with a wave of his wand he had them on the counter. He flicked his wand and had a pan heating up while he formed the meat into burgers and dropped them in the pan. The lettuce, onion, and potatoes flew to the chopping board and a large knife got to work on them. Harry was watching open mouthed and Sirius grinned ruffling Harry's hair as he walked by and dug out soda from the fridge setting a glass in front of each of them full of the soda. He set to work having the knife cut up potatoes and filling another pan with oil. "You want fries?" He asked flicking the wand again and he was pleased when it responded. Maybe it just needed to be broken in.
Harry nodded and with one more wave of his wand Sirius had the potatoes in the oil and the hamburgers flipping themselves with seasoning flying back and forth. Sirius plopped down in the chair next to Harry and began to finish healing his cuts and bruises. Harry watched silently and Sirius sighed wishing the boy would speak.
"Harry are you afraid of me?" Sirius asked as the last burn mark on the boy disappeared and he went to work on the split lip.
"Aunt Petunia said you were in jail for murdering people." Harry murmured.
"Yes, I was Prongslet but I didn't do it. I was framed by a very bad person who I was trying to kill. He killed those people and himself and made it look like I did it. I was thrown in jail without a trial." Sirius stood up leaving Harry to think that over as he found hamburger buns and transferred the burgers to them and set a good amount of fries on the side before levitation the plates and the condiments to the table. Harry took his with a soft thank you and began to wolf down the food and Sirius had to wonder if he wasn't the only person that hadn't been eating enough in the past decade. He dug into his own food moaning with pleasure at the taste and getting a timid smile from Harry.
After devouring his first burger with Harry already on his second Sirius decided that he should start talking. "So Harry did you get to read your letter?"
Harry shook his head his face falling but Sirius leaned over and ruffled his hair. "Don't worry pup Hogwarts will know and I bet by tomorrow you will have another one." Sirius ate a few fries watching Harry over. "Harry I've seen the bruises and I've seen how those people treat you. If you want I can take you away from here. I will tell you I'm on the run but I broke out so I could protect you. I can go with you to Hogwarts if you want and if I find a way of proving I'm innocent then we can get a house and I'll adopt you. Your mum and dad had it in their will I got you if something happened to them but prison wasn't the best place for raising a child. I would have broken out the instant I knew you were with them but I just found out I thought you were safe and I am sorry Prongslet. I'm not asking you to decide right now. I want you to think it over and only agree when your sure you want to be stuck with me."
The pup nodded slowly starring at his hands, "You see how much they hate me. How Uncle Vernon was acting tonight? That was nothing. I don't need to think it over. I want to stay with you."
The Animagus grinned but his stomach clenched at the realization that the boy would rather go with a complete stranger who may or may not be a mass murder then stay with his family. But Sirius knew feeling guilty would do nothing now. He needed to get Harry safe and sound not worry about that.
As Harry went back to his fries Sirius began to wash up levitating the pans and dishes to the sink where they started scrubbing themselves. Harry watched still seeming fascinated by even the most simple of spells and Sirius was more then happy to show off a little.
"Wanna see more magic Prongslet?"
Harry nodded eagerly and Sirius reached out and took the pup's glasses which were cracked and held together by tape. "Reparo." He commanded watching as the tape fell off and the glasses molded themselves back together. Harry took them back and smiled as Sirius glanced towards the living room knowing the Dursley's would soon be waking up. Harry was finished with his food and the dishes were just finishing drying from burst of hot air from Sirius's wand. He remembered hearing the Muggle yell that James had been drunk when he and Lily had died. What had they told him about how James and Lily had died?
"Harry what do you know about your parents death?"
Harry paled and returned to looking at his hands. "My dad was drinking and he crashed the car. My mom and him were killed and I got away with just this scar." Harry brushed aside his hair so Sirius got his first glimpse of the lightning bolt scar but the Animagus cared little for the sight instead he was clenching the table so hard his knuckles were white and a low growl slid from between his clenched teeth. Harry looked at him warily and it was the sight of that fear that had Sirius taking calming breaths so he didn't scare the kid.
It was a long moment before Sirius stopped seeing red and managed to speak. "Your parents were murdered Harry. A man by the name of Lord Voldemort started a war in the magical world. Every awful thing imaginable he did. Your parents were part of a group that opposed him. Voldemort killed them because they refused to bow down to him. So he killed them. But when he went to kill you his spell didn't work. It rebounded off you and hit him instead. Some people say he died but I don't think so pup. I don't know how he would have survived but if any man was to inhuman to die it was him. So your parents died heroes Harry don't ever let anyone tell you different."
"Sirius why didn't it kill me?" Harry asked.
"I don't know pup. No one knows for sure and I'm not smart enough to be taking guesses."
The room fell back into silence as Sirius starred at the window not really seeing what was outside wondering if he should tell Harry about how Wormtail's betrayal had been the reason he was an orphan but he decided against it. Harry had enough to deal with right now without him adding to it. Besides Wormtail was dead. He'd seen that little rat blow up himself. He was so deep in thought that he jumped when something tapped on the window.
Sirius smiled and opened the kitchen window allowing a large barn owl to flutter in a letter clutched in its beak. Sirius stroked the beautiful bird's head a moment before handing the letter it carried over to Harry and filling a shallow bowl with water so the bird could drink. Sirius glanced over his shoulder at his godson who was starring at his letter his face full of happiness. He understood what Harry was feeling. Even being born into a wizarding family and knowing he was magical all along Sirius had never fully believed he was going to Hogwarts until he got that letter. Somehow that piece of parchment just made it all seem real.
The owl made as if to depart but Sirius stopped it. He summoned parchment, ink, and a quill before hastily scribbling a note and handing it to the bird. "Deliver this to your owner." He commanded and the owl blinked at him in understanding before taking off. Harry was still at the table reading his letter over and over again but Sirius knew that it was time to be off.
"Prongslet its time to leave. Do you have anything you want to take with you? I'm going to be buying you new clothes and everything so only things like pictures of your parents and whatnot do you need."
Harry blushed and shook his head. "I don't have any pictures of my parents or anything like that." He whispered and Sirius growled.
How could Harry not have pictures of Lily and James? Lily had always been taking photos and sending them off to everyone she and James knew. Cursing the Muggles under his breath Sirius wrapped and arm around Harry and pushed him towards the door. Dark had fallen and it was unlikely that anyone would see them much less recognize him so Sirius decided to chance walking along side his godson as they set off down the road. Later Sirius would come back and deal with the Muggles. Harry was silent as they made there way along the streets still reading his letter for the millionth time.
"Do you even know what your parents looked like Harry?" Sirius asked as the thought suddenly struck him.
The young boy shook his head and starred at Sirius with interest.
"You are the spitting image of your dad. Except for your eyes. James had hazel eyes. He was a good inch or two shorter then me and was slim like you are. He had a tattoo of your date of birth and name along with your mum's name and birthday which she claimed he did only so he wouldn't forget it tattooed over his heart and he had my stupid nickname on his forearm same as I do." Sirius held out his arm for Harry to see where Prongs was inked into his skin.
"Prongs?" Harry questioned.
Sirius grinned sheepishly. "It was your Dad's nickname. Remember how I was a dog then I was well me?" Harry nodded. "Well I what's called an Animagus which means I taught myself how to turn into my animal which is a dog at will. Your dad was one too. He could turn into a stag. Hence Prongs for his nickname."
"Can you teach me to be an anmago?" Harry asked struggling with the odd name.
"Animagus pup. And maybe when your older. Your dad and I may have broken the law becoming one without permission and its hard to learn. Best wait until you have a little more practice with magic or you might end up with a tail growing out of your arse and a trunk from your nose."Sirius smirked as he remembered James first partial transformation. "Your dad managed to make his feet into hooves. He had the hardest time explaining that one to the healers."
Harry laughed for the first time and Sirius found himself laughing to. Not even thinking about it Sirius threw his arm over Harry's shoulder to pull him closer when the boy's laugh was cut off by a yelp. Instantly Sirius released his grip to see Harry clutching at his shoulders whimpering.