Chapter Five, Meeting the Blacks

Harry sat in one of the more comfortable armchairs in the fully cleaned Drawing Room, his legs not even hanging off the edge of the chair as he waited for Sirius to come back as he had taken their lunch plates down to the kitchen five minutes ago. Suddenly something in the corner of the room caught Harry's eye. The fire had just suddenly turned emerald-green instead of the Amber that had been there a few seconds ago. A few minutes later a wizened old man stepped out of the fire place. Harry looked at the stranger with a terrified look on his young face. He was wishing that Sirius was back in the room by now or better yet that Sirius had taken Harry with him. The stranger looked around the room, and noticed Harry was in the room and stared at him for a few seconds, which seemed like hours to Harry, before he started walking towards Harry which snapped Harry out of this shock causing him to start screaming for Sirius.

"Sirius, Sirius, Sirius, SIRIUS!" Harry screamed tears rolling down his face as the stranger kept walking closer towards him. The door of the Drawing room burst open expelling a flushed and panting Sirius, his wand pointing straight out in front of him. Sirius took one look around the room and noticed that his Godson was crying in the chair that he had left him in, he then noticed the old man who had not taken his eyes off of Harry and was still walking towards him. Sirius strode purposefully towards the chair, standing in front of it blocking the man's view of Harry. He picked Harry up and cradled him close to his chest and turned to face the intruder his wand pointing directly at the man's heart as he kept a firm grip on his sobbing godson. "What're you doing here?" Sirius snarled.

"Is that anyway to treat your grandfather, Sirius?" the old man sneered.

"I will ask you again Pollux. What're you doing here?" Sirius snapped glaring at his grandfather.

"I could ask you the same question. You hated living here and now your back, but then again it makes the best place to hide when you're on the run especially with all the charms your father, Orion put on this house. But I suppose some of them are weakening now. But I thought this would be the last place you'd come too, I heard about you escaping Azkaban in The Daily Prophet and now I see you've taken the Boy Who Li..."

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HIM THAT! HIS NAME IS HARRY!" Sirius roared at his grandfather but he instantly regretted it when he felt Harry flinch against him and start shaking with renewed sobs.

"Shh. It's alright Harry. Shh it's alright I'm sorry for shouting. I'm not angry at you Harry." Sirius soothed his distraught godson. "I'll never hurt you Harry."

"P-promise?" Harry asked in a very small voice that Sirius barely heard even with his enhanced hearing. "I promise you Harry I will NEVER hurt you and I promise I won't let anyone else hurt you either." Sirius said lovingly. For a few minutes Sirius stood in silence hugging Harry to his chest to calm them both down but the moment was broken by Pollux. "Fine. I won't call him that snapped Pollux. "Why do you have him anyway?" he asked curiously.

"I found him in the middle of a park near his aunt and uncles house by himself last night, he had run away with only an old blanket and book in a ratty rucksack and he was covered in cuts and bruises." Sirius answered growing angry as he remembered the state Harry was in last night.

"Who did that to him? And why does he look like he is four years old rather than seven?" Pollux asked. He glared at his grandson who still had his wand pointing directly at his heart. "And could you lower your wand Sirius I'm not going to do anything nor am I going to turn you in." Pollux snapped. Sirius looked weary at his grandfather but lowered and pocketed his wand so he could readjust his hold on Harry. "His Muggle uncle but his aunt wasn't much better. They starved him, beat him and kept in a cupboard under the stairs, while their son got TWO bedrooms. They made him do all the chores including cooking, he won't tell me what else they did but I can guess. I had to clean him up last night; he has scars covering his body but mostly on his back. If I ever see the no hood Muggles I'll kill them." Sirius spat he was trembling from anger, but he took deep breaths trying to calm himself down when he felt Harry trying to pull away from him.

"Hey, it's alright Harry nothing can harm you here your safe and I meat what I said Harry; I won't let anyone hurt you and I'll never hurt you. I love you little man always have and I always will and nothing and I mean nothing can change that." Sirius said lovingly kissing Harry on the forehead as he gave him a tight loving hug. "I love you too Siri." Harry whispered as he rested his head in the crook of Sirius's neck. Sirius smiled at Harry before turning his attention back to his grandfather, who was looking extremely angry which surprised Sirius. "How date those Muggles treat him like that. No wonder he looks so small and why he is so scared of people shouting, no child should be treated like that. Especially The B..." At Sirius's glare Pollux rephrased what he was going to say. "I mean Harry. He is only seven for Merlins sake and he ran away; no child at that age should be running away from home." Pollux said angrily he was shaking from his anger and looked like he wished nothing more than to go over to Privet Drive and hex the Dursleys into oblivion, which Sirius for the frost time in his life agreed with his grandfather on something, and he agreed on this whole heartedly not just to appease his grandfather.

"Not only that but Harry got attacked by Lucius this morning and Merlin knows what he was planning on doing to him if I didn't change back into myself and punch the bloody bas..."

"SIRIUS!" shouted Pollux with a look at Harry who was still snuggled against Sirius's chest.

"The idiot," Sirius corrected himself. "Harry wouldn't be here now."

"But he knows where you are you're going to have to come to my house and stay there or the Ministry could send you back to Azkaban and Harry back to those filthy Muggles." Pollux said.

"No need I Obliviated Lucius he won't remember a thing and I never betrayed James and Lily and nor was I the traitor, it was that rat of a scum bag Peter Pettigrew." Sirius snarled.

"I never thought you did, and nor did I say you did. You were too close to them to do that and I can see how much you love Harry so I know you wouldn't even think of hurting him by taking his mother and father away from him. And you need to stop having a go at me Sirius, and let the past stay in the past. I have as it has come to light that your mother forgave YOU for walking out on the family by reinstating you as the Black Heir so it's good enough for me." Pollux snapped annoyed with Sirius's childish attitude.

"Fine." Sirius huffed. "I love Harry as if he was my own flesh and blood, as if he was my son and I'll be damned before I let anymore harm come to him."

"That much is obvious." Pollux sneered sitting down in a chair near the fire, which was opposite the chair Sirius was sitting in, which happened to be the chair Harry had not long vacated; Hardy sitting in his lap as he held him close to his chest.

Suddenly the fire turned a bright emerald green and a second later an old strict woman stepped out followed a second later by an elderly male that looked like there was a bad smell under his nose, but he looked like he was a strongly built man that was slowly losing his muscle mass as he aged. "Pollux, what has taken so long? You said you wouldn't be gone long and I see our ungrateful blood traitor grandson has returned." the other man grumbled glaring at Sirius. "And why does he have the Boy Who ..."

"DON'T YOU DARE CALL HARRY THAT!" Sirius shouted causing Harry to flinch again. "Shh. Shh it's alright Harry. I'm sorry Harry I'm not angry at you." Sirius soothed rubbing circles on Harry's back while the two knew people stared at them.

"Sirius Orion Black! How dare you shout at your grandfather in such a way? Apologise at once!" Pollux demanded whilst trying to keep his voice in an even tone to keep from scaring the child once more as young Harry had buried his head in his godfather's shoulder to try and muffle the loud noises. Just as Sirius opened his mouth once more to no doubt shout again the strict looking witch that had entered and had been watching the scene unfold as she stood against the wall so not to get in the cross fire decided to step forward. "Will you old men stop arguing. That poor boy looks frightened to death." she hissed at them. Slowly, she walked towards Sirius who had wrapped his arms tighter around Harry.

"Hello, young one." she said in a gentle voice and slowly knelt so she was eye level with Harry who had removed his head from Sirius's shoulder. His eyes met those of Cassiopeia who had kept eye contact slowly, Harry started to calm down. He felt safe in the lady's presence and he could see no malice in her chocolate brown eyes. "Hello." Harry replied tentatively whilst darting his bright green eyes at the man that stood behind her and who had finally stopped arguing with his Siri. Cassiopeia smiled warmly at Harry shocking the men in the room. "There is no reason to be afraid of anything here young one no one is going to hurt you as I know Sirius will never let anything happen to you and we won't either young one. Could you please tell me your name young one, I'm Cassiopeia but you can call me Cassie if you want I'm Sirius's grandmother and that man behind me is Arcturus Sirius's other grandfather." Cassiopeia said smiling at Harry.

Harry looked up at Sirius shyly who kissed his forehead and nodded his head telling him that it was okay Harry looked back at the woman, Cassiopeia. "I-I'm H-Harry." Harry said shyly looking at Cassiopeia through his eye lashes. Cassiopeia smiled at Harry and held her hand out to him. Harry looked at the hand weary at first before he slowly held out his own hand and slowly shaking her hand. "Harry how about I go and get you some clothes and some toys for you to play with while these three men talk?" Cassiopeia asked. Harry looked at her started before clutching onto Sirius tighter shaking his head.

"Its alright Harry I'll make sure your okay and I'm not taking you away from Sirius I promise we're just going to get you some proper clothes and some toys for you to play with while Sirius catches up with his grandfather's and don't worry I'll put a Glamour Charm on him so no one will recognise him." Cassiopeia assured her worried grandson. Sirius looked from his grandmother to his grandfathers who he knew he needed to have a talk with and set up stronger Wards to better protect Harry and clean the rest of the house so that it is a clean environment for Harry to live in and he knew that his grandmother will protect Harry with her life and that she was the one who trained all of the younger Blacks in Defensive and Offensive spells so Harry would be more than safe with her.

Sirius sighed as he turned his attention to Harry hoping not to upset his little godson. "Harry how about you go with Cassiopeia to get some new clothes and some toys so you can play with them when I'm busy I don't want you to be bored and just sitting quietly in a chair like you were to day. I want you to be a child Harry, but I know that will take time. But I promise you that I'll be right here when you get back I promise and if you go with Cassiopeia like a big boy I will be so proud of you little man." Sirius said as he ruffled Harry's hair.

"Really?" Harry asked his emerald green eyes lighting up at the thought of someone being proud of him which made the four adults hearts clench in pain as they looked at his litter face. "Yes Harry. You will be such a big boy for going with Cassiopeia and you know that you're special because Cassiopeia never lets anyone call her Cassie and you are the first person which means she likes you more than me." Sirius said pouting making Harry laugh.

"Well that's not hard is it now Sirius. Harry is a little cutie and you are not." Cassiopeia said laughing before holding out her hand for Harry. "Don't worry Harry you won't see your horrible aunt and uncle as Cassiopeia will be taking you to the Wizarding street but if you do see them if you go into Muggle London, they won't recognise you because of the Glamour charm she is going to put on you which makes you have a different eye and hair colour and Cassiopeia will take good care of you I trust her and I promise you I will not be letting you go with someone I didn't trust." Sirius said kissing and hugging one last time before helping him off of his lap once Harry had nodded.

Once Cassiopeia had placed the charm on Harry to make him have black hair and silver eyes so he looked like a member of the Black family and charmed his clothes so they didn't look so ratty. Harry and Sirius said one last goodbye with Sirius offering reassurances to Harry as he had started losing faith in the plan. Sirius saw Harry and Cassiopeia out who was carrying Harry in her arms so he could feel safer and not as frightened and also to give Sirius some peace of mind, once Cassiopeia and Harry were out of sight Sirius stopped waving and shut the front door before making his way back up to the Drawing Room where his Grandfathers were waiting for him sighing Sirius slowly pushed open the Drawing Room door, not realising he made it up to the room that fast. "Sirius will you hurry up I would have thought you would want to be done with this before Harry returned." Pollux said annoyed as Sirius was just standing in the doorway, shooting his grandfathers a glare he sat in his recently vacated chair.

"Right first off why do you have The Boy Who Lived with you?" Arcturus asked ignoring the shout from Sirius. Pollux sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose wishing he had gone from with Cassiopeia and Harry as he could tell that this was going to be a long day with Arcturus and Sirius at each other's throats all day. He sat back and conjured himself some brandy while he waited for the two childish adults to get out their petty arguing before they could actually start the talk not to mention strengthening and adding Wards to protect both Sirius and Harry and being able to make this house habitable for Harry and Sirius to live in. 'It'll be a miracle if we get anything done with those two.' Pollux thought with a sigh as both Arcturus and Sirius started trying to out shout each other.

___________________________________________________________________________________