Chapter Text
Godric’s Hollow was just waking up but you’d never know that by the hustle and bustle in the Full Moon Diner. All the shiny red booths were full and there were only two free stools at the counter. Sirius and Harry looked at each other and wordlessly made their way over to the counter.
Remus, the proprietor, was taking someone else’s order. “Pancakes?” Sirius asked, without even opening the menu.
“It’s Thursday, pancake day,” Harry said, decisively.
“Good morning,” Remus said, coming over to them with his pad and golf pencil ready. “What can I get you?”
“Well good morning there, Mr. Lupin. We will have two orders of pancakes and…bacon?” Sirius asked and Harry nodded. “Bacon.”
“Coffee?”
“Is the sky blue?”
“Is that a yes?”
“Someone’s grumpy,” Sirius said as Remus rolled his eyes. “Yes, coffee. Please. Pretty please.”
Remus went over to the coffeemaker and brought the pot over, pouring the steaming hot liquid into the round, teal mug. Sirius inhaled deeply and took his first sip of the morning. He could feel the elixir spreading warmth through his veins.
He watched as Remus moved around the diner, taking orders and bringing the food to the tables. Sirius remembered the first time he’d come into the diner to ask for directions to the Godric’s Hollow Inn. Harry had been a toddler, and he’d been in desperate need of coffee. One taste and he was hooked. On maybe more than just the coffee. But he shoved that particular thought back into the back of his brain.
“I can’t believe it’s my last day,” Harry mused, as he took a textbook from his backpack.
“I can. You’ll do great at Hogwarts, kid,” Sirius said, ruffling his hair. Harry had been accepted into an elite prep school that Sirius knew would open a lot of doors for him. Even if those doors had been shut in his face when he wanted out of his parents’ world, he was determined that Harry would have the same opportunities that he would have if circumstances had been different.
“Yeah…” Harry said. He wanted to go. He did. He was just nervous that everyone would be as buttoned up and stuffy as his cousin, Tariq. Leaving his friends a month into the school year was certainly not ideal. But he’d been on the waitlist and a spot opened up.
“I know it’s hard…but nothing worth having comes easily,” Sirius said. He of all people knew that.
“You say that but…” Harry started, but their breakfasts arrived then. Sirius looked over at Remus to thank him but Remus just grinned a rare grin at him and winked as he walked away. Sirius felt his face heat but then Harry reached for the maple syrup and the moment was gone.
When they finished, Sirius waved Remus over to ask for the bill and a to-go cup.”No. You’ve had enough,” Remus said decisively when he asked.
“Please sir, I want some more,” Sirius said, giving Remus his best puppy dog eyes. Remus just snorted, immune as ever to his charm.
“Quoting Oliver Twist will get you nowhere,” Remus replied, as he ripped the bill off of his pad and handed it to Sirius.
“Fine. Remind me not to tip you tomorrow.”
“Don’t tip me tomorrow.”
“Bye, Remus,” Sirius said as Harry followed him out of the diner.
Sirius walked toward the high school with Harry and gave him a quick hug before they were joined by his friends, Ron and Neville. “Enjoy your last day.”
“Don’t kill anyone,” Harry quipped.
Sirius wagged his eyebrows at him as Harry headed toward the knot of his friends. “No promises!” he called. Harry gave him a sarcastic thumbs up.
He watched as Harry went into the school and turned, heading toward the Godric’s Hollow Inn.
The gardener was out front pruning the hedges and he waved as Sirius made his way up the steps. “Hey Hagrid,” Sirius said as he walked by.
“Hey boss. I saw to the horses this morning…Berta needs a new shoe.:” Hagrid called after him.
“Yeah, I’ll give the vet a call. Thanks for the head’s up.” He made his way into the mostly empty lobby. It was furnished in a classic country style with several sofas situated around a large fireplace. There were bookshelves lining the walls, full of books for the guests to borrow. The main desk was dark wood and had space enough to fit three people behind it comfortably. There were some stained glass lamps accenting the room and adding color. A computer was set up in the middle of the desk, with a printer and a bulletin board with the room keys hanging from it behind it.
Dorcas was at her usual post at the desk, fiddling with the computer.
“Morning, D,” Sirius said as he walked past the desk, into the office, to hang up his leather jacket. He straightened the collar of his button down shirt and donned his name tag - Sirius Black, Executive Manager and made his way out to the desk.
“Godric’s Hollow Inn, Dorcas speaking,” she said into the phone. After listening for a moment, she said, “No, I’m sorry…we’re completely booked.”
After she hung up, Sirius raised his eyebrow at her. “Are we completely booked? You didn’t even check.”
Dorcas shrugged. “The wifi is out again, and from what I can see, we are booked.”
“The wifi is out? Sh-sugar,” he corrected himself, glancing up to see there were a few guests hanging out in the lobby. “Alright, let me see what I can do.”
But this would require more coffee.
He went into the kitchen, where Marlene was berating some underling about putting too much salt in the soup. He slipped in quietly, determined not to intervene, even though Marlene often scared the junior kitchen staff. The coffee pot was half full and he poured himself a cup. Marlene’s coffee was good, but Remus’s was always better. Whenever he asked Remus if there was something special he did to the coffee maker or the beans, he was treated to a sarcastic reply. It was better that way though. It kept him going back to the diner, day in and day out.
Once he’d filled his mug, he realized Marlene was still going on about the salt. He touched Marlene’s shoulder. “Go easy on him, Mar…it’s not that big of a deal.”
She turned abruptly, brandishing a wooden spoon in his direction. “Not that big a deal? Sirius Black, how can you-"
“No more coffee for you,” he said, walking away quickly so he could attend to the wifi problem without being treated to a twenty minute lecture about the proper seasoning of food. He loved Marlene, but he knew how intense she could get about making the food to her exact specifications.
Back in the office, he worked diligently to figure out the wifi problem. That would be just what they needed if guests started complaining. Luckily, he was able to locate the problem pretty quickly and restart the system before Dorcas started getting complaints.
He made his way back out to the lobby when he was finished. “The wifi should be back up and running,” he told Dorcas.
“Bless you, Sirius Black,” she said.
“Probably not, but I get your meaning,’ he said, taking the spot next to her. “Do we have that group coming this weekend?”
“Yup, it’s all set. Rooms 6, 7, 9 and 10 are checking out today. Room 8 is checking out tomorrow,” she said, typing furiously on the keyboard. She turned the monitor so he could see and he nodded in approval.
“Good,” he said. With those items checked off of his mental checklist, he picked up the phone to dial the vet for Berta the horse.
Later, he stopped in the diner again for muffins to bring home. They had to leave early the next day in order for Sirius to drive Harry to school for his first day. Harry knew how to take the bus to get there on his own, but Sirius wanted to make sure everything was in order for this transition.
There was a lull and Remus was standing at the counter, going over the next week’s food order with the cook, Peter. He saw Sirius come in though, and brought over the pot of coffee.
“I thought you cut me off,” Sirius said, with a grin.
Remus shrugged. “Your body, your choice.”
Sirius almost choked on his sip of coffee and Remus put his hand on his shoulder.”Careful now…I don’t think I actually know how to do CPR.”
“Don’t worry, I do,” Peter said, not looking up from the lists spread out on the counter.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Sirius said. “Can I get two blueberry muffins to go?”
“Breakfast for dinner?” Remus asked, fishing them out of the case.
Sirius chuckled. “No…Harry’s first day at Hogwarts is tomorrow. We gotta leave early.”
“In that case, they’re on the house,” Remus said, throwing in two extras. “Tell him good luck.”
“I will,” Sirius said, his tone going soft. “Thanks, Remus.”
***
The next morning, he woke up to Harry shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see an annoyed teenager scowling at him.
“What the fuck, Padfoot? I thought you set the alarm!” he demanded.
“I…” Sirius looked around groggily. He had set the alarm. He picked up his phone from the nightstand to see that it had done an automated update and restarted, turning off the alarm.
“I can’t be late on my first day!” Harry exclaimed.
Sirius pulled his wits about him and sat up. “No, of course not…there’s a bag from the diner on the kitchen table with muffins for breakfast.”
“Ok. I started the coffee.”
Luckily, he’d washed his hair the day before so it was still halfway presentable, he thought. He’d taken the morning off, so he didn’t dress in his usual work clothes; just some ripped jeans, white t-shirt and combat boots. He ran down the stairs looking at his phone.
“If we leave in five minutes, we’ll make it,” he said and stopped short. He’d seen Harry in his uniform when they’d bought it, but now that he was wearing it for real, it made emotion swell in his chest. He just looked so grown up in the charcoal pants, navy jacket, white shirt and red tie.
Sirius no longer felt the wild grief he’d felt when James and Lily had first died. It was more a dull ache that came into prominence whenever anything changed or when Harry passed a particularly important milestone like getting his driver’s license.
Or starting a new high school.
In all honesty, Godric’s Hollow High was fine . But Sirius knew first hand how an elite school would give a leg up in the world. He’d raised Harry away from the privileged world of his youth, like he wanted to and he knew James and Lily would have. He also wanted all the doors that were open to everyone else to be open to Harry too. Since Harry wanted to play soccer in college, and pursue engineering, he wanted to give him that push to reach his potential.
“Padfoot?” Harry prompted, looking concerned.
Sirius shook away his thoughts, making a conscious effort to be present. “Ready, kiddo?”
Harry bit his lip and looked away. Then he squared his shoulders and said, “Let’s go.”
He handed Sirius his travel coffee mug as Sirius shrugged into his leather jacket. Harry put on his own leather jacket over his uniform as they locked the door and made their way to the driveway. Walking over to the motorcycle parked there, Sirius unlocked the compartment on the back. He took out two helmets, and replaced them with Harry’s backpack.
They climbed onto the bike as Sirius checked to make sure everything was secure. Harry held onto his waist like he had since he was tall enough to ride. It roared to life as Sirius twisted the key in the ignition and took off toward Hogwarts. He pulled into the parking lot, which was near the admissions office. Harry took off the helmet and handed it off to Sirius, who traded him for the backpack. It was practiced choreography between them, honed from years of practice.
It took them both a minute to realize there was a group of people on the lawn who’d stopped what they were doing to openly stare at them. Harry took his glasses out of his jacket pocket to look around, and the people went back to their bake sale or whatever they were doing. Sirius could feel their eyes though, even if they weren’t overtly staring anymore. He drew himself up to his full and considerable height, letting the years of Black family training take over. He put his hand on Harry’s shoulder and led him toward the building.
“Sirius. Fancy seeing you here,” he heard a cool voice say, from behind the bake sale table.
Sirius turned toward the table, where he saw his brother standing there, watching him and Harry appraisingly. Looking at Regulus was always sort of like looking through a distorted mirror. Regulus had the same grey eyes, dark hair and sharp cheekbones he did. But his hair was short and neat, whereas Sirius’s was long and currently pulled back. The cool look in his narrowed eyes was never something Sirius tried to pull off. “Regulus. Such a surprise,” he said, his voice dripping with forced politeness.
“You certainly know how to make an entrance,” Regulus said.
“It’s Harry’s first day. Lovely as always, little brother,” Sirius said, sweeping past him as he led Harry into the admission’s building.
Intellectually, he knew Regulus’s and his husband Kingsley’s son, Tariq, attended Hogwarts. But it didn’t really dawned on him until he was faced with his brother before even setting foot inside the school. Enrolling Harry was leaving himself open to getting sucked back into the Black family bullshit, but it had to be worth it to give Harry this chance.
Inside the office, the secretary, Ms. Fawkes told them to wait. Harry fidgeted nervously. “Is this going to be a place full of kids like Tariq?” Harry whispered. They got together with Regulus, Kingsley and Tariq maybe twice a year, so Harry knew his ‘cousin’ enough to find him boring and stuck up.
“It’s a big school…I’m sure there’s a lot of different types of people here,” Sirius said placatingly, putting his hand on Harry’s shoulder. While that was technically true, the world these kids came from was small and insular, and didn’t always take kindly to outsiders.
“Harry Potter?” Ms. Fawkes said, approaching them.
“Show time,” Sirius whispered and Harry chuckled, easing some of his tension.
She walked them to the Headmaster’s office, where there was an older man sitting at a desk. He stood as they entered, smiling kindly at both of them. Harry had been in here when he came for an interview, but Sirius had had to wait outside. He looked around now and the shelves of leather bound books and certificates mounted on the wall. It reminded him in passing of his father’s office in the way it exuded academic success and wealth.
“Mr. Potter, it’s a pleasure to welcome you finally as a student,” Headmaster Dumbledore said, offering his hand.
Harry took it and turned on the charm in a way that made Sirius’s chest swell with pride. “Thank you sir, I’m happy to be here.”
“And you must be Mr. Black,” he said, turning to Sirius and shaking his hand. He had a strong grip, one his father would approve of. Sirius sighed inwardly. He hated that being in this space reminded him so much of his parents and the world he fought so hard to leave. “I know your family quite well.”
Sirius detected a challenge behind the benign smile. He wondered what Regulus had told this man about him. “Yes, I am. Thank you for having us.”
Headmaster Dumbledore inclined his head and gestured for them to sit in the two seats facing his desk. Harry perched on the edge of his and Sirius did the same. Normally, he would have slouched into the chair just to be difficult, but he wanted to set a good example. He didn’t want to cause trouble for Harry on his very first day.
“Well, Harry, you will have some catching up to do since it’s already a few weeks into the semester, but I have now doubt that a student of your…calibre…should be up to doing so.” As he said this, his eyes slid toward Sirius, taking in his ripped jeans and leather jacket. Sirius stared at him defiantly.
“Harry will be well prepared for his classes, I can assure you,” Sirius said. Harry looked at him nervously, as though afraid he was going to cause a scene. And perhaps a younger Sirius might have. But he was determined to keep himself together. “I have no doubt he will be in good hands.”
“Yes, well...enough talk! Harry, let’s get you started with your day. Here’s your schedule and locker assignment. I have a student ambassador waiting to escort you to your first class,’ Headmaster Dumbledore said, going over to the door and opening it.
Harry and Sirius stood. “Have a good day, kiddo,” Sirius said, squeezing his arm. “I’ll come pick you up later.”
“I can take the bus,” Harry said.
“Are you sure?” Sirius asked, wrongfooted.
“Yeah.”
He could feel the warring impulses - wanting to protect Harry, and wanting to let him have some freedom. “Alright…text me though if you change your mind.”
There was an eager looking girl standing at the desk talking to Ms. Fawkes with bushy dark hair and bright brown eyes. “You must be Harry. I’m Hermione Granger, the student ambassador. I’m here to take you to your class.”
“Oh…ok,” Harry said, and he looked back at Sirius, who smiled encouragingly as Hermione led him away.
“Thank you, Headmaster,” Sirius said.
“You know, Harry is expected to follow all of the school rules,” Dumbledore said as Sirius zipped his jacket.
“What is that supposed to mean?” Sirius asked, with an edge in his voice.
“I’ve heard a bit about his…unorthodox…upbringing,” he said.
“So? Do you believe everything you hear?” Sirius asked, raising an elegant eyebrow.
The two men stared at each other for a tense moment until Dumbledore conceded. “Of course not.”
“Good.” Sirius said, stalking out of the office.
He brushed past the desk on his way out. The bake sale was in full swing as he made his way to the parking lot. He was already reconsidering this whole prep school thing when he saw Regulus waiting for him at his motorcycle.
“Couldn’t be bothered to dress properly, I see,” Regulus said, looking him up and down.
“Didn’t realize taking my kid to school was a black tie event,” Sirius said, his temper simmering under the surface.
“Well, I certainly hope to see you at the next PTA meeting. I’m the president, you know.”
“I can guarantee I won’t be there,” Sirius snorted.
“You know there’s a parent engagement requirement, right?” Regulus asked with a small smirk.
“I…definitely know that,” Sirius said, securing his helmet. It figures that a school like Hogwarts would all but force parents to be around all the time. It wasn’t enough that the parents had to pay the astronomical tuition.
“Good. I’ll see you next week then,” Regulus said as he swept away, getting the last word. Sirius didn’t respond. He just revved the engine instead.
***
Harry walked next to Hermione, only half listening as she chattered to him about the different classes on his schedule and facts about the building. He’d caught a negative vibe between the Headmaster and Sirius, but he wasn’t sure what was going on there. He put the thought out of his mind as they approached one of the classrooms.
“Well, here we are. English Lit with Professor McGonagall,” Hermione said, pausing next to the door.
“Do you have this class too?” Harry asked, nervously fiddling with his uniform tie.
“Yup. C’mon…it’ll be fine.”
Harry took a deep breath and followed Hermione into the room. Professor McGonagall was reading a Whitman poem aloud but she stopped when they entered.
“Ah, Ms. Granger. You’ve brought Potter, I see,” she said, peering over her glasses at them.
“I did, Professor.”
“Take a seat, Ms. Granger,” she said, looking over as Harry stood awkwardly in front of the room. “There’s an available seat over here, Potter.”
Harry sat down in the seat she indicated, in front of a blonde boy who was sitting between two larger, mean looking boys. He could see his cousin Tariq sitting a few rows over, closer to where Hermione sat. Harry could feel the other students’ questioning stares but he held his head high and took out a notebook and a pen. Professor McGonagall placed a poetry anthology on his desk and he opened it to the page she indicated.
“I don’t know why they keep letting more new people in,” he heard a murmur behind him. Harry sat up straighter. “I guess they can’t let that scholarship money go to waste.”
At this, Harry turned around. “Is there a problem?” he whispered.
“No of course not,” the other boy whispered with a smirk.
“Malfoy. Potter. Please do not interrupt the class.”
“Sorry Professor,” Malfoy said. Harry could feel his cheeks burning.
When the bell rang, Hermione came back to fetch him. “I see you’ve met Draco Malfoy,” she said.
“I suppose,” Harry responded. He wasn’t much in the mood for chatting, so he let Hermione continue talking as they walked to their next class. “You don’t have to babysit me, you know.”
“I know,” Hermione said with a shrug. “But I am a student ambassador. And this place can be a little…awkward…as a new person. So I don’t mind.”
At this he smiled. “Got it. So who do you have for Bio?”
By lunch, Harry was exhausted. At Godric’s Hollow High, he was never required to work this hard. But that was part of the point, he reminded himself. When he and Sirius had discussed this move, Sirius had told him straight up that some of the people would be snobby and that the schoolwork would be much more challenging. He was right on both counts. In some ways he wished Ron and Neville could have come with him. But this wouldn’t have been for them. They would have hated this whole experience.
He looked around the cafeteria. This was the moment of truth. Where would he be allowed to sit?
He didn’t want to take advantage of Hermione’s clear willingness to include him. She should have time with her own friends. But the only other person that stood out in his memory was Draco Malfoy, and he certainly wasn’t going to sit with him. Tariq was sitting a few tables down, watching him. Harry caught his eye and Tariq nodded slightly to him and pushed an unoccupied chair with his foot.
Harry took the cue and sat down at the table. Two of his friends were arguing animatedly about an upcoming soccer game but stopped when he sat down. They looked at Tariq questioningly. “Harry, this is Blaise and Theo. Guys, this is my cousin, Harry.”
The two other boys sized him up. Harry sighed inwardly. He was getting that a lot today. “You play soccer?” Blaise asked.
“Yup,” Harry said, taking out his lunch.
“What position?”
“Midfield,” Harry said, beginning to eat. It was half of a French dip sandwich he’d gotten the other day at Full Moon Diner and he couldn’t eat it fast enough.
“There’s been some injuries…have you met Coach yet?” Theo asked.
“No…Where can I find him?”
“Her,” Blaise corrected. “Coach Hooch has an office near the gym.”
“Thanks,” Harry said, hiding his surprise.
“We could use some new blood,” Tariq said, without looking at Harry.
This was probably the best endorsement he was going to get from his cousin, but he took it in stride. After Draco’s jabs in English Lit, then later in Bio, he was wondering if he’d made a mistake in leaving the relative safety and comfort of his old school. But maybe there was a glimmer of hope of maybe fitting in here.
***
Sirius looked at his phone.
Harry: I’ll meet you at the diner at 5.
Padfoot: Sounds good.
He slipped the phone back into his pocket as he walked into the empty diner. He could hear Remus and Peter talking in the kitchen. The door had chimed so they wouldn’t be surprised that he was there when they came back. He sat down heavily on a counter stool and ran a hand through his hair. He half expected to get an SOS text from Harry sometime during the day, but it didn’t come. That, at least, was positive.
“Coffee?” Remus asked. Sirius started a little; he hadn’t heard him come out of the kitchen. He looked up at Remus and nodded slowly. Remus smiled softly as he filled his mug. “You look like you need it.”
Sirius huffed a little, feeling his stress melt away under Remus’s amber gaze. “Yeah…seeing my brother has that effect on me.”
“Wanna talk about it?” Remus asked, getting a plate of croissants and offering it to Sirius. Sirius tried to demure but there was something comforting on the way Remus was looking at him.
He sighed. “I had a run in with my brother at Harry’s new school.”
“Ah,” Remus said, nodding knowingly as Sirius inhaled deeply before taking a sip of coffee. “Sounds like you need something stronger than coffee.”
Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Why Remus…”
Remus chuckled. “I don’t have a liquor license though, unfortunately for you.”
“You can’t tease a guy like that,” Sirius said with a wink.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“My brother is still part of my parents’ world.”
“The rich people,” Remus said baldly as he checked the napkin dispensers before dinner.
“Yup,” Sirius said. “I’ve stayed away for years but with Harry at Hogwarts…we’ll see.”
“At least now you get to do it on your own terms,” Remus pointed out.
Sirius digested that. “Yeah. That’s true.” He was an adult now, not the scared kid who’d run away to James and his family all those years ago. They smiled at each other and Sirius could feel warmth spreading in his chest.
The door chimed and they both started out of whatever reverie they’d been caught in. Harry came in, looking exhausted. He sat down next to Sirius, dropping his backpack next to the stool.
“Hey kid…how’d it go?” In reality, Sirius was burning with curiosity but he knew the best way to push away a teenager was by asking too many questions.
“It was ok,” Harry said. “I’m hungry.”
“Got it,” Sirius said, squeezing Harry’s shoulder. “Hey Remus, can we get…” he looked at Harry. “Two cheeseburgers?”
“You got it,” Remus said, jotting it on the pad and passing it to Peter. He came back over to them. “Coffee?” Harry nodded and Remus passed him a cup of coffee.
As Remus was bringing out their food, the phone rang.