Harry Potter A New Sirius Black

Once she was gone, Sirius turned to Poppy with a stubborn, furious look on his face. "I'm not leaving him," he barked, his entire body rigid. "Do you think I'd even think about it when he's in a state like this? You can't be serious! And where do you expect me to go? I can't very well leave this room and wander around the castle, can I?" His hands went to his hips as he glared defiantly at the woman beside him.

"You know very well what I mean, Mr. Black," Poppy said, an equally stubborn expression on her own face. "You can go elsewhere in the wing; Mr. Potter's bed is the only one occupied at the moment. It will do you no good to sit here and just watch him sleep. This potion's effects last for several hours, and this rest is crucial for him. He doesn't need you to guard him every minute."

Sirius opened his mouth, a million responses flooding through his mind. Yes, he does, he wanted to scream. You have no idea what you're talking about. Someone needs to be there to guard him from the nightmares. Someone has to be there to love him, even if he's not awake to know it. You haven't failed him all these years, but I have. I refuse to leave his side, even for a moment.

But at the precise moment he was going to let his diatribe loose, the doors of the hospital wing opened, and Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley entered, making a beeline for Harry's bed. Instantly, Madam Pomfrey cast a Silencing Charm around it, and stood up to intercept them, leaving Sirius where he was. Sirius hoped with everything he had that in the meantime, Poppy would reconsider, and let him stay where he was.

She closed the curtains around Harry's bed, leaving Sirius and Harry alone. Gratefully, Sirius heaved a sigh as silence permeated his surroundings. Because of the charm, he was unable to hear the noise around the rest of the wing, and he briefly wondered what was being said on the other side of the curtain. But as he gazed upon his sleeping godson, he knew none of it mattered. He was now going to do as he had promised himself, and be the one to guard Harry from any harm that might come upon him, even if it was caused by his own mind.

.....

Ron Weasley stared into space as he sat in a chair that was situated much too far away from Harry's bed for his liking. He, Ginny, and Hermione, against their better judgment, had been convinced by Madam Pomfrey to let their friend sleep. She had told them that Harry had been awake while they were eating breakfast in the Great Hall, but now needed more rest. Ron was positive there was more to the story, but the matron wouldn't elaborate. All she did was reassure them that Harry was recovering.

Ron, Ginny, and Hermione had tried to convince her to let them go to their friend, but Molly Weasley had eventually put her foot down. She and Madam Pomfrey had compromised with them, allowing them to stay in the wing so they could at least be near him, but imploring them not to bother him. They knew Sirius was keeping watch over him, so knew someone was making sure of his comfort and safety, and that was intensely reassuring. But at the same time, Ron and Hermione in particular felt responsible for his well-being too. Harry was their best friend, and after the ordeal he had just been through, they didn't want to spend a second away from him.

After coming to this compromise, Mrs. Weasley and Bill left to return to the Burrow. Molly had been in tears, wrapping her children in a bone-crushing hug and repeatedly telling them to take care of themselves. As much as Ron sometimes felt resentment towards his mother for things like his maroon socks and the dry, boring roast beef sandwiches, it was in moments like these that he knew those feelings were stupid. Molly loved all of her children, and she tried her best to do right by every one of them. And as his mother had hugged him goodbye, Ron could feel the fear and horror radiating off her, the terror that the war which had ended fourteen years ago was soon to start again.

And now, as Ron sat in a chair with Hermione on one side of him and Ginny on the other, he felt that same fear too. He hadn't known what it was like to grow up at the height of You-Know-Who's power, but the stories he'd heard of those years filled him with raw fright. When the bloodshed and violence came to an abrupt halt, the wizarding world had celebrated for days, for the dark and devastating period in their history had finally ended. Life could go on, and healing could begin. Facing the prospect of more battles, more death, and more grief was not something anyone wanted to consider.