Harry Potter A New Sirius Black

Harry regained consciousness slowly, sensation beginning to return to him. He yawned and rolled over, and the first thing he discovered was that there was a huge something lying atop his feet. After stretching, he gingerly put out his hand, and thankfully, his glasses were sitting on the nightstand. Picking them up, he placed them over his face.

It was then that he saw the enormous black dog sleeping on his bed, his mouth emitting loud snores. Sirius. A tiny smile found its way onto Harry's face as he saw his godfather's chest rise and fall in slumber. As a dog, he couldn't look more relaxed if he tried, and Harry wondered fleetingly if a dog could have nightmares like a human could.

At that thought, he was bombarded with a sudden influx of memory. Cedric's face, still frozen in that final, desperate look of helplessness and fear despite the fact that his gray eyes were now closed; the Diggorys, stricken in their debilitating grief; Harry's promise as he looked into the older teen's face, his vow to fight on, to never forget; the sudden feeling of lightheadedness, the realization that this was all too much, and he just couldn't cope anymore; all sensation leaving his body as he lost consciousness, and a pair of strong arms catching him as he fell into darkness.

Overwhelmed, Harry buried his face into Sirius's soft fur, wishing with all his being that he could just sink forever into the comforting warmth and never reemerge again. His hands began to stroke the dog rhythmically in an attempt to protect himself from the feelings surging up in him, clawing at his insides.

Then, Sirius suddenly moved, and Harry knew he was waking up. Embarrassed at his childlike behavior, Harry sat up instantly, and he removed his hands from the dog's soft fur.

Slowly, the dog sat up too, and he also yawned and stretched. He then gently placed his paws on Harry's knee, conveying a silent message of support. He then proceeded to look Harry directly in the eye, and his face morphed into a tender expression. Even though it was on the features of a dog, it seemed to capture Sirius's emotions towards Harry perfectly. His mouth opened, and a gentle barking sound escaped his lips.

For a reason that was unknown to Harry, the simple "woof, woof" sound Sirius made caused a well of emotion to rise up inside of him. Without being able to help it, his hands sank themselves into the soft fur again, and he stroked it as Sirius continued to bark. As the sound repeated, a smile pulled at the corners of Harry's mouth.

After another few soft barks, Harry felt a ripple travel through the dog's body. He took his hands from the fur once again, and within a few heartbeats, the human Sirius was sitting next to Harry on the bed, a warm grin on his face as his eyes crinkled in affection.

"Did you know," he said softly as he rested a hand on Harry's shoulder, "you used to love when I did that when you were a baby?"

Harry looked at him in surprise. "Really?" he asked.

"Yep," Sirius replied, his smile widening. "In fact, whenever I began barking, you'd laugh hysterically at the sound. You could be asleep, and I'd come into your nursery and start woofing at you. And no matter what, the noise would provoke the same reaction in you. Oh, the amount of times your mother would yell at me to let you sleep! But alas, I would do no such thing. I'd tell her you'd be content to let me say woof, woof to you the entire day, and never get tired of it."

Harry's cheeks flushed with embarrassment, but he couldn't help the pleasure he felt at this new information. Those fifteen months he had spent with his parents and their friends ... he had no real memory of them. But then, the feelings that had arisen at Sirius's barking came into his mind, and he wondered if the memories were still there somehow, buried beneath the surface. He also recalled the sense of comfort and security Sirius had brought to him the night before, and it gave him even more reason to think this was true.

"You truly were the cutest little baby," Sirius said as he continued to smile fondly at his godson. "And you have grown up into one of the bravest people I've ever met." The smile suddenly vanished, to be replaced with a look of profound sadness. "I am so sorry, kiddo," he said softly. "I wish I could have done something to help you with the Diggorys this morning. But I want you to know," he continued as he squeezed Harry's shoulder, "that I was with you the entire time. You did more than anyone could have expected of you, and I truly couldn't be prouder."

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