There was a click in the door lock but Harry ignored it and continued petting Buckbeak. It was probably someone who was coming to feed Buckbeak. They’d probably just pretend they didn’t see him and leave as fast as they could lest he attack them.

“Like Ron did last night,” he thought miserably and then chastised himself. No, that was good. That was smart of Ron. That was the whole reason Harry was locked up here, cutting himself from everyone. So Voldemort couldn’t hurt anyone through him. So he couldn’t hurt anyone. He was so immersed in his thoughts that he startled when a voice next to him asked.

“Good place to brood right? At least that’s what Moony tells me?”

Harry’s head snapped to the side and he stared open mouthed at Sirius. How did he walk that quietly? And he had sat down next to Harry too. Cross legged and munching on a sandwich that he probably got from the plate full of sandwiches he was holding. He brought the plate up to Harry’s face.

“Sandwich?” he asked through a mouthful. Harry shrugged but he couldn’t deny he was hungry. He hadn’t eaten since yesterday at lunch and it was night already. He took a sandwich quietly and took a bite.

Sirius swallowed and lowered both his hand, resting his half eaten sandwich on the plate.

“You know, I’m quite offended,” he said thoughtfully.

“Uh?”

“Yeah, I mean. I was here under the impression I gave you great god-fatherly advice yesterday. I was all chuffed. Told Moony and everything. He looked at me skeptically and I told him to wait and see and then- you know how he’s been looking at me all day long? Since you’ve locked yourself up in here? Uh? I’ll tell you how? Like I lied! Like I’m delusional! Now, you tell me! Why did you go and do that to me?” Sirius asked him with a firm glare on his face and Harry had no idea what to say. Was he serious? Harry was here worrying about killing everyone in his sleep and Sirius was worried about what Lupin thought of his godfather duties. Harry stared at him open mouthed, sandwich half-way to his mouth for a long time before he babbled.

“What? I- what?”

“Very eloquent,” Sirius raised an eyebrow. “Now, mind telling why you’re locked up here?”

Harry looked down at his sandwich and mumbled, “To protect you all.”

“Uau!” Sirius said impressed nodding his head then he shook it, “No, I still don’t see how locking yourself here with Buckbeak achieves that- and then,” Sirius shrugged, “There’s that little bit where I’m the adult and therefore the one who has to do the protection. Yep, still not seeing the logic here.”

Harry scowled at him and blurted, “We heard them, you know? I heard what Moody said, about me being possessed! I don’t want Voldemort hurting you through me! I tried to leave but Dumbledore told me to stay put! How I’m supposed to stop myself from hurting you like I did Mr. Weasley if I can’t leave?”

Sirius stared at him for a while and then shook his head snorting, “You’re not being possessed. That’s not what Dumbledore thinks-“

“Moody-“

“Is speculating. He didn’t talk to Dumbledore, I did! Dumbledore thinks you’re seeing into Voldemort’s mind and Voldemort was controlling his snake at the time,” at Harry’s skeptical look Sirius tried a different approach, “Look at this rationally. You never left your bed. Last time I checked you’re not an Animagus so you couldn’t have turned into a snake and bit Arthur, because that’s what happened to Arthur. Everyone agrees on that one. So you couldn’t have been there,” at Harry’s insecure shrug Sirius continued. “Then there is the fact that this isn’t the first time you dream of something Voldemort was doing, remember last year? When you wrote me about your scar hurting? It’s the same thing. Last year you didn’t think you had been possessed, what’s different now?”

“Mr. Weasley got hurt,” Harry mumbled. “And when we heard Moody-“

“I told you yesterday. It wasn’t your fault. You’re feeling guilty for something you’ve witnessed but didn’t do, which is the important part. Now Dumbledore said he was going to see to it that you don’t have these visions anymore. I don’t know what yet but I trust him, and you have to trust me okay? You did not do anything and you are not a danger. And if you’re still thinking you may have been possessed go talk to Ginny, from what I hear she’d be able to tell you what it feels like to be possessed.”

Harry groaned, he felt like a moron, how could have he forgotten about Ginny. Bu then he remembered how Ron fled the room yesterday.

“But they think so too. They’re scared of me, Ron didn’t want to be in the room long yesterday-“

“Ron didn’t know what to tell you- he felt awkward.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Of course I do,” Sirius exclaimed exasperated, “Eavesdropping is one of my favorite pastimes! As a matter of fact, they’re just waiting for Hermione to arrive for her to come exert what Ron called “Hermione authority” here and get you out of here. If I were you I wouldn’t wait for it. It didn’t sound pretty,” Sirius wrinkled his nose and Harry grinned sheepishly. “Eat up,” Sirius said nudging Harry’s hand. “Then go take a bath and go tell Moony how I am the greatest godfather ever. You gotta help me here kid!”

Harry chuckled and took a bite. Sirius watched him with a satisfied smile and after a while pulled him into a one armed hugged and kissed Harry’s forehead.

“You don’t worry, let us adults do that, okay?”

Harry nodded but didn’t move, this what he had needed even though he hadn’t known it. He had needed a parent to help him. To make his worries go away.

The end