Bokuboy

I forgot to mention yesterday that the previous chapter broke the 100,000 word mark for this story.

Bertha was almost giddy with happiness at the tear filled reunion. “Harry, this man's name is Sirius Black. He was best friends with your father while at school...”

“Ughhh.” Sirius's strength wavered as the adrenaline rush abated and Harry was pretty much holding him up. Harry wasn't that strong, so the man he held must be nothing but bones.

Bertha helped Harry put Sirius back into bed.

“S-s-sorry, Harry.” Sirius said. “Azkaban prison is not a nice place to be.”

“It's left him weak and his magic has been drained daily.” Bertha said, her voice full of sadness. “It will take him a long time to recover.”

Harry nodded and wiped at his face. “Amelia told me all about you.”

“Amelia... Amelia...” Sirius whispered. “Bones? Amelia Bones?”

Harry nodded. “She's the Head of Department of Magical Law Enforcement.”

Sirius stared at him with wide eyes that looked pretty ghastly in his thin and emaciated face. “I thought Bertha working for the Ministry was bad enough.” He joked and chuckled. “Head of the Department, you say?”

Harry nodded.

“Well, at least there's someone competent working there.” Sirius said. “Harry.” He pointed to the water jug. Harry poured him half a glass and gave it to him.

“Slowly, Sirius.” Bertha said as the man tried to guzzle it. “You need a lot of potions to get you back to your old self.”

“Quiet, you bat.” Sirius said. “You still want them to put me in the mental ward!”

Bertha chuckled and Harry looked at her. “It's long term spell damage, not a mental ward.”

“Don't listen to her, Harry. They put the hopeless loonies in there.” Sirius said. “They only occasionally go in and experiment to see if anything new will work, then they leave them to be taken care of.”

Harry took the glass from him.

“If anything, I should be down on the second floor with creature and spirit damage.” Sirius said. “They just can't decide if a Dementor's long term effects should stay classed as spirit damage because it overflows into physical form.” He lifted his withered hand and he looked to be a hundred years old. “I can't wait for them to get me back to my old weight.”

Harry remembered what the Healer did at his place to Dudley and his uncle. They had steadily lost weight over a week and were only a hundred and eighty pounds each. They actually look more like brothers now instead of father and son.

“Isn't there a potion like the weight loss one?” Harry asked and both Sirius and Bertha laughed as the room door opened.

“Losing the weight is easy. It's just flushed out of the body.” The healer that had just come into the room said. “Fixing the damage of malnourishment and then getting the body to remember that it's supposed to function properly? That takes time and hard work.” She put the wash basin down on the nightstand. “I need to give you a bath...”

“I'm not kicking Harry out just so you can scrub my naughty bits, woman.” Sirius said to the healer. “It can wait until later when he has to leave.”

Bertha laughed and stood. “Sirius, listen to Healer Ela. We're going to go get some tea and have a look at the shop.”

Sirius got an angry look on his face. “I said I want my Godson to...”

“Hush.” The healer said and his words cut off. “They have to go all the way up to the fifth floor. I'll be done and gone long before they come back.”

Sirius made a rude gesture at her and Harry burst out laughing. Apparently, some things were common with both wizards and muggles. Sirius looked at him and the angry face went away. He nodded and waved, so Bertha and Harry left the room. When they reached the stairwell, Bertha spoke.

“He's actually doing very well for someone exposed to the Dementor's effects for so long.” Berth said as they climbed. “It has some of the doctors stumped and they are wondering if it's because he's been there for so long and has gotten used to it.”

Harry had read everything Hermione had found for him on them and he knew that wasn't true. He also knew they were less than alive and more than spirits. No one really knew what they were or where they came from. They just seemed to show up occasionally. They also only had one spell to keep them at bay and he had been practising a lot with it.

They went to the fifth floor and there was a cafe there. They bought a tea each and a couple of desserts, then sat down to talk about his meeting with Amelia. Bertha knew all about it, since she and Amelia talked every day; but, she wanted Harry's side of it and it was just as heartwarming as Amelia's version.

“Maybe I should get him a present.” Harry said as his eyes caught sight of the gift store.

Bertha smiled. “It's a nice idea; but, you saw his room. Where would he put anything you bought for him?”

Harry had to admit that she was right. Besides the nightstand, there was nothing in the small white room except for the bed. Then he had an idea. He gave up on buying anything at the shop, finished his tea and dessert, then bought a very fluffy and poofy cauldron cake that almost floated out of the bag.

Harry and Bertha went back down to the room and Sirius had a different hospital gown on. His hair and beard were combed and he looked loads better.

“Now, isn't that better, Sirius?” Bertha asked.

Sirius grumbled something under his breath.

“What was that?” Bertha asked.

“Nothing.” Sirius said and gave Harry a smile. “What's that I see in your hand?”

“Nothing.” Harry lied and put it behind his back with the sound of a crinkling paper bag.

“Ha! Give it here.” Sirius said and waved him over.

“I hope you're allowed to have it.” Harry said and gave him the bag.

“They'd have to pry a gift from you out of my cold dead hands.” Sirius said with a laugh and opened it. “Ah, ah, ah!” He dropped the bag and grabbed the floating cauldron cake. “You're not getting away.” He took a bite and sighed in contentment. “Dirigible plum cake.” He chewed it up and swallowed, then put the rest in the bag. “Thank you, Harry.”

Harry knew what that meant. His stomach was so small that he couldn't physically eat a lot and needed to save room for the potions he had to take. “I'll get you a proper present soon.”

“Harry, just having you willingly visit is all I'll ever need from you.”

“It wasn't actually.” Harry said and explained that he didn't know he was coming here.

Sirius glared at Bertha for a moment and sat up, then he sighed and laid back down. “I'm too tired to yell at you again.”

“Finally!” Bertha said and Harry chuckled. “I need to go and use the little girl's room.” She said and stood as she glared at Sirius. “If you have any sense, you won't discuss manly things while I'm gone.”

Sirius gave her an innocent look back.

Bertha sighed and touched Harry's shoulder, then she left the room.

“You know she's a nosy busybody.” Sirius said with a blank face.

“Yes, and she helped me a lot since the middle of summer.” Harry said and spent the next half an hour telling Sirius everything. As he talked, Sirius' eyes squinted and squeezed down until he was peering at Harry through small slits with as mean of a face as he could muster.

“Dumbledore is a brilliant tactician and one of the most powerful wizards in Britain.” Sirius said and then growled. “What... an... idiot.”

Harry was a little surprised that Sirius' angry and scowling face wasn't frightening him. He didn't know if it was because it wasn't directed at him or that Sirius' face was just normally a little mean looking like Mister Filch's was.

“Why is that?” Harry asked.

“Your mother loved her sister, Petunia... and she absolutely hated your mother right back.” Sirius said. “She would call her weird, and strange, and a freak.” His angry face lessened. “She hates magic and anyone that can use it.”

“I know.” Harry said and hung his head.

“No, Harry. Don't look away.” Sirius said and he looked back at him. “I'm sorry that Albus defied your parents and put you with her in that house.”

“Defied my parents?” Harry asked.

“The very last thing she wanted was to have you around her sister and her bigoted muggle husband.”

Harry blinked his eyes at the wording. “Sirius... you... you can't mean...”

“Petunia is a squib.” Sirius said. “That's why she hates magic so much. She should be able to cast it and she can't.”

Harry sat there, stunned. “But... but...”

“Jealousy and envy are horrible emotions.” Sirius said and then he shivered for a second and his eyes glazed over. He became deathly quiet, barely even breathing, then he rolled onto his side as he curled up into a ball and hugged his knees. “No no no nononono.”

Harry reached out to touch him as the door burst open.

“Stop, Harry.” The healer said and walked over to the bed. She waved her wand at Sirius and his body relaxed. He closed his eyes and let his knees go, even though pain was etched on his face. She rolled him over onto his back and tucked the blanket back over him.

“What's wrong with him?” Harry asked.

“A flashback, we suspect.” Healer Ela said. “He was in prison for ten years and it will leave scars that can only be dealt with.”

“You mean he won't heal?” Harry asked, worried.

Healer Ela turned to him and put a hand on his shoulder. “All we can do is try to convince him that this isn't a dream and that he really is out of prison.” She said. “He goes like this when he thinks a Dementor is going to come back to get him.”

Harry wasn't sure what to say to that.

“I think it's time to go.” Bertha said from the doorway.

“NO!” Sirius shouted, yet he was still asleep.

Harry looked at Bertha and then up at the healer, who nodded. He started to walk away and stopped, then darted over to the bed.

“Harry!” Bertha gasped as Harry took Sirius' hand against the healer's order.

“I won't leave you alone.” Harry said and shared his magic with Sirius as if they were going to apparate. He could feel a feeble response from the magic inside his Godfather that seemed to be shaking like Neville's wand. It seemed to settle down and Sirius' face changed from pain to relaxed. “I'll see you later.”

Harry let his hand go and walked over to the wall, picked up his trunk by the handle, and walked away with Bertha.

Healer Ela turned to the bed and smiled. “I guess you've got yourself a little champion to fight for you.” She said and touched his forehead to check and see if he was feverish again. He was a normal temperature and she smiled. “I am going to recommend to the head healer that Harry should visit you more often.”

The healer turned away and didn't notice the small smile form on Sirius' relaxed face.