Black's Prophecy || Book 3

Twenty Two

You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly to Harry as they made their slow progress along the tunnel. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," said Harry.

"Yes..." Sirius said. "But I'm also—I don't know if anyone ever told you—I'm your godfather."

Cordelia could see where their conversation going. Once again, the lunar marauders were walking side by side but just like before, they didn't care.

"Yeah, I knew that," said Harry.

"Well... your parents appointed me your guardian," Sirius voiced stiffly. "If anything happened to them..."

Cordelia could positively see the cogs in Harry's brain running.

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," Sirius said, nervously "But...well...think about it. Once my name's cleared...if you wanted a...a different home...with us....you know...Cordelia and Remus....if he let's me."

"He is not deranged enough to deny his daughter her father, Sirius." Cordelia said from behind them when Sirius sounded unsure.

"What—live with you?" Harry said, accidentally cracking his head on a bit of rock protruding from the ceiling. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," Sirius said quickly. "I understand, I just thought I'd—"

"Are you insane?" said Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Sirius'. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Sirius turned right around to look at him; Snape's head was scraping the ceiling but he didn't seem to care.

Cordelia scowled at him and flicked her wand to position him correctly.

"You want to?" he said. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry.

Sirius' gaunt face broke into a true smile which lightened up his face and he no longer looked as gaunt and Harry found his face strangely familiar.

He turned around to look at Cordelia once before turning back to him, "she truly does look like you..."

Cordelia smiled a little, relieved that everything was finally over but there was certain uneasiness in her stomach that she couldn't fathom.

"What about you, Cordelia? Would...would you want to...live like a family again?" Sirius asked Cordelia, the smile still on his face but she could vaguely see the fear of rejection.

"Of course, I would. " she said softly before her voice turned sharp again, "but don't think I haven't noticed the walls you both have built between you, I would prefer it if you fix it soon."

Sirius casted a glance at Remus over his shoulder and sighed softly, his eyes downcast once more.

"It'll be fine, " Cordelia said, noticing. "you will find your way back to each other. You both still love each other, more than anything in the world. You've done it before each time, have you not?"

Sirius opened his mouth but Cordelia silenced him, "Back then, you did it without even any other driving force but this time you'll have me as that driving force and.....If—if you want any help build up your relationship with him again, I'll always be there."

"I may have a hard time accepting you back in my life in a role which has been empty for so many years, " she said, but then her voice turned quiet making her friends hold onto her for moral support, "but...I do care. "

She turned her head away from Sirius and Lorenzo pulled her closer, not wanting anyone to see the moment of vulnerability.

But Sirius didn't mind, his own eyes glistening with the tears that threatened to betray his eyes at any given moment. He couldn't believe that Cordelia said that.