The Little One with Green Eyes

10: Guilty Marigolds Part I

After the first day, though, Sirius noticed that Harry was pulling back. At first he'd been very open with the Order members, handing them flowers and smiling at them when they were near, but after almost two days, he was acting completely different.

He avoided everyone who wasn't Remus or Sirius, and seemed to be getting completely confused. He looked around, almost as if he were searching for something, and when he didn't find it, he would just shrink in on himself. It was very strange and worrying.

Sirius was brought out of his thought when a hand hesitantly tugged on his black locks. He looked down to see Harry fascinated with his hair, and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle. Even though Harry is eleven years old, his mind and body is still that of a toddler. While Sirius was sad that he would never get to see Harry grow up, being able to see Harry happy and alive (sort of) was more than enough for him.

Sirius lifted his head when the floo flared to life, and several Order members stepped through. Sirius felt Harry stiffen in his lap, and he quickly looked down in concern. This was the first time that Harry had responded to them like that, and it set him on edge.

"Has he said anything?" Moody barked, causing Harry to shrink back further. Sirius glared.

"No he hasn't," he said. "And you're scaring him, so kindly bugger off."

"Sirius!" Molly cried, aghast. "There is a child present!"

Sirius chuckled mischievously. "He won't repeat it." Molly scoffed and rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Honestly." she muttered to herself, causing Sirius to let out a full-bellied laugh that shook Harry.

Dumbledore stepped through the floo at last, and Sirius couldn't help but snicker at the sight he made. Harry had barged into a meeting the last night he'd been there without a care, not noticing the way everyone had stopped talking, and crawled into Dumbledore's lap. Dumbledore had been so shocked he stopped his instructions for how to keep Harry out of the Dark Lord's clutches while Harry stuck dozens of marigolds into his beard.

They were still tangled in his beard, and that, added onto his ridiculous robes, made the old man look laughable. Dumbledore smiled fondly at Harry, probably expecting the child to smile back and give him a hug---as he'd done before---and frowned when he saw the way Harry looked away from them.

"Is something wrong, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked, looking at him in concern. "Harry is acting rather odd."

"You noticed too, eh?" Sirius asked. "I'm not sure. This could be normal behavior for him... I mean, he's only been here for a few days..."

"And Severus has not yet returned from the Dark Lord," Albus said softly. "I fear we will just have to leave it until he comes back. We have no way of knowing how Harry usually acts."

Sirius grit his teeth at the thought. He didn't need Snivellus to tell him how to care for his godson. He was still pissed that the old bat hadn't told them about Harry immediately. All this time when they were fumbling around for the Dark Lord's weakness, they could've been with Harry.

"Have you any news?" Sirius asked, forcing himself to change thoughts, lest his wreck something.

"I'm afraid not, my boy," Albus said sadly. "Voldemort had made no moves."

Everyone reflexively flinched at the name, but Harry let out a gasp. Automatically, Sirius's grip on him tightened, his eyes darting around for danger. But there was none. Yet, Harry squirmed in his lap, more active than he'd been in a while, and looked up at Dumbledore pleadingly.

"I see Papa now?" he asked, his voice soft and quiet, but there was no mistaking his words.

Sirius sucked in a sharp breath and looked at Harry in shock. The rest of the Order stared at him dumbly, while Harry only looked at Dumbledore. Dumbledore visibly steeled himself before he responded to the hopeful inferius.