Chapter 5: Friendships Take Time to Grow

June 28: the day Harry received his letters and first arrived in the Mediterranean

Harry and Sirius had entered the kitchen of a brightly lit villa. Harry was still suspicious of Sirius, but he was mostly excited to leave the miserable confines of Privet Drive. Very few places could be worse in Harry's opinion.

After some tea was made and many crackers with cheese were devoured, the duo sat down and Sirius began to explain his life.

"Harry," Sirius began with a hint of a sigh. "I realize you have very little reason to trust me right now. Heck, I basically kidnapped you! But I am glad you are here so that I have a chance to explain my side of the story. I just want to let you know that you can freely leave if you feel the need." Harry just continued to study Sirius. To Sirius, it felt like he was staring into his very soul.

"I will start from the beginning. When I first started at Hogwarts, I was placed into Gryffindor. My family was notorious for their blood supremacy viewpoints and being 'true' Slytherins, so I was virtually disowned after that. I felt so alone and abandoned when the letter came, but I found three strong friendships in my dorm mates. I was closest to your father and another, Remus Lupin. Peter Pettigrew was the third, but I will get to him later. We were like brothers and though we caused trouble, when we grew up, I like to think that three of us became good people. Lily and James fell in love and Lily joined our group.

"The war was raging around our time at Hogwarts, so when we left we joined the efforts. Eventually, your parents had you. You were the hope that we all needed. But then the prophecy was made. I don't know if you know about this," which Harry shook his head to before Sirius continued, "but it was about you and Voldemort. I was not told the prophecy but that is the gist of it. Your parents went into hiding to protect you. I was the obvious choice for being the Secret Keeper. Oh yeah, that's the person who protects the location under a fidelius charm so that no one else could find it. Anyways, James was like my brother which was exactly why we chose Peter. No one would suspect Peter. He mostly just tagged along. Peter, however, had switched sides. He is a very weak person. We should have known better. But we didn't.

"He betrayed your parents to Voldemort. Only myself and your parents knew of the trade, so I went after him. I should have just left with you but I was irrational from grief. Peter screamed about my supposed betrayal before blowing up the street and escaping through the sewer.

"You see, Remus was a werewolf, a great guy who was inflicted by this horrible disease. The other three of us decided to become animagus so that we could keep him company during his time of the month as we called it. Your dad was a stag, I am the dog that you saw earlier, and Pettigrew was a rat. Very fitting. Anyways, Pettigrew chopped off his finger, transformed, and fled the scene. When the aurors came I was laughing and crying in such a state of disbelief that I looked crazy. I was then arrested.

"Now, about 12 years later, I saw an article with Pettigrew as a rat on a boy's shoulder. It said that the rat was going to be at Hogwarts. I had to protect you. I turned into my dog and was thin enough to fit through the bars. I then exited the wards and was somehow able to apparate to Privet Drive. Your parents, Remus and I were able to figure out some forms of wandless magic if we were desperate enough.

"Next thing I know, I'm at a Black family vacation house after basically kidnapping you. I completely understand if you don't trust me, but I will be here for you if you do."

As Sirius ended, he watched Harry contemplate his story. He knew it was far fetched, but it was one hundred percent true. He watched as Harry gave him a final look before nodding.

"I believe you," said Harry. That was all Sirius needed before bursting into a wide grin. "And I want to stay here with you. I need to train. I don't think Voldemort is gone and I want to live. Can you please help me?"

Sirius was taken aback by the seriousness and maturity that Harry portrayed. He was shocked. There had to be a story behind that. At Sirius's confused face, Harry's shoulders began to slouch in a defeated manner. He thought Sirius would say he was too young, to let the adults take care of it.

Sirius saw this reaction and became determined. He would help this boy. He would help him feel safe and happy. And nothing anyone else tried to do would prevent that.

July 3: About One Week Later

One week later and July was upon Harry. He was having the best summer of his life with his godfather. When Harry was first taken away from his Aunt and Uncle's Sirius explained the secret keeper fiasco. Surprisingly, or at least to Sirius, Harry believed him right away. Harry's trust grew after their training started. Sirius sent an owl to Gringotts to retrieve money and then the two went book and clothes shopping. The books helped with the theory behind many forms of magic. Harry read about wards, potions, defense, and household charms. He also studied the theory behind wands and the ability to perform wandless magic. The wards at the villa, however, were not strong enough to perform underage magic so the practical lessons would have to wait until they went back to Grimmauld Place, the ancestral Black family house.

Harry also began working out with new muggle equipment. He ran and swam in the sea every day along with other strength building exercises. The boy was active and ate a lot, including a daily dose of a nutrients potion to counteract the years of malnourishment.

All in all, Harry and Sirius were looking like new people. Harry was able to take care of his health, both physically and emotionally, and Sirius was brought back to life by looking after Harry.

Harry's friendship with Ginny also began to grow. They exchanged letter after letter during the week that Hedwig barely had time to rest. The owl somehow enjoyed the exercise though. Harry had learned more about Ginny than he ever expected, and she seemed like a great person. Her sense of humor complemented his own, making each letter fun to read.

The only downside was how the rest of the Weasleys were treating Ginny. Harry had always looked up to the Weasley family as this amazing and loving group of people, but now his perception had completely changed. Ginny didn't like to talk about it, but he could tell she was hurting. She sounded so defeated and crushed in the letters. It made Harry's heart ache for his friend.

July 3

Dear Harry,

Thank you so much for responding to my letter. To be honest, I didn't really expect it. And of course you can talk to me about anything! No friendship should be only one way. I'm here for you too.

I hadn't heard about you leaving the Dursleys yet. My family hasn't exactly written to me recently. The twins did wink at me before they left, so I might get a letter from them, but they are horrible at timeliness.

I also completely understand about not telling me all the information in letters. Some stuff shouldn't be written down. Trust me, I understand. Thank you for trusting me. I have done very little to earn that trust. I feel honored.

And part of last year was my fault. I know Voldemort (it is just a name, isn't it. It's better than Tom too) and whoever gave me that diary had a hand in it, but I was the one who wrote in it. All the blame isn't on me but part of it is. I don't know how anything about last year led to me being tough, but thanks. Coming from you, that means a lot.

A basilisk is a little bit more extreme than a troll, isn't it? I'm happy that we can be friends.

As for me not being on a vacation with my family, I am staying on Fairbank Lane. The neighborhood isn't too bad. There is some land for me to wander about, nothing compared to the Burrow though. I don't know how I could survive on the next street over. Grimmauld Place just looks miserable. All the houses are dark and right on top of each other! How can muggles survive that?!

Anyways, how are you doing now that you left the Dursleys? I hope that you are happier. If you are, consequences be damned, it will be worth it.

Your friend,

Ginny

July 3

Ginny,

Thank you for letting me talk to you. I think I'm going to need that. I also appreciate your patience with me and the information. You are one of the few who understand.

Now, I have a strange request. Can you meet me near Number 20 Grimmauld Place the day after tomorrow at around 8 in the morning? If you need help getting away I could write to your Aunt if that would help, but I would prefer to keep my where-a-bouts on the down low.

For the lighter part of the letter, I am doing really well. I have started reading more and more books, and I am surprised by how interesting they are. I am also working out so that I have more endurance for duels and my magic will hopefully grow. You should try too! I'm pretty sure you'll want to get revenge on Voldemort. I sure as hell know I do.

Please write back quickly,

Harry

July 4

Harry,

Aunt Muriel would love for me to be out of the house. She also has some tea with some "high society folks" (her words, not mine) tomorrow making my dramatic escape easier and much less dramatic. I will be there, though I am skeptical. This better not be a prank.

Ginny

July 5: 1 hour before that time

Ginny was nervous. She had no idea what to expect. She didn't even know if Harry would be there! But, then again, if she couldn't trust Harry, who could she trust. He was literally, the most honest person in her life.

If this was a prank, Ginny would be furious, but if this was real, Ginny might actually have a friend! Being possessed by a form of the Dark Lord didn't really promote a bond between Ginny and her year mates, and she doubted her missed year would help. And if the events of the Chamber got out, Ginny was doomed!

Therefore, Harry's outreach was so important to her. So important, in fact, that at 7:35 when Aunt Muriel left, Ginny went ahead and began the six block trek to Number 20 Grimmauld Place.

So, what do y'all think of this for chapter length. About 200 words. That is a little bit over 4 pages single spaced with a line between paragraphs on Google Docs. I just want to clarify that I do not own Harry Potter for legal reasons. It is in my profile.

Thanks for reading! Please leave reviews. I want something to do with my life. If we weren't muggles, COVID would be easily contained. Just use bubble head charms. If it can keep out water, it could keep out bacteria.

Anonymous SS (yes, I changed my name ;) )