His hand lowered, and he sighed, reaching down to collect his things. He had enough money in his pockets for a few nights at the Leaky Cauldron. Just as he turned to slip off into the downpour once again, the door opened.
"Sirius Orion Black!" Mrs. Potter cried. "Get inside this instant before you catch your death!"
Before he could protest, he found himself hauled into the warm house. Mrs. Potter, still muttering little frets beneath her breath, cast a drying charm before pulling him into the kitchen. "There are sandwiches left over from lunch," she said. "Dinner will be a little late, I'm afraid."
Sirius opened his mouth to speak, to explain, but Mrs. Potter pushed him onto a chair.
"James!" she called. "James, dear, come down here!"
Nibbling a sandwich, Sirius looked around. The place was the same as always, still so different from his childhood home. It warm, cheerful, the way a home should have felt. A pain gripped his chest. However welcomed the Potters made him feel, he always feared that he was intruding somehow.
"Mum," James sighed, stomping into the kitchen, "what rhymes with Evans? Sevens doesn't fit, and I was thinking- Sirius?"
"Heavens rhymes better than Sirius," his mother chuckled.
Rolling his eyes, James poked his tongue out at his mother, something Sirius could never have safely done at home without a smack to the head. "You should have told me you were coming. I might have cleaned."
"Might, being the key word," Mrs. Potter muttered.
Sirius laughed. "James, I've seen your underwear on the floor before," he reminded him. "It's fine. Besides, it wasn't really planned." He shot an apologetic smile at Mrs. Potter who had joined him at the table. "I've..er, well, I've left home. And I didn't really think... That is, I need a place to stay. I'll pay room and board, mind you. I just-"
"Nonsense!" Mrs. Potter said as James said, "Bollocks, you will!" which earned him a reproachful look from his mother.
"Language, James. Sirius, you're family. You know that. You are more than welcome to stay as long as you'd like."
Sirius nodded silently, contenting himself to finishing his sandwich. He wasn't the type to get emotional, but he felt tears prick his eyes. Blinking rapidly, he fixed his gaze upon the table.
You're family.
The word had never meant much to him. Distant parents. A brother who loathed him. Manic aunts, uncles, and cousins. It was just a word that didn't hold the warmth and love it should have.
But the way Mrs. Potter said it... So soft and sweet, like it was the most natural thing in the world. It held a new meaning suddenly, one that Sirius couldn't help but cherish.
"Thank you," he whispered.
The door opened, and Mr. Potter stumbled in, adjusting his glasses. "Nasty weather out there," he called, kissing his wife. "Absolutely dreadful. James, Sirius."
He ruffled Sirius' hair, not at all put out by the boy's unannounced appearance. "Blimey, Sirius. You need a haircut."
James smirked. "About damn time- Sorry, Mum!- you had someone else to complain over."
OoOoO
Sirius sat on the bed, attempting to tackle his summer homework as James wrote sickly sweet poetry for Evans.
"How's it feel?" James asked, crumpling the parchment and tossing it at the bin. It messed, falling to the floor amongst a pile of discarded scribblings.
"How's what feel?"
The other boy grinned. "Finally coming home," he said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.