Disclaimer: As this is just a fanfic, I am not getting paid
and this is just for fun. As I'm just a fan, I don't own the rights to any of
these characters or their world.
Summary: Sirius does some babysitting.
Babysitting
Sleeping, his
cheek dug into the crib railing. It was the only thing that was keeping him
upright in the chair beside the crib. But something caught his ears. Something
loud, then something faint. A door opening. Footsteps. In the pitch black room,
Sirius sprang from the chair and pointed his wand at the doorway. Hearing
Sirius' movement, baby Harry stirred. "Shhh! Go to sleep," he whispered almost
silently. Sirius kept between the door and the crib as the footsteps grew
louder and closer. His heart leapt to his throat, and he couldn't call out.
"Whoo!
Relax, Padfoot," said James Potter, walking in with his hands in the air and
the hallway light at his back. Lily followed behind slowly. "It's just us."
"S-sorry,"
Sirius said, lowering his wand. His breathing was still hard and fast, and his
heartbeat matched. He rubbed at his face. "Sorry. I must have nodded off a
little. In the dark, with the soft lullabies and all." He yawned into a fist
and tucked his wand away. "Harry was fussy tonight. Took forever to get him to
sleep." He yawned again and gestured towards the crib.
James
clapped him on the back as Lily moved in towards the crib. She leaned over and put
the back of several fingers gently against the sleeping baby's forehead. They
all held their breath to be silent so he wouldn't wake. But little Harry did
not wake. He lay in his crib on his back, with a blanket covering his legs and
his black doggie stuffed animal clutched by the ear in one hand.
Sirius
rubbed at his eyes. "His fever went down a point," he said. "And he drank half of
the bottle you left."
"That's
good to hear," Lily cooed. She crossed her arms on top of the railing and looked
down at her son.
"Sorry we
were gone so long," James said, putting his hand on Sirius' shoulder. "It, ah,
it took longer than we thought it would."
Sirius
shook his head. "Nah, it's all right. Had to be done. And I'm happy to watch my
Godson any time you need. And you know Remus feels the same way."
James
gestured towards the hall to indicate he'd walk Sirius out. Sirius nodded and
smiled at Lily, who had taken his spot in the chair beside the crib. He looked
over at Harry one more time, then headed out with James just behind.
"Sorry
Remus couldn't be here tonight to keep you company like usual," James said,
implying heavily by his tone that he would have kept Sirius awake had he been
there.
With a
smile and nod, Sirius agreed. "So am I. But you know how
Remus is. Ten minutes around Harry and he'd come down sick by the morning."
James
chuckled as they headed down the stairs. "Yeah. And then you'd have to spend
the next couple days in bed with him, fulfilling his every need, nursing him
back to health."
Sirius
stopped at the base of the stairs and turned back. "Hmm. Doesn't sound so bad,
actually. Hold on, let me call him over here." They both laughed softly. Sirius
shook his head. "Of course I wouldn't want him feeling sick." Sirius yawned
again, into his fist. "Guess I'd better head out." Though it was a warm spring
this year, Sirius grabbed his cloak for the trip home.
"Be safe,"
James said, giving him a hug and another pat on the back. "And watch your back.
I hear there's some activity tonight."
Sirius
nodded. He'd felt that for a while that night. "I will. You take care of Harry.
Let me know if he gets any worse. I can always track down a healer even at this
time of night." He looked up the stairs, hearing silence. The silence of a
sleeping sick baby was wonderful after a night full of crying. "Though I have a
feeling he's on the mend."
"G'night," James
called as Sirius headed out, his hand in his pocket, ready and gripping his
wand.
There was a
light drizzle out as Sirius moved swiftly through the dark. He transformed into
his dog form behind a bush and raced down the sidewalks as nothing more than a
stray dog. When he'd safely cleared the village, sure he hadn't been followed,
he apparated back to his flat.
Still in
dog form, he shook off, rain-soaked fur swaying quickly one way then the other.
Their flat was dark, but he could hear snoring from the bedroom which reassured
Sirius that Remus was alive and well. He double checked the door's locks and
hung his cloak on the hook beside before heading into the bedroom.
Sirius
slipped off his shoes, shirt, and slacks in the dark as he made his way to the
bed. He knew the bedroom better than almost anywhere, and found his way across
it easily. Shivering slightly, he slipped into the bed.
Remus woke
and stirred at the movement. He tensed and reached for his wand. "It's just me.
I'm home," Sirius whispered. Remus relaxed again. He scooted up to the warm
body already resting there and wrapped his arms around it. He snuggled close,
burying his face in Remus' pajama top and hair. "Brrrr! I'm chilly. Warm me up,
Rem."
Remus
lifted his arm and held it over one of Sirius', encouraging a tighter hug. He
kept his eyes closed, hoping to be able to fall back to sleep easily. "Glad
you're home. It's late. Everything okay?"
Sirius
nodded. Spooning Remus from behind, he forced a leg in between Remus' two. He
hugged tightly and closed his eyes as well. "Just fine. James and Lily got home
late but they're fine. And Harry's getting better."
"Good,"
Remus said softly.
"Mmm, but
better now that I'm home with you." Sirius made sure the covers were tucked
around them well. Then he sighed and settled in for the night with Remus. After
a minute or two of hugging, Sirius nuzzled into Remus' hair again and nibbled
at his ear. "Fancy a middle-of-the-night shag?"
The answer
was nothing but silence.
"Rem?" He
heard Remus snore and he sat up to get a better look. Sirius smiled. "Should I
take that as a no?"
At the
movement, Remus woke again. He turned his head a little. "Sorry... fell 'sleep...
what's that?"
His arms
still tight around Remus, he used his nose to brush back to hair from Remus'
face and kissed his lover's temple. "Nothing important. You can go back to
sleep." Remus gave a weak smile and blinked tiredly. "Remus? You okay?" Softly,
Remus sighed. "You're not okay, are you?" He pulled his hand from Remus' chest
and pressed it to Remus' forehead.
"Haven't
been feeling so good all evening," Remus confessed, closing his eyes.
Sirius
sighed and shook his head. "Looks like I'll be spending the next couple days in
bed nursing you back to health anyway."
Sirius
reached beneath the pillows to find that there was a handkerchief there where
they always kept one. He looked up at the top of the headboard to the box of
tissues they kept there as well. There was a glass of water on Remus'
nightstand as well. It looked like they were already set for Remus to begin
coming down sick.
"I'm so
sorry, Sirius," Remus said, his voice wavering slightly. "I really tried not to
get sick."
"Oh hush,
Moony!" Sirius said with a light chuckle. "You can't help getting sick. And you
always do." Remus tensed and Sirius tightened his grip around Remus in a hug. "I'm
not saying you're predictable. I'm just saying that's you. And I love you.
Every part of you. So don't you go getting depressed. Just let me take care of
you."
"Like you
always do," Remus said with a sniffle. Sirius could not tell if the sniffle was
from the cold bug or Remus feeling badly for being sick. But either way, he
reached over and pulled a tissue from the box. He cupped it to Remus' nose and
wiped lovingly. Having done that for Harry what seemed like a hundred time that
day, Sirius was finally glad to do it to someone who understood what he was
doing. Harry had just cried in frustration from having a stuffy nose and his
godfather thrusting tissues at his face all day. Remus did not cry and, instead,
sighed deeply with relief and appreciation. In fact, he rubbed his nose further
into the tissues.
When Sirius
finished and pulled them away, Remus sighed. "Sorry. Feeling so sniffly
tonight. Hhhh... and..." His face fell
and his voice wavered. "Ah-annnd..."
The tone of his voice rose considerably. "ANDheh!" Two of his fingers pressed beneath his nose delayed the
sneeze a few moments, until Sirius got more tissues ready. Remus could barely
contain them a moment longer. "hehh-Chihhh!
ehhhChooo! Ehhh-Hihhhhshhh!" He rubbed his nose into the tissues again then
he relaxed against the pillows, and Sirius, again. "And a little sneezy," he
whispered, finishing his thought finally.
"Well, you
don't have to worry about that now. I'm here." He yawned, shaking his head.
"Tired, but here."
"Tired,
too," Remus said with a matching yawn.
Sirius
kissed his cheek then started petting his hair. "Shhhh," he hushed. "Go to
sleep."
Smiling, Remus
fell asleep almost immediately and Sirius drifted off moments later, keeping an
ear open just in case.