Chapter 369 Christmas on the Other Side
Not everyone can spend Christmas together.
Ever since he met Ron, Harry had never been lonely on Christmas, and this year was no exception. But in front of Mr. Weasley's bedside, Harry hated the gathering this year very much.
How could he be the snake that attacked Mr. Weasley when things were bad and getting weirder?
Harry couldn't figure it out, and became more and more worried about the extent of his connection and similarities with the devil. Headmaster Dumbledore, who could best guide him, always avoided him this school year, which made Harry increasingly associate himself with the Harry Potter in the newspapers who was made up of lies and cold-bloodedness.
Perhaps it was wise for Dumbledore to distance himself from him; a time bomb like him deserves to be distanced.
Harry couldn't help but think this way, and no matter how his friends persuaded him, he couldn't really get rid of this idea. However, when a person is troubled by a problem for too long, a little comfort can make him feel relieved like grasping at a life-saving straw.
He couldn't Apparate in Hogwarts, and he had been in bed until he brought the bloody news.
Harry's two best friends each cleared half of his name, and he was finally freed and could at least celebrate Christmas normally.
He received a lot of gifts, and soon received his best Christmas present: Sirius finally returned to Number 12, Grimmauld Place!
When Harry first heard Buckbeak's crisp footsteps, he thought he was dreaming, but he still left the room and saw Sirius with his arms open to him.
Harry almost immediately rushed over and hugged his godfather, his hands were full and his heart was filled with strength. Sirius, his godfather, his own family, at this moment Number 12 Grimmauld Place was completely his home.
"Sirius! You're back!" Harry hugged Sirius tightly and was surprised to find that he was no longer so thin and even felt his muscles were of good quality. He was soon happy about this and hugged his godfather even harder, who made him feel more and more secure.
"How warm, Harry, Merry Christmas!" Sirius touched his head, his voice low with pleasure, matching his plump and mature and handsome face. The unruly nature of his youth returned at this moment, and was even more full-bodied.
"You look much better." Harry looked up at his godfather, who had unknowingly become tall and handsome. He was still happy for him, but another thought came to his mind - his godfather had regained his youth, but his parents would not.
These two things put together really spoiled the mood and reduced Harry's happiness, but he couldn't stop thinking about it, because he had suffered too much misunderstanding and loneliness in recent years and wanted to gain a little sense of identity from his past love, even if it was a sad love.
And Harry felt that this idea would not offend Sirius. Padfoot missed Prongs as much as he did. Even if he said this, which would ruin the atmosphere, they would only feel sorry for James and Lily together.
"I had a great time in Country F," Sirius' eyes sparkled, and his smile deepened. He patted Harry's shoulder, who was clinging to him, "Did you receive those letters? I visited many places."
"I have received—"
The cold water that extinguished the enthusiasm came without warning, and Harry's arms around Sirius loosened. He blinked slowly and looked at Sirius, at a loss like a child who had done something wrong, "You are happy, but you..."
came back.
I returned to the unfree country Y for him.
Although Harry could not hear the portrait's crazy screams and Kreacher's dissatisfied mutterings here, he felt that those sounds had never appeared so clearly in his ears. He realized that this place that he thought was home a second ago was not good enough at all.
Sirius Black, Harry Potter and Number 12, Grimmauld Place, a warm and lively home.
Sirius Black and number 12 Grimmauld Place, a prison of bondage and loneliness.
The happiness he had at that moment was earned by Sirius at the cost of hundreds and thousands of times his time, and the best godfather in the world had already spent tens of thousands of times that time on him.
Harry thought bitterly, his joy gone, and he wished he was really found guilty and expelled from school in the summer trial, so that he wouldn't have to breathe under Umbridge's toad face and could do his best to make his godfather happy.
But it was impossible for him to achieve that. Sirius could only stay in this room and let the mildew spots crawl back onto his skin that had enjoyed the sun.
"Harry, I should come back." Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder. He bent down and looked at Harry, his gray eyes filled with determination. "And I am very willing to return to my brave godson. I believe he actually needs me."
"Sirius..." Harry lunged forward and hugged Sirius again. His strength was not as great as at the beginning, but just enough to hold Sirius and prevent him from sliding off.
"Sirius!!" Ron and Hermione went upstairs chatting, and the moment they saw Buckbeak, they stopped talking at the same time, shouted in unison, and rushed over. The three children surrounded Sirius.
"Oh, you are so enthusiastic," Sirius patted their heads one by one, "You should be so enthusiastic even when facing the fireplace in the lounge."
The four of them cuddled together for a while, then sat down in Harry and Ron's room, intending to have a peaceful chat before Mrs. Weasley excitedly prepared a feast for Sirius.
However, after all four of them had their butts on the mattress, they started to feel awkward. They couldn't start a new topic cleverly. If they mentioned the injured Mr. Weasley, Ron was here. If they mentioned Sirius's return, Harry's face would turn stiff in the next second. If they mentioned Cynthia from Country F, Sirius would probably -
"How did you get along with Cynthia White in Country F?" Ron stared at the blank portrait hanging in the room. His mind was as empty as the painting. He subconsciously thought of Cynthia White, whom Hermione had mentioned to him several times in the past six months.
Sirius would probably not be happy.
Hermione looked at Sirius, who pursed his lips slightly, thinking so in her heart, but she couldn't overcome her curiosity. She didn't let Sirius go and continued Ron's words, "We all saw the photos you sent to Harry. I wonder if you found out..."
What did she discover? Did she discover that he and Cynthia were getting closer in the photo? Did she discover that the hardness in his eyes was almost softened by happiness?
Sirius looked at Hermione who looked troubled, guessed what she was thinking, and began to criticize himself.
"Her appearance is slowly changing..." Hermione said this slowly, not daring to look at Harry's reaction. "If she looked about 70% like her before...she looks about 20% like her now. If it weren't for her silver hair and green eyes, I wouldn't have recognized her."
That's it?
Sirius was caught off guard by this question, but at the same time he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "I don't know what you are talking about," he said first. He had been with Cynthia day and night and he really didn't notice the problem Hermione mentioned. Even if he did notice it, he wouldn't care. His Miss White didn't even have facial features at first, but they were still so close. "And there's nothing wrong with Cynthia. Her personality hasn't changed at all, and there's nothing wrong with her body."
"I see..." Hermione breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that there would be no more unexpected situations in this mystery.
Hermione was relaxed, but Sirius was upset again. The child's question didn't hurt him, but his own questions cut him and made him bleed.
He and Cynthia had been living together for the past six months, and some intimate behaviors had naturally occurred, but the relationship between the two remained that of Cynthia White and Sirius Black.
This was his fault. His Miss White probably had no idea of how a relationship should develop, and when he could have pointed it out, he was blocked by the thought that "I still have to go back and face the risks".
When they were together, this problem was almost non-existent, but when they were apart, Sirius felt that the intimacy and happiness he enjoyed were not legitimate.
He also had to admit that what he wanted here was justified and had a bit of selfish possessiveness.
It is foreseeable that Miss White, who is still getting to know the world, will not stay with anyone. If he really does... then he will be swept away as a passer-by, and he will not have any legitimacy in the past, and it can even be concluded that he has never existed by Cynthia's side.
Oh, how foolish! Why didn't you make the name real in the first place?
It's okay to be a short-term lover in a despicable way.
Sirius thought so and was very sorry to find that it would be difficult for him to achieve this goal.
Because he, who had been fearless all his life, did something cowardly and irresponsible. After the carefully prepared romantic Christmas, he quietly left Cynthia after receiving the news that Arthur was injured, leaving her only a short letter.
When Sirius left, he felt that this behavior was perfect. It saved him and Cynthia from possible quarrels and heartbreak. He didn't want to force Cynthia, but he had to go back to Harry. The people around Harry were being hurt, and his godson needed him.
Now, this move was definitely a bad one. Merlin, what was he thinking? Did he think the possibility of Cynthia abandoning him was not high enough?
Sirius's head, which was clouded by personal heroism, finally became clear, but things were already irreversible.
Leaving without saying goodbye, there is nothing more fatal and irreversible in this world than this.