Sirius sat on the edge of the bed, staring down at Abigail. He knew what had to be done. The problem was how to make her see it was for the best.

“Abby, come on sweetheart, wake up.” Sirius leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead. Brushing her hair back off her face, he wished he didn’t have to do this. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her.

As he stroked her cheek, she leaned into his touch in her sleep. Sighing, Sirius again called her name.

“Sirius?” she asked, her voice sleepy and soft. “Why are you up so early? You’re not leaving again so soon, are you? You just got back last night.” Abby’s voice was stronger now; it also held the hint of fear.

“Yes, but that’s not why I want you to wake up. We need to talk about something. I should have told you this last night, but I… got distracted.” Sirius had to smile as he thought of just what had distracted him.

“Sirius, you’re scaring me. Please, tell me no one else has been killed. Oh, no, please tell me Lily and James are all right.” Abby’s voice held a note of desperation along with the fear he had heard before.

“Lily and James are fine. Harry, too. It is something else I need to talk to you about.” Sirius stood up and walked over to the window. As he looked out, he heard Abby getting out of bed. She walked up behind him and put her arms around him, laying her head on his back.

Carefully, so as not to hurt her more than he was already going to, he broke out of her embrace. As expected, he saw the brief flash of pain in her eyes.

“Abby, I want you to go to America. I want you to leave immediately. Before you say anything, please hear me out.” Sirius took her hand in his and led her back to sit on the bed.

“It’s getting to dangerous for you to be here. Lily and James are in hiding but it may not be enough to keep them safe. There is a plan in the works and I am part of it. I won’t lie to you, I will be in danger. I don’t want you here, where you could be targeted.”

“No one but James and Lily know we are married. We made sure everyone else who either knew we were seeing each other or even suspected we were seeing each other thought we broke up. We made sure of that. I don’t want to leave you. Please, anything but that.” Abby’s eyes filled with tears. She knew deep down that she would be leaving today for America no matter what argument she used.

“Abby, I need to do this to keep James and Lily safe. I need to know you are safe so I can concentrate on keeping my best friend alive. Please, do this for me. If not for me, then do this for Harry. He shouldn’t have to grow up without his parents.” Sirius felt horrible about using Harry against her. He knew that little baby held Abby’s heart in his hands. Sirius was desperate, though; he had to keep Abby safe.

Though she thought it was low of him to use Harry, she took a deep breath and said the words that would forever change her life.

“Okay, I’ll go.”

***

Five hours later, Abby found herself on an airplane alone on her way to America. By magic, she created a passport and once they were at the airport, it was a simple matter of getting a one-way ticket to America. If she wasn’t travelling so far, she could have Apparated. But, this combined with the fact she didn’t know where it would have been safe to Apparate to, made the decision of taking an airplane the only logical choice.

Sitting back in her seat, she stared out the window of the plane as she thought back to the scene at the airport gate.

“Promise me you will write back to me once I send you my address. Please, give it to Lily, too. I know it will be strange for you to use the Muggle post, but I doubt you can find an owl to fly across the pond.” Abby tried her best to smile at her feeble joke.

“Abs, I’ll write you,” Sirius said as he held her around the shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. “I can’t promise to write everyday. I may not even get your letters right away. I don’t know how often I will be able to check that Muggle box you and Lily got me for mail. I will do my best, though.” Sirius smiled down at her.

Hearing her plane announced over the loudspeaker, Abby leaned up to kiss Sirius goodbye. She hated the feeling that this would be the last time she kissed him. Deciding not to dwell on that, though, she put everything she couldn’t say into that one kiss.

“I love you,” she murmured against his lips.

“I love you, too.”

Turning away, Abby walked through the gate. She only let herself take one quick glimpse back at her husband before she hurried to board her plane.

“Miss, would you like anything to drink?” the stewardess asked her, breaking into her memory.

“No, thank you. I don’t want anything.” she replied. At least nothing you can give me, she thought. She then gave in to the tears that had been threatening since she walked away from Sirius, from her husband, from her life.

“Harry, that kid is standing outside again.” Ron’s voice carried across the room to where Harry was trying to stuff all his papers into a battered briefcase that Mr Weasley had loaned him. He thought to himself that he really should replace this briefcase.

“Why didn’t I have Hermione show me how to do that charm she did on her purse to make it hold so much?” Harry voice sounded frustrated.

“Harry, did you hear what I said?” Ron asked.

“What? Oh, yeah, I heard you. So, what? I’m sure he isn’t a Death Eater, Ron. He’s probably just lost, or waiting for someone.” Harry gave up and shoved the remaining papers into the inside pockets of his robes. “We have to get going; we should have been at the Ministry ten minutes ago. If you are so worried, we’ll Apparate from the top step. No one will see us leave.” Harry stood and walked towards the door.

“I’m telling you, there is something wrong with that kid,” Ron stated as he followed Harry into the hall.

Opening the front door of number twelve Grimmauld Place, Harry and Ron stood side-by-side on the top step. Both turned on the spot and Disapparated.

As soon as the young man heard the distinctive crack of someone Apparating in the vicinity, he knew spending anymore time watching for the inhabitants of the house was useless for now. He too then turned on the spot and vanished.

***

Having finished their meeting with the Minister of Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry and Ron decided to visit George at his shop on Diagon Alley. As they walked into the Leaky Cauldron, they were both greeted by Tom, the owner.

“Mr Potter, Mr Weasley, how good to see you again. Can I get you anything?” Tom smiled at both of them.

“Not now, Tom. Right now, we’re going to see George. We’ll stop back later for that drink.” Harry smiled back at Tom apologetically. It did not matter how many times he told Tom to call him Harry, he still insisted on calling him Mr Potter.

Walking out the backdoor, Harry drew his wand and tapped the proper bricks to open the gateway to Diagon Alley.

Neither Harry nor Ron noticed the dark-haired young man watching them intently from his seat by the window. Deciding to give them a minute to get through the doorway to Diagon Alley before he followed, Skylar finished his drink.

As Harry and Ron stepped through the archway, they joined the crowds that were bustling up and down the street. Harry was reminded of the first time he ventured here accompanied by Hagrid. There were almost as many people shopping today as there were on that day.

Gone were the stalls selling the fake protective items that had lined the streets a few years ago. Most of the stores that had been closed during Voldemort’s last reign of terror were open again and from the looks of the crowds, flourishing.

Harry was pleased to see Fortescue’s Ice Cream Parlour was open again. The sign in the window said it was being run by Florean’s daughter, Francesca. Even Ollivander’s was once again open.

Even with all the shops open again, George’s store was still the most eye-catching. There were still brightly coloured posters in the windows. Though the poster for U-No-Poo was gone, the ones that took its place were just as fascinating.

When Ron opened the door, there wasn’t the usual bell sound, instead there was a shriek of laughter.

“Some doorbell, huh?” Ron said smiling.

“Ron, Harry, what are you guys doing here?” Lee Jordan asked them.

“We had a meeting at the Ministry so we thought we would stop by and see George,” Harry answered.

“He’s upstairs.” Lee looked around before he continued, his voice dropping to almost a whisper. “He isn’t alone up there. He is having lunch with Angelina.” Lee smiled.

“Angelina Johnson? Fred’s girlfriend?” Ron voice showed his surprise.

“Yep, that’s the one. She started coming in a couple weeks ago, and they have been having lunch together every couple days. I think she is good for him. He seems more himself when she is around.” Lee explained.

At that moment, George came down the stairs and into the shop. “Ron! Harry! What are you two doing here? Come to spend some of your hard-earned money?” George laughed.

“Naw, just stopped by to see you. And to tell you Mum is planning a birthday party for Fleur and she wants you to be there,” Ron answered. “You can bring Angelina; I’m sure Mum wouldn’t mind.” At George’s look of panic, Ron and Harry burst out laughing.

“I…She…We…” George’s face turned bright red as he struggled to speak. The result was more laughter from Ron and Harry.

“Well, I’ll ask her.” George said finally. “Come on, let me show you the newest things we have. It wouldn’t hurt you to spend some money in here, you know.”

Over the next half hour, George showed them all the new things he and Lee were carrying. Both Harry and Ron couldn’t resist buying some of it. When they were ready to leave, George, smiling, told them he would be at Fleur’s party.

*****

Skylar watched as both men went into the store called Weasley Wizarding Wheezes. Standing back as not to be seen, he waited until he saw them approach the door to leave. He then made his way quickly back to the Leaky Cauldron; he wanted a good seat to watch them when they arrived back there.

*****

“Harry, I know I saw that kid watching the store while we were in there,” Ron stated emphatically. “Look, there he is up ahead of us. Let’s see where he is going.” Ron’s pace quickened to keep the stranger in sight.

Sighing, Harry hurried to keep up with Ron. Seeing the young man go through the archway to the Leaky Cauldron, Harry got the feeling maybe Ron was right. It did seem as if there was something going on with that kid.

As soon as they entered the main room of the Leaky Cauldron, they spotted the young man sitting at one of the corner tables. Going up to the bar, Harry decided to ask Tom about him.

“Tom, that boy in the corner, what do you know about him?” Harry asked Tom as he served their Firewhisky.

“He is a wizard from America. Got a funny name, let me think… Sawyer? Sebastian? No, Skylar, that’s it. Skylar. He is staying upstairs. Says his mum was from around here, but moved to America before he was born.” Tom smiled at them before he hurried down to the other end of the bar to serve someone else.

“Harry, he is staring at us. He hasn’t taken his eyes off us since we came in.” Ron’s voice sounded aggravated.

Harry stood suddenly and walked over to the young man. Ron scrambled to follow.

“Hi, my name is Harry, Harry Potter. Is there something I can help you with? Are you looking for someone?” Harry tried to sound pleasant, but he wasn’t sure he was able to.

“Actually, I am looking for you. I have a few questions for you about my father. I have been told you were with him when….” Skylar paused briefly, “he died.”

Harry stared at the boy. His mind was going crazy trying to figure out who this boy’s father could be. He looked achingly familiar but Harry couldn’t quite place him.

Skylar’s hair was shoulder length and dark brown, but it was his eyes that made Harry pause. His eyes were grey; the same exact shade of grey as… Sirius’s. Harry’s mind exploded with the possibilities. Sitting down across from the boy, Harry took a few deep breaths before he started asking questions.

“First off, what’s your name? Who is your father?” Even to himself, Harry’s voice sounded angry.

Ron looked down at Harry in surprise. He didn’t understand where the anger in Harry was coming from. He decided it might be a good idea to sit next to Harry in case things got out of hand.

“My name is Skylar, Skylar Black. My father was Sirius Black.” Skylar knew these words would be met with shock and disbelief. After all, the only two people who knew of his parent’s marriage were this man’s dead parents. Skylar was prepared for the questions he knew were coming.

“I think we should take this conversation somewhere private. I have a room upstairs if you would like to go up there.”

“Yeah, I agree this is not something we should discuss here. Let’s go upstairs.”
Harry stood up and followed Skylar up the stairs.

The three of them proceeded upstairs to Skylar’s room. Harry didn’t know what he had been expecting, but he knew he did not expect this stranger to tell him he was the son of his godfather. A son, who no one knew about. This had to be a mistake or some sort of joke or scam. Harry knew he would not believe this man without definitive proof, maybe not even then.

As they walked up the stairs, Ron whispered to Harry, “Harry, I don’t think this is a good idea. What if it’s a trap?”

“Ron, I don’t think this is a trap, but if it makes you feel better, keep your wand in your hand,” Harry hurriedly whispered back.

“It’s already in my hand.” Ron moved his hand out from the folds of his robes to show Harry.

*****

Skylar could hear exactly what was being said behind him. He expected no less. Since arriving in London a week ago, he had learned quite a bit about one Harry Potter and what he had gone through in his youth.

However, it was his father’s life he was concerned with. What facts he could find out were mostly from old copies of the Daily Prophet. These stories were obviously not flattering.

Skylar’s mother had told him what his father had been accused of, but she had also told him he was innocent. Reading through the stories, he wondered if the truth was somewhere in the middle of the two sides of facts he knew.

*****

As they reached the top of the steps, Harry noted that Skylar was opening the door to the same room he had stayed in when he had run away from Privet Drive when he was thirteen.

Upon entering the room, the first thing Harry noticed was the stack of old Daily Prophets lying on the dresser. Walking over, he lifted the top one. The picture on the front was of Sirius from when he escaped from Azkaban. He turned with the paper in his hand and looked at Skylar.

Looking Harry directly in the eyes, Skylar said simply, “I want to know the truth.”

“If you want the truth, then you’ll have to answer a few questions first.” Harry turned and replaced the paper on the large pile.

“I can and will answer all of your questions, at least as much as I can with the limited knowledge I have. But first, tell me one thing…” Skylar paused and Harry could tell he was struggling over what he was about to say. “My mother always told me my dad was this wonderful, brave man. Was he?”

Harry looked at the young man standing before him. He knew what it felt like to want to know everything about a parent you had never known. Though Harry wasn’t sure if he believed Skylar’s story, he felt a strange kinship to him.

Answering truthfully, Harry said, “Yeah, he was a very brave man.” Deciding it may be best to hear the explanation before dismissing the claims made by Skylar, Harry continued, “I don’t understand how you could be Sirius’s son. Sirius had no children.”

Harry could tell Skylar was trying not to let his bitterness show in his tone when he said, “He never knew about me. My parents were married in secret almost eighteen years ago. Your parents were the only ones other than the wizard who performed the ceremony who knew they had been married.”

Ron jumped on this fact. “Isn’t that convenient? No one knew. So no proof, right? Makes it easy for you to claim to be Sirius’s son, doesn’t it?”

“Ron, all marriages, even those performed in secret are automatically recorded at the Ministry of Magic. I’m sure if we asked Kingsley, he would let us examine the records from that time and prove one way or another if this is the truth.” Harry wondered if Skylar knew this fact, and his next words confirmed he didn’t.

“I didn’t know there were records like that.” Skylar stopped speaking at Ron’s snort. Glancing over at Ron, he continued, “Then the record of their marriage will be there. That will at least prove to you they were married.”

“What’s the date they were married on?” asked Harry.

“October thirteenth, 1980. I remember my mom telling me it was a full moon that night. She never did explain why that made a difference or why that was so important.”

Harry and Ron looked at each other. Harry could tell by the look on his face that Ron knew the reason the full moon would have been important, just as he did. It was a way to make sure Remus was not there. Harry remembered the night in the Shrieking Shack when both Sirius and Remus confessed to not trusting each other. Both had thought the other was the traitor.

“Why didn’t your mother come with you? Or is she here and just in a different room?” Harry asked.

Skylar didn’t answer right away. Finally after drawing a deep breath, he said, “My mother died a week after my father. She received a letter from someone named Albus telling her he was dead.”

“I’m sorry,” Harry said sincerely. Though Harry was an orphan also, he knew it was much harder for this boy than it was for him. Skylar had years with his mother to know her and to form a bond.

“I have all the letters my mom received. A few from Sirius, two from that Albus person, several from a friend of my mom’s named Sarah, and…” Skylar paused, “your mom, Harry. There are three from her.”

Harry’s face showed shock. There were letters from his mum? His mind raced as he thought about the only letter he had read that his mum had wrote to Sirius. He wanted to read these letters, but something held him back. Yes, he wanted to read them, but he didn’t want to read them with Skylar watching him.

“I know you want to read the letters. I’ll give them to you to read. I think, however, you should read them in order. I understand you want to read those from your mom first, but this whole thing will make more sense if you read them in the order they were written.”

Skylar looked at Harry before continuing, “I wish there was a way you could read the letters my mom wrote, but it’s obvious they have either been lost or destroyed. If they were around, then you would have known about me.” Skylar walked over to the dresser and opened the top drawer. He drew out a stack of letters tied with ribbon.

Harry looked at the letters. His urge was to run over and grab the stack and find the letters written by his mother, but he knew that he had to show patience.

Harry watched as Skylar looked down at the letters. He could see the indecision on his face. Harry could also see the hesitation there. Harry figured Skylar was probably regretting being so open and offering these letters so quickly. Harry saw him take a deep breath before he walked over and without a word, handed Harry the pack of letters.

Having received several letters from Sirius during his fifth year at Hogwarts, Harry immediately recognized his godfather’s handwriting. He knew now why besides the indecision and hesitation he saw in Skylar’s face, why he saw pain.

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed and untied the ribbon holding the letters together. Setting the pile next to him, he opened the first one.

My dearest Abby,

I hope you get this letter. I don’t know about this Muggle post, it seems very strange and untrustworthy to me.

Everyone’s fine here. I won’t lie to you and tell you things are always fine, but for now, the people we love are. I promised myself I wouldn’t tell you anything that would make you worry more or upset you, but you know I’ll never lie to you. I know you’ll worry no matter what I say, so I’ll tell you.

James and Lily are in increasing danger. There is a spy among us. You know who I suspect but the truth is, I don’t want to believe that of him. James, of course, is adamant that Remus is not a spy. He trusts too easily.

The plan of keeping them in hiding to protect them doesn’t seem as if it will be enough. We may have to resort to more desperate measures. I suggested they leave the country as I had you do, but neither of them will listen. The only thing I can think of that may work is using the Fidelius Charm. I have a meeting with Dumbledore tomorrow to discuss this plan.

I don’t want you to worry or Merlin forbid, do something foolish like decide to come back here. I miss you more than I could ever tell you, but knowing you are safe is what keeps me going.

I gave Lily your address and she said she would write to you. She said to use Bathilda’s address to write to her, as it isn’t safe for her to receive mail. She’s writing to you to give you the address.

I must go, love. Know that my heart is with you. I love you, Mrs Black. Smile when you think of me. I know I smile when I think of you, and I think of you often. James even commented on the fact that I often look like I may have escaped from one of the closed wards at St. Mungos. I, of course, responded with a hex that made Lily none to happy the next day. Before you ask, yes, I reversed it. I had no choice with Lily threatening to charm something very vital to me off. You have to love that woman.

I’m hoping this will all be over soon and I can come and bring you home. Please, stay there until I come for you. Remember what I told you about someone else coming there. If I send someone, then that someone will know the secret phrase to tell you. If they don’t, don’t trust them, no matter who it is.

Love always,
Sirius

Harry looked up from the letter at Skylar. This letter looked as if it was written by Sirius. However, Harry knew there were magical means to copy someone’s handwriting. The one thing that made Harry believe this was really written by Sirius was the reference to not trusting Remus. Other than Ron and Hermione, the only people who had heard the confession of suspicion between Sirius and Remus were dead.

Harry handed the letter to Ron to read before speaking.

“This letter could have been written by anyone. What proof do you have it was written by Sirius?” Harry questioned, though he believed the letter to be true.

“Why would I do something like fake letters from my father? How would I fake them when I never even had the chance to know him?” Skylar was getting upset.

“Oh, I don’t know...perhaps to get your hands on the Black fortune?” Ron asked sarcastically.

“Money?” Skylar asked incredulously. “I have no need of money. My mother was very rich. I have all the money I could ever need.” Skylar’s voice rang with his anger. “I only came here to find out the truth about my father. Knowing how much my mother loved him, I wonder at her perception of him. I just want to know what he was really like and the truth about his life and death.” Skylar paced around the room as he spoke.

Harry reached for the next letter, only to notice the writing on the envelope was that of his mother. As he started to pull the letter out of the envelope, he noticed Skylar watching him intently.

His hand hesitated, his fingers touching the cool parchment inside. He gently removed his fingers and turning the envelope over, traced his mother’s handwriting gently. Glancing briefly back at Skylar, he reached out to take the letter back from Ron who had put it back into the envelope. He picked up the stack of letters from the bed then retied the stack. He nodded to Ron, and both of them stood up.

“I’m going to take these with me and read through them all. I’m also going to talk to Minister Shacklebolt about those records. I will be in touch in a few days. Are you planning on staying here?” Harry questioned.

“Yes. I’ll be here for as long as it takes. My instinct is to not let you take those letters, but I trust you will keep them safe and return them to me in the same condition they are in now.” Skylar looked pointedly at Harry. Harry understood by his words, Skylar was warning him not to let anything happen to the letters.

“I’ll take care of them, I promise.” Harry knew what these letters meant to the boy. The letter he found from his mother at Grimmauld Place held a very special place in his heart. “As I said, I'll be in touch in a few days.”

Harry and Ron walked to the door. Glancing back, Harry nodded to Skylar before he and Ron walked out.

On the landing, Harry asked simply, “Grimmauld Place?” At Ron’s nod, they both Disapparated home.