10: Guilty Marigolds Part I

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-September 26 1991-
Sirius sat at the table, his gaze unfocused. Remus had taken Harry off somewhere while the Order continued to argue. After Snivellus's abrupt departure, it was clear no one knew how to proceed. Dumbledore was still silent, his eyes shining with guilt, and Moody had taken it upon himself to start barking orders.

"We kill him!" Moody said, slamming his hand on the table. "It's obvious! We get rid of the Dark Lord's weakness then we defeat him!"

"Alastor he'd just a boy---" Molly argued.

"He's dead---"

"No, he's not." Sirius said, blinking away the emotions rising up inside of him, forcing himself to pay attention to the conversation. They were discussing Harry after all, and it was Sirius's job to protect him. And he wouldn't fail this time.

Moody narrowed his eyes. "Don't get soft on this, Black!" he barked. "I know that he's James's boy but---"

"Harry is still alive!" Sirius snapped. "So what! He's an Inferius! So what? Did you see him? Look at you! You've got a bloody flower in your hand! You think he's dangerous?!"

Moody blanched and subtly set the Lilac onto the table before he coughed. When he looked back at Sirius he actually looked apologetic, a rare sight for the burly retired auror. "Constant vigilance." he said softly.

"He's four years old!!!" Sirius cried out. "What harm can he do?!"

"He's an inferius, Black. You know as well as I how deadly those things could be." Moody replied gruffly. Sirius hissed.

"Watch yourself!" he snapped. "That's my godson you're talking about."

Moody sighed. "We need to be careful. Now more than ever."

"Harry wouldn't hurt anyone," Sirius insisted. "He's just a baby. And as long as he is in this house, he will not be harmed. Do you understand?"

Moody grit his teeth before he opened his mouth, probably to spew more hateful words, when Dumbledore finally found his voice. He looked up at the group and spoke calmly. "Sirius is correct." he said. Moody sputtered but Dumbledore held his hand up to silence him. "We will not harm the child while he is here. We brought him here in the hopes that we would weaken Tom, but instead we have rescued one of our own."

Sirius nodded. "I have not forgiven you for what you've done," he said, staring at Dumbledore. "But I thank you for agreeing with me."

Albus nodded his head sadly. "I can only hope to atone for my mistakes, dear boy."

Sirius shifted uncomfortably before he nodded. He then turned his attention back to the rest of the group. "Okay," he said. "Order meetings over. Go away. I have a godson to get to know."

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-September 28 1991-
It had been two days, and no progress had been made. Sirius sighed and shifted ever so slightly, shaking Harry from his sleep. The Inferius looked up at Sirius, his green eyes wide with unspoken questions. The child hadn't spoken since the first day, and all attempts on Sirius's part had been unsuccessful.

The rest of the Order had come and gone randomly, each coming to check in on Sirius and Remus. Molly had taken an automatic liking to Harry, but that wasn't very surprising as Molly's maternal side was legendary. She spent hours talking to the child, not caring that he didn't respond, and when she left she told Sirius that he was just the cutest child she'd ever seen.

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