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Harry sat down on the curb by the mailbox and leaned back so his weight was resting on his hands. The day had finally come that Sirius was supposed to pick Harry up, and he was beyond excited to see his godfather again.
After Sirius had escaped from Hogwarts on Buckbeak, Harry hadn’t expected to see his godfather again for weeks, months, or even longer. The letter he had received proved him wrong.
The past several days had passed in a blur as Harry used the promise of Sirius’s visit to shake off the Dursleys’ usual nasty comments and blows. Unfortunately, his body was not nearly so resilient.
Just yesterday, Dudley’s gang had managed to corner him. Harry had been walking through the park, reciting the contents of Sirius’s letter to himself, and thus hadn’t noticed Dudley’s gang until it was far too late. The beating had done little to dislodge Harry’s good mood though, particularly once Harry realized that all the bruises were easy to conceal under his clothes.
In the letter, Sirius had said that he would come to pick Harry up at the Dursleys for a daytrip together. Though Harry was nervous about Sirius coming back to England while he was still a wanted man, Harry was hopeful that someone had taken precautions for Sirius’s safety.
For his part, Harry had decided to wait outside for Sirius. The thought of Sirius encountering the Dursleys was not a pleasant one at all— either some kind of fight would break out, preventing Harry from going on the trip, or Sirius would be so offended by the Dursleys that he would permanently harm them in some way.
Or, even worse, one of the Dursleys would call the authorities on Sirius. Harry could not bear to let that happen, and so he had gone out to wait for Sirius long before he was due to arrive.
Harry glanced up at the sun, wishing he had a watch, or the ability to use his magic to tell the time. Without either, there was no way for him to track the passage of time, or to determine whether Sirius was late or not.
There was a loud crack somewhere down the street, and Harry leapt to his feet, startled. He regretted this action, flinching as his ribs and back protested the movement. He hissed under his breath as he looked first left, then right for the source of the sound.
Harry saw nothing in either direction.
Frowning, Harry began to sit back down, slowly this time, when he glanced off to the left. There, striding down the street, was Sirius.
Harry got to his feet with care, then hurried off towards Sirius. As they got closer to each other, Harry realized that Sirius had his arms up and ready for a hug. Seconds before impact, Harry took a bracing deep breath and forced himself not to react as Sirius swept him up off the ground.
“Harry!” Sirius exclaimed. “It’s so good to see you!” Sirius set Harry down and patted him on the head.
Harry beamed up at Sirius for one glorious moment, the warmth of the hug overriding the pain of his bruises. But then Harry realized that Sirius was standing out in the open, in broad daylight, with no disguise to speak of. Though he had looked down both sides of the street just moments before and knew full well that there was no one out at this early hour, Harry checked again, his heart pounding in his throat.
“ Snuffles,” Harry hissed pointedly, “what are you doing out here looking like this?”
Sirius grinned. “I have it on good authority that anyone interested in my location is too far away to do anything about my being here today. Besides, this is just a Muggle street, and the Muggle news have stopped running wanted segments on me for weeks now. Plenty of time for everyone to forget.”
Harry scrubbed at his face; frustration tight in his chest. “We have to get out of here, someone could still see and report you to the Muggle authorities, and then you’d really be in trouble.”
“I was hoping you’d say that!” Sirius said. He held out his arm. “Grab on, and whatever you do, don’t let go.”
Harry frowned, looking between Sirius’s face and the proffered arm. Then Harry grabbed on, deciding that whatever Sirius had planned couldn’t be worse than standing out on the street where anyone could see him.
With a twist and a squeezing sensation, they both popped away.
Harry stumbled as they landed, losing his grip on Sirius’s arm. “What the hell was that, Sirius?”
Sirius put out a hand to steady Harry. “That was Apparition— I’m sorry, I assumed you knew what it was, otherwise I would have explained at least a little better first.”
Harry shrugged.
“Now, I’m sure you’re curious as to where we are,” Sirius said, “and the answer to that is: the beach!”
Harry turned in a slow circle as he took in their surroundings. They were standing at the start of a wooden pier, the length of which stretched out into the ocean. Behind them, there were shops along a boardwalk, and off in the distance, there was a small fairground, complete with a Ferris Wheel.
“This is incredible, Sirius,” Harry said, smiling as he turned around to face Sirius again. But the sight of Sirius’s bare, undisguised face reminded him of his qualms with the situation. “This is still dangerous though! What if a Muggle sees you, recognizes you, and calls the police!”
“You know, I actually did think of that,” Sirius said, his voice kind. “I’m wearing a glamor that’s based on a Muggle repellent ward— Muggles will see a completely innocuous appearance and suddenly remember something they forgot if they look at me for too long.”
Harry looked away. “I was just worried, I’m sorr—“
“There is absolutely nothing to be sorry for,” Sirius said. “Now, enough of that, let’s go have some fun!” With this, he grabbed Harry’s hand, and tore off down the pier.
Their first stop was the platform all the way down at the end of the pier. It was late enough that most of the fishermen were gone. There were a few benches along the railing, but Harry ignored them, heading straight to the back of the platform where he could stare out into the expanse of the ocean.
The last time Harry had seen the sea had been when Uncle Vernon had taken them all to the little hut on the rock. That had not been a pleasant experience.
This could not be further from that. The breeze was cool, the sun was warm, and the company was wonderful. Together, Harry and Sirius stood and stared at the ocean in silence for several long minutes.
Eventually, they moved on from the pier and began to explore the shops along the boardwalk.
There were a good deal of tourist traps, with everything from personalized key-chains to tacky t-shirts. Harry had never understood the appeal of any of these things, but Sirius seemed to derive large amounts of joy from poking through each of these little shops. Harry was happy just to trail behind Sirius as he went.
That morning, Harry had set out so early that there was no breakfast, and he knew better than to try and sneak a snack out of the Dursleys’ kitchen. So, he had not had breakfast.
By the time they had been through several shops, Harry’s stomach was beginning to rumble. Harry clutched at it, flushing in embarrassment and hoping Sirius would not notice. And he didn’t, for a while.
But then they were alone in a shop that was clearly meant for elderly people who had far too much time and money on their hands. There was no music playing, so the shop was eerily quiet. Sirius was in the middle of examining an expensive bauble, when Harry’s stomach rumbled the loudest it had yet.
“Harry,” Sirius said, setting the bauble down, “why didn’t you say you were hungry?”
Harry shrugged. “It’s not important.” And it wasn’t— Sirius was having a great time going through the shops, and it wasn’t like Harry was going to starve anytime soon.
Sirius’s hand closed around Harry’s wrist as the man towed Harry out of the shop. “Your needs are important, Harry!” Sirius chastised gently. “Next time, I want you to let me know you’re hungry— or thirsty, or tired, or anything else— as soon as you start to feel that way.”
Harry nodded. The fast pace Sirius was setting pulled at the bruises on his ribs, and for a moment, Harry considered telling Sirius about them. Surely they fell under the categories Sirius had listed— but then he thought it through and decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. They were already being derailed by Harry’s hunger, taking care of his bruises would set things even further back.
They were just bruises anyways.
“Where do you want to get lunch?” Sirius asked.
Harry looked around the boardwalk, pausing to think as the sea breeze ruffled his hair. He was hungry enough that just about anything sounded good, so Harry glanced down in the direction they had been walking in. There, two stores down from the shop they’d just left, was a family diner.
“That place looks good,” Harry said, pointing towards the diner.
Sirius looked at it too, and in the moment before he reacted, Harry wished he’d put more thought into the choice— what if Sirius didn’t like it? But then a warm expression settled onto Sirius’s face and he nodded.
“That looks like a great choice, Harry,” Sirius said.
They walked into the diner together and were seated by the hostess. Harry felt out of his element— the Dursleys never took him out to eat— but Sirius always made his choices first, so Harry could just mimic him.
And before Harry could panic over what to order, Sirius had leaned over and pointed out things he recommended. All of the options had been large and hearty— and not cheap. On his own, Harry would never have ordered any of them, so he was glad Sirius had stepped in with his recommendations.
A full day at the beach required a lot of energy, according to Sirius.
Harry didn’t even have a chance to feel guilty over not having Muggle money— before he even thought of it, Sirius had already reassured Harry that Sirius was more than happy to provide lunch for Harry. The knowing look in Sirius’s eyes as he spoke had made Harry feel seen in a way that he hadn’t before.
After they ate lunch, Sirius led the way out of the restaurant and onto the boardwalk. The sun was high in the sky, and its rays were pleasantly warm. Harry tilted his face upwards to bask in the sunlight, the sensation a pleasant contrast to the coolness of the ocean breeze.
“What do you think, Harry, should we walk along the beach or keep exploring the boardwalk?”
Harry glanced down at the row of shops along the boardwalk, then looked out towards the ocean. The thought of returning to the dark— and often cold— shops was unappealing compared to remaining outside and enjoying the warmth of the sun.
“I’d like to walk along the beach, if you don’t mind,” Harry said.
Sirius slung his arm around Harry’s shoulders. Harry just managed to bite back a gasp of pain as his bruises were jostled— they seemed to be getting more sensitive, to his dismay.
With his arm still slung around Harry’s shoulder, Sirius guided them both down to the beach. The shore was rocky, but the stones were small enough that they made for easy traversing.
They walked in companionable silence for several minutes. Harry basked in the warmth from both the sun and the comforting pressure of Sirius by his side.
Sometime later, Harry realized that Sirius’s arm had slipped off his shoulders and that the man had fallen behind. Harry turned around and saw Sirius bent over, picking something up. Harry hurried back to join Sirius.
“What’re you doing?” Harry asked.
Sirius straightened up and held out a handful of stones.
Harry frowned in confusion.
“Allow me to demonstrate,” Sirius said, grinning. He transferred most of the stones to his pocket, turned to face the ocean, then reared back and tossed the stone out onto the water. The stone skipped once, twice, three times before sinking down beneath the waves.
Harry’s eyes widened in disbelief. “Wait— you can really do that? I thought it was just a movie trick!”
Sirius nodded, the motion enthusiastic. “Would you like to learn how?”
“Yes, please!”
“Okay, so the first thing to keep in mind is that the shape of the rock is important. You’re looking for stones that are flat, round, about palm-sized, and uniform in texture. Like these,” he said, pulling out one of the stones he’d stowed away moments before and held it out for Harry to take.
Harry accepted the stone and turned it over in his hand, getting the feel for it. Then he turned his gaze to the ground and was able to find a similar rock within moments. “Like this one?” he asked, handing the new rock over to Sirius.
Sirius hefted the stone in his hand a few times. “It’s a bit on the heavy side, but other than that, it’s perfect!”
Harry smiled, basking in the praise. Then he returned to searching for stones to skip; the sheer quantity of stones on the beach made this an easy task. Once his pockets were full, Harry went back over to where Sirius was searching for his own stones.
“Want me to check your rocks, kiddo?” Sirius asked, straightening up again.
“Yes, please,” Harry said with a smile. He handed Sirius the rocks he held in his hands, then started digging through his pockets for the rest of them.
“These two are alright, but this one probably won’t work out,” Sirius said, handing the two rocks back to Harry and dropping the third to the ground.
Harry stared at the rocks Sirius was holding out, then at his own hands, still full of stones. Then he used his foot to clear a spot on the ground and set his stones down before collecting the approved skipping stones from Sirius.
Sirius spent the next couple of minutes sorting through Harry’s stones, returning the approved ones to Harry and setting the others on the ground. Harry felt oddly disappointed in himself every time Sirius discarded a rock as unsuitable, but Harry shook it off as best as he could.
“Alright,” Sirius said, handing Harry the last stone, “I think you’ve got enough to have a good start.” Sirius pulled a stone out of his pocket. “Allow me to demonstrate the motion again.”
Harry watched as Sirius exaggerated how to skip the stone several times. Then, as Harry understood what he was supposed to do, he began to mimic the motions himself. Extending his arm to put a spin on the stone pulled at the bruising on his ribs worse than anything else had all day, but the thought of Sirius’s pride if he managed to skip the stone gave him the strength to shove the pain down.
“How’re you feeling Harry? Should I run through it a couple more times?” Sirius asked.
Harry took this as a cue to take a much-needed break from practicing the motions and dropped his throwing arm down by his side. “I think I’ve got it,” he said.
Sirius grinned, then skipped his stone. It spun off into the ocean, skipping over and over again until it was out of sight, still skipping along.
Harry’s jaw dropped. “ What was that ?” he demanded.
“The power of magic,” Sirius said with a smirk. “Don’t worry— you actually can skip the stones without magic, but with it, you can skip it into the sunset!”
Harry closed his mouth. “That’s incredible.”
“Now, why don’t you give it a go?” Sirius asked.
Harry jerked his head in a nod and wrapped his fingers around a stone. He sucked in a deep, steadying breath against the pain he knew would result from throwing the stone. Then he set his feet and flowed into the motions he’d practiced just moments before. He tossed the stone, biting his lip against the pain— and then against the disappointment of watching his stone sink without skipping once.
“Don’t worry,” Sirius said soothingly, “it’s hard to get the hang of it. Give it another go.”
Harry sucked in another deep breath and nodded. He tried again. And again. And watched as his stones refused to skip. His frustration mounted, distracting him from his bruises. As he watched yet another stone sink, he had to stop himself from tossing down his skipping stones in frustration.
“Hey now, it’s alright,” Sirius said. “Why don’t I help you?”
Harry closed his eyes for a moment, then nodded. He kept his eyes closed as he took a couple calming breaths. He felt Sirius move behind him, so Harry opened his eyes.
“What—“ Harry started to say, before gasping in pain. Sirius had wrapped his arms around Harry’s in a tight grip, pulling Harry back towards him, and putting pressure on Harry’s bruised ribs and back.
Sirius had released Harry as soon as he gasped and took a step back. “Where does it hurt?”
Harry shook his head. “It’s fine, I think I’ve almost got it!”
“You’re clearly in pain, Harry, let me take care of it,” Sirius said.
Harry shook his head again and took another step away from Sirius. Then, stubbornly setting his hand around another skipping stone, he tossed it out onto the ocean. He crossed his fingers as it flew through the air, eyes fixed on its spinning motion.
Harry’s heart plummeted with the stone as it sunk without skipping.
Sirius’s hand wrapped around Harry’s wrist. “Please let me help you,” Sirius said, a desperate look in his eyes.
Harry sighed, his shoulder slumping. He released the stone he held in his other hand, then nodded. “It’s my ribs,” Harry said, defeat suffusing his tone. He had failed to skip the stones and he had derailed their day together again.
“I’m going to cast some privacy wards first,” Sirius said. “It wouldn’t do for any Muggles to see me do magic.”
Harry nodded, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground. He kicked at a couple stones as he waited for Sirius to finish casting wards. Then he jumped when all the stones suddenly disappeared. He looked up and saw that Sirius had cleared a small section of the beach and transfigured something, probably some rocks, into a small cot.
“Take a seat, Harry,” Sirius said, gesturing at the cot.
Harry complied, lowering himself slowly so as not to jostle his bruises anymore. Then, without being prompted, he started to slip out of his shirt, since he knew Sirius would need to see the bruises to help. As he did, he averted his gaze so he wouldn’t have to see his battered chest again. Harry winced at Sirius’s subsequent sharp intake of breath.
“Oh, Harry,” Sirius said.
Harry shrugged. “It’s not a big deal,” he muttered.
Sirius sighed again. “I’m going to cast a couple basic diagnostic charms to see if there’s any deeper issues, or if it’s just bad bruising.”
“Alright,” Harry said. This sort of thing felt almost routine after all his visits to the Hospital Wing. The tingle of diagnostic charms washed over Harry’s torso, startling a giggle out of him.
“Ticklish, aren’t they?” Sirius asked absently.
Harry nodded.
“It looks like it is just severe bruising,” Sirius said. “Thankfully, I brought a small first aid kit— I bring one everywhere because I tend to do stupid things that end with me injured.” He started rummaging through his pockets until he pulled out a small box. He unshrunk it and set it down on the ground next to Harry.
“I don’t carry a lot of any one thing, so we’ll have to see if I have enough for your bruises,” Sirius said as he uncapped a jar.
“It’ll be enough,” Harry said. It had to be. He’d already messed up their day together enough without having to leave for more bruise balm.
But then, as Sirius scooped dollop after dollop of balm out onto Harry’s chest and back, it became increasingly clear that there would not be enough balm. Sirius spread it out as much as possible, and he was able to cover all the bruises, but Harry knew that it was not as thick as it was supposed to be for bruises this bad.
Before Sirius could say anything, Harry grabbed his shirt and pulled it on over his head. He jumped to his feet and snatched up one of the skipping stones he’d discarded earlier. “I’m ready to try again,” he said, forcing a bright tone.
Sirius shook his head and closed his hand around Harry’s, taking the stone away. “I’m sorry, Harry, but that was not nearly enough balm for those bruises.”
Harry allowed his hand to fall down by his side. “But it could be enough! I was fine before, so I’ll be even more fine now!”
Sirius shook his head. “I’m in charge of your well-being. That means that it’s my responsibility to make sure you are well. And that means, in this case, taking you back to my home to finish healing your bruises.”
Harry felt tears of frustration begin to well up in his eyes. “But this is our one day together— I don’t want to waste it on going back for bruise balm.” Then he had an idea. “What if we went back to your home, and I spent the night there, and then we finished our vacation together tomorrow?”
“Well,” Sirius said, drawing out the word. “I do love the idea.” He paused again. “Alright, we’ll go back to my house, and I’ll send some letters to see if I can make that happen.”
A wide grin broke out across Harry’s face. “Really?” he asked, hope rising in his chest.
“Of course,” Sirius said. He held out his hand for Harry to take.
Harry did so, and together, they disappeared off the beach.
