The first time Harry unwraps a birthday present that doesn’t make him want to cry after uttering a tight lipped ‘thank you’ he is nine.
He is turning nine and not waking up in the cupboard under the stairs. He is turning nine and doesn’t have to watch over Dudley’s bacon on the stove and bite his lip as he watches Aunt Petunia scoop a much more abundant portion of eggs in his cousin’s plate. He is turning nine and the carefully wrapped box in front of him is much bigger than anything he had been allowed to keep in his cupboard.
Sirius Black sits in front of him, a nervous smile on his face.
It seemed to be a default for his godfather, Harry thinks. That’s the same nervous smile he had sported when he showed up at Privet Drive announcing he was taking Harry away.
Harry had hidden behind the door, then, quietly listening to Sirius explain his name had recently been cleared and he was Harry’s rightful guardian. He used a lot of big words, explaining carefully as if he had prepared a speech ahead, as if he had got ready for a fight.
He doesn’t need to fight anyone, the Dursleys are all-too-eager to give him away.
Harry packs all his belongings in record time, there hadn’t been much anyways, and he walks out of Privet Drive, number 4 hand in hand with his godfather.
He walks out of Privet Drive, number 4 for the last time and that had felt like a dream come true already.
‘So? Aren’t you going to open it?’ Sirius asks, pushing the gift towards Harry.
Harry nods. ‘Thank you.’
‘No need to thank me already, you haven’t even opened it,’
Harry blinks, confused. Aunt Petunia didn’t like it when he wouldn’t thank them for each thing he was given, from Dudley’s worn out socks to the broken clothes hanger he had unwrapped on his sixth birthday. But Sirius wasn’t Aunt Petunia.
He scratches the tape on the side of the box, careful not to ruin the wrapping,
A surprised sigh escapes his mouth when he sees what looks like a box of LEGOs. It was a big box too, and he knew LEGOs were expensive. But after a second look he realises that it had nothing to do with the bright red toys Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon would buy Dudley, because the pictures on this box moved and bright gold letters spelled out ‘Build Your Own Quidditch Pitch!’
‘I didn’t really know what you’d like,’ Sirius speaks to fill in the silence, he scratches the back of his head with one hand looking rather bashful. ‘I know you probably don’t know much about Quidditch, but your dad loved it, so I thought—‘
‘My dad loved it?’ Harry bites his tongue when he realises he’s interrupted his godfather. He didn’t want him to be annoyed or mad at him but the mention of his dad, and to know what he loved—
‘Yeah, his room used to be full of these gimmicks,’ he says fondly and Harry breathes a sigh of relief, because Sirius wasn’t mad he had interrupted him.
He looks back down at the box, the golden letters and moving figures flying all over the cover. His dad used to love this? He was holding something that his dad used to love.
He doesn’t notice it, the way tears start welling up his eyes, at least not until Sirius stands up looking alarmed.
‘Shi— I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you don’t like this? It’s okay, we can go out and you can choose anything you want as a special birthday treat, okay? We can throw this away—‘
‘No!’ Harry is shocked by how loud his voice is. His arms wrap protectively around the big box on the table and he shakes his head violently. ‘I love it!’
Sirius seems to calm down at once, and Harry feels his hand gently rest against his head and twist his hair.
‘Alright, I’m happy you liked it, sprong,’
‘Loved it!’ Harry insists, eyes still wet.
‘I’m happy you loved it.’
Harry relishes in the soft touch, something he was still trying to get accustomed to.
He was nine years old, and he got a birthday present.
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‘Oh yay a new challenge pit video just dropped, omg we have Trevor and Arasha and Chanse and Keith and- god fuckin damnit.’ - me 5 secs ago
he is in everything now.
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