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Published:
2021-04-02
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2021-05-28
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55/55
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Grimly

Chapter 40: Chapter Forty

Summary:

What do you do on a rainy day?

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

The good weather couldn't last. One day it was absolutely bucketing down. Harry fretted about the owls, until Sirius reassured him that they'd be fine.

“They know how to survive much better than we do,” Remus added. “Much more sensible than humans. And more attuned to the Earth.”

“I resent the implication that an owl is more sensible than me,” Sirius said.

“You resemble the implication, Sirius.”

Sirius looked so comically offended that Harry couldn't help giggling.

“At least Mintzi brought the Muggle newspaper for us,” Sirius said. “I've found the movie section. Harry, have you ever been to the movies?”

“No.”

“Not sure what's a children movie, that's the problem,” he said, squinting at the fine text. “Ooh! This one has Sean Connery! He played James Bond, Harry. The quintessential spy.”

“Is he the one who says 'Bond. James Bond'?”

“That's the one,” Remus said, sighing. “I don't know whether your godfather wants to be him or be with him.”

“Be him, obviously,” Sirius said. “And you're my Bond girl.”

Remus snorted.

“You won't catch me rising out of the waves in a bikini,” he said.

“What's a bikini?” Harry asked, a bit cruelly. His guardians blushed deeply.

“You'll find out when you're older,” Sirius said.

Harry generally left it at that, since he knew so much already, and usually knew the answers to the questions he asked to tease.

“Anyone else interesting in the cast?” Remus asked.

“Couple of blokes named Kevin Costner and Andy Garcia. Ooh, and Robert De Niro! Remember when we sneaked into the cinemas to watch The Godfather Part Two? He was good in that. We should go and see this. It's culture, Remus!”

Remus, by this time, was looking over Sirius's shoulder at the movie notice.

“It's for teen audiences and up, Sirius,” he said.

“Only if they're unaccompanied. Come on, Remus. We need something to do. We can't do outdoor stuff in this weather; it's not even safe for apparating. The floo network might be down from flooding. Why not get the boy some popcorn and sweets, wind him up with a movie, and let him sleep it off this afternoon? Then we'd be free for canoodling.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“I'm still here,” Harry said half-heartedly. “I don't mind what we see.”

“Let me see this,” Remus said, taking the newspaper from a reluctant Sirius. He read in silence for a minute. “It's gangsters. It's Al Capone and Eliot Ness. There's swearing. Find something else.”

“Look, we know that Capone was arrested,” Sirius said. “Justice prevailed. Harry needs to know that justice will prevail, sometimes.”

“It already has, in some respects,” Remus said, glancing at the copy of The Daily Prophet he'd been reading, but hadn't commented on yet. Harry had caught a glimpse of the front page news about Death Eaters throughout the Ministry of Magic being re-arrested. “Well, we're certainly not taking him to see The Living Daylights, either. Bond films are not suitable for seven year olds.”

“It has action,” Sirius said.

“It has adult action,” Remus said, with a significant look that Harry pretended not to understand.

“The 'coming soon' section is no use to us,” Sirius muttered.

“Pity; The Princess Bride would be more suitable.”

“I read that book!” Harry exclaimed. They looked at him. “Dudley didn't want to read something with 'princess' in the title, so I got it instead. I'd like to see it.”

“We'll make a note of that for when it's released,” Remus said, with an indulgent smile.

“There's a fourth Superman film already?” Sirius shrieked, when he got the newspaper back. “But they'd only made two when I went into Azkaban!”

“There's something called The Witches of Eastwick,” Remus said. “Just noticed it before you snatched the paper away again.”

“I'm having a crisis and you're still talking about movies,” Sirius grumped. Harry sipped his milk quietly, watching his guardians bicker like an old married couple.

“Might not be suitable for children, though,” Remus continued. “Especially if the witches end up being persecuted. Harry doesn't need that.”

“So...” Sirius said, raising his eyebrows. Remus rolled his eyes.

“Fine!” he said. “We'll see if the cinema will allow Harry in.”

“We could get Mintzi to sneak him in, like old times,” Sirius suggested.

No. I'm not making her a party to criminal activity.”

“Again.”

“Don't remind me. You're such a reprobate.”

“You talk so sweetly to me,” Sirius said, batting his eyelashes.

“What does 'reprobate' mean?” Harry asked. “Is it something nice?”

No,” Remus repeated. “It isn't.”

“To you, maybe,” Sirius said, eyes sparkling affectionately as he stared up at his partner. “Harry, go and get ready. We're going to the movies!”

While he was making those kind of moon eyes, Harry was eager to escape for a bit. As long as Mintzi didn't walk in on anything private and become traumatised.

 

The ticket seller warned them that The Untouchables might frighten Harry, but Sirius insisted that it was historical drama, so they got tickets, popcorn, drinks, lollies, and found the cinema. Harry sat between them, not because he wanted to but so that they could both keep him safe. He insisted that he could sit by himself, since there weren't many people around, but he was told in no uncertain terms that he was staying between them and that was final.

The noise of the guns did make Harry jump in his seat, and Remus asked if he wanted to leave. But he was riveted by the story. He ignored the swearing quite easily, being used to the Gryffindor boys' dorm, and sat on the edge of his seat as the tension ramped up. He sat, face stuffed full of popcorn but not chewing, absolutely riveted during the scene at the train station. When he finally sighed in relief that the baby in the pram was safe, he almost choked on the popcorn. He made sure to take smaller mouthfuls after that.

The courtroom scene was also intense; technically courthouse scene, since Eliot Ness ended up on the roof at one point. But Harry admired the crusader. He didn't give up, even when his family was in danger, even when members of his team were killed off. Even faced with one of the most notorious gangsters of all time, he stayed focused and honest, beyond corruption.

If only all government officials were like that. Amelia Bones was one of very few he'd met who couldn't be bought or tricked in some way.

He sagged with relief when the movie was done. He'd been upset over the two main deaths, but he was more physically exhausted from being a bundle of tension throughout most of the second half of the movie.

“Wow,” Sirius said, staring at the screen.

“Yeah,” Harry said. “That was wild.”

“It didn't upset you?” Remus asked. “We can talk about it when we get home, if you need to.”

“No, I think I'm okay. Some parts of it were really sad, but the good guys won, and that's the main thing. Right? I don't understand all this tax stuff, and I really wish they'd got him for killing all those people. But at least he went to jail.”

“That's right,” Sirius said. “It's always good when the right people go to jail, not the wrong ones.”

“And it's always sad when the innocent pay the price,” Remus murmured. Sirius reached across and squeezed his shoulder.

“It'll be better one day,” he said firmly.

Harry was drowsy by the time they returned to the manor; partly because of the sugary food and drink now causing him to crash, and partly from sitting in a darkened room for a couple of hours. His guardians saw him upstairs and into bed.

“Good night, Moomy,” he mumbled. “Good night, Dadfoot.”

He faintly heard their twin gasps, and wondered why it felt so right to start thinking of them as his parents, when he'd never felt that urge in the previous lifetime. But that thought faded as he fell fast asleep, curled up, as the rain continued to lash against the window.

Notes:

So the past couple of days it's been pissing it down in Brisbane, usually later in the day. A lot of lightning one night, which made me glad that my epilepsy isn't photo-sensitive. Could see it even through my closed eyelids, especially since I can't wear a sleep mask anymore with the CPAP machine. Sigh. Then I remembered that it rains a lot in the UK. Where this story takes place. Double sigh.

In other words, cue the rainy day. If I have to put up with at least one blackout, fictional characters can jolly well do indoor activities for a bit.

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