Secrets and Protection

"You're still young. There's no need to start learning from those old men and putting on an adult's mask so soon."

Once they had stepped outside, much of the anger on Sirius's face had faded. He spoke in a low voice.

He gripped Wade's arm and slowed his pace as they walked forward, his eyes fixed ahead. His fingers unconsciously tightened, then immediately loosened, leaving several creases in the boy's sleeve.

Wade turned to look at him. Time had not diminished his handsome features, but it had hidden all the shadows of Azkaban within the fine lines at the corners of his eyes.

For some reason, Sirius's voice suddenly became hoarse:

"When we were your age, James and I... and of course Remus... spent all day outwitting Filch, discussing routes for sneaking out at night, or figuring out how to teach a few treacherous Slytherins a lesson..."

A faint smile flickered across his lips, but before it could bloom, it twisted abruptly into profound pain.

"There was a war outside back then too, but we... we rarely thought about those things... Yet you're only fourteen, and you have to watch others be interrogated, listen to those... those..."

He suddenly turned his face away. Wade could vaguely hear the sound of grinding teeth.

"Damn this maturity! Damn weighing the pros and cons!"

Sirius suddenly burst out angrily. It was impossible to tell who he was directing his anger at. He cursed viciously for several minutes before looking at Wade and saying:

"Listen, kid. Leave those things for the old men to worry about. You have the right to be a foolish brat who doesn't care about anything, and the right to charge headlong into things!"

Whispers came from the portraits in the corridor.

Wade looked up at this man in his