A/N: In celebration of Sirius's birthday, I decided to honor him with a short fanfic about the "proper family" that he promised Harry. I believe that it goes without saying, but I do not own anything in the amazing Harry Potter franchise, that all belongs to the strong, beautiful, and intelligent, J.K Rowling.
Warnings: Nothing too terrible. While I do love Tonks… I just can't write about her and Remus (at least not in any kind of romantic sense). So yes, Sirius and Remus are together, but nothing graphic. Hmm… there is some affection to be found here, but I don't think that's a big deal, all things considered. Hope you enjoy!
Summary: This is an A/U story and takes place during fifth year. Harry decides to wish Sirius a Happy Birthday, by making him and Remus breakfast in bed. There also might be some tickling involved.
A Birthday and Togetherness
Harry Potter woke up before dawn on the morning of 3rd, November. It felt so wrong to be up before the sun was, but he knew he didn't have a choice, for today was Sirius's birthday, and he intended to treat both him and Remus to breakfast in bed. Mumbling to himself about how no one would ever tell him he was self-centered, conceited, or incapable of understanding another's wants and needs, Harry pulled the covers off, slipped out of bed, and padded out of the room, down the hall and into the kitchen.
He walked over to the refrigerator and took out everything he would need, before placing it on the table and getting to work. How easy it would be to just use magic to chop the peppers, onions, and fresh herbs, but he had cooked beside Remus (Sirius was banned from being within an arm's reach of most kitchen appliances, but especially of the stove) enough times to know that was not how things were done in the Potter-Black-Lupin home.
He couldn't help but to smile, knowing how long he had waited for the "proper family" that Sirius had promised him that day in 12 Grimmauld Place. The three of them were definitely a family now, though a very unique one at that. For a while, Harry had wondered if he'd ever get to live with his godfathers, but that all changed shortly after the start of term, when he'd managed to defeat Voldemort.
Distracting him from his thoughts was the smell of the bacon and sausage cooking. He stirred the grits and began plating the omelets. Once everything was done, Harry put all the plates on trays (for this, he would use magic to keep everything warm), levitating them beside him as he walked back down the hall and through the open door to his godfathers' bedroom. He found Remus already awake, propped up and reading a new book he'd recently come across in a used book store (he loved the classics and anything old).
"Morning." Harry said, grinning at the surprised look on his face. He let Remus save his place in the book, before setting the tray over his legs, and accepting a hug and kiss on the cheek. Looking over he saw Sirius was still sleeping on his side, and he wished he were able to transform into a large animal so he could pounce on him to wake him up, much in the same way Sirius would often do to him. "One day…"
"One day what?" Remus asked, as his godson climbed into bed, sitting down beside him. He saw the grin creep onto his face and shuddered… that was James's grin, which meant trouble. "Never mind, I don't want to know."
Harry laughed. "You probably don't want to know." Still grinning, he intended to still have some fun in waking up his godfather. Just as he was about to pounce on him, Sirius's eyes shot open and he reached up flipped him over his side, so now Harry was on his side, back to Sirius. "I've got him, Remus! Hurry up and tickle him before he gets away!"
This elicited laughter from all three, as they all knew this was just not the case.
Deciding he didn't want to take a chance of their breakfast going flying across the room and shattering into oblivion, Remus banished the trays over to the dresser where they were safe. He didn't know why Harry always insisted on trying to sneak attack Sirius, when even James had only managed to do so successfully once. He looked over just in time to dodge an arm that came flying in his direction, narrowly avoiding being hit.
"Alright, that's it!" Remus lunged for the foot of the bed, landing on top of two sets of tangled legs. He ignored the protests and began tickling whatever foot he could get his hands on. Suddenly he realized this was a mistake, as both Harry and Sirius had managed to escape, and he found himself on his back, panting, looking up at two very toothy grins. "Whatever you are thinking about, forget it. I'm warning you…"
"How considerate…" Sirius said, looking over at his godson. "Moony is warning us not to retaliate, but the way I see it, is its two against one… you in, Harry?"
"Definitely." Harry said, ready to strike whenever the moment presented itself. He didn't have to wait long. Sirius managed to pin his arms above his head, and Harry went straight for his stomach, while Sirius went for his neck and armpits. After a few minutes of futile struggling, they stopped and let Remus sit up to catch his breath. "Now we are all even."
Remus scoffed. "Not by a long shot. I'm going to get the both of you when you least expect it, you two just wait!" He said, still gasping for breath. He knew his arms and sides were going to be sore later, but he couldn't help but feel that it was all worth it.
Finally, the three of them managed to get settled and they were ready to eat. He summoned the trays, laden with orange juice and food, placing the one with the biggest portions in front of Sirius. "Thank you, Harry, this looks delicious."
"Yes, thank you." Sirius said, giving him a side hug and a kiss on the cheek.
After a round of Happy birthdays, they began to eat in silence, all thinking the same thing: how grateful they all were for each other. For so long they had all been lonely, all finding temporary reprieves over the years, but never experiencing true happiness and contentment until they found each other again. While it took nearly two years after that night in the Shrieking Shack for them to get to where they were now, it had all been worth it. Sirius had been cleared and Wormtail was now serving a life sentence in Azkaban; Harry had bid the Dursleys farewell; and Remus finally felt like his life had meaning and purpose again, but this time it wouldn't be ripped away from him.
In celebration of Voldemort's defeat, Dumbledore had insisted Hogwarts be closed until after the new year, giving everyone time with their families and loved ones. Not wanting to be apart from Harry, both Sirius and Remus had asked Dumbledore to hire them on; however, unbeknownst to them, Dumbledore had the contracts already drawn up, as well as a petition signed by former and current students, and letters from parents requesting Remus be reinstated in the immediate term. But, for now, the three of them could enjoy their time together, knowing that they have many more days like this to come.