AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE

Remus groped inside his coat pocket for the keys to the house. He took out a long chain that sported a gold key and he stuck it inside the lock and clicked the door open. The foray was dark, which he odd as it was only after five, so he waved his wand to shoot a beam of light in a nearby lantern but was shocked when he saw the whole house fill with light and heard a dozen people yell, "SURPRISE!"

"What the-?" Remus gasped.

"Surprise you three! Thought we'd come and throw you a little congratulations party!" beamed Molly Weasley and she went to give Sirius and Remus a kiss and engulfed Harry in her arms and place him a wet kiss on his cheek.

All the guests began to emerge and greet Sirius, Remus and Harry and congratulate them on the successful adoption. Along with Mrs. Weasley, Harry spotted Mr. Weasley, Bill, the twins, Ron, Hermione, Hagrid, McGonagall and surprisingly, his old babysitter Mrs. Figg. Harry was about to ask what she was doing here when his vision was obscured by a mane of brown hair. Hermione squeezed him and kissed his cheek.

"Oh Harry! I'm so happy for you! You're adopted! You finally have a family!" Hermione cried.

Harry blushed a bit. "Um, thanks Hermione." His cheek where she kissed him felt exceptionally warm.

He turned to look at Ron who looked happy for him too but was rubbing his neck. Hermione noticed this and spoke up.

"Oh go hug him Ron! You know you want to!" Hermione smiled.

Ron looked sideways a bit at the shorter boy then gave off a genuine smile. "Aw, what the hell? Come here mate." he hugged Harry, giving him a pat on his back. "So what happened? What did they do to the Muggles?"

"They sent them to Azkaban."

"No kidding!" Ron gasped. "That's harsh, but they must have done something horrible to go there."

Harry swallowed, realizing his friends still didn't know what happened to him on Privet Drive.

"I'm just so glad you don't have to worry about them anymore. This is your new home. That's so fantastic," Hermione squeezed his hands.

Harry's lips pulled into a small grin. "Yeah." He wished she gripped his hand again.

"What's in the bag?" Ron asked, seeing the label on the sack from Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Harry's face brightened. "Oh! Look- Sirius gave them to me, new gloves"-

Mrs. Weasley announced it was time for dinner minutes later so the residents inside the home gathered around the dining room table to eat a delicious dinner of roasted chicken and potatoes and finished it off with cake. On the large white frosted cake were the words 'CONGRATS ON THE ADOPTION HARRY, SIRIUS, AND REMUS!' in green frosting. Everyone took a slice and began to eat. Afterwards Harry received a small pile of gifts. He wasn't expecting this at all, it was just his birthday!

He was passed along one from Ron which an old book called The official rulebook on Quidditch ("I lost it long ago so I got a new one but found my old one after so I decided you might like a copy") and from Hagrid, a tin of treacle fudge. But the most personal gift he (along with Sirius and Remus) received was the one from Mrs. Weasley. She told them she was going to add a hand for each of them on her reliable clock that showed her where each family member was. All three of them were very touched by this.

The last gift Harry received was from Mrs. Figg. Earlier he had found out she was a Squib sent to live at Privet Drive to monitor Harry when he was living at the Dursleys; she was also a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

"When Dumbledore told me about your adoption I had to get you something," Mrs. Figg was now saying. "I feel upset how I couldn't make you happy when I baby-sat you all those years so here's something I hoped might make up for those years of boredom at my home. A little extra company if you like to put it," she smiled wisely and passed to the puzzled boy a large gift wrapped in flowery paper.

Everyone watched as Harry tore off the paper. He frowned; the gift looked to be an animal carrier.

"Turn it around silly boy," Mrs. Figg smiled, looking at Harry's still confused expression. Harry followed suit and gasped.

When he peeked inside the carrier, he saw a little creature. He carefully undid the latch and reached inside to grab whatever it was. It was a tiny kitten! He grinned, though not too widely as he had never been the biggest cat fan but knowing Mrs. Figg, who lived in a house filled with them, he had to show her gratitude. Sure they were cute and playful, but only a select few of her cats liked him whenever he was left in her care when the Dursley's were out.

"Thank-you very much Mrs. Figg. She's beautiful," Harry finally said.

"She is actually a he Harry. Fluffbell had a litter May 22nd. I still had three of her seven kittens left so I thought you might like one once Dumbledore told me about everything."

Harry looked into the kitten's big green eyes. The feline had dark gray fur, his left ear was white, there was a white patch above his pinkish gray nose, his tail was tipped white, his back was flecked with white and his front paws were white, almost to his elbows so it looked as if he dipped them in paint. This made Harry chuckle. It looked so ridiculous for a cat and he felt bad for the poor creature that it was born looking like that.

"Poor guy was probably made fun of by all his brothers and sisters. Aw, he's perfect," Harry beamed. Everyone smiled and soon enough went to talk amongst themselves elsewhere. Hermione went straight to Harry to look at his new pet.

"Oh my goodness!" she chirped. "He is adorable! Look at his paws! That is too cute!"

To top off the end of the night, Remus and Sirius surprised Harry with yet another gift. It was a twenty-one inch TV.

"We just thought you might like a new way of entertaining yourself during the holidays kiddo. This is the right kind of TV player, correct?" Sirius asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, it's perfect!" Harry was beaming- he had his own TV! "I finally get to watch whatever I want to on TV! Can we hook it up?" he asked excitedly.

Sirius and Remus smiled and told him after the party. The little gathering died down before eleven and before Hermione met up with her parents who were talking downstairs with Remus, she helped Sirius hook up the TV in Harry's room.

"Good-bye Harry! Owl me all right? Call me too! I never talked with you on the phone before. Here's my number, I don't think I ever gave you it have I? Hope you enjoy your new telly and new family and new kitten!" Hermione smiled and gave one last hug to Harry, Sirius and Remus and kissed the kitten's head and went home with her parents.

Harry shook his head in amusement at the warmth of her hugs and her excitement. He started at the number in his hand. He couldn't wait to talk with her on the phone. He then went upstairs to the bathroom to brush his teeth and change into pajamas. He went to his bed and waited for Sirius and Remus to come up and bid him goodnight. Not like he needed to as he was a teenager, but circumstances being today…

"So, happy with how things went today Harry?" Sirius asked, brushing back the fringe on his forehead.

"Of course. I think I'm finally feeling excited. I didn't think it would actually happen but it did."

Remus flattened a pillow and Harry's new cat climbed onto it and began to lick his tiny paw and rub it behind his ear.

"Happy about your new gift?" the werewolf asked amused.

Harry looked at the cat. "Yeah, I am. I was never the biggest fan of cats but this little guy seemed to have grown on me pretty quickly. He's really cute and looks ridiculous with his white paws and everything. He's like a nerd-cat, perfect for a nerd human."

Remus shook his head in amusement at this. "You're not a nerd Harry. So, any idea on what you're going to call it?" he asked, scratching the cat behind his ears.

Harry shrugged. "I don't really know yet. It was pretty easy with Hedwig, I just found a name in a book that I liked and it seemed to fit her. A cat will be hard, there's so many reasons people name pets. How they look, act, where they came from…it's going to be (yawn) hard…"

"Well you could name it something like Muffy or Snowball or Whiskers or Pumpkin," Sirius suggested, thinking.

"No, those are all the boring cat names. I want mine to have a really different name that I bet no other cat has."

Looking down at his godson's tired face; Sirius leaned and kissed his forehead. "Well I'm sure you'll think of something kid. You get some sleep okay? See you in the A.M."

Harry leaned back, placing his hands behind his head as he stared into the ceiling. He thought of nothing for a bit, and then turned to the kitten who was now watching his new master with curious green eyes that could rival those of Harry's. Harry stroked the cat behind the ears for a bit, thinking…what should he call him? Not like he needed a name as he never would answer to it, but he still needed one. He decided to call him something that defined his personality because it was pretty profound already. The kitten seemed to enjoy tricking others. He liked staying in one spot and just when Harry or another person walked up to him to pick him up, he would dash off, causing the person to fall or falter. Harry chuckled as he thought of this. For some reason, it reminded Harry a bit like the Seeker move called a Wronski Feint. A Wronski Feint…hm, well, it was unique like he wanted…

"You know what cat? You kinda remind me of the (yawn) Seeker movement, a Wronski Feint. Funny huh? I'm so ridiculously obsessed with Quidditch that a cat reminds me of a Quidditch term, how dumb is that?" Harry said amusedly.

The cat just looked at Harry with the same green eyed gaze.

Harry rubbed his tired eyes. "I dunno, that's kind of a stupid name for an animal. But then again, it is unique, and I do want a unique name for you. What do you think kitty?" he asked as he petted it. "You don't really care do you? Well if you remind me of it then so be it. Your name is going to be Wronski Feint." Harry smiled a bit at this. What a stupid name, but it was too late to turn back, it seemed to stick to the animal.

"Right, how 'bout this: Your first name, your real name that is, will be Wronski Feint, but since it's a hard name to say and spell, you're going to have a nickname. Your nickname is going to be, I duuno, er- Winky. Yeah, that'll work. But let's make it different and spell it in a strange way to throw people off since it still fits in your personality. I'm going to spell it uhh…hmmm… how about-W-E-I-N-K-I," Harry said thinking hard. "Weinki. Wronski Feint or Weinki the cat. Yeah, I like that. Do you?" Harry said speaking to the animal as if expecting him to reply back.

The kitten set itself on his master's chest and licked his nose with a tiny pink tongue. Harry smiled and set the cat on his pillow and soon fell asleep.

The morning came and Harry's bedroom door was pushed open by a large dog's nose. Padfoot crept along the now polished floorboard of the room and up to his godson's bed. He stood on his hind legs and since he was so large it didn't take long for him to reach his godson's face. He leaned forward and touched Harry's cheek with his wet nose. Harry moaned and screwed up his face and swatted away at nothing. Padfoot got off and went to the other side of the bed that Harry now turned to and licked his nose. Harry moaned again and wiggled his nose and went to put his face in his pillows. If Padfoot was in human form, he would be laughing, it was all rather cute. Hedwig looked on from her perch on Harry's headboard, Wronski Feint still on his pillow looking ready to pounce.

Padfoot then seized the two blankets Harry was under in his jaw and pulled. Harry moaned a third time and curled into a ball, unhappy with the unwelcome cold that was now hitting his bare feet.

"Padfoot," he wined, eyes still shut tight as he saw brightness through his closed lids.

Padfoot was getting upset. He wanted Harry up and still he stayed. So he took Harry's sleeve and pulled, causing the arm to flop to the side. Harry yanked it out and held it to his chest, trying with all his might to not let Sirius get him out of bed even though the both of them knew he was now awake. Finally, Sirius went for his last resort and jumped onto the bed and began to lick Harry's vulnerable feet. This did it; Harry's eyes flew open and he moved around trying to get out of the way.

"Ahhh! Stop it Sirius! Damn it- stop! That tickles like hell! Quit it!" Harry yelped, twisting around in his bed sheets.

Padfoot shown no signs of remorse and continued. All this commotion grabbed Wronski Feint's attention and the little cat pounced on Harry's left foot causing Harry to cry out and sit up.

Padfoot transformed into Sirius who sang, "Good morning Harry James Potter Lupin Black!"

Harry glared daggers at the man and he pushed the kitten aside. "Must you use my full name?"

"Yes I must. Hey, here's a neat idea, why don't you have your mum's surname in it as well? So you can bear the name of all your parents! What do you think of Harry James Potter Evans Lupin Black? Sounds a bit neat doesn't it?" Sirius said happily.

"What? I am not going to bare six names Sirius! Five is enough. I love Mum but I will not have a long-arse name. People should only have a first, middle and last, that's enough as it is," Harry said stubbornly.

"You know kid, some people have long names. Look at Dumbledore. He has five as well," Sirius said thoughtfully.

Harry looked up. "He does? I never knew that. What are they?"

Sirius smirked. "Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore."

Harry couldn't help but chuckle. "Sorry," he said. "That's just a really unusual name."

"You know, your parents were kicking around the idea of giving you four names," Sirius said frowning.

"What? Why would they want that?" Harry asked, looking shocked.

"Meh, it was just something different, your dad said," the man shrugged. "He wanted you to have a real cool name. It was going to be Harry James Edgar Potter, but your mum thought it made you sound like some rich, snobby kid or something. Well, your dad's family was very wealthy so Lily didn't want you to sound like you were boasting it around or something," Sirius finished, matter-of-factly.

Harry glared at him as he looked down at the foot his new kitten scratched. There was a two-inch long white mark that looked to have been traced by a scalpel right under his little toe, a droplet of blood was forming at the start of the cut.

"Gee, thanks a lot Sirius, you made Wronski Feint scratch me," Harry said angrily, placing his glasses on his nose.

Sirius looked at Harry in confusion. "Wonsty Faint?"

"No, Wronski Feint, my cat," Harry said simply, still examining his cut.

"Hm, well I have to give you credit there kid, it is unique."

"I know it is. And for a nickname, it's going to be Weinki but spelled W-E-I-N-K-I because it looks really weird. But enough about that, I'd like some breakfast."

"You're hungry?" Sirius asked smiling and he pulled Harry out of bed and handing him his slippers.

"Not really, but I do need to eat don't I? And take my potions." Sirius nodded in agreement and Harry scooped Weinki in his arms and went downstairs.

"Morning Harry. And good morning to you Kitty," nodded Remus as he scooped fried eggs on three separate plates.

"Harry has given that cat a very different name I'll tell you that Moony," spoke Sirius, eyebrows raised as he sat down and began to pursue his daily crossword.

"What is it Harry?" Remus asked placing strips of bacon and toast on the plates and for all three of them.

"Wronski Feint or Weinki for short," Harry answered.

"Hmm, that is the last thing I would have thought. But it works. Do you want coffee instead of juice this morning?" Remus asked, walking back to the kitchen.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Harry grinned.

"Okay, I'll just leave out the cream and sugar and you can add in however much you want."

Harry made the coffee to his liking before starting on his bacon, eggs, and toast. At that moment he felt as if someone was watching him. He looked around and then down. Right next to his slipper-covered foot was his new kitten, looking up at his master with wide green eyes. Harry frowned. He couldn't just ignore the creature for his look was very similar to his own and he knew how it felt to be ignored. The boy bent down and scooped the creature up with one hand and placed him on the table with a smile on his face. Remus' eyebrows rose a bit, seeing the furry animal near their food.

"Harry, why is the cat on the table? It'll get hair in everything," spoke Remus casually as to not sound rude to his new nephew.

"Well he was looking at me and I couldn't ignore him. He's hungry I bet. I don't think he ate anything last night, poor thing… here, have some bacon- I know Hedwig likes it, maybe you will too," and Harry tore a tiny piece off a slice that was on a plate next to the egg bowl.

"Harry, cats don't eat bacon," said Remus before Harry fed him it.

"They don't? It's meat, cats eat meat."

"True but I'm sure he's a normal cat so will be just fine with store-bought cat food."

"Oh...um, we don't have cat food do we?" Harry asked with a sheepish smile.

"Afraid not Harry. How about we go down to the Muggle shops today and find a nice pet store. We can get all the essentials for the cat. What do you say?" Remus asked, finishing up his eggs.

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Remus nodded and drank some coffee as he read the Daily Prophet. Harry stood after his cereal and picked up the kitten as well as his glass of milk.

"I'm going to get changed and bathe. I think I have some mouse flavored treats of Hedwig's that Wronski Feint might like."

"Maybe, and fill a little bowl of water for him too Harry, and maybe give him a make-shift litter tray until we get to the pet shop," Remus called as Harry began to ascend the stairs. Harry waved his hand that he understood and reached the landing. When Harry was out of sight, Sirius burst out laughing.

"And what, might I ask is so amusing Padfoot?" Remus asked as he flicked his wand, making the unused food reseal itself.

"Sorry Moony, I just can't get over the fact that Harry actually named a cat after a Quidditch move! It's just so, I don't know, obvious if you want to call it. Predictable! That's the word! It's predictable for Harry to name him Wronski Feint."

"Well, the kid wanted something different, and he achieved that," Remus shrugged.

When Harry reached his bedroom he saw that Hedwig had returned from her night out hunting. She was currently on his bedpost looking out with one eye. The boy walked over to her.

"Hey girl, I have someone for you to meet. This is Wronski Feint or Weinki for short. He's my new cat and I would like you to become friends." Harry smiled as he held Weinki up to Hedwig's sharp gaze. Hedwig looked as if she didn't know whether to take the kitten up in her beak or not. Weinki looked a bit fearful and began to make tiny meows.

"Aw, it's okay Weinki, Hedwig won't hurt you. She's a good girl, aren't you Hedwig?" Harry tickled his owl's face.

Hedwig nipped Harry lovingly on his finger. "See? She's not going to eat you. Come on kitty, stop moving around… I just want you to meet her and I- OUCH!" Harry cried for Weinki had just scratched Harry on his hand. He dropped him on his bed in shock and grabbed his hand. There was another sizeable scratch that was already turning red and getting ready to bleed right between his thumb and running to the top of his hand.

"Damn, stupid cat," Harry said under his breath. "I didn't even do anything. In one morning you manage to scratch me twice, great." He shook his head. "Well I'm going to take a bath so you sit tight and don't run off until I return, got that Weinki?" Harry glared to the gray kitten that was now sniffing around his pillows.

"And stop sniffing everything! I don't have anything to sniff at. It just smells like a pillow. And maybe a bit on the sweet side, chocolate almost but that's it. Don't sniff." And he set the cat on the floor and he grabbed a change of clothes and walked out.

Not knowing what to do, Wronski Feint scampered out of Harry's open door and down the hall minutes later. At the end of the hall he saw a door partially closed. He poked his pink nose inside and sniffed. It smelled like his master a bit so he pushed himself in the room all the way and slowly made his way in the misty bathroom, sniffing some more.

Harry had his back to the unwelcome arrival, wearing a frown as he scrubbed his chest with soap and a washcloth. He had a very odd dream that night, one that involved a long dark corridor. He had the same dream a couple other nights as well and wished he knew what they meant. He shook his head, and all thoughts of the mysterious corridor left with the movement of his skull. Then Hermione entered his mind. Funny, this was occurring more often than not as well and included the same puzzling reasons why…

"AAAHH!" He cried and slipped off the level of the tub and fell face first in the hot water as something touched his elbow.

Harry's head emerged seconds later, his charcoal black hair lying flat for once for it was soaked in water. He glared at whatever had touched him, looking around blindly in the foggy bathroom and to his horror, found out it was his cat. "What the hell? Do you miss me already? Go back to my room like I told you to! I'll be out soon."

The cat just sat down and began to lick his bottom.

"Oh god! Gross! Cut that out! Damn…" The cat stopped to look at the boy. Harry felt his lips pull into a small smile. "It hasn't even been a day and you're already living to irritate me huh? I'll be done soon. I just need to clean my face alright? Just sit tight till then."

Wronski Feint sat obediently and waiting until Harry pulled himself out of the tub and wrapped a giant red towel over himself. He felt a bit subconscious knowing the cat was able to see his bare naked body but shook that thought off a moment later knowing animals walked around proud without any clothing all the time. Harry put on some jeans and a nice blue T-shirt and blue socks and then brushed his teeth before watching the tub drain itself. He scooped up the kitten and walked back to his room when he was through. He went downstairs and came back up with a few things in hand.

"Okay, here's some milk you might like kitty," Harry said showing him the glass he brought up. "I'm sorry, I know you must be hungry but we have no food for you yet. Here, I'll let you have a sample." Harry stuck his finger in his glass of milk and held it to the cat's face. Weinki sniffed it for a second then decided to have a taste. Harry smiled as he felt the little rough tongue lap at his finger. "Do you like? Yeah? Okay, good…" he poured some into a small bowl. "You drink that up and I'll try to figure out how to make you a make shift litter pan."

Harry stood up and glanced about his room, trying to find out the best thing to use for a kitty toilet. He rummaged around his wardrobe and found a bowl. He remembered taking up some cereal in it not long ago and forgetting to put it back downstairs.

"Well, Sirius doesn't know the bowl's missing. I'll just toss it out after I use it if you really do some dirty business in it. Reckon no one's going to want to use this bowl once a cat crapped in it anyway."

Harry set the dish on the floor and showed Wronski Feint that this was his temporarily toilet. The cat didn't seem to understand and just looked about the room. Harry sighed and gave up, hoping that when he can back from shopping he didn't find any cat pee or droppings on his beautiful wood flooring. Harry wasn't too sure on what to do until he went out to get supplies for his new pet so he decided to try out his new TV. He sat on his bed and watched the Muggle device that was resting in the middle of his tall bookshelf. Just then, the door burst open and Sirius ran in, looking a bit windswept.

"Harry! Great news! I just received an owl from the Ministry!" Sirius cried.

"Um, okay…" Harry said, not knowing what to think of this.

Sirius grinned and walked up to the boy. "No Harry this is a good thing! I got a request to have an immediate interview at the Auror Headquarters! I filled in tons of applications to various places when I was freed and I finally got a response! They want to see if I can become an Auror right away! Well, not right way but soon enough. If they like what they see today I'll be able to become a runner for a few Aurors until they deem me ready to have a more important role. But anyhow, I'm going to be undergoing a load of exams today to see my knowledge on everything. It's going to take all day I'm afraid…" Sirius said his voice indifferent and faulting.

"Oh, it's okay Sirius, you don't need to be around me all the time. I can hang with Remus all day no problem," Harry said with a small smile.

"Yeah, good luck, the topic of your upcoming O.W.L.s will sure come up in conversation so be prepared," Sirius said in an undertone.

Harry grinned. "I'll be sure to look out for upcoming exam topics then."

Sirius smiled back. "You do that kid. Well I need to get going, I have to collect some things that's here, head to Grimmauld Place for a few minutes then off to the Ministry. You be good okay? But not too good, that can be dull after a while," he winked.

"Ha, okay. Good luck," Harry said and Sirius left the room.

Harry lay on his stomach and watched some more TV. Remus called him down for lunch around noon and Harry hurried down the stairs. He actually felt a bit hungry which was something that hadn't really happened since his arrival here.

"Hello Harry, what have you been up to?" Remus greeted as he placed two steaming bowls of soup down.

"Nothing much. Was watching TV all this time. I really like the Discovery Channel; it has some really interesting stuff on it. Also, on some other channel (I forgot what it was) there was this commercial about this one show called The Simpsons. It looked funny and it comes on tonight and I want to see it."

Remus smiled. "Glad you're enjoying then."

"What's on the agenda today?" Harry asked.

"Well, get cat supplies like I mentioned and maybe have Ron come over?" Remus said lightly and amusedly as he began on his meal.

"Really? Ron can come over? Brilliant! I want to show him how my mini dragons from Hermione are holding up. That Chinese fireball is a pain in the arse," Harry said dryly.

"Oh really? What's his name again?" Remus said with a smile.

"Rellen. He's always nipping at me! What was Hermione thinking, giving me dragons that can bite and everything? It's good I don't have to feed them though. I have so many creatures to take care of now. An owl who's too proud and is a bit too human sometimes that it's creepy, five mini dragons that fly and bite and get lost easily and a cat who's always following me and running off when people try to pick him up."

Remus laughed. "Well let's get ready for the pet shop after lunch and when we get back I can go fire call Molly?"

Harry smiled and nodded and went upstairs to his room, only to find Weinki looking pretty suspicious as he knelt by a corner. Harry raised a brow and walked over to him. He pushed the cat away and saw a puddle on his floor.

"Ohhh, Weinki, you were supposed to go in the bowl, in, not wherever you please! Damn," Harry cursed and rubbed his temples. It was going to be one challenge after another to raise this cat…

Ten minutes later Remus and Harry boarded the Knight Bus and it sped off into the heart of London. When they found a pet shop Remus asked an employee about what items were needed for a cat. The man answered a litter box, food, dishes, toys, fresh water and it would also be a smart thing to get a climbing post of some sort to so he wouldn't mess up the furniture.

Both wizards began looking around for the mentioned items. Harry found a red bowl with a black paw print in it and another bowl for water. Remus gathered the litter box items and Harry found some toys. He chose a packet that held five colored toy mice, a ball with a feather at the end of it, a wand-like toy that had bells and feathers dangling off the end, and finally a small scratching pad that had a fuzzy ball attached to a spring. After Remus bought several tins and bags of dry and wet cat food, they went back home.

"Hey Weinki! Where are you?" Harry called happily when he went into his bedroom. "Guess what? We just came back from the pet store and bought you all sorts of cat things you need. Best of all- food. C'mon, you need to eat." He grabbed the kitten from under his bed and went downstairs.

Remus opened a tin of kitten food and plopped the nasty-looking wet food on the dish and set it down for the cat to eat. Afterwards, Harry set up the litter box at the far end of the upstairs bathroom and then made a make shift collar for him. It was just a piece of red draw string from a pair of old pajama bottoms but for some reason it seemed to suit the feline. Harry stepped back to admire him.

"You look wonderful Wronski Feint. You're happy now aren't you? Will you stop bugging me now?" The cat just licked Harry's nose making the boy roll his eyes.

Ron came over a half hour later and the two of them headed up to Harry's room so Harry could show Ron what a TV was. He was utterly amazed and watched the box with morbid fascination, even though it was only the local news.

"Do they even know they're being watched? I mean, here we are, listening to them talk about the news and everything and they don't even know it!"

Harry shook his head. "Ron, it's their living. They make a living telling local people about the happenings in the area. The bloke talking now is obviously speaking about England with most its news about London because that's where I live."

At that moment another man stepped onto the screen with white hair and dressed in a blue suit and began talking about the weather. Ron was even more fascinated.

"What the-? How is he predicting what the weather will be tomorrow Is there Seer blood in him or something?" Ron asked, watching the man.

"That's his job; tell people the weather days in advance. He studies weather for a living, that's how he knows what it's probably going to be the next day."

"Wicked, who would have thought Muggles could predict the future as well?"

After being introduced to the wonders of television for an hour and a half, they walked downstairs for a snack of left-over sweets from Harry's birthday then went back to Harry's room so Harry could show Ron his mini dragons. It was soon apparent however that Ron was not too fond of Wronski Feint. He glared every time the cat was near and got highly irritated that the innocent animal kept sneaking up on him and running off causing Ron to trip every time he was about to hit the creature that he finally threatened to toss the thing out the window. Harry got upset at Ron for this remark and scooped up the kitten in his arms and carried him around, not letting him down after, he had no idea he would be this protective of his cat so soon.

The boys asked Remus if they could go flying soon after; he agreed and went out to watch them, relaxing on a low reclining chair and sipping ice tea while Weinki entertained himself by finding little bugs and things in the grass and chasing after them, particularly enjoying the grasshoppers. The boys flew around for a while the sun began to set and that's when Sirius came home.

Sirius smiled as he walked outside and greeted Remus. Harry apparently didn't know he was home so the man watched him for a bit until Harry turned around and spotted his godfather.

"Sirius!" smiled Harry and he touched back down to the grass a bit too quickly causing him to stumble and fall, Ron following after.

"Hey, how was everything at the Ministry Sirius?" Harry asked.

Sirius grinned and ruffled Harry's hair. "It went quiet well actually. It pays to have family working there- that being Tonks of course. I had to take test after test and answer many pointless questions but in the end, they decided I was fit enough to begin working in the department. I'm going to be an official runner for Shacklebolt so that's good, as well as McNamer and another bloke named Crawford."

"What does a runner do?" Harry asked eyes wide with curiosity.

"Well, basically I collect things they ask me to; I write reports, give them warnings and messages whenever something happens. I even re-fill their coffee if need be. I look after their offices and do whatever they tell me to. I know it's nothing much but it's a start… I'll be able to learn a lot and become qualified to begin training as a real Auror with this experience."

"I never knew that's what you wanted to do," Harry said.

"Me either to tell you the truth. I figured it's the best thing I can do. Now that Voldemort has returned, the Aurors are going to need as much help as they can get. With times the way they are now, extra people in that area is a must."

"Yeah," said Harry. "I just don't understand why you need a job Sirius. You have money left over from when you became an innocent man, you have some from your family vaults, Remus has a little and me- I still have gold from my mum and dad. I don't really need you to provide for me," he said, smiling slightly, looking at his feet.

Sirius smiled and took hold of Harry's thin shoulders. "Harry, I know I don't need to do this, but I kind of want to. There comes a time in every person's life when he feels he needs to give back, get a job, especially after he's been in prison for twelve years. The money you have Harry- I want you to save it all right?"

Harry faltered and Sirius could feel an argument coming on so he continued. "Harry, I want provide for you. I'm your parent now, it's my job. Save that money for Hogsmeade trips and the future. All the boring things- school materials and medical related things I will provide the money for."

It was pointless to argue back now but Harry would have to get used to this. He never had money to spend in the Muggle world and used what his parents gave him in the wizard world. To not have to touch that money until he was seventeen would be weird.

Ron stayed over for dinner before going back home at ten. Harry fell asleep not long after eleven that night and was plagued by flashes of Cedric Diggory's death. Flashes of light. Screaming. His own screaming…

Sirius ran into Harry's room when he heard the cries. It took a couple minutes to calm him down enough for him to look at him without freaking out.

"What is it Harry?" Sirius asked looking concerned.

Harry gulped and turned to look at the man. He felt a bit guilty, Sirius had obviously been asleep. His hair was sticking at one end, his robe looked ruffled and he had bags under his eyes.

"Um, it was nothing Sirius, I promise."

"The look on your face says something else Harry," Sirius said candidly. "You think I'll ridicule you or something? Tell me. Harry, look at me," he said firmly, taking hold of Harry's chin.

Harry sighed and rubbed at his eyes in frustration. "Same thing Sirius. I can't help it," he added sounding almost desperate. "Why am I dreaming of this? I want to dream of playing Quidditch or eat one hundred chocolate frogs without getting fat. You know- normal stuff. A crazy dream that makes no sense but is fun to tell."

Sirius tried hard not to laugh. Harry was being serious and he had to show him that he felt for him.

"I don't fully understand it either Harry, however, I do know what might make you feel better."

Harry looked up from his blanket-covered feet to Sirius with a tired but curious look on his face.

"How about a nice mug of cocoa and you asking me anything you want to know about your parents in my room for now? How does that sound?"

Harry would have rather known how to stop his nightmares but agreed upon the request from his godfather. He got to his feet and went into the master bedroom, Wronski Feint following after them.

This was kind of a filler chapter but it's nice to see what a good enough day is like in Harry's new life. In case this is news to you, I am a big cat lover. I make sure my favorite characters have a cat in their life in some way or another.

Magical love: Rose, June 10, 2013