Author's note: I just want to say that your reviews and Pms really mean a lot to me. Every time I get one it makes me smile all day long. I really do appreciate you taking the time to feedback. That's why I have posted this now, it was going to be a lot longer but now I am back at school I haven't had the time I was hoping for and so I hadn't finished all of Christmas which is why there is now going to be three parts. The last of which will be out soon but I didn't want to leave you too long without a chapter.
While you are waiting for my chapters it might interest you to know that I have started another Harry raised by Sirius fic and I would really love your opinion on it. Its called Happy Ever After and you can find it on my profile page, if you do check it out please review and let me know what you think.
This chapter is for alix33, where would I be without you?
And finally, onto the chapter!
Chapter 25: Christmas, part 2
"Sweet Merlin, it's cold!" Sirius exclaimed stamping his feet as he entered the kitchen, leaving a trail of snow in his wake much to Remus's exasperation.
"That could have something to do with the fact that you are covered in snow" Remus answered sarcastically as he eased his own heavy boots off and stood them on the mat so that he did not add to the mess that Sirius was making as he paced the kitchen in an effort to get warm.
Harry stood looking at his godfathers uneasily, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Should he follow Sirius's example and leave his boots on or Remus's and take them off? He always copied what everyone else was doing and so having each godfather doing something different made him more than a little anxious.
Remus quickly saved him though as he lifted Harry to sit on the table and began to unlace his boots before slipping them off and putting them by the side of his own, considerably larger, ones.
"Are you cold?" Remus asked Harry in concern as he studied his godsons red cheeks and wind tousled hair.
"A little bit" Harry answered swivelling his body round to see what his other godfather was doing.
"Would you like me to warm you up?" Remus asked reaching into his cloak for his wand.
"Yes please" Harry said distractedly still watching Sirius who seemed to be getting out big mugs.
Remus waved his wand over Harry who immediately felt the snow and wetness vanish and a warmth seemed to seep through his body.
"Wow! Thanks" Harry exclaimed finally snapping his eyes away from Sirius and studying his coat intently as if determined to find a tiny bit of wetness.
Remus smiled to himself and cast the same charm on himself and Sirius (who for all of his moaning didn't seem to notice that the cold was gone) and also cast a quick cleaning charm on the floor and Sirius's boots as it didn't look like he was going to take them off anytime soon and Remus certainly didn't want to spend all Christmas cleaning.
"What are you doing?" Harry asked curiously, his attention once more returning to Sirius.
"Making us hot chocolate" Sirius answered turning to wink at his godson as he cast a quick heating charm on some milk.
"For me too?" Harry asked in awe, he had never had hot chocolate before.
"Of course" Sirius answered as he poured the milk into the cups and added chocolate powder.
"Good idea" Remus said approvingly. He began to rifle through the cupboards.
"What are you looking for?" Harry asked, now that he knew that Sirius and Remus were not going to hit him or shout at him for asking things he was making up for lost time. In fact there was hardly anything that Sirius and Remus could do without a million questions from there small godson.
"Looking for marshmallows" Remus replied "and I just found them!" He pulled a big blue bag out of the cupboard and tossed it to Sirius who caught it expertly.
"Thanks, have we got any sprinkles?" Sirius asked, he was now stirring the hot chocolates.
"Somewhere" Remus said and began to go through cupboards again.
Sirius had just put the marshmallows in and returned the bag to the cupboard (something he rarely did) when Remus found the sprinkles.
"Not too much!" Remus exclaimed as Sirius practically emptied the jar over the three mugs. Remus was fully aware that it was only about nine o clock in the morning.
"Taa daa!" Sirius said presenting Remus and Harry a mug with a flourish and a small bow. "Hot chocolate made Sirius style! You can just call me a chocolate genius, or a cooking whiz, or a hot drink prodigy or-"
"Or maybe just Sirius" Remus cut him off earning himself a mock glare from his friend.
Harry was watching the scene with interest but he was too busy gulping down his hot chocolate (which not only was delicious but was also just the right temperature for drinking) to tease Sirius with Remus or even to ask a question.
There was silence in the Black-Lupin-Potter household while each savoured their drink although after a few minutes it was broken by Sirius who couldn't seem to stand silence for long.
"Can we open presents yet?" He asked sounding more like four than twenty-four.
"Harry needs to have breakfast first" Remus said, feeling as though he was speaking to a child instead of a grown man who was in fact older than him by several months.
"Chocolate for breakfast!" Sirius exclaimed to Remus's horror.
"He just had hot chocolate, he needs a healthy breakfast. His teeth will rot before he's of age!"
"Chocolate on Christmas day is a tradition" Sirius said firmly.
"Not in my house it wasn't!" Remus argued.
"You want chocolate for breakfast don't you, Harry?" Sirius asked, ignoring his friend.
Harry looked at Remus worriedly, he knew he wanted to agree with Sirius but he didn't want to get in trouble.
"If you want chocolate for breakfast you can, Harry" Remus said kindly when he saw his godson looking at him anxiously.
"Yes please!" Harry told Sirius excitedly.
--
Half an hour later all three of them (Remus reasoned that if you can't beat them, join them) were full up of chocolate frogs, chocolate eggs, chocolate santas, chocolate coins and other chocolaty goodies.
"Presents! Presents!" Sirius said excitedly causing Remus to roll his eyes.
"Presents" Remus agreed tiredly.
Harry stared at the table as if it was the most fascinating thing he had ever seen, he wondered how many presents Sirius and Remus had and whether it would take them long to open them, watching would be hard and he certainly didn't want it to go on for too long. Remus and Sirius's voices became a distant drone as Harry lost himself in daydreams of actually receiving a present himself even though he knew it would never happen. He straightened up suddenly as an idea crossed his mind. Sirius and Remus were a lot nicer than the Dursleys, they were the nicest people he had ever met so maybe they wouldn't make him watch?
Harry brightened as he new idea took form, he loved Sirius and Remus and he knew they loved him so surely they would allow him to sit in his room while they opened presents. It would still be hard thinking about them opening presents below him but at least he wouldn't have to actually see it.
"Come on, Harry. Lets open presents" Remus said with a smile offering his godson a hand.
Now was his chance, now was the time Harry should ask. He wet his lips nervously and began to ask, nothing happened. No sound came out of his mouth.
"Harry?" Remus looked down at his godson with a frown. Harry looked slightly green and he hadn't responded to him at all, maybe he had eaten too much chocolate and now felt sick. He knew having chocolate for breakfast was a bad idea. Why couldn't Sirius ever listen?
"Do you feel ill?" Remus asked.
Sirius, who had bounded ahead, now came back into the room and tapped his fingers impatiently.
"I thought you were following me" Sirius said looking at his watch exaggeratedly "Come on"
"Do you feel ill?" Remus repeated blanking Sirius.
Harry shook his head and prepared to ask, he had to do it now.
"canigoandsitupstairswhileyouopenyourpresentsplease" Harry said as fast as he could.
"Huh?" Sirius 's brow furrowed in confusion.
"Say it again and speak slowly" Remus instructed kindly.
"Please can I go and sit upstairs when you open your presents please…please" Harry said added another please for good measure.
"What!?" Sirius exclaimed spinning round to face his godson who backed off nervously, he looked at Remus worriedly but even he seemed to be frowning.
Harry felt his heart sink further and further as he looked at his godfathers, he had been wrong. They were going to make him watch. Harry felt tears come to his eyes and it took a lot of effort to force them back, he had felt so sure that Sirius and Remus were different… evidently he was wrong.
"You don't want to open your presents?" Remus asked, looking at his godson sceptically.
"My presents? No, I don't want to watch you open your presents." Harry said looking taken back at the idea of him having presents.
"Our presents?" Sirius laughed "We're waaaay past it, Har. We've probably got a grand total of three presents each and one of those will be from each other. We want to watch you open your presents!"
"My presents?" Harry echoed weakly.
"Of course" Remus said firmly.
"But I don't have any presents" Harry protested.
"Of course you do!" Sirius exclaimed looking shocked.
Harry shook his head firmly. "I don't. Santa never gives me a present because I'm bad. I must be really bad because it said in the book Dudley got read to him that bad boys got a lump of coal and I didn't even get that. I must be the baddest boy ever" Tears dripped down Harry's cheeks.
"Don't say that!" Sirius ordered coming over to his godson and scooping him up. "Please don't cry, not on Christmas day. You are not bad at all! Don't you ever say that again!" Sirius fought the urge to shake Harry, not because he was angry with him but because he wanted to get that idea right out of his system.
Harry pulled back from the hug Sirius had pulled him into when he heard the tone of Sirius's voice but Sirius was not having that and he immediately pushed him against him again and began to rub soothing circles into his back.
"You are a good boy, a very very very good boy" Sirius said firmly though this time he kept his voice hushed.
"Then why didn't santa come the whole time I was at the Dursleys?" Harry sobbed.
Sirius shot a pleading look at Remus who came up behind him and laid a reassuring hand on his godsons shoulder, Harry was too young to abandon childish ideas like santa clause and Remus felt like he was robbing him of the precious little childhood that he had left but Harry obviously had no good memories of Santa clause and there was no way Remus could make Harry feel good about himself without telling the truth. Remus had no wish to lie to him anyway, Harry had already been lied to far too much.
"Santa Clause isn't real Harry" Remus said softly and then waited for the shouting and the arguing and the accusations that he was lying and the 'proof' that he did exist but it never came.
Harry just peered over Sirius's shoulder and said hopefully "he's not?"
Remus shook his head solemnly.
"Did you know Santa Clause isn't real?" Harry asked Sirius craning his neck so that he could see his face.
"Yes I did" Sirius said with a smile.
Remus felt his own smile stretching across his face. Harry had accepted it without question. Harry trusted him and that was the very best present he could ever have given him.