Author's note: My poll is now closed and Are you cross won! That means it will get updated everyday for a week! And if I miss a day then I will have to start all over again until I have seven consecutive days of updates, which hopefully means lots and lots of fast updates which will make a nice change from the recent long waits between chapters! I'm really looking forward to getting this story going again, I do love writing it.

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish you all a very happy new year! For those lucky devils who had a white Christmas I am insanely jealous, it snowed four times where I am during December but it didn't so much as frost on Christmas day. But, oh well, maybe next year. Hope you enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 29: Remus POV

I know Sirius did something to them, it would have been impossible for him to resist. He loves little Harry so much, as I do, and he would never let anyone who hurt him go unpunished. Dumbledore came round this morning to inform us that Vernon Dursley had been arrested, Petunia had been sent to a psychiatric hospital and Dudley was at a children's home.

Sirius acted very surprised and pleased but a smirk kept flitting across his face, I know that smirk, it's the same smirk he used to get every time he was pleading innocence to McGonagall after one prank or another. It was his yes-I-did-it-but-you-can't-prove-it look. He won't get caught of course, he never does, it was always Peter who was responsible for the times the Marauders did get caught. He would always accidentally say something or he would leave something behind or talk about it too loudly afterwards, James and Sirius used to tease him because of it.

"Remus," A little voice cut into my thoughts.

I turned to see little Harry dragging a big book over to me, his little face red with the effort.

"Will you read to me, Remus?" He asked, reaching me and attempting to climb on my knee while not releasing his hold on the book. I reached down and helped him onto my lap. Harry smiled at me and held the book up hopefully, his big green eyes blinking up at me. I remember Lily looking at James like that, exactly the same amount of love was in Harry's gaze as Lily's. It still feels pretty unbelievable that Harry has given me and Sirius his love and his trust.

"Of course," I smiled at him.

He beamed back up at me and pushed the book into my hands, I couldn't help noticing that the book was one of the biggest and longest ones he owned, he has certainly inherited his parents' brains. I remember when the Marauders were in… oh, it has to have been first year, we went to James' for Christmas break. We spent more time trying to delay bedtime then Sirius spends doing his hair and that is saying something!

His plan failed anyway, he was asleep before I was even half way through. His head resting on my chest, his fingers gripping my robe, I still can't believe that he is mine, well ours, mine and Sirius'. I knew right from a teenager that I would never have children, how would I live with myself if I passed on my lycanthropy? I never dreamed I would get a chance at caring for a child, and certainly not a child as special as Harry. I just wish James and Lily were here too, I know that it would mean Harry wouldn't be mine anymore but they deserve to see what a great child their son has turned into. And I would be able to visit often…

Who am I kidding? They aren't going to come back and wishing it isn't going to help. We have to focus on Harry now, and speaking of Harry…

I looked down at the sleeping boy, I needed to get him into bed. Gently I lifted him into my arms and began to carry him up the stairs, he is still far too light, he barely weighs as much as a two year old and he's about that size.

I kicked open his bedroom door and tucked him into bed carefully prising his fingers off my robes and leaving him in his play clothes, they could act as pyjamas tonight. He smiled in his sleep as he turned over, his arm reaching out unconsciously. I looked around and finally found Prongs under the bed, I carefully put the toy in Harry's hand and he automatically wrapped his arms around it and sighed happily. I kissed him on the forehead gently.

He is such a sweet, bright little boy. He's going to have the best childhood we can give him, I am going to make sure of it. My thoughts strayed to my own childhood, The way my mum's eyes would fill with tears every time she looked at me and my latest cut or bruise after a full moon, the way my dad couldn't even look me in the eye without being overwhelmed with guilt as he felt my lycanthropy was all his fault even though I never blamed him.

School was my sanctuary, somewhere where no one could look at me pityingly or run away from me, terrified. I didn't have to be Werewolf Boy, I could just be Remus. The Marauders knew my secret of course but they found it fun and exciting, Sirius even said that he wanted to be a werewolf even if just so that he could bite his parents. He quickly changed his mind when he saw the state I was in after the next full moon, he said he would stick to putting fire crackers under their chair instead.

The best time had been the holidays. Sometimes we went to Potter Manor, sometimes we went on holiday with my parents. To France, to America, to Australia; wherever took my parent's fancy. They always acted differently when my friend's were there. They played happy families, as if they didn't spend their evenings crying.

We only ever went to Peter's once, his stepfather was a muggle and disapproved of us and Peter as well it seemed, his mother was a mouse of a woman, agreeing with her husband even if she didn't understand what he was saying.

We never went to Sirius' of course, that would have been suicide. He moved in with the Potters later on anyway, I was so jealous at first. James' parents were lovely people, very easy going and generous. You could tell how much they loved their son just by looking at them. I knew my parents loved me too, but they weren't like the Potters. I've never met anyone like the Potters.

We would spend the holidays lounging on the beaches or seeing the monuments which Mrs Potter said we just had to see. Sirius normally found at least one girl to flirt with, James would join him sometimes but his heart was never in it. He normally dragged us round the shops to find the perfect postcard for Lily, though I expect she threw them all in the fire straight away anyway. He never even really wrote anything, he would do some big kisses and then write Missing you, Lily Flower underneath.

We did some stupid stuff on those holidays, got drunk more times then I care to remember (though in some cases I can't remember anything anyway), got chucked out of quite a few places, got in trouble with people we didn't even speak the same language as and generally made nuisances of ourselves. But we had a lot of fun.

Just whizzing around on the fair rides, swimming in the blue seas, surfing, playing Quidditch (James and Sirius preferred this one to me, everywhere we went had special beaches that only witches and wizards knew about and they were purely for the popular sport), going around the foreign towns and buildings and museums (I was the only one who enjoyed that) and basically just relaxing. Hogwarts was fun but holidays were even better, I had my friends around me for both but on holiday you didn't have to do any working at all and whatever Sirius and James thought I did not like school work. I like a good book, I do not like writing essays. Holidays were time off, time to spend with my friends who were, in all the important ways, my family.

I have lost half of that family now, tears pricked the back of my eyes but I blinked them away. I had a new family now, Sirius and Harry were my family. I glanced at little Harry once more and then switched the light off and left, leaving the door ajar in case he called for me and Sirius. What Harry needed to be more like a child of his age was a bit of fun, and that's when it hit me. What Harry needs is a holiday!