Jasper's POV

Yesterday, I'd managed to scout out Raylynx's house again, though I could only observe for a couple hours, as I had my Auror shift coming up.

However, just before I left, I saw Raylynx and a student - Harry Potter, I recognized - walk up to Raylynx's home. Raylynx used her key to enter, but then I heard a loud bark of a dog as they walked in. Happy laughter rang out before the door shut, blocking out all sights and sounds from my observation.

I frowned. A dog? There's been a dog in the house this whole time? But who's been feeding it? That other hooded figure only came by once. That's not nearly enough to keep a dog healthy.

I swallowed hard as I realized, Whoever's been keeping that dog fed and groomed can't be Raylynx. It's got to be someone else, someone else I've never seen, and who's been in the house this whole time.

My face turned into a grim expression as I realized who would stay inside a house and never come out for months on end: Sirius Black.

Raylynx's POV

Remus came around lunchtime, right as Harry finished telling Sirius about how the other contestants got past their respective dragons.

"So," Remus said, hearing the tail end of Harry's recital, "now that you have your golden egg, what are you supposed to do with it?"

"No idea," Harry replied, "though apparently, it contains a really important hint for getting past the Second Task. So now, I've got to figure out the egg."

"What do you mean by 'figure out the egg?'" I questioned curiously.

"Yes, how does one figure out... an egg?" Remus lifted his hand vaguely into the air as though holding an egg.

Sirius looked over at Remus, amused. "Don't say it like that, Moony. It sounds weird."

"What? I just said the exact same thing as Raylynx," Remus said, a bit indignantly.

"I know, but it sounds weird when you ask it," Sirius told him. "Also, the hand gesture doesn't help."

Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius, but he put his hand down.

"Well, I actually brought the egg with me," Harry said, a bit awkwardly. Running his hand through the back of his messy hair, he shrugged as he told us, "I didn't know where to store it at Hogwarts, and since it's supposed to be important and all, I figured I'd just bring it here to make sure nothing happens to it. I crammed it into my suitcase at the last minute."

"Let's see it then," Sirius said, nonchalantly popping a piece of bacon in his mouth.

Harry trotted off to go get the egg. Meanwhile, I saw how Remus' eyes were plastered on Sirius' mouth as he chewed his bacon.

I frowned a little when I saw how gaunt his face was. I wondered if he still hadn't found a second job, but I kept my mouth shut about it, not wanting to stress him out even more. Instead, I asked him, "Care for a sandwich, Remus?"

"That would be lovely," he replied.

As I got up from the table and headed over to the counter, I sighed internally. I wish Remus would just let me help him more, but I understand why he won't accept my help. And I have to respect his wishes, and his dignity in being independent. It's hard to admit, but the same reason that frustrates me is also the same reason why I respect him so deeply… Still, I wish he'd stop being so damn noble and just let me help. For Merlin's sake, I mean, what are friends for?

I channeled my aggression into ingredient-piling and made sure to layer his sandwich with as many ingredients as possible, to the point that it resembled a tower as opposed to a flat sandwich by the time I put it on a plate and brought it over to him.

Remus paused. Then, he began weakly, "This is quite the -"

But before he could complete that thought, Harry came in and put a rather large golden egg onto the middle of the table.

All three of us – Remus, Sirius, and I – leaned forward to examine it.

After a long moment, Sirius blurted out bluntly, "I'm not seeing a hint, to be frank with you."

"It can't just sit there…" Remus said, scratching his head.

"Well, it opens," Harry informed us. "But I don't think you want to hear it."

"Hear it?" I repeated interestedly. "You mean it makes a sound?"

"Yeah, but not a very pleasant one," Harry replied honestly.

"Open it," Sirius told Harry. "Let's have a listen."

"All right, but fair warning – it really pierces your ears," Harry said.

Remus and I exchanged uncertain looks.

Harry reached over and undid the tiny golden latch at the very top of the egg. The cover of the egg fell open to reveal a glowing, opaline center – and a long, hair-splitting shriek rose from the egg.

Remus clapped his hands over his ears at once.

Knowing that this was meant to be a clue, I tried very hard to focus on the sound, but it was so shrill and grating that I couldn't possibly listen to it for much longer. Just as I began to reach for it, Sirius grasped it and hurriedly shut it closed himself.

"Merlin," he breathed out. "What a wretched sound. The hell is that supposed to be?"

"I told you," Harry said, shaking his head. "It's really grating on the ears."

"This - This sound is supposed to be a hint about your next task?" Remus asked, his face still screwed up in distaste from the unpleasant noise.

"Yeah, but I can't make out what it's supposed to mean at all," Harry confessed, sitting back glumly. "I've thought about it, but I can't think of anything. Neither can Hermione nor Ron."

Looking around at us, Harry asked hopefully, "Any ideas?"

"Maybe a banshee?" Sirius suggested.

"Could be," Remus said thoughtfully, still staring at the egg. "Sirius is right. The sound isn't too far from a banshee's shriek."

Then, suddenly, Remus said, "Oh, that reminds me. Here, Harry."

Reaching back, he pulled out a book from his cloak, which was hanging off the chair behind him, and he slid it over to Harry. "It's a book on magical animals and their strengths and weaknesses," Remus explained. "So you'll know how to get past them during your Tasks…"

"Thanks!" Harry said gratefully, turning the book over in his hands. "Maybe this will give me some ideas..."

I could see the cover as Harry opened the book. It said: Getting to Know and Tame your Non-Garden-Variety Creatures. It was by Godfrey Riley. I paused. That's Jasper's uncle, I remembered.

"Well," Sirius said, looking over at me as he gestured at the egg. "Lynx, you're good at riddles, aren't you? Can you make anything of this?"

I shook my head. "No, I don't know what that's supposed to be."

"But you're great at puzzles," Sirius said.

"Not when the hint is just… screaming," I replied. "How is that a puzzle?"

It was the way I had asked that - How is screaming a puzzle? - that made me realize that the hint and the puzzle might be one and the same. Wait, I realized, it's not that the screaming is a puzzle and then you find the hint. Rather, figuring out the screaming is the puzzle, isn't it?

I picked up the egg, now closed, in my hands, and fell into deep thought. How can a scream be a puzzle? Well, that's simple - the question is how to decipher it, isn't it? It's like another language - Oh! Language. That's right. Dumbledore mentioned language skills before...

"So, what are the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang Champions like?" Sirius asked Harry, returning to conversation as neither he nor Remus were able to think of anything other than a banshee at the moment.

Harry began to reply, but I didn't really hear it, as my mind was still ruminating over this egg. I was remembering what Dumbledore had told me about the Tasks, right before the Weighing of the Wands. He said that he would need a chaperone for each magical creature that came to our school grounds. He had also said that he possessed certain language skills to help facilitate the second task.

I frowned, thinking quite hard. What languages does Dumbledore know?

Well, there's Fawkes. I know Dumbledore can understand Fawkes… But perhaps it's just because Fawkes is his companion. I understand Quincy to a certain degree, but not because I know the mannerism of fire salamanders. Still, it's worth a shot.

So, Fawkes is a phoenix. Phoenixes burn and rise from the ashes, don't they? And this is a replica of a dragon's egg…

"What if it hatches?" I wondered aloud, accidentally cutting off Harry.

"Hatches?"

"It's a dragon's egg, hypothetically," I replied.

"Yeah, so -?"

Before anyone could say anything, I suddenly put the egg back down and then, lifting my wand, I made roaring, white-hot flames erupt from the center of the table, engulfing the golden egg.

Harry yelped out loud.

Sirius immediately grabbed Harry and yanked him out of the way. Remus toppled off his chair, though, amazingly, he had the wits to take his sandwich with him, too.

The egg burned brightly in the fire. It fell open – I held my breath in anticipation – but it only screamed again, just as it had before.

Disappointed, I waved my wand. The flames disappeared, and the egg shut itself back up. The table was completely fine.

"Raylynx Kingsley! Some warning might have been nice," Sirius growled at me.

"Er – sorry," I said, realizing that I'd startled all of them. "Sorry, you know how I get… I was just caught up in thinking about the egg."

Sirius shook his head at me.

Meanwhile, Remus stared at me in mild disbelief, but he kept chewing hungrily at his sandwich, and his stomach purred happily at receiving nourishing food again.

I gave Harry back his egg.

"Fried," he mumbled, as he received it from me. He seemed a bit dazed.

"Hm?" I said.

"I think you fried it to death," Harry told me. "Not scrambled. Not poached. Fried it. Completely."

"And since when did you know so much about how to cook eggs?" I asked him, bemused at how dazed he seemed.

"Mrs. Weasley," Harry mumbled, still clutching his egg.

Sirius laughed and fondly ruffled Harry's hair. "Yeah, don't mess with your godmother," he agreed. "She'll roast you to a crisp, too, with no hesitation."

Later that evening, Remus and Harry were playing a "re-match" of Wizard's chess. I was sitting on the living room couch, writing a letter. Sirius was on the couch beside me, watching the match. He casually had his arm stretched out on the couch behind me.

Harry and Remus were talking about what Harry was learning in Defense Against the Dark Arts this year.

"So, Moody's very hands-on, eh?" Remus asked Harry.

Harry nodded. "Very."

"But I can't complain about him," Harry continued, as he prodded his knight forward. "Moody's the one who suggested Summoning the Firebolt for the First Task, after all."

"Ingenious," Remus agreed, nodding. "Ingenious in its simplicity. Although, I'm sure you could have learned the Conjunctivitis Curse, too. After all, you've mastered the Patronus Charm already."

Harry smiled at Remus. "Moody's still not as great a teacher as you, Professor Lupin. No one else could have taught me the Patronus Charm. Still the hardest spell I've ever learnt, and I can't imagine anyone but you being patient enough to teach me it," he said earnestly, making Remus blush.

Sirius' arm had begun to slip off the couch and onto my shoulders, but he suddenly paused as his eyes fell onto my parchment. He inquired, "Lynx, you're not writing to that bloke from Albania, are you?"

I looked up at Sirius. "Yes?" I said, confused as to why he sounded so disdainful.

"You still keep in contact with him?" Sirius asked me.

"Yes?" I repeated again.

Sirius muttered something under his breath that I didn't quite catch. He withdrew his arm, which I didn't really notice as I turned back and finished my letter. In fact, I was asking Sehtzer about whether he ever used runes to create purely mental illusions, as opposed to physical runes, and if so, whether he had any warnings or advice for me. I finished the letter and signed it. Then, I neatly rolled it up, intending to give it to Artemis, my owl, later.

Just as I finished rolling up my letter, Harry managed to checkmate Remus. Remus sighed quietly, watching his king topple over grimly in defeat.

Then, Remus had to duck as his queen piece threw her crown at him for his poor play. Remus groaned when the tiny crown bounced off his head anyways with a small thunk!

"The audacity!" the queen screamed at him.

"Oh, Merlin, no, not again," Remus said in a small voice, as the rest of the remaining pieces also began to throw up their arms in revolt against him.

The pieces yelled at him, shaming up in a tumultuous chorus of insults:

"How is it that we have a captain who does not know his own ship?"

"A dictator who cannot discover the will of his own people!"

"A mother hen who has forgotten where she laid her eggs!"

"I swear the insults are getting more sophisticated with every match Moony loses," Sirius observed, highly amused. "This was quite the chess set you bought, Harry."

"Remind me to play in practice mode next time," Remus muttered.

Harry grinned at him and said casually, "But it's more fun this way."

Remus looked up at Harry, and he truly and honestly saw James for a split second – so much so that his heart stopped - but then Lily's own, not-to-be-underestimated mischievousness flared up in Harry's green eyes, and Remus smiled softly at Harry as his heart resumed its normal pace, reminding Remus that he was in the present, and not the past.

That night, after Remus left once again for his shift at Flourish and Blott's, Harry fell asleep on the living room couch with the egg in his arms. He'd spent the evening flipping through the book Remus had given him and listening to that horrific scream every so often, trying to match it to a potential creature, but to no avail.

While writing letters in my room to Sola and Jamie, I'd heard Harry groan and grumble for about half an hour and then - I'd come out to see him deep asleep on the couch. I carefully pulled the egg away from him.

At moment, Sirius had also peeked his head out of his room. Seeing Harry asleep, Sirius came over and scooped up Harry. Sirius took him to his room, and tucked him in gently in his bed. For a moment, Sirius gazed down at Harry with worried eyes.

Coming back out, he found me still in the living room, staring down at the egg.

"Harry's growing so fast," Sirius said quietly, walking up to my side. "I swear, every day, he looks more like James. It's a bit scary, to be honest."

"I know," I replied softly, looking up at Sirius. "I see it, too. You should see him at Hogwarts. When I catch a glimpse of him in the hallway, he's literally the spitting image of James, though not so playful, I suppose. Harry keeps his head down, for the most part."

"He would have been more playful, if he'd grown up with James and Lily," Sirius replied, "and if he didn't have to deal with all this crap about being the Boy Who Lived and all that..."

Setting the egg down on the living room table, I murmured, "When we're all together like this, in our own quiet world, in my parents' old house where we're safe… I forget that Harry's in danger. But then, when I do think about it…"

"It's overwhelming, isn't it?" Sirius said knowingly. "I feel that way, too."

I sat down on the couch and Sirius joined me.

I reached up and gently tugged his arm over my shoulders.

"Hmph," Sirius muttered under his breath. "You didn't seem to want it before."

"What?" I asked him. "I didn't catch that."

"Nothing, forget it," he said, and he tightened his arm across my shoulders.

I naturally shifted to press up against his side, and I rested my head on his shoulder.

For a moment, we just sat there in silence, enjoying each other's company.

But Sirius' eyes strayed back to the golden egg, standing atop the living room table, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"You know, once the Tournament started, we all so focused on getting Harry through the tasks that we sort-of forgot about discovering who put his name in the Goblet in the first place. Have you had any more suspicions as to who it might be?" Sirius asked me.

I slowly shook my head.

"No?" Sirius murmured. "Dumbledore hasn't said anything more about it?"

At this, my eyes turned steely. "No," I said shortly. "He hasn't."

"He's probably focused on getting Harry past the Tasks, then, like the rest of us," Sirius murmured.

I didn't reply to this. A flash of guilt ran through me as I thought, Well, actually, I've been relying on you and Moody to get Harry past the tasks while I try to break the contract magic at its core. I've done nothing but fail, though. Maybe Moody and Dumbledore are right. Maybe I'm just wasting my time and not actually helping my godson.

"Has Karkaroff done anything suspicious?" Sirius asked, still thinking of possible suspects.

At this, I shrugged. "Hard to tell. From what I've seen, all of the movement in the castle is as per usual. Well, as per usual as it can be, I mean, what with the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang guests. It is hard to rule out Karkaroff because I can't always see what he's up to."

Sirius nodded. Then, he suggested, "You don't think it could be the Beauxbatons headmistress?"

"Madame Maxine?" I said, surprised. I thought about it for a moment. Then, I said, "No… Again, hard to say for sure, but the care she shows for her students makes me think that she wouldn't be acting on behalf of Voldemort."

Sirius ran his hands through his hair and let out a gruff sigh. "Lynx, to be honest, I'm getting anxious not picking up on any leads."

With downcast eyes, he murmured, "It's making me think that it really is an insider, since they haven't been caught yet."

"You mean you think that it's someone we implicitly trust, and that's why they're flying under the radar?" I asked.

Sirius paused. "What's a… radar?"

"Never mind," I said quickly. "But you mean that's why we haven't picked up their trail yet."

"Yes," Sirius responded. "Exactly… Like with Peter. His ploy worked because we never suspected it was him. Because we thought he was our friend."

We both fell silent for a long while. I snuggled up to him a little tighter, and he rested his head on mine.

But then, lifting his head up from mine, Sirius suddenly asked me, "What about Snape?"

I blinked, surprised. "You think Snape could be the one who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire?"

"Yes. Why not?"

"Well, I suppose I always assumed that Dumbledore could have caught Snape, since they're together very frequently," I replied. "But, then again, I don't have an affirmative reason for ruling out Snape. Never have, if I'm honest."

"I still think the git's a Death Eater, deep down," Sirius said bitterly. "I don't know what the hell Dumbledore's putting his faith in when it comes to Snape."

"Me neither," I agreed, but as soon as I said that, I realized that that was not completely true. I knew that Snape regretted certain things deeply, and that included betraying Lily… But how far does that take him? Would Snape go so far as to protect Harry to earn redemption?

I hesitated. But ultimately, I said, "I'll keep a closer eye on Snape. Merlin knows I don't trust him, either."

The next day, which was the last day before I had to take Harry back to Hogwarts, I visited Lily and James' grave with Harry again.

Sirius was adamant on coming with us, but I reminded him of how the Ministry had attempted to track him down from his last visit to Lily and James' grave. Remus, who came along at the perfect time, managed to wrestle Sirius into Buckbeak's room, and keep him there.

As Remus shut the door behind them, I heard him mutter, " – a chance to heal - "

I frowned at his words, as I didn't quite understand them. Heal who? Sirius? Is he really hurt? If he is, why hasn't he said anything?

"Ready, Professor?" Harry asked me, standing a bit nervously in the hallway.

Looking down at him, I asked, "Are you anxious about something, Harry?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I know it's stupid, but it feels like we're really going to see them - my Mum and Dad, I mean. I keep thinking one day they might be standing there in the graveyard, alive again, and their tombstone will be gone."

"It's silly, I know," Harry said quickly. "I'm not going mad or anything, I swear. I just... It's a feeling I get."

I was at a loss for words. Instead, I reached down and put my hand on Harry's shoulder and kept it there as we left the house together.

I checked the street to make sure no one was around. For a moment, I thought I saw someone standing a few houses down, but when I squinted, I saw nothing.

Probably the light playing a trick on my eyes, I thought. But just in case, I discretely pulled out my wand and made sure that all of the magical barriers were up around the house.

Once I was satisfied that they were, I gripped Harry's shoulder a bit tighter, warning him. Then, I turned, and we Apparated to Godric's Hollow.

When Harry and I approached Godric's Hollow graveyard, he suddenly went ahead of me, almost jogging forward. But when he saw the empty graveyard, he slowed down and walked to his parents' tombstone with his head hanging low.

I caught up to him eventually, giving him time to collect himself before I spoke to him. When I did, I said, "I'm sorry if you're disappointed. But you know, they are here..." My eyes lingered on the back of Harry's messy hair as I thought, They're here in you. You just don't know it.

"Maybe not in the way you wished for. But still." I gestured at the tombstone. "It's not nothing, Harry. They're remembered by us. That counts for something, you know."

Harry nodded. "Thanks, Professor," he mumbled.

Harry and I laid flowers at Lily and James' grave. As Harry sat before his parents' grave, murmuring tender words to them in his mind, I put my arm around his shoulder and pulled him in close to me. He reached up and grasped my arm in his hand, though his blurry eyes remained on his parents' grave.

"D'you think... D'you think they would be proud of me?" Harry asked me quietly. "Everyone else says that I'm asking for all this attention. They think I want to be in the newspapers and all that rubbish. I think Mum and Dad would have known, though, right? That I didn't want all this... Any of this..."

"Of course, Harry," I assured him. "Of course. Your mum and dad would never have questioned that. No matter what, you would always be their son first and foremost. And they'd be so very proud of you."

Harry's resolve steeled and he said in a low, but determined voice, "I'm going to make it through this Tournament. I'm going to make you proud, Mum, Dad..."

Later, as we left the neighborhood, I wondered again whether I should take Harry to the Potters' old house. But once again, I feared the pressure would be too great, especially given that he had already been thrust into the TriWizard Tournament, and we returned home instead.

Remus Lupin's POV

Sirius and I, aware that this was Harry's and Raylynx's last night here, and knowing that they would be somber in spirit after visiting Lily and James' grave, had taken it upon ourselves to try to make the house more festive by throwing a small, impromptu Christmas party.

Well, to recount more accurately - after Harry and Raylynx had left, I had forced Sirius to settle down and take his shirt off, so that I could apply the medical paste I'd brought to help Sirius' rib mend. I cast Healing Spells on Sirius after applying the paste, and then helped to change Sirius' bandages.

"Padfoot, why is it, that whenever I think you've started healing, it flares up again?" I asked him wearily. "You're a bit worse than before. Not by much, but still, I can tell."

"Oh, that's probably because Lynx was snuggling up against my side last night," Sirius said.

"Well, stop letting her. It's not doing you any favors," I told him.

"It's hard to resist her when she's like that," he replied. "Anyways, it doesn't feel so sore anymore. I think I'm finally healing. I reckon your spells have helped to mend the fracture."

Affectionately, he reached up and patting my cheek playfully, he said, "Thanks, Moons."

"My pleasure," I said dryly, not meaning it whatsoever.

"Anyways," Sirius said, putting his shirt back on, "I was thinking – shouldn't Harry have a bit of a party before he goes back to school?"

I shrugged. "That's not a bad idea."

Sirius eyed me.

I paused. I knew that look all too well. It was the look that got me in trouble a million times over at Hogwarts. Irritated, I said shortly, "What? What are you thinking, Sirius?"

"Oh, Moony, you know why I'm bringing this up to you now, don't you?" Sirius asked, already laughing.

Yes, I know.

"Curse your furry hide," I growled at Sirius. "I am not your errand boy."

"Keep telling yourself that, and someday it might come true," Sirius told me, shooting me a flirtatious wink.

Then, Sirius held out a piece of paper and a small wad of Muggle money. "Look, I've done my research and everything. Lynx pitched in the loot. Now, you've just got to go and get it. That's all."

When I stared stalwartly at Sirius, refusing to take the piece of paper, Sirius wheedled, "Oh, come on, you're not going to send me out there, are you? You wouldn't let your best mate get captured by some greedy rogues, would you? Or Aurors, which would be even worse?"

Scowling hideously at said "best mate," I finally gave in.

After taking the piece of paper from Sirius' hand, I made his way down to the neighborhood market. Of course, I thought uneasily, there's more than one reason why I don't want to be going down to the supermarket. I swallowed hard as I thought of my last encounter with the Muggle girl who had worked here. Margaret – or rather, Maggie… I remembered how I had offended her by suddenly chickening out of our kissing session, which had nearly slipped into something more. I coughed uncomfortably as I entered the store, anticipating a terrifically awkward reunion.

But to my surprise, Maggie wasn't there. Instead, an elderly man was at the cash registrar, reading through a magazine, as it was a quiet hour and there was no one else in the store at this time.

I picked up everything Sirius had asked for, which turned out to be an awful lot. Breathing a bit heavily, I brought everything up to the cash registrar. I couldn't wait to secretly magick everything into a smaller package to carry home. But in front of the Muggle worker, I knew that I would have to be careful and hold back from magicking anything just yet.

The elderly man, John (or so his nametag said) slowly checked out his items. If the cashier had been any faster, I might have been able to hold aback the question bursting from within. But five minutes later, and the man was still putting away the milk –

"What happened to Maggie?" The question escaped from my lips before I was really conscious of asking it.

John looked up at me through his reading glasses. Slowly, he asked, "Hm?"

"Er – Maggie.. The girl who worked here before. Does she still work here?" I wondered.

"Oh. Margaret?"

"Yes…" My ears and cheeks were slowly turning red.

"Well." John paused, taking his sweet time to punch in a few numbers on the cash register.

My blood was starting to boil - not from anger, but from impatience.

"Well," John said again, "Margaret moved away a few months ago, actually. From what I heard, she's gone to pursue a degree in writing. She got a scholarship and everything."

I blinked. "Oh. Oh, wow."

"She's a smart one, that girl. Feisty, too," John murmured. "Didn't have any support, so she made her own support. Worked herself to the bone here, and wrote for a bunch of local newspapers to give herself the money and credibility to get a writing scholarship. At some point, practically every local publication had her name on it somehow. Dunno where she found all the hours, when she was working here day and night, too. Like I said - feisty. Pulled hours out of thin air, it seemed."

Her dream was to become a writer, I recalled. So, she really did it. She made it happen.

"Yeah, she is… feisty," I mumbled.

"Well, are you going to pay?"

"Oh, right. Sorry, sir." I counted out a few bills and gave them over. As John counted out the change, I murmured thoughtlessly, "Good for her…"

"Why are you interested in her, young man?" John asked me, suddenly looking at me rather severely. "Were you her past boyfriend or something?"

"No, sir, nothing like that," I said quickly. "Just an acquaintance. I used to come get groceries here often. Not anymore, but - Anyways, I hardly knew her. But it's good to hear that she got to where she wanted to go..."

When I returned to Raylynx's house, I heard loud shouts of laughter and I knew that Harry and Raylynx had returned.

Sure enough, when I entered the living room, I found that Raylynx had dragged out a Christmas tree from who knows where, and was now trying to decorate it. Raylynx and Harry were attempting to put up the star at the very top of the tree, and having a hell of a time reaching it. Harry was sitting atop Raylynx's shoulders, and they made for a very unsteady and still quite short combo, coming well short of what was needed to reach the very top of the tree.

Just then, Sirius appeared from the garage, with his arms full of ornaments. Upon seeing what Raylynx and Harry were up to, he muttered, "Merlin." Then, he called out, "You couldn't have waited ten seconds for me?"

To this, Raylynx shouted back cheerfully, "No! You're too slow, Sirius!"

Sirius dumped the ornaments on the sofa before turning around. He had Harry clamber onto his shoulders instead. I saw Sirius wince at his ribs protesting, and I sighed.

Idiot, I thought. He's not giving himself time to heal.

But I watched as Harry gleefully put the golden star on the top of the tree.

Harry further took this singular opportunity to run his hands through Sirius' hands, flipping the tables for once.

"Hey!" Sirius barked out, as Harry mussed up his hair quite thoroughly. "You little punk!"

Raylynx laughed happily at the two of them, and then she helped Harry get down safely from Sirius' shoulders.

Sirius, smiling in a bit of a bemused way, ran his hand through his hair to straighten it out. As he did, he spotted me coming into the hallway.

"Oh, Moony," he called, and he left Raylynx and Harry to come and speak with me.

"Did you get everything?" Sirius asked me, grinning.

As I pulled the magicked groceries out of my pockets and magicked them back to their proper size, I turned and said to Sirius, "Why did you make me get an entire Christmas ham? We're not going to be able to finish off a Christmas ham between the four of us – not in a million years!"

"You never know. Kid's grown quite a bit. He could down a ham, if he tried," Sirius said, clearly joking. There was a bright twinkle in his eye that I'd not seen for a long time.

"I'll put everything away," Sirius offered. "Go to the living room. They're putting up the ornaments now."

I took up Sirius' offer and made my way to the living room. Raylynx, using a complex Charms spell, had just created an ice dragon that breathed lasting frost and icicles all over the tree.

Upon seeing the ice dragon, Quincy jumped up excitedly in his tank, bouncing quite energetically up and down in the red flames contained in his tank.

"You know, I would have thought Quincy despised ice, but he seems to be fascinated by it," I noted.

"Oh, Quincy loves all dragons," Raylynx replied. "He aspires to be one someday, I'm certain of it."

I helped Raylynx and Harry put up the tinsel and the ornaments. Then, we all sat back on the sofa and admired the tree.

"Where did you get it from?" I asked Raylynx. "The tree, I mean."

"Oh, my father was a big fan of Christmas," she answered fondly. "But my mother hated having to get rid of trees every year. Said it made her feel guilty. So, they compromised and got a really nice-looking fake tree. And here it is, all these years later…"

After a moment, she smiled as she said, "It looks rather happy, to be all dressed up again. I never thought a tree could look happy - but here we are."

"And I never thought eggs could scream," Harry said, grinning. "And here we are!"

"Yes," I agreed, still thinking of Maggie and how she'd managed to make her ambitions a reality, "here we are."

Raylynx's POV

After dinner, we were so full that none of us could really move. We all sat back in our chairs. Presents for Harry had already been opened (since we wouldn't be together on actual Christmas day). Sirius and Remus had gotten Harry a handy penknife with attachments to unlock any lock an undo any knot. I, realizing that Harry had not planned at all for the Yule Ball, had bought him a handsome set of dress robes for the Ball.

"Going back already," Sirius said wistfully, gazing over first at Harry, then at me. "I wish we could have you back for the whole break."

"Believe me, me too," Harry replied. Thinking of the Yule Ball, he groaned.

"Harry, you got past a bloody dragon. Getting a date is nothing," Sirius said, knowing what Harry was dreading and trying to talk him up. "Think about how impressive the girls think you are. I bet any of them would be flattered to be asked by you. Just give them a little nudge and they'll be all over you, I'm sure of it."

"Speaking from experience, are we?" Remus muttered wryly, helping himself to more wine.

"I won't deny that I was considered a sight for sore eyes," Sirius said cheekily.

Both Remus and I scoffed excessively at his complete lack of abashment.

"Yeah, but the thing is…" Harry struggled to figure out what he wanted to say. Finally, looking up at us with somewhat desperate eyes, he asked, "How do you actually talk to a girl? I mean, if there - hypothetically, if there is someone I fancy... What do I say?"

I suddenly had a flashback to James when he first wanted to approach Lily. James came up to me, twisting his hair in his hands as he asked me, "How... How do you get a girl's attention?"

I laughed and asked him, "What?"

James admitted nervously, "Lily. It's Lily. I want to talk to her."

I grinned. It was almost funny, in a soothing sort of way, to know that just as James Potter, Quidditch Captain and leader of his friend group, struggled immensely when it came to having a decent conversation with a girl he actually liked, Harry, too, seemed to forget all about the fact that he was the Boy Who Lived and the youngest TriWizard Champion to boot, when it came to talking to someone he fancied.

I was relieved that Harry had inherited James' goodness, that he didn't think of himself as any of these labels that other people put on him, and that he did question whether he, as himself, was worthy of someone, or whoever, he liked. Undoubtedly, he was. But there was a goodness and a humility to questioning that every once in a while.

Just as I was admiring that about Harry, Sirius, ever the impertinent arse, said, in a completely nonchalant voice, "You go up to her and you say 'do you have a name or can I call you mine?'"

Remus' brow lifted in a mixture of disgust and amusement. Meanwhile, I sank down in my chair, embarrassed by Sirius.

"Or – oh, here's one – you can say, 'I'm learning about important dates in history. Do you want to be one of them?'"

"For fuck's sake," I cursed under my breath.

Remus looked over at me, highly amused.

I took the opportunity to fling a potato peel at Sirius' face with my fork. In a robust and satisfying display of physics, the potato peel slapped Sirius across the face and remained plastered on his cheek, leaving him spluttering. Remus chortled, much amused. Meanwhile, I turned to Harry and said sternly, "Harry, don't listen to your godfather."

"Well, how many dates did you get while at Hogwarts?" Sirius teased me, pulling the potato skin off of his cheek.

"None, because I succeeded in avoiding all you idiots," I replied tartly. "I tell you, not a decent boy existed at Hogwarts in my time."

Quickly, though, I turned to Harry and assured him, "You are, though, Harry. Don't worry."

Remus grinned at my remark, knowing that by "all you idiots," I was referring to the Marauders. Then, he said thoughtfully, "You know, Harry, you may be sitting with three of the most ill-equipped people to answer that question."

"What? I am qualified," Sirius protested, but Remus and I both ignored him.

Harry sighed. "It's all right. Maybe if I dance with the egg, it'll open up to me and tell me all of its secrets."

"That does sound like a very Dumbledore-ish thing to do," I agreed. "And at any rate, it's better than anything Sirius has suggested."

A couple hours later, Remus had to leave. Sirius and I packed up leftovers for him. Remus protested, but we both insisted that he take it.

"Harry and I will be gone. Sirius can't possibly eat all of this," I told Remus, shoving the packaged food into his hands.

"Yeah, Moony, take it," Sirius agreed. "You'll be doing us a favor."

It was only when Remus got home that it suddenly struck him how much of the food he was holding was actually still completely fresh, as opposed to "leftovers." He realized then that Raylynx and Sirius had pretended to ask for more food in order for Remus to have a ton of food to take home. Remus swallowed hard as he opened the door to his fridge, which he rarely had occasion to use, and pushed in the containers of food that had been so lovingly wrapped for him.

"You know, you can clean all this by magic."

I looked up to see Sirius standing in front of me. Harry had just gone off to sleep, and I was in the living room, running my hands slowly through the leftover ornaments and tinsel, about to pack them away, as well as to clean up the torn-open wrapping paper from Harry's presents.

"Yes," I agreed, "but I'm so happy. I just want to stay in this state of mind."

I picked up a string of tinsel and looped it around my neck, telling Sirius, "You know, back when I was Crookshanks, Hermione made me wear a piece of tinsel on my neck all day. As a cat, it drove me bonkers."

"Still can't believe you didn't tell me that you were Crookshanks," Sirius remarked, as he sat next to me. He picked up one of the ornaments and twirled it gently in his fingers before setting it back down.

"I felt I had to earn your trust," I replied quietly.

"Well, in terms of earning your trust, I failed you miserably, didn't I? I still can't believe I didn't recognize you," Sirius said, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, love, subtlety was never one of my strengths."

"You figured it out in the end. That's what counts," I told him. "You came back to me. You chose me again. Who cares how long I waited? In fact, all of those long years melted away in a flash, the moment you came back to me." I laughed lightly. "It's so strange, how your emotions can distort even your perception of time. I'm not sure if it's healthy, but it definitely affects you that way. The entire ebb and flow of your life seems to change based on your emotions, no matter how much you try to tell yourself that you're stronger than your feelings. It never truly works. You can't really trick yourself, I've found, not when it comes to the things that matter."

As I was speaking, Sirius looked over at me. His eyes caught the way the magical fairy lights in the Christmas tree glowed on my cheeks and sparkled in my eyes. She catches all the light, Sirius thought, moon light, fire light, fairy light...

Reaching over, Sirius grasped the end of the string of tinsel that was around my neck and gently pulled it.

Startled, as I hadn't been looking towards him at all, but rather staring down at the mess of ornaments and wrapping paper before me, I abruptly fell forward.

Sirius caught me, his hands grasping my waist. Before I had time to catch my breath, he was kissing me. My hands fell upon his shoulders, but quickly slipped over them until I was hugging Sirius around his neck. Our heads bent towards each other, we kissed quietly, but deeply, pressing our lips against each other over and over again until we were both panting softly into each other's mouths.

Gently but firmly, Sirius pushed me down onto the rug on the floor. He followed me, still insisting on kisses. Then, I felt his fingers fumble at my neck. A moment later, the string of tinsel I'd tied around my neck fell off, and then, his lips left mine.

"Sirius?" I mumbled. But just as his name left my lips, I felt his mouth pressing hotly against my throat. My hands slid up from his shoulders to his hair, and I grasped his hair in my fingers as I felt him kissing my throat. I exhaled slowly as I stared up at the ceiling, my mind all fuzzy with sensation and want.

His hands slowly slipped up my sweater and my shirt, his palms traveling over my bare skin tenderly. Sirius' taste and scent and warmth… I felt so happy, and so complete, having him with me like this. I breathed out softly, "Mm..."

However, seeing that gold star on top of the tree that Harry had put up made my mind clunk back into place all at once. Oh Merlin, our godson is still here with us. This is inappropriate.

"Sirius," I whispered abruptly, "we shouldn't – shouldn't be doing this right now..."

I both heard and felt Sirius sigh, as his mouth was still pressed against my throat. However, he stopped at once and sat up, pulling away from me. Still lying down on the floor, I gazed up at him, feeling a wave of regret wash through me.

Sirius looked down at me. Seeing my clearly regretful expression, his frustration melted away and the corner of his lips pulled up a little. He leaned down and murmuring, "Merry Christmas, Lynx. It was good to have you home for a little while, however short." Then, he brushed his lips against mine for the briefest moment before he left me. He got up and made to his room, to take a shower and go to bed.

I stayed where I was for a moment longer, slowly making myself breathe steadily again and waiting for Sirius' scent and warmth to stop overtaking my senses. My hands smoothed out the top of my turtleneck sweater and then clenched at the hem of my sweater as I thought of his hands on my skin…

Stop that, I berated myself. Harry's here. What if he wakes up and goes to get a cup of water or something? You don't want to traumatize the poor kid, do you? He's got enough trauma in his life without you and Sirius adding to the mix. Besides, you know that if anything happened, Lily and James would kill you as soon as you got to the after-life. Yes, Raylynx Kingsley, you'd be sent straightaway to the after-after life, if you ever traumatized Harry James Potter.

I blew out a soft, but long breath. Then, I whispered belatedly, and to empty air, but air where the scent of Sirius still lingered, "Merry Christmas…"

The next morning, Harry and I returned to Hogwarts.

Before we parted, Sirius put his hand on Harry's shoulder and said, "All right, Harry. Not to be a downer or anything, but don't get complacent, now. You did marvelously on your First Task. Now, you've got to focus on getting through the Second Task, and keep your eyes wide open, all right?"

Harry nodded. "Will do."

"Good." Sirius pulled Harry into an embrace and said, "Don't want anything happening to you…"

He let Harry go, but managed to sneak in one final mussing of his hair before he did.

"Sirius!" Harry complained, but he was laughing.

Sirius grinned at him. "Should've seen that one coming by now, Harry. You never learn, do you?"

As Harry pulled on his cloak, Sirius looked over at me. The laughter faded from his eyes.

I hesitated. Then, I murmured softly, almost carefully, "Bye."

His voice was equally soft and quiet as he replied, "Bye, Lynx."

Harry and I stepped out of the house. However, as we grasped hands to Apparate together and I checked to see that Quincy was safely stowed away in my cloak pocket, I suddenly realized that Sirius' scent still lingered on my sweater. I smiled a little and my chin sank a bit deeper into the soft turtleneck fabric around my neck. I took a deep breath, and then, I Apparated, so that Harry, Quincy, and I were off to Hogwarts once again.