Harry Remus Potter woke on his 11th birthday to the smell of bacon. The sunlight pouring in his window warmed his eyelids. He was twisted up in his sheets, after tossing and turning all night in anticipation. Today would be the day, it had to be. He had been dreaming of Hogwarts for years. His godfather had told him hundreds of stories of Harry's parents and best friends at Hogwarts. He could almost picture the giant castle, the eccentric professors, the Quidditch pitch-

"Open your eyes prat, I've been standing here with your breakfast for ages."

"Morning Jamie." Harry groaned, finally opening his eyes.

"Happy birthday little brother." Jamie Sirius Potter grinned, and held out the heaping plate of eggs, bacon, and toast. "Oh, and before you ask, no, your letter hasn't arrived."

Harry had indeed opened his mouth to ask. Before he could say anything else, Jamie plopped down at the foot of Harry's bed. "I'm sure it'll be here soon enough, though. I had only been awake for a few minutes when mine showed up. Sirius and I came round a few minutes ago, floo of course. Sirius reckons I'm still too young for side-along. Remus and him are downstairs now, finishing up breakfast." Harry nodded along with his mouth full. He could always trust his brother to fill a silence. "I expect you'll be in Gryffindor with the lot of us. McGonagall is a bit uptight, but loads better than the other heads, if you ask me." Jamie continued spilling facts about Hogwarts, most of which Harry knew already. He was content to listen to his brother while he ate. It was a sign that Jamie was just as, if not more, excited about Harry coming to school with him.

Jamie was going into his third year at Hogwarts, and was already making a name for himself. He was already a talented Chaser, having made the team during second term in his second year. After a nasty incident involving a stray bludger during practice, the Gryffindor team was short, and Jamie proved himself in a match against Ravenclaw, scoring 60 points on his own. Sirius, Remus, and Harry had gone up to school to watch Jamie's first match, and as soon as he saw his brother on the pitch, Harry was certain he wanted to join him.

"Harry! Harry it's here!" Sirius' voice carried up the stairs, and Harry sprung out of bed, his (luckily) empty plate clattering on the hardwood floor of his bedroom.

Jamie watched as his younger brother flew down the stairs, laughing at his eagerness. Of course, he couldn't blame Harry. He couldn't imagine having to hear about Hogwarts from an older brother for two years, and only seeing the castle once that whole time. Jamie picked up the forgotten plate and utensils, lost in thought. As excited as he was, he was also nervous. It was hard not feeling overprotective of his Brother-Who-Lived. Harry had been two years younger than Jamie when their parents were murdered, and infant Harry, his literal baby brother had defeated Voldemort. Jamie, by chance, had been with Sirius that Halloween night. He had been three years old at the time, and despite trying not to, he couldn't forget the last time he had seen his parents alive. He didn't know if he or Harry had it worse. Was it better to have vague memories of a man with unruly hair and eyes the exact shade of Jamie's, a woman with soft, long hair and the motherly embraces she gave, with electric green eyes she had passed onto Harry, or just picture and stories for parents? Jamie supposed it might be better Harry couldn't remember, since their mum had evidently died just in front of his crib.

For the life of him, he couldn't understand why Harry hadn't been at Sirius's place with him. Perhaps he had been too young? Had James and Lily wanted to keep a closer watch on their youngest son? Was Sirius not able to handle two young wizards on his own? Jamie had come to that conclusion many times. It made sense, and it also explained why he had stayed with his godfather, and Harry had been sent to live with his godfather, Remus, after their parents murders. Though Sirius and Remus did well at keeping Jamie and Harry together. They saw each other nearly every day, and spent most weekends together when Jamie wasn't at Hogwarts.

"Jamie! Look it's here!" Harry was sitting at the kitchen table, waving a piece of parchment at Jamie as he walked in with the discarded plate.

"Brilliant." Jamie replied, grinning as he dropped the plate on the counter. He joined his brother at the table, sitting to the right of Harry and across from Remus.

"Suppose we need to make a trip to Diagon Alley soon then." Sirius said, ruffling Harry's hair as he walked behind him. He gave Jamie a pat on the back as he walked around the table to take the remaining seat at the table. "And Jamie here needs new robes, you're growing faster than James did when he was your age."

Remus shot Sirius a Look, it was brief but went noticed by everyone aside from the man who it was directed at. "How about presents then, Harry?" Remus asked, smiling wide when Harry nodded with an equally large grin.

As Harry opened his first present, Jamie's thoughts wondered again. Jamie wasn't stupid, far from it. He knew that Sirius had a tendency to compare Jamie to his father, probably more often than was healthy. He had asked Remus about it, once after a similar exchange a few years ago on Jamie's tenth birthday. His uncle, in every sense of the word aside from blood, sighed in his signature way, and then explained (in a manner that Jamie would recognize as his Defense Against the Dark Arts professor's lecturing voice) that after that Halloween, Sirius had never been the same. "I half suspect, and half believe, that the only reason Sirius did not go after the traitor that night, was because he had been charged with your care and safety by Albus Dumbledore." Remus had said. When Jamie pressed on, that being the first he had heard about a traitor, Remus shut him down and made him swear not to ask about that night again. "Especially," Remus spoke more firmly than Jamie had ever heard from him, "not to Sirius. He lost his brother that night." Jamie wanted to reply that he had lost his parents that night, but snark never got him far with his uncle.

"Er, Sirius, thanks for the broomstick serving kit, but I haven't got a broom."

"That's what Diagon Alley is for, Harry." Sirius said with a wink.