A/N: SPECIAL POST!

O.K., people. I can't do this on the right day, since I only post on Sundays with this story. So I hope she'll forgive me this is early.

This chapter is going out as a special birthday posting for one of my reviewers.

So, Lin-z, HAPPY BIRTHDAY (April 9)!!!!!!! I hope you have a wonderful day! Lots of presents!

On with the story.

Enjoy!

Chapter Twelve: The Road To Recovery

Remus was just coming in the front doors of the castle when he glanced up at the stairs.

"Sirius!" He cried.

Just above the first landing, Sirius was slowly making his way barefooted down the steps to the entrance hall. He was dressed in a pair of pajama bottoms with a white robe and a large, heavy blanket wrapped about his shoulders. As he continued down the stairs he kept a knuckle-white grip on the handrail.

Remus immediately rushed for the stairs, wonder how or if Sirius had made it this far without any of the few students staying over the holidays seeing him. Though it was still early and what students were in the castle during break were most likely either still in breakfast or still asleep.

Sirius looked up at the figure barreling towards him up the steps.

"Ah! Finally! A guide!" Sirius stated in a tired voice. "Remus, is there any food in this castle anywhere? I feel like I've been walking for days. But following the smell," he pointed down the stairs towards the great hall, "and if memory serves, food is in that general direction."

"Food?" Remus asked as he skidded to a halt in front of Sirius, looking at him in shock.

"Yes, Food. Stuff you put in your mouth. Know where there is any?"

"You want something to eat?" Remus asked in disbelief.

"No, Remus." Sirius answered straight-faced. "I was getting bored in the hospital wing. Thought I'd paint a still-life. Need some subject matter. Few apples? A pear? A peach? What do you think?"

"Sirius," Remus stated, place a hand on Sirius' forehead, "you shouldn't even be up! You're ill! And what if a student sees you?" He added, pulling out his wand. "You still have a fever. Come on. Let me transport you back to the infirmary."

Sirius pulled back. "Put that thing away!" He stated firmly. "I'm fine."

"You're delusional." Remus concluded. "You need to be back in bed."

"Remus, what I am is hungry. What I need is food."

Remus looked at him as though Sirius had suddenly slapped him. "Hungry?" He asked again, as though it were the first time he had heard Sirius mention the fact.

"Yes." Sirius answered, getting a bit exacerbated. "I just want something to eat."

Remus' expression shifted to a broad smile. "Hungry?" He repeated again, then threw his arms around Sirius. "You're hungry!"

Sirius stood there for a moment, trying to think of something to say.

"Moony?" He said finally. "Just a sandwich would be fine. Really."

Remus pulled back. "Yes. Yes. Of course. Come on back to the infirmary and I'm sure the house elves will get you anything you want. Let's just get you back to bed first. Let Aaron and Madam Pomfrey have a look at you."

Sirius quickly protested as Remus pulled his wand out again, insisting he had walked that far, he could walk back. Remus gave in quickly, eager as he was to get Sirius out of sight. But he insisted on holding onto Sirius' arm to balance him when Sirius nearly fell over turning around on the landing.

The trip back to the infirmary seemed to take twice as long as Sirius remembered. By the time they reached his bed he was so exhausted he was even starting to forget how hungry he was.

"All right, then," Remus said gently as he directed Sirius over to the bed. "Let's get you back to bed."

Remus started to help Sirius over to the bed, but stopped abruptly as he caught sight of the soiled top cover resting on the bed.

"Sirius, What happened?" Remus asked as he stripped the top cover quickly off the bed.

"Bad cough." Sirius replied, gratefully sitting back down on the bed.

"That's an awful lot of congestion to bring up."

"I said it was a 'bad' cough." Sirius repeated a bit irritably.

Remus helped him into bed, ignoring Sirius' tone and noting for the first time that Sirius wasn't having nearly as much trouble breathing as he had been for the past several days.

As soon as Sirius was settled, Remus ran off to fetch Aaron and Madam Pomfrey.

Within a few minutes Sirius unhappily found himself being subjected to all sorts of tests and questions. But still no food. And at that point, as far as Sirius was concerned, Aaron Richards' wand was starting to look appealing. Little salt. Little barbeque sauce maybe.....

"Well then," Aaron directed Sirius' stare away from his wand, which for some reason was starting to make him nervous, "still had one good hack left in you, Mr. Black?"

"So it would seem. Can I get some food now?"

Aaron seemed to think over the request for a moment. "I suppose that would probably be the best thing for you. Although I have some medicine I want you to take as well."

"Does it come in flavors?"

"It comes in 'pill' flavor." Aaron replied, waving his wand once more. Immediately a steaming bowl of liquid appeared on the tray table next to Sirius' bed. Sirius leaned over slightly to examine it.

"Soup?" He asked with a disgruntled stare at the doctor. "What about the sandwich?"

"You get soup." Aaron confirmed. "It's likely all your body can handle for now. Let it get used to the food concept again in slow stages, Mr. Black."

Sirius huffed slightly as he dragged the tray across his bed and began attacking the soup. Within a matter of minutes there wasn't so much as a drop left in the bowl before him.

"What was that anyway?" Sirius asked as he dropped the spoon back in the bowl.

"Chicken soup." Aaron replied.

"Chicken? And what gave it that distinction? You let one walk through it? There wasn't so much as a scrap of anything in that bowl."

"It was broth, Mr. Black." Aaron sighed. "And I suggest you acquire a taste for it. You'll be eating it for the next few days."

Sirius made an irritated sound as he scooted back down in the bed. Truth was, his stomach was already protesting how fast he had eaten broth. But he would consent to three days in a room with Peeves, no-holds-barred, before he'd admit it to the doctor standing by his bed.

Aaron stood by and watched as Sirius obediently downed a handful of brightly colored pills of all shapes and sizes and three separate potions to drink. After that Dr. Richards sternly advised rest as he exited the ward with Madam Pomfrey, who was commenting on something about the chances of Sirius paying attention to any medical advice.

Remus quickly pulled up a chair as Sirius settled back in his bed.

"So, it looks like you're going to be all right, Sirius." Remus announced happily.

"You found out I wasn't leaving you anything in my will." Sirius replied past a small cough. "That's why you're so happy. That and the fact you're just perpetually happy."

"I'm just glad you're getting better."

"Where's Harry?" Sirius asked.

"He's down with the house elves." Remus replied. "I discovered I can get just about anything short of what they'd have to steal out of the little blighters if I let them baby-sit for a few hours a day. And Harry seems absolutely wild about spending time with them."

"You'll bring him by though?" Sirius asked hopefully. "Soon?"

"He can come visit for dinner, all right?"

Sirius gave a contented nod, but his expression quickly began more serious. "I was a real idiot, you know that Moony?"

Remus looked up. "Idiot? About what, Sirius?"

Sirius rolled back over onto his back as he wiped a hand over tired eyes. "I thought I had it all planned out, Moony. Down to the last detail."

"What planned out?"

"Harry. Where he would go. What would happen to him. Everything was suppose to work out so much better for him if I wasn't there to keep messing up his life."

"Sirius, you're not messing up Harry's life. Harry loves you. You know that."

"He's a baby, Remus. He loves whoever feeds and takes care of him."

"The Dursley's fed and took care of him, Sirius. He hardly loved them for it. You fed him, and you took care of him. But you also loved him more than anything else in the world. And Harry knew that. Baby or no, he knew who cared about him."

"And right now he's wild about a pack of house cleaners."

"And I'd stack a ton of galleons against him being happier with them or the look on his face the minute he sees you."

"You don't have a ton of galleons." Sirius reminded him with a small, teasing smile.

"I'd steal them from you."

"I still thought I had everything pretty well planned out, Remus." Sirius went on as his smile slowly faded. "You could have taken Harry, and raised him, and done a good job of it. But I was an idiot. And....and I almost ended up sending Harry right back to those muggles, didn't I? I never thought to check those stupid laws they have about werewolves."

Remus gave Sirius a puzzled look. "Laws? What do laws have to do with any of this, Sirius?"

"I didn't know werewolves couldn't adopt children, Remus. I was sure you would have been able to adopt Harry. Give him a proper home. Raise him the way he should be."

Remus now looked stunned. "How did you know that?" He asked in a surprised whisper. "That's hardly common knowledge."

Sirius smiled at his friend again. "Lily told me."

"Lily? When was she looking up werewolf adoption laws? I mean, girl always had her nose in a book to be sure, but that was hardly part of any of our curriculum."

Sirius waved him off. "Not in school." He rasped out. Talking was getting harder and harder past his sore throat. "Last night. Lily and James were here."

Remus tried not to look skeptical. "Lily and James?"

Sirius nodded.

"Sirius," Remus said sympathetically, not wanting to upset his friend, "Lily and James are dead."

Sirius frowned. "I know that." He replied, laying in the bed with his eyes closed. "But they were here, Remus. And...and James.....James cured me. Don't ever let him do that to you, by the way." Sirius added quickly. "He's not very good at it."

Remus continued to simply stare at the man in the bed.

Sirius opened his eyes, wondering why Remus had gotten so quiet suddenly.

"You think I'm a nutter, don't you?" He asked, catching Remus' stare.

"I think you believe what you thought you saw, Sirius." Remus said in a quiet, gentle voice.

"I know what I saw, Remus. Oh, and...and James....he said for me to tell you...that you were welcome."

"Welcome?" Remus asked quizzically. "'Welcome' for what?"

"He said something about a rescue." Sirius shrugged slightly with a slight frown. "I have no idea what he was talking about, but he said to tell you. I thought you would know."

Remus thought for a few minutes. Rescue? From what?

But suddenly Remus' thoughts focused back on the events the night they left his house. The attack by the ministry. The sudden flash of light. Their unexplained escape.

Remus sat with his stare fixed on the wall opposite him. "That was James?" He asked in a quiet, awed voice.

Sirius just shrugged, not sure what Remus was talking about. "That was all he said, Remus.

"But....." Remus tried to piece things together, but nothing fit the way it should. James was dead. He couldn't have been there last night talking with Sirius. But how could Sirius even have known about their unexplained rescue? He had been unconscious through the whole thing. And how did he know about the adoption laws concerning werewolves?

"I'm not crazy, Moony." Sirius stated softly, though even he wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question.

Remus sat in silence for a few more minutes before he turned his attention back to Sirius. "No, Sirius." He said finally. "I don't think your crazy at all. I think you really did see James."

"And Lily." Sirius piped up, not wanting anyone to be left out.

Remus smiled slightly. It was good to hear the light-hearted, joking tone trying so hard to work its way back into his friend's voice. "And Lily, too." Remus agreed. "There's simply no other explanation for how you would know about what happened when we left the house. You were completely out of it."

"Well, there's something new."

"New?"

"Moony, the last thing I even remember was.....," Sirius paused for a minute as he thought, "....something about a lot of rain or something."

"Rain?" Remus asked in disbelief. "Sirius, the last time you had anything to do with rain was when you came to my house that night. It was raining cats and dogs that night. You were absolutely soaked."

"Remember that." Sirius replied bluntly.

Remus studied his friend for a moment. "Don't you remember anything after that?"

Sirius sighed. "Bits and pieces, I guess. Mostly just Harry. Oh! And the food-fight. Remember the food-fight. You lost!"

Remus smiled slightly. "Convenient target."

"None-moving target." Sirius replied with a yawn. He shifted in the bed as he rolled over on his side. "Mostly, Remus," He said quietly, "I remember waking up scared."

"Scared?"

"I would wake up in a bed I didn't remember how I got into." Sirius answered, staring at the sheets. "Or where I was, and I didn't know where Harry was. And I would start to panic. I thought somehow we had gotten separated. And I would try to remember where I left him. Where we were last. And I would think I had to go get him. I didn't know how long he had been alone. When he had last eaten." Two frightened eyes turned to look at Remus. "I can't remember in my whole life being that terrified, Remus."

Remus brushed a hand gently over Sirius' head. "Well, you tried awfully hard once to go find him. Had a real time of it getting you back to bed. Insisted we had to go find Harry. Thankfully, he was just down the hall and once you had him back in your arms, you went straight back to sleep. No arguments. Same with Harry. That little baby is so crazy about you, Sirius."

"According to you, he's currently crazy about house-elves."

Remus shook his head. "Poor substitutes. He doesn't respond to anyone like he does when he sees you."

"Can't you get him now? It seems like ages since I've seen him. Probably walking and talking by now."

Remus stood up. "Hardly." He sighed. "All right. Just give me a minute."

Fifteen minutes later Remus returned with a very irritable Harry, who was none too happy to be taken away from his new playmates. But as soon as Remus turned him about and he caught sight of his godfather, all thoughts of the house-elves vanished past a squeal of delight. Harry immediately began pushing against Remus' hold on him, babbling like a maniac as he reached out to Sirius.

"Kid's getting strong." Remus commented as he handed the baby to Sirius.

"Good." Sirius replied as he settled Harry down on his chest. "So," he asked the baby, "how are ya', Harry?"

The infant stared at Sirius past his large green eyes for a moment, then as though someone had cut a string that had been holding him upright, fell forward as he wrapped his arms about Sirius' neck with a happy contented sound.

"Oh sure." Remus commented as he watched the baby quickly settle against Sirius. "We can replace you. No problem."

Sirius gave a soft laugh as he lifted Harry up and bounced him in the air above his head, babbling at him like an idiot in single syllables.

"By the way, Sirius," Remus asked after watching the two for a few minutes, "what did James want anyway?"

Sirius put Harry down on the bed as he rolled over to face Remus again. "He wanted me to keep my promise." Sirius replied.

"Promise?" Remus asked as he got suddenly distracted by Harry suddenly appearing again as he crawled over Sirius side and tumbled down onto the bed with a happy giggle. The baby quickly regained his balance, and, using Sirius' body for support, made it to his feet and edged up to Sirius' head, where he promptly smacked Sirius on the nose before losing his balance and collapsing back onto the bed before his godfather's smiling face. "Don't hit your godfather, Harry." Remus gently admonished the child.

"It's just his way to tell me he wants something." Sirius replied, stopping Harry's tiny hand from connecting with his nose again as Sirius frowned at him. "But I have no idea what he wants now. Usually it was food or milk or just attention. What do you want, kiddo?" Sirius asked as he waved Harry's hand about in his.

Harry sat for a moment, digesting the sounds. With a confused look he turned to the man sitting behind him, then turned back to Sirius. Holding out his two tiny arms, Harry flapped them both inward several times, slapping Sirius on either side of his face.

Sirius winced slightly as he pulled back with a frown.

"Oh, godfather isn't sure he can do that, Harry."

"What does he want?" Remus asked curiously.

Sirius looked up at his friend with a tired expression. "He wants Padfoot."

"I can't recommend that, Sirius." Remus cautioned. "Your still weak. You might not be able to transform back. Be stuck as a dog."

"And you'd leave me that way, wouldn't you?"

Remus shrugged with a small smile. "Well, Sirius....., boy seems to want a pet dog more than a godfather, after all."

Sirius just shook his head at him before turning his attention back to his godson, who had just whacked him on either side of the face again.

"All right. All right." Sirius replied. "I'll see what I can do."

"Sirius," Remus put in quickly, "I really don't think...."

But before Remus could say another word, the large black dog sudden materialized on the bed. Harry squealed again with delight and grabbed the dog's muzzle and gave it a tight hug.

"You are so going to spoil that child." Remus stated firmly, shaking his head again. The dog turned his head to him, lifting his muzzle up as he did so, so that Harry was now laying over the dog's snout, still holding tightly onto him as he laughed.

"I'm telling you," Remus warned, "you're going to be stuck that way."

The dog huffed at Remus as he tilted his head up slightly, directing Harry down his head as the infant crawled down the dog's head and onto his back, where he contentedly settled over the large pile of soft, black fur.

Just then the door to the infirmary opened again, taking Sirius so by surprise he didn't have time to even think about changing back.

Aaron Richards walked into the ward, stopping short while he observed the scene before him.

"Well," he said finally without the slightest hint of surprise in his voice, "I'm happy to see my medical advice is being followed." He stated firmly, looking the three over.

"Sirius....ummmm.....just stepped out for a minute." Remus stated carefully. "Be back shortly."

"Really?" Aaron asked. He turned casually to the large black dog on the bed. "Do you know how we take a dog's temperature, Mr. Black?" He asked as he deftly produced a thermometer from his pocket.

A keen look of understanding appeared on the dog's face, followed quickly by an intense look of concentration. But nothing happened.

"Warned you." Remus stated quietly at the dog, who gave him a piercing stare.

"Well, now." Dr. Richards stated, surveying the situation. "I still need a temperature reading, Mr. Black. So, since we can't get it the usual way, if you'd be so kind as to present the other end."

The black dog got to its feet a bit shakily, sending Harry rolling onto the bed where Remus caught him and placed him in a safer location at the foot of the bed. Looking to see where Harry was, the large black dog then unceremoniously plopped itself down in a sitting position, staring defiantly back at the doctor.

"Oh yeah." Dr. Richards stated. "That'll work."

"If I may, Aaron." Remus stated suddenly, figuring, no matter how, the 'dog' was out of the bag. And not wishing the doctor's suggested placement of the thermometer on his worst enemy, Remus quickly pulled out his wand and pointed it at Sirius. One quick spell later, Sirius lay again on the bed, looking considerably more tired then a few minutes before.

"Very good." Aaron stated, holding up the instrument in front of Sirius. "I still need a temperature reading. Open please."

Sirius pulled back with a look of disgust. "How do I know where that thing's been?"

"I don't get many Animagi, Mr. Black. I assure you, it's perfectly clean. But if you prefer......"

Sirius quickly opened his mouth.

As Aaron poked the thermometer in, Remus turned a curious stare to his old friend. "How did you know Sirius was an animagus, Aaron?" He asked.

"Simple matter of smell." Aaron replied. "What I saw was a dog. But what I smelled was Sirius. Honestly, boy! If you'd learn to work with the wolf, you'd learn he can be useful at times. And you'd even likely learn to stop treating him as so much of an enemy. Besides, you're an animagus. I thought it stood to reason Sirius was also one."

In the meantime, Harry had become fascinated with the new item and reached up and yanked it out of Sirius' mouth before anyone noticed what he was up to. But Aaron reached down quickly and retrieved it from the baby's hands. He looked it over with a slight frown as Harry babbled his indignation at the doctor, slapping at his white coat several times as he reached for the glass stick again.

"You still have a bit of a fever, Mr. Black." Aaron informed him. "And as such, I can't recommend a great deal of contact between you and the child."

"Then you won't be disappointed." Sirius replied, frowning as Remus reached over to take Harry back. "Because I haven't had a great deal of contact with him."

"Well then," the doctor stated unsympathetically, "let's try and keep it that way for a few more days, shall we?"

Sirius frowned at him, then turned back to Harry, who was pushing against Remus' hold, slapping at his arms as he protested like crazy being taken away from his godfather.

"And it certainly has all the makings of a perfectly happy few days." Sirius replied.

Remus smiled sympathetically at his friend as he followed Aaron out the door of the infirmary with Harry in his arms.

"I'll be back in a little while." Remus promised. "Try and get some sleep."

Sirius sighed to himself as he watched the door close, then settled back in his bed for a good long nap.

Outside the door Aaron stopped Remus a few feet down the corridor.

"Well, thank heavens he finally listened to someone."

Remus gave Aaron a confused stare. "What are you talking about, Aaron?"

"Black. You must have given the man one extremely sound talking to, Remus."

"Talking to?"

"That's the most interest, cooperation, or coherency I've gotten out of the man in days. Quite frankly, I'd swear someone stole my patient and replaced him with that one. And as far as I'm concerned, they can keep the original. This one listens, he's cooperating, he's taking his medicine, and he's eating again. All in all, I'd call that the path to recovery."

Remus' expression brightened suddenly. "Recovery?" He asked. "You think Sirius will recover then?"

"If he keeps on like this, there's no reason in the world why not. Although for the life of me, I can't tell you how he did it. Yesterday I'd have swore the man wouldn't last three more days. He was headed down hill on wheels, Remus. So, whatever you said to him, I'm glad he listened."

Remus considered telling Aaron what Sirius had told him about his visitors, but quickly set it aside. Instead he gave Aaron a pleasant smile. "Sirius loves his godson, Aaron." He replied instead. "He just needed to realize how much Harry needs him still."

Aaron patted the child on his head. "Well, good for you, Harry." He stated. "You just keep reminding him of that."

Remus watched the doctor walk off down the corridor. "We will, Aaron." He said softly. "We will."

Q&A

Family Life

Ice: Feel free, Dear. Sorry I couldn't e-mail you to say it's O.K. and you had to wait for my posting. But I currently have e-mail problems.

A Dog's Day

Me: Don't be too hard on Aunt Rose. She's just looking out for her niece.

Fever

RavenNat: Hey! RavenNat! How are ya'? So, ya' saw the review, huh? I was hoping you did.

Fever is in someone's 'Favorites'? Wonderful!

Actually, I think I've cited Midnight Visitors more than once. I absolutely LOVED that story. Still do. It was a wonderful story. Very original. I will stand by my review of that story. It was absolutely one of the best stories I've read on this site.

Don't feel bad not remembering the last word in the title of Family Life. It is a three story arc and the names are all very similar, being Family Life, Family Relations, and Family Ties. (Currently, only Family Life is written and posted.). And, yes, Family Life is a bit long. But it's a good read.

By the way, when you say you haven't actually read fics on Fanfiction.net, do you mean you don't read stories on the site? I mean, I'm honored if you don't usually do that, but chose to read mine anyway.

And talk about falling out of a chair! That's about what I did when I saw your review!

Looking forward to the review of The Bonds That Tie.

The Bonds That Tie

vmr: You know. You must be one of the best read people on this site. I see you in numerous reviews of other stories. Again, so glad that you chose to list mine among them. Thank you.

Nagini: Ummmm, you might just have too, Dear. Family Life will be coming down for revisions before Family Relations is posted due to changes in plot that need correcting. But, to be fair to everyone who so kindly read Family Life once already, I will post the changes at the beginning of Family Relations.

Peacockgirl: *P.A.R. clasps her hands together.* THANK YOU!!!! Someone LIKED this chapter!!!!!!!

I kinda' got slapped a little for this one for some reason . Not many people seemed to like it. Oh well. I just felt it would take something fairly extreme to make him listen. And by the way, for my other readers, that catharsis wasn't James and Lily showing up. It was the fact that Harry would be going back to the Dursley's if Sirius died.

Kat: Cute! A pity-party. I loved it.

Anyway, I don't know that this was a Sirius/Harry moment, but at least they're back together.

Nicky: Thank you for saying you liked the chapter!

And no. What James was referring to was the fact that he was responsible for rescuing Remus, Aaron, Harry, and Sirius from the ministry at Remus' house.

Only Sirius and Harry can see James and Lily. And they were actually there. Call them ghosts, spirits, whatever. They were 'physically' there.

As for talking to Dumbledore and the rest, no. They can't do that. There are rules, as James said. Too much interference is a big one. Besides, do you honestly think Dumbledore needs anyone to tell him the truth?

This story actually does have a short sequel, called Tried And Convicted that I've just started working on. Possibly it will be the next posting or so. It will come out before Family Relations.

Yes, yes, yes. Poor Remus could use a vacation. Unfortunately, he's not getting one in this story yet.

LauraBlade: Awwwwwww! *P.A.R. hands over a fresh fruit plate with lots of nice grapes.* THANK YOU!!!!!!

P.A.R. is VERY happy you liked this chapter.

Yes, Sirius got himself several really good talking to's. But he really needed them.

His road to recovery will not be a short one, but nor will it be over pronounced either. The rest of this story will mostly deal with Sirius adapting to his new role in life. Guardian to a child with a mind of his own. And poor Sirius is about to learn that children aren't always cute.

I'd have to (and would love to) see the actual written scene to tell you what's right or wrong with it. Perhaps you could post it as a short one shot and let me know where and I'll be glad to have a look at it. Or, if I can ever get my e-mail working on this site, you can e-mail it to me. I love stories with those sorts of things in them, by the way, and I love reading them. Otherwise, it's sort of like having someone hold up a painting in a completely dark room and asking me what I think of it. I need to see what I'm critiquing. It's only fair to me and you.

BK: Mostly, Harry's been missing Sirius and driving Remus nuts as he's getting fussier by the day.

Phoenix: Thank you! Thankyouthankyouthankyou for liking this chapter!!!!!!!!

Alexa Black: I'm not sure if that was a compliment or not, Dear. But I do wish you'd reconsider about the theories. But for some reason this chapter has brought me as close to being flamed as I've come with my readers. *Sigh.* I suppose it was bound to happen some time.

Starlight: Thank heavens! Another person who actually LIKED this chapter. And I hope you liked Sirius and Harry's 'reunion'.

What Harry did was actually a rhetorical scene. I never had any clear cut image in mind. Just something that would shock a mother. But after all, he picked it up from Sirius, so it had to be something pretty bad. But as the chapters go on, you can get an even better idea, as that Harry starts showing some other people the wonderful habits he's learning from his godfather.

Essence Of Magic: Sorry! Train's pulled out of the depot on the right track. But all the passengers aren't on board. Sirius isn't in a comatose state for Family Relations. Actually, I could be really mean and tell you a bit more about that situation that would utterly contradict what I've said previously, but P.A.R. has something better in mind. Instead, I've decided to post the first chapter of Family Relations at the end of The Bonds That Tie as sort of a little preview.

What the picture was and what Harry did are both sort of rhetorical. It's more or less left up to the reader. But as for what Harry did that shocked Lily do much, go read Starlight's answer above. It goes a bit more into detail about that.

Don't know abou thte bus trip. Sometimes I liked them. Sometimes I needed to kill most of the people on the bus by the time we got where we were going or got back where we started. Depended on how I was feeling.

I never said it was impossible to back me into a corner now. Just difficult. And when you do accomplish it, yes, indeed, BE PROUD! Don't happen often.

Ohhhhh, sorry to burst that bubble, Dear. No, no. P.A.R. is taking a vacation. AFTER The Bonds That Tie is finished. I would never stop a story abruptly like that and not finish it. I have one firm standing rule, remember? I only post stories that are finished or near finished and that I'm going to finish. P.A.R. is not mean to her readers.

Hermione Gulliver: I'll let you in on a secret. I hate that kid's name. Why? I doubt I'll ever learn to spell it without looking at it first. What parent would name their child that? 'Course, my name is far from normal either , so who am I to talk? (Trust me, folks, I've got a large sum of money that says only one in five hundred of you ever knew or heard of anyone with my name. And that's my ACTUAL name, mind you. Not my pen name.) But anyway, THANK YOU for liking this chapter! I'm coming close to getting flamed this week! So I doubly appreciate those who LIKED it!

Yes. I have the 'hits' thingy. Paid good money for it. Well worth the cost if you ask me. Currently, for The Bonds That Tie only one in ten people are reviewing this story. But P.A.R. is happy to point out that last week The Bonds That Tie went over three thousand hits. THANK YOU, PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Trust me, Enhanced Statistics (the 'hits' thingy) is well worth the money! It's a great ego booster!

Yes, this section is getting a bit long. But surely you wouldn't think of depriving me of my fun, would you?

The Bonds That Tie only has a few chapters more. I'm thinking it'll beat Fever by one chapter. Not sure yet. Story's still undergoing revisions.

Sorry, I can't do e-mails yet. I haven't figured out how to activate my e-mail account on fanfiction.net. That's suppose to come with my Support Services.

My only disappointment with Enhanced Statistics is they start tracking 'hits' from the day your account is activated, not the day you posted the story. I would have liked to have known how many 'hits' Family Life has had from the day I posted it. Not how many it was pulling in three months after I posted it.

Whisp!

I'd give you a gold star for getting that, Whisp. But what's the point? You're probably still basking in the light of winning that MVP award. But, yes, James was responsible for rescuing Remus, Aaron, Sirius, and Harry from the ministry.

I had a very nice Easter. Thank you.

And thank you for liking the chapter.

Also, sorry, but The Bonds That Tie is actually being sequeled in a story called Tried and Convicted which will bring our much loved potions master back into the picture. So The Bonds That Tie isn't likely to end the way people are thinking.

Sirius, by the way, won't go in for questioning until Aaron releases him from medical care. And knowing how Aaron feels about the ministry, that could be a while.

Sailor Sol: I don't know that my writing keeping people up on a school night is a necessarily good thing. (Not that I'm complaining, but still!).

What Harry did was rhetorical within the story. Or better, it was redundant. It wasn't so much what he did as that it was enough to shock Lily, and she knew just who was to blame for teaching it to him. For a more drawn out explanation, go see Starlight's answer.

Mortalus: What's this 'biccy' that I'm not getting? And if it's edible, ohhhh, no! No fair waving food in front of the author and not throwing it her way. Pony up, buddy!

What Harry did was redundant to the story. For a longer explanation, go read Starlight's answer.

Padfoot's Bone: BOY! Are people ever interested in what Harry did!

It was redundant to the story. Sort of a rhetorical scene. For a better explanation, go read Starlight's answer above.

I'm not running much with the ghosts thing. I'll go with 'whatever'. But personally, I'm not calling them ghosts.

Oh, and you're welcome for my posting practices. Glad you like them.

Silverfox: As that you're on chapter 11, Dear, yes, you've missed something. I believe both questions are answered in later chapters. But feel free to come back and asked again if I'm wrong. I'm not answering because I don't want to ruin the story for you, and the answers might.

Taracollowen: James and Lily weren't exactly ghosts, since they could interact with Sirius on a physical level. Although I think in GoF, that James and Lily could interact with Harry on a physical level as well. But they weren't really ghost there either.

It's not up to Sirius alone to cure himself. The whole point of James' discussion with Sirius was that Sirius was giving up. The end result was that Sirius had to want to get better. That meant working with Aaron and Madam Pomfrey, whose help he had been refusing up until then. And keep in mind, James didn't cure Sirius. He simply gave him the strength to clear the congestion out of his lungs. The one thing Sirius didn't have any longer, which was what was killing him. That and the fact he didn't care if he lived or died at that point. He's a long way from cured.

MKH: What Harry did was redundant to the story. I never meant for that one thing to take on a life of it's own, but it certainly seems to have done so. But, for a longer explanation, go see Starlight's answer above. (It's not necessarily 'better'. Just longer.).

James and Lily do not appear (so to speak) again in this story. And I can't say that Lily is back any time soon either. Although James does make a brief appearance in other stories.

Whoa! O.K., first off, no, no! Aaron was NOT the werewolf that bit Remus. Also, Aaron isn't the member of a pack, he's a lone Alpha. There's only one way for him to assimilate into a pack, and that's as the Alpha, which means a fight with the current pack leader. And Aaron just isn't interested in leading a pack. His sole interest is keeping his people out of the hands of the ministry. Work in which his status helps a great deal. I mean, you'd have to be (or at least have the arrogance of) an Alpha to stand up to Orion Black. Something Aaron Richards has done many times in the past.

Aaron is extremely protective of Remus. He was not only his mentor, but his doctor as a child. And he probably sort of views Remus as an adopted son.

I believe in that chapter some time had passed. Harry was getting more and more irritable with Remus. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't seeing the people he wanted to see and life was pretty miserable 'at the moment'. But, lo and behold, here comes momma! Who he hasn't seen in a while. That's bound to cheer him up considerably. And trust me, I don't care if it's been several months of separation, a kid will remember his mother. So, happy or irritable? Depends whose he's with.

Me: You don't LIKE my story? *Whimper.* Oh, well. What can I say? Apparently after this chapter there's a fan club forming for that.

Siriusly Bored is a story I'm planning to post sometime during my vacation just to prove I didn't fall off the face of the Earth. Post time? Sometime between now and the beginning of summer. Sorry. I know that's not much help. But several stories will likely be posted during my vacation. Siriusly Bored is just one of them. There is also Enemies and the sequel to The Bonds That Tie called Tried And Convicted. But this is mostly because Family Relations is starting to look a little longer than I anticipated. Originally coming out in the Spring, it is now slated for Summer. And I'm not guaranteeing anything here.

As to the 'Professor Lupin' thing. Go back to the last chapter and read the Author's Notes. P.A.R. made a rather large mistake, I'm afraid.

Cat Ate Borris? Sometimes I honestly believe it's a good thing people aren't allowed to name themselves.

You may hate your life, Dear, but let's face it, it beats the alternative!

As to what Harry is going to call Sirius and Arabella, I can't really comment on that, because it's figures into the story.

Sirius wasn't worried about what Harry may say later in life as that he wasn't planning on being around, period.

Yes. The scene between Sirius, James, and Lily really did happen.

As long as it's 'originally weird', I'm O.K. with that.

Parents often over-react to what their children do. But in regards to what it was that Harry did, it was redundant to the story. For a better explanation, go read Starlight's answer above.

James didn't visit Harry 'this time' because he had a mission to complete and limited time in which to do so.

Lotesse: Well, James was always breaking rules while he was on Earth. After that, he was under certain restrictions from The Power That Be, however you care to define it, that he could only do certain things. Sort of a universal 'none interference' clause. Otherwise, we could all have formerly living people coming back and telling us all sorts of neat things. Like what stocks to invest in, what bad old wizards are up to, and how book seven is really going to end. I mean, life without surprises isn't much of a life, right?

Actually, I was never one much for philosophy or theology. I always thought of both as subjects for people with too much time on their hands and no money. P.A.R. does not currently have that problem.

No. P.A.R. does not do group hugs. Doesn't like them. But I see your point and after I read your review P.A.R. was somewhat disappointed in herself. Yes, I had a wonderful opportunity to clear up a lot of things and failed to make decent use of that opportunity. All I can say in my defense is that James' time was limited and he had a mission to complete.

Actually, I have no idea why Rowling didn't bring James and Lily back as ghosts with the exception that it would really open up a can of worms. I mean, what would Harry need Sirius for if he had his Mom and Dad to talk to? As to this story, to a point Harry will remember seeing his parents as a child. But at some point they stop coming to visit, and there's a reason for that. Whether or not I get that far remains to be seen.

Having lodged a complaint against this chapter, I fail to see how it could be your favorite. But.....O.K., I'm good with that.

Question. Is 'Namarie' a name or a word? Another reviewer uses it and I'm curious.

Blessed be!

Kiara O. Lawrence: Awwww, Thank you for liking this chapter! That makes up for everything! P.A.R. needs people to like this chapter. It makes her feel better.

If you love my chapters, your opinion is always highly valued by me!

lilahp: Thank you. I try.

That is actually not a new idea to me. I had always planned on continuing this AU with other stories. But those will not likely see light of day until 2003. Family Relations and Family Ties, the sequels to Family Life will be keeping me busy until then I'm afraid. And depending on how Enemies is received, it may be sequeled as well. But that one's fate will lay with the readers as that it is an almost completely OC story.

The only thing I can say to your question is actually two things. Number one, please never think this hard about my stories. You'll have poor P.A.R. in a corner faster than you can say 'I have a question!'. Second; all I can guess is that keeping Harry away from anything to do with the magical world was part of the spell that protects him at the Dursley's. And as for Lupin, well, he wasn't exactly the raving extrovert, was he? I mean, he spent his whole life learning how to avoid people. Also, he has some very serious issues with his 'condition'. Perhaps he feared how Harry would feel about him if he ever found out the truth.

My understanding is just before James and Lily were killed the Marauders weren't exactly as 'thick-as-thieves'. There were, in fact, some serious relationship problems going on within the group. Mostly, everyone seemed to think poor Remus was a spy for Voldemort.

Sirius blaming Remus for not being there for Harry? That's sort of the pot calling the kettle black, don't you think? (No pun intended.). But again, right up until the last chapters of PoA, Sirius and Remus weren't exactly the best of friends. Sirius suspected Remus of being a spy for Voldemort, and Remus thought Sirius was a traitor. And I don't care how or who explains it, you aren't going to jump right back to the way things use to be twelve years ago just because we all suddenly realize it was one big misunderstanding. Quite frankly, I saw poor Remus still getting something of a cold shoulder from Sirius at the end of PoA. But then, everyone was a little tense. And I don't think Sirius even mentions Remus once in GoF.

I know that relationship works for me. I get published, get royalties, make money. Yeah! That works!

Yeah, nothing quite says 'Dammit' like getting into a story only to have the author get bored and stop. I have, in fact, done that. You people just fortunately never saw those stories. It's not that I probably won't one day write them, it's just that with everything else I'm working on, I had to set them aside.

Well, if you knew where I was going with this story, I would be wasting my time here, wouldn't I? So I'm glad I keep you guessing.

Sirius will, indeed, very soon realize that his godson is all Marauder. So far Harry has been every parents dream come true. He's quite, he's obedient, and he sleeps a lot. But trust me, that's going to wear off soon as Harry gets more into the idea that the whole world isn't going to yell at him just because he makes noise or does something, right or wrong. Keep in mind where the kid is coming from. He was literally trained by the Dursley's to sit and be quiet. It's not that, as has been suggested, that Harry isn't a very realistic child. He's not. He's a product of a very restricted environment. But, take away the controlling factors, and any developing, thinking creature will begin to explore it's world. Beats the snot out of sitting in a corner!

Karla: You're welcome.

You know, for all the times I've answered this question this time round, I still don't feel I've answered it right. So I'll give it one more shot.

James didn't interfere 'all those times' because he couldn't. The universe is governed by certain laws. And if you start mixing too easily the world of the living and the...well, the other one, things could get very messy very quickly. Suppose everyone on Earth knew for a fact that there was an afterlife and we could talk to 'passed on' relatives? Well, those people would know a lot of stuff that we're probably better off not knowing. What was going to happen tomorrow, who was really guilty of doing what, and when Rowling's publisher was going to release book five. I don't know about you, but quite frankly, life would get boring real quick. I mean, why bother doing anything? You already know what'll happen. And I'm not even going to start on the free-will theory here. Did that help any?

O.K., basically, how did James rescue them? He was a powerful wizard in life. Stands to reason he'd still be one now that he's dead. Especially since he has The Power That Be helping him.

Why didn't he interfere if he had the power to help? What makes you think he had the power to do anything? I mean, he's just a ghost (or whatever). Maybe his helping out at that moment didn't fit into Someone else's plan? Hmmmm? (We're getting into that free-will thing again, so I'm not going to go there.). And James didn't 'cure' Sirius. Wouldn't that have been the way to go? But James said, 'I don't have the power to cure you'. So I would think it should stand to reason whatever power he did or didn't have was up to Someone else.

Harry was being abused at the Dursley's and Sirius and Harry went through a lot on the streets? Well, why do bad things happen to good people? Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your point of view), I'm not the one controlling things. (Yes, I know, it's my story, but we're looking at the big picture here.). If I was, trust me, first off, I'd be a looooooooot more popular, and secondly, bad things in this world would disappear. But I have no more of an idea than anyone else what The Power That Be has planned, and sometimes things have to happen the way they do for the greater good.

James is not a panacea for all of Sirius' problems, or Harry's for that matter. Some things ya' just gotta work out for yourself.

Past that, if everything was solved nice and easy, wouldn't be much of a story, would it?

*P.A.R. looks over answer.* Nope, still doesn't sound right. But that's the best I can do.

Lin-z: Again, I hope you have a wonderful, Birthday and get loads of presents. And a lot of people seemed to find the 'spectral thing' a bit odd for some reason. But thanks for the review.

Again, Happy Birthday!

Oh! Brief note here, guys. I know I've made a lot of promises to review stories. I am working on it. But if you feel I've forgotten you, for instance I promised three months ago and I still haven't reviewed your story, don't be shy about reminding me. I'm not insulted. Remember, P.A.R. is an old broad, and I may very well have forgotten.

Reviews are as of 04062002. If I missed you, I direct you to the book, Blackmail Can Be Fun, by E.Z. Profet.

Hope to see you next week.