AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hey, thanks to all for reviewing. I'm finished with 3 and 4, they just need to be edited and I'm halfway through chapter 5. I'm glad you guys enjoy this story and hey, cliffhangers are okay right? ^^
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
Chapter 2
The Birthday Bash
It was July 30, the day that Sirius was supposed to come. He had never written back to Harry, saying whether he would come or not. That worried Harry. He didn't know if Sirius was caught or not. Then it hit him. Sirius would not have been caught because Hermione or Ron would have written to him telling about Harry about it.
Dudley had come back from Smelting's the day after Harry had moved into the basement. All Harry did was drag his things into the basement and he was happy. Uncle Vernon had paid for a new carpet and a painter, much to his disagreement. Those boxes labeled 'Harry' were still unopened, for he was waiting for Sirius to come so they could open the boxes together. Sirius would also tell him tales of his parents. Traveling downstairs after breakfast, he remembered that there was a spare couch in the attic. He decided now would be the time to ask Uncle Vernon if he could have it for his new bedroom.
Heading back upstairs once again, he went into the kitchen. Dudley was home already and knew that Harry was in the basement. Dudley was overjoyed that he could have his second bedroom back. Harry got up his courage and asked his uncle, "Uncle Vernon, would I be allowed to have the couch that's in the attic for my room? I think it would go nicely and Sirius once told me that every good bedroom needs a couch in it," he said, making sure to add Sirius in there to guarantee that he would get the couch.
"If Sirius says so, I suppose you must have that couch. You go and get it and ask Dudley if you need any help," Uncle Vernon growled.
"Thanks!" Harry ran upstairs and asked Dudley to help him.
Dudley was glad to help, but only if Harry helped Dudley move things into the second bedroom. It was noon by the time Dudley and Harry had finished helping each other out. That's when they heard a knock on the front door. Harry's face broke into the first true smile in almost four weeks. He knew who it was and ran to open the door before everyone else.
"SIRIUS!" Harry yelled as he ran towards his godfather.
"WHAT? GET OUT OF HERE YOU MURDERER!!!!!!!!" Aunt Petunia shrieked towards Sirius, who was now clean-shaven and wearing proper Muggle clothes.
"Harry, I assume you forgot to tell them that I was innocent?" Sirius said with a grin on his face, "That's my godson!"
"Mum, what is it? Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! It's him, Mum! SIRIUS BLACK! He's that dangerous murderer who escaped two years ago!" Dudley yelled.
"Yes, I am Sirius Black, Harry's godfather. I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to stay here just until August first. I have somewhere to be on the third of August and I can't keep them waiting. If you haven't heard yet, I've been set free by the Prime Minister. Something you would call a pardon. May I stay here?" Sirius was trying to put on his best impression so that he could have some time with his godson. He was also curious as to what the letter that Lily had written said.
Aunt Petunia, Harry could tell, was afraid for her life. If she said no, Sirius might just kill her. If she said yes, she would be letting a dangerous murderer into the house. It was a tough choice and he had to admit, if he didn't know Sirius' story, he'd be in the same position Aunt Petunia was in. Finally he heard her cough, to get everyone's attention.
"I'm calling Vernon, that's Harry's uncle. Most likely, he'll come home and he can make the decision himself," she said as a final note she added, "You're welcome to stay until he comes home. Harry, show him your room."
"C'mon Sirius, I got a new room! I have to show you and explain a few things," he said as he led Sirius into the basement. "Oh yeah, and if Uncle Vernon asks, a couch is always a good thing to have in a bedroom."
"Why?" Sirius asked, confused.
"I said that you said it was important to have a couch in a bedroom."
"Why would you say such a lie Harry James Potter?!"
"I can explain! I thought you might be coming and I knew that they would turn you away because they would claim not to have the room for you. I can then offer to have you sleep on the couch in my room. It's comfy, isn't it?"
"Yes, that seems much better. Now when exactly do you turn fifteen? It determines how much sleep we get tonight," Sirius said with an evil grin.
"I turn fifteen at twelve in the morning. How much sleep are we getting?" Harry knew his godfather and how he was. Sirius was most likely thinking up a prank right about now.
"Well, we'll sleep right after dinner until about 11 and then wait for the presents to come! We also have to open that letter. I'm very curious as to what it says."
Bringing up the letter reminded Harry of the boxes. "Hey Sirius, see those boxes over there?"
"Yes, what about them?"
"Well they had my name on them and I was wondering if you'd like to help me open them and maybe explain a few things to me."
"No problem," Sirius said. Moments later they heard a door slam violently.
"PETUNIA! WHERE IS THAT MURDERING SON OF A BITCH?! HE WILL NOT HAVE A HEAD MUCH LONGER IF I HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THIS!!!!!!!!" Uncle Vernon shouted. Harry and Sirius ran up the stairs as fast as they could
"Hello Mr. Dursley. I am Sirius Black, Harry's godfather," Sirius started before he was interrupted.
"Ah, yes the murdering godfather. What can I do for you? Maybe decapitate you?" Uncle Vernon snarled, sneering.
"No, sorry. Decapitation is too nice. How about some Draught of the Living Dead?" Sirius said, not knowing what the next response would be.
"I WILL NOT TOLERATE THE MENTION OF HARRY'S ABNORMALITIES UNDER MY ROOF!!! Now out, out!" he shouted vehemently.
"Sir, I'm staying until the first of August. If you won't let me, I'm afraid I'll just have to do something about that boy of yours. You've obviously done something to my godson here."
"Fine, fine, fine. What choice do I have? You can sleep on the floor in the living room…" Uncle Vernon said, not knowing why he said that.
"But Uncle Vernon, he could sleep on the couch in my room. It would be perfect! He won't be too much trouble!"
"Plus, I'm only doing this because it's Harry's fifteenth birthday and that should be a special time for him. Well then, what might be for dinner? I'll treat if you want me to," Sirius said, winking at Harry. Dudley's eyes opened wide. He hoped his father would let Sirius treat, then he would be allowed to go out and eat whatever he felt like.
"Well, you're just in luck. There's this new restaurant opening downtown. I'm sure Harry and Dudley would love to try it out. Petunia and I will be ready in a minute, wait here." Uncle Vernon told Aunt Petunia that they would be going out to dinner. She followed him downstairs where he told everyone to get into the car.
The drive to the restaurant was quiet. Only snickers from Sirius could be heard. Sirius was laughing at the Muggle world, for he had only lived in the wizarding world. He realized he was doing something wrong when Harry kept giving him 'Snape eyes.' Sirius was surprised that Harry would do that, for the Harry he knew was fun-loving. He kept his mouth shut until they reached the restaurant. The restaurant resembled a T. G. I. Friday's and Harry's face lit up. He knew this was going to the best birthday ever.
Dinner was peaceful as well, and surprisingly, Dudley was not eating everything in sight. Sirius decided that they would pass on dessert and he paid for the meal in Muggle money. On the ride home, Harry whispered to Sirius, "Where did you get the money from?"
"Easy. Remus exchanged some of my Galleons for Muggle money. Apparently Galleons go a long way in this world. Now let's have some real birthday cheer!" Sirius said as they pulled into the Dursley's driveway. Aunt Petunia, Uncle Vernon, and Dudley raced upstairs, not wanting to be near a full-trained wizard. Sirius and Harry went downstairs and realized that it was only seven o'clock.
"Harry, c'mon let's sleep. I'll wake us up around 11, don't worry!"
"If you say so, but we can't miss my birthday!"
"I say so, now sleep!"
Harry and Sirius were fast asleep. Harry awoke with a startle, hearing Sirius' snoring. He glanced over at the little clock he had found. It was only eleven o'clock now. Harry debated with himself whether or not to wake Sirius up. He decided to wait five minutes before waking him up. Five minutes passed by as slow as a turtle. Finally the clocked changed and Harry walked over towards where his godfather slept on the couch. He shook Sirius vehemently, since Sirius didn't seem to want to wake up.
Sirius yelled out, "Mum, Mum, Mum, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm sleeping, leave me alone."
"Sirius, it's me, Harry, your godson. Wake up! It's almost time for my birthday!" Harry yelled near Sirius' ear.
"Oh it's you Harry. Sorry about that. What time is it?" Sirius said while rubbing his eyes.
"It's 11:15 right now. C'mon, the owls should be coming any second now. They always come right after midnight," Harry stated, looking towards the one large window from the basement.
"If you say so. Now who's idea was it to sleep?"
"It was yours. Now c'mon, don't you want to find out what's in those boxes? We could open them first," Harry suggested.
"Alright, let's open that big one over there," Sirius said, pointing his finger towards the largest box. Harry dashed over to open the box. As he lifted the lid off, he gasped.
"What is it? What is it?" Sirius asked.
"It appears to be wizard things. There's a bunch of book in here. There's a broomstick! Look! Look! It's a photo album!"
"The books most likely belonged to your mother. She was always into books. The broomstick was your father's most likely, since your mother hated them. Who's in the photo album?"
"It's my mum! This seems to be something of hers that she left with my aunt. Why would Dad's broomstick be in here though?" Harry questioned, hoping Sirius would know the answer.
"I remember this box! Your mother made it on the last day of Hogwarts. She asked all of us to put a few things in here. What did I put in? Oh yes, now I remember! She wanted us all to put books in, except your father. He put his broomstick in, to show how much he loved Quidditch. We also gave photos to her. May I see the photo album? I want to show you a picture," Sirius explained, excited.
Harry brought the photo album over and gave it to Sirius. Sirius quickly thumbed through the photo album to find the right page. "Here it is. This was the last photo that was put in. I'm the one with the wand in my hand, your dad's the one flying on the broomstick, Remus is the one with the owl on his shoulder, your mother is the one waving, and the other girl was her best friend. I forget her name now."
"Who took the picture?"
"Peter did. That git volunteered to take the picture. Never knew why he wanted to take it so eagerly. Here, you can look at the rest of it. I've seen all of it already."
Harry flipped through the pages until he came to one that surprised him. "Sirius, who's this with my mum?"
"Oh no! That's Snape! What would he be doing with your mum? I don't remember that picture at all."
"That's Snape?! He looks young and… clean!" Harry said with a tone of surprise in his voice.
"Yeah, that's Snape. I wonder why he's with Lily though. I don't remember Lily ever mentioning him to us. Though, there was seventh year…" Sirius trailed off, remembering that time.
"What about seventh year?"
"Lily and James broke up. They were still friends, but they weren't dating anymore. This happened after the Halloween Dance. It was a mutual thing. We understood that they needed time apart, considering they were never apart from the time they started dating until then. I suppose that's when she met him. The only one of the Marauders that talked to Lily after that was Remus. Maybe she mentioned Snape to him. Lily and James became closer friends after Easter break, for whatever reason. I still don't understand it. The summer after we graduated, Lily took off for a little while. None of us saw her for about a year. She then joined the Ministry of Magic as a secretary where she met James. They worked in the same department. They realized that they still loved each other and got back together. They married a little while later and soon you were born. Time flew then. I think that covers everything. Any more questions?"
"Not really. Hmm, it's getting closer to when I turn fifteen. I wonder what else I got this year for my birthday."
"Hey, you forgot my present!"
"You just being here is enough. Spending time with you is the best thing in the world. I just wish we had more time together," Harry said wistfully.
"Yeah, I understand what you mean. Well it's close to twelve by now. Where's that letter of yours?"
"It's right here. Hey look at the clock! It's twelve o'clock! I'm fifteen! Yes! I'm fifteen!"
"Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear Harry! Happy birthday to you!" Sirius sang, just loud enough so he wouldn't disturb the sleeping Dursleys upstairs. "Now let's open that letter of yours."
Harry opened the letter and moved closer to Sirius so they both could see it.
Dear Harry,
My beloved little boy, I had hoped it would not come to telling you this way. You obviously know your birthday is July 31, 1981. As James or Sirius has told you already, your father and I were married on May 31, 1980. ("I guess I forgot to mention that, sorry." "It's okay, I forgive you.")
It's very hard to write this. I had hoped to tell you in person by the time you were 15, but in case anything should happen to myself, this letter needs to be present. I enchanted it to make sure you read this by the time you turn 16. How to say this? I should start at the beginning. Your father and I broke up after the Halloween Dance of our seventh year. It was decided mutually, but it hurt both of us. I was lonely and needed someone to turn to. Remus was there to talk to at times, but he was also with your father and Sirius. I went to the library to study one day and met him. He was nice to me and showed me where I could find the book I was looking for. Afterwards, he asked if I would like to go and meet him at the lake that weekend. We met each other all over the school and a friendship developed. Now I knew that James, Sirius, and Remus weren't fond of him, but that didn't matter to me. He was a great friend to me and we fell in love. We dated, but in secret. The only ones who knew about us were Remus and one of his friends, I believe her name was Carolyn, but he always called her Carrie. Carrie and Remus swore to secrecy and we continued dating. Then Easter break came and he and I both went home. That's when he came back and said that we could no longer date, for his father had found out about me. I was Muggle-born and his father only favored those that were pureblood. We staged a break-up, but continued our friendship.
After that, I grew closer to James, Sirius, and Remus again. James and I continued our friendship until graduation. After graduation, we went our separate ways. It was the summer of 1975 and I felt free. Severus Snape, that was my ex-boyfriend, (Sirius gasped, "What did Lily see in that bastard?") found me again and we grew closer that summer. I lost contact with everyone from Hogwarts. Severus and I fell in love, but never married. I became pregnant during August of that same year and gave birth to a healthy baby boy on April 24, 1976. I named him Tristan Cameron because it seemed to fit him well. I couldn't keep him; I was only 18. I found a kind wizard family that was willing to take him in and raise him as their own.
I never told Severus or James. I think it was better that they didn't know. If you are reading this, that means I am no longer with you. It is up to you, Harry James Potter, to tell Severus and James, if they are still living. I know this is a lot to take in at once, but please, I'm sorry for everything. I wish I could be there with you. There is more information on Tristan Cameron Snape in the vault at Gringotts. I put everything you would need to track him down in an envelope and placed it there. I wish you luck in finding him and telling James and Severus.
Love,
Lily
