A Small, Simple Celebration

When Harry, Ron, and Hermione awoke and stumbled dumbly down the stairs the next morning, they had not expected to walk in on a party, least of all one for them. There was a small, simple banner with the words 'Congratulations Graduates' streamed in colorful letters across it. Beneath were listed 'Harry, Ron, and Hermione.' The awkward thing was, no one was there.

'Hmm, strange.' Ron stated. 'Happy Graduation, sorry we're not here, celebrate when we get back?'

Harry laughed, peering around until his eyes fell upon a figure now standing in the doorway, looking slightly disappointed.

'So much for surprise, Molly.' came Sirius' voice. 'The kids are up already!'

Mrs. Weasley came clambering in, nearly pushing Sirius out of her way.

'What are you doing up so early?' she nearly shouted, but held back at the last minute.

'Its near nine, mum!' Ron spoke up looking thoroughly confused. He looked to Harry and Hermione for support, but found nothing.

'I don't care! Go back to bed!'

Remus entered the room, smiling guiltily at the bemused expressions upon the trio's face.

'Have we been discovered, Sirius?'

'I fear we have.' he replied, but Mrs. Weasley was still trying to shoo them out. 'Now Molly, that's not necessary.' he stated. He looked unusually amused by the situation at hand. 'They can stay!'

'No they can't!' Molly whirled on him. It was almost humorous how intimidating she could be with most of the men in the house, considering most of them were at least a foot taller than she was. 'This is a surprise. Now the three of you get upstairs or I'll put a memory charm on you!'

Harry shook his head, a grim smile to reply to Sirius' wink. Remus pat them each on the shoulder as they passed him by.

'Expect breakfast in twenty!' he replied, making everyone laugh save for Mrs. Weasley, who started hollering again.

'No! We won't be ready!'

* * *

'Well, that was a nice good morning if I ever got one.' Ron stated as he fussed over his hair. 'What do you think, Harry?'

'I think your mum might be taking this a bit too far.' Harry replied. 'Work on your bangs a bit.'

'Yeah, you're right. I mean, we graduated! Big deal! She didn't get this worked up when Fred and George...well no they didn't really graduate, did they? What about this?'

'Hmm, no I wouldn't consider flying out of the school on brooms in the middle of term a graduation either. That's better.'

'Well what about Bill and Charlie? And Percy? Any better now?'

'Well, Bill and Charlie where a while ago...and the situation with Percy these days hasn't been easy on you mum and dad so...yeah that's fine!'

'Yeah, I guess you're right. Thanks.'

'You're her last son Ron, she's going to want you to have a good graduation. No problem.'

Ron looked at himself at an angle in the mirror.

'I think I'm getting fat.'

Harry laughed.

'Only your head, Ron.'

'Yeah you know I-hey!'

Hermione entered as Ron tossed a pillow in Harry's direction.

'Would you two stop! We can come down now, you know?'

'We can?' Ron smiled.

'Yes! Your mother called us down just ten minutes ago, weren't you listening?'

'Sorry, couldn't here her over Ron fussing over his hair.'

'I was not!' Ron bellowed. Hermione rolled her eyes.

'Well when you two are done fooling around, we'll begin.'

'Come on lover boy!' Harry called after Ron, soon to find himself fending for his life down the stairs.

'You can come in now!' Mrs. Weasley called from the kitchen. Hermione entered followed by Harry and Ron.

'You're safe, she won't kill you now.' Fred smiled.

'All that fuss about a graduation party!' came George at last.

'Well, its not like the two of you ever graduated!' their mother shot at them bitterly. Fred knitted his eyebrows together, looking offended and hurt.

'Ow, mum.'

'Its not like we're not successful!' George came in.

'Still.'

The twins both crossed their arms and sighed, Sirius smiling fondly.

'Who wants breakfast?'

'Well, you three get to pick today!' Mrs. Weasley turned, for the first time, smiling upon the trio with bright eyes.

'Err.' Harry looked at the others.

'Eggs and bacon sound good mum!' said Ron with a smile.

'Yes that sounds lovely!' Hermione agreed.

'Harry dear is that fine with you?'

'Yes, sounds fantastic.'

Another face soon joined them in the kitchen as they ate breakfast.

'Finally let them up, did you Molly?' said Remus with a smile. He looked slightly disheveled, and Harry suddenly wondered when the next full moon was coming up. 'I was beginning to wonder if they'd be able to get any food or if you'd leave them to starve till noon.'

Ron sat shoveling mouthfuls of eggs into his mouth, barely saying a word. Hermione only rolled her eyes. Harry was certain that if they were back at school she might have said something about manners, but being at Grimmauld Place left her with slightly less power over what Ron and Harry did.

'So what are we doing today, mum?' Ron asked after he'd inhaled nearly everything but his plate.

'What do you want to do, dear?'

Hermione was still working on her breakfast as Harry finally finished off his own.

'What is there to do?'

'Not much.' Sirius stated lazily, rocking his chair on its two back legs. 'Take if from someone who's spent four years hiding here. It gets boring. Quick.'

'Well that certainly isn't uplifting.' Ron admitted. Sirius smiled, eyeing Harry curiously.

'You could help Fred and George. I think they're coming up with a new little candy for their shop.'

'Oh dear.' Mrs. Weasley sighed. Ron, however, seemed to perk his head in interest.

'Maybe we could set off some fireworks of theirs.' Ron suggested after a moment. 'George told me they were working on some new-'

'I don't think Sirius would appreciate it if the three of you blew his house to pieces.'

'Well we weren't going to-'

'I don't trust fireworks inside the house.' Mrs. Weasley stated in a very daunting tone. 'No, Ron.'

'All right.' Ron stood. 'Come on, Harry.'

'Hold on.' Sirius stated, raising a hand. 'The two of you can go off on your own. I'd like to talk to Harry privately.'

As Hermione and Ron left, Sirius escorted Harry into a rather out of the way room Harry had never seen before. Once the door closed, Harry held his breath. He wasn't sure what this was leading to.

'So,' he started, sitting down in a rather dusty old armchair.

'So.' Harry repeated.

'There's something I've been meaning to ask you about-you can sit down Harry, we're all family here. No need for an invitation.'

Harry sat in a similar looking chair across from Sirius. He realized that they were both in a small study with a rather damp looking fireplace that was unlit. His gaze fixed on it, though he wasn't certain why.

'Remus brought to my attention last night, a rather awkward situation.'

'Did he?' Harry asked.

'Yes, he did.' As Sirius said this, he leaned over and lit a fire in the fireplace, casting some light and dancing shadows around them. 'There, that's better. Now...something rather impressive...when did you, the four of you, Hermione, Ron, Ginny and yourself, study to become Animagi?'

Harry breathed a sigh, worrying that he might have done something wrong up until a few moments ago.

'We started early last year. It took us till last summer to finally master it though.'

Sirius nodded.

'Have you given any thought as to why you take the form you do?'

Now Harry believed this to be a rather odd question, but answered it nonetheless.

'No, why?'

'Remus seems to think I'm rubbing off on you, and that is what has influenced the, how should I say, incredible likeness in our forms?'

'What's wrong with that?'

Sirius seemed pleased with the statement, almost prided in fact.

'He seems to think that your form should have resembled-'

'My father's form?' he caught on.

'Well, yes.'

Harry sighed. This was rather awkward really. What did it matter about his animagi form? Were they trying to turn him into his father?

'Well, I'm not my father.' Harry stated in a very matter-of-fact tone. 'I may look like him, I may act like him...we do have...similarities...but I'm not him. I cease to see where the problem lies.'

'Oh, there's no problem.' Sirius looked rather startled. 'I just, well, was rather impressed. Not only that you could master something so unnatural, but that in the end your form was so similar to my own. I just wondered it that, well, meant something.'

'Are you saying I have a choice as to what my end form is?'

'Well, in a sense you do.' said Sirius, resting his chin on his fingers which were pressed firmly together. 'You see, being an animagi in such an unnatural case as you, and I, your friends, your father...your form is chosen as an animal that mostly affects, or represents you. Mine was a dog, because my name is the name of the dog shaped constellation.'

Harry smiled. 'How did my dad become a stag, then?'

Sirius chuckled lightly. 'We never came to that conclusion. We just figured it was something that represented him in a symbolic sense. A stag is a free running creature, and your father was always quite free spirited.' he fell silent, memories flickering before his eyes for a while before coming back to the present. 'But anyway, as I was saying, the animal that one transforms into represents something about that person. Remus couldn't quite understand why it was a dog, instead of a stag.'

'Well, you were always there.' Harry stated hurriedly, without realizing it. 'I mean, you were there in place of my dad...you were more of an impact on me because...'

'You knew me?'

Nodding his head, Harry smiled. 'Well, yes.' And to his surprise, a bright smile formed across his godfather's face. Sirius' eyes gazed for sometime into the fire, he seemed to be considering something. Harry was nearly ready to leave him there before his godfather started to speak again.

'You know, the full moon is this weekend.'

'Is it?' Harry stated, his mind trailing to his thoughts earlier this morning on the same subject.

'I was thinking. I know you're not your father, but, if you would like...the three of us...Remus, myself, and you...could go hunting.'

'Hunting?' Harry raised an eyebrow.

'Well, we don't really hunt mind you...its basically just...time together...you know?'

Harry beamed.

'I'd love to!'

A smile crossed Sirius' face, yet there was some sadness in it.

'Good. I had hoped you would.' The both of them stood, but Harry was caught off guard when Sirius embraced him warmly. 'Oh, and Harry.' Sirius pulled away, and handed him a small package, wrapped in paper covered with Snitches and brooms. 'Happy Graduation.'

'Thanks.' He beamed, and together they left the room where Remus, the Weasleys, Hermione, Mad Eye Moody, Kingsley, and a few others were awaiting them. As Harry took a seat at the table, Sirius leaned over and whispered something to Remus. His face took on a surprised expression, and his eyes were cast momentarily toward Harry.

'Well, now that we're all together!' Mrs. Weasley stated giddily, clapping her hands. 'Let the celebration begin!'

A rather large and overly decorated cake (which was covered in Snitches, brooms, Quaffles, quills, wands, and a large image of the Gryffindor Lion) appeared on the table, as well as some gifts for each of the three graduates. Harry smiled, and he was sure his face had turned slightly red at the attention they were all receiving for such a seemingly small occasion. Ron appeared to notice his expression and leaned over.

'Mum always overdid the graduation thing.'

Harry smiled.

'That's just fine.'