Chapter Sixteen: Christmas

Harry woke up with a start wondering what was happening as he was jostled. He grabbed his glasses, put them on, blinked several times, and then grinned at the jumping Brian. "Morning, Brian. Did something exciting happen, or did you just want me up at the crack of dawn?" Brian stopped jumping and sat beside him. Harry reached out and rubbed his back while he answered.

"Both. It's snowing!!! It's been snowing all night! Everything's white outside! Can we go play in it? Please, daddy!" he said loudly. Harry chuckled.

"We can after everyone leaves for the holidays, okay? First, I have to wake up." Harry yawned and stretched.

"Okay, you're awake. What's the second thing you have to do?" Harry laughed again.

"We can't go play in the snow until we both have eaten something, I've woken up more, and once the sun gets a little higher so it won't be so cold, and we both have to get dressed for it."

"I've already ate. I called Dobby came to talk to me and he asked if I wanted any food now so I could go out and play in the snow earlier than if I waited to wake you up and then eat," Brian said excitedly. "So, Daddy, go eat! Can we build a snowman?" Harry sighed though he was amused.

"You've planned this out haven't you?" Brian nodded.

"I woke up in the middle of the night, looked out the window, and saw that it was snowing. Dobby and I had already agreed that when it snowed he would bring me food so I could go out earlier." Harry laughed again.

"You're already turning into a Marauder. I've done a better job than I thought." Brian smiled proudly. He, of course, already knew all about the Marauders and had plans to follow in their steps.

Harry put on his slippers and made his way to the bathroom. He heard Brian cam behind him. "So after you eat we can go play in the snow, right? And you never answered my question."

"Which one?" Harry asked as they went back to his bed.

Brian thought a minute. "Both I guess."

"We will go outside once I eat breakfast, and we can build a snowman if that's what you want to," he said while dressing as quickly as possible. "Okay, come on." Harry picked him up and carried him down to the Great Hall where breakfast was just being served. There was no one when they entered, but a few teachers had come in by the time Harry was done. Harry picked Brian up again and went back to Gryffindor Tower.

Brian let Harry get him bundled up and was patient enough for that, but he could barely contain himself while Harry got dressed.

Harry let Brian run ahead into the snow, which was several inches deep already and still falling. Harry walked over to him and pulled up his hood. The child was already making a ball for the beginning of a snowman. He started rolling it around. Harry watched him for a few minutes before looking around him.

Everything was covered with a soft blanket of white. The snowflakes whirled in front of his face a breeze came through making Harry's face sting. "Daddy, help me please."

Harry turned back to Brian. While Harry had been looking around the child had managed to get a very large snowball, and was now having trouble rolling it as it was almost as big as he was. "I guess you want a big snowman?" Harry remarked idly. Brian nodded.

"I want it to be as big as you." His cheeks were already red with cold.

"Did any of the snow get in your gloves, or boots?" Harry started rolling the large snowball. Brian shook his head. Harry rolled the ball until Brian told him to stop who already had the second part started. Harry helped him towards the end and set it atop the bottom snowball while Brian started on the last one. The child rolled it over to Harry who was packing snow in between the two balls to make sure they stayed.

"I'm done," he said breathless cheeks bright red.

"You look like Rudolph," Harry laughed rubbing at Brian's red nose. Brian gave him and odd look.

"Who's Rudolph?" Harry shook his head.

"Never mind." Brian shrugged while Harry situated the head on top the of the snowman's body.

"Oy, Harry, you're out a little early aren't you? I figured you would be sleeping in," Hagrid said as he came over to them dressed in moleskin overcoat.

"Well, I would have, but someone woke me up," Harry said playfully grinning down at Brian. The three year old smiled back innocently.

"Who me? I wouldn't do a thing like that." Both laughed at him. Harry turned back to the snowman, and didn't see the couple walk up behind him, but he heard who it was at Brian's squeal of delight.

"Uncle Remus! Aunt Brittany!" Harry turned instantly and followed after Brian to go hug each of them. Harry and Brian had both quickly come to love Brittany, and it thrilled Harry to see that Remus finally had someone how loved despite him being a werewolf. They had visited regularly to the school to see both of them, and Brian had become very attached to both of them. Remus smiled at them both.

"Brian wake you up early?" Harry laughed and nodded.

"Look, Remus! We built a snowman!"

"Wow, that's a big snowman. It's as big as Harry."

"I know. That's how big I wanted it to be."

Brittany started helping Brian getting the face on it while Remus and Harry began talking. "He's such a sweet child," Remus said while he watched Brian walking around looking for stones for the eyes. Harry answered quietly.

"He is."

"You know I support you decision to take care of him, but I still don't understand why you took this one. You're so young." Harry sighed. It was a common conversation they had.

"The spells that Voldemort performed on us, linking us all together, I don't what happened, but I feel like I'm one that's supposed to take care of him. I want to be there for him when something goes wrong, to just take care of him. I love him," he said simply.

"I know." They lapsed into silence each lost in their own thoughts. Harry was suddenly bombarded by a memory of Sirius. He waited for the pain to come, but amazingly it didn't. It was there, but bearable. Harry didn't exactly know how to explain it. It still hurt to think about him, but over the past few weeks, it had felt good to thing about him even though it might him sad. He knew how this happened.

"Brian makes his death not hurt as much. All my life, its felt there's been something. Something that I've never had, and never thought I would. When I meet Sirius, and I realized how much he cared for me, it felt like that hole was filled, but when he died it was like..." Harry paused searching for words though he knew none were necessary. "Brian's filled that hole for me. Having him with me makes it not hurt as bad and it makes me see that there are good things in life. No matter what I've sad since I tried to kill myself about knowing that life was good, I didn't mean it, not really. He gives me something to live for, something to hold on to. I don't dread waking anymore. I want to wake up so I can spend as much with him as possible. He means everything to me. If something happened to him, or he for some strange reason got taken away from me, I don't think I'd live."

December Twenty Fifth

"Daddy, wake up! It's Christmas! Wake up!" Harry wake up obligingly and grabbed Brian before he jump again, pulling him down beside him to tickle him. Brian shrieked with laughter waking the one other occupant of the room, Ron. Harry laughed harder at his friend's disheveled appearance.

"Morning, Uncle Ron! Wake up! It's Christmas! I'm going to wake Aunt Hermione and Ginny!" Before either could say anything he had already ran from the room. Both chucked at the child's antics.

Harry put on a robe and slippers before going to the Common Room where Remus and Brittany were already sitting obviously having been woken up by the child. "Does he always get up this early?" Remus asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"No, he usually waits another few minutes," Harry said seriously. Brian came back down a few minutes with Hermione and Ginny behind him. There were different piles of presents under the tree each with someone's name on the front. Harry had set Brian's pile, which was by far the largest, up after the child had gone to bed. He gaped at the tree.

"Are all those presents really for me?" Harry pulled the excited child onto his lap.

"Yep, all for you."

"Really? I don't need that many presents. You don't have to spoil me." While Brian had overcome many of his insecurities with Harry's love, patience, and guidance, he couldn't be expected to overcome all of them. Harry almost laughed at the child's answer, reminding him so much of him self.

"You may not need that many presents, but I wanted to spoil you a little, and so did everyone else. Everyone deserves to be spoiled a little once in a while." Brian looked up at him, unsure. "I'm sure," he said answering the child's unspoken fears. A huge smile lit his face.

"When can I open them?"

"Now, we're all going to open them separate and we agreed last night that you could go first." Brian hugged each of them, told them he loved them, and then preceded to open his presents.

They all oohed and awed at his gifts, which several were very expensive. The one he was most excited about was a child size broom that would let go five feet in the air and no higher until Harry did a spell to allow him another half foot, or so. He received his own chess set, set of Exploding Snap cards, clothes, book, and toys among other things. An hour later Brian was finally done and it was Harry's turn. Harry took his seat on the floor beside the tree. He surveyed his stack of presents. There was a lot of them, much more than he would have thought. He turned to everyone in the room.

"You didn't have to get me this much. I'm happy with only a few-" Brian cut him off.

"Now, Daddy, everyone deserves to be spoiled a little once in a while right?" he said grinning widely at him. Everyone, including Harry, laughed at the child's use of Harry's won words.

"Okay, okay, I cave." He began to open presents. He received everything he normally got for Christmas. He came to Remus and Brittany's present. He could another two packages with each of their individual names on it, so he didn't understand why they had done a combined one. Harry tore the wrapper off to see a small white box. He opened box and in some cotton was a medium sized, silver locket hanging on a silver chain. He pulled it out and looked at it.

There was a phoenix in the middle with a stag, dog, werewolf, and fox running around it. Remus spoke up. "It used to be your mother's locket. Your father gave it to her on their first anniversary. Open it." Harry did so obediently and tears sprang to his eyes. Inside was a picture of his parents with him as a baby cuddled in his mother's arms. He watched it for a few minutes. Both his parents were smiling and waving in front of a house that Harry could only assume was the one he had lived in as a baby. As he watched, James took him from Lily's arms and threw him in air before catching him safely in his arms. Harry didn't miss the scared look on his mother's face. He forced himself to look at the picture opposite it.

His parents, Remus, and Sirius were all smiling and having at the camera in what looked like a living room. This time Sirius was holding him and doing anything to scare his mother.

Harry blinked as he felt someone's arms around him. He didn't need to look to know it was Remus. Harry leaned against him suddenly filled with longing for his parents and godfather. Remus reached out and thumbed away some of Harry's tears. He smiled at the teen's surprised look. He obviously hadn't realized he had been crying.

"Thank you," he whispered hoarsely. "I'll always wear it." Remus helped him with the clasp. Harry took a deep breath and dried his tears. "Are my other presents are emotion as this?" he laughed, but stopped after seeing Remus's face.

"Probably, it depends on how you react." Harry sniffled and nodded. Remus handed him Brittany's. It was a rather worn looking notebook.

"It was your mother's journal. I found it some of my old things and thought you should have it."

"Thank you." He paused. "Okay, so what's the last emotional present?" Remus handed Harry his present.

It was a letter Harry saw, but he didn't see who it was from. "It's from Sirius. You don't have to read it now, but read it sometime, okay?" Harry opened the letter and began to read.

(A/N: I'm not going to write the letter since it's been so many times before and I want to post this tonight so use your imagination.)

Remus tightened his arms around Harry as the teen began to sob. Remus held him tightly whispering soothing words in his ear until he calmed down. Harry pulled back from him and wiped his eyes.

"You should have let me gone last. I've held everyone else up from opening their presents."

"Harry, it is fine. Everyone agreed to let you go second. You still have one more present, but I think you'll like this one." Remus motioned for Brian to come over. The child came over shyly. Harry reached out and pulled him into his lap.

"What's this?" Harry asked gently sensing the child's nervousness.

"It's a present for you. Uncle Remus and Aunt Brittany helped me pick it out." Harry unwrapped the present to see something like a scrapbook.

"It's a book for you to put all the pictures I draw in. Remus thought it would be good, and so did I, because you're always saying how much you like my drawings." Harry smiled and kissed his forehead.

"I love it. It's exactly what I needed."

Amanda came over to give Brian his present and say good bye. Now that the war was over, and she and Harry had broken up, she was moving back into the muggle world. Brian had sadly said good bye, but had quickly gotten over it once allowed to test out his new broom.

Author's Note: Longer than what I've been doing; nine pages. The fluffyness is over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Action will start next chapter, and then my plot twist. grin Thanks for all reviews!!!