Harry Potter unlocked the door to 12 Grimmauld Place and quickly stepped inside, slamming the door a little too loudly. He was obviously frazzled, judging by the hurriedly pulled on clothes and messier-than-usual hair. A half-asleep toddler was sitting on his right hip, which was stuck out in a motherly fashion. It would have been amusing if it weren't for the fact that Harry was very obviously upset.
Grimmauld Place had been basically attacked by its residents. For a year and a half, Sirius Black and his partner in crime and life, Remus Lupin, literally waged war against the house, tearing out every dark object and trait the house possessed.
Harry pulled his wand out of his back pocket with difficult and waved it, lighting the chandeliers with glowing white bubbles. He resituated the toddler on his hip and called up the stairs, "Remus? Sirius? You awake?"
"Harry? What're you doing here?" Harry turned to see Remus stepping out of the library, book in hand and reading glasses on his nose. On seeing the toddler, he frowned. "Why's he awake? He needs his sleep!" Remus scolded. He set down his book on a small table, next to a vase of an unidentifiable purple and red plant, and took the sleeping boy from Harry's aching arms. "I'll wake up, Sirius," Remus said.
"It's all right, I'm already awake." Sirius appeared at the top of the steps in boxers and a tee shirt. "Nice seeing you, Harry," he said with a grin.
"I'll just put him down," Remus said, hurrying upstairs with the child.
"Let's have some tea, shall we?" Sirius said, leading the way to the kitchen. Harry collapsed in a chair at the table while Sirius put the kettle on. Harry put his head on his arms while Sirius quietly made tea. By the time he set three cups of tea on the table, Remus was back in the kitchen.
"So, what happened?" Remus asked. Harry sighed heavily and took a long sip of tea before answering.
"It's Claire," he said. Remus and Sirius exchanged a look. Their godson's problems revolved around Claire, who wasn't exactly Harry's wife, per se, but was the mother of Harry's child. They lived together in Claire's apartment in the middle of London, but the relationship was very rocky.
"She came home high as a bird, with some guy," Harry fumed. "And that bastard apparently likes little boys as well as women." Remus and Sirius paled considerably. "Fortunately, I left with Jack before he could get too close." Harry drained his cup and Remus stood up to refill it.
"Bloody Americans," Sirius muttered with a snort of contempt. Harry chuckled weakly; Sirius had a very closed-minded opinion concerning Americans, because he only knew one, and Claire Mitchells was quite a bad representative.
"She doesn't care a bit about Jack!" Harry exclaimed, seething. "She just comes and goes as she pleases, smoking anything and everything she can get her hands on."
Sirius and Remus glanced at each other while Harry's eyes were turned to his tea. They both highly disapproved of Harry's situation. Harry's relationship with Claire had been a one-night stand before Claire got pregnant. By sheer luck Harry found out about it; Claire was planning to get an abortion. Harry talked her out of it, and once the baby was born, Harry hung around. What Harry didn't realize, or didn't want to realize was that Claire didn't want a husband or a kid. It was Sirius' and Remus' opinion that Harry and Jack should move into Grimmauld Place.
"Harry, you can't go back there," Sirius insisted. "If not for your sake," he added before Harry could protest, "then for Jack's. Claire's not safe."
"As shocked as I am to say this, Sirius is right," Remus said with a wry grin. Sirius smacked him upside the head. Harry sighed.
"I know Claire's not great, but Jack needs a mother figure," he said tiredly, draining his tea a second time. Sirius stood to refill his cup, safely out of Remus' reach.
"Remus can be motherly enough for all three of us!" he exclaimed. Harry chuckled.
"This is true." He swirled the tea around in his cup. "I don't want to be a bother," he said finally.
"Nonsense!" Sirius exclaimed. "This house is big enough to host the British army!" It was true; Grimmauld Place was huge.
"All right. Why not? Claire's not going to care," Harry decided. Remus and Sirius exchanged a triumphant look.
"Jack is already in your room," Remus said.
"Tomorrow you can get your things and face the American," Sirius added with a grin. "Tell her you're living with an American-hating escaped murderer. She'll love that." He dumped their cups in the sink.
"She'd go mad," Harry laughed. "But until then, I'm off to bed. Good night you two." Harry left the kitchen, and Sirius and Remus stayed back, listening to him climb the steps to the first floor, where he always stayed.
"It's about time," Sirius muttered, pulling Remus into a hug.
"Yeah…" He grinned, suddenly. "It'll be fun having another kid!" Sirius chuckled.
"Just don't turn him into a bore," he warned. Remus shoved him lightly.
"And you don't turn him into a reckless fiend!"
They grinned at each other, for they both knew that he'd be just like Harry. The worst they could do was splurge on him.