Summery: Harry finally has Sirius back in his life, a house and friends. What could go wrong?

No Longer Running

Chapter Nine

Christmas Surprises

Sirius and Remus chatted as they waited for the Muggle Jet to land. They were waiting to pick up Cameron Wood and his parent's who had been flown to Australia for Christmas vacation.

"116 is now landing; waiting parties please pick up at the gate." The girl on the microphone said. Sirius and Remus made their way to the gate.

A few minutes later Sirius smiled and waved as Cameron, his mother and father stepped through the gate.

"Hey, Sirius!" Cameron said as they neared them.

"Hello, Cameron." Sirius turned to Remus. "This is my good friend Remus Lupin. Remus this is Cameron Wood, Harry's friend, and John and Linda Wood."

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Remus said shaking all their hands.

After all they introductions were made they picked up their suite cases and Sirius drove them to his house.

"Sirius?" Cameron asked entering the living room. A few days had passed since they arrived in Australia and they had been enjoying their time there.

"Yeah." Sirius asked looking up. He looked at the clock to see the time. He had to pick Harry up soon from King's Cross station in London soon.

"Do you think Harry will forgive me?" Cameron asked shyly.

"I think he'll be glad to see you." Sirius said sincerely.

Cameron nodded but didn't say anything more.

"I'll see you in an hour or so. I have to pick up Harry from the station." Sirius said as he stood.

"Okay." Cameron said as he watched Sirius leave.

Sirius drove to the Beerwah pub and flooed to King's Cross station to wait for the train to arrive. Molly and Arthur arrived soon after and they spent the remaining time talking about Christmas break.

Finally the red Hogwarts Express pulled into the station and kids began to climb off with their trunks. Harry was with Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Fred and George.

"Hey, Kiddo!" Sirius said wrapping his arms around Harry.

"Hi, Sirius!" Harry said hugging back. He was happy to be going home and happy for the break from school.

"Have a good Christmas." Sirius said to the Weasley's who were busy saying their hellos.

"You both as well," Arthur said clapping Sirius on the back.

Harry and Sirius flooed to Beerwah pub and began the drive back to the house.

"So what's up?" Harry asked when they were halfway to the house.

"What do you mean, 'what's up'?" Sirius asked glancing over at his godson.

"If something weren't up we would have flooed home too, not driven." Harry stated factually.

"Maybe I wanted to drive." Sirius countered.

"Yeah, right." Harry said. "So what is going on?"

Sirius sighed. Harry was just too smart for his own good. "I got a phone call from Cameron last month."

"Cameron?" Harry asked. "What did he want?" He asked carefully. Did Cameron just want to yell some more?

"He wants to apologize." Sirius stated firmly again glancing at Harry to see his reaction.

"He does?" Harry asked.

"Yes, he and his parents even flew here to visit."

Harry's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Your sure they don't just want to yell at us?"

"Yes, they've been there for several days as a matter of fact." Sirius informed Harry.

"Why didn't you tell me Cameron had called before now?" Harry asked in an accusing tone.

Sirius sighed. "Because I didn't want you to worry, and I knew you wouldn't fully believe Cameron does want to make up and be friends unless you heard it from him. Besides, it'll be nice to have them over for Christmas."

"Do they know about magic?" Harry asked curiously.

Sirius shook his head. "No, but I've asked Dumbledore if I may tell them. He said we could, but if they do not believe us we're to contact him so he can obliviate they're memories." Harry nodded reluctantly. He didn't know if he liked the idea of they're memories being messed with. But it would be great to not have to hide magic from them when ever they visited.

"Was that what you wanted to talk about?" Harry asked referring to the message in the letter he'd gotten from Sirius.

"No," Sirius answered calmly. "I actually wanted to know how you'd feel about me asking Remus to move in with us."

"Really?" Harry asked smiling widely. He really liked Remus especially after spending so much time around him during the summer. "I'd love that! Have you asked him yet?"

"No, I was thinking of asking him during Christmas break." Sirius glanced at Harry again. "So your okay with that?"

"Absolutely!" Harry said grinning. Sirius also grinned. He was glad Harry had no problems with Remus moving in with them.

Entering the house Harry laid his trunk by the door. Looking up he saw three figures standing in the doorway. He smiled reassuringly at them. Both Linda and John said their hello's and welcome homes.

"Umm…Hi, Harry." Cameron finally spoke.

"Hi Cameron." Harry said shrugging off his coat.

"Look, I wanted to say I'm sorry." Cameron apologized. "I should have listened. I should ha-."

Harry interrupted him. "I'm not mad. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you before."

Cameron nodded feeling out of place. "So, are we friends again?" He asked glancing at Harry awkwardly.

Harry smiled reassuringly. "Of course," then clapped Cameron on the back. "Come on, help me get this up stairs." He motioned to his trunk. Cameron nodded and grabbed one end while Harry got the other and they left the adults downstairs.

Several days had passed since Harry had come home and he and Cameron had spent a lot of time together. Harry enjoyed having Cameron back as a friend he just hoped it would last. There was still the bomb-shell of magic to explain.

Christmas was in a few days and Harry found himself worrying almost constantly about explaining magic. Cameron and his parents were dealing with the story they'd been told of his and Sirius' past, but how would they handle being told magic was real? Would that be too much for them? Would they think he and Sirius were crazy? Would they have to be obliviated? He hoped not. He really wanted to share the magical world with Cameron.

That night Cameron and his parents were sitting in the living room watching a movie, The Santa Claus, and Harry quietly excused himself. Entering the kitchen he found Sirius who was cleaning the dishes from their supper.

"Hey, Siri?" Harry asked sitting at the table.

Sirius shut off the water and turned around to face his godson. "Yeah, Kiddo?"

"When are we telling them about 'you know.' Harry said emphasizing the last two words.

It didn't take Sirius long to realize what Harry meant by 'you know.' "Is that what your worried about?" He asked as he sat dawn next to Harry. Harry silently nodded. "Well, how about tonight?"

"Sure," Harry said quietly. 'Sooner is better then later, I guess," Harry thought as he stood up and rejoined the Wood's in the living room.

After the movie Sirius entered the room and sat down in the lazy-chair near the couch. "There's more we didn't tell you about when we explained our past." He said bluntly.

John, Linda and Cameron looked at both Harry and Sirius wearily. "What do you mean?" John asked calmly.

"Can you listen with an open mind?" Harry asked calmly, thought he was feeling anything but calm.

"Is it anything bad?" Cameron voiced.

Harry smiled reassuringly, "No, it's not. It's actually pretty good."

"Okay, we'll listen," Linda said motioning for them to continue.

"Okay, this will seem impossible, but magic is real." Sirius said bluntly.

Linda, John and Cameron stayed silent with blank faces before Cameron and Linda first began giggling and then laughing. John soon cracked a smile and said, "Very funny, Sirius."

After several minutes the Wood's noticed Sirius and Harry were not laughing. "Aren't you going to say got'cha or joking?" Cameron asked eyeing his friend and his friends godfather. The Wood's were familiar with Sirius' joking tendencies.

"He's not joking." Harry said in an even but cautious voice. "He's telling the truth. The boarding school I go to is a magical school."

"This isn't funny," Linda said her eyes glistening with a little anger.

"It's not meant to be funny," Sirius said evenly, no mirth showing. "It's the truth. Here, I'll show you," He said as he pulled out his wand. "Accio," he said and the Wood family gasped in surprise as a book on the table at the end of the couch jumped into the air and flew towards Sirius opened hand.

"H-how?" John asked his mouth, along with Linda's and Cameron's wide open in shock.

"Magic." Sirius said giving them a smile.

"Magic is real?" Linda asked her eyes wide.

"Yes," Harry answered his eyes twinkling with humor.

"How – how is it that no one knows about it?" Cameron asked interestedly.

"There is a magical community." Sirius answered. "It's kept hidden from Muggles and you have to have permission to tell a Muggle."

"What's a Muggle?" Linda asked.

"A non-magical person." Harry answered.

"Can you do any more magic?" Cameron asked eagerly. "Can you do some, Harry?"

Harry snorted at Cameron's enthusiasm before shaking his head. "No, I'm not of age."

"Of age?" John asked.

Sirius answered. "You have to be seventeen to perform magic outside of school."

"Oh," Linda said nodded in understanding. "Like when you turn eighteen you are considered an adult." Sirius nodded in affirmation.

"So what else can you do?" John asked.

"Your not mad?" Harry asked nervously.

"Shocked, amazed, flabbergasted, but not mad." Linda answered smiling reassuringly at Harry.

Harry grinned happily as he and Sirius began explaining magic. About the magical community, about the spells, potions, flying brooms, Quidditch (which Cameron and John were very excited about while Linda looked squeamish), and the different lessons they had at Hogwarts. Sirius also explained the true story of his and Harry's past, without the Muggle terms and changes.

Harry was very relieved that they understood. He was very happy he hadn't lost a friend, and that he could now share his world with him. Cameron seemed very excited about learning and seeing anything he could. He was really interested in learning about Quidditch. 'Ron and he would probably get along great,' Harry thought as he went up the stairs to get some of his school books so Cameron, Linda and John could look at them.

"That went better then expected." Sirius said sighing heavily as he sat down in the kitchen with Harry next to him.

Harry grinned happily. "Yes, it did!" he said happily. Sirius grinned and ruffled his hair, earning a glare from Harry.

"Hey, Padfoot, Harry." Remus said entering the kitchen and sitting next to Harry. "What's going on in there?" He asked looking back toward the living room.

"We explained everything to them." Harry said grinning. "And they weren't mad! It took a bit of convincing though."

"That's great, Harry!" Remus said grinning. He had been told by Sirius that they were going to tell the Wood's about magic.

"We also have something to ask you," Sirius said mysteriously.

"What?" Remus asked a little wearily. Sirius had that glint in his eyes.

"Will you move in with us?" Sirius asked bluntly.

Remus was stunned into silence. Being offered to move in was not something he had expected. But then there were several complications. A major one being his lycanthropy, and he told Sirius and Harry as much.

"Already taken care of," Sirius said grinning. "We have the basement free for transformations, locks and everything. Dumbledore says Snape has agreed to continue giving you your wolfsbane. He said it would be easier to get the potions to you if you were here," Sirius said pulling his best puppy dog face.

"Are you sure?" He asked nervously.

"Of course!" Harry answered first.

"If your sure," Remus said looking at Harry and Sirius wearily. He did not want to hurt them during his transformations. "My transformations can be… unpredictable."

"It's taken care of," Sirius said waving it off.

"I'll have to decline," Remus answered regretfully. "But thank you for the offer. It means a lot."

"Remus." Sirius began.

"Thank you," Remus repeated, "But I can't." Sirius sighed and slowly nodded. He knew how conscientious Remus was about being a werewolf.

Harry and Cameron were the first to wake up on Christmas morning. Slowly they crept into the living room and looked at the presents under the tree. Separating them into piles for each person they went to wake the adults. After finally getting the adults they all began opening they're presents in turn.

Harry had books (from Hermione), a box of Fred and Georges' Wizard candy and prank products and a Weasley sweater (dark green with a yellow H) from the Weasley's, a few books from Dumbledore, a broom cleaner from Remus, a video game (Mario Kart) from Cameron, some shirts from Linda and John, and a wand holster and Quidditch gloves from Sirius.

Cameron got shirts and books from his parents. A few video games from Sirius. A book on ocean life from Remus. (Remus had gotten help from Sirius who had told him Cameron's interest in ocean animals). And Harry had gotten him a Donkey Kong game. (He'd asked Sirius to get it. He had planned on sending it to him in America even though he hadn't thought they would make up).

Harry had gotten Sirius a book on classic pranks (He had gone through it before wrapping it so he would know if Sirius planned to use any on him).

After opening presents they ate a wonderful breakfast of pancakes shaped in Christmas ornaments and Christmas tree's and bacon and fruit.

HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Cameron was leaving today. A few day's had passed since Christmas and Harry and he were planning a prank on Sirius, who conveniently was still asleep.

"What are you two planning?" John asked trying to hide his mirth. They were all sitting around the living room.

"Nothing." Cameron and Harry said in unison. Getting up they walked into Sirius' room and placed a blue berry muffin on the counter. They had asked Remus to spell it when he had arrived earlier that morning.

Harry grinned at Sirius before he began to shake Sirius awake. "Sirius," Harry said loudly, above Sirius' snores. "Sirius!" He called louder effectively waking his Godfather.

"Wha?" Sirius asked, his voice slurred from sleep.

"Come on, it's time to get up." Harry said doing his best to keep a strait face.

It took a moment for Sirius to process what he'd said. "Okay, I'm up." He said rubbing the tiredness from his eyes.

"Okay." Harry and Cameron left the room trying to keep they're snickers and giggles to themselves.

After the door closed behind the two boys, Sirius sat up. Noticing the muffin he grinned. 'Still warm to,.' He thought as he picked it up and bit into it. He ate through over half of it before he began to feel strange. There was no other way to describe it. A loud 'boom' was heard. Blinking he tried to figure out what had just happened. 'Oh, no! What did they do?' He thought as he got up and stood in front of the full length mirror. 'They're dead!' He thought as he began to run from the room.

Exiting Sirius' room was a very woman-looking Sirius. He had a woman's body, longer dark hair that reached the middle of his back.

"What did you do?" He asked as he entered the living room. Linda, John, Cameron and Harry were all trying to hold in they're laughter.

"We didn't do anything." Harry said putting on his best innocent face.

"Run," Sirius warned as Cameron and Harry took off running with the very woman-looking Sirius following. Laughter could be heard moments later as Sirius managed to catch Harry and began to tickle him mercilessly.

End of Chapter Nine

A/N: Hello everyone! Another chapter finished! Nine pages, too! I hope you like it! There are some things I'm not happy with on it, I'm not sure what. If I figure it out I'll fix it. Yeah, Harry finally pulled a prank! Anyway, I hope you liked the new chapter! Please REVIEW!

Congratulations to everyone who figured out my plans for Cameron and Harry! (Several of you guessed he would be flying to Australia.)

Final Destination 3 was creepy! But good. Except for the blood and gore, I didn't like that part, lol. When a Stranger Calls was GREAT! My one friend kept scaring my other friend (who was sitting in the middle of us) who would scare me when she screamed! (Does that make sense?)