Word Count: 466


"Look, Harry. See? Yummy yummy peaches," Sirius says, dipping the spoon into the pureed fruit. "Mmmmmm. Sounds good, doesn't it?"

Harry turns his head to the side, flailing his hands. His chubby little fist knocks the spoon away, sending it clattering noisily to the floor and leaving a splattering of peaches on the tile.

Sirius makes a mental note to clean it once he gets Harry situated. The last thing he needs is for James and Lily to return home from their date to find the house in ruins. They had been hesitant to let him babysit; he doesn't want them to realize he cannot be trusted to keep things nice and neat.

With a frustrated cry, Harry knocks the jar of baby food onto the floor, shattering the glass in a puddle of pureed peaches.

The house is quiet. Too quiet.

Sirius finds Harry, covered in a red, waxy substance. The tube of Lily's favorite lipstick is off to the side.

Sirius groans. "Right. Bath time has come early," he says.

Harry looks adorable in his beige jumper. "What a handsome boy," he says, tickling his godson.

Harry giggles and kicks his legs. He's so tiny and precious, and Sirius loves him more than anything in the world. Truth be told, he had been afraid when James and Lily had asked him to be Harry's godfather. He still feels like a kid too; how is he supposed to help raise one?

But watching Harry now, he thinks that maybe it's going to be okay.

"I love you, kiddo."

Harry laughs again. A rotten odor suddenly rises up, filling Sirius' nostrils. Sirius recoils, covering his nose. "Really, Harry? You just had a bath."

Sirius is exhausted. He doesn't know how Lily and James do it. It's only been a few hours, and he feels like he's going to lose his bloody mind. Harry screams and cries, and all Sirius knows to do is carry him around the living room.

"Shhh," Sirius soothes. "It's okay, Harry. Everything is going to be okay. You're safe, and you're loved."

He comes to a stop in front of the window, outside, snow begins to fall, flakes of white illuminated by the moonlight.

"Look," he says, catching Harry's attention.

Harry watches, eyes wide with fascination. "Dat?"

"Snow," Sirius tells him.

Whatever distress Harry had felt moments earlier seems to melt away. He snuggles closer to Sirius, resting his head on Sirius' chest.

Harry sleeps soundly, his teddy bear tucked in beside him. Sirius stands in the doorway, smiling to himself as he watches his serene godson. He still doesn't know what he's doing. Sometimes it's easy to tend to Harry, and other times he's lost and confused.

But these moments remind him that it's all worth it.