Author's Note:

Wrote a few more chapters the other night before my power went out due to wind damage. I'm hoping to find the time to edit them and get them published over the next few days.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the words to the story, those belong to Dahl.

Review and Comments: To BobtheSheepWolf: Thank you! I will definitely keep writing it! I promise! To E-Dett: Children and dogs are just the best of friends. Thank you for your review and if I need some ideas, I will be sure to ask. To Queen Helen: Thank you so much! I look forward to sharing more. To nsaifnabi: Thank you! I don't know if it I will go all the way through Hogwarts and beyond, but we'll see. To ginnyweasley777: Thank you! It's definitely how we wish Harry was brought up. I agree, I think Harry suffered a lot more abuse than the books ever told. We will see McGonagall's reaction to being Auntie Minnie, don't worry. And yes, they will run into a Weasley or two. To Unremarkableforever: Thank you! As to the prophecy, it's not a well known fact so Dumbledore let it pass without looking to get questions on it. Ha, I don't know if Harry will have twelve children again LOL. To Seena T: Thank you! Harry is so cute and yes, he will eventually meet more people including the Tonkses, Neville, and the Weasleys. To tonystark13: Thank you! Harry will be very powerful, as we've seen glimpses of already. Sirius and Althea may be building something, but Sirius is too focused on Harry right now. Harry will have a good birthday, I promise.

To coloredwords: Wow! You've read my Beginning Series a few times a year, that's amazing! Thank you so much! I look forward to writing Sirius and Remus raising Harry and I love the idea of McGonagall being a mother figure to Sirius and rooting for him, pushing for him to have a trial. There was definitely more going on in the Dursley household than we knew. Thank you so much for such a kind review! To ObsessedWithHPFanFic: Remus and Sirius are going to be great parents for Harry, I agree. Thank you!

Thank you very much for reading and please, please review!

Your reviews give me life! They give me inspiration! And they make me want to keep writing for more than just myself! Thank you!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN:

The One Where They Remember the Past

Sirius smiled warmly at Harry as he listened to his godson tell him all about his trip to the library and eagerly showed him all ten books that he and Remus had picked out.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

The Iron Man: A Children's Story in Five Nights by Ted Hughes

A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Le Guin

Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat

The Call of the Wild by Jack London

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by CS Lewis

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl

The Wonderful World of Oz by Frank L Baum

Sirius inspected each book that Harry handed him, reading off the titles and the summaries with a smile and then grinning at Remus when he was finished. "Some of these might be a little too old for him, don't you think?"

Remus shrugged. "Possibly a few might go over his head, but that's why we're here." he told him, stretching his long legs out from where he sat in the chair. "And the ones that do aren't going to hold his interest anyway."

Harry, holding the book by Roald Dahl, left the other books with Sirius and climbed into Remus' lap, surprising him. Remus smiled warmly, making room for the child as he made himself comfortable in the big armchair.

"This is about chocolate, Uncle Moony, and you like chocolate."

Sirius laughed, grinning broadly as he brushed his fingers through his dark locks and Remus sighed in envy at how perfectly his friend's hair fell into place. He had always found it incredibly unfair. Not that his own hair was incredibly unruly, but it was very wavy and never seemed to cooperate much.

"Harry already knows your weakness, Moony," Sirius told him with a grin.

Remus accepted the book from Harry with a smile, smiling at Harry's own messy locks. Thank Merlin his hair was never as unruly as the Potters; though he had to admit, the messy locks suited the face much in the same way that it had always worked so well for James.

"It is about chocolate, a chocolate factory where they make all of the delicious chocolate goodness."

Harry grinned widely at him. "Will you read it to me? Please, Uncle Moony!"

Remus smiled. He had honestly enjoyed his day with Harry so much and now this precious child was begging him to read a book that he had helped him pick out. There was no way that he could turn him down even if he wanted to, which he most certainly did not.

"I'd be happy too, little Prongs."

Sirius smirked at him from across the room as Remus opened the library book, moving his arm so that it was draped around Harry as he held the book. Their heads together as Remus' voice rang out.

"These two very old people are the father and mother of Mr Bucket. Their names are Grandpa Joe and Grandma Josephine," Remus read.

Sirius merely grinned at them, only partially listening to the story. He was glad that Harry seemed to have bonded with Remus, especially over something so simple like a love for stories. Remus had always been the more literary one of the four them. He was always reading something or another. It was one of the reasons that he had become friends with Lily back in their first year of Hogwarts, the two of them had both shared a love of reading. James had loved stories too, specifically epic tales like The Odyssey and The Count of Monte Cristo. Monty had always spent time with his son, filling his head with stories of adventure and great mythic quests, but Sirius knew that it was rare for James to sit down and read a book himself. He had always simply had too much energy; always bouncing and bubbling around him to sit and concentrate on the book; though again that might have been because Monty had been so good at telling the story that actually reading it was moot.

Sirius had never been much into reading or stories. He couldn't ever remember a time in his childhood when his parents had sat him or Regulus down to read them a story or to tell them about an adventure. He had been surprised the first time that he had gone over to James and Lily's house and found Lily reading Harry The Tales of Beedle the Bard and had listened with rapt interest, ignoring James, who had teased him for his sudden intense interest in the children's story.

He was glad that Harry was going to get something like that from Remus. His attention moved back to the two of them when he heard Harry speaking.

"Chocolate!"

"Very good, little Prongs," Remus said in surprise. "You didn't tell me that you could read on your own."

Harry blushed and bit his lip. "Not good, not all the words."

Remus smile and pulled the bookmark out from the middle of the book to hold it under the current line that they were reading. "How about you read out loud to me and we'll help each other?"

Harry beamed at him, eyes on the words as he carefully read aloud.

"Walking to school in the mornings, Charlie could see great slabs of chocolate piled up high in the shop windows, and he would stop and stare and press his nose against the glass, his mouth watering like mad. Many times a day, he would see other children taking bars of cr-cree-creamy chocolate out of their pockets and munching them greedily, and that, of course, was pure…t-tor…" he turned to look up at Remus for help.

"Torture," Remus supplied with a smile. "You're doing great, Harry. Keep going."

Sirius smiled at both of them. Harry could read pretty well on his own, he realized. He hadn't even thought about stuff like that - reading, writing, arithmetic. Harry had been going to school for almost two years, he concluded. He had watched him head out to school from the Dursley household.

How much did he know?

Should he send him to school?

He had been homeschooled himself by his mother. He hadn't been given the opportunity to learn how to read by reading a story about a boy named Charlie who loved chocolate, Sirius had been forced to learn by reading the Black family history books and about the accomplishments of those who were worthy of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. That was probably the reason that he had never developed a love of reading in all actuality.

His father had been the one to teach him arithmetic by having he and Regulus help him count the gold in the vault by making lists of valuables and adding and subtracting their value. As for writing, his mother had been pretty fond of making them write lines, specifically lines about why the Black Family was basically considered to be royalty in the wizarding world.

Sirius definitely didn't want Harry to learn that way. He wondered if Harry knew how to write his own name or anything else for that matter. He remembered that Harry had recognized his name on the door to his bedroom so he probably could write it. What kind of things did kids Harry's age learn in school anyhow? As he watched Remus help Harry sound out the letters of the words he didn't know, he smiled at his friend's kind disposition.

Remus had always wanted to be a teacher.

Sirius knew that it was a dream that he had put aside because of his furry little problem and it was something that had always bothered Sirius. Remus was always so patient and he had that aura of someone who genuinely enjoyed knowledge and the ability to share it with others was something so wonderful to him that he couldn't wait to do it. He had tutored other students when they had been at Hogwarts and he had always done very well at it.

Leaving his friend and his godson to the story of Charlie Bucket, he headed into the kitchen to throw something together for dinner; lost in his thoughts.

~ ASC ~

Remus and Harry had read through the first two chapters of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory before deciding to stop for the night. After dinner, Harry begged Remus to come play with him while he took his bath, surprising Remus who sat on the floor and played with the boats in the water; and then Sirius had put him to bed, snuggling in as Padfoot when Harry asked him to, until the child had fallen asleep.

He found Remus sitting on the couch when he came back downstairs almost thirty minutes later.

"He's finally asleep. He really loved being with you today," Sirius told him as he took a seat on the couch next to his friend.

Remus smiled at Sirius. "I really loved it too. He's such a great kid and I want him to want to spend time with me. His reading is really good, Sirius. I think that he's definitely reading at a higher level than his age."

Sirius nodded, scratching his eyebrow. "I was thinking about that earlier. Not his reading specifically, but — what he knows. He was in school when he lived with those tossers. He would have been finishing up his second year in primary school."

"That is true."

"Did you go to a Muggle school, Moony?" Sirius asked, suddenly curious and then he froze, cursing himself. "Sorry, I wasn't even thinking. I'm an arse."

Remus smiled at his friend in reassurance, gently nudging his friend's arm. "It's all right, it was an honest question. The answer is yes, I did go to school at least until I was bitten. Then my father was too afraid of letting me be around other children. Mum homeschooled me after that."

"I was homeschooled as well," Sirius told him. "But I'm sure that you can imagine what kind of horrors my parents taught me."

Remus smiled sympathetically. He did know what horrors his parents had taught him. Sirius had always been afraid that he would turn out like his parents and despite how many times he and James, Peter, and Lily told him how different he was; he still sometimes had a hard time believing it.

"Do you want to send Harry to a Muggle primary school?"

Sirius shrugged, putting his feet up on the coffee table in front of them. "I don't know, do you think I should?"

Remus was quiet for a moment, a pensive look on his face. "Well — what if he displays magic in front of the Muggles? Or if he tells one of his new friends that his godfather turns into a big black dog?"

"All valid points," Sirius told him as he considered what his friend had said. He couldn't remember if James and Lily had ever talked about how they planned to school Harry when he got older. They shouldn't have had to discuss it; they should have had years with their son before it was a concern. But that had been snatched away from them. "That's okay, Professor Moony can teach him what he needs to know."

"Professor — what?" Remus asked, his eyes going wide.

Sirius simply grinned at his friend. "You can teach him."

"Why me? You're his guardian. You teach him!" Remus insisted stubbornly, his eyes wide in panic.

Sirius laughed. "Moony, you're the intellectual one." When Remus snorted in response, he continued. "You always wanted to be a professor and honestly you have the patience for it. We need to figure out what he has already learned and then I think that you should teach him. Maybe three or four days a week or something and obviously I will pay you for it because it's literally going to be a full time job until he goes to Hogwarts."

Remus flushed at that. "I won't take your money, Sirius."

"It won't be mine, it will be James and Lily's. I'll use the money from the Potter Estate to pay for Harry's schooling and don't give me that look, Remus, you know that James would insist on it. You working in that Muggle book store is quaint and all, but you said so yourself, the manager is not impressed with the amount of absences that you've had. All things that Harry and I will understand — it's the perfect job for you. You love to teach!"

"I've never been a teacher in my life! How would I know that I love to teach?" Remus insisted as his friend laughed.

"You told me that you wanted to be a professor in sixth year."

"But I knew that it was never going to happen," Remus exclaimed, his eyes wide. "I can't be trusted to be around children and no one will hire me."

"Should I ban you from seeing Harry then?"

Remus glared at his friend. "I would understand it if you did."

Sirius shoved Remus so hard that he almost fell off of the couch. "What the fuck is wrong with you, Rem? After all these years and you still think that I don't know exactly who the fuck you are?"

He carefully moved back into his seat, his eyes downcast. "That's not… I didn't mean…"

"You are the nicest human being I've ever met, Rem. You're the kindest soul; always have been. James and I bonded instantly because we were both more or less gits, but you… you always put us in our place and we respected you for it," Sirius told him, his eyes raking over the soft white scars that adorned his cheeks, one down the side of his neck, one on his arm from his wrist to his elbow. "You're beautiful inside and out. You're intelligent and you have a genuine love for knowledge that makes you patient and understanding - which is what always made you such a great tutor back at school. Any school would be fucking lucky to have you as a professor and if you would think about it for two fucking seconds before you get your back up, you'd know that I'm right. Dumbledore would give you a teaching job in a heartbeat."

"Dumbledore's an old fool," Remus told him, his golden eyes smiling at his friend. Sirius had always had the ability to make him feel so grateful to be his friend. "Parents would protest."

"They don't have to know."

"You can never keep these things a secret forever, Sirius."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "We didn't do so bad."

Remus smiled. "When I stepped onto the train that first year, all I thought about was how lucky I felt to be going to Hogwarts, but how terribly hard it was going to be to keep this big secret inside. If Dumbledore hadn't been Headmaster, Sirius, I never would have been allowed to attend school. And then you three, you just pushed into my life and lying to you each month about being sick or my mother needing me home was so hard. When you realized what I was — and none of you were scared — it was like this miracle. I couldn't understand why you had all been so nice about it and then when you wanted to become animals so that I wouldn't…"

Sirius put his arm around his friend. "One of my biggest regrets about going to prison, Moony, is that I wasn't there for you when you needed me."

Remus hugged his friend tightly. "That you even think that just goes to show what I'm trying to say. You three made me a better person and made me feel like maybe I wasn't a monster. But it wasn't just you three. Snape found out and Lily… it's not something that you can keep hidden and parents wouldn't want a monster teaching their children. That is a fact, Sirius, no matter what you may think on the subject."

"You never even told any of the girls you were with, did you?"

Remus shook his head. "There's a reason that I don't deserve to be in a relationship, Sirius. I can't even be honest with another person about what happens to me three times a month. Mary was the nicest girl at school and she knew that I was lying to her. She accused me of cheating on her and you know what — I admitted to it, because it was a better alternative than telling her the truth."

Sirius only stared at his friend, his eyes sad. "One of these days, you're going to realize that you deserve more happiness than anyone else." At Remus' blush, he smiled. "But as I'm the only quote on quote 'parent' in this situation, I vote that you are now Harry's professor as I don't give a flying fuck that you're a werewolf. You can start next week."

Remus found himself smiling at his friend. "What am I going to teach him, Sirius?"

Sirius only shrugged. "Whatever the hell you want, Moony. You're the professor. So profess."

"That's not what a professor… never mind," Remus said, shaking his head. He knew better than to try to correct Sirius' logic as he would then find himself in a debate that he had no desire to part of. "And what are you going to do while I'm teaching Harry?"

"Haven't decided yet. But I know that I'm not going to sit around here and twiddle my thumbs," he told him, looking around the living room. "I want to fix up my bike, maybe add some things to it. Fix up the back garden, you can help me with that, the garden and whatnot; you always had a green thumb. I'd like to have a good shag at some point, as it has literally been years."

Remus laughed at that, shaking his head at his friend. "I'm actually surprised that it wasn't the first thing you did upon getting out of prison."

"With who?" Sirius asked, looking at his friend in bewilderment. "Not to mention that I didn't exactly look my best when I got out. And it's not like the Dementors are helping in that matter; though on the plus side, didn't really make me think about how much I wasn't shagging either so a little positive note. But no, I wasn't feeling or looking my best when I got released from prison, Moony. Then I've been dealing with the house and with Harry. Sex hasn't exactly been an option."

Remus chuckled. "You always found a way. Maybe you'll get lucky and that healer you keep writing will give you a pity shag."

"Oh piss off," Sirius exclaimed, throwing a pillow at his friend's face. "For the last time, I'm only corresponding with her about Harry's well-being. And I've only written to her twice concerning the idea of getting Harry a dog!"

Remus only grinned widely at his friend. "Didn't you once tell James, Pete, and I that you were only 'helping' Hestia Jones with her ancient runes homework when we caught her going down on you in our dorm in sixth year?"

Sirius shrugged, smiling at his friend. "She was learning the runic symbols of my new tattoos."

"The tattoos that are on your arms with her mouth wrapped around your —"

"— Shut it, Remus," Sirius demanded as his friend laughed.

"And what about that time you were only 'chatting' with Greta Catchlove about the importance of learning charms?"

"We WERE talking about charms! She was one of the best students in the class!"

Remus only raised his eyebrow. "And the fact that you were both completely starkers?"

"Well, the talking about charms might also have extended to using some of my considerable charm…"

"Uh-huh," Remus said with a laugh.

Sirius only glared at his friend. "Like you were so innocent! In seventh year, James and I found you humping that Ravenclaw prefect in the broom closet by the Great Hall."

Remus blushed as he remembered how his friends, having seen him on the map, sought him out and opened the door just as he had pinned Nora to the wall. "That's not the point, Sirius."

"Or what about that topless snog with that blonde Hufflepuff in Hogsmeade? You two were getting pretty heated when Pete and I found you out by the shack!"

"What about that time that you were looking for your potions paper underneath Glenda Chittock's skirt?" Remus exclaimed, trying to turn the attention off of him as he blushed in embarrassment.

"Moony, she was sitting right on top of my paper!" Sirius protested, his eyes laughing at the memory.

"How unfortunate that you had to search so thoroughly when she only would have needed to stand up?" Remus suggested, his eyes twinkling in laughter.

Sirius simply grinned widely. "Well, my fingers were very busy checking for it."

Remus smirked, chuckling aloud. "You still have the worst excuses that I've ever heard."

"I thought that they were quite clever. Besides, you wankers never wanted to hear my tales when I started to explain how Sarah Anderson and I snogged in the broom cupboard across from Filch's office," he said smugly. "Or how Anderson and I almost got caught going at it in the Muggle Studies classroom — so I improvised."

"Needless to say, you weren't exactly a monk which brings me back to my original point of you and this healer."

"Purely professional, Moony, I swear it."

Remus only smiled at his friend. "I'll let you keep your delusions. But I will teach Harry."

Sirius beamed at him. "Knew I could count on you, mate! What are you going to teach him?"

Remus picked up his bag from the floor and shook his head. "I have no idea. That's what I'm going to work on for the next few days."

"Good. Thanks, Moony. And if the healer shows any interest, well, maybe I will get that shag I need."

Remus chuckled as he finished his drink. He said goodbye and used the Floo to head home as Sirius shut off the lights and made his way upstairs for the night.

Sirius peeked into Harry's bedroom and saw his godson sleeping soundly, snuggled with the stuffed animals of the Marauders sprawled all around him.

He slipped into the bathroom, planning to have a hot shower and after his conversation with Moony that had reminded him of the good times, his jeans were fitting a little uncomfortably in the crotch so maybe a wank was in order as well, he thought to himself.

Because Remus had brought up a good point, Sirius had always liked sex, but he wasn't looking for a serious commitment or a relationship for that matter. Despite it being Remus' term, he was more of a lone wolf and always had been. He knew what he liked, but he had lived for his friends; had never really made the time to invite a woman into his life, not like James had with Lily.

Sirius undressed, locking the bathroom door behind him in case Harry woke up and wandered inside. He stepped into the shower, letting the hot water and steam encase him and he sighed in pleasure, just loving the water for a moment. After almost five years of nothing but lukewarm water from a bowl and a washcloth, standing in a hot shower was by far the most pleasurable thing in the world. The water washed over him and he sighed, reaching down to grip himself tightly, letting his head rest against the wall of the shower as he worked himself from base to tip. He couldn't even consciously think of anything in particular except his own pleasure as he stroked himself faster and faster. When he finished, he had an image of the healer smirking at him and he grinned to himself.

Maybe his thoughts on the healer weren't completely professional after all.

~ ASC ~

The next morning, after giving Harry his breakfast and getting them both ready for the day, Sirius decided that it was a good idea to write to McGonagall about how to help Harry with his education before Hogwarts. She was a professor — the best professor actually — and who else to give him some ideas and pointers on the subject.

Dear Minnie,

Harry and I have been adjusting well to living together and he is such a gem! Remus and I were talking last night about his reading abilities and what he learned in school when he was living with the Muggles. It got us thinking: What exactly are we supposed to teach him? Reading and writing sure, but what else?

You're the person I'd ask, being a professor, not to mention the most brilliant woman I know. Why don't you come over for tea on Sunday? Harry and I would love to see you and I'd love to pick your brain on the subject.

Love,

Sirius

He folded the letter into the envelope and smiled at Harry who was sitting on the floor in the living room playing with the action figures of the Knights of the Round Table that Sirius had bought for him. He watched him play for a moment, a small smile on his lips.

McGonagall was definitely one of the best people to ask in his opinion. It wasn't like he had any family that he could talk to about raising kids; his mother was the last person he would even consider going to. If Euphemia and Fleamont were still around… Merlin he missed Fee sometimes so much that his heart hurt his chest. She had taken him under her wing and mothered him as if he had been her own son.

He would never forget the moment that he had stepped off of the train for the Christmas holidays in sixth year and she had engulfed him in her arms, kissing his cheeks, and telling him that she and Monty had the best surprise. When they had arrived at the Potter House, James had only grinned at him, gesturing for him to follow his mother up the stairs. Sirius had stopped in front of James' bedroom, planning to throw his stuff on his friend's bed, but James had stopped him.

"No, mate, you're not staying with me."

"What?" Sirius had asked, looking confused. "But I always sleep in your room."

Euphemia had only smiled from a few feet away as she pushed open the door next to James'. "Well, if you really want to stay with James I won't stop you, but the three of us have been working rather hard on your room."

Sirius had only stared at her, his eyes wide in shock.

James had taken his arm and tugged him towards the door. The room had been painted a soft grey. There was a large double bed in the centre of the room with a warm quilt on it. Gryffindor banners on the wall with pictures of Sirius and his friends. Muggle posters of motorcycles and Muggle girls in bikinis; a complete diagram of an engine; music posters of The Ramones, The Beatles, Queen, and The Rolling Stones; and on the door in gold lettering it said: Sirius' Room."

He had been embarrassed to feel himself choking up, but Euphemia had simply wrapped her arms around him. "Jamie picked out the posters himself; sent them along. I thought grey is such a lovely colour like your eyes, darling, almost stormy." She kissed his cheek. "And both of my sons deserve their own room with their own things."

"Fee," he had said simply, kissing her cheek. "I never… when you said that I could stay I didn't… thank you." He looked over at James who was grinning widely at him.

Fleamont was standing next to Sirius' bedroom door, his hands in his pockets as he bounced on the balls of his feet. "Welcome home, boys. Are you ready to decorate the tree?"

He had never felt more at home in his entire life.

Euphemia and Fleamont Potter had been his parents. He had practically lived with James from the summer of third year, spending most of his summer between James and Remus' home and one week each year with Peter. But after fifth year when he had gone home and had it out with his parents, resulting in them kicking him out at the age of sixteen, he hadn't expected the Potters to welcome him so openly. Then that Christmas, presenting him with his own bedroom had been the best gift of his life.

They had given him a family.

He had a home with people who loved and cared for him. Nothing had made him happier. And he missed them both more than he could possibly say aloud. Dragon pox had carried both of them off in less than three weeks, only six months after James had married Lily.

James had told him that he could stay in the house after they had passed, but Sirius couldn't stay there. He had moved into the flat that his Uncle Alphard had left him; not wanting to be alone with the memories of his only real family. It still made him sad to remember how excited Fee and Monty had been about the prospect of being grandparents. Euphemia had spent so much time helping Lily decorate the nursery; she had knit Harry's baby blanket and talked about all of the children that James and Lily would have for her and Monty to spoil.

But Lily had only been four months pregnant when they had both died, devastating all who had known them. Sirius wished that they were around to see how wonderful their grandson had turned out.

His Uncle Alphard was the only relative that he had ever really liked in his family and he had died when he had been in sixth year; leaving his seventeen-year-old-penniless-nephew a fortune. The only member of the Black Family who hadn't been furious with that announcement was his cousin Andy and she —

Andy!

Sirius cursed himself for not thinking of her immediately. Andromeda had always been nice to him. They had always gotten along, despite her being almost eight years older than him. She was just as much of a disgrace to the Black family name as he had been, especially after she married the Muggleborn Ted Tonks. Aunt Druella had been so furious when she found out that she had immediately blasted Andromeda's name off of the family tapestry. He had been fourteen when she had written him with the news that he had a new baby cousin.

Baby cousin, he thought, his eyes going wide. Andromeda had a daughter! She was probably old enough to be in Hogwarts now, he thought with a smile. She would be in Hogwarts, he thought doing the math in his head. And if anyone would know anything about educating children before Hogwarts, it would be Andy. She would be the perfect one to ask. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought about her immediately. But in all fairness, he hadn't spoken to her since he had been released from prison.

He smiled at Harry, standing up with the letter to McGonagall still in his hands. "Come on, Harry, we're going to go visit my cousin Andy."

Harry was still playing with his knights and only nodded vaguely.

The fact that Harry was so absorbed in his own world was a good thing. He was comfortable enough to let his own imagination take over. Sirius thought it was an excellent sign.

"Harry," he said again and this time Harry turned to look at him. "We're going to go visit my cousin Andy. Go put your toys away."

Harry picked up his toys and carried them back upstairs to his room, coming back down with the stag in his arms. "Can I bring Prongs, Uncle Padfoot?"

Sirius smiled and picked Harry up into his arms. "Absolutely. We're going to take my bike, okay?"

Harry nodded, grinning when Sirius put the helmet on him and handed him the sunglasses he had purchased for the him the other day when they had been in town for groceries. He let Sirius strap him tight to the seat on the back of the bike, loving the feel of the rumble beneath him as they sped off.

Sirius drove for almost forty-five minutes, peeking behind him at every light and stop sign to make sure that Harry was doing okay. He had a big grin on his face the whole time, making Sirius smile. When they drove into the town of Shoreditch, Sirius turned down the road towards the Tonks house with a grin on his face.

He had missed Andy. As he pulled up in front of her house, it occurred to him that he probably should have written first. Just showing up on his cousin's doorstep after spending almost five years in prison was probably frowned upon; not to mention the fact that he hadn't spoken to her since he had gone to prison.

Did she even know that he had been released?

Did she know that he was innocent?

He didn't get a chance to reconsider however, because the front door opened as he shut off the bike and Ted stepped out, his eyes raised in interest to see who was outside of his house on the motorcycle.

Sirius pulled his helmet off, shaking out his hair and hanging his sunglasses on his shirt.

"Hi, Ted, sorry to drop by unannounced."

Ted stared at him for a moment and then he smiled. "If it isn't Sirius Black, the second White Sheep of the Black Family."

Sirius laughed, grinning widely. He and Andromeda had always joked that they were white sheep as opposed to black just because of the misnomer with their surname.

"It's me." He reached down to pull the helmet off of Harry and unstrapped him, lifting him up into his arms. "And my godson, Harry Potter."

Ted's eyes widened in surprise. "Harry — The Boy Who Lived?"

"The one and only. Is Andy around?"

Andromeda stepped out from behind her husband. Her long black hair curling around her face and her arms crossed in front of her.

"Edward Tonks, do not let him take another step towards this house!"