Author's Note:

As a few people have mentioned that this story has some underlying Wolfstar, I will say that I do ship them, but platonically because I really love Remus and Tonks — especially because of the whole Teddy thing later on — but I do really love to read fanfics of Wolfstar sometimes specifically my ultimate favourite one — We Were Infinite by WolfstarPups90 available on Ao3. But I don't write it. I want to give the impression of Remus and Tonks, obviously nothing will be happening any time soon being that she is a child at thirteen (young teen technically but a child nevertheless) and he is a twenty-six year-old-man, but it is coming.

Also, I have been power-housing today and wrote a few pages of a missing moment for my Missing Moments story as well while writing this chapter, I finally got the rest of my inspiration for the three paragraphs on tattoos I had written for the missing moments that I never went anywhere else with. Then I came back and finished this chapter and wrote an incredibly steamy chapter 22. So please go check out my Missing Moments update as well.

So without further delay — Happy Holiday Weekend, voila three chapters!

Reviews and Comments: To Queen Helen: Thank you! I always love being told I'm awesome! Yes, Althea was feeling a bit jealous and yes, she did finally cave! They do have a lot of chemistry so it makes sense for them to date. To sbmcneil: I don't think the Death Eaters operated a long time after Voldemort vanished, but it makes sense that it took two to three months for things to wrap up and calm down. People were celebrating Voldemort's downfall, but the Death Eaters were not really who people feared and they should have.

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 TWENTY-ONE:

The One With the Brownies

Harry was sitting on the ground at Sirius' feet as he sat on a crate next to his motorbike. Tools were spread out all around them and the back wheel of the bike was leaning against the wall of the house.

"Harry, can you pass me that lug nut there?"

Harry reached for the nut and passed it to Sirius with a smile as Sirius explained what the lug nut was and what he was currently using it for. Sirius loved these moments with Harry. He loved fiddling with his bike as he taught his godson the intricacies and delicacies of an engine, of what a motorbike represents, and how to repair it. Harry would listen attentively, asking questions that were actually quite inquisitive in Sirius' opinion.

After a few days of having Harry help him with the bike: checking oil levels, keeping it clean and working on the engine, Harry was now skilled enough that he knew what tool to pass Sirius when he asked for it.

Sirius blared Muggle music through the wireless record player that had been a gift from James for his fourteenth birthday. Thinking of his friend, he played The Beatles — switching back to Queen and The Rolling Stones, but always going back to The Beatles. Harry sang along to the songs that he knew, the ones that Sirius played often enough for him to have learnt. It made him smile to hear him singing, but unlike his father, Harry had next to no singing talent whatsoever, which only made it sweeter.

That Saturday morning, Harry was helping Sirius wash the bike, soaping it up and cleaning the motorbike with great care. He wanted it to be shiny for his date with Castellanos that night.

A large shadow fell over them and Harry looked up in awe at the figure of the tall man who stood over them. His hair was long and brown and scraggly as was his beard. He stood taller than the tool shed and he wore a big grin on his face as he looked down at Harry.

"'Arry! I 'aven't seen yeh since yeh was a baby!"

Sirius grinned widely, wiping his soapy hands on a dry towel. "Hagrid! What a nice surprise!" He extended his hand and the giant took it.

Sirius looked down at where Harry was still sitting on the ground, his mouth open and head all the way back as he stared up at Hagrid seemingly in awe.

"Harry, this is Hagrid, he works with Professor Dumbledore and Auntie Minnie at Hogwarts."

Hagrid chuckled. "Auntie Minnie, eh? 'Ow's Minerva liking tha'?"

Sirius grinned sheepishly. "She's annoyed and ridiculously touched at the same time." He bent down to pick Harry up, sitting him on his hip. "Say hi, Harry."

"Hi," Harry said, his eyes still wide. "You're tall!"

Hagrid's beady eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled. "Tha' I am!" He reached forward and a big hand ruffled Harry's hair.

Sirius smiled in surprise. First, Harry hadn't flinched at all. Second, Hagrid was very friendly, but he had still expected more shyness on Harry's part. And third, Harry was still staring up at the gamekeeper with a look of awe on his little face.

"You've shocked him, Hagrid," he said with a laugh, putting Harry back on the ground. "Harry, run into the kitchen and get two bottles of Dragon Scale from the ice box and you can have some pumpkin juice."

Harry nodded as he eagerly ran off towards the house.

Hagrid watched him run off with a smile. "'E's so big now, ain't 'e?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, he just turned six. Come around the back and have a seat," he said leading Hagrid around to the patio. He tugged his wand out of his jeans, converting two of the old lawn chairs into a large chair for Hagrid before taking a seat on the bench.

Hagrid took a seat, his eyes roaming the garden with a critical eye. "Could use some work out 'ere, Sirius — yer poor plants are dying over there!"

Sirius winced. "I know, Hagrid. I'm working on it. I don't know too much about gardening and landscaping."

Hagrid nodded. "I'd be 'appy ter 'elp out!"

"Thanks. I'll be sure to ask your advice when I get started."

Hagrid beamed as Harry came out the back door, carefully carrying the three bottles in his arms.

Sirius took them from him, passing one of the bottles of Dragon Scale to Hagrid before he helped Harry open the bottle of pumpkin juice. Harry sat next to him on the bench, drinking eagerly.

Sirius opened his own beer, drinking deeply before smiling at Hagrid. "So what do we owe this visit, Hagrid?"

Hagrid smiled, placing his beer on the ground next to him. "Dumbledore sent me. 'E wanted ter come 'imself, but th' Ministry needed him urgently for somethin' or other."

Sirius nodded and waited patiently for Hagrid to continue. He had always been charmed by the old gamekeeper, but he hadn't known him as well as Lily had. Lily had befriended him in first year; asking him questions about his gardens and helping him plant and dig and water on the weekends. She used to go over for tea once a week too, Sirius remembered.

"The whole Dursley situation 'as been taken care of."

"Meaning?" Sirius asked, regretting the words immediately. He already knew that if the punishment wasn't as severe as he wanted that he was going to be angry. It was better if he didn't know. "Actually, Hagrid, don't tell me. Just… are they being disciplined?"

"Yes."

Sirius nodded, slipping his arm around Harry and tugging him against his side. Harry merely grinned, leaning into the hug. "Good. I don't need to know anymore about it."

Hagrid smiled. "Yer doing a great thing 'ere, Sirius, takin' 'im in, raisin' him."

"He's a pretty great kid," Sirius said, grinning down at his godson. "My only regret is letting you take him that night."

Hagrid nodded solemnly. "I was only followin' Dumbledore's orders, it was'na personal."

"I know," Sirius told him as Harry put his juice down and hurried off across the grass to play with Marauder. "And it wasn't you, it's where he ended up. I know Dumbledore had the best of intentions, but they were shit and Harry suffered needlessly at the hands of those ruddy Muggles."

"He's a good man, Dumbledor', best there is, but 'ow was he supposed ter know?"

Sirius' fists clenched together. "He should have kept better tabs, but he didn't and well, here we are. I have him now. He's safe now and that's all that matters." He looked out as Harry chased Marauder and he smiled. "And I think that he's finally happy too."

"Sure looks like it," Hagrid said grinning. "Tha' 'is dog?"

Sirius nodded. "Yes. I gave him to him for his birthday two weeks ago. He named him Marauder. He's ten weeks old. Do you still have that big boar hound? Merlin, what was his name… Kane? No, Cujo? No, it was Killer!"

Hagrid chuckled, "I do. Killer is still kickin' it. 'E's still a coward too! I found 'im a mate, her name's 'Untress. Met a chap down at th; pub interested in breedin' 'em. Might get meself a new pup."

Sirius smiled. "Sounds great, Hagrid."

They chatted some more about dogs. Hagrid filled Sirius in on a few gardening tips; asked about the bike, complimenting Sirius on the new look of it, and then he took off. He waved goodbye to Harry, who grinned widely at him and headed back to Hogwarts.

Sirius glanced at the clock as Hagrid left and grinned. He used his wand to quickly do a fresh clean on the bike, taking off any residue or soap scum that may have lingered due to the interruption and then he grinned at Harry.

"Time to go inside and pack up what you need for Uncle Moony's, Harry!"

Because he had a date. And he couldn't wait.

~ ASC ~

When Remus came to pick up Harry, he was only slightly startled to find Nymphadora there as well. He had thought that he had crushed any idea of her coming over to spend the evening with he and Harry, but when he looked at his friend's smirking face, he knew instantly that Sirius had known his plan and had changed it.

It wasn't that he didn't want her to come, he told himself. He liked Nymphadora. She was spunky and funny and she always made him smile and Harry absolutely adored her. It was just now that he knew she fancied him, he felt rather awkward. What if he sent the wrong message across? What if he gave her the wrong impression? Or worst of all — what if he crushed her or hurt her feelings? It was the very last thing that he wanted. His life had been so much easier when Sirius had left him alone in his ignorant bliss.

He scooped Harry up into his arms, making sure that his knapsack was full of clothing and his toys before he grabbed the other small bag that held his stuffed animals and food and toys for Marauder.

"Are we ready to go, little Prongs?"

Harry grinned widely. "Bye, Uncle Padfoot! See you tomorrow."

Sirius smiled back. "Bye, Harry, have fun with Uncle Moony and Tonks."

"Nymphadora, can you bring Marauder?" Remus asked as he stepped into the fireplace.

Tonks nodded, holding onto Marauder's leash as she scooped the puppy into her arms and followed Remus through the Floo.

Remus was helping Harry take his knapsack off as she let go of Marauder and he made a beeline towards Harry.

Tonks dusted herself off, smiling warmly at Remus. "Thanks for inviting me tonight, Remus."

He nodded, his eyes on Harry. "Harry wanted you to come. You've made quite the impression on him."

She smiled warmly, "I'm glad. He's an adorable little boy."

Remus nodded and let out a long, slow breath. It would be fine. He wouldn't let her know that he knew that she fancied him. She was just a kid and he would treat her as such. Sirius had made him worried for no reason.

Remus told Harry to put his stuff in his bedroom as Harry eagerly showed Tonks the room they had renovated just for him. Remus knew that overtime the room would show signs that a boy lived there, but Harry loved it just the same.

"Well, if it's okay with you two," Remus began. "I thought that we could start with making those biscuits and brownies."

Harry grinned and jumped up in excitement as he made a beeline for the kitchen.

Tonks laughed and clapped her hands together in anticipation. "I have all of the stuff for brownies right here."

"Great," Remus said with a smile. "Let's get started."

Thirty minutes later, the three of them were laughing. Loud music was playing, Tonks had chosen Billy Idol who according to her was a total boss, and so tidy. Remus, who actually enjoyed Billy Idol himself, only rocked along to the music quietly as Tonks led the way in brownie baking.

Once the brownies were in the oven, they moved onto the chocolate chip biscuits. Harry eagerly slid his finger along the dough in the bowl, grinning widely as he ate out the sweetness after they were finished.

Remus could see how much Harry loved to help out. Sirius had mentioned the chores and tasks that the Dursleys had forced Harry to do for them, treating him like a servant instead of their nephew. Sirius had started Harry off by doing simple chores, firstly because Harry wanted to help out (having been used to doing things constantly at the Dursleys) and secondly because Sirius knew how important it felt to do things, to help the people who took you in (Sirius had learned that while living with the Potters, he wanted to show how grateful he truly was for them allowing him to live there) and third, he wanted it to feel like home and being at home, one had these kinds of responsibilities.

Remus agreed with Sirius for all of the above reasons, but also because unlike Sirius, he had come from a much more modest household. His own mother had been a Muggle and his father, after having to change his job to deal with his son's new werewolf tendencies, had taken quite a big pay cut. The three of them had worked together to keep their home. He had grown up with the thought that a child should help out with the chores, not having a house elf like some of the wealthier families. Remus was very pleased that Sirius seemed to be keeping the same mindset, despite his own wealthier upbringing.

The three of them cleaned up the mess they made as the sweets cooked in the oven. It was quite warm outside, so Remus had filled up three baskets full of water balloons. He dug them out and Tonks grinned mischievously, grabbing one and immediately crushing it over Remus' head.

Harry's eyes widened in amazement and then he spluttered when a red balloon crashed into his chest and water exploded. Soon the three of them were outside having the time of their lives (Remus taking a short intermission to pull the desserts out of the oven) before jumping back into the fray.

By the time that the last of the balloons were gone, the three of them were drenched and clutching their sides in laughter. Remus handed Tonks and Harry each a towel to dry off and he tugged off his own tee shirt, wiping his chest and shoulders, oblivious to the way that Tonks' eyes had widened as she stared at him in awe.

Harry immediately hurried over to him, touching the tattoo that he had on his left shoulder. "It's just like Uncle Padfoot's!"

Remus smiled, kneeling down so that Harry could examine it more closely. The summer before their final year at Hogwarts, the four of them had decided to get matching tattoos to commemorate their friendship. He had designed the crest himself, he remembered, the Marauder crest with their four animals each representing a side.

"Are we sure that we're doing this?" Peter asked for the twentieth time as they approached the tattoo parlour in Knockturn Alley. "We have to be positive!"

"Wormtail, you've come with me for all of my tattoos — when am I not positive?"

"Not you, Padfoot!" Peter said, rolling his eyes. "Us other normal three, who have yet to mark up our beautiful skin with ink."

James' arm came around Peter's shoulder. "I love the idea, Pete! Something great to memorialize us! And the crest that Moony designed is perfect, don't you agree?"

Peter nodded, grinning up at James. "No, I agree."

Sirius grinned widely at the guy behind the counter. "Hey, Larry, I brought some friends with me this time," he said as he pulled his shirt off. He already had the moon chart; the Gryffindor crest; the star chart of his own name on his shoulder; and runic symbols with the footprints from the map surrounding it. "We all want the same tat."

Larry nodded. He had spiky blue hair and fifteen visible piercings. Both of his arms were completely covered in tattoos in bright vivid colours. "Sounds great, Black! What did you have in mind this time?"

Remus reached into his pocket and pulled out the parchment where he had detailed the Marauder Crest and the words: I solemnly swear that I am up to no good. "This here."

Larry nodded, eyeing the sketch. "Looks easy enough. How big are we talking and where is it going?"

Sirius hopped onto the table, bunching his shirt in his hands. "About the size of a coaster?" he suggested, lifting one off of the glass table and holding it up to his friends who all nodded in agreement. "Wicked. I'll go first, since I've done this before." He lied on the table and pointed back to his left shoulder blade. "Just here, Larry."

Larry nodded, getting to work to find his ink pallet and grabbing his wand. James, Remus, and Peter watched as he muttered a spell and used his wand to burn the ink into Sirius' shoulder blade. It took thirty minutes as he sealed it over. He added a quick charm over the tattoo, making each animal move in their area of the crest.

"Done. It looks great, Sirius," Larry told him.

Sirius grinned, jumping to his feet and checking out his back in the mirror. "Yeah, it does. Great work!" He turned and grinned at his friends. "Who's next?"

James pulled off his tee shirt and hopped up onto the table. "Me. Same spot," he said, lying on his stomach.

Peter went third.

"Left shoulder blade?" Larry asked, holding his wand in his hand.

Peter shook his head. "No. I want it here," he said pointing to his right forearm. "Here by the base of the wrist. I want to see it."

James grinned and slapped his friend on the back. "Perfect place, Wormtail!"

Peter grinned, tugging his shirt off so that the artist had better access.

When he was done, the three of them turned to Remus.

He only smiled and pulled his own shirt off. None of them commented on the multiple white scars. They only smiled at him.

He sat in the chair and smiled at Larry. "On my shoulder please," he said tapping the top of his left arm. "Right at the top."

Sirius grinned widely. "Great choice."

When Remus' tattoo was inked, James pulled a camera from his bag. "Larry, would you mind?"

Larry grinned at them, accepting the camera. "Not at all."

James and Sirius turned so that their tattoos were visible. Remus stood sideways in between the two of them, his left shoulder visible, and Peter stood next to James, holding his forearm out. When the camera flashed, the four of them grinned widely at each other.

"My mum is so going to kill me," Peter said as he looked at the tattoo of the four moving animals with a grin. "Worth it."

Remus laughed, looking at his shoulder with a big smile. "Definitely worth it."

"Hey, Lar, you got time to do one more quick one for me?" Sirius asked as the three of them rolled their eyes.

"Sirius! What do you want on your body now?" James asked in bewilderment.

Sirius grinned at them. "'Mischief Managed' right across here, wicked right?" he asked as he pointed to his collarbone.

James laughed. "It's totally you — do it!"

Sirius sat back in the chair and grinned. "Oh, I plan on it."

Remus smiled at the memory. Every time he looked down and saw the crest on his shoulder he thought about his friends and it made him smile. It had been one of the best decisions that he had made and the only mark on his skin that he liked to see. His chest had three large scars across it: One across his left ribs, one on his right, and one just at his collarbone. Both of his arms had two scars over the forearms and his back was marked by four or five long thin scars across his skin. Sometimes, when he transformed he couldn't stop himself from hurting his own body.

He realized that Tonks and Harry were both staring at him and he shook the memory from his mind. "It defined our friendship," he said with a smile. "We wanted to mark it upon ourselves and it's one of my favourite memories."

Harry gently touched it. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he read.

Tonks grinned. "A great motto if I ever heard one."

Remus smiled at her. "I don't know if Sirius told you, but we got into a bit of mischief when we were in school."

"Mum mentions it whenever she gets a letter from Professor Sprout," Tonks told him honestly. "Nymphadora, you better not be following in your cousin's footsteps — that boy was always in detention!" she mimicked in a well done impression of Andromeda.

Remus laughed, drying his hair with the towel and wringing out his wet shirt. "Are you a mischief maker, Nymphadora?"

She smiled mischievously. "Only if I get caught." When Remus laughed she grinned widely. "At the end of the year, I morphed into Professor Sprout and told our house that even though we had lost the House Cup to Slytherin, we were still having a party to celebrate our accomplishments. Then I went to the kitchens and got food and drink and we had a grand old time."

Remus' eyes widened. "You morphed into one of your professors?"

Tonks nodded, grinning widely. "Only once or twice. Let me tell you, Snape does not find it amusing at all when he catches you."

"Snape?" Remus asked in surprise, recognizing the name.

"Yeah, Professor Snape? Was he not a teacher when you were there? I guess he is pretty young actually, only finished school a few years back."

He remembered who Snape had once hung around with, and he suddenly had an image of him teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts (and it wasn't a good one). What was Dumbledore doing even employing him at Hogwarts? Remus had suspected him to be a Death Eater before they had even left school; all of his friends had turned out to be. But he had never heard anything or seen anything on any of his missions with the Order about Snape actually working for Voldemort.

"I do know, Snape. Sirius and I went to school with him. He was a greasy-haired git back then, but we were never very nice to him. What does he teach?" Remus asked in interest.

"He teaches Potions and he's the Head of Slytherin House." Tonks said, grabbing the peach juice that Remus had brought out with him earlier and passing two of the bottles to Remus and Harry.

"Hmm, well I find that very interesting," Remus told her.

Potions had always been a special subject of Snape's. It wasn't the worst choice, he thought as Slughorn must have retired.

"He's crabby, but maybe that's only to me because I sent him hair care products anonymously every week for a whole semester until he caught me packing up the basket in the Owlery one day."

"Oh, that's priceless!" Remus busted into laughter. He could picture Severus Snape opening a package of hair care products, a look of pure disdain upon his face and his greasy hair falling forward.

Tonks grinned widely, moving to help Harry dry his legs better and squeezed out the water from his trouser legs.

"Definitely the same git. I tripped over someone's bag and knocked a textbook off one of the desks and he looked at me and said: 'Ten points from Hufflepuff since Miss Tonks isn't capable of walking into a classroom.' Git."

"Nymphadora, do me a favour and don't tell Sirius that Snape works at Hogwarts. He'll never shut up about it."

Tonks laughed. "Yeah, no problem."

He glanced at the clock. "I was thinking that we could make our own pizzas and roast them on a fire outside for dinner — what do you two think?"

"Wicked," Tonks said with a grin. "Don't you think, Harry?"

"Wicked!" he repeated with a big grin.

Remus smiled at them. "Well, what do we say then? Or are you guys up for a game of football first?"

Harry grinned, running to grab the football and kicking it eagerly.

Remus just smiled. It was turning out to be quite a fun night. He wondered how Sirius' date was faring.

End Author's Note:

Thank you Bex for helping me re-word the last bit about Snape. Much appreciated!

Also to those asking about the DURSLEYS — I made it so that Sirius never finds out exactly what happened to them for 3 reasons:

1) Sirius wants to start new with Harry and just leave them in the past;

2) There is nothing that I could honestly come up with that I considered justice for how they treated Harry; and

3) Leaving it ambiguous with the thought that they WERE punished by the magical and Muggle world — you can form your own thoughts on what happened to them — I like to think it was fairly just.