Author's Note:

I am coming up to the point where I am doing some time jumps, I'm sure you've noticed. But don't worry, there is still lots more about young Harry before he goes to Hogwarts, but time jumps will be happening. I just thought the first year that Harry would be spending with Sirius was the most important and had the most impact on how he would grow up.

Reviews and Comments: To E-Dett: Very true, we don't get to see enough of James growing up. Just the bully and the protector which is why I am enjoying exploring more of him. To Mattelle: Thank you! Yes, I wanted to show more of Harry and Ron's relationship as well as Harry bonding with the rest of the Weasleys. Yes, even though he feels safe there, seeing Mrs Weasley cross with the twins would still unnerve him a bit. To geekymom: Thank you! To gabbywatts017: Thank you! I love writing Ginny close with her brothers, even Ron, so I have no plans of stopping that. Every sibling goes through that time where you split up, but the good ones find their way back. Thank you! To cha-chris: Thank you! I wanted to show that Ginny just appearing made Harry feel better. To xsitrnx: Thank you very much! And sorry, work in progress means you do have to wait lol. To Guest: Thank you! Harry and Ginny are friends, but nothing will happen between them until they are older. To Claire Fraser: Thank you. I think Sirius experiencing sympathy for Snape shows his growth as a character. He definitely rests easier with Harry home. 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 FORTY-SIX:

The One With the Tickle War

Sirius smiled when he arrived at the Burrow to pick-up Harry and found him stretched out on the living room floor on his stomach next to Ginny and Ron. The three of them were colouring on the same large sheet of parchment. Ginny was giggling and moving her green crayon across Harry's red lines as they attempted to playfully fight for the same spot on the parchment. Ron merely grunted in amusement and kept to his own side.

Sirius grinned. "Looks like you three are having fun."

Harry's face lit up and Sirius' heart melted as the child jumped to his feet and ran straight into his arms. The sight only made him realize how much he had actually missed him and it had barely been a day since he'd seen him.

"Uncle Sirius!"

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry, kneeling in front of him and hugging him tight, kissing the side of his head. "Hi, Harry."

"Is it time to go already?"

Sirius kissed Harry's forehead, smiling. "It is. Don't worry you can play with them again real soon."

They said their goodbyes and Sirius stepped into the fireplace, bringing both he and Harry home. Marauder greeted Harry enthusiastically and he grinned widely, moving to play with the dog. While they ate dinner, Harry regaled Sirius with his exploits over the last twenty odd hours or so: From sharing a bedroom with Ron (who's side of the room was painted bright orange in honour of the Chudley Canons, his favourite Quidditch team), to spending time with Ginny in her tree (where he learned Ginny loved to laugh and to help everyone smile in any way she could), to having a big snowball fight in the backyard against Fred, George, and Percy, and to listening to Mr and Mrs Weasley tell them all a story from The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Sirius couldn't stop smiling as they finished and cleaned up dinner and he got Harry upstairs into the bathtub. To see him smile and to be so happy and so carefree, to have fun with children his own age, and to be comfortable enough to stay in their home was everything he could ever have wanted for him.

By the time that he was dried off and wearing a clean pair of pyjamas, Sirius led Harry to his bedroom for bedtime. He took a seat on Harry's bed, surprised to find his godson still standing in the doorway to his room.

"What are you doing, Harry? Come on; time for bed." He pat the bed next to him, "Dans le lit maintenant."

Harry shook his head. "I want to stay with you."

Sirius cocked his head at him. "You want to sleep in my bed tonight?"

Harry nodded, smiling when Sirius walked over to him and swooped him up into his arms, kissing his cheek. "Yes, please."

Sirius carried him into his own bedroom, flopping the warm, sleepy child onto the large bed. "Why, Prongslet?"

Harry snuggled under the covers. "You too," he insisted, patting the bed and only staying still once Sirius had lied next to him and Harry snuggled into his chest, his cheek over his heart.

Sirius held the boy close, kissing the top of his head. "Are you all right, Prongslet?"

"I had bad dreams," he whispered.

Sirius' arms tightened around him and he smiled. "At the Weasleys?"

Harry nodded, turning to look up at his godfather. "I woke up and you weren't there to make them go away."

Sirius smiled, kissing the top of his head again. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. What did you dream?"

Harry shrugged. "Stuff."

Sirius held the child close. He was quiet for a moment, unsure about what he was going to say. "I had bad dreams, too."

Harry sat up in surprise. "You did?"

Sirius nodded, urging Harry to cuddle with him again. Once he was, his head in the crook of his arm, he spoke again. "I have bad dreams too sometimes. But Marauder was here, he missed you, and he made me feel safe. Did you wake up Ron?"

Harry shook his head, rubbing his tired eyes. "Ron doesn't have bad dreams."

"Everyone has bad dreams, Prongslet. It's nothing to be ashamed of."

He merely burrowed closer, remembering how Ginny had run to her big brother when she had a scary dream.

"Ginny had a bad dream and she came running into Ron's room and wanted to sleep with him. He told her to go away, but she didn't listen. And he let her stay in his bed."

Sirius smiled. He remembered Regulus doing that when he had been a kid too and he had slept in both Remus' and James' bed once upon a time when a nightmare overtook them and vice versa.

"Sounds like Ron is a pretty good big brother." When Harry only nodded in response, Sirius continued. "It sounds to me that if you had told Ron that you had a bad dream, he wouldn't have minded."

Harry was quiet for a moment. "Uncle Vernon was in mine. I didn't… I don't want… Ron to know about…" He closed his eyes, his cheeks heating as if he was ashamed.

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "You don't have to tell Ron if you don't want to. But never be ashamed of having a nightmare or a bad dream. It is not your fault that those tossers treated you so badly. You didn't deserve it and it was a long time ago now, Harry. You have so many people in your life who love you."

"I don't want Ron to think I'm a baby."

"Is Ginny a baby?"

Harry shrugged. "She's younger, but no."

"Then why would he think you were a baby?" When he only shrugged again, Sirius smiled. "I had nightmares too last night, guess I must be a big baby too."

"But you're a grownup and grownups don't get scared!"

Sirius smiled at the simple statement. "Grownups get scared the most, Prongslet. My bad dreams were about when I was in prison in Azkaban," he told Harry. "I was scared and alone and it was dark and I was so sad over the death of James and Lily and losing you. When I woke up and you weren't here, I felt scared for a minute, thinking that something had happened to you, until I remembered that you were safe at The Burrow. And Marauder was here to make me feel better. I think I always sleep better when you're around too."

Harry smiled at that, his eyes closing slightly. "I love you, Uncle Padfoot."

"I love you, Prongslet," he said. "Now you can stay with me tonight, but tomorrow its back into your own bed, deal?"

Harry smiled at him. "Deal."

Sirius kissed the top of his head. "Go to sleep, Harry. I'll be right here."

And when Harry drifted off to sleep, the feeling of safety and the feel of being loved engulfed him in warmth and he slept peacefully and deeply, all thoughts of his nightmares gone.

~ ASC ~

When Harry woke up the next morning, Sirius was snoring next to him. Marauder was stretched out across the end of the large bed and the sight made him grin widely. He had slept great. He started to sneak out of bed, hoping not to wake Sirius, when an arm gripped him around the waist and tugged him back into the middle of the bed. He barely made a sound before laughter erupted from him as Sirius tickled his ribs mercilessly.

"Where do you think you're going, mister?" Sirius asked as he tickled him.

Harry fought to catch his breath in between laughs. "No — nowhere — ah! Uncle Sirius, stop!"

Sirius only tickled him harder. "I didn't hear the magic word," he teased, his fingers moving to tickle Harry's feet as the child cackled in abundant laughter.

"S-s-snuffles!" Harry exclaimed breathlessly, the magic tickle fight word he, Sirius, and Remus had decided to use (an apparent old joke from when they were in school), as Sirius' fingertips brushed the arch of his foot.

Sirius grinned and dropped his hands, kissing Harry's cheek. "All right, Prongslet, I give."

Harry caught his breath and then his own small hands attacked Sirius' ribs and soon the two of them were rolling across the bed lost in an all out tickle war.

"Snuffles!" Sirius shouted and Harry giggled, collapsing against his godfather who was laughing loudly.

"Just what are you two up to this morning?" Remus asked from the doorway, startling them both.

Remus was leaning against the doorjamb to Sirius' bedroom, his eyes full of laughter and his arms crossed in front of him. He had shown up a bit early hoping to catch them at breakfast, but the sounds of mad laughter had led him upstairs. The last thing that he had expected was to find his best friend and nephew amidst the throes of an intense tickle fight of which he had been watching in amusement for the last five minutes.

"Uncle Padfoot started it," Harry said, laughing when Sirius elbowed him lightly.

"Hey, don't throw me off the broom, Prongslet," Sirius exclaimed, picking Harry up and throwing him unceremoniously over his shoulder so that he hung upside down as he climbed off of the bed. "What are you doing here so early, Moony?"

Remus accepted Harry from Sirius, smiling when Harry hugged him and kissed his cheek. "Thought I'd join you for breakfast, but I see you two are running a bit late this morning."

Sirius glanced at the clock, surprised to find it was after nine already. "Guess so. Come on, Harry, go on and get ready for breakfast."

Harry hurried off into the bathroom and Sirius grinned at Remus. "So, what'cha cooking, Moony?"

~ ASC ~

Later on that afternoon, with Harry playing outside in the snow, Remus pulled out the bottle with the memory that he had stored there for the Pensieve. After watching Sirius' memories with him the other day, he had decided to add a small memory of his own to the mix: A memory of one of the first moments that he and Lily Evans had become friends. After peeking out at Harry once more, he hurried upstairs to take the Pensieve out from the vault where Sirius was keeping it and he added the bottle to the collection, smiling as he remembered the moment from that first month of school.

It was the evening after James and Sirius had defended Lily and Mary against Avery and Rosier outside of the greenhouses after Herbology. Sirius had distanced himself from all of his roommates; even getting into a shouting match with James and causing James to spend the majority of dinner ranting about what a complete git Sirius had been. James had continued to be bitter about it all evening.

Remus took a seat in the Gryffindor common room, the heat of the fire making him tug off his jumper, as James' dark grey owl flew in through the open window and perched on his hand.

"Kinda late for a letter, isn't it?" Remus asked as he watched his friend close the window.

James shrugged. "It's not for me. I let Evans borrow my owl to send a letter home. She's never sent anything by owl post before and when I ran into her up in the Owlery, I offered Poseidon to her when she asked how to use the school ones." He nodded at the small redhead who was curled up under a blanket on the carpet by the fireplace reading Little Women.

"Evans!"

Lily jolted at the sound of her surname, eyes searching until she found James grinning at her. She stood up and moved over to sit on the chesterfield next to Remus. "What's going on?"

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you," James told her with a grin as he sat on the other side of her. "Poseidon brought you a letter."

"Oh!" Lily said, smiling as the owl held his leg out for her to take the letter off. "Thank you! I was beginning to think that they couldn't figure out how to send it back."

"I told him to stay there with your family until they wrote you a letter," he told her, tugging some owl treats from his pocket.

Lily opened the envelope eagerly and began to read aloud:

Dear Lily,

It sounds like Hogwarts is going to be a lot of fun. The owl is beautiful and when it flew through the kitchen window and landed on the table, Petunia screamed so loud that your mother knocked over the jug of milk and let's just say that Gatsby was very pleased with himself as he lapped it all up.

Your classes all sound very interesting. Transfiguring objects into different things, making items float and fly, brewing potions — I hope you're not huddled over a cauldron spouting 'double, double toil and trouble' as we both know how well that turned out for the protagonist. Defence Against the Dark Arts sounds particularly interesting to me, but also makes me worry about you having to defend yourself from dangerous spells and curses. Astronomy sounds amazing, you know how much I always loved learning about the stars and constellations. Herbology sounds a bit like medicine. History of magic sounds like it would be the most interesting though, I'd want to know everything about how the magical world came to be and how it was kept a secret from non magical people like your mum and I. But that's probably the history teacher in me. You'll have to let me know how that goes.

Your roommates sound very nice! I'm very happy that you have made new friends. I'm sorry that you and Severus aren't in the same house, but that shouldn't worry you, Roger McGill and I were best mates and then we were in separate houses. We even competed against each other on our house teams in football. And we're still friends to this day!

As for those flying lessons, the idea of you flying around on a broomstick is pretty hilarious to my young daughter who hates heights. Try to relax, sweetheart, and you will be fine. It sounds rather brilliant to me and don't look down, first rule. For someone who loves to climb trees, I can't fathom how heights scare you. You are a complete mystery to me, Lily.

Write back as soon as you can. We miss you and we love you.

Love,

Dad and Mum and Petunia

xoxo

Lily smiled up at James when she finished reading the letter. "My sister screamed so loud my mother knocked the milk jug over. I wish I would have seen it."

James laughed, watching as Poseidon flew off. "Sounds like it was worth it then."

Lily nodded, smiling as she closed the letter and tucked it back into the envelope.

James stood up, stretching so hard that his shirt rode up, and he ruffled his hair. His eyes followed Sirius as he came into the common room and headed straight up the stairs not looking at anyone.

"Did you three have a falling out?" Lily asked him as she watched James stare after the boy in sadness.

Remus shrugged. "He's not talking to any of us."

James ruffled his hair again, sitting back on the sofa. "I don't know. He says that we can't be friends anymore. None of us, Remus and Peter included, and he's been ignoring us all evening, ever since he blew up at me after class earlier. Ever since he got that Howler from his mum he's been acting weird."

Lily looked thoughtful for a moment. "I think he desperately needs a friend."

"So do I, but he won't let me in," James replied.

Lily's eyes met his. "Well, as someone whose honour was defended by you and he today, I think that you know how to be his friend."

James grinned at her. "Yeah, I'll get through to him. Thanks, Evans!" He jumped to his feet and hurried up the stairs to the boys dormitories.

Remus watched him go with a smile. "I hope James gets through to him, he's been acting like a right git."

"Don't you want to go up and help?"

Remus shook his head. "I don't want to give him the impression that we're ganging up on him and James seems to be taking Sirius' abandonment a lot more personally. I'll let those two work it out. I don't really know Sirius that well anyway." He shifted and a book fell out of his cloak pocket.

"Are you reading The Great Gatsby?" Lily asked in surprise, her eyes on the book.

Remus tugged the book fully out of his cloak and smiled at her. "Yeah, my mum sent it the other day. Have you read it?"

Lily nodded, a big smile on her face. "I have. Dad loves it. He even named our cat Gatsby."

Remus chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he leaned back against the sofa. "Nick just met the mysterious Gatsby. Do you read a lot?" he asked her, gesturing to the book in her hands.

"As much as I can," she told him honestly. "I'm a bit of a bookworm sometimes."

Remus' smile widened. "Excellent. I could use another literary friend. James reads a little, but he has too much energy to sit and read. I love a good story."

Lily handed him the book she was reading, her green eyes dancing in the firelight. "Have you ever read Alcott?"

Remus shook his head, flipping the book over to read the description. "Is it good?"

"Oh, it's wonderful! It's all about friendship and love and it's really good."

"Maybe I can borrow it when you're done?" Remus asked, smiling at her. "Be nice to trade books. The library, I noticed, doesn't have too big of a reading selection for fiction."

Lily nodded eagerly, smiling at him. "Ooh, yes, let's! I'd love that!"

Remus smiled warmly at her, stretching his legs out in front of him. "Sounds like a plan."

The memory made him smile. Lily was one of the few people he could share his love of reading with and now he was pleased to continue to share that love with her son.

"Uncle Moony!" Harry called as Remus hurried back downstairs, the memory safely locked in the vault with the others.

And he would definitely continue to share that love with him in tribute to Lily and the sweet girl and friend that he had loved.

~ ASC ~

As the breath of spring teased them, Remus celebrated his twenty-seventh birthday. He was pleased to spend the day with Sirius and Harry where they went to visit the British Museum. And as March turned into April and the weather warmed, Sirius anxiously brought out the mini motorbike for Harry.

Harry absolutely loved it.

He drove around the garden and all around the house, revving the engine in glee as he took off. It made Remus a little nervous, but Sirius had done a marvellous job with the bike. It went up to twenty kilometres an hour, thrilling Harry with the speed, but keeping Remus and Sirius feeling better by the low speed at the same time. He wore his helmet and his leather jacket and gazed adoringly up at Sirius. Remus made them sit on their respective bikes and he took a few photos of them together, laughing as Sirius showed him how to rev the engine and how to lift the front wheel up as he drove.

Harry fell off, twice, but was so anxious and excited that he immediately got back onto the bike with no concerns about his well-being. When Neville came over one afternoon, he even let Neville try the bike out. The boy had been terrified, but Sirius had held his waist as he drove and when he let go, Neville was grinning foolishly as he drove around the drive in glee.

On the eleventh of May, Sirius decided to get another tattoo in honour of the one year anniversary of Harry living with him. He was pleased to find the same tattoo artist in Knockturn Alley and this time he knew exactly what he wanted inscribed. Beneath the tattoo of Harry's birthday, he had the date: 11th May, 1986 inscribed horizontally around his side, so that he would always remember the day he officially became Harry's guardian and parent.

Then on his left shoulder he had his prison number inscribed in a rectangular box: ᛈᛉ-390 and beneath it in loopy cursive: Nov 2nd, 1981-April 22nd, 1986.

He wasn't sure why he felt the need to brand himself with his time in Azkaban along with his prison number, but at the same time, he knew that he needed the dates and prison number there to recognize that dark time in his own life. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was part of him.

The beginning of May also brought a letter from Althea, surprising Sirius, who hadn't heard from her in months. When he slipped the letter from the envelope, he couldn't stop the smile from crossing his face as he read:

Dear Sirius,

I know that I haven't been much of a correspondent and I apologize for that. Your last letter, answering my own tardy post in January, made me smile. I am so happy that things are going so well for you with Harry. He sounds like he is adjusting wonderfully and I think that you both have truly become the family I think you both needed and much deserve.

Things here have been insane. I've been non-stop and keeping busy from healing the sick to going, or on a trip for medical supplies, or to help build more homes and organize safe houses and movable healing stations. The group I work with most frequently: Myself, Anastasia, Nick, Jonathon, and Philip — have been making healing potions and brewing and chopping ingredients on almost a daily basis. I have also been sent to Aden in the Soviet Union to help with the political turmoil there and to deal with some of the slaughter and medical needs.

It is has truly been a most humbling experience.

Of course, I haven't been strictly working as it would have drained me completely by now, it being May already. Anastasia, Jon, and I have become the best of friends. We often go out to eat or out clubbing or dancing together when we have a night off, which unfortunately is often only every few weeks or so. Just the other night, we ended up in Columbo and we had a great time. It's hard sometimes to lose yourself in the good times when you know so many people who are suffering, but we make the most out of what we can.

Medea wrote me last week to tell me all about the wonderful trip she and Apollo just took throughout Greece. They've been gone since October and only just returned home. Apollo visited our grandparents and family out there; met up with some of Medea's family that she had never met before, and they toured the entire country. She says that it was the trip of a lifetime and worth every moment they took off to do it right. Apollo loved it so much that he's decided to move back. I think my parents are a little sad to learn of this news, but Apollo has put an offer on a house just outside of Athens near our grandparents so, it looks like it's fairly official. The house has lots of land and is in a great area for the dogs and for children — that's right, children, Medea is pregnant! They are both absolutely thrilled and I couldn't be happier for them. I love being an auntie.

Priya has been working much too hard; I can tell from her letters. She says she misses having me around the flat, but I doubt she's alone much. Her boyfriend is most likely there almost every night. At least I hope he is, I don't want her to be alone. But she won't be alone too long as she has decided to come out and join me come July through to September.

In September, I will have been out here one year and unless something big comes up to coach me into staying, I think that I will be leaving Sri Lanka and the program for a short while at least. I want to spend some time in Greece with Apollo and Medea. The baby should be arriving around then and I want to see my grandparents and my aunts and my uncles and my cousins. It will be a much needed holiday before I go back to work.

My sabbatical will continue for a few months after however as I need to finish up my research on how dragon pox can affect the brain's stimulation and central nervous system, which in turn reacts to the growth and stability of the disease. I plan to focus on why it seems to be more pronounced in children and the elderly and what we as healers can do to try to heal those who are unfortunate enough to catch it. Or something along those lines, anyway. My research still has a lot to take in, but I have found quite a bit of information out here.

There was a severe outbreak of dragon pox back in February that kept the healers constantly on their toes. I made extensive and detailed notes that I think will be extremely helpful in my own research.

I'm sure that you are still confused as to why I'm writing you as I've barely sent you any post outside of my safe arrival and a late happy Christmas card, but I just wanted to say that I still think about you and I miss you. I hope that you and Harry are still well.

Your friend,

Thea

He grinned as he finished reading it. She missed him, he was glad to read it. He missed her too. She had been a great friend and he definitely had loved having her as Harry's healer and he would be lying to himself if he didn't also admit how bloody fantastic the sex had been.

Damn if he didn't miss sex.

Not that he'd been completely celibate since she'd left, but damn near enough. He'd run into an old friend from Hogwarts in Muggle London back in February and after a few drinks they may have found their way into a hotel room and brought back some old memories in a completely different way. He couldn't help but grin as he remembered how he had spent the evening unexpectedly shagging Annalise Davies nee Zusack up against the wall of the hotel room… and then on the floor on all fours… and then across the bed.

She was recently divorced and had been looking for a good shag and Sirius had been more than willing to oblige her. But it had been a one night only rerun from the time he'd shagged her in the bathtub in seventh year in the prefect's bathroom while she'd moaned his name and claimed that he was the best lover she had ever had. But he missed spending the afternoons with Althea and talking and shagging and talking some more to her. But he knew that if she even were to return back to England it would still be months if not next year before he would see her again and he wasn't going to wait around her for when he wasn't interested in making it a serious relationship.

He had Harry to take care of and if he was completely honest with himself, he still wasn't looking for a serious relationship of that kind. He wasn't sure if he ever truly would be. He liked being single. He liked living his life as he wanted to live it and most of all he loved Harry and he didn't want anything to take him away from that child. Harry was the person who he loved most in the world outside of Remus and he was never going to let either one of them down in any way.

Falling in love wasn't exactly something he saw in the cards for himself anyway. His name wasn't James Potter and he wasn't going to pine after some woman. If a Lily Evans Potter found her way into Sirius' life, he couldn't say what would happen, but at the moment, he was blissfully happy to be single and had every intention of staying that way.

He put the letter away with a smile.

Didn't mean he didn't miss her.