Author's Note:

Time for some more time jumps. Also a little surprise, not what you guys were expecting I imagine but still important I think. The next few chapters, there will be quite a few time jumps ahead. Just a heads up.

Thanks to Steel for suggesting that I add in a little scene of Harry being sick for the first time. I think it was a great suggestion, and that it turned out quite well if I do say so myself.

Reviews and Comments: To E-Dett: Thank you! I think Sirius would really love giving Harry one amazing birthday! To victoria0116: Thank you very much! Thanks for reading my older fanfics as well. I do plan on Hinny being endgame, yes. If you've read my other stories you know I love them together. To M: Thank you! I know, his birthday sounded totally awesome, right? I wish I had a birthday like that, too! To Lost: Sorry, this is not a Wolfstar fic. They are best friends and brothers who are raising Harry together so they will not be having a baby. But, there will be Teddy later on when Harry is older. Thanks! To darkhk: Thank you! To alix33: Thank you for saying the birthday cape is sweet. Ha, if I knew Dumbledore's mermaid joke, I would share it lol. Glad you enjoyed it. 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 FIFTY-ONE:

The One Where Padfoot and Moony Know Nothing About Sick Kids

Harry used his two birthday special gift days within the first two weeks of August. Sirius took him to a Quidditch game: Pride of Portree versus Puddlemere United; then they went to lunch in Muggle London and to the zoo. Remus took him to the aquarium for the day and they did a haunted ghost tour in Muggle London afterwards. Harry loved it.

Ginny's birthday party was just as fun this year and Harry went to the Burrow for the big family meal before Percy, Charlie, and Bill all headed off to Hogwarts this year.

Remus was spending more and more of his time with Veronica; talking late into the night. She was starting to show a genuine concern for his 'illnesses' and asked him if he wanted her to go to the healer with him.

"I'm fine, Roni, honestly," Remus insisted for the twentieth time that week.

Veronica pursed her lips. "There's no need to get so snippy, Remus. I'm just worried about you!"

Remus tried not to roll his eyes. "I appreciate that, but I swear, I'm fine. I'm just tired."

He was tired; tired of having the same conversation over and over again with her. When he had brought up his annoyance to Sirius, his friend had merely shrugged and suggested that he tell her the truth. Remus had flat out refused that one. The last thing that he wanted was to have her look at him in that way; full of loathing, or worse — pity.

Veronica simply stared at him. "You've lost weight, Remus! You have dark circles under your eyes — you've been moody! Don't tell me that you are fine when I can clearly see that you're not. Something is going on with you!"

"Roni, I've been busy helping Sirius with stuff and taking care of Harry. I'm just tired. I haven't been eating as much as I should. Stop worrying!" He leaned forward and kissed her. "If there was something wrong I would tell you."

Veronica let out a breath of exasperation. "I don't know if you would."

Remus' eyebrow rose. "Meaning?"

"Meaning that you're not exactly 'Mr Open About It!'" she insisted. "You take me out, we come back to my flat, and we shag, but you don't share things with me. You never spend the night with me! Remus, what are we? Are we even in a relationship?"

Remus hesitated. He hated defining things like this when he knew he had no plans on sticking it out for the long run. "Roni, I told you upfront that I wasn't looking for a relationship. I just wanted to get to know you; to have fun."

Veronica nodded. "You did. But it's been over three months now, I thought maybe… so it is just the sex then."

"Veronica," Remus started, but she held her hand up to silence him.

"I really like you, Remus. You're smart and I love talking to you. I love kissing you. I love being with you. And the sex is great, not to mention that you have the biggest… that's not the point, but… don't you think that we could try to make this work, just a little? What are you so afraid of?" she asked him, moving closer to him on the sofa.

Remus sighed as she cuddled into him. "I like you, Veronica, but that's not what I want. I'm sorry. I was upfront about that from the beginning. I'm just looking to have a good time."

"You were and you're right. If I want you, this is what I get. I understand," she said, turning to kiss his neck.

Remus kissed her and she sighed into him, taking his hand and leading him into her bedroom.

"I'll try to be what you need, Remus," she told him as she straddled him.

He smiled at her. "Thank you, Roni."

And his lips met hers.

But as September breezed in, Remus broke up with Veronica. She had begun to ask questions about his so-called illnesses again and he wasn't willing to discuss it. She wanted more from him and he wasn't willing to give it. In the end, she couldn't be what he needed and they both understood that. The breakup was amicable, but Remus was still rather miserable about it. He missed the companionship and he really missed the sex.

He ignored Sirius who tried to talk to him about allowing himself to be happy and he holed up in his own house for a few days brooding. He didn't deserve to be happy in that way and he had always known that. The last thing that he wanted was to lead some woman on under false pretences.

Nothing Sirius said to him could change his mind on the subject.

Remus spent his time with Harry or sitting at the piano in his living room just playing. Harry loved it when he decided to play the piano and would sit next to him on the bench just to listen. Remus taught him how to make the keys move, but Harry was more interested in listening than in playing, and Remus thought that was all right too. He hadn't played the piano in years and going back to it was an outlet that he truly loved and enjoyed.

Sirius hung out with Apollo and Medea one night while Remus watched Harry. They were visiting London for the week to show off their new baby, a little girl named Daphne, before moving back to Greece. Apollo told Sirius that Althea would be returning within the year and Sirius felt himself getting a bit excited at the prospect of seeing her again. He missed being friends with her more than anything and it surprised him.

It was soon after his night out with Apollo and Medea that he was pulled from a deep sleep by the sound of his son's timid voice.

"Uncle Siri," Harry murmured as a small hand prodded his back.

Sirius rolled over, his eyes moving to his son. "Harry, it's late."

"My tummy hurts," he told him, rubbing a hand over his stomach and his bottom lip trembling.

Sirius sat up quickly, grabbing his wand and throwing the light on, his eyes on his boy. Harry's face was a little flushed and the back of his neck all red. The boy was shivering in his Quidditch pyjamas. "Your tummy?"

Harry nodded, wiping his eye where a tear had trickled out.

Sirius picked him up and Harry snuggled into his arms, his head resting on his shoulder. He was hot to the touch, Sirius realized, and he was shivering.

"Cold," he whispered, his lips against Sirius' neck.

He placed a hand over Harry's forehead. "Harry, you're burning up!"

Harry merely burrowed closer to him. "Head hurts," he murmured, slurring his words as if he were half asleep as Sirius stood up and carried him downstairs.

They had just made it into the kitchen when Harry threw up, vomiting down Sirius' naked back and he wiped his mouth quickly.

"I'm sorry," he said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "Don't send me away!"

Sirius used his wand to clean up the vomit and snuggled the child close. "Never, Prongslet." He placed a kiss on his forehead before he sat him down on the kitchen counter. "I love you way too much. Show me what hurts, baby."

Harry put a hand over his stomach, then touched his head.

Sirius nodded and used his wand as a thermometer as he murmured a temperature charm. He frowned when it came out at 39°C. "You have a fever, Harry."

He placed his hands in his hair trying to remember what he was supposed to do about a fever and panicked when nothing came to mind. He picked Harry back up, tucking him onto the sofa and wrapping him up tight in a big blanket and Harry started to cry.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, Prongslet, you just sit here for a minute, okay?"

He sent a quick Patronus to Remus, demanding he get his butt over immediately before he sat down next to Harry as the child crawled into his lap.

Sirius wrapped his arms around the boy, holding him close as he shivered under the warm blanket. "Shh, it's okay, Harry; it's okay."

Remus stepped out of the Floo two minutes later. "What is it?" He caught sight of Harry and his eyes widened. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Moony, he threw up and his temperature is so high! What do we do? Do we go to St Mungo's? Should I get Pomfrey? Will Minnie know what to do? I should get Andy! What do we do?" Sirius questioned quickly, his voice slightly panicked.

Remus knelt in front of them, his eyes wide. "I-I-I don't know… he's shivering… if he has a fever, why is he shivering?"

"How the hell do I know?" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes wide on his friend. "Why do you think I called you?"

"Ow," Harry said, covering his ears from the loud voices of his panicked uncles.

Sirius pushed the sick child into Remus' arms. "I'm going to get Andy!"

Remus nodded, still looking rather panicked and worried himself. "Good idea!"

Sirius ran out of the cottage to Disapparate. He knew that there was no way that Andromeda and Ted would have their Floo open in the middle of the night as he banged loudly on their front door. Ted answered it in his robe, yawning.

"S-S-Sirius," he yawned. "What's wrong?"

"I need Andy, now — Harry's sick!"

Ted ushered him inside. "Of course!"

He ran upstairs to get Andy and Sirius paced the living room in a panic, his hair a dishevelled mess on the top of his head as Andy came downstairs two minutes later.

"What's wrong with Harry, Sirius?"

Sirius shook his head, his eyes wide. "You have to come quick! He's sick!"

Andy nodded. "Go home to him. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

Sirius only nodded, opening her Floo to head home. Remus was sitting on the sofa still, his arms cradling the shivering boy.

"He vomited again," Remus told him.

Sirius moved to the sofa and they snuggled the boy between them as Harry shivered.

Andy came through the Floo a few minutes later with a healing chest in her hands. She placed it on the coffee table and smiled at them. "Hi, Harry," she said kindly. "Are your dads taking care of you?"

"I threw up," he told her. "Twice."

"Aww, that's okay, baby," she said reassuringly, placing a hand on his forehead. "He has a fever and he's thrown up twice, so his stomach hurts?" she asked Sirius and Remus.

"And his head," Remus told her.

"Okay," she said, placing her hand on his forehead again to feel his temperature. "Take him upstairs and give him a sponge bath in lukewarm water. It should help bring the fever down and make him feel a bit better. Then I want you to mix this stomach and flu potion, two spoonfuls of it, into some honey, it will help it go down better for him. Then you tuck him into bed and you let him sleep it off. Keep checking on him every hour or so to keep an eye on his fever. But this should help bring it down. I'll check on you in the morning."

Sirius nodded, starting gratefully at her. "Thanks, Andy!"

Andy took the potion from the chest and put it on the table. "Floo if you need anything else, but he's going to be just fine, I promise."

Remus nodded as they thanked her, both feeling reassured by her presence. Remus carried Harry upstairs with Sirius behind him. Sirius filled up the tub with lukewarm water as Remus carefully undressed him, rubbing his hands along Harry's arms and shoulders as he shivered.

"I know you're cold, it's okay, this will make you feel better."

Harry stared at them, his eyes trying to close and Remus lifted him into the tub. He and Sirius each conjured a sponge, gently sponging the warm water over his body, down his neck and over his head.

"I didn't mean to get sick," he whispered. "I'm sorry I'm so bad."

"Hey," Sirius said, kissing Harry's cheek. "You are not bad. Everyone gets sick sometimes, Prongslet, it's okay."

"Do I have to sleep outside now?"

Remus frowned. "No, of course not!" he said sharply, kissing Harry's forehead, pleased to feel a slight difference in his temperature, at least he hoped he felt a difference.

"Sick means bad," Harry murmured, leaning into his fathers as they sponged him. "Ungrateful freak; no one wants to take care of me."

"He's delirious," Sirius said, sneaking a glance over at Remus.

Remus nodded. "The fever… he hasn't been sick yet with us, Siri. Do you think they really made him sleep outside?"

"Probably, the fucking tossers," he said, darkly.

The water had started to cool by now so Sirius lifted Harry from the tub, carefully drying his little body and applying baby powder before helping him into fresh pyjamas.

Remus carefully put two spoonfuls of the potion into a cup with two spoonfuls of honey, mixing it around as the honey melted into the potion. "Drink this up, little Prongs. It will make you feel better."

"Don't wanna," Harry said, turning his face into Sirius' shoulder. "Tired."

Remus gently rubbed a hand along Harry's back. "I know, little Prongs. But if you drink this up, you can go to sleep, okay, Harry?"

Harry stayed in Sirius' arms for a moment before he turned, placing a hand over his stomach again. "Hurts."

Remus gently rubbed his belly as he urged him to drink the potion. Harry accepted the cup and before it even touched his lips, he vomited again all over the bathroom floor. Remus quickly cleaned it up and handed him the potion with honey. "Drink up, you'll feel better."

Sirius rubbed Harry's back as he drank the potion in four slow sips and then accepted the water Remus gave him. He placed a kiss on the back of Harry's neck.

"Good, Prongslet. Come on; let's go back to bed."

"Don't leave me," he murmured, twining his arms around Sirius' neck when he lifted him.

"Never," Sirius assured him, kissing his cheek. "We love you."

He carried him into the master bedroom and placed him in the middle of the king-sized bed, nodding at Remus, who crawled into the bed next to him. Sirius crawled into the other side, smiling at him as they both wrapped him up in the blankets. Marauder hopped up onto the end of the bed, settling himself across the bottom.

"I'm sorry I threw up," Harry said again.

They both leaned in to kiss a cheek.

"It's okay," Remus said with a smile. "Sometimes we throw up."

"Story," Harry murmured, his eyes drooping. "Please, Uncle Moony."

Remus kissed him again as he and Sirius lay next to him on either side, each with an arm wrapped around him. "Okay, Harry." He looked pensive for a moment and then he smiled. "In a far away kingdom, there once lived a man…"

Within ten minutes of Remus telling him the story of the Arabian Nights, Harry was asleep.

Sirius gently brushed his fingers through the boy's hair. "Do you think he's really going to be okay, Moony?"

Remus kissed Harry's sleeping cheek. "I think he will be just fine, Padfoot." He kissed him again. "We'll check his temperature again at five, but Andy said the potion should take that down." He let out a slow breath. "Thanks for calling me."

Sirius grinned at him. "Do you think I knew what the hell to do?"

Remus chuckled, smiling at his friend as he gently ran a fingertip along Harry's soft pink cheek. "Guess this parenting thing is pretty scary sometimes, eh?"

Sirius nodded. "And then some! Do you think we should see Healer Braxton in the morning?"

"Yes, we should definitely bring him in, just in case."

Sirius was quiet for a moment before his voice echoed in the darkness. "Hey, Moony?"

"Hmm?" Remus asked, his eyes closing slightly as Harry turned to snuggle into him in his sleep, desperately seeking the warmth that Remus always provided.

"Thanks for being here."

Remus smiled at his friend. "He's my boy, too."

Sirius smiled back, leaning in to kiss Harry's hand. "I know. We're lucky to have him."

Harry murmured in his sleep and Remus sighed as his boy nestled his head against his heart. He smiled at his friend in the bed next to him as he held the sleeping child. They were lucky to have him and he knew that he would do anything for this child in a heartbeat. He kissed the top of his head, closing his eyes and he soon drifted off to sleep.

Andromeda came by again around eight the next morning. Harry's fever was thankfully gone, but his stomach was still a bit upset. Andromeda reassured them that it was just a stomach virus and told them to give Harry more potion with honey twice more, once when he woke up, and again before he went to bed. She said that it was important to let him sleep it off, to keep him hydrated with lots of water and fresh orange juice. She insisted that the potion would help with the vomiting.

Sirius made an appointment with Healer Braxton for the next afternoon, who assured Sirius and Remus in his kind grandfatherly way, that Harry was a perfectly fine and healthy seven-year-old-boy and that they had done everything right. He suggested keeping Pepper-Up Potion as well as cold and flu potion on hand for any future emergencies. By the time they left St Mungo's, Harry was feeling more like himself, wanting to play and run around and Sirius and Remus were both immensely relieved.

Harry didn't remember much from the night of his fever, but when he had woken up in Sirius' bed, snuggled between Sirius and Remus, he had never felt safer and more loved.

~ ASC ~

As September turned into October, Harry, Sirius, and Remus spent the afternoon of Halloween at Godric's Hollow again. This time, Sirius wasn't as heartbroken to be there and they sat in the cemetery and told Harry stories about his parents. They went out to dinner and then to Muggle London to watch the Halloween double feature showing of Dracula and Frankenstein.

Harry spent the next three nights sleeping with Sirius after having rather scary dreams. But Sirius was pleased by this. He was having normal bad dreams and he couldn't have been happier.

Christmas came and Harry eagerly got involved in the decorations and singing carols. They decorated the tree, had a snowball fight, and went sledding. Harry cuddled between his uncles as Remus read A Christmas Carol aloud.

As 1988 reared its head and winter turned to spring, Sirius sat in a downtown café in Muggle London drinking a cappuccino and reading the Daily Prophet. He'd spent the morning buying new spring and summer clothes for his growing boy and had decided to stop in a for a quick caffeine fix before heading home.

He heard the chair move at his table and he glanced up in surprise at the woman who sat there. Her golden blonde hair was pinned up in a twist and her bright eyes were smiling at him as she held her latte.

"I saw you sitting here on my way out. How are you, Sirius?"

Sirius simply grinned. "I'm good. You look fabulous, Castellanos."

She blushed and sipped her latte. "You don't look too badly yourself, Black."

Sirius took in her summer dress and high heels and grinned foolishly. "I was beginning to think that you were never actually coming back."

Althea chuckled and crossed her legs, grinning when Sirius' eyes immediately went to them. "I really loved it there. I was doing great work. I believed in it."

"I'm happy for you."

"How are you? How's Harry?"

Sirius smiled warmly, folding the paper closed in front of him. "He's great. We just had a little birthday gathering for Remus a few weeks back and he was at his friend Ron's birthday a few weeks before that. He's happy and adjusted and well, a little boy. It's great. Next month he will have been living with me for two years now."

"Wow, that's wonderful! I'm very happy for you both."

"Me too. He still has the occasional bad dream, but nothing like they were and now only every few months or if something particular brings out a memory. But he's wonderfully happy. He makes me wonderfully happy," he told her with a smile.

Althea smiled, her eyes twinkling at him. "I'm glad to hear it. How's Harry liking Healer Braxton?"

"We've only seen him twice, once for a check-up and meet and once back in September when Harry had the stomach flu. That was fun," he said on a chuckle. "Rem and I completely lost our heads and panicked, but luckily Andy came through in a pinch and helped us take care of him."

Althea smiled. "Good. I told you before, you're a wonderful father."

She sipped her latte and watched him. His dark hair was still long and layered, brushing the top of his shoulders and falling just so around his face and giving him that dangerous and deliciously sexy look. His grey eyes were smiling at her, but that haunted look she had always thought he carried seemed to be dimmed.

"Are you back for good?" Sirius asked her, taking a sip of his own cappuccino.

She shrugged. "I just spent the last few months in Greece with Apollo, Medea, and Daphne. She's so beautiful. I'm completely enraptured by her, but I could be biased since she's my niece. I submitted my paper on dragon pox and got it published. St Mungo's is willing to re-instate me with the offer of Head of Paediatrics starting in July."

"That's great news and wow, head of the department! That's a big accomplishment for someone your age," he told her, beaming at her.

Althea nodded, her eyes bright. "I know. I haven't decided if I'm taking it yet. I have until the end of the week to make my decision."

"What's stopping you?" Sirius asked.

She shrugged again, a blush coming into her cheeks. "I met someone in Greece."

"Ah," Sirius said, nodding in understanding. "And it's serious?"

Althea nodded. "I'm in love with him, Sirius. I told him that I had to come back to London and… to make some choices, but since I left… I miss him. I… I feel like I lost a limb or something."

"Sounds like it could be more than something then."

She nodded and leaned across the table towards him. "But then I saw you sitting here and…"

He smirked at her. "Missed me, did you?"

Althea smiled and bit her bottom lip. "I did."

"I've missed you too, Thea." He wrapped his hand over hers. Her eyes met his and she turned her hand to hold his there.

"I didn't plan on seeing you again," she admitted, her eyes on his.

"I kinda got that based on how little you actually wrote," Sirius told her, gently rubbing his thumb across the top of her hand.

Althea sighed and pulled her hand away from him. "Are you seeing anyone?"

He shook his head, grinning at her in just that way and she felt desire flow through her. "No, not at the moment. There have been a few women since you left, but nothing serious."

"Is anything ever serious with you — and don't say your name," she muttered, sighing when he took her hand again. "Don't."

"Don't what exactly? It's been well over a year, are you still hung up on me or something?" he asked. "What about this bloke you left in tears in Greece?"

Althea pulled her hand away and stood up, shaking her head. "I didn't leave anyone in tears and… seeing you again was not a good idea."

Sirius followed her out of the café, confused. "Castellanos, wait!" he exclaimed, grabbing her arm before she could disappear. He winced when he found himself side Apparating with her and landing in her flat.

"Well, Thea, that didn't take you long," Priya commented dryly from her spot in the living room.

"I didn't bring him here intentionally, Priya!" She turned to glare at Sirius. "How dare you! You could have been splinched!"

Sirius immediately reached down between his legs and grinned. "All in tact, baby."

Althea rolled her eyes. "Why did you follow me?"

"Because you left without explaining anything!" he exclaimed, his eyes on her. "Why?"

"I'm going back to Greece, Sirius."

Priya stood up and hastily made an exit from the flat.

"You're turning down the offer at the hospital for this bloke in Greece?" he asked in surprise. "You said you left, how do you know that he's still waiting for you?"

"I don't know, but it's a risk that I have to take. I'm in love with him."

"And seeing me made you realize how much you love him? Come on, Thea! What aren't you telling me?"

Instead of answering, she simply fisted her hands into his hair and tugged his mouth down to hers. The kiss was fierce and full of a desperation that Sirius didn't understand, but he kissed her back, pinning her back against the wall of the living room, his own hands in her hair as her tongue met his in long deep strokes that left him breathless.

They definitely still had chemistry between them, but it wasn't the same.

She wasn't the same.

He slid his hand around to the back of her dress, unzipping it and tugging it off of her shoulder as it fell to the ground. She moaned in protest and pushed him away.

"No, we can't," she said, covering herself with her arms.

Sirius merely pulled her arms free and dipped his mouth to the lovely swell of breast above the blue lace bra she wore. "Stop me."

Althea's head fell back and then she pushed him away. "Stop."

Sirius shoved his hands into the pockets of his black jeans, his eyes on hers as he took a step back. "You can't tell me that there's still not something here, Thea."

"Wanting you sexually means nothing, Black. And you can't tell me that it feels the same as it did before I left. We're not the same people we were."

He watched as she bent down and tugged her dress back into place, carefully zipping it up. "You kissed me first. But no… it wasn't the same."

"Do you love me?" she blurted out, her eyes on his.

Sirius stared at her in shock for almost thirty seconds. "W-w-what?"

She smiled, laughter in her eyes. Seeing his reaction seemed to calm her. "What we had together, it was lovely. We were friends and we had amazing sex. I liked it. I liked you. But I wasn't in love with you. Were you in love with me?"

"No," he said, his grey eyes sad. "But that doesn't mean that I didn't… that I don't care about you."

Althea smiled and moved over to sit on the sofa, gesturing for Sirius to do the same. "I know that. I fancied myself in love with you when I left, Sirius."

His eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

She nodded, brushing her hair out of her eyes and wondering exactly how much damage his hands had done to her twist and then decided it was better to just take it out. "I cried when I left and for a week I thought maybe that I had made a mistake in choosing to leave. Then I had the pregnancy scare."

"Preg — excuse me?" Sirius exclaimed, his voice getting slightly higher and his eyes widening in alarm.

She smiled, patting his arm in reassurance. "Scare, Sirius, breathe. I wasn't pregnant. But I thought that I was for about half a second and that made me panic a little. I knew that you didn't love me, but I knew that you would be an amazing father if it came down to it. Then I found out that it was a false alarm; my body was just reacting to the travel and whatnot and I felt immensely relieved, but also sad. I lost something inside me at that moment and in that moment, I knew that I wasn't in love with you. You had given me a good time, a great time actually, and we had developed a wonderful friendship and I didn't want to lose that. But every time I imagined coming home and seeing you, my mind immediately drew an image of what you could do to me in my bedroom."

Sirius grinned now, his shock having passed. "Doesn't have to be in a bed, Castellanos."

She chuckled. "Oh, trust me, I'm well aware of that. But when I kissed you just now, what I thought about wasn't you, it was Xander. I thought about how incredibly happy he makes me and how completely in love I am with him. He's the one for me, I know it. I'm not going to let anything or anyone change that. I won't do anything to jeopardize that."

"Kissing me made you think of another man?" Sirius asked in bewilderment. "I must have lost my touch."

Althea grinned and kissed his cheek. "It did and no, you really didn't. Tell me you didn't feel how different that was?"

He sighed and took her hand in his. "No, it was different," he said. "I'm not in love with you either, Castellanos. But I did miss you; I missed our friendship. I missed being able to talk to you about Harry and what he was going through and what he was doing and how he's been growing up. And I did miss the sex, obviously, but there's also been other women for that."

She laughed. "We had spectacular sex, I'll admit it."

Sirius grinned. "But this Xander makes you happy, truly?"

"He really does. There's an opening there for a paediatrician at St Nicholas' Hospital, it's not as great as head of the department, but it's a job and it would be close to him."

"What does this Xander do exactly?"

Althea smiled. "He's a Healer at the hospital. He's a neurohealer, specializes in the brain. He's very intelligent and witty. I don't know what I'm going to do if he's not waiting for me when I go back."

"If he's not waiting for you, he's a prat," Sirius told her. She was practically radiating happiness and he couldn't help but feel happy for her. He kissed her hand. "How did you meet him?"

"He joined us in Sri Lanka for the last month that I was there. We hit it off right away and when I told him that I was heading to Greece to see my brother, we made plans to meet up there when he finished his contract. We spent almost every moment together there and again when he came to Greece. He bought a house and he told me that he wanted to…" Tears welled up in her eyes. "He told me that he wanted to have children with me and grow old with me and I told him that I had a job offer waiting for me in London."

Sirius nodded. "And you broke up?"

"I-I-I think so. I told him that I had to come home. I had to decide what I wanted and he told me that he understood. And I left."

"Oh, Thea, he's definitely waiting for you." Sirius told her. The bloke sounded more than over the moon for her.

"You think?" she asked, wiping the tears away. "I just left, Sirius."

Sirius smiled at her. "He's head over heels for you. Forget London, the job of your dreams is not going to make you happy if he's not here to share it with you."

She kissed his cheek. "I really did miss you! You're right! I'm going back to Greece."

Sirius hugged her tight and smiled. "Don't be a stranger, though. Write to me. And I better get invited to this wedding."

She laughed and placed a nervous hand over her stomach. "Don't jinx it! But I promise."

He hugged her goodbye and wished her luck and closed the door to her flat behind him feeling oddly elated. He had missed her, but it was the friendship that he had missed most from her. Seeing her so happy and torn over this Xander character, he couldn't be happier for her. He turned towards the stairs and almost walked into the man coming up them. He had dark brown hair, bronzed tanned skin, and bright blue eyes.

"Excuse me, do you know if Althea Castellanos' flat is up here? I'm a little turned around," he said in a heavy Greek accent.

Sirius grinned. "Are you Xander?"

The man gave him a puzzled look, but extended his hand. "Alexander Papakonstantinou, and you are?"

Sirius shook his hand with a smile. "A friend of Thea's, Sirius Black." He nodded to the door behind him. "She's back there."

Xander thanked him and knocked on the door. Sirius stepped into the stairwell just as he heard Althea's gasp of surprise.

"Xander! What are you doing here?"

"I'm moving to London, Thea. If this is where you want to be, I'll find a job here. I'll commute back and forth to St Nicholas' Hospital until a job opens up if I have too. I need you in my life, Althea." He pulled her into his arms and kissed her softly. "I love you."

"Xander! I love you, too!"

Sirius smiled as he made his way down the stairs. He couldn't have been happier for her.

~ ASC ~

The letter from Althea arrived two days later and he couldn't stop grinning as he read it. Xander showing up had meant a lot of things for her, but the biggest one that he could see was how happy she was.

Sirius,

You were right! Xander came to see me at my flat. He wants to move to London to be with me. He's willing to commute back and forth to Greece if necessary if he can't find a job out here. I told him that's ridiculous. He just bought that beautiful house and he's where I want to be.

I took the job offer in Greece and… they offered me the department Head of Paediatrics!

Xander officially proposed.

We're getting married next summer and I couldn't be jumping for joy any more.

Thank you for listening and for understanding. I think seeing you again was exactly what I needed. And Xander, coming all the way to London just to see me! I'm so in love with him and I can't wait to become Mrs Papakonstantinou, an even more difficult name than Castellanos for people to say, but it will be completely worth it. You and Harry are definitely going to be invited to my wedding. Let's not lose touch this time.

Write to me and keep me updated on yours and Harry's lives and I will do the same.

With love,

Your friend always,

Thea

PS — Xander said if my kissing you was what told me how much I loved him, he was glad I did it. I told him I only want to kiss him for the rest of forever. I don't think I've ever been this happy!

He grinned as he closed the letter, feeling oddly elated at the news. He honestly couldn't be happier for Althea.

Remus came into the kitchen then, moving to the kettle to make himself a cup of tea. "What are you grinning at over there?"

Sirius held up the letter. "It's from Thea. She's getting married."

Remus' eyebrow rose in surprise. "Good for her. How are you?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm happy for her. I didn't want to marry her."

Remus grinned. "But you still want to shag her."

"Well, we had really great sex," Sirius said with a grin. "But I'm honestly really happy for her. She's very much in love with this Xander bloke and he clearly loves her. And we talked and we're going to keep being friends, which is all I really want from her if I'm honest. I miss talking to her about Harry. She was always a great source of help there. I can have great sex with other women. I mean, Annalise alone was just incredible. I told you how I took her on all fours and she came so hard she screamed like a banshee, right?"

Remus rolled his eyes. "Yes, you told me, even though I didn't ask."

Sirius wiggled his eyebrows. "But I knew you wanted to know."

"Althea getting married is great news for her," Remus said, ignoring his friend. "I can't believe it's almost been two years already since everything."

Sirius smiled. "Tell me about it! Two years since I was released from prison… since I kidnapped him from the Dursleys… where did the time go?"

"Whatever happened to them? The Dursleys?" Remus asked, putting the kettle on. "Did you find out?"

Sirius shook his head. "No. Hagrid came over to tell me that they had been taken care of. But I decided that I was better off not knowing."

"I agree with that, but I admit, I have been curious."

"I don't want to know, Moony. I'm worried that the punishment just wasn't harsh enough for them and if it wasn't then I don't want to do something that I will regret. I won't leave Harry alone again. I won't do that to him."

Remus smiled. "I know, Padfoot."

Sirius shook the dark thoughts from his head. "I know it's still a few months away, but Harry's eighth birthday is coming up and I think that he's old enough for a real broomstick this year."

Remus hesitated. "Eight is still kind of young, Padfoot. Most kids don't even learn how to fly until their first year at Hogwarts. Wouldn't it be better to just let him learn with everyone else?"

"Earth to Moony — who the hell is Harry's father? If James were here, Harry would have already been on a broom! He's got the motorbike down now so I feel like maybe moving him off of the training brooms onto a real broom is a good idea."

"Between you and Minerva, you two are both determined to make him a Quidditch star," Remus said with a smile. "What are you going to do if he takes after Lily and hates flying?"

Sirius simply smirked. "Trust me; that will never happen. Prongs will haunt us from the grave otherwise."

Remus grinned. "All right, we'll look at brooms, but only look, Sirius. I still think eight is much too young when most kids don't even learn until they're eleven — in the safety of the Hogwarts training grounds and under a trained instructor," he emphasized, knowing that it wasn't going to change Sirius' opinion on the subject one bit.

Sirius just grinned wider. "Yeah, we'll just look."

Two weeks later, Sirius purchased a Nimbus 1700 and hid it in his bedroom for Harry's birthday while Remus simply rolled his eyes with a smile. He knew Sirius was right, James would expect nothing less for his son.

When Harry unwrapped it on his eighth birthday his eyes had just about bugged out of his head, as did that of his friends. Sirius made him wait until after the party so that he could show him how to handle the broom properly; reminding him of his lessons with Madam Hooch back at Hogwarts.

Sirius patiently taught Harry how to be one with the broom; to get the broom to trust him, as McGonagall watched nearby. The moment Harry said the word 'up' with conviction, the broom flew into his outstretched hand as if it just been waiting for him to ask. Sirius grinned eagerly and helped Harry mount the broom and the moment he hovered above the ground and took off, he knew without a doubt, that Harry was his father's son.

Sirius jumped onto his own Nimbus 1000, flying around his godson, grinning when Remus flew up and passed him a Quaffle. He tossed one in Harry's direction and watched in amazement as Harry dived to get it, catching it in his hand and easily controlling the broom as if he had been born on it.

When they landed, McGonagall was clapping in amazement. "This was his first time on a broomstick?"

Sirius nodded. "Outside of the kid ones that barely lift off of the ground, yeah. Does he have talent or what?"

McGonagall simply beamed. "Oh, I can't wait for him to join the Quidditch team! Did you see that dive? He might even have Seeker potential!"

Remus chuckled. "What are you going to do if he's not in Gryffindor, Minerva?"

"Bite your tongue, Remus Lupin!" McGonagall exclaimed. "I haven't had the Quidditch Cup in my office since James Potter left Hogwarts. I thought that this year was promising as Charlie Weasley is quite the flier, but alas, Slytherin snatched it from under our noses us yet again!"

Sirius laughed, watching as Harry flew around the garden, laughing and giggling with glee. "Don't worry, Minnie, I'm sure that Harry will want to play Quidditch when he gets to school."

McGonagall grinned. "Music to my ears, Sirius. Music to my ears."