Author's Note:

Reviews and Comments: To scrappy8: Thank you! I liked the talk and bit between Harry and Ginny as well! To Steelcode: Thank you! I wish we could all see this cottage in person! I have some photo inspirations. Remus is going to love it when he gets home! Haha, yes, Tonks will not be cooking LOL. To alix33: Thank you! Fruit punch is a mix of fruits to make a juice, yes. It's tart and sweet and delicious. Interesting, you think Harry will be a raccoon or a badger or a zebra or a crup, all interesting choices. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! Yes, Harry definitely needed to spend some time with Tonks. She needed him. To Guest: Sorry, I am not going to split this story up. If you want to be re-read it, but think it's too long, I really can't help with that. Thanks for loving Harry taking care of Tonks. To midnitewanderer: I am loving these lists! Thanks for loving my Harry/Tonks relationship. I love them being siblings/friends. Yes, that was some Hinny sparks in the making. He may be feeling a bit jealous, but doesn't realize it. Yes, you will learn Harry's Animagus charm in this chapter. Back to the Hinny sparks, sorry, not telling, only that it will still be a while off. Thank you! I really hope you stay a forever fan! To supersandman86: A bit of jealously at the idea of Ginny snogging… of course not LOL. Definitely hope you like his Animagus form and yes, I agree, until a beard can be properly shaped, shave it off LOL. Thank you! To geekymom: Thank you!

To Moony The Sheep: Aww, I love making people feel warm and fuzzy! You're welcome! Nope, Harry isn't a stag. We'll see. Thank you! To Guest: Thank you! Yes, I love Tonks being a train wreck in the kitchen! ToWarMunger98: Thanks for loving how I'm handling the Animagus stuff. I'm glad the Hinny conversation made your heart melt, he definitely isn't opening his eyes yet. Thanks for liking my more adult version of HP. To Ana: Luna is definitely so unique. Harry isn't ignoring the diadem, he just is very skeptical about it. Sirius and Zee are so cute. Harry staying with Tonks is very thoughtful of him. Thank you! To Guest: Ginny knows so much about Ravenclaw because she hangs out with Luna and has been to her friend's common room multiple times. Thank you. To : Thank you! To ZeeNooblet: This chapter, promise! Thank you! To HinnyMe: Thanks for saying Tonks and Harry are the cutest. I love her flipping him off, it's definitely sibling stuff. Thanks for thinking my Hinny scene was adorable! To CF: Thank you! Yes, Harry doesn't know it LOL. To Guest: You think Sirius and Zee should just get married already? Tonks has great friends and yes, Remus does need to hurry up and get home! Yes, Ginny knows so much because she's friends with Luna.

To Wolf's scream: Thank you! Ginny definitely doesn't want Harry to be her brother. Tonks needed Harry to come over. They are good for each other. Thank you! To purplevictory: Thank you for saying I have made Harry and Ginny interact so easily. I'm glad it's making you feel that you might enjoy them being together. To Georgexzy: Thank you! Thanks for the second review! Glad you enjoyed it! To Saz J: Only a little subtle with the protectiveness and the hair touching… glad you loved it! The house does sound amazing! Thank you! To speedsONEandONLY: I love giving warm and fuzzies — you're welcome! Mrs Granger is not too impressed, no. Luna is definitely a peach. Harry is definitely a little jealous of a gay guy, not that he realizes it or anything. Ginny definitely just writes it off as just Harry. I love Zee being embarrassed about what Harry's friends would think and how she can't sleep over because of it. Maybe she's hinting at something. Tonks is not alone and she knows that. Thank you! To aldersprig: Aw, sorry you ran out of story! I will update soon! Thanks for reading! To KielWhitehead24: Thanks for loving my brother/sister relationship with Harry and Tonks! Thanks for saying I am a master of suspense with the Animagus forms. Thank you!

Thank you to my Beta — SilverStarwolfe!

Thank you to Steel for this fun little add in with the puppy.

Thank you to my awesome friend Heather for letting me ramble about my story and for giving me some pointers on sentence structure (ironic, I know). Maybe one day she'll even finish reading this story LOL!

My posting schedule: Every Tuesday or Wednesday (usually the latter) and sometimes on the weekends.

As always, 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 for all of your continued support!

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND FORTY-NINE:

The One Where Ginny Sees Harry Naked

Harry helped Tonks unpack the rest of her things as Charlie finished up the kitchen. He went home to get a change of clothes and some toiletries, telling Sirius that he was going to hang out with Tonks for the night, before returning to Remus' cottage. Charlie said goodbye and made his way to The Burrow, telling Tonks that he would check in again on Wednesday. She only rolled her eyes at him and hugged him as she shooed him off.

Harry convinced Tonks to head into town after he left and they bought some food for the night (Tonks requested chicken and steak tacos along with an assortment of snacks) before they headed to the video store. They ended up with five action packed films for the night: Die Hard, The Terminator, Lethal Weapon, Batman, Beverly Hills Cop, and 007: The Living Daylights. They headed back to the cottage and Tonks put the movies in the living room before she followed Harry into the new kitchen.

Tonks watched in fascination as Harry grilled the chicken and the steak, adding the peppers and onions and the taco seasoning with a little bit of garlic, oregano, and steak spice. "You really are getting awfully good at this."

He grinned at her, putting her in charge of shredding the cheese. "It's not hard. I like it. It's kind of therapeutic, plus, you get to eat it when you're done so, bonus."

Tonks wrinkled her nose. "I've burned water."

"That's impossible!"

"Okay, so I didn't actually burn the water, but it boiled over all over the burner and then the kitchen smelt awful and it was a mess! By the time I actually added the pasta noodles, which turned out to be a mushy mess by the way, I knew that cooking wasn't for me."

He smirked at her. "But you can make really great brownies."

She blushed. "If I tell you this, you have to promise never to tell Remus?"

Harry merely lifted an eyebrow. "Okay?"

She bit the side of her lip as she grinned widely. "I practiced making brownies over and over when I was young because I knew how much Remus loved chocolate. And now, making those brownies for him is just an extra bonus because he loves them so much."

Harry grinned. "Sneaky."

She shrugged. "A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, Harry." She smiled at him as she shredded cheese. "Speaking of girls, anyone new for you since Cho?"

He blushed a little and shook his head. "No. I mean, there was this snog session after we won the Cup with Sophie but, it was nothing. After everything that happened, just … no."

"There will be more girls, don't you worry."

He shrugged. "And you?"

"What about me? I don't like girls, I have Remus."

He rolled his eyes. "How are you really doing?"

Tonks didn't answer him. She continued to shred cheese for a long moment in silence and Harry thought that maybe she wasn't going to before she let out a long slow sigh.

"I miss him. The thought of him being locked away in that place just… the Dementors bothered him at Hogwarts, Harry, and they really brought forth some of his nightmares about his early transformations. He sometimes even still dreams about that night when Greyback snuck into his bedroom and attacked him. I just wish that I could be there with him to help guide him through them. I hate that he's there all alone."

"What about you?"

"I'm not wallowing," she said. "Charlie told me to woman up and he was right. Crying did nothing. I'm grateful that he helped pull me out of my slump and get me to finish this place up and move in. I officially don't have a flat anymore as of yesterday morning. But… I don't really want to stay here by myself either."

Harry nodded. "Come stay with me and Uncle Siri. You'd be more than welcome."

She smiled. "I know and my parents have offered as well. I'll think about it. I just might… I might sleep in your bedroom here until he comes home. It's a brand new bed and it only just arrived and I don't want to stay in it without him. That makes me sound like a child afraid to be alone, but I don't."

Harry smiled at her. "No, it doesn't." He finished sautéing the vegetables and turned to her, nudging her lightly and making her smile. "You're the best big sister that I could ever have asked for and if you don't want to sleep alone in the bed that you are meant to share with someone else, there's nothing to be ashamed of about that. You're a bad-arse Auror, remember? You can do whatever the hell you want."

Tonks pouted and tugged him into a tight hug. "You're not so bad yourself, mister, cooking for me and offering to watch some action movies. You're trying to take care of me and that's sweet."

"Maybe I just missed you," he told her, smiling when she kissed his cheek.

"Maybe I missed you, too." She pulled back and nodded towards the meat he was grilling. "But I'm also starving, so get back to work."

Harry laughed and did as he was told. "Bossy much?"

"Only to my little brother," she said, making him grin.

She was going to be fine, he thought. But in the meantime, he was going to make himself available in case she needed him and he knew that Sirius would do the same.

~ ASC ~

By the time Wednesday came around, Harry had managed to spread the fur across seventy-five percent of his body. He had even succeeded in giving himself a rather interesting looking tail, which had been quite difficult to hide from Sirius, but he changed it back quick enough and let out a sigh of relief. He had also heard from Ginny, who herself had managed to sprout fur on her arms and legs. It had taken her two hours to change it back, much to Ron's amusement. Ron hadn't changed anything yet. Luna had apparently sprouted ears, but no fur. Hermione had managed a snout and fur along her neck and Neville, like Ron, hadn't quite pulled anything off yet. From the tips that he had heard from his friends, he was getting very curious as to what their animals were going to be.

That afternoon, he and Sirius made their way to Diagon Alley for their appointment at Gringotts and Harry found himself feeling a little nervous. The goblin Bogrod led them down to the Black Family Vaults and Harry was surprised to learn that there were ten vaults in total belonging to the Black family. Sirius explained each one as they walked past: Black-Tonks vault; Black-Malfoy vault; Black-Potter vault 1-2; Black vaults 1-3; Black-Rosier Vault; Black-Lestrange vault; and the Black artefact vault.

Bogrod led them straight to the Black-Lestrange vault, which to Harry's surprise and amazement was guarded by a dragon, and opened the lock. Harry followed Sirius inside curiously. The vault itself was crammed from floor to ceiling with golden coins and goblets, silver armour, the skins of strange creatures — some with long spines, others with drooping wings — potions in jewelled flasks, and a skull still wearing a crown. The sight of it made Harry swallow and Sirius nodded at him.

"A lot of dark magic in my family, Harry, remember that."

"The skins?"

Sirius scoffed at them. "Hunters. At one time they used to be displayed in Black Manor, I've seen photos. Now they are kept for the value of them."

"Why would anyone want that?"

Sirius shrugged. "Not exactly my decorating taste either, but to each their own." He turned to look at Bogrod. "You can wait outside of the vault, Bogrod. My son and I will let you know when we've finished our examination."

The goblin looked like he wanted to protest, but he moved back out into the underground cavern to wait for them.

Sirius let out a slow breath. "All right, so we're looking for a golden cup with two handles. Be careful of everything in here, Harry. With members of my family, you never know what's safe to touch and what isn't."

Harry nodded and moved in the opposite direction of Sirius to explore the vault. He shifted through chests of rubies and emeralds, diamonds and sapphires; jewels so beautiful that they looked like they should belong on royalty. He found goblets and plates made of solid gold, portraits of people that he didn't recognize, and marble statues and elephant tusks. Another chest was full of gorgeous ball gowns and dress robes while others were full of Galleons. The sight of the riches made him shake his head.

"How does she own all of this when she's been imprisoned?"

Sirius scratched his chin, turning to look back at his son. "Her father didn't do anything about it when she went to Azkaban. This was her vault and her share of the Black family wealth and as the eldest daughter of Cygnus Black, she was given a lot of the family artefacts, both Black and Rosier. When she married Lestrange, she didn't move her things into her husband's vault, which was smart, because the Lestrange vaults of both brothers were emptied by the Ministry of Magic when they were arrested."

"The Ministry can do that?"

"Sometimes. Both brothers were arrested and the families that they injured or worse, were compensated as best as possible. Rabastan and Rodolphus were both sent to prison for multiple life sentences and their wealth was distributed accordingly. Their father did nothing to prevent it as it was their private vaults, not his. Bellatrix's vault would have also qualified, but the Black holdings on her vault kept it under her father's control and when he died, it fell under mine," Sirius explained. "As Lord Black, I am in charge of everyone who has Black blood, at least until Draco comes of age. I signed everything over to him a long time ago to carry on the title of Viscount of Falmouth and to be in control of most of the Black holdings."

"Why?" Harry asked, looking at his father in surprise.

"Well, I didn't want it for one. Putting him in charge of it all takes all the pressure off of me. I will still hold the title of Lord Black; still have authority to take my seat in the Wizengamot and still control the Black properties and finances that are directly under my name. He will have the title and I distributed most of the wealth to him and Tonks. They are the two heirs to the Black fortune, though Draco will not have access to his until he is of age. Of course, if I ever have a Black heir of my own than the title will revert to them, but as you are my heir, you don't need Falmouth. I gave quite a lot of the Black wealth to you, as it is, but being a Potter, I thought that you didn't need the added responsibility of the Black family titles."

"Will I have a lot of responsibility in the Potter family?" Harry asked, a look of bewilderment on his face.

Sirius smiled. "Yes, and no. The Potters were an old pureblood family, respected, but known to be blood traitors. You will of course, have the Potter family seat in the Wizengamot which you can claim if you wish to when you turn seventeen, but most wait until twenty-one. Otherwise it's mostly just wealth and properties that all belong to you and your title, not to mention the royalties that consistently add to your wealth due to your grandfather's invention of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion. I've told you before, Harry, you have enough money to never work a day in your life, but I would hope that you find something meaningful to do with your life one day. I wanted to be an Auror when I was your age, but it never happened. I was busy fighting a war and I felt that was more important than trying to go through Auror training and then I went to prison and when I came out, nothing was more important than you. Now that desire to be an Auror is gone. I love working on my bikes and working with the Hogwarts Board of Governors and the now with the Wizengamot. That's more than enough for me. But I hope that one day, you find a career that's everything that you could ever want."

Harry nodded, smiling at his father. "Like maybe a professional Quidditch player?"

Sirius grinned. "Like maybe a professional Quidditch player, yes." He ruffled Harry's hair and let out a slow sigh. "All right, let's get back to looking around."

"We should get rid of all of this stuff," Harry told him. "Even if she is on the run, she could still access her vault and this would give her a lot of power."

Sirius nodded. "I agree with you. Let's find the cup first and then we'll speak to Bogrod about changing the vault."

Harry turned to keep looking and his eyes drifted over the tall armoire and then flickered back. Sitting on the top, right in the middle, was a small golden cup. "Uncle Sirius!" he exclaimed, pointing to the top. "Above the armoire!"

Sirius turned and grinned. "Good eye, Harry! Must be those Seeker skills." He moved towards the armoire, pulling out a stool to reach up on top of it. He grabbed the golden cup with his hand and winced, tugging it down so hard it fell to the floor with a loud clang. "Don't pick it up!"

Harry only nodded, stopping mid-motion. He watched as Sirius pulled his tee shirt off, wrapping it around the cup before he picked it up again.

"There's some form of protection on it," he said, looking at the cup. "It burned my skin when I touched it. This is definitely it."

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked. "You said it yourself, lots of stuff in here could be cursed with dark magic."

Sirius moved the cup closer to Harry. "Can't you feel it? I can feel the darkness pushing in on my mind, almost as if the Dementors are near."

Harry shivered and winced when his head throbbed over his scar as if being near the object was enough to hurt him. "Yeah, I can feel it."

Sirius wrapped the cup up fully and tucked it away into Harry's book bag. "We got another one, Harry."

Harry grinned at him. "Two more to go!"

Sirius' eyes lingered on his son's scar for a moment he nodded. "Two more to go."

They met Bogrod outside of the vault and Sirius ordered the entire vault to become the Black Family Vault number four, effectively removing Bellatrix from having any access to her former belongings. She was banned from accessing the vault and in fact no longer had any access to anything within Gringotts Wizarding Bank. Sirius also removed all of the gold and jewels, putting them in the Black-Potter vault. As a fugitive, she had already been denied access, but Sirius was covering all of his bases by going about it this way. They left the rest of the vault's belongings inside to be organized for another day and made their way to Number Twelve.

Sirius dumped open Harry's book bag onto the kitchen table and the cup fell out, clanging. He hovered his wand over it, using the same spell that Moody had been using and let out a sigh of relief when the Horcrux was made visible.

"This is it all right."

Harry leaned in closer to examine the cup. It was solid gold and looked to have Hufflepuff's personal crest engraved on the bowl of the cup. Two finely wrought gold handles were on either side and the circular bottom had a wavy design engraved along the edges.

"It looks old," he commented.

"Well, if it belonged to Helga Hufflepuff it's quite old," Sirius said, tapping on the side. "There's some form of curse on here, it burns when you touch it."

"Stop touching it then!"

Sirius snorted and rolled his eyes, looking down at the ugly red blisters on his hand. "I will. I was just checking."

"Find a better way to check, Uncle Sirius," Harry said in annoyance.

He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows at the cup. "Should we call another meeting and get this thing taken care of or should we just take care of it right now ourselves?"

"Do you still have the Sword of Gryffindor here or did Professor Dumbledore bring it back to Hogwarts?"

"No, I have it; it's in the study in the vault."

Harry grinned at him. "Why wait?"

Sirius nodded and headed into the study, his eyes moving to the hidden door where Peter was locked inside before he moved to pull the Sword of Gryffindor out of the vault, bringing it back into the kitchen. He passed the sword over to Harry.

"Would you like to do the honours?"

Harry nodded, accepting the sword. He let out a slow breath. "Is something going to come out at me?"

"Most likely," Sirius admitted. "You've seen what's come out for me. My mother for example, but you can do this, Harry. Remember, whatever comes out of that isn't real. It's just a spell that plays on your darkest memories and fears."

Harry waved the sword around, making it feel comfortable in his wrist before he lined it up with the cup. The moment the tip of the blade touched the edge of the cup, an eerie sounded floated up from it; a hum that sent chills down Harry's spine. Dementors rose up from the cup in a green hazy smoke, swooping down on the figure of Sirius lying on the ground. Sirius was writhing in their grasp, his head turning to stare at Harry.

"After everything I did for you, Harry, and this is how you repay me? How can you let them Kiss me?"

The image of Sirius disappeared, changing into him lying in the hospital wing, his face sunken and his neck twisted at an odd angle as Zee cried over his body. She turned to glare at Harry.

"This is your fault! You don't deserve him! You don't deserve anything! Everyone who loves you dies!"

"HARRY!" Sirius shouted, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and hugging him from behind. He buried his face in his son's neck. "I love you and I will never stop loving you. I don't deserve you and you deserve everything; you deserve nothing but the best. Destroy the cup, Prongslet."

Harry watched as Zee turned into Ginny, bleeding on the Chamber floor, telling him it was his fault, that the Basilisk had been hunting him. He raised the sword, slashing it down and slamming it into the cup. The gold seemed to melt at the contact, bubbling and shifting until an explosion of green smoke erupted out of the cup and vanished in a flash.

His breathing was heavy as the flash disappeared, the sword still in his hand and Sirius was still hugging him tightly from behind. Then he turned, sword falling to the floor with a clang and wrapped his arms tightly around his father, his heart pounding.

"It's not real, Harry. It's a figment of all of your worst fears culminated at once; your deepest fears," he murmured, kissing his son's temple. "I love you and I don't expect you to repay me for loving you. You are my world. Never forget that."

Harry didn't speak, he just clung to his father tightly as Sirius soothed him, running his hands over his back until he finally pulled away and looked into Sirius' eyes. "I'm sorry."

Sirius cupped his face. "You have no reason to be sorry. I know how hard it is to destroy something like that when it feeds on your fears. You did great. Another one bites the dust, right?"

Harry grinned at that and nodded. "Yeah."

Sirius nodded at the chalkboard. "Go check it off."

Harry did as he was told, changing the word 'rumoured' to 'found' as he added a checkmark after number four on the list.

FUVP Hit List:

1. DIARY (found in Chamber of Secrets through vault of Abraxas Malfoy) ✓
2. LOCKET OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found in seaside cave) ✓
3. SIGNET RING OF SALAZAR SLYTHERIN (found on Gaunt abandoned property) ✓
4. CUP OF HELGA HUFFLEPUFF (found in vault of Bellatrix Lestrange) ✓
5. UNKNOWN
6. UNKNOWN
7. VOLDEMORT HIMSELF

He turned to Sirius. "I filled my friends in on the Deathly Hallows and told them about destroying the ring. Luna mentioned something about the lost diadem of Ravenclaw as being one of the only known objects from Rowena Ravenclaw, but it's been missing for centuries."

"It's a possibility that's for sure, but like you said, it's been missing for centuries. We'll keep looking and researching until we find out what the last one could be."

"Last two," Harry corrected.

"Yes, that's what I meant."

"Uncle Sirius?" When Sirius' eyes met his, he stared at him for a moment. "You know something that you're not telling me. Do you know where another Horcrux is? Does it belong to one of the four founders?"

Sirius hesitated. "No; and I don't know."

Harry only stared at him. "You said that you wouldn't lie to me."

"I'm not lying to you," Sirius said quickly. "Remember I told you that there was something that I needed to research further that I wasn't sure about? This is part of that. I can't explain it just yet, Harry, but the moment that I understand it, you'll be the first one I tell, I promise."

"If it's about a Horcrux, why can't you tell me?"

"Because it's complicated. It's not a historical object and it's hard to explain. Like I said, I don't know, not really, and until I do, until I make sense of it, I don't want to try to tell you about it when you're going to have questions that I can't answer. Okay?"

Harry bent down to pick up the sword, his eyes on the destroyed cup on the table. "But you'll tell me?"

"The moment I know, I promise."

Harry nodded as he put the sword on the table. "I want to work on my Animagus transformation some more, can you take me home?"

Sirius let out a breath of relief. He knew how lucky he was that Harry was accepting his answers. The thought of telling his son that there was a Horcrux in his scar terrified him. "Yeah, let's go."

~ ASC ~

Harry and Sirius didn't talk much over the next week. Sirius spent a lot of his time outside working on the '29 Motosacoche M414 and Harry started his school work in between working on his Animagus transformation. McGonagall came by a few times to work with him, smiling brightly and talking him through the fur that he kept sprouting further on his body. She told him how good he was doing and that she felt that he was close to finally transforming into the animal he had seen. Zee popped in a few times as well, but she was busy at work herself, getting things organized for when they were planning their holiday in a few weeks time. Tonks came over twice for dinner and stayed the night. Harry stayed up late into the night talking to her and she smiled brightly at him, but he knew that she was counting down the days and hours until her mate came home.

It was on his eighth day of practicing his Animagus transformation that he finally succeeded and he yipped in excitement from his spot on the top of the pirate ship. He barked, crying in surprise when he slid down a level, landing on his bum and ran down the stairs around the side of the house, his too large paws getting in the way as he tripped over them, flipping arse over teakettle in his attempt to run.

Sirius looked up from his spot under the bike at the sound of a whine and his face split into a wide grin. "Well, aren't you just the cutest little pup!" He bent down to pick him up, laughing when he barked. The pointy ears, the thick black and dark grey fur with a white belly and neck, the snout giving him a wolf-like appearance and Harry's bright emerald green eyes, shining out. "If I'm not mistaken, you are a Tamaskan puppy, Harry."

He put the excited puppy on the ground and laughed when Harry ran in a circle as Zee came up the driveway with Lady Godiva. The panther took one look at the new puppy and snarled. Harry barked back, a tiny puppy bark that did nothing and Sirius laughed.

"Did you get a new puppy?" Zee asked him in surprise, moving to scratch Harry behind the ears.

Sirius laughed. "No. He's pretty fucking cute though, right?"

"He looks like a mix between a wolf and a Husky, but the face and the ears are very much like your Animagus form, more of a German Shepherd."

"Tamaskan," Sirius said with a grin.

"Of course!" Zee exclaimed. "Mix between a Husky, a German Shepherd, and a Czechoslovakian Wolfdog. Known for its playful personality. He's absolutely gorgeous, especially these bright green eyes." Her own eyes widened as she caught herself. "Harry!"

The puppy yipped in excitement.

"Now he just needs to figure out how to change back. We," he said as he picked up the puppy and leaned over to kiss Zee softly, "are going to be in the treehouse to try to get him back to his normal self."

Zee nodded. "Well, all right. I ran into Tonks at the Ministry today and I think that work was a bit rough on her. We're going to go shopping tonight and see if I can cheer her up a bit."

"You birds spending time together, sounds good."

"Us women spending time together, yes," Zee said with a smile. She kissed him again and then kissed the top of the puppy's head. "Good luck, Harry." She whistled for Lady Godiva who was still staring at the puppy suspiciously before she followed Zee home.

Sirius put Harry back on the ground, changing into Padfoot and nudging him with his nose. Puppy Harry yipped, diving at Sirius in an attempt to play. They wrestled a little on the ground, nipping and playing; Harry thought that it was the best thing in world. Padfoot nudged him towards the stairs of the treehouse, nodding his head and gesturing for Puppy Harry to follow him. He ran up the stairs, turning to look down at Harry. Puppy Harry jumped onto the first step, surprised to find it so high. His paws slipped off the step and he fell backwards, flipping over and landing on his belly and let out a little whine.

Padfoot barked at him from the top of the stairs and Puppy Harry attempted a second time. He made it to the second stair before he crashed back down to the ground. Padfoot bounded down the steps, bending and picking up Puppy Harry by the scruff of his neck and carried him in his mouth up the steps and into the treehouse, placing him down on the floor. Puppy Harry yipped and ran around Padfoot's feet in a circle over and over and over again.

Sirius transformed back into himself, grabbing Puppy Harry and scratching him behind the ears. "All right there, Pup, calm down." He placed a kiss on the top of the puppy's head. "Harry, you've managed to be a puppy and that's great, but now it's time to change back. Focus and come back to yourself like I just did, from Padfoot to Sirius, from Pup to Harry, okay?"

Harry tried to do as Sirius instructed, but he kept tripping over his own paws and sliding across the treehouse floor. Sirius would pick him up and tell him to change back. It took almost an hour but finally Harry was able to change back into himself and to his horror, he was completely naked when he did so.

Sirius tossed the blanket at him and laughed. "I forgot to mention that you have to imagine yourself wearing clothes."

Harry flushed in embarrassment as he tied the blanket around his waist. "That's kind of an important part!"

Sirius laughed, his eyes twinkling in mischief. "The first time I managed to master my transformation, I changed back out by the Black Lake. I was completely starkers. I had to sneak back into the castle and make it all the way back to Gryffindor Tower without any clothing or my wand."

"Did you make it?" Harry asked, eyes wide in laughter.

He grinned. "Almost. I ran into Marlene McKinnon, who at the time was my on again, off again girlfriend and we um, got a little busy. Girl had great hands," he said, a goofy grin on his face.

Harry made a disgusted face. "I did not need to know that."

Sirius laughed. "Anyway, your clothes are part of you and as you master transforming back and forth between dog and man, you must also remember the clothes you were wearing. Try it again. Don't worry about your nudity; it's just you and me in here, imagine the dog again."

Harry nodded, grateful that Sirius had brought him up to the treehouse to work on it rather than outside in the garden. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the feeling of being the Tamaskan and when he did, he was a puppy again and he yipped in excitement.

Sirius grinned. "Excellent. Now, let's change back into Harry, with clothes this time. Come on, Pup, you can do this."

Puppy Harry rolled over, exposing his belly instead and Sirius grinned, bending down to rub it.

Harry tried to picture himself back as himself, wearing the jeans and tee shirt that he had been wearing that day, but when he changed back, he was once more completely naked. He swore as Sirius laughed and then he flushed red as Ginny popped her head inside the treehouse and Harry lunged for the throw pillow, attempting to cover himself as quickly as he could with whatever he could find.

"Ginny!"

Ginny bit her lip, her cheeks flaming. "Sorry, Harry, I didn't expect to find you so um… indisposed."

Sirius laughed uproariously. "What's up, Ginny? Were we expecting you today?"

She shook her head. "No. I just… I changed!"

"So did, Harry; hence the nudity."

Ginny blushed, her eyes on where Harry was still attempting to hold the pillow up in front of his bits. "It took me six tries to change back with my clothes on," she admitted. "You should have seen Mum's face when she came into my room and found me crawling up my wardrobe! I thought that she'd be livid, but she stared at me for a long moment and then she said, 'Ginny, if you're learning to turn yourself into an animal now, the least you can do is learn outside!'"

Sirius snorted. "Really? Your mother wasn't upset?"

Ginny shook her head. "No. She helped me focus on changing back to myself and then she told me that she was proud of me and lectured me about keeping all animals outside of the house," she said with a grin. "I showed Ron and he shared his progress with me. He said that he's changed almost ninety percent of himself. Mum doesn't know that he's learning, too. Wait until you see his animal, it's perfect, Harry! He's almost managed to fully change! I can't wait to annoy Fred and George with our forms!"

"What's your animal?" Harry asked eagerly, still holding the pillow up in front of himself in an attempt to hide his nudity.

Ginny grinned and took a deep breath before she shifted and the cutest, fluffiest little red baby panda bear and sat on the floor. She reached her paws out and shook her round head, her pointy ears twitching before she changed back, wearing the same denim shorts and green tee shirt that she had been wearing.

"Brilliant, Ginny!" Sirius told her. "And a red panda, eh? Doesn't that just suit you!"

She grinned. "I love it! Let's see yours, Harry!"

Harry nodded and closed his eyes and ten seconds later, the tiny Tamaskan puppy was sitting on the blanket.

Ginny's eyes lit up at the sight of him. "You're so cute!" She hurried over to scratch his ears, laughing when he rolled over, exposing his belly and she rubbed it. "You would be a dog."

"He's a mix of a dog and a wolf actually."

Ginny turned to smile at Sirius. "A mix of both of his dads, sounds right to me."

Harry yipped and licked her hand.

Sirius grinned. "Come on, Pup, change back now and this time, let's keep it PG."

Harry focused on changing back and was thankful that this time he was wearing all of his clothes including his sneakers. Ginny's hand was still on his stomach and she blushed, pulling it back quickly.

"We did it!"

Harry hugged her tightly, grinning widely. "We did!"

Ginny grinned and jumped to her feet. "I have to get home. I just wanted to share my success. I bet Ron will only be a few more days and it sounds like Luna and Hermione are close, too."

"Neville as well," Harry told her.

Sirius smiled at them. "You'll have your own little pack of animals soon enough. See you later, Ginny."

She waved at them and hurried off.

Sirius grinned at Harry. "She's growing up fast that one."

"I guess," Harry said, throwing the throw pillow back into the hammock.

Sirius simply grinned. "A red panda though, that is a perfect animal for her. Cute, adorable, and charming, a little Puffpatch."

"Unless you corner it," Harry said with a laugh. "Puffpatch?"

"Exactly," Sirius said. "Then you do not want to mess with her. Sounds like Ginny to me. And yeah, Puffpatch because you know, she's a little puffball and has patch eyes, you know. A new Marauder name, Puffpatch and Pup."

Harry grinned at him. "I don't know about that."

Sirius smiled. "Just something to think about, Pupfoot? Nah, Pup is better or what about Padpup?" At Harry's raised eyebrow, he grinned. "What do you think your friends animals are going to be?"

Harry shrugged. "I have no idea." He put his hands in his pockets and smiled at his father. "I want to try it again."

Sirius grinned. "Okay, let's do this."

~ ASC ~

Tonks smiled gratefully at Zee as they moved through the shops of the Muggle shopping centre. She had already bought herself a few tops and now she and Zee were looking in the lingerie store which pleased and embarrassed her at the same time. She needed some new undergarments and things and if she was honest, she wanted to find something that would make Remus' eyes bulge right out of his head.

"This is sexy," Zee said, holding up the lingerie set. "I bet Remus would love these."

Tonks blushed as he looked at the bowknot lace crotchless panties with matching lace garter. "Crotchless knickers? Really?"

Zee grinned. "Easy access."

Tonks bit her bottom lip. "Black isn't really my colour."

Zee simply reached for the one behind it. "Here's a lovely plum and look it comes with a matching lace push-up bra. If you wore this under say… this lovely purple and black teddy, I bet he'd need some immediate mouth to mouth resuscitation."

She laughed, taking the teddy from Zee's hands. It was pretty. It was dark purple and translucent ,lace low-cut diagonally down her chest. A thick black ribbon tied in a bow just under the breasts and it hung open in black sheer just past the waist. She bit her lip and looked at the outfit again.

Zee grinned. "Go, try it on."

Tonks hesitated, but then she grinned and headed to the dressing room. She let Zee come inside when she was done. "I feel completely provocative and a little naughty at the same time."

"And you look incredible."

"I feel so sexy," she said grinning widely. "It looks like I even have cleavage! But to own something like this, it's… not really me. I'm a cotton, sometimes satin kind of witch and this really isn't very practical."

Zee smiled. "And sometimes it's nice to get something for no reason other than to make yourself feel sexy." She held up the black lace crotchless knickers she had originally shown to Tonks. "Now me? I happen to love Black all over me, pun intended, and I plan on wearing these for Sirius just as much as myself."

Tonks giggled and bit her lip. "I'm going to get it."

"Brilliant!" Zee said with a grin, leaving her friend in the changing room. "I'm going to snag a new teddy or two myself. Sometimes it's nice to dress up for your man as much as yourself."

They grinned at each other and twenty minutes later were seated in the restaurant down the road, each with a glass of white wine and their purchases under the table.

"Thanks for suggesting this, Zee," Tonks told her. "It's been nice having everyone keep their eye on me and keeping me busy. First my parents, then Charlie, and then Harry being all brotherly and adorable. But it's nice to have some girl time. I don't have very many girlfriends."

Zee smiled kindly at her. "Well, you have me whenever you need some girl time. I've always been closer to animals than to people and often lose touch with friends. I have such a big family and I love them all so much that I flock to them for comfort and friendship, which is great, but it's nice to have something else. And I will never say no to a shopping buddy."

She grinned. "I'm not usually a big shopper, but sometimes it's fun to spoil yourself." She sipped her wine, smiling when the waitress came over and she ordered a plate of chicken Alfredo as Zee ordered the same. "My mum keeps dropping by the house, commenting on the touches I've added, and telling me not to worry that he'll be home soon. Finding out that he was a werewolf by reading the newspaper wasn't exactly the way that I planned on telling her."

"Your dad already knew?"

Tonks nodded. "He used to be part of the Order of the Phoenix during the war and Remus often did undercover missions with the werewolves. He's known since then. He told me that he became curious as to what it was about werewolves that scared people as he always thought that Remus was a nice man and never considered him dangerous. He said that he did research on them and that's how he knew when we were together that… well, he wasn't surprised to learn that he's my mate."

"It's wonderful that you both found each other. He loves you so much, anyone can see that."

"I just wish that he felt like he deserved me. He's always telling me that he doesn't deserve me; that I deserve someone better than him, and it makes me so angry! He's the best man in the world and he's everything that I've ever wanted. I want to spend the rest of my life with him and I know that he's the only man that I will ever love. Not to mention the sex is absolutely stupendous," she added, blushing. "Not that I have a ton of experience, mind you, but wow."

Zee grinned. "Ooh, well now you need to share."

Tonks blushed. "It's just… I mean… okay, I lost my virginity when I was sixteen, fifteen technically as it was two days before my sixteenth birthday and he was… sweet. It was okay, I mean, he was gentle and all that, but I never… came. Not once with Connor. He was so gentle and sweet and it was always nice. Then after Connor was Jon and he… once… and it was like everything changed, you know? But with Remus… the first time, before we even… he used his tongue and oh — my — Godric, it was just… incredible. With him, it's like, a minimum of three every time and I think it's a wolf thing, but his stamina is just…" She bit her lip and grinned. "I don't want to brag, but one weekend at Hogwarts, we shagged nine times in one night. Remus is… oh fuck it, he's really hung and I mean like big and thick and long and I mean, it hurt to walk a bit the next day, but it was so worth it."

Her eyes widened in disbelief. "Nine? Just how well hung are we saying here?"

Tonks blushed. "I probably shouldn't be telling you this."

"No, you definitely should. Nine times — seriously?"

Tonks grinned, nodding. "I lost track of how many times I came. He's just… incredible and he just worships me when we make love and I feel so cherished. Him marking me was the sexiest thing in the world and… as amazing as the sex is, it's him. He's sweet and kind and considerate and intelligent. Sometimes he'll just snuggle me up against him and tell me a story or the way that he asks to hear about my day and not just 'oh it was fine,' he wants to know everything, all of the little details. And he remembers things about me that seem so insignificant, but aren't. Like, it's stupid, but I have this thing where when I eat stir fry I have to put the rice first, then my sauce, then my meat, then my vegetables, then my spices. Even though I mix it all together afterwards, it has to be piled in that order on my plate or it tastes weird to me. He knows that I like it that way and he'll build my plate for me in that specific order without question. Or, I like a little honey on my spoon when I drink tea and he always dips it and leaves it on the saucer for me. He's just so thoughtful and considerate. I love him so much that it just grabs me by the throat sometimes."

Zee smiled at her. "It sounds like he's pretty amazing. He loves you a hell of a lot, anyone can see it. I mean, he literally gave you his heartbeat."

Tonks grinned and clutched it in her hand. The steady feel of his thumping heart calming her. "I know." She smiled at the waitress when she brought them their food, thanking her. She took a bite and smiled happily. "Not to mention that he cooks for me. I can't cook at all and I hate cooking and he's perfectly okay with that. I love that about him."

Zee chuckled. "I love to cook. It's something that I shared with my grandmothers and it relaxes me. Sirius is a decent cook. I've always enjoyed everything he's made, but Harry is the real talent in the kitchen. He's so easy to teach. I love sharing that with him."

"He made chicken and steak tacos for me the other night. They were fantastic."

"He enjoys it, I can tell, which is nice," Zee told her. "The two of them are just… I didn't expect them both to mean so much to me."

"You love them."

"Completely," she admitted with a smile. "I tried not to fall in love with Harry, if I'm honest. I thought that if something happened and Sirius and I didn't work out, I didn't want to have a double broken heart, but after Pettigrew's trial, watching him comfort his father… I was done. Then in the summer when he asked me to teach him how to cook, I almost started crying, I was so happy. Now he writes to me when he's at school and I keep his letters in a little treasure box in my kitchen. Isn't that pathetic?"

"No," Tonks told her with a smile. "It's sweet. Harry told me about your birthday."

Zee fiddled with the locket around her neck. "He gave me this beautiful locket and as much as I love it, he told me he loved me that day, and that meant so much more."

"You love them," Tonks repeated. "What does that mean for you and Sirius?"

Zee blew her hair out of her eyes. "Merlin, I don't know. I love my own place. It's the first thing that I've ever had that was mine, you know? When I moved out, I lived out of tents and hotel rooms and tiny temporary rented and cramped flats while I travelled and this house… it's mine. I love it and the thought of giving it up hurts me. I'm not ready to do it just yet, but at the same time — I'm almost never there. When I sleep away from Sirius, I miss him. I find myself cuddling with my pillow, wishing it was my boyfriend, and I just sleep better when he's in my arms. He's a cuddler. He pretends like he's annoyed when I snuggle up to him, but if I move away in the middle of the night, his arms are back around me within minutes. And as you mentioned, the sex is quite stupendous. I mean, we've never got up to nine times, but we certainly get around. He's quite talented with his tongue too and very generous when it comes to making me happy. There was a bloke in Australia who I was with a while, almost six months, we shagged more than dated. He had the biggest… let's just say the sex was incredible. But it doesn't compare to how it is with Sirius. Not that Sirius is small by any means, he's quite well endowed actually, but he just… he makes me feel sexy and wanton and just good about myself and about him and I'm in love with him."

"I can say from experience that he's never been happier than he is with you. And you're the first woman he's ever even brought back to Black Cottage."

Zee grinned at her words. "Really?"

Tonks nodded. "Really. Remus told me that he's never brought another woman back to the house or to his bed before you. He always went to them. You were different from the beginning."

She smiled. "He was different from the beginning. It started off as sex but… he talked to me about Harry and… we became friends. We wrote letters when I travelled and I looked forward to hearing from him, but it wasn't until he broke up with me that I realized how much he meant to me and how easily I could fall in love with him and that terrified me. When Harry came to me, begging me to give his father another a chance I knew that I would. Now, I can't wait to take them to Georgia and to just have them both there; to spend time with my grandparents and my parents, who are going to come stay, too. I just want them to be my family."

"Harry was so jealous of you at the beginning and watching him step up, realize that he was being a little brat and fall in love with you himself, has been incredible. I've always seen him as a little brother and I adore him. But I know that I'd really love it if he could have a mother figure in his life, too."

Zee blushed a little at those words. "I'd really like to fill those shoes and the thought scares me a little bit. What if I'm not good at it?"

Tonks smiled as she ate her Alfredo. "I think the fact that it scares you a little bit means that you're doing it right."

Zee grinned. "Good." She sipped her wine and smiled brightly. "Did I tell you that he changed into his Animagus form?"

Tonks' eyes widened. "No! What animal is he?"

"A Tamaskan puppy dog, kind of a wolf-dog hybrid; a perfect mix of Sirius and Remus."

Tonks smiled warmly as she sipped her own wine. "A perfect mix of Harry then."

~ ASC ~

It was another two weeks before all six of them could change into their animals. Sirius invited the five of them over for the night so that they could run around in their animal forms.

Luna had mastered her form after Harry and Ginny, surprising them by being able to change into a pale silvery gold European hare. It fit her personality well, swift and fleeting yet diligent, independent and oddly flighty. She hopped and ran around the backyard of Black Cottage in glee, especially when Hermione showed up and chased her.

Hermione's animal was a red fox. She was quick on her feet and as Zee stated, red foxes were known to be notoriously clever as well.

Neville was next in the success category, changing into a black and white badger. Zee claimed that the badger was an animal that symbolized protection and the defence of others, making Neville blush furiously when he changed back into himself.

Ron was the last one to master his form. He was the largest of all of them, though Harry was a close second. Ron was a reddish brown wolverine with dark brown spots on his snout. Wolverines were known to be dangerous predators when confronted and would protect those that they deemed worthy.

The six of them, all in their baby animal forms, chased each other around the yard. Zee was grinning at them, laughing in happiness as she played with the six different baby animals in the back garden and Marauder chased them, barking wildly. Then Sirius changed into Padfoot and ran circles around all of them, taking it in turn to pick them up by the scruffs of their neck and run them up the stairs to the treehouse.

Zee couldn't stop laughing when Padfoot trapped all six baby animals in the net tunnel up in the treehouse as they all fell over each other trying to meander their way out as Padfoot lay proudly on the platform at the end watching them struggle, his tongue hanging out in glee. Marauder tried to play with them, making them laugh as he attempted to help them from the net tunnel. Padfoot and Marauder both helped the baby animals from the tunnel and they ran around the grass, barking and playing with them as the six new Animagi switched between animal and human in their attempts to practice their transformations.

Twice Ron ended up naked. Harry ran behind him, shielding his friend's backside to the best of his ability as as everyone pointedly looked away while he tried to switch back. The second time, Harry pulled off his shirt and passed it to his friend, who attempted to hold it in front of his bits, cursing under his breath.

But they actually had done it.

The six of them had become Animagi.

End Author's Notes:

See? I didn't make you wait too long!

And don't worry — next chapter is Remus.

Please review guys. I love seeing what you think of the new chapter!