A Second Chance

by Breanie

Part 2 Kismet Trilogy: What if Sirius didn't spend twelve years in prison but was given a trial after 4 years? Follow the story of Sirius Black as he learns what it means to be a father/brother/guardian & the story of Harry Potter, a young boy with a loving home who learns about the Marauders from the two men who should have raised him. Slow-burn Hinny. M for sex & violence.

216. The One Where They Compare Proposals

Author's Note:

Reviews and comments: It's nice to know that most of you enjoyed my little surprise of George returning to Hogwarts (thanks Saz) and the couple-filled moments. To DetroitNate: I posted it on my tumblr, all of my OCs, and who they are. Thanks for all of the lovely comments, I was excited to finally share the proposal with you all. I wanted Harry to be there, but I wanted Sirius to be the one to propose and for Zee to kind of think it was a joke until she realized Harry was in on it and it was very, very real. I felt like it was perfect for them as Sirius isn't really a romantic bloke.

Some people have been complaining about the gay scenes in this story and frankly, it has inspired me to write more gay smut LOL. So, warning, if you don't want to read it — skip it. Smut ahead.

My posting schedule: Once a week.

Thanks to Dusk for her awesome editing skills!

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!

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CHAPTER TWO-HUNDRED AND SIXTEEN:

After they had their celebration dinner, Zee spent over an hour on the phone calling her parents in Russia and then her grandparents in Georgia. She wrote a letter to her grandparents in Scotland to tell them and sent it off with Persephone, beaming at her boys.

"Why didn't you just send them all a Patronus?" Harry asked. "Well, except for Grandma and Grandpa, I don't think a Patronus can go that far, but to Scotland would be no problem."

"I've never been very good at casting them," she admitted.

Harry's eyes widened in surprise. He hadn't realized that all the times he'd seen Remus, Sirius, and Tonks send Patronuses as communication guides, he had never once seen Zee's.

"I can teach you," he offered.

Zee smiled. "People have tried. I just can't seem to master it."

"Let me try. Uncle Rem was a great teacher. He's going to be showing the Defence Club how to perform them coming up soon."

Zee pulled her wand out and nodded. "Okay, but if I don't get it, it's not you, okay?"

Harry led her into the sunroom where Sirius was flipping through a motorbike magazine. "Go away, Uncle Siri, I'm going to teach Zee some new spell work."

Sirius merely raised an eyebrow. "Um, no… you wouldn't leave when I wanted to teach Zee something earlier."

Zee rolled her eyes. "You mean when you wanted to abandon our son, who had just returned home for the holiday weekend, to go upstairs and shag?"

"Same thing," Sirius said, making her laugh.

She bent over the back of the chair to kiss him. "Harry says that he's going to teach me how to make a Patronus. You'll distract me."

Sirius slipped his fingers into her hair to hold her in place so that he could kiss her again. "Just remember your happy memory is all the things we did together in Barbados."

Zee blushed. "See! Distracting!"

Sirius kissed her again before he stood up. "Fine, I'll be banished. I'm going to take one of the bikes out for a ride. Be back in about an hour."

Harry and Zee said goodbye as Sirius headed out into the garden before Harry turned to Zee. "You know the concept of it, that you have to have a really happy memory in place for it work?"

"Yes," Zee told him. "I have lots of those, but I have a hard time focusing on just one."

"It has to be really happy," Harry stressed. "Like, the happiest you've ever felt in your life. I first tried to use stupid stuff like asking Cho out and that didn't work. Then I realized my happiest memory was when I realized that this was my home; that Uncle Padfoot and Uncle Moony were my dads, my family; that I was loved. That was my moment."

Zee smiled at him. "That's a great memory to have. Okay, happy memory… happy memory…"

Harry waited for her, smiling as she bounced from foot to foot while she thought. Her eyes fell on the ring on her hand and she bit her bottom lip. "I don't think I've ever felt happier than I have tonight."

"Good," Harry said, raising his wand. "The incantation is 'Expecto Patronum'."

Zee nodded. "Expecto Patronum, got it."

"You have to focus on the memory, Zee, that's what's important. Not the spell or the incantation, but the memory. You have to immerse yourself in the happiness."

Zee nodded again, raising her wand. "Right."

Twenty minutes later, a sleek silver panther danced around the room.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise and the panther flickered out.

Harry grinned at her. "You had it! Try it again and remember, keep the memory!"

When the panther appeared again, it glowed a little stronger, flickering around the room, dancing in front of the windows and Zee was beaming as Lady Godiva merely stared at it as if she were bored.

"I think I've got it," she exclaimed in excitement as they watched the panther dance around the room.

Harry grinned back at her. "I think you're right. Of course, performing one in front of a Dementor is quite different, but you can do it."

Zee holstered her wand and tugged his face down to kiss his cheek. "I love you, Harry."

Harry hugged her tightly, cradling her small form in his arms. "I love you, too."

And he knew that he could produce a great Patronus himself right about now.

~ ASC ~

Remus had a book open in his lap that Friday evening, but he wasn't taking anything in from it. Tonks had been called back into work again and he was worried about the reason for it. Since the attack on Piccadilly, the Death Eaters were believed to be behind two more seemingly random terrorist attacks: One on Westminster Abbey and the second on Parliament, specifically on Big Ben. The British Government was in an uproar and Remus knew that Madam Bones was doing what she could do to assist the Prime Minister in damage control. The amount of memory charms being used as of late was well into the hundreds.

Neither building had been too badly damaged and the Ministry of Magic had managed to intervene and fix it before the Muggles became too suspicious, but it was the scare tactic and the injuries to the Muggles that were causing the problems. Another twenty people were dead between the two attacks, all innocent bystanders.

Tonks had been working twenty-hour days six days a week, and she was hardly the only one. She'd lost weight and Remus was starting to worry about her and the lack of sleep and rest that she was getting. He knew how important it was for the Aurors to be out there and working on the case, trying to make sure that everyone was kept safe, but she needed to be well enough to do that herself.

The front door opened and Remus jumped to his feet, tossing the book on the table as his wife stumbled in. He barely gave her time to close the door before he scooped her up into his arms and slipped her shoes off. Tonks didn't even say a word, she just cuddled into him as he carried her into the bathroom. He sat her on the toilet and filled the tub before he undressed her and then himself. He urged her to step into the tub and he slipped in behind her, pulling her back against him and kissing the side of her neck.

She let out a sigh as she rested against his chest. "Thank you."

Remus kissed her cheek. "I'm starting to worry about you, Nymphadora."

"I know… but with all of these attacks… the DMLE is really short-handed and King wants —"

"— Fuck King," Remus said, holding her tighter against him. He rested his hand over her stomach. "You've been losing weight. You're exhausted. It's the holiday weekend and you're not going in."

"We have that meeting tomorrow —"

"— You're calling in sick."

"Remus," she said, turning her head to look at him. "I love you, but this is my job."

"It is your job and you're damn good at it so, I won't let you burn yourself out and get yourself hurt because you aren't capable of doing your damn job!"

Tonks kissed him. "Two hours. I just have that meeting with the Muggle Police about the attack on Parliament and then I'll come home."

Remus stared at her. "Not a minute longer or I will come get you myself."

"I'm sorry to make you worry."

"Nymphadora, I know how good you are at your job. You're a great Auror. But you have to take care of yourself first or you won't be any good to anyone."

She kissed him again. "The meeting isn't until ten tomorrow. I'll be home no later than half past twelve, I promise. I know that we made plans to do lunch with Harry, Sirius, and Zee tomorrow."

"We did, and Molly and Arthur invited us to the Burrow for dinner. I was thinking that we could stop by Hogwarts in the morning and grab Ginny, then surprise Harry with bringing her by the cottage."

"She didn't go home for the holiday?"

"Molly and Arthur were going to France to meet Fleur's family for dinner and won't be back until this morning; her kids were staying at school until tomorrow night."

"Meeting the parents. Bill must be getting serious."

Remus smiled. "I think he's very serious. Anyway, what do you think? We'll bring Ginny over before you go to the Ministry?"

Tonks kissed him. "Okay."

Remus gently massaged her shoulders as she moaned in contentment. "Good. Now, you relax in here. I'm going to make you a plate of food and you will eat every single bite and then I'm going to tuck you into our bed. You need to sleep, Dora."

"Will you come to bed with me?" she asked, her hand slipping around him.

"You need to rest," he said, trying not to let her distract him as her hand grew busier under the bubbles.

Tonks grinned up at him. "I'm suddenly feeling very awake."

Remus smiled at her. "I can see that."

When she turned to straddle him in the tub, he only held her, and when he emptied himself, she followed him over the edge, burying her face in the crook of his neck and curling into him like a contented cat. Remus kissed her as he caught his breath and then he carefully disentangled himself from her, leaving her in the tub.

"Wash up and get comfortable, I'm going to get you some food."

Tonks smiled happily up at him as she sunk her body deep into the water. He knew that she was going to be all right. He just wished that he could stop himself from worrying so damn much about her.

~ ASC ~

Theo waited patiently for Kiki to show up that Friday afternoon. When he saw his house elf appear in the entrance hall, he nodded to Snape and adjusted the bag on his shoulder. It was only a few moments before she took his hand and Disapparated them to Norfolk Manor. Since the Easter holiday usually didn't have too many students going home (as it was only for two nights), Theo was allowed to simply Apparate home — or in his case, have his house elf bring him home. The familiarity of the manor made him feel slightly better, but his stomach was still churning in nerves.

He had two hours until he was meeting Finn in London for the concert.

He noticed immediately that the elves had already started on the work he'd asked. A lot of the dark arts stuff was being removed from the house and was piled in the corner of the front parlour. But it really started to sink in as he made his way upstairs and turned towards his own room — because Kiki steered him the other way.

He was now lord of the manor.

Theo stepped into the master suite and his eyes widened. The elves had moved his room there. It was his king sized bed and his furniture that graced the bedroom instead.

"You are Marquess, Sir, so this room is now yours. Kiki knows the young master wouldn't want the old furniture in here. Kiki put it in the young master's old room. All except that box on the dresser."

Theo's eyes found the tarnished gold jewellery box and smiled. It had once belonged to his mother. "It's perfect, thank you. Kiki, when I come home at the end of the year I want to seriously start redecorating this place. I'm going to send you notes and see how much we can get done before I even come home."

Kiki nodded. "Yes, Sir."

He smiled. "All good things to come, right?" The elf nodded and he let out a slow breath. "At seven thirty, I need you to bring me to the theatre in London. When I come home tonight, Finn will be with me. He is my guest for the weekend."

The elf nodded and left him alone.

Theo unpacked his things and took a seat on the side of the bed. He was both excited and anxious for Finn to spend the weekend with him. After their double date last weekend, the way that Finn had fit right in with Ginny and Harry, he felt like he'd fallen for him a little bit more. Finn made him feel things that he couldn't quite put into words.

Theo made his way to the bathroom where he showered and dressed up a little. It wasn't black tie, but the air of the evening did require a little more than casual. Then he made his way downstairs to find Kiki.

When the elf left him at the theatre, he was alone less than thirty seconds before he saw his boyfriend. Finn strolled towards him, a big smile on his gorgeous face.

"Hi, Theo."

Theo couldn't help but grin back as he took Finn's arm. Finn was dressed in black trousers with a dark green dress shirt and a black cloak. His hair was a little messy from the wind, but Theo thought it suited him.

"You look incredible," he said.

Finn bent his head to kiss him softly. "I can say the same. I love you in blue," he told him, tracing the collar of the ocean blue dress shirt that Theo was wearing. "I'm excited for this concert."

Theo held up the tickets and the two of them walked through the doors of the theatre, presented their tickets, and were led to their seats by a house elf. Theo had splurged on the tickets and had gotten them a private balcony overlooking the stage. The elf brought them wine and appetizers as they took their seats.

Finn reached out to take Theo's hand, and brought it to his lips as the stage lit up. Then it was Theo's turn to watch his boyfriend. Finn's eyes danced in excitement as the Harmonious Bastards walked onto the stage. The group was massive. There were those playing first violins, second violins, violas, cellos, double basses, flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns, trumpets, trombones, one tuba, a kettledrum, percussions, harps, acoustic and electric guitars, and one piano player.

A wizard came on stage to introduce them, first explaining that Cai was the conductor. He gave a little backstory on Cai, a Welsh elf, who was a rather tall, thin fellow with dark hair that curled over his pointed ears. He had been writing music since the age of four. He'd formed the orchestra at the age of sixteen and by twenty-five was a world-wide phenomena. The orchestra itself was composed of witches, wizards, elves, and two goblins. They played a three hour set ranging from intense crescendos to raging rock ballads. It was incredible. The music vibrated with each instrument, sending magical sound waves with every stroke that caused dancing lights and flashes and made the audience feel as if they were part of the music. It was one of the best shows that Theo had ever seen.

"That was incredible!" Finn exclaimed as the curtains closed. "The way they played their instruments! I wish that I could make my flute do that! I need to practice making it dance a little and learn how to make the notes come to life with a light show like that."

Theo grinned at him. "You should play for me sometime. I'd love to hear it."

"After a show like that, my playing will hardly impress you," Finn admitted.

"You always impress me."

Finn blushed and took Theo's hands in his as they headed out of the theatre. "Is the invitation to your home still open?"

"Always," Theo told him.

Finn kissed him, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's. "Tell me where I need to bring us."

It was only a moment later before they stood outside the front gates of Norfolk Manor.

"I told you that it needs a lot of work," Theo said nervously as he opened the gate. "My father rather let it fall to ruin a bit and only a few of the rooms are even really livable for the time being, but I'll fix it up. Plus it has a lot of dark magic stuff inside of it, but that's not me, and I'll change it."

"I would never doubt you," Finn said, making Theo blush as he led the way.

Finn stared in amazement as they walked through the gate tower and up the drive the main house. Theo introduced him to Kiki and the two other elves, Clove and Esmerelda, then led him upstairs to the master bedroom.

"This is my suite," Theo said. "The elves moved my things up here after I became Marquess. It still needs a lot of work of course and I want to repaint and change some things around so it's more mine."

"It's perfect," Finn told him.

Theo smiled, feeling rather nervous suddenly. "Er, the room next to mine is set up for you — if you'd like that is."

Finn nodded and took a seat on Theo's bed. "Come sit with me."

Theo sat next to his boyfriend, his heart racing. He didn't want Finn to stay in the guest room. "Or you could stay in here. With me."

Finn's eyes darkened and he leaned in to nip at his mouth. His hand cupped Theo's cheek and Theo turned to kiss his boyfriend's palm. Then Finn's lips were on his and Theo was holding him close, his hands on his boyfriend's strong back and they were kissing. He loved kissing Finn. He loved touching Finn. Everything about the man in his arms made him want, made him need. The fae's body covered his and he slid further back onto the large bed, moaning when Finn settled himself between his legs.

Finn's mouth was on his throat, on his jaw, and when he unbuttoned his shirt, Theo only reached out to do the same. Theo slid his hands over the smooth pale skin, the tight muscles. Merlin, would he ever not be entranced by this man's beauty? He pulled him into a sitting position, letting his hands roam over Finn's shoulders and back, stroking over the raised scars on his shoulder blades. His wings, he realized.

Finn had explained to him that he could make his wings appear and disappear when needed, they would tuck themselves into a pocket in his skin, part of him. Theo also knew that Finn liked it when Theo touched them. He trailed his fingertips over the raised skin and Finn trembled in his arms. He shifted, turning Finn slightly so that he could kiss his back, pressing his lips to the raised line that held his wings and Finn let out a soft moan. Theo trailed his tongue over the scar, kissing around his shoulders, down his back, and pressing a soft kiss to the small of his back. Then he was sliding his hands back around the front of him, kissing his chest and his stomach as he pushed Finn down onto the bed and lowered himself over him. He began to kiss a path down Finn's throat, slipping his own shirt off completely and tossing it behind them. He could feel how hard Finn was, he could feel his hot cock wantonly rubbing against him and he pushed down and ground himself over him. He wanted to feel more.

Finn moaned and Theo took it as encouragement as he began to kiss his way down his boyfriend's chest. When he got to his waist, he unzipped him slowly, keeping his eyes on Finn's lovely green ones as he did.

"I want to use my mouth on you," Finn said, flipping their positions again.

Theo groaned as Finn began to make quick work of his trousers and soon he wore nothing except his green and silver striped boxer shorts. Finn palmed him through the shorts and he moaned. Just touching Finn made him want so badly, but he knew what he wanted tonight — and tonight, he had the time to make it happen. He pushed Finn away and turned him over before straddling him again.

"It's my turn."

Finn licked his lips. "We have all night, Theo, all weekend… there's no need to rush."

Theo pushed Finn's trousers down and found him completely naked. He wrapped his hand around him and Finn groaned. "I didn't say that we were going to rush. I said it's my turn."

"Theo… you don't… fuck!"

Theo smiled, his hand lightly stroking the thick beautiful cock in his hand. "I've been wanting to get my hands on this for months."

Finn settled back against the pillows and made a small whimper as Theo's fingers stroked his sack. He was completely hairless, Theo noted, and smooth. He didn't wait another moment to sate his curiosity; he merely bent his head and rubbed the hard cock against his cheek, nuzzling it.

"Theo," he moaned. "Don't tease me."

It was all the encouragement he needed. Theo let his tongue slip out and he dragged it up from beneath Finn's sack and up along his thick shaft, twirling around his tip as Finn groaned. He let his tongue slide sensuously, covering every angle before he bent his head and licked him again. On the third lick, Finn trembled, and Theo finally and firmly engulfed him in his mouth.

It was better than he had imagined it would be; he sucked slowly, savouring every movement as Finn groaned his name. Theo slowly slid his mouth off, kissing his sack, his tip, his shaft, and slowly trailing hot kisses up his boyfriend's hard abs, over his nipples and up to his lips.

Finn was smiling at him. "You're beautiful."

"I want you to make love to me, Finn."

Finn cupped Theo's cheek in his hand and kissed his lips. "There's no need to rush, Theo."

"I know that. I'm not trying to rush, I just… I'm not delicate, Finn. I'm not an innocent flower and despite what that twatnugget forced me to do — it wasn't my first time."

Finn's thumb stroked his lips, his hand still cupping his cheek. "I know, you told me about the brothel. I know that you're not a virgin."

"And neither are you."

"No, no, I'm not a virgin either," Finn said slowly. "But I'm falling in love with you."

Theo's eyes widened. "You — really?"

"And if I make love to you right now, I don't know if I could ever let you go."

Theo kissed him deeply, his tongue touching every crevice and space as he pulled his boxers off, his hard cock, rubbing wantonly against Finn's. The feel of them rubbing together made him groan in his boyfriend's mouth.

Finn flipped their positions again and Theo found himself staring up into deep green eyes full of arousal.

"Finn, I don't want you to let me go."

"Theo…"

"No," Theo said, his hands gripping the beautifully muscled arms on either side of him. "I started falling in love with you the first time you kissed me," Theo admitted, his heart pounding in his chest. "When you sent me flowers, I mooned over them for days. Every day I open your letter and I have a smile on my face. I imagine kissing you all the time. I don't want you to let me go. I want you inside me."

Finn's eyes darkened and he reached between them, gripping both of their cocks in his hand and he slowly began to pump them. The sensation of Finn's cock rubbing against his, on top of Finn's hand rubbing him, was enough to make him see stars. He watched in amazement as their two cocks rose in and out of Finn's fist and he felt the tightness forming.

"Finn… I'm gonna…"

Finn only rubbed his hand faster and when Theo came, he bent his head to kiss him. He slid his hand over Theo's stomach and chest, a soft golden glow cleaning him before his lips followed his hand. With every kiss, Theo found himself squirming under him. Finn's tongue darted out across a nipple, circled and stroked it, and Theo groaned. He sucked it sharply and Theo gasped.

"Do you still want me inside you?"

The words sent an instant flow of blood back to his cock. He groaned and kissed his boyfriend roughly.

"Merlin, yes!"

Finn kissed him again, over and over, grinding his hard cock into Theo's before he slid his body higher. Soon, Theo found himself treated to his boyfriend's length. He took it in his mouth, sucking happily, savouring him until Finn pulled away, and then he was flipped onto his stomach and that delicious cock was sliding along his arse, teasing him.

Theo whimpered. This was what he wanted more than anything. He had never allowed this to happen outside of that one time at the brothel and he'd dreamed of sharing himself this way with someone he cared about. About sharing himself like this with Finn. The teasing continued, and he groaned into the pillow, but then it wasn't Finn's thick length he felt, it was his tongue — and he cried out in surprise, begging for more. By the time Finn's fingertip entered him, he was already almost at breaking point, grinding his cock into his bed desperately for some form of friction.

"Finn," he begged. "Please, Finn…"

Finn's tongue returned, stroking and thrusting, licking and circling as Theo cried out in pleasure, his fingers gripping the sheets as pleasure swamped him. Tongue and finger worked together and Theo arched his hips off the bed, pushing himself back towards Finn. His tongue only got bolder, licking more furiously, and Theo groaned in gusto, gripping the sheets tighter, grinding himself into the bed. Then Finn's tongue was trailing up his bum, kissing his cheeks, dancing up his spine and over his shoulder blades as his fingers gently brushed his sack. Lips found his throat and then he was flipping him onto his back, and kissing his lips, his tongue meeting his deeply. When he pulled away, he was holding a little jar in his hand as he licked his bottom lip.

"Coconut oil," he said and then those big hands were covered in oil and were sliding all over him, into him, and the warmth of the oil made him purr in satisfaction as he felt Finn's finger inside of him once more.

He took the oil from Finn and rubbed it on his own hands, reaching down to rub it into his boyfriend's cock. He stroked firmly along the shaft and down his balls as Finn panted above him. Then he let go and Finn was spreading his legs, pushing them up to rest over Finn's shoulders, and slipping into him. Theo groaned. His eyes met Finn's green orbs and he cried out as Finn finally began to thrust his hips. The feel of him, so hot and so perfect, moving in and out of him… nothing had ever felt so good. Theo slid his hands into that soft blond hair, gripping it tightly as he watched his cock harden between their bodies all over again as Finn took him harder and harder with every stroke.

"Again," Finn panted, kissing his mouth.

It seemed that was all Theo needed, to hear Finn's words, because it only took a few more thrusts for Theo to lose control completely and he screamed as he came, crying out as Finn followed him over the edge moments later and collapsed against him.

They were both sweaty and breathing heavy. The feel of Finn's hot breath against his neck made him smile and he brushed his fingers through the soft blond hair.

"I love you," Theo whispered.

Finn lifted his head, green eyes staring at him and he caressed his lips over his. "I'm in love with you, Theodore Thaddeus Nott. I've never been so open with another soul before like I am with you; I've never been so at home in anyone's arms."

Theo turned to snuggle into his boyfriend's warm body, sighing as their legs entwined together in the big bed. "You make me feel safe and loved and happy," Theo told him. "I've never felt this happy in my whole life."

Finn lifted his chin up to press his lips to his. "You make me very happy too."

Theo snuggled closer, sighing as Finn's fingers gently danced along his arm and back and it wasn't long until he was drifting off to sleep with a smile on his face.

~ ASC ~

The next morning, Remus and Tonks showed up at Black Cottage with Ginny in tow, which surprised Harry. Ginny was supposed to be going to the Burrow today so this was the last place that he had expected her to show up.

"We come bearing gifts," Remus said as Ginny took her shoes off by the front door.

Harry jumped to his feet and immediately pulled Ginny to him with a kiss. "Hi."

"Hi," she said, smiling at him. "I hope I'm a good gift."

"The best kind," he said, kissing her cheek.

Remus gave him an amused look before he glanced at Sirius. "One look at his girl and his interest in us is gone."

Harry chuckled and kept his arm around Ginny's waist. "She's prettier than you."

"I can't argue that point," Remus replied.

"I can!" Sirius protested.

Remus rolled his eyes. "She's prettier than you, too, Padfoot."

"I am literally a star! The bright and the beautiful!"

"You are literally a prat," Remus said as Sirius stuck his tongue out at him.

Zee smacked Sirius lightly in the arm. "Oh shush." She hurried over to hug Remus and then held out her hand. "My boys proposed last night."

Remus stared at the ring for a ten seconds before he reacted. "Wow! Congratulations!"

Sirius grinned. "I was going to tell you that I was planning it, but then I thought your reaction would be worth the wait."

Remus' grin widened. "Approved. This is wonderful news, Padfoot. I'm so happy for you two. Congratulations!"

"And," Sirius said, emphasizing every syllable. "I — did — not — propose — in — bed!"

"In bed?" Ginny asked, her brow furrowing.

Harry laughed. "I forgot that you didn't hear that story."

"I'll tell it," Tonks exclaimed happily. "So it was just after Voldemort came back. Remus and I went to talk to Adrian Roberts about getting the wolves to join us in helping us if Voldemort were to attack. We were going to meet the Council of Elders first thing in the morning so Adrian and Maia let us stay in their guest room. Maia asked to talk to me in private and we spoke about Remus being a werewolf and him being my mate and what that meant. She explained that for us to be truly mated equals I would have to mark him so I thought about it, marking him that is. One thing led to another and we made love and I bit him, marking him as mine. And he was so overcome with passion and love for me that he proposed on the spot."

"They were naked," Sirius told her.

"His fingers were on still my post-orgasmic clit," Tonks said as Ginny choked out a laugh.

Harry blanched. "How come I keep having to be subjected to this story? I don't want to know this."

Remus blushed. "Okay, okay, story time is over and yes, Sirius did a better job at proposing than I did! I admit it."

Sirius grinned broadly and wiggled his eyebrows. "Damn right I did. I even got our boy to hold the ring while I did it. Plus, look at that rock!"

Zee held her hand out again and admired it happily. "I can take someone's eye out with this thing." She smiled at Sirius. "But it's beautiful and it's what it represents that matters."

"A star because I'm her star," Sirius said, batting his eyelashes.

"Oh, brother," Harry groaned, rolling his eyes.

Zee laughed. "I was thinking more along the lines of because we love each other, but yes, Siri, you are my star."

He beamed at her and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You're my star too."

"I think that's adorable and want to throw up in my mouth at the same time," Tonks said as Sirius flipped her off with his fingers.

"And like you two aren't over the top!"

Tonks only shrugged in response. "So when are you going to have the big day then? I mean, you have a large family, Zee, so I'd imagine that you'd want them all to attend."

"I would," Zee replied, her eyes on Sirius. "I want to take the time to plan it right. Maybe New Year's Eve… we could start the new year together as husband and wife?"

Sirius bent his head to kiss her. "Tomorrow or ten years from now, I'll marry you whenever you say."

Zee hugged him tightly as they grinned foolishly at each other and then she turned to clap her hands together. "All right, I need to hit the market for supplies if I want to bake that dish for Molly. Harry, Ginny, are you two going to stay around the house or would you like to come?"

"We'll stay," Harry told her. "I think we'll maybe watch a movie in the treehouse."

Sirius nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

Within minutes, Zee and Sirius headed to the market and Tonks headed to the Ministry for a conference. Remus claimed that he had an errand to run and would be back in a bit. Harry and Ginny were suddenly left alone.

"I'm not sure how this happened, but I am so not complaining," Harry told her, kissing her nose.

Ginny smiled at him. "They just went to the market. They'll be back before the film is even over."

"Don't care," he said, tugging her hand and leading her to the treehouse.

Lady Godiva followed them and spread out in front of the door as Harry set up the film to project on the wall. He climbed into the hammock and gestured for Ginny to come sit with him. They only watched the first five minutes before Harry turned to nip at her lips.

Twenty minutes later, Ginny was lying on top of Harry as they snogged intensely. The feel of her body spread across his was the best feeling he could imagine. The hammock swung beneath them, the film forgotten as his girlfriend kissed and sucked on his neck. The little scrape of her teeth on his throat had him groaning.

Ginny lifted her head to look down at him, a satisfied smirk on her face. "Did you like that, Mr Potter?"

Harry pulled her lips back to his, basking in the sensation of kissing her. Holding Ginny for any reason always made him feel better. His hand slid under her jumper and his fingers flicked the back clasp of her bra open when his father's voice cut through his lust-fuelled haze.

"Well, well, well — what do we have here?"

Harry groaned and buried his face in the crook of Ginny's neck. "Haven't you ever heard of knocking?"

Ginny blushed as she sat up, her arms crossed in front of her chest to hide the fact that her bra was merely hanging on her shoulders beneath her shirt. "Er, hi Sirius."

"Moony, our boy is getting some action out here!"

Remus' head appeared in the door to the treehouse and Harry groaned.

"Good thing we came to check on you two," Remus said, humour in his voice.

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Harry told her. "I'm sorry that I subjected you to them."

"Ha-ha," Sirius said dryly. "Come inside. We're going to play a game."

"What kind of game?"

Sirius grinned widely. "A-let's-go-through-baby-photos-of-Harry-game."

"Ooh," Ginny said as Harry groaned.

"Uncle Padfoot, why?" Harry protested.

"I wanna see them, Harry," Ginny told him.

"Can't we watch a memory instead? Please don't pull out the pictures!" he begged, his eyes on his father in horror. He knew exactly what kind of pictures his father would pull out to show his girlfriend.

Sirius rubbed his hands together. "Too late. Zee and Tonks are already looking them over. Tonks stumbled upon the photo album while looking for something on the shelf. Come on, it will be fun!"

Harry didn't agree with that sentiment as he watched Sirius and Remus head out. He turned to his girlfriend, who was hooking her bra back into place beneath her jumper, and then led her out of the treehouse. They came into the sunroom just in time to hear Tonks comment on a photo of him covered in chocolate pudding and wearing nothing but a nappy.

Ginny hurried over to look as well and soon the three girls were flipping through photos happily as Sirius and Remus explained what was happening in the photos. Ginny looked from the photo of Harry's first birthday to him dressed as a pumpkin for Halloween to him on the back of Sirius' motorbike at the age of five. She frowned before she spoke.

"Sirius, how come there's no photos of Harry between this Halloween photo until he was five?"

"That's when I was in Azkaban," Sirius told her. "And Harry lived with Muggles."

Ginny looked over at her boyfriend. "With Muggles… and that's…" She trailed off as if she was just realizing something. "They hurt you. It was them that made you scared of my dad all those years ago."

Harry shrugged. "It wasn't great, no. Not until Uncle Sirius and Uncle Remus."

"How come Professor Lupin didn't take you in?" Ginny asked.

Remus sighed. "I had no claim to him, Ginny. And the Ministry never would have granted me custody. I could barely support myself at the time and if they had found out that I was a werewolf on top of it..."

Harry stood up. "I'm going to grab a cup of tea."

Ginny made to go after him, but Sirius shook his head and followed his son into the kitchen. Harry was examining the rules on the wall, but not quite focusing on them. It had been a long time since he'd thought about the Dursleys and his life before his home. The feel of Sirius coming to stand behind him and the warm arm that draped over his shoulders, tugging him close, made him feel warm inside, cutting through the cold that had washed over him at the memory.

"I didn't mean to make you sad or to bring up bad memories, Prongslet."

Harry shook his head. "No, no, you didn't... I've... only Neville knows about the Dursleys and..."

"You should tell her," Sirius told him. "I know that's rich coming from me, but learn from my mistakes. Since I told Zee, my nightmares don't plague me as much and when they do, I can tell her about them and it's comforting. She comforts me. I know Ginny already does that for you. You should tell her about them."

"It doesn't matter, it was so long ago."

Sirius turned his head to press his lips to his son's forehead. "Time heals all wounds, Harry, but that doesn't mean that we don't remember the pain of getting them."

"I guess," Harry said. "It's just... I don't think about them. Not really. I haven't even had a bad dream about them in years."

"Doesn't mean you don't remember."

"Yeah," he said. "I suppose."

Sirius kissed his cheek. "You're so grown up, but I look at you sometimes and I still see that adorable chubby faced baby. I remember how scared you were when I found you. I remember the first time you hugged me, the first time you told me that you loved me... and I think back and I wonder what your life would have been like if I hadn't gone after Peter all those years ago. You would have come straight to us. Those asshats never would have set eyes on you."

Harry smiled. "It's okay, Uncle Padfoot. I never blamed you for that. You or Uncle Rem."

Sirius nodded. "You have a good heart, Prongslet. Maybe we should watch a memory or two tonight. What do you say?"

Harry hesitated but then he nodded. "You pick them."

"All right."

Harry followed his father back into the sunroom and watched as he made his way over to the Pensieve and the chest. "We decided to watch a memory or two."

Ginny waited until Harry sat down and then she sat in his lap and wrapped her arms around him. "You okay?"

"Never better."

She kissed his cheek, but kept her arms around him and he held her close, grateful for the warmth of her touch.

"Let's start with this one," Remus said, picking up a vial from the chest and pouring it into the Pensieve.

Sirius nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes," Remus said, his eyes on Harry. "I came to visit you once after your parents died, Harry. Petunia insisted that I leave and well, at the time, I thought it was for the best. Knowing now, I wish that I wouldn't have listened."

"It's okay, Uncle Rem. I never blamed you or Uncle Sirius for me being there."

Remus nodded and projected the memory out. Harry watched as Remus appeared at the end of a narrow street and slowly walked down the road, turning at the gate to Number Four Privet Drive. He was surprised that when the house came into view and within an instant, he recognized it; his stomach dropped.

"This was two weeks after everything… the funeral was over and Dumbledore had told me where he sent you and why he believed that it was the safest place for you, considering the circumstances. Sirius was in prison and… you were my only family left, Harry, and I wanted to just see you that day."

Harry nodded as he turned his attention back to the memory.

Remus dragged his fingers through his golden brown hair, shifting nervously in front of the door before he finally lifted his hand to knock.

The door opened and Petunia stood there, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Petunia, Remus Lupin," he said, extending his hand. "I was a friend of Lily and James. We met at their wedding."

Petunia merely stared at him. "You were in the wedding party."

Remus nodded, smiling. "I was. I wanted to check on Harry, see how he was adjusting to life with his aunt and uncle."

"He's fine." she said curtly, crossing her arms in front of her. "I don't really like unannounced visitors coming by the house. I'm trying to keep Dudders and our new guest on some form of schedule. It's not exactly easy to have two children under the age of two."

Remus nodded, sticking his hands in the pockets of his pants. "I understand. I'd just like to see Harry for a moment, just to make sure that he's all right?"

Petunia sighed before she nodded stiffly and opened the door wider, allowing for Remus to step inside. "Fine. But be quick about it."

Remus nodded as she closed the door behind him. He stood in the entranceway of the house just as the boy he was looking for came toddling out of the living room towards him, arms outstretched in joy.

"Uncamoo!" he shrieked, running into Remus' arms.

Remus' face broke out into his first smile in weeks as he scooped Harry up into his arms. He ruffled his black messy hair and kissed his chubby cheeks, hugging him close. He pulled back to grin at him and his eyes found the lightning bolt cut on his forehead. He gently brushed it with his finger and his eyes found Petunia's. "Is this where he —?"

Petunia nodded. "From what I understand yes. It doesn't seem to bother him."

Remus nodded. He knelt down on the floor, standing Harry in front of him and grinning at him. "I missed you, Harry. Do you like it here with your aunt and uncle?"

"No!" Harry said sternly, "Go! Moo! Padfoof!"

Tears welled up in Remus' eyes and he choked them back. "Afraid not, little Prongs. This is your new home now."

Harry crawled up his body, hanging off of his shoulder as he spoke. "No! Mumma! Da!"

Remus looked at Petunia and sighed. "I know that he's safest here with you, but hearing him… I want to keep him safe. If Voldemort ever truly does come back… we don't know for certain that he's gone and Harry could be in the most danger if he ever finds out that he's still alive."

"Uncamoo," he exclaimed, his hands moving across Remus' face, fingers in his mouth as he grabbed at Remus.

Remus merely grinned. He was the cutest kid. It still surprised him how much he had come to love this little boy. When he called him Uncle Moo in his baby talk of "uncamoo" his heart soared. Nothing made Harry happier than when Remus and Sirius came to visit and Sirius turned into a dog. The 'doggie' would make Harry giggle and laugh and Remus would hold his hands as he rode the dog around. Then Sirius would turn back and Harry would laugh, begging for the Siri to make the Padfoof come back.

"Do you have enough stuff for him? Clothes and whatnot?" he asked Petunia, holding Harry close again as he jabbered incoherent baby talk in his ear.

"Yes. From what I understand, the house is destroyed so I have whatever Dumbledore brought with him," she told him. She had moved to pick up her own son, who was trying to touch the vase full of flowers on the table. He was a chubby blond toddler who seemed to waddle as he walked.

"It was," Remus said. "I just want to make sure that he's well taken care of. He's a very special boy." He kissed Harry's forehead and Harry snuggled into his embrace.

"Slooch!" he said and Remus kissed him again.

"I'd… I'd like to come by and see him when I can. Maybe once every few weeks or so. I can tell him about his parents and spend time with him. Get to see him grow up and become the great wizard that I know he will be."

"No," Petunia said sternly, moving to place Dudley in the playpen she had set up and crossing her arms in front of her again. "Absolutely not."

"I'm sorry?" Remus asked in surprise.

"No," Petunia repeated. "I let you in today to say goodbye to him as a courtesy. I agreed to take the boy in for his own safety, but I won't have it in my house. No magic. No powers. No mention of an evil man who killed his parents. I will let him stay here with my husband and my son if, and only if, I can give him the chance of a normal childhood. No funny business. How am I supposed to do that if you come around here and tell him those things. Absolutely not. I forbid it."

Remus stood up, Harry still snuggled in his arms. "I get where you're coming from, Petunia but… my friends, my family are all gone. Harry is all I have left. I'd like to find a place in his life. Be the uncle to him that I was meant to be."

Petunia glared at him, her hands on her hips. "Then you can take him off of my hands. That's the only way that you can have contact with him."

"I can't take him," he said desperately.

"If you won't take him then that's it. Say goodbye."

Tears welled up in Remus' eyes. He understood what she wanted. It was safer for Harry if he had no contact; if no one magical even knew where he was. Dumbledore was right about that. This was Harry's family and they would take care of him. But the thought of leaving this little boy broke his heart.

But a broken heart was something that Remus Lupin was used to. He had already lost everything that mattered in his life: His parents, his best friends, his family. Losing Harry was in the best interest of keeping Harry safe and that's what truly mattered.

He kissed Harry's cheeks and then the lightning shaped cut on his forehead, holding him close for a hug as he spoke, "If I write to you, will you keep me informed on how he's doing?"

"No," Petunia said sternly. "Either take him with you or say goodbye."

Remus nodded, unshed tears in his eyes. He cuddled Harry close. Harry tugged on his hair and planted a wet kiss on his mouth before he sat him down on the ground.

"You'll take good care of him? Keep him safe?" Remus asked her as Harry tried to shimmy back up his leg.

"I will raise him to be normal," Petunia told him.

Remus nodded, wiping his tears away. "Thank you." He leaned down and kissed the top of Harry's head. "I love you, Harry. Be good for your Aunt Petunia. We'll meet again someday, I'm sure of it."

Harry began to cry and it took every ounce of will that Remus possessed to walk to the door as Harry screamed after him, tears pouring from his eyes.

"No! Moo! Go, Moo! Go! Uv, Moo!"

When Petunia closed the front door behind him, he stood on the front porch, tears pouring down his cheeks.

Harry would be safe. Nothing else in the world mattered, especially not the broken heart of a werewolf.

Harry stared at his father, the unshed tears glistening in Remus' eyes. "She wouldn't even let you write or visit?"

Remus shook his head. "That was one of the hardest things I have ever done, Harry. Knowing now what happened… I should have taken you and run, but I had no idea that they would mistreat you."

He nodded. He knew that, but he could see that it was obviously something that was still eating at Remus. Harry moved away from Ginny and over to hug his father tightly.

"But then you and Uncle Sirius gave me the best life I could ask for."

Remus kissed the top of his head, hugging him close. "I will still always regret leaving you that day, Harry. I love you very much."

"Love you too," Harry said into his father's shoulder as he held on.

Sirius wrapped his arms around Harry from behind, squishing him between his two fathers. "I want in on the hug!"

Harry laughed when they finally let him free, he turned to see Ginny grinning at him. He moved to sit back next to his girlfriend as Sirius put the memory back and chose another one.

"There's two more that I think that we should view today, if you're up for it?"

"Of course," Harry said, turning to Ginny, Zee, and Tonks. "You two don't mind?"

"Not if you'd like to share it with us," Zee said.

Remus took a seat in the armchair, smiling as his wife made herself comfortable in his lap. "Let's see them, Sirius."

Sirius projected the two memories up.

Sirius handed Harry the stuffed animal of a doe that he had purchased for him that day and smiled. "Harry, there's something very important that I want to talk to you about."

Harry snuggled the doe close to him, solemn green eyes on Sirius. "Okay."

"Your parents made me godfather of you which means that they wanted me to take care of you if something bad ever happened to them."

"Like a car crash?"

"Car crash?" Sirius asked, his eyes clouded in confusion.

Harry nodded. "Aunt Petunia said my mummy and daddy died in a car crash and they got landed with me."

Sirius pursed his lips. "No! No, Harry, that's not what happened." He ran his fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ears and turned to sit sideways on the couch so that he was facing his godson. He hadn't imagined that Harry didn't even know what had happened to his parents. "Your mummy and daddy were two of the bravest people I ever knew. But there was this bad man named Voldemort. He was an evil wizard, Harry. He hurt people and he came after your mummy and daddy."

Harry's eyes widened and his mouth opened slightly, but he didn't speak.

"James and Lily, your parents, they tried to hide from him so that they could keep you safe, but he found them. Your dad, he tried to protect you and your mum, but the bad wizard killed him and then he went after you and your mum. Your mummy and daddy tried to save you and the love your mummy and daddy had for you gave you protection from the bad wizard. But it didn't protect them and your mummy was killed too. This scar," Sirius said, gently pressing his finger to the lightning bolt, "is all you got when the bad wizard tried to kill you. Just this scar."

"Oh," Harry said quietly. "How did I get to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"

Sirius smiled, gently brushing Harry's hair out of his eyes. It pleased him not to see the boy flinch anymore, but his eyes still watched him warily as if he wasn't entirely sure if he trusted him completely. "I was so mad when I found out that your mummy and daddy had died. I knew someone had done something bad to find them because no one knew where they were hiding except for their friends. So Hagrid, a friend of ours, he took you somewhere safe and I tried to find out why your parents were killed. But I got tricked and then I had to get locked up. So Dumbledore brought you to your mum's sister, Petunia, and asked her to look after you."

"You got locked up? In a cupboard with no lights and lots of spiders?" Harry asked, his voice higher than usual.

"Kind of, yeah, but an important friend of mine, your Auntie Minnie," Sirius said, grinning as the words left his mouth. "She helped find out that I was tricked and got me released. So, I came to find you to see if maybe you liked living with your Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon or if maybe you wanted to come live with me instead?"

"Live with you?" Harry asked, his eyes wide. "Live here?"

Sirius nodded, smiling at Harry, tugging him up into his lap. "Would you like to stay here with me, Harry?"

Harry smiled up at him, his bright eyes full of trust as he nodded. "Yes, please. I'll try not to be ungrateful."

"Shh, I don't want to hear you say that. I am so grateful that I have you here with me." He kissed the top of Harry's head, smiling when Harry leaned back against him. "Harry, can you do something for me though?"

Harry turned to look at him, his eyes wide as he nodded.

Sirius gently ran his fingers through the thick mess of hair. "Can you tell me how you got those marks on your back? The ones that no one was supposed to see." As Harry trembled, Sirius pulled him closer, hugging him. "I promise no one will ever hurt you like that again, Harry. You're safe here. But you have to tell me what happened so I can make sure that no one ever hurts you again."

Harry's arms wrapped around Sirius' neck and he held on as Sirius gently ran his hands over Harry's shoulders and the top of his back. They sat like that so long that Sirius was convinced that he wasn't going to talk to him, but then he heard the whisper near his ear.

"I burned the bacon because Ripper chased me up a tree."

"Who's Ripper?"

"Aunt Marge's dog. He's a bad dog. Not like you. You're a good dog. He doesn't like anyone but Aunt Marge. She told him to eat me so I ran because he wanted the bacon. I climbed up the tree and Uncle Vernon shook the tree so hard I fell out. I hurt my arm," Harry said, holding his arm as if it still hurt.

Sirius took hold of the arm Harry was holding and gently kissed the spot where Harry was rubbing and Harry gave him a sweet smile.

"Aunt Marge grabbed my hurt arm and pulled me inside the house. She ripped off her belt and gave it to Uncle Vernon. She said that I needed to be taught how to be a good boy, how to behave proper. Then she held me down on the chair and Uncle Vernon hit me. I cried and she hit my cheek," Harry said, tears in his eyes as Sirius kissed the cheek tenderly.

"I tried not to cry, but it hurt so bad. And Aunt Marge told Uncle Vernon that he wasn't hitting me very hard so he hit me again and again and then Aunt Petunia came in and she screamed. She pushed Aunt Marge away and pulled me off the chair and into the bathroom She cleaned my cuts and she made me promise never to tell anyone what happened. She said that Uncle Vernon would be so mad if I told. Then she made me go to my cupboard and she locked me inside. She didn't let me come out for breakfast. I had to go pee on my bed," he said, blushing and tears in his eyes. "Aunt Petunia was mad."

"Who's Aunt Marge, Harry?" Sirius asked, feeling slightly relieved that Petunia had at least seen the horror in what her husband had done, at least in terms of embarrassment rather than actual concern, but still angry because she had done nothing to stop it and had locked her nephew in a cupboard to starve him and make him sit in his own filth for Merlin knew how long as if it had been his fault that he was beaten.

"Uncle Vernon's sister. She says I'm an ungrateful little brat who deserves rotten shite. Aunt Petunia got mad when I asked what rotten shite was."

Sirius nodded, hoping Harry couldn't feel the anger from him. "It's not very nice, Harry. Did — did Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon lock you in your cupboard a lot?"

"Uh-huh. Uncle Vernon locked the door every night after supper and I never get out until it was time for breakfast. Aunt Petunia gives me five minutes to use the toilet and then I have to make breakfast. But don't burn the bacon or no toast for me," Harry told him solemnly. "I'm sad when I don't get toast, then my tummy hurts."

"Did you get a lot of food, Harry? I mean, what did you eat at Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon's house?"

Harry shrugged. "If I burnt the food I got to eat that because I'm trash so I can eat the trash. Sometimes warm bread and chunks of cheese. One time I ate a strawberry," Harry said, his voice full of wonder as if a strawberry was the most magical thing he could imagine. "And when I fell at school and hurt my knee, Miss Emily gave me a red lolly."

"Prongslet, look at me," Sirius said, waiting until Harry's eyes fell on him. "You are not trash. You are a very special, incredibly loved little boy who deserves nothing but the best in life. I want you to remember that."

Harry nodded. "Okay."

"Harry, did Uncle Vernon ever hurt you again after that day with Aunt Marge?"

Harry wrinkled his nose. "Sometimes when I ask a question he holds my neck like this." He reached forward and put his small hand on Sirius neck, trying to wrap his hand around it. "He holds me up and it hurts and I can't breathe. Sometimes he just lets go or he throws me in my cupboard or against the wall. It always hurts so I don't ask questions."

"You can ask me a million questions every day if you want to," Sirius told him, kissing Harry's forehead.

Harry reached up to touch Sirius' lips with his fingertips, jolting when Sirius kissed the fingertips. "Why do you put your lips on me?"

Sirius' heart broke a little as he kissed his forehead again. "That's a kiss," he kissed Harry's hand and smiled at him. "It means I love you. Sometimes it makes a hurt go away, sometimes it just means hello or goodbye, but it always means I love you."

Harry smiled and gently placed his lips on Sirius' cheek. "Like that?"

Tears welled up in Sirius' eyes as he remembered how freely Harry had planted big wet kisses on all of them as a baby. Remus, James, Lily and Peter — slooch — he would say before planting a big wet one on the side of your face or on your mouth. And now, the poor boy didn't even know what it was.

"Exactly like that, Harry, slooch," he said smiling. "That's what you used to call them when you were a baby."

"Why?" Harry asked, eyes full of bewilderment. "Slooch?"

"Smooch," Sirius said with a smile. "It's another word for kisses and your mum used to always say that she wanted smoochies and you couldn't say that so you said slooch." He told him.

Harry gently placed a kiss on Sirius' cheek and smiled. "Slooch, Uncle Padfoot."

Sirius kissed his cheek in turn. "Back at you, Prongslet."

The fireplace glowed green and Harry's grip tightened around his neck. Sirius gently ran a hand down his back. "It's okay, it's just the Floo, remember the spinning?"

Harry grinned at the memory, holding onto Sirius as he stood up and a tall, thin man with a long white beard stepped out of the fireplace.

"Albus!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect you."

Dumbledore nodded, gently dusting off his robes. "I know, but I wanted to tell you in person about my day at the Ministry. Hello, Harry."

Harry buried his face in Sirius' shoulder.

Sirius gently rubbed his back and carefully sat him down on the couch, slightly flattered when Harry attempted to hold on before agreeing to sit by himself. "Harry, this is Professor Dumbledore. He's the Headmaster of Hogwarts. It's the school where me and your parents and Uncle Moony went. Can you say hi?"

"Hello, Sir," Harry said quietly, grabbing the stuffed doe and holding it close again.

Dumbledore smiled warmly, his eyes twinkling in such a friendly manner that Harry smiled back. "Hello, Harry, it's nice to see you again. And what's that you're holding so closely?"

"A doe. Her name's Lily."

Sirius smiled and shrugged at Dumbledore. "Lily's Patronus was a doe and James' was a stag, I thought that he'd like to have the stuffed animals as a reminder, you know?" When Dumbledore nodded, he crossed his arms. "So, what's going on? Did you go to the Ministry of Magic?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I did. I explained to Cornelius that Petunia Dursley had been granted custody of Harry due to her being his only blood relative and that the guardian chosen by his parents had been wrongfully imprisoned. Now that you have been declared innocent and all charges have been dropped and expunged from your record. You are now his legal guardian and therefore should be able to gain status. Cornelius explained how it would be a simple switch, and in less than twenty four hours, you would be able to claim sole custody."

"What did he say about how Harry was treated?" Sirius asked, his eyes on Dumbledore. "I wasn't kidding, Albus. I want them punished."

"I understand, Sirius, and that part is going to take a little longer. I did receive a copy of his medical chart from Healer Althea Castellanos this afternoon. The welts on his back and the malnutrition aside, you have further proof of his mistreatment?"

Sirius nodded. "He just told me some of it before you arrived. Physical and psychological abuse; reminds me of home. Thank Merlin they're Muggles because if they had access to the Cruciatus they probably would have used that too."

"Sirius, no one would use that on a child," Dumbledore said sternly, his eyes dark with rage. "Don't even joke about that."

Sirius thought it was probably best not to tell Dumbledore just how often Walburga Black used that particular method as a form of punishment when he had been a child. "Right, anyway, what's happening?"

"The Auror Department is looking into the case under the guidance of Cornelius' department. The more facts we have, the more crimes we can pin to them. But Alastor says that they can be fined and possibly be looking at time in prison if we push for it."

"Azkaban?" Sirius asked hopefully, an image of that whale cowering under the Dementors alone in a dark cell more pleasing to the eye than it should have been.

"Not likely," Dumbledore told him. "A Muggle prison. Alastor plans to present the case to the Muggle law enforcers and then have them follow up on the case. He'll twist it so that no one will come looking for Harry or looking into where he is now. But they will be punished."

Harry had stood up now, grabbing Sirius' hand and squeezing it. "I have to go to pee."

Sirius smiled and lifted Harry off of the couch. "I told you, little man, you don't have to ask. Go on." Harry hurried up the stairs as Sirius watched him go, turning back to Dumbledore. "They denied him bathroom rights, Albus. So much so that he wet the bed his first night here because he was terrified to go to the toilet without permission. And then he was terrified that I would shove his face into his soiled sheets. That shouldn't be a fear."

"No," Dumbledore said, his voice sad. "It shouldn't be. Sirius, I know that you don't want to hear it, but I am very sorry I ever placed Harry there. I thought as his mother's sister, she would protect him and treat him like her nephew if not her own child. At the time, I thought that it was the best choice for the child."

"Sometimes, Albus, your choices are shit. You should have given him to Remus."

Dumbledore nodded. "I'm an old man, Sirius, and sometimes those choices are indeed shit." He reached for the Floo powder and looked around the cottage. "It's very nice here. The wards are strong and it feels well protected. If you ever need anything for Harry, please don't hesitate to ask."

"Thanks," Sirius told him as he watched him vanish into the flames.

The memory dissolved and swirled and changed to once again be in the living room of Black Cottage. Harry was sitting on the couch, his stuffed dog held tightly in his arms and his bright green eyes watching Remus.

"This was only a few days later," Remus told him. "You still didn't trust me yet, not as much as Sirius."

Ginny's hand grabbed Harry's as the memory of Remus spoke.

"So, Harry, what would you like to do today?" Remus asked, sitting down on the couch next to him.

Harry shifted just slightly away from him and shrugged.

Remus smiled warmly at him, trying to ignore the ache in his heart at the thought of Harry moving himself away even only a little. "Is that Padfoot in your arms?"

Harry nodded, smiling.

"Aren't you going to talk to me today, Harry?" Remus asked him, still smiling. "If I don't know what you want to do, how are we supposed to have fun together?"

Harry bit his lip and then he spoke softly. "I like your stories, Uncle Moony."

Remus smiled. He did love stories and sharing them with the adorable little boy in front of him was one of his favourite past times. Then he grinned to himself. He had the perfect idea.

"I have an idea, Harry. Would you like to go on a little adventure for stories with me?"

"For stories?" Harry asked, his eyes wide.

Remus nodded. "Yes." He stood up and offered his hand out. "Do you want to come with me?"

Harry stared at him for a moment and then he placed his hand in Remus' and stood up. "Okay."

Remus pointed to the fireplace. "We're going to have to use the Floo to get there. Uncle Sirius said that you like the Floo."

"It spins!" Harry exclaimed, grinning.

Remus grabbed the notepad on the top of the fireplace and scribbled a quick note to Sirius letting him know that they would be back before dinner and then he smiled at Harry, bending down and holding his arms out. "Come on then."

Harry's eyes stayed on his as he let Remus pick him up, the dog still snug in his arms. He was shifted onto the man's hip and he wrapped his arms around him, the stuffed animal smushed between them as they stepped into the fireplace.

"Hold on tight, Harry."

Then there was a whoosh and they appeared in The Leaky Cauldron. Remus dusted both of them off, said hello to the barman, and headed out to Muggle London with Harry still in his arms.

"Have you ever ridden the tube, Harry?"

Harry shook his head as Remus carried him down into the subway station, placing his money in the slot and leading him towards the train in the London Underground.

"It goes very fast," Remus told him as they took their seat on the train. There was only one seat available so Remus carefully sat Harry on his lap, keeping his arms around the boy's waist.

Harry looked around at the people in interest. A very large man came through the doors and shoved his way through the crowd. Harry stiffened and he moved closer to Remus, turning his head into his chest.

Remus gently ran his hands along his back. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe with me, I promise."

Harry looked up at him, his bright green eyes grateful, and Remus smiled at him.

"Look, here we go!"

The train started to move and Harry's eyes flew to the windows, trying to see the objects as they flew by. They were on the train for less than ten minutes before Remus stood up, his arms holding Harry on his hip as they headed out of the station and headed to the Paddington Library.

Remus put Harry back on his own feet as they stepped inside the library, holding his hand out so that Harry would take it, smiling when the small hand fit into his own. "This is a magical place full of stories. It's called a library, Harry. Have you ever been to one before?"

Harry shook his head, his eyes wide as he looked around at all of the books.

Remus smiled. "This is the place of thousands of stories. Come on; let's go see what we can find."

Harry nodded and eagerly followed him to the children's section. Remus took a seat on the floor in front of one of the shelves and gestured for Harry to do the same. Harry sat down next to him and folded his hands into his lap.

"You can look at any book you want. Which one appeals to you, Harry?"

Harry's eyes fell onto a hardcover book with green writing and he pointed to it.

"Go on," Remus urged, smiling when Harry slowly and carefully pulled it down from the shelf as if it was made of precious glass. He showed it to Remus with a smile. "The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame," Remus read.

"There's a frog fishing next to a… rat and a… a…"

"Badger," Remus supplied with a smile as Harry carefully opened the book, coming across a full picture of a little house and a map showing the forest.

"There's a mole too and he's wearing a coat," Harry told him.

Remus smiled. "He sure is."

Harry held the book out to Remus. "Can you read it to me, Uncle Moony? Please, Uncle Remus?"

Remus smiled, surprised at the way that Harry had interchanged his name. "I'd be happy to. But before I do that, let's keep exploring for more books." He took the book from Harry and placed it on the ground next to them. "Because do you know what the amazing thing about a library is?"

Harry shook his head. "No. What?"

"You can pick as many stories as you want and we can bring them home and read them."

"I can take them back to Uncle Padfoot's house?"

Remus nodded, smiling at him. "You can take them home and then after you read them, we can bring them back and you can trade them for new stories. What do you think?"

Harry's eyes brightened. "Let's find more stories, Uncle Moony."

Remus grinned. "Sounds like a good idea to me."

Thirty minutes later, Harry had made his way around the library with glee and Remus was holding ten books in his arms. He smiled at the excitement in Harry's eyes as he realized how many books that he would be taking home with him.

Remus led him to the front desk and they signed up Harry for his very own library card. Harry stared at the card with his name on it in awe and thanked the lady when she handed it to him.

"Your son is so polite," the librarian said to Remus.

"Oh, he's not —"

"— And so well behaved," she continued with a smile. "I hope you enjoy your stories, Harry."

Harry beamed at her as Remus thanked the librarian, placing the books in his bag and taking Harry's hand in his own.

"Where would you like to go next, Harry? Are you hungry?"

Harry shook his head. "May I please have a drink of water?"

"Absolutely," Remus said, smiling. They headed to a small coffee shop in the station and Remus pointed at the menu boards. "You can have anything you'd like, little Prongs. You can have water or chocolate milk or maybe some juice or some lemonade? What would you like?"

Harry stared at him in wonder. "I can choose?"

Remus nodded, taking his wallet out of his back pocket. "Of course you can."

"Chocolate milk please," Harry said with a smile as they approached the counter and Remus ordered two small chocolate milks and added two chocolate biscuits along with it.

He led Harry over to one of the tables and they took their seats. He opened the milk and put a straw in it, handing it across the table with the biscuit and smiled.

"I'm a big fan of chocolate myself," he told him as he broke off a piece of the double chocolate biscuit and took a bite. "And this is chocolate paradise."

Harry licked his lips, breaking off a piece of the biscuit to try it and he smiled. "Mmm, chocolate paradise."

Remus chuckled as he opened his own chocolate milk. "So Harry, do you like living with Uncle Sirius?"

Harry nodded, his eyes wide. "He's nice. He turns into a big dog. And he plays with me and he makes Sirius' Grilled Cheese Perfection. He smells like a forest."

Remus smiled at the description. Sirius did often smell rather woodsy and a bit like leather. It was a mix of the soap he used and the jacket that he always wore and Harry obviously found it soothing. "He's pretty great. He's my best friend."

"Uncle Sirius said my dad was his best friend." Harry told him as he reached for another piece of biscuit, looking to Remus to make sure that he was allowed.

Remus pushed the biscuit towards Harry with a smile. "We were all best friends. Me, Sirius, and your dad. I've known them since I was eleven years old. How do you like your room?"

"It's big! And I have my own bed with a red blanket with a lion on it. Uncle Padfoot said its Gryffindor. And there's a poster on the wall of people flying on broomsticks and it moves!" Harry told him, bouncing in his chair as he spoke. "The picture moves, Uncle Moony!"

"It does? Are you sure?" Remus asked him, finishing up his chocolate milk and pushing the rest of the biscuit towards Harry.

Harry nodded eagerly. "It does! Uncle Padfoot said that he was going to show me how to fly on a broomstick, but I have to get bigger first."

"It sounds like you are making it a home," he said, smiling. "I'm glad to hear it. Maybe sometimes, you can come visit me at my home."

"Why?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well, so we can play and have fun together like we did today."

"Okay." he said with a smile. He finished his biscuit and drank all of his milk and then looked at Remus beneath his lashes, a small smile on his face. "Uncle Moony?"

"Yes, little Prongs?"

Harry's grin widened at the nickname and then he looked more serious as his fingers picked at the jeans that he was wearing. "Is Uncle Padfoot going to keep me forever?"

"Keep you forever?" Remus asked, his eyebrow raising in question. "What do you mean by that, Harry?"

Harry shrugged, his eyes looking up at Remus. "He won't send me back?"

Remus sighed and gestured for Harry to come close to him. "Come here, little Prongs."

Harry hopped off of his chair and moved to stand in front of Remus.

"Will you sit with me?" Remus asked him. Harry nodded and Remus picked him up, sitting him on his knee. "Uncle Sirius and I… we both love you so much. You are the most important little boy in the world to us. We want you to be safe and to be happy and we would never send you away. Never," he promised him.

Harry was staring at him, eyes wide and Remus leaned down and gently kissed his forehead. Harry flinched, but then he threw his arms around him and hugged him. Remus hugged him back, blinking back tears.

"Thank you," Harry said against his shoulder.

"You're welcome, little Prongs. What are you thanking me for?"

Harry kept his head on his shoulder as he spoke. "You don't want to send me away."

"Never," Remus said with a smile. "I love you and Uncle Sirius loves you and we will always be there for you. Always."

Harry pressed his lips to Remus' cheek and gave him a small smile. "Slooch, Uncle Moony."

Remus laughed. "That's what you used to say when you were a baby. But I loved your slooches then and I love them now."

Harry reached up and tentatively brushed his fingers across the faded scar on Remus' left cheek. "You have a big scar."

Remus nodded, letting out a slow breath. "I have a lot of scars, Harry."

Harry touched the one on Remus' eyebrow carefully. "And another one here," he said, pushing his own hair back to show Remus the lightning bolt on his forehead. "I have a scar too."

Remus smiled at him. "Yes, you do." He leaned in and pressed his lips to the lightning bolt, smiling.

Harry beamed at him and kissed the scar on Remus' cheek. "We're the same."

Remus bit lip as it trembled. This little boy, this precious little boy was beaming at him and Remus felt his heart expand with love. He would never let anyone hurt him ever again.

"Yeah, little Prongs, we're the same."

And then he wrapped his arms around the child and tried not to cry.

Tonks climbed off her husband's lap as the memory dissolved and walked across the room to plant a kiss on Harry's forehead. "You were the most incredible child. He needed you as much as you needed him, you know that, right?"

Harry smiled at her. "They're pretty great dads."

Sirius and Remus both grinned at him.

Zee cleared her throat. "They beat you and starved you? They were the worst sort of Muggles imaginable… darling, I'm so sorry."

Harry shrugged, sighing as his girlfriend hugged him. "It was a long time ago, I barely even remember it much anymore."

"Harry... I always knew that something had happened. You were afraid of my dad and he's the most gentle soul I know. But I never imagined…" Ginny trailed off.

He shrugged. "I don't really remember most of it. Just sometimes it comes to me in flashes or in my dreams."

Ginny leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips, not caring that they were in the sunroom surrounded by his parents. "You are so loved."

Sirius grinned widely. "She's right. Ginny is a keeper, Harry."

"Actually she's a Chaser, Uncle Siri."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Haha. You're hilarious."

Harry grinned sheepishly. "I learned my jokes from you."

"Brat," Sirius said affectionately. He turned to Ginny, "Did you ever see the picture of Harry in the princess dress? The pink frilly one with all the tulle?"

"There's more than one dress?" she asked, her eyes dancing in laughter.

"Oh, yeah, I transfigured all of his clothes into dresses once and he didn't even flinch."

Ginny turned to grin at Harry. "Tulle? I need to see this."

"Sirius, do you still have the one of him running around naked just after he learned how to walk? You know the one where James covers his bits in a towel and he rips it off to expose himself?" Remus asked with a wicked grin. "Now that's an embarrassing photo!"

He groaned and buried his face in Ginny's neck. "What did I do to deserve this?"

But he was grinning as Sirius pulled out the photos and he thought that despite the occasional embarrassment, he had a pretty great life and he wouldn't change any of it. Not even the bad stuff.