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.

256. The One Where They Celebrate Christmas W

Author's Note:

I wanted to first apologize for the delay. With everything that is going on lately in the world, with COVID, and the holidays coming up, I feel like my own mental well being as of late as just been hard to grasp. I'm so mentally drained that I haven't even found the motivation to write. The last month to month and a half just seems to be like one big rollercoaster that I want to get off, but can't find the stop switch. Working as an essential worker in all of this has been a task in itself. Dealing with rude people and people who won't follow simple public health guidelines like wearing a mask is stressful. I'm doing my best to stay safe under the guidelines set forth by the Canadian government and I see it like this — if I can wear a mask for 8 hours a day, six days a week since March to keep me and you safe, someone else can put one on to come into a store for the 30 minutes maximum you'll be in there. I guess just dealing with all of this as of late has been a stress I hadn't realized was accumulating. With the holidays coming up and realizing who we will and won't see for Christmas is something else as well. It's hard all around and I know many people don't even have it as good as I do. Thank you to those who have been so understanding.

I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Queen Helen who was the very first person to leave a review for A Second Chance back in May of 2018. This queen recently reviewed again and I hadn't heard from them since about chapter 30-ish so it was a pleasant surprise. I just wanted to say thank you and that I hope people like you continue to read and enjoy my story as much as I enjoy writing it. Thank you.

Reviews and Comments: To LifeonEarth: Back to being the first review, that's nice to see! As to Theo finding out, he will, just not yet, he has too much going on right now. Snape is an asshole, but I always think that he is more grey than black and that's where he becomes interesting, trying to see where he will go and what he will do and how much we can really trust him. To coloredwords: The thought of Harry defeating Voldemort by shoving his wand up his nose would be hilarious, thank you for that image! To scrappy8: Thank you and yes, Arthur is right, that baby will be spoiled. To Nightwing2013: We need some fluff and I love writing it. Some heartwarming family moments also included. To tanuskagina11: They will all get some happiness and yes, everything will fall down again as well. To Dianne: Ron was there, but we'll see more of his thoughts on Aydin later. As to Finn giving Theo forget-me-nots the first time, it may have played a thought in my plots. Harry didn't react because Zee was holding onto him and he was more concerned about her.

To JamesBaines1: Thank you. I'm enjoying these Dumbledore lessons with more to come. To alix33: The Weasleys' reaction to Aydin was fun, thank you. To Seriously Sam: Andy for the win most definitely. Haha, just the thought of Dumbledore saying 'hold my beer' is funnier than it should be. To pix25: Molly is too happy to have an adorable new baby in her life to care about the rest. To tim2604: Charlie will definitely be an amazing dad and thank you. I really struggled with finding a way to show Dumbledore's power and I wanted him to be powerful yet academically clever in a way that we wouldn't expect. To Tiegdalewills15: Five Galleon bet on Zee giving birth this chapter… pay up ;) To Mackie919: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying it. To Wolf's scream: No, Snape definitely doesn't like to be proven wrong. To Queen Raja: I don't know what that means as I've never seen Avatar nor have any desire to see Avatar. To Steelcode: Sirius Squad, how cute. To JamesTKent: It will take time for Theo to get over Finn. To Maya: No, Sirius is dead.

To ManyGrey: Welcome back! I've missed you. To Bumlewis: If they weren't getting interrupted, where would be the fun? Snape is definitely jealous that someone else figured out how to remove the Dark Mark and didn't inform him. I just loved the idea of Ginny and Arthur going to meet Aydin first, it just fit for me. To Queen Helen: Please go back and read the whole story. To Julia: Remus is cool like that. He remembers being young. To xXQueenofDragonsXx: I'm glad you like the bet and the father-daughter bonding time. To AnAussieDownUnder: Gamma definitely wants to hold her and soon. To Leapyearbaby29: BFE is best friend emergency card, it was explained in the last chapter. To PurpleLotus: It will be soon for Zee and yes, she is horribly uncomfortable. To Jmcglynn522: I think you're right, Snape does care more about those children than he's willing to admit and he does feel helpless. I like the idea of him asking Dumbledore to remove his mark and being told it was impossible. To GryffindorHealer: The outsiders always see more clearly than those right there.

This chapter is a bit long!

Oh, and Happy Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy Boxing Day! Happy whatever holiday you choose to celebrate or not to celebrate! Thank hurrah 2020 is almost over!

My posting schedule: Once a week (usually).

Thanks to Dusk for her amazing 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 FIFTY-SIX:

Seamus stepped out of the fireplace into Dean's flat on Christmas Eve with a big grin on his face. He immediately found his arms full of Sunshine Thomas and he hugged her tight, laughing when she covered his face in kisses.

"Merciful Zeus, Mum, let him breathe!" Dean exclaimed, leaning against the doorframe of the living room with his hands in his pockets.

"Dean, I love you, but I think your mum and I need to run off together, don't we, darling?"

Sunshine laughed up-roaringly. "I'm all yours, Finnigan."

Seamus grinned and kissed her cheek before he moved to tug his boyfriend forward to kiss him deeply. "Happy Christmas, Dean."

"Happy Christmas, Seam," he said, kissing him again. "Mum's so excited about your gift."

Sunshine clapped her hands together. "You boys are going to absolutely love this!"

Seamus held Dean's hand in his as he looked over at the Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. Next to the tree was a two meter ceramic vase in the shape of a penis.

"Shit, you weren't lying!"

Sunshine clasped her hands together as her grin widened. "Oh, shush you two, it's hilarious!"

Seamus had to agree. The balls worked as a base for the huge phallic cylinder that stood up. It was the colour of regular clay at the moment, but still looked rather incredible. The round head had a hole big enough for a man's fist on the top.

"Dean probably already told you about it, but I thought that it would be fun if the three of us could decorate it together! I have the perfect flowers for you to put in it. Nice tall ones that will look great coming out the top."

Seamus couldn't stop himself; he laughed. It was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever seen and he absolutely loved it. "It's brilliant, Sunny. You know me so well."

Sunshine kissed his cheek and smiled at her son. "Dean, get out the paints. It's time for some art!"

Two hours later, Seamus thought that they'd done a pretty good job. Sunshine convinced them to paint it bright ocean blue and then they'd painted geometric patterns all over it in dark purple, bright greens, and Gryffindor red. Black vertical lines separated each pattern and when it was done, it was colourful and bright.

"Perfect! I'll put a sealant on it and then it will be good to go. Do you like it?"

"It's bloody brilliant," Seamus admitted. "I can't wait to put it in the dorm and see what the other blokes say. What do you think, Dean? Won't it look great by the window?"

Dean rolled his eyes. "Mum, why do you encourage him?"

Sunshine laughed. "Because he appreciates my artistic flare! That's a Sunshine Dusk Thomas original! Now, come on, let's clean up. Auntie M and Gramma River should be over soon for dinner. How's your family, Seamus? Dean says that Katie is getting married."

Seamus nodded as they began to clean up the paint. "She is. I left them wedding planning. Mam is through the roof in excitement. Darcy is going to be a bridesmaid and Katie wants me to be a groomsman. Jason is a nice bloke, for an American."

Sunshine smiled. "And how are you parents? How's the pub?"

"All good," he said.

It wasn't long before Dean's aunt and grandmother showed up and they were eating buffet style a smorgasbord of food and telling stories. Meadow spoke about the Ministry and how everyone was wearing a black armband in grief for the Deputy Minister. They played charades, laughing as they tried to guess. It was almost ten when Dean stood up and told his mum that he and Seamus were going to his room.

"Use protection!" Sunshine called out, making Seamus blush red.

"Bloody hell, Mum! Do you think that we're going to go in there and shag with you lot sitting out here?" Dean exclaimed, slamming his bedroom door behind him. "I'm sorry about her."

Seamus laughed. "She's kind of amazing."

"Bloody embarrassing is what she is," Dean said, throwing himself onto his bed. "An absolute menace to society!"

Seamus crawled onto the bed with him. "But I think that we have permission to shag."

Dean rolled his eyes. "Not the point, Seam."

"Your mum didn't even blink an eye when you told her that we were dating."

Dean sighed, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and snuggling him into his chest. "Mum is all love is love and you can love whoever you want. She always says sexuality is fluid, plus she claims that she knew that I fancied you for years."

He grinned and kissed him. "Smart woman. You're lucky to have her."

"I know," Dean said. "I never did hear back from Kellan Morgan."

Seamus brushed his fingers over Dean's lips. "He doesn't deserve to know you."

Dean nodded. He mostly agreed, but he couldn't stop the thoughts from running through his mind. Maybe he didn't say enough in his letter. He hadn't shared anything about himself, hoping to do so in person, maybe Morgan wanted to know more before meeting him? What had Dean done for Morgan to cancel their meeting? What hadn't he done? Why didn't this man even want to meet him? Why had he abandoned him, yet again? It hurt and he was afraid that if he let himself in, let himself give this man a chance, he could get hurt all over again. He didn't need a father. He had his mum and his aunt and his grandmother. They were all he'd ever needed.

Seamus kissed his cheek. "Stop thinking so much. You don't need him, love."

"I know. Hey, West Ham has a game coming up the Saturday before we go back to school. If I can convince Mum to get us tickets, will you come with me?"

Seamus rolled his eyes. "How you became so attached to Muggle football is beyond me."

Dean grinned. "Because I would play it with some of the Muggle kids when Mum was selling her art in the Brick Lane Market. I made friends. I went to games. I joined a football league. Mum sold most of her art to Muggles."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Seamus said, making his boyfriend chuckle.

Dean leaned in to kiss him. "You love it. Now, you have to be home at eleven?"

Seamus nodded. "Yes. Mam says that we can't miss midnight mass and she has to make sure that I'm all trussed up properly to her specifications. Last year she made me wear a top hat."

Dean chuckled. "I'd like to see you in a top hat."

"I had to wear tails, Dean. It was over the top," Seamus insisted.

Dean nipped at his lips. "I bet you looked handsome."

Seamus shrugged. "I looked bloody fantastic, that's not the point."

Dean chuckled and leaned in to kiss him again, covering his body with Seamus'. He thought that no matter how embarrassing his mum was, he was still grateful that she let him have some alone time with his boyfriend.

Especially for a really good snog.

Then he lost himself in Seamus' lips and felt like it was the start of a really great Christmas.

~ ASC ~

Once everyone settled in over the big news of Charlie having a daughter, Christmas Eve continued on the same as usual. They ate, chatted, listened to some Christmas music (including Celestina Warbeck who Fleur did not like and made her dislike for the singer quite clear) and everyone opened one gift. Molly opened hers first and when she found the handheld mirror, she smiled in puzzlement.

"Thank you, Fred, George, it's lovely."

Charlie opened the same and frowned. "I kind of get the mirror for Mum, but do you blokes think I check myself out on the reserve? I'm not as vain as Bill."

"Oi!" Bill exclaimed, making a rude hand gesture at his brother.

"Bill!" Fleur said, elbowing her fiancé. "Don't be rude!"

Molly gave Fleur a look of approval. "Thank you, Fleur."

George smiled. "As much as I love the idea of you checking yourself out on the reserve, fixing your hair for the dragons — it's not a bloody looking glass."

Charlie inspected the mirror more closely. "Then you lost me."

Fred tapped the mirror that Molly was holding. "Mum, look into the mirror and say Charlie's name."

Molly looked apprehensive but she did as her son asked and Charlie jolted when the mirror vibrated in his hand.

He looked down and smiled. "Hi, Mum."

Molly's face lit up. "Is this… I can communicate with him?"

Fred nodded. "Ron gave us the idea. Sirius Black and James Potter invented them back when they were at school. Harry's had one for years and we decided to cater to it. You can call Charlie whenever you want and you'll be able to see Aydin through the mirror and Charlie can call you and Dad whenever he'd like."

"We thought it would make Charlie feel a bit closer to home," George explained.

Tears welled up in Molly's eyes as she jumped to her feet, pulling Fred and George into her embrace. "Oh, you boys!" She covered their faces in kisses until they groaned for her to stop. "I'm so proud of the both of you. I'm sorry that I didn't support you in the beginning."

George kissed her cheek. "We know, Mum. And we love you, too."

Molly hugged them both tightly again before Charlie thanked them for the gift. Fred explained to everyone that they were selling the products in January and how it would be called VainMuch.

"We're selling them in pairs, already connected, and it will be a five Galleon fee for any additional mirror to be connected to another. Both parties will have to be present as well with their mirrors that way no one will be able to contact a complete stranger," Fred explained.

"These are truly brilliant," Bill agreed as he examined Charlie's mirror. "You two are going to make a fortune on these.

Angelina slipped her arm through George's. "Don't tell them that, Bill. Their egos are already too big."

Everyone laughed and more gifts were exchanged. When midnight hit, Molly and Arthur finally went up to bed and urged them all not to stay up too late. Bill opened a bottle of Firewhiskey once Molly and Arthur went upstairs and poured everyone a drink.

"Let's all have a toast tonight to a happy Christmas."

"Happy Christmas!" they all cheered, clinking glasses.

Ginny grimaced slightly as she sipped hers, the burn both nice and awful on her throat, despite the smooth taste.

Percy turned to Charlie, his glass in his hand. Aydin was sleeping once more in her papa's arms and looked perfectly content. "I still can't believe that you have a baby. I never would have expected that from you."

Charlie raised an eyebrow. "No matter how responsible you are, Perce, accidents happen. And this little angel, she's the best accident I could ever imagine. She's a gift."

"Percy is still having his head blown over the whole ninety-seven percent effective knowledge," Ron teased.

"Well, ickle Ronnikins should know about that ninety-seven percent now that he's got himself a proper bird. Wouldn't want a second grandchild for Mum and Dad just yet, would we?" Fred teased.

Ron stuck his tongue out at him as Percy's head shot up.

"Who are you dating?" Percy demanded.

The back of Ron's ears flushed. "Who's the girl you've been seeing, then?"

Percy stuck his nose up. "That is no one's business but mine."

"Boys," Ginny said in a spot on imitation of Molly. When her brothers all turned to her, she smiled. "Since Ron won't say it, Ron and Hermione finally realized that they're bonkers for each other."

"That's not — we're not bonkers for each other!" Ron exclaimed.

Theo, who had been sitting quietly amidst the sibling bickering, spoke up. "Considering the two of you could pretty much light a torch when you entered a room, I'd say bonkers about cuts it."

"Well said," Fred exclaimed before he turned his back on them. He wrapped his arms around himself and proceeded to make kissing noises obnoxiously.

Angelina chose that moment to return from the kitchen. "Fred, I didn't realize that you were that desperate for a girlfriend. Should we leave you and yourself alone?"

Fred winked. "No. You can stay and watch if you'd like."

Ron made a gagging sound and Bill smacked his shoulder.

"You and Hermione, eh? Why didn't you say something?"

"I was going to," Ron said, glaring at Fred. "But someone felt the need to let everyone know first."

"Technically it was me," Ginny said.

Ron rolled his eyes. "But Fred started it."

"Is this a competition on who did what?" Charlie asked. "Because I'd be happy to share that time Bill broke Mum's lamp from Auntie Muriel and let Fred take the blame for it."

"William!" Fred exclaimed, feigning shock. "How dare you!"

Bill rolled his eyes. "And like you didn't cast the blame that time you fell off the roof and somehow set Dad's shed on fire. You blamed Ron, didn't you?"

"Pft, Mum knew that wasn't me," Ron said. "But I did get grounded for losing Ginny at the market even though George had hid her in the vegetable cupboard."

Ginny laughed. "I forgot about that."

"And what about the time Fred changed all of Percy's robes into dresses?" Ron exclaimed. "George convinced me that I'd done it when I stole Dad's wand to make a night light for Ginny."

"Right, because George told Ginny that there was a monster who snuck into her bed when it got dark," Percy said.

Ginny rolled her eyes. "Which I totally didn't believe until Fred snuck into my room and grabbed my foot in the middle of the night!"

Ron snorted. "You screamed so loud I thought the glass in the windows were going to break."

"She came running into my room, screaming like a banshee, demanding that Charlie and I search for the monster immediately. Dad came in and she ran straight into his arms, rambling about this monster and when she found out that it was actually Fred, I thought that he was going to be incinerated on the spot," Bill told Fleur, laughing at the memory.

Fred rubbed his head. "Yeah, and she cobbled me so hard with her pillow I thought my brains leaked out my ears."

"They did," George told him. "It's why I have to do all the thinking for the both of us now."

Fred held up two fingers and Ginny laughed.

Angelina shook her head in amusement. "Sometimes I wonder how your mum didn't go spare having all of you home."

"So do I," Bill admitted.

Theo smiled. "This is nice. The way you lot have all of these great memories. I was an only child so if something broke or went wrong, I didn't have anyone else to blame it on."

"No dogs?" Ginny asked.

Theo shook his head. "No. Once Draco and I got lost in Lisbon though and we blamed each other. It didn't go over so well when Uncle Lucius and Aunt Narcissa found us."

Bill chuckled. "Not enough experience on the blame game. Need more siblings to get really good at that game."

Charlie grinned and passed Aydin to Ginny as he stood up. "Very true. Hey, remember that time Fred and George put a hair growing potion in Percy's shampoo and his hair grew down to his arse?"

"I also had a moustache," Percy said. "Ginny braided my hair and the moustache was so long, she attached it to the braid."

"It looked lovely," Ginny assured him. "Mine wasn't that long yet so I was excited to play with yours."

Fleur smiled. "It zounds like you were all troublemakers, n'est pas?"

Charlie poured himself a second drink and held up the bottle. "And then some. Who wants another drink?"

It was almost four by the time Ginny climbed into her bed that night with a smile on her face. It had been so nice to just hang out with her brothers and reminisce.

That was the best kind of Christmas moment to have.

~ ASC ~

Christmas Eve was definitely different, but Harry was surprised that he didn't find himself feeling more sad. He missed Sirius, but it wasn't like he was missing Sirius so much that he couldn't enjoy himself. He thought that Zee and Remus felt the same. They were still celebrating. They still baked a gingerbread house like they had every year since Harry'd been six, but with Zee's help it was much less crooked than normal. They ate an early dinner and Remus continued to apologize that they had to make it an early night.

Harry ignored this.

There was no way that he was going to be upset that he got to spend the whole night with his father on Christmas Eve. The early setting of the sun meant that the moon came out earlier. Zee kissed Remus' cheek and told him that she'd have a big Christmas breakfast waiting for them in the morning. Harry felt guilty for leaving her alone on Christmas Eve, but they both knew that it was the right choice for them. Harry hugged her goodnight as Tonks followed Harry and Remus back to the cottage to lock them in the cellar as Remus drank his potion. Harry transformed into his Tamaskan and he headed down into the cellar to be with Remus.

Harry watched Remus transform, the popping of his joints, the painful expression on his face and he sympathized. He knew that it wasn't where Remus wanted to be on Christmas Eve either. As soon as the wolf was set, Harry tackled him, making him howl, but he saw the amusement in the whisky eyes and it made him grin. He liked that he could entertain Remus like this, that he could keep him having fun. The wrestling was fierce as the wolf pinned him to the ground again and again. Harry swatted at his nose and the wolf growled.

The dog wiggled out from under the wolf, jumping over the wolf, before he tackled him again. They rolled across the floor, barking and howling as they fought and once again, the wolf was stronger and Harry found himself on his back. They played for almost an hour before Tonks showed up and took a seat at the top of the stairs.

Remus' whisky-coloured eyes landed on her, still as a statue. Tonks smiled at them before she opened the worn hardcover in her hands.

"If you boys are done misbehaving, I'd like to get started."

Harry stretched his long body out, resting his chin on his paws. He barked at the sight of Zee on the communication mirror, hovering next to Tonks' head.

Zee waved at them through the mirror. "I'm all comfy on the living room sofa."

Harry barked again. They had decided to use the mirror so that Zee didn't miss out in the story. It wasn't safe for her to be at Lupin cottage when Remus was transformed. This way she could stay at home and be comfortable, but not miss out on the tradition of listening to the infamous Christmas story.

Tonks chuckled. "Now that we're all ready, I'm going to start."

She cleared her throat as Harry made himself comfortable again with his chin on his paws. Zee pulled a thick blanket to her chin in the mirror as Tonks began to read aloud:

"Marley was dead: To begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail…"

The wolf settled as she read, stretching out next to Harry, his nose prodding Harry's paw until Harry snuggled up next to him. Both of them lied there on the pile of blankets that Remus had in the cellar and listened to Tonks' voice as she read Dickens. It wasn't long before Harry found himself falling asleep under the soothing sound of the familiar story.

Harry woke in the morning to find Remus pulling on his trousers and he smiled, stretching in his dog form before changing back into himself.

"Happy Christmas, Uncle Rem."

"Happy Christmas, Harry. You didn't even make it to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come."

Harry shrugged. "It's not like I don't know the ending."

Remus chuckled and put his arm around him, kissing the top of his head as they headed upstairs. They found Tonks asleep on the sofa in the living room and Remus smiled down at her.

"Go on home and check on Zee. We'll shower and dress and meet you there in a bit."

Harry nodded and disappeared in the Floo. He stepped out just as Zee was waddling down the stairs.

"Happy Christmas!"

Zee beamed at him, her arms outstretched and he pulled her close for a tight hug. The strong kick that came from her stomach had his eyebrow rising.

Zee laughed and put both of his hands on her stomach. "I think they know it's Christmas, too."

"Wow," Harry said.

He had to admit, feeling the babies kick through her stomach was pretty cool.

"Did you sleep at all?"

He nodded. "Yeah, a few hours. Uncle Rem said that I fell asleep before the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come."

"You did. Tonks finished reading around ten, made sure you two were locked in and came back here. We watched It's A Wonderful Life. Then I went up to bed and she headed home to check on you two. Why don't you run upstairs to shower and change and I'll get started on breakfast?"

Harry put his arm around her and steered her towards the living room. "Kreacher and Dobby are making breakfast. They should be here soon as I spoke to them yesterday. I don't want you on your feet that long."

Zee rolled her eyes. "I'm fine."

"Sit and rest and when I come down, we'll eat together and then open presents."

Zee reluctantly agreed as Kreacher and Dobby arrived to start breakfast and Harry hurried upstairs to shower. It was a bit of an unorthodox Christmas with it being the full moon, but as Harry stepped under the hot spray, he thought that he wouldn't change any of it for the world.

~ ASC ~

As Harry stepped into the fire and disappeared, Remus bent down and scooped his sleeping wife up into his arms. She made a half groaning sound so he merely carried her into the bathroom with him. Tonks was still sleeping in his arms so Remus simply turned on all the shower heads and stepped inside, not bothering to remove either of their clothes.

Tonks yelped in surprise, hitting him in the arm. "You prat!"

She jumped out of his arms and he caught her before she fell, pinning her against the wall of the shower. "Happy Christmas, Nymphadora."

Tonks glowered at him. "You could have woken me a better way."

"Where's the fun in that?"

When she only continued to glower at him, he nipped at her lips. "Consider it payback for the Snape thing."

"That was over a year ago!" Tonks declared.

Remus' lips curved as he bent his head to kiss her. "I'm a patient man when it comes to payback, Nymphadora."

Tonks sighed into him, her own hands slipping into his soaked pyjama bottoms, pushing them down to the floor of the shower as he pushed her own sopping clothes aside. Then his hands were everywhere and she was moaning under his touch. When he sheathed himself in her, her back pinned against the wall, the hot spray hitting both of them from all directions, she cried out his name.

"Happy Christmas, Remus," she whispered.

His whisky eyes met her grey ones and then he crushed his mouth back to hers. They washed up in the shower and Tonks collected their wet clothes to toss in the hamper, using a drying charm on them first. They made love again in the bedroom before they got dressed and Remus kissed her once more very passionately, thinking that it was indeed a very happy Christmas.

~ ASC ~

Harry came downstairs after his shower, petting Padfoot before he headed into the kitchen to check on breakfast. The house elves had everything under control and he was pleased to find Zee still sitting in the living room. It was only another fifteen minutes before Remus and Tonks arrived.

The four of them ate a delicious full breakfast of eggs, bacon, fried potatoes, sausages, and kippers. Dobby had even brought some fresh fruit and chocolate biscuits for them.

"Where did you run off to the other day, Tonks? Uncle Rem just said that you were called away," Harry asked.

Tonks exchanged a look with Remus. "I suppose I can share the news now. I went to Romania."

Zee's eyebrow rose. "Everything okay with Charlie?"

"Yes, better than okay actually," Tonks admitted. "He wrote to me saying that it was a best friend emergency, so I hurried out there and he… he's a father."

Harry snorted and then his expression sobered. "Wait — what?"

Tonks explained about what happened and about how little baby Aydin was being spoiled by her grandparents right this very minute. "Molly was practically smitten at first sight."

Remus smiled. "She was and Aydin is beautiful. Charlie's going to be a great father, even if it was a sudden surprise."

"He really didn't know?" Harry asked, bewildered.

Tonks shook her head. "No. He and the woman met at a conference and didn't keep in contact. When the baby was born, she just brought her to Romania and gave her to Charlie. She signed away all of her parental rights."

Zee placed both of her hands over her stomach. "I couldn't imagine even thinking about doing that."

Harry stared at Tonks in amazement. "She just gave her up? Like that?"

Tonks nodded. "Some people aren't meant to be parents, Harry. But Charlie isn't that person and he's going to love that little girl something fierce."

Harry knew that Tonks was right about that, but he still found it surprising. Charlie was a father. He bet that was definitely a surprise for the Weasley family.

When they finished breakfast, they went into the sun room to open gifts. Harry and Zee had decided to move the tree there again this year and he liked the idea of it being in the sunroom. It just fit.

Remus urged Harry to go first, grinning when he opened up gifts of new clothes, refills for his broomstick servicing kit, and some new jumpers and cardigans for his uniform. When he saw the bright purple and orange box with the familiar WWW logo on it, he hesitated.

"Should I be worried that this might blow up in my face?"

Remus chuckled. "If it was from Sirius, yes, but no, I promise that it's safe."

Harry grinned and carefully dug into the box, grinning widely when he pulled out a set of four hand held rectangular mirrors all with a trim black frame. The back of the mirror in vertical copperplate bronze text said: VainMuch.

"Wow! They finished them!"

Remus nodded. "They did. I thought it was about time the rest of your friends had mirrors. Fred and George connected them all together and they said if you and Hermione bring your mirrors into them, they'll connect yours to the four of them as well."

"Thank you, Uncle Rem!" Harry exclaimed, jumping to his feet to hug him tightly. "This is brilliant!"

"You're welcome," Remus said, hugging him back.

Harry moved to put the mirrors down before he turned to Zee. "My present for you is in Uncle Sirius' work shed. Uncle Rem will help me bring it in."

Zee glanced at him curiously. "Oh?"

He and Remus headed outside to get it and carefully levitated the large box into the house. Zee's eyes widened when they brought it in through the doors.

"Merlin! What's inside of that thing?"

Harry bit his bottom lip as if trying to contain his smile. "Open it."

Tonks helped Zee out of the chair as she moved to look at the large box. She untied the ribbon, a small smile on her face and tore open the paper, her eyes widening at the sight of it. It was a tall antique hutch with glass doors and shelves.

"You're always saying that you don't have any place to hold your sculptures. You collected that stuff from all over the world and some of it is from Mikhail; he made it for you. You should have a place to keep it and show it off," Harry told her. "And I thought that this would look good in here, in the sunroom, and the cabinet would keep them safe from the babies."

Zee's eyes filled up with tears as she turned to hug Harry tightly. "It's beautiful! And it's so thoughtful — oh, Harry!"

He smiled as he hugged her back. "So, you like it then?"

"I love it! Happy Christmas, sweetie!"

"Happy Christmas, Zee," Harry said with a grin.

"Mikhail's one of your Russian cousins, right?" Tonks asked, plopping herself down into Remus' lap.

"Yes," Zee answered. "He's Tetya Olga and Dyadya Dmitri's oldest. He's a very gifted artist with glass and he always carves these beautiful magical creatures and animals for me. He's even been showing his son Yuri how to help. I have a few of them in the bedroom and the dragon on the mantle in the living room is his work. The one of Lady Godiva in the living room too, that's him. But I have about ten more with no where to put them."

Remus smiled. "Now you do."

"Now, I do," she said, tugging Harry down to kiss his cheek. "Thank you, Harry. I love it."

Harry grinned. "So, where do you want to put it?"

Harry regretted asking that as he and Remus spent the next hour moving the hutch around the sunroom and living room, both physically and with magic, until Zee found the perfect spot for it. She finally decided on the wall next to the door facing the back garden. Tonks walked next door with her to collect the last of the sculptures and it wasn't long before the hutch was filled with the lovely blown glass figurines.

Remus was yawning by the time they were done and Tonks urged him to lie down in the living room and close his eyes. Tonks led Harry outside to play in the snow and by the time Zee waddled out to join him, she was rewarded with a face full of snow. They built a giant snow fort in between throwing snowballs at each other and spent the afternoon laughing. Zee sat in a chair to help them make the snow fort and by the time they headed inside, they were all frozen. Kreacher made them hot cocoa and Tonks moved to snuggle on the sofa with Remus, waking him with her cold hands on his neck.

They listened to Christmas songs on the wireless and by the time they headed to the Tonkses house for dinner, Harry was hungry again.

Andromeda made a huge dinner for them. They listened to carols. Harry and Ted played dominoes as Remus slept again with his head in Tonks' lap. Zee helped Andromeda in the kitchen. By the time Harry returned home that night, he felt like they'd had a pretty good Christmas.

He kissed Zee's cheek before he made his way back to Lupin Cottage to spend the second night of the moon with his father and thought that Sirius would have been proud of them.

~ ASC ~

Harry wasn't sure what it was that hit him exactly. But he woke up the day after Christmas missing Sirius more than he could put into words. He felt hollow inside in ways that he couldn't explain. Remus hugged him in the morning and thanked him for the night before. He didn't say much at breakfast and since Remus, Tonks, or Zee didn't question him it made him wonder if they were feeling the same form of melancholy.

Remus headed back home to sleep off the last night of the moon and Tonks headed into work. Harry made his way upstairs to take a long shower and feeling rather full of energy, decided to go out and fly instead of napping. He spent over two hours in the air before he moved into the warmth of the treehouse. Before he'd even consciously thought about it, he put the Beatles on the wireless and made himself comfortable in his hammock, eyes closed as he listened to the Rubber Soul album.

The music reminded him of his childhood. And he felt like if he were to open his eyes, Sirius would be dancing around and singing. It made him feel nostalgic for what had been. How much James Potter had once idealized the Beatles, how his mum had loved them too, how it had been James who introduced them to Sirius… He sat up, wondering if there were any other memories in the chest related specifically to The Beatles. He headed back into the house and into the sunroom to find the Pensieve dish. Zee was putting some more of her sculptures in the hutch.

"Hey, I thought you did that the other day?"

"Hi, Harry. And I did, I'm just reorganizing, I suppose. Can you be a dear and put these on the top shelf for me?"

"Magic still acting up?"

Zee shrugged. "I never know what it's going to do. This morning I levitated a blanket and it hit me square in the face. I'd much rather not risk that with glass."

He grinned and did as she asked. They spent twenty minutes organizing her little sculptures in the hutch and when it was done, she took his hand.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know what to say."

"I miss him, too."

"I know."

"We had a good holiday, didn't we?"

He nodded. "Yes. It was brilliant. Next year there will be babies too, but... I don't know."

Zee gave him a comforting smile. "Remus is probably resting from the final night of the moon, but I'm sure that he'd love it if you went over."

Harry shook his head. "No, I don't want to wake him. He needs to rest."

"Your well being is more important to him."

He shrugged. "I'm okay. I was going to watch a memory. Do you maybe want to watch with me?"

Zee nodded. "I'd love that."

Harry moved to set up the Pensieve as Zee sat in the armchair. He pulled out the memory chest and began to examine the list curiously. He'd never really taken the time to look at the list. He'd always just chosen randomly or let Sirius or Remus choose for him, but now as he looked at it, he realized there really were a flurry of memories in there.

"I was listening to the Beatles outside," he said, his eyes still on the list before him.

"I know, I was humming along. I think the babies like them. Sirius said that he used to sing Beatles songs to you as lullabies. That's a lovely tradition that I think I'd like to continue. I'm not much of a singer, but I don't think they'll mind."

"My dad did," Harry told her. "Uncle Siri told me it was... he said that when my dad sang to me, I would calm right down as a baby."

"Sirius told me that your father had a beautiful singing voice," Zee said.

"Yeah, he did. I can't sing," Harry admitted. "Uncle Sirius said I take after my mum. She couldn't sing a single note. Uncle Sirius is good and Uncle Rem is kind of decent, but he's a much better piano player."

Zee smiled. "We all have our different talents."

He nodded. "I know."

Zee watched him look back over the list. "Are you looking for something in particular?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't know. I was listening to The Beatles and thinking about how many memories we've seen with their music in it and I guess I just wondered if there were more."

"With the Beatles?"

He nodded. "Maybe…"

He frowned as he looked over the list and then not really knowing what he was looking for, he opened four vials that sounded interesting and put them in the Pensieve. He took a seat on the sofa next to Zee before he used his wand to project them onto the windows of the sun room.

Snape was standing nearby watching out for Lily with his dark intense eyes. His greasy black hair was in his face and he was holding onto this trolley so tightly that his knuckles had whitened in their grip. His mother, a rather plain looking woman stood behind him with a severe look on her face.

His eyes fell on a small scrawny boy standing nearby with his parents. He had black hair sticking up in every which direction and round glasses. He was practically bouncing up and down on his feet.

"Look, Mum! There it is!" the boy called out, turning Snape's attention away from the platform.

Euphemia Potter shook her head in amusement. Her reddish brown hair was streaked in silver and pulled back from her eyes in a bun, curling around her face. She couldn't contain the ball of excitement that was her eleven-year-old-son.

"James, come here!" she insisted, attempting to tame his messy hair. "You could have at least combed your hair this morning!"

James maneuvered out of her grip, grinning broadly. "Nah, looks better this way! Don't you think so, Dad?"

Fleamont Potter only grinned widely, hands in his pockets as he danced on the heels of his feet. He had the same head of messy hair, though his was also streaked in silver at the temples and peppered throughout giving him a salt and pepper look. "You'll change your mind when you get older. Leave him, Fee, he's fine. Another strong Gryffindor!"

"Monty! You don't know that he's going to be in Gryffindor! He's a smart young man, maybe Ravenclaw is his house." Euphemia insisted, shooting her husband a look of despair.

Fleamont rolled his eyes and winked at his son. "Gryffindor," he whispered, making James laugh. "Got to make your granddad proud."

James grinned wider, laughing when his mum elbowed his dad playfully in the ribs. "The hat always knows what's best, James; don't listen to your father."

Fleamont winked again. "Little secret, Jamie, the hat takes your opinion into count." He grinned widely at his son. "But any house would make me proud if it's what you wanted."

Euphemia was picking lint and dog hair off of the back of James' shirt. "Jamie! How did you get so dirty already, we just left the house?"

"Mum," he said in exasperation, wiggling out from her grasp. When she only stared at him, he sighed and wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be fine, Mum! I'll make friends and study hard and play lots and lots of Quidditch."

Euphemia hugged her son close, kissing his cheeks. "What am I going to do without you hanging around the house all of the time?" She kissed his forehead. "I love you, darling."

James blushed in embarrassment and moved to hug his dad. "I love you too, Mum! Geez — it's not like you're never going to see me again!"

Fleamont laughed and hugged his son close. "Behave yourself," he kissed his son's cheek and then held him close for a moment as he seemed to be whispering something in his ear.

"There's your friend Lily, Severus," Mrs Snape said, tearing Snape's rather jealous gaze from the boy hugging his father to watch Lily with her parents and sister. He moved closer so that he could hear what she was saying.

He watched as Lily bit her bottom lip and she squeezed her father's hand tightly. The big red steam engine bearing the words: Hogwarts Express flashed before her. She looked up at her father nervously as he smiled down at her.

"I see Severus over there, Lily. He's not worried about going off on the train." Mr Evans told her, pointing over to where Snape was hovering, eavesdropping on the conversation with her family.

Lily smiled up at her father. "I know, Dad. I see him."

Mr Evans knelt down in front of his daughter, gently tucking her long red hair behind her ears. His hair was a dark thick brown and a bit wavy. Harry thought he had kind eyes and was surprised to see that they were the same green as his own.

"Are you nervous, sweetie?"

She nodded, stealing a glance at her big sister of three years, Petunia, who was standing next to their mother, arms crossed in annoyance in front of her. Her mother caught her glance and smiled warmly at her and Lily swallowed carefully. "Tuney is still mad at me."

Mr Evans glanced back at his eldest daughter and sighed. "Petunia is a very stubborn young girl, like someone else that I know," he added, making Lily blush. "But today is about you, Lily, not Petunia. You have been given a wonderful gift. Something that no one else in this family has ever before been given. The gift of magic." He kissed her forehead, smiling when she threw her arms around his neck to hug him tightly. "I love you, sweetheart."

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered, her face buried in his shoulder.

When he stood up, patting her gently on the head she turned to run into her mum's arms. Mrs Evans hugged her close and kissed the top of her head. "Now you be a good girl, Lily. Study hard and practice your skills."

"I will, Mum, I promise."

Mrs Evans smiled and gently ran a finger down her daughter's cheek. "And don't forget to have fun too." She tapped Lily's nose and she grinned at her mother.

"I will."

"I love you, Lily," Mrs Evans said, kissing her cheek.

Lily smiled and turned towards her sister. Petunia's arms were still crossed in front of her and she had a snooty look on her face like something smelt terrible nearby. Lily simply wrapped her arms around her sister's waist, hugging her tightly. "I'm going to miss you so much, Tuney!"

Petunia snorted, attempting to push her sister off, but Lily only hugged her tighter making Snape snort as Petunia continued to attempt to disentangle herself. "Honestly, Lily! Let go!"

Lily pulled back and looked up at her sister. "Aren't you even a little sad that you won't see me until Christmas?"

"No."

"I'm sorry, Tuney, I'm sorry! Listen —" She caught her sister's hand when she pushed her away and held tight onto it even though Petunia tried to pull it from her grasp. "Maybe once I'm there — no listen, Tuney! Maybe once I'm there, I'll be able to go to Professor Dumbledore and persuade him to change his mind!"

"I don't — want — to — go!" Petunia said, and she dragged her hand back out of her sister's grasp. "You think that I want to go to some stupid castle and learn to be a — a —" Her pale eyes roved over the platform, over the cats mewling in their owner's arms, over the owls fluttering and hooting at each other's cages, over the students, some already in their long, black robes, loading trunks on to the scarlet steam engine or else greeting one another with glad cries after a summer apart. "You think I want to be a — a freak?"

Lily's eyes filled with tears as Petunia succeeded in tugging her hand away. "I'm not a freak. That's a horrible thing to say."

"That's where you're going," Petunia said with relish. "A special school for freaks. You and that Snape boy… weirdos, that's what you two are. It's good you're being separated from normal people. It's for our safety."

Lily glanced towards her parents, who were looking around the platform with an air of wholehearted enjoyment, drinking in the scene. Then she looked back at her sister, and her voice was low and fierce. "You didn't think that it was such a freak's school when you wrote to the Headmaster and begged him to take you!"

Petunia turned scarlet. "Beg? I didn't beg!"

"I saw his reply. It was very kind."

"You shouldn't have read —" Petunia whispered. "That was my private — how could you —?"

Lily gave herself away by half glancing towards where Snape stood nearby.

Petunia gasped. "That boy found it! You and that boy have been sneaking in my room!"

"No — not sneaking!" Now Lily was on the defensive. "Severus saw the envelope and he couldn't believe a Muggle could have contacted Hogwarts, that's all! He says there must be wizards working undercover in the postal service who take care of —"

"— Apparently wizards poke their noses in everywhere!" Petunia said, now as pale as she had been flushed. "Freak!" she spat at her sister and she flounced off to where her parents stood.

Lily moved over as well to hug her parents one last time, promising to write home every week and her heart breaking a little as her sister pointedly ignored her. She grabbed her trolley. She waved goodbye and made her way over to Snape, narrowly escaping a young James Potter, who almost crashed into her trolley in his attempt to get onto the train.

"Sorry!" he called out, stopping to smile at her.

Lily smiled back, trying not to let him see the tears threatening to fall from her eyes. His grin lit up his whole face and it was impossible not to smile back at him. "It's all right; no harm done."

The boy grinned widely at her, adjusting his glasses. "I'm just excited to get on the train. I'm James."

"Lily," she said, accepting his hand. "Have you been to Hogwarts before?"

He nodded, grinning widely. "Once with my mum, but it was in the summer and no students were there. I'm a first year. I can't wait to be sorted into Gryffindor and to watch some Quidditch games! It's going to be the best year ever! Are you a first year too?"

Lily smiled back at him. "Yes. What's Quidditch?"

"Only the best sport in the whole world! You'll see! Come on; you can sit with me if you'd like!" he told her, grinning widely.

Lily pointed to where Snape was standing by awkwardly watching them. "My friend is waiting for me."

"He can come too," James told her, waving at Snape.

Snape merely glowered at him.

James shrugged, turning back to Lily. "Well, if you can't find a compartment I'll save you a seat."

"Thanks, James."

He waved goodbye and carefully lugged his trunk up the steps to the train with the help of an older boy. Lily headed over to Snape smiling. "That was James. He's a first year too. He told me about Gryffindor, another house."

"Slytherin is the only house that matters, Lily," Snape told her shortly. "Trust me, you don't want to be in any other house."

"You don't even know if you will be in Slytherin House yet, Sev!"

He shrugged, brushing his hair out of his eyes. "I just know. What did Petunia say to you to make you so upset?"

Lily shrugged as the tears threatened her eyes again. "I know you could hear her, Sev! She hates me and it's your fault! You snooped and found that letter from Dumbledore."

Snape's mouth opened in surprise. "It's not my fault that she left it lying open in her trashcan like that. And you don't need her, Lily!"

"She's my sister!"

"She's only a —" He caught himself quickly; Lily, too busy trying to wipe her eyes without being noticed, did not hear him. "Come on; let's go find a compartment."

Zee squeezed Harry's hand. "Did you know that they were friends?"

Harry nodded. "Kind of. Uncle Sirius told me they were, but I didn't expect… my aunt already seemed to hate my mum. She was only eleven."

"I can't imagine what it would be like for a young girl to watch her sister be given this gift and not be able to share it with her. To see her do magic and not be able to perform the same. She started to push her away early on."

"Yeah."

Zee put her head on his shoulder. "No."

"No, what?"

"No, to whatever horrible thing you're thinking. I don't know much about what happened when you were at the Dursleys, Harry, but I do know that you did nothing to deserve it. Your aunt's treatment of you is not excusable no matter how jealous she was of her sister's abilities."

"You think that she was jealous?"

Zee squeezed his hand. "Yes, I do. She was jealous and she let that jealousy ruin the relationship that she had with her sister. She let that jealously change her."

"Snape looked jealous as well, don't you think? The way he was spying on my dad like that?"

"Your grandparents loved your father a lot and I think that anyone would be a bit jealous when they saw all that love."

Harry smiled. "Yeah, maybe."

He waved his wand to make the second memory play and was surprised to see that it was the same platform, but this time it wasn't a young Snape he saw, but a young Sirius.

He looked very much the same. Dark, thick hair that casually framed his face, a little shorter, but the same. His grey eyes looked wistful as he stared out at the Hogwarts Express.

"Sirius, are you even listening to me?" Walburga Black demanded, her hands on her hips.

Sirius rolled his eyes before he turned to look at his mother. Her long black hair was pinned up in a tight bun and her grey eyes were glaring at him in annoyance "Yes. Behave. Be a good Slytherin. Stay out of trouble or you'll bring me straight home. Did I miss anything?"

Walburga's eyes narrowed. "Don't get smart with me, boy!"

Sirius took a slow breath in and out. "Yes, Mum."

Walburga stared at him for a moment. "I expect you to do your best, Sirius. To bring fame to the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black as a loyal Slytherin and first born son of Orion Black, you're going to do what's best for this family. Stay out of trouble and away from anyone who is beneath you. Make friends with the right sort of people. Remember, you're a Black. There is no higher honour."

Sirius merely nodded, looking longingly at the steam engine up ahead. "I will, Mum."

Walburga nodded, seemingly satisfied with his response. "Good. I expect a letter by the end of the week telling me all about Slytherin and about some of the friends you've made and the good families that they come from. Toujours Pur, understood."

"Yes, Mum."

"We'll see you at Christmas."

Sirius nodded, grabbing his trunk and hurrying off. He jumped up onto the train, dragging his trunk up without help and moving to find a compartment to sit in. He opened the door to one, seeing a scrawny boy with glasses and messy hair stretched out across the bench. He knocked lightly on the doorjamb to get his attention.

"Got room in here for one more or are you keeping the whole place to yourself?"

The boy grinned at him and gestured for him to come inside. He dragged his trunk with him and between the two of them they shoved their trunks up onto the rack before he sat down next to James, stretching his legs out across the same bench so that they were facing each other.

"I can see why you were stretched out; much more comfortable, mate."

The boy leaned forward, extending his hand. "I'm James."

"Sirius." he said, dragging his fingers through his slightly shaggy dark black hair. He wondered if James was someone his mother would deem socially acceptable for him to be talking too, he thought. "So James, you a first year?"

"Definitely. I can't wait to start learning real magic! Seems like every time I want to do something Mum and Dad are always telling me to wait until I'm old enough. Other than Quidditch. I love Quidditch! I could spend the rest of my life on a broomstick!"

Sirius' mouth twitched in amusement. "Flying is pretty great. You going to play on your house team?"

James nodded eagerly. "You bet! I'm a pretty great Chaser. It totally sucks that you have to be a second year to play! What position do you play?"

Sirius shrugged, scratching his chin. He usually only played with Regulus so it was hard to really know what position he liked. "Keeper usually, but I don't want to play on the school team. I'll just watch."

"You don't like to play Quidditch?" James exclaimed, his mouth open in alarm. "That's practically blasphemy!"

Sirius laughed, crossing his arms in front of him. The boy was radiating excitement at the mentioning of anything to do with Quidditch. James immediately began to tell him about his favourite teams (Puddlemere and Holyhead) and all about his new broomstick (the Nimbus 1000) and its many perks. Their Quidditch discussion was interrupted when the compartment door slid open and they both looked up at the redhead who was standing there.

"Hi, Lily," James smiled. "Come on in!"

The girl had long red hair, tucked behind her ears and bright green eyes that were brimming with tears as she hastily tried to wipe them away. "Th-thanks."

"Are you all right?" Sirius asked her, his eyebrow rising in question.

She nodded. "Fine."

"This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" A short boy with greasy black hair exclaimed, coming into the compartment behind Lily. Lily nodded, mopping her eyes, but in spite of herself, she half smiled. "You'd better be in Slytherin," the greasy-haired boy said.

James looked up quickly and winced. "Who wants to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked Sirius who was still lounging next to him on the seat.

Sirius smiled half-heartedly at them. "My whole family has been in that house for centuries."

"Blimey!" James exclaimed, eyes wide. "And I thought you seemed all right!"

Sirius grinned. "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you heading if you've got the choice?"

James lifted an invisible sword. "'Gryffindor, where dwell the brave at heart!' Like my dad!" The greasy-haired boy made a small, disparaging noise making James turn to him. "Got a problem with that?"

"No," he said, sneering at him. "If you'd rather be brawny than brainy — "

" — Where're you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interrupted, annoyed at the rudeness of the boy. James was the first potential friend he had ever really had and he wasn't going to let some little snot disrespect him.

James roared with laughter, making Sirius grin.

Lily sat up, rather flushed, and looked from James to Sirius in dislike. "Come on, Severus, let's find another compartment."

"Ooooo…" James and Sirius imitated her lofty voice and James tried to trip Snape as they passed.

"See ya, Snivellus!" Sirius called out as they opened the compartment door. The door slammed behind them and Sirius turned to grin at James. "What an unpleasant git! The redhead seemed nice though, do you know her?"

James shook his head. "Nah, just bumped into her outside of the train. She seemed nice though. Sirius, has your whole family really been in Slytherin?"

Sirius nodded, his eyes befitting his name as the train began to move. "Yeah, my mum told me that I must continue the family tradition."

"Gryffindor is a much better house, though! It's for the brave and the courageous and it's a lion instead of a snake, which is clearly the superior animal!" James told him, grinning. "We just have to be in the same house!"

Sirius shrugged good naturally. "We've each got our own paths to take and my mum seems to think that mine is to follow in the family tradition which starts with becoming a Slytherin."

"My dad told me that the hat takes your opinion into the equation," James told him with a grin. "If you want to be in Slytherin, you can be, but if you'd rather be in Hufflepuff or say in Gryffindor like me then tell the hat. I guess it's supposed to listen to your desires."

Sirius stared at James in surprise. "Really?"

James nodded. "My dad doesn't lie."

"Wow, I didn't know it gave you an option. As my dear mum always tells me, the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black is born and bred in Slytherin House, but maybe I'll be the one to break that tradition."

"You're a Black? You must know my uncle Charlie and Aunt Dory!"

Sirius nodded and then he smiled. "Charlus Potter yeah, does that mean… didn't your dad invent that hair potion back in the twenties? Isn't he like super old?"

James shrugged, smiling. "Not super old, but yeah, definitely older. Mum thought that they weren't meant to have children because they tried so long and nothing, but then there was me. Mum was fifty-eight when she had me."

"Bloody hell," Sirius said. "So, you're an only child then?"

James nodded, placing his hands behind his head. "Yup. You?"

"Little brother, Regulus. He's nine. Kind of a pain in the arse, mostly."

James laughed. He had always wanted a brother. "I think it'd be great to have a brother. It's kind of lonely when you only have your parents to play with. Hey, do you like music?"

Sirius wrinkled his nose. "It has its moments. I like the orchestra crescendos and stuff, I guess."

James stared at him for a moment. "Well, classical is great for, you know, balls and stuff, but I mean like rock and roll music?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know what that is."

"The Beatles, man? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, I am Sirius, but I don't know what the Beatles are outside of an insect?"

James rolled his eyes at the lame joke and jumped up to get into his trunk and find his wireless record player. "Ha, ha! Mate, you're going to love them! Just you wait!"

"Wow, they really did start off on a bad foot with Snape," Harry said, grinning. "But my dad tried to be nice to him."

"Sirius' mother made me cringe. She barely even gave him a send off. I couldn't imagine sending my child off to school for months without even a hug."

Harry shrugged. "Well, the stories have told us what kind of person she was."

Zee scoffed. "Toujours pur, my arse. I hope she's rolling in her grave knowing that her grandchildren have a Muggleborn grandfather and Muggles for great-grandparents."

Harry chuckled. "I'm sure Uncle Sirius is taunting her about it every chance he gets."

He tapped his wand on the third memory, projecting it onto the window. He recognized the Gryffindor common room immediately and saw that Sirius looked about the same age as the last memory. He smiled at the sight of James, Remus, and Sirius, all looking so young. They were standing next to Peter and Kingsley, who looked even stranger with a full head of curly dark hair instead of his usual shaved head. Harry figured the girls must be his mum's dorm mates since Lily was standing with them.

"Of course, my Dad is terrible at it and I've been fixing his tie for him for the last six years. He's going to be completely helpless while I'm at school."

"Thanks, Dorcas," Lily told her as the girl finished adjusting her tie.

A prefect was leaning against the wall waiting for them as they settled into the common room. "Good morning, first years! I'll show you to the Great Hall and Professor McGonagall will give all of you maps as well as your schedules."

Sirius followed the other Gryffindor first years out of the portrait hole and through the castle into the Great Hall. Lily gasped in surprise when owls began to fly down around them and she jumped back in alarm, bumping into James.

James laughed and grabbed her arm to steady her. "Wow there, Evans, just the post!"

"The post?"

He nodded, grinning widely at her. "Yeah." He plopped himself down onto the bench and helped himself to some breakfast as Lily took a seat next to him.

"Owls?"

James nodded, munching on some bacon. "Don't your mum and dad use owls?"

Lily shook her head as Sirius sat down on the other side of James. "No, my parents aren't magical at all. They use the postman. I knew owls delivered messages, but to see so many at once is quite the spectacle."

"You're Muggleborn?" Sirius asked in surprise, reaching for a glass of orange juice.

James' face lit up. "Brilliant! This berk had never even heard of The Beatles! Evans, you've got to tell him how brilliant they are! And Elvis! Not to mention The Rolling Stones and The Animals! This git thinks that I'm making it all up!"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I didn't say that you were making it up, I just have never heard Muggle music before yesterday when you played it on the train."

"His family is hardcore purebloods, which means his knowledge of Muggles is, let's just say, sadly lacking," James told her, grinning. "Seriously though, how wicked are The Beatles?"

Lily laughed at the excitement. "The Beatles are brill. I have a poster of John Lennon and Paul McCartney in my bedroom at home."

"See, Sirius? I told you! Really, though, what's your favourite album? Ouch!" he exclaimed as the white owl in front of him nipped his fingers. "Sorry, Plato! I didn't see you!" He reached for a bit of his toast and tugged a piece off to give the owl as he unrolled the parchment, his ears burning red. "I told her I'd write at the end of the week."

Sirius grinned as he looked over. "Aw, does your mummy miss you already, Potter?"

James ignored him as he read the letter aloud.

Dear Jamie,

Dad and I hope you have a wonderful first day of classes. We sent Plato just to say hi and to make you think of us at home. Write by the weekend and send Poseidon with a letter, we want to know everything.

We love you!

Love,

Mum and Dad

"She's mental," James muttered, folding up the parchment, his ears still burning.

"I think it's nice," Lily told him as she added a generous dollop of cream to her porridge and berries. "And for the record, I love Abbey Road, but also Revolver, Rubber Soul, and Help, and most definitely Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, but honestly, I love all of them."

James' smile widened. "Lily Evans, I think we just became best friends."

"Lily?" A voice said from behind them and they both turned to where Snape stood there, his hands in his pockets awkwardly.

"Snivellus, right?" Sirius said with a smirk. "I see the green and silver work for you."

Lily glared at him. "His name is Severus."

James put his hands up in mock surrender. "Ooh, how terribly rude of us. I'd apologize, Snivellus, but I can already tell you're a git."

Lily smacked him in the arm, her green eyes blazing. "I think I know who the prat is, James Potter!" She turned around fully and smiled at her friend. "How's Slytherin, Sev? Is it everything you hoped for?"

He nodded, glaring at the boys who were talking amongst themselves now. "Can we talk?"

Lily nodded, grabbing an apple. "What's going on?"

Severus shrugged, his hands still in his pockets as he glared at James and Sirius who were clearly eavesdropping. "We're still friends, right?"

Lily looked at him in bewilderment. "Of course we're still friends! Why would you think otherwise?"

Snape looked back at the Slytherin table and then around the Great Hall where all of the students were eating breakfast merrily. "We've been separated by our houses, Lily. Everything is going to change."

Lily laughed at his pained expression. She had no idea how being in different dormitories was going to affect anything. "You're being ridiculous! Just because we're in different parts of the castle doesn't mean that we still can't be friends and that we won't still see each other. We're still going to have classes together and we can study together and see each other outside of class."

He gave her a small smile. "Gryffindor and Slytherin are supposed to be enemies."

"Frenemies then, at least in our case," she said, making him smile. "Why are they enemies?"

"Not enemies per-say," Snape said carefully. "But we have to be careful. Some people might not like it if I hang out with you."

Lily's eyebrow rose at that. "Who are these people and why do you care what they think?"

"Lily," Snape said in exasperation. "The magical world is different. Petunia thinks that we're freaks because we have magical powers, but in this world, it's you who is different."

"Me?" she asked in surprise, crossing her arms in front of her. "How am I different?"

Snape looked uncomfortable and he shuffled his feet as he spoke. "Because you're Muggleborn and well, some people, purebloods namely, find that… repulsive. I just wanted to give you a warning in case someone says something to you that is, you know, rude."

"You're not a pureblood, are you?"

Snape shook his head. "No, I'm not, I'm a half-blood, but that's still a lot better than someone who comes from a non magical background."

"Are you saying that you're embarrassed to be my friend now? You told me that it didn't matter if I was Muggleborn!"

"Oi!" James said, turning around in his seat. "Evans, is this git giving you grief?"

"Potter, go away," she said, glaring at him and turning back to Snape. "Well, are you?"

"No! No! I would never!" he mumbled, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "I just… I just wanted you to know."

Lily stared at him for a moment. "Okay, now I know. So, what now?"

Snape gave her a small smile. "Now we stay friends, no matter what."

"I still don't really see why this changes anything, Sev, but if it makes you feel better that I know, then all right."

He nodded. "Hopefully we'll have our first class together."

Lily smiled as she watched him head back to his own house table. She looked over at the two boys as James spoke next to her. "Honestly, mate, you have to hear The White Album, I'll play it later for you."

Sirius merely grinned at him and turned his attention to Lily. "So, Lily, how do you know that greasy-haired git?" he asked, brushing his black hair out of his eyes.

"He's not a greasy-haired git and his name is Severus Snape!" she exclaimed, taking a spoonful of her oatmeal. "He lives near me."

"So, you knew him before yesterday?" James asked as he cleaned his plate.

Lily nodded. "We met at the park. He saw me do magic and he told me that I was a witch. I had no idea, being Muggleborn and all, and then he told me all about Hogwarts and how because I was eleven I would get a letter. I thought that he was making up stories, but then the letter really came."

"I always wondered how Muggleborns find out? I mean, do they think the letter's a prank?" Sirius asked, looking at James for confirmation. "I mean, really? How do they find out?"

"Professor Dumbledore came to my house," Lily told them as she finished her breakfast. "He spoke to me and my parents and told us all about the school."

"Brilliant," James said, grinning widely. "I've just been bugging my parents for years about why I couldn't come to Hogwarts yet."

Sirius laughed, snagging some more bacon and looking around to see if anyone noticed him taking seconds before he popped it into his mouth. "My parents just argued about whether Hogwarts was the better choice for me over Durmstrang."

James looked offended. "How could they even consider! Durmstrang doesn't even compare!"

Sirius shrugged. "They have their reasons. But they decided Hogwarts was the better choice because our family has always been Slytherins." He grinned, "Bet I get a Howler when Mum finds out that I'm in Gryffindor."

"What's a Howler?" Lily asked, her eyes on Sirius. "And there are other magic schools?"

James nodded, smiling at her. "Oh yeah, there are schools all over the world. But Hogwarts is by far the best one. And a Howler is not something you want, trust me! It's a letter that's bright red and it screams at you."

Sirius sighed. "I better write home and break the news."

"You can use Poseidon if you want."

"Thanks mate, but I have an owl."

"Miss Evans?"

Lily turned at the sound of her name and smiled at Professor McGonagall. "Good morning, Professor."

"Good morning, here is your schedule and a map of the school. Your first class this morning is with me. I look forward to seeing you all."

The last memory started almost immediately and Harry nodded towards it.

"This one was called 'PS I Love You' and there was no other context. I thought maybe since it's a Beatles song name, it might be something about their music."

Zee settled back against the cushions, running her hands over her stomach. "Let's watch it and see."

Harry recognized the Great Hall immediately and saw Sirius sitting next to Lily. They looked older, more like the photos he had in his room and he figured it had to be their seventh year.

Lily's face had lit up when an owl flew towards her and then she looked confused at the sight of the bright red envelope in his beak.

"A Howler?" she asked, her eyes wide in horror.

Sirius grinned taking the letter from Poseidon. "You better open it, Evans. You know what happens when you don't. My mum used to send me enough of them. Trust me, I'm practically an expert."

Lily hesitated before she carefully accepted the letter from Sirius' hand suspiciously. "Why would James send me a Howler? I… I haven't done anything wrong. Absolutely nothing to warrant a screaming letter!"

Sirius grinned as it started to emit sparks. "Lil, it's going to blow. Open it!"

Remus, tired of watching them arguing, had simply plucked the letter from Lily's grasp and popped it open, dropping it in front of her as Peter stuffed his fingers in his ears in anticipation of the screams.

The enveloped shrivelled up into a paper cut out of James' face.

But it didn't scream.

Instead, the letter began to sing. James' soft melodic voice filling the Great Hall.

"As I write this letter, send my love to you. Remember that I'll always, be in love with you. Treasure these few words till we're together. Keep all my love, forever. P.S. I love you; you, you, you. I'll be coming home again to you, love. And till the day I do, love. P.S. I love you; you, you, you! P.S. I love you; you, you, you! You, you, you! I love you."

When the letter finished singing, it merely lay down in front of her and folded in half and Lily knew that if she just opened it again, James' voice would once more fill the Great Hall. Tears welled up in Lily's eyes as some of the girls nearby made squeals of 'aww' around her.

Sirius draped his arm around her shoulders. "Looks like Jamie found a new way to use a Howler, love."

Lily punched him lightly on the shoulder. "I'm completely mortified!"

Remus smiled at her. "And even more in love with him than you already were."

Lily only smirked at him. "Maybe." She kissed Remus' cheek and then Sirius'. "But this tells me that he's coming home very soon!"

Sirius grinned at Remus as they watched Lily take the letter and hurry off. "That girl's got it bad."

Remus laughed. "So does the boy who sang the love letter."

"That's the sweetest thing," Zee said. "Your dad was a real romantic."

"I wonder why he wasn't at school with them," Harry asked.

"He was with Monty in France. His great-uncle had passed away and Monty needed his help organizing the last bit of the Potter estate," Remus said from the doorway. "Sorry to interrupt, I heard James singing and it brought me down memory lane."

Harry smiled. He could see the lines around Remus' eyes, but he knew that his father didn't want to waste his whole day sleeping if he could avoid it. Now that the moon cycle was over for another month, Remus needed to sleep tonight to get back on a regular schedule. He also knew that his father didn't like waking up alone when Tonks was at work, but would never admit it aloud.

"You're not interrupting, Uncle Moony. Was my mum just sad because my dad was gone?"

Remus shook his head as he sat in the armchair across from them. "Your grandparents had been killed in a car accident a few weeks before that and Jamie hated to leave her. The car accident put some of the final boards down in the rift between her and Petunia and she was still grieving. That was one of Jamie's finer moments when it came to impressing Lily. Once he had her, he took every opportunity to show her how much he appreciated her."

"We saw Dad and Sirius' first meeting on the Hogwarts Express earlier and how they met my mum and Snape. My dad was obsessed with The Beatles."

Zee chuckled. "He certainly was a bundle of energy. Sirius hadn't told his parents about becoming a Gryffindor yet in the next one. I think it was only the first day of classes."

"He knew that they'd be mad," Remus told her. "He avoided it for longer than he should have."

"And Snape was already becoming a git," Harry said, turning to his father. "Why would he go on about how my mum being Muggleborn was going to change them being friends? They'd only just been sorted into different houses. Was it that big of a deal already?"

"To some people, yes," Remus said.

"In Koldovstoretz it wasn't. There were actually very few pureblood witches and wizards in Koldovstoretz."

Harry looked over at Zee in surprise. "Did you have houses like Hogwarts does?"

"Yes," Zee told him. "There were three houses: Cikavac, Złota Kaczka, and Indrik. Each house symbolized a different magical creature within Eastern Europe."

"Really?" Harry asked. "What kind of creatures were they?"

Zee rubbed her large stomach as she answered. "Well, the Cikavac were Serbian birds that were said to grant wishes to their owners and allow them to speak the language of the animals. It was believed that a Cikavac met a witch deep in the Balkan Mountains named Anja. She was flying on a tree branch high in the mountains when she found the Cikavac injured on the mountain. Legend has it that she picked the bird up, cradled it like a babe, and healed its broken wing. She nursed the bird back to health over the week and when it seemed ready to go, she set it free. The Cikavac took off and returned at the next dawn to thank the witch. Anja, completely shocked the bird could speak, was amazed when he offered her three wishes in a language she understood. The Cikavac told her that her good deed granted her the ability to speak the language of the birds and in return, she had a fortnight to make three wishes. Anja wished for good crops for the village. The next day, the crops were plentiful and more vibrant and healthy than they'd ever seen them. She used her second wish to ask for better shelter from the upcoming winter and the homes in the village were given protection from the winter winds. And for her third wish, Anja asked to be given the chance to become a bird for a day and he gifted her with the ability to become an Animagus. Legend says that Anja still flies the skies, black silk wings with a vibrant blue stripe and she grants wishes to witches and wizards who deserve it."

Zee tapped her fingers as she continued. "Then there was Złota Kaczka which represented the Polish princess who was turned into a golden duck by an evil sorcerer. The story said that she could only be set free by a man who could spend one hundred gold ducats a day for three days without sharing the small fortune with anyone. The story goes that a poor shoemaker's apprentice found the gold duck living under a castle and when he was unable to spend all of the money, he gave it to a poor beggar who told him that money cannot grant happiness. The gold duck disappeared and so did all the treasure that the golden duck possessed, but from that moment on, the boy was happy. He became a master shoemaker and when he worked happily at his task, he met a golden-haired girl and he learned the one true truth: Wealth didn't bring happiness, not like love did. Lastly, was the Indrik who was said to be the king of all animals in Rus. He lived high up on a mountain where no feet were permitted to tread and when the Indrik moved, the Earth would tremble in fear. Legend claimed that when a wizard tried to defeat him, he merely opened up the earth and allowed the earth to swallow him whole. A witch, begging for the forgiveness of her true love, convinced the Indrik to free the wizard who vowed to serve him for the rest of his days. The Indrik instead demanded the wizard go off and tell his story so that no one would dare threaten the Indrik and his family ever again."

"Why those three magical creatures?" Harry asked.

"Well, the two witches and one wizard who started the school believed each magical creature had their own strengths and weaknesses and were great leaders for a house. The Indrik represented strength, leadership, forgiveness, and heart. The Złota Kaczka represented the importance of happiness over wealth, of love over hate, and how hard work paves the way to success. And the Cikavac represents honesty, healing, good will, and most importantly, respect for one's neighbours and the importance of community. Each one holding defining characteristics the way your houses at Hogwarts do," Zee explained.

"How did you get sorted? Did you have a sorting hat?" Harry asked, suddenly full of questions about the mysterious school.

Zee shook her head. "No. It was… more of a see where you fit situation." At Harry's look, she smiled. "We'd enter the main hall and there were three big banners, each showcasing the animal that led their house. When our name was called, we'd be given a gold coin with the centre cut out. We would throw the coin towards this big blue bowl full of water and water would spiral through the centre of the coin, lift it from the bowl and point us towards our house. It was said that the coin could tell us where we belonged."

"And where did you belong?"

"Cikavac," she said. "I was destined to speak the language of the animals."

Harry grinned. "How was the school founded?"

"Two sisters, Kasmira and Zoya, and Zoya's husband, Rurik, taught magic to local children. When Muggles began to start witch hunts, they decided something needed to be done to keep the children safe. Kasmira, a widower with two children of her own decided to open a school and Zoya and Rurik agreed to help. Legends claim it was protected by an Indrik on the wish of a Cikavac and that the Złota Kaczka lived beneath the castle, but those rumours were never proven to be more than myth," Zee said.

"I never really thought about other magic schools and how they work. Did you have the same types of classes as Hogwarts?"

"More or less," Zee told him. "Koldovstoretz was known for being a school that liked magical creatures. We had a huge open menagerie outside and inside and there were underground greenhouses. It's like the one at the Ministry now, open environments for the animals to be free and live where we could study and learn from them, but where they were free to go. That's why I liked it, the animals weren't trapped. It was like a giant reserve. Other than the magical creatures and the greenhouses, like you, I learned history, Transfiguration, Astronomy, and all the others. Language is a big component as well so I learned Mermish, as I felt like it was the most important language offered if I wanted to become a Magizoologist. But there aren't NEWTs there like you have them, instead you take a formal test based on your field. I wrote a test similar to the Creature Research And Welfare Licence Standards. I didn't take the British CRAWLS until I applied for the job here at the Ministry of Magic. After working freelance for years, I wanted to settle down somewhere and Uncle Brian told me that he heard the DRCMC at the time was looking for an experienced Magizoologist and the rest, as they say, is history."

"You went travelling right from school?"

She nodded. "Yes. I spent the summer after my seventh year studying with my Care of Magical Creatures professor in the Ukraine and then I did a project in New Zealand where I met my friend, Bura Visnjic. I learned a lot on that reserve and then I set off on different projects, working freelance from magical reserves all over the world. It's how I ended up in Africa, where I found Lady Godiva, and how I met Princess Sapphira in Greece."

"Do you miss travelling?"

"Sometimes," she admitted. "But making a home with you and Sirius, I wouldn't change that for the world."

Harry smiled when she kissed his cheek and linked her arm through his. "I'm glad you chose us, too."

---

End Author's Notes:

I wanted to come up with different houses for the Koldovstoretz School so, I looked up Eastern European magical animals and found all sorts of fun fairy tales and naturally got lost in research. But I chose these three not only because I liked the names of them and their stories, but I liked that each one represents a different area in Eastern Europe.

I didn't find much on the Cikavac or the Indrik, but I liked what I did find, so I then went off and made up my own story about them. I also made up my own variation of how the school came to be.

(Polish) Złota Kaczka = Gold Duck

(Russian) Indrik = distorted version of the word 'edinorog' meaning unicorn. Said to look like a gigantic bull with the legs of a deer, head of a horse, and an enormous horn on it's snout similar to a rhinoceros

(Serbian) Cikavac = mythological creature of a winged animal with a long beak and a pelican-like sack

Thanks for reading and please review!