I don't own Harry Potter.

Chapter thirteen

Harry silently moved through Grimmauld Place. He remembered last Christmas and he wasn't about to be the last person awake. He also knew that Sirius also was going to wake early so he didn't get pranked again. Tonks, for some ungodly reason, had always been an early riser so she wasn't in danger of being pranked. So, that just left Remus and...

"Hermione, wake up. You're in grave danger of Sirius' psychotic mind." Harry tried to prod the girl awake.

"'Arry go 'way." She then pulled her blanket closer. But Harry wasn't about to let Sirius get her. So, he stole the blanket from her. She curled into a ball as she tried to stay warm.

"'Mi, get up. It's Christmas. And as a Marauder, it is imperative that you get out of that bed." He took her pillow next. That woke her up somewhat. Then she looked at the clock.

"Harry! I don't care that it's Christmas. You DON'T wake me up at five o'clock in the morning..." She would have continued to rant but Harry put a hand over her mouth. He didn't want to wake anyone. Tonks may have been awake but Sirius and Remus were still asleep.

"Shh. You don't want to wake the others. Sirius or Remus will be up soon so we don't have much time. My family has a tradition to prank the last person awake. It's a type of punishment for making us wait to open our presents. We like to open them together."

"Why? That seems to be a bit immature. I wouldn't think your uncle would do something like that. Sirius, well, I'm not sure what the limits that man has just to have a little fun." Her words were smothered in disapproval but Harry Knew that Hermione was fond of Sirius. It was nearly impossible not to be at least a little attached to the Marauder.

"I told you, its tradition. And who are we to mess with tradition." They went to other topics, such as what they got for the other people in the house. He was proud of the painting that he had Dean Thomas create. It had a wolf, dog, and a puppy in it.

Soon they heard footsteps in the hallway. By the heavy footfalls, Harry could tell that it was Sirius. Harry grabbed Hermione's hand (ignoring the fact that he was doing that way too often) and met Sirius in the hall. Tonks was with him and to everyone else it seemed like a miracle that no one heard her.

Remus was the last one awake. And Sirius had a feral grin on his face. He was seeking revenge.

The four of them quietly snuck into his room. A plan was already in motion. Sirius said some well chosen words before Harry did his Wingardium spell. For some reason he loved that spell. Tonks and Hermione grabbed a feather each. Hermione was going to attack Remus' nose while Tonks got his feet. But that didn't work out because Tonks tripped over a pair of shoes and landed right on top of Remus.

"Eww!" She was covered in chocolate syrup that Sirius smeared over Remus. Then she realized she was on top of Remus and she began to blush. While all that was happening, Remus woke up startled. So startled in fact, that he jumped and he and Tonks both fell out of the bed. Remus landed on top of her.

Harry, Sirius, and Hermione were laughing at the blushing pair. Remus quickly regained his composure and left the room. Tonks chased after him as she apologized. He stopped her as she tried to follow him into one of the bathrooms. Her face was the color of her hair as she ran out and into another.

Fifteen minutes later, everyone (chocolate free) met in the living room to open presents. He couldn't wait for Hermione to open the present his family got for her. It was way better than the book he gave her in the first timeline.

"A watch. Wow, no wonder you only got me one present." It was a feminine version of Harry's watch that he got for his birthday. It didn't take her long to notice this fact.

"Tonksie here picked it out for you. She has great taste in jewelry." Sirius ruffled Tonks green and red hair. She glared at him and quickly pulled his hand away.

"So, Hermione, how far have you gotten with your Animagus training?" Remus hastily asked. "Do you know what your form is yet?"

"I didn't tell you yet. I found out just last night. I'm going to be a cat. But I wish that I wasn't so fluffy. The books were right that Animagi that on traits of the human." The others laughed at that.

Remus, Tonks, and Hermione continued to talk about Animagi while Sirius took Harry to another room to talk to him about what happened after the Quidditch match... and it wasn't about how Remus punched him.

"Harry, what do you remember about what happened the day of the Quidditch match?" Sirius looked into Harry's eyes.

"Nothing really, I only know what Ron told me; though I did get Hermione's opinion of Remus for hitting Lockhart. I can't believe that he would do something like that."

"That's not what I'm talking about. Harry, you called me dad."

"I... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. You're not my dad. I just want a family, you know?" He looked to the floor not wanting to see the look on Sirius' face. "I really am sorry."

"Harry, Harry look at me. Do you want me to be your dad? I don't want to take James' place. But if you want me to be your dad then I wouldn't say no." He put a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You would adopt me. But why?" He finally into Sirius' eyes again.

"Because you deserve to be happy, Harry. You deserve to be safe. With me as just your guardian, it would be easier to take custody of away from me. But if I were your dad, no one could take you from me, not even the Dursleys."

"You think that they would try to get me back." Harry looked a little worried about that.

"No but I think that Dumbledore will try to take you from me. He seems to want to keep you in the dark as much as possible. You know that. You know how he's treated you in your future. He didn't even train you right. He didn't even tell you that you're the heir of Gryffindor."

"I'M WHAT!?!"

"Don't be so shocked Harry. Why else would Voldemort keep going after your dad?" He seemed to think that this was supposed to be common knowledge.

"I thought it was because he married my mum. The prophecy said that they defied Voldemort three times."

"James faced Voldemort more than three times. Both of your parents, when they were together, defied him three times. James was an incredibly powerful wizard. If he had lived, his powers would have rivaled Dumbledore's. One day you will be that strong.

"But we are way off topic. So, do you really want me to adopt you?"

"Yes."

The rest of the day went by cheerfully. Around lunch time, Ted and Andromeda showed up. They brought more gifts for everyone because didn't believe that it was humane to allow owls to fly during the winter. They even got a book for Hermione. They didn't care that they didn't know her. She was a friend of their 'nephew' and they didn't want her to feel left out.

The Marauders and the Marauders in training has a snowball fight. Whenever no one was looking, she magic'd a snowball at Remus, though no one was able to hit him that often. Ted and Andromeda laughed at them all as they drank some hot cocoa that Remus made (the one thing other than tea that he could make better than Sirius).

Sirius and Remus set off a firework show in the back yard. They didn't go too high so the Muggles couldn't see them. But the show was still brilliant. A lot more amazing than the ones Fred and George would display (not including the Weasley Wizbangs). Harry didn't know who was more excited to see the show, he and Hermione or Remus and Sirius. The two men were veterans when it came to firework shows so the Tonks had already seen what they could do. But they were always amazed at what the two could do.

Toward the end of the show, the adults noticed that the kids were nodding off in their chairs. Hermione was actually curled up in a little ball. The three who knew that she was a cat Animagus thought it was hilarious. Harry was sprawled out next to her, trying to steal a blanket away from her. For the adults, it was an 'aawww' moment.

A few days before Harry and Hermione were due to return to Hogwarts, Sirius took Harry to the Ministry of Magic. Harry really didn't like the building. But he knew that he had to go if he wanted Sirius to be his dad. It was a bit odd to see the Atrium was covered in snow that went to his waist.

This time, however, they didn't have to go all the way down to the dudgeons. The mood in the department was busy but cheerful. It wasn't like the other floors (not including the Department of Sports and Games).

But that doesn't mean that Harry wasn't nervous. These were the people who would decide whether ort not Sirius could adopt Harry.

Emmeline Vance, the woman who they talked to, asked a lot of question. She smiled when Sirius told her that he couldn't tell her their address. Harry guessed she liked the idea of the Fidelius charm on their home. But he also noticed that she didn't like the fact that Sirius didn't have an income. Harry realized that Emmeline didn't know that much about the Black family. So, Sirius told her she just smiled and nodded. The questions went on for more than an hour.

"Well, you do have a good application. I will have to review this with the Wizengamot. So you will have your answer within the month."

A/N sorry for the wait. Thanks for the reviews