Chapter 18: Christmas Surprise
Christmas morning,
Harry was asleep in his room at Potter Manor with his back toward the door. He was woken by the sound of a soft popping noise on the other side of the door. He pretended to be asleep as it opened.
He heard the soft paw steps as something with four legs walked up to his bed. He figured it was probably Ginny. He felt his bed dip as something HUGE jumped on it.
It wasn't Ginny. Her form was MUCH smaller.
He woke up when something warm and wet touched his face.
"What the…" He exclaimed as he sat up in bed and tried to whip his face, but whatever it was kept on licking him.
"Stop it." Harry laughed. "That tickles."
The animal stopped, but Harry still heard the THUMP THUMP of a tail hitting his bed as it wagged. Harry wiped his face as Ron woke up.
"AGGHHH! THE GRIM!"
Harry looked at the animal and saw a huge black dog sitting on his bed.
"Sirius!" he exclaimed as he hugged the dog.
POP
Harry felt his godfather's arm wrap around his body.
"Did you HAVE to lick me?" Harry asked with a laugh.
"Do people have earplugs in this place?" Spica asked as she entered the room. "Even after Ron screamed bloody murder, no one came running."
"Probably because they thought Ron was having a nightmare." Harry laughed as he and Sirius let go of each other. "While I have them about death and Voldemort's rebirth, he has them on Grims and spiders."
"I do not." Ron pouted.
"Then explain that one night in third year when you woke up saying that spiders were telling you to tap dance and you didn't want to." Harry said to his friend.
"I was thirteen." Ron defended before looking at Spica.
She had lost her skinny figure and was munching on a granola bar.
"You might want to lay off the food for a while." Ron told her.
"I can't." she explained with a smile.
"She's eating for two." Sirius said.
"How?" Ron asked. "Who's the other?"
"You mean…" Harry asked. "Congratulations!"
He hugged Sirius again.
"What?" Ron asked.
"Ron." Harry said turning to his friend. "Spica's pregnant."
"WHAT?! HOW?!"
"Ron." Harry said gently. "When a man and a woman REALLY love each other…"
"I know THAT part." Ron said throwing a pillow at Harry.
"What ELSE have you two been doing besides eloping and getting pregnant?" Harry asked his godfather.
"We managed to get the American Ministry as well as the French, Spanish, Belgian, Russian, Scandinavian, and Irish on our side." Sirius said.
"We were going to hit Switzerland, Italy, and Germany, but we thought Christmas with you was more important." Spica added.
"But…This is a WAR!" Harry argued. "You didn't need to stop what you were doing for me. I don't think Voldemort cares."
"Probably not." Sirius said. "But WE do. We have a bigger problem though. How are we going to tell Prongs I'm back? Let alone what we've been doing."
"I have an idea." Ron said.
0000
Harry snuck into his parents' room and saw them still asleep. He tried to remember what all Dudley did when he got something he REALLY REALLY wanted. However, that hadn't really happened in many years. So, he tried to act as kid as possible knowing he was going to be SO embarrassed when this was over.
Memo to self. Hurt Wily.
"ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou!" He said running to his parents' bed and hugging his father.
"What the…" James asked as he woke up with a start. "What's this for?"
"I don't remember telling you I wanted a puppy for Christmas." Harry said to his parents.
"A PUPPY?!" Lily yelled as she woke up after hearing what her son got for Christmas. "You got him a PUPPY?!"
"Well," Harry said. "He's a little older than an actual PUPPY, but he sure acts like one."
He went out to the hall with the door still opened.
"Come here boy!"
A LARGE black dog with a bright red bow came running and jumped on Harry licking his face.
"See." Harry said to his parents while he laughed.
"I didn't get him that dog." James said. It was too early in the morning.
"Well don't look at me." Lily told him.
Harry laughed amazed his father hadn't gotten the hint.
"Go to Dad, Snuffles."
"You named him "Snuffles"?" James asked as the dog jumped onto the bed and started licking James.
"Told you he acts like a puppy." Harry said.
"Providing he doesn't have an accident on the bed…" Lily said.
"He's pretty housebroken." Harry explained. "Can I keep him?"
He performed the puppy-dog pout
"You…" James said as he looked closer at the dog. "Harry Potter! You know perfectly well who this dog is!"
"Yes I do." Harry admitted.
POP
"When did you get back?" James asked his best friend.
"Early this morning." Sirius said.
"Okay Sirius. What did you do?" James asked knowing that grin that was on Sirius' face.
"All shall make sense at breakfast." Harry said.
"You know?" Lily asked.
"Of course I know." Harry said.
0000
At breakfast,
"SPICA!"
"LILY!"
The two friends ran to each other and embraced. Lily pulled out and looked at Spica's mid-section.
"Girl. Lay off the food." Lily told her.
"You, of all people, should know what's going on with my body right now." Spica told her.
"You mean…WHEN'S IT DUE?!"
"May." Spica told her.
"So THAT'S what you've been doing." James said to Sirius accusingly.
"Well, I've been engaged for 17 years. You didn't expect me to just sit around and make it 18, did you?"
"Whoa. Sirius! What did you do to Jenkins?" another voice came from the entrance to the dinning room.
Everyone turned to see Remus.
"It's Black now." Spica told him.
"MOONY!" Sirius yelled in greeting as he hugged the werewolf.
"OW! Watch it!" Remus said wincing.
"What happened to you?" James asked noticing some of the bruises.
"Let's just say running around with a few unregistered animagi was a lot better than running around with more werewolves." Remus said.
"Don't worry Remus." Lily said. "Mel's trying to find the cure."
"Is she here?" Harry asked.
"Yeah. Upstairs. Fourth floor." Lily told her son. "She came in after you went to bed."
TBC