A/N: I'm afraid I didn't get as far into the story as I hoped I would. As a result, a lot of this chapter is kind of building the Black House universe. That said, there are some parts of this chapter that I really loved and I hope you'll enjoy it as well!

Chapter Two

Ten Years Later

It was Harry Potter's eleventh birthday and he was waiting, rather impatiently, for the post owl to appear. He didn't usually spend his birthday waiting for the post owl, but this year was different. This year, the bird would be carrying a letter for him, perhaps one of the most important letters he'd ever receive: his acceptance to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He sat at the table in 12 Grimmauld Place and tried to keep his legs from kicking as he observed the objects in front of him to take his mind off of the lateness of the mail. It wasn't much of a distraction.

"Sirius," he called as he examined a particularly lonely cup of tea, "how long has this mug been sitting out?"

"Eh?" His godfather's voice was muffled. It drifted to him from the rear of the house, where he had been cloistered for about ten minutes. What was he doing back there?

"This tea! It's gone all…uh…I think it's actually gone chunky," Harry replied. He wrinkled his nose as he tipped the cup toward him. A fine film had settled over the top, like cooled gravy, and when agitated there were indeed small chunks that spun around in the forgotten beverage. It had to be at least a day old, maybe two.

"Ah." There was a pause. "Best tip it then. And don't go mentioning it to Molly—she has enough to say about this little bachelor's arrangement we have as it is!"

Harry hid a smile. Molly Weasley was a frequent visitor to Grimmauld Place and her visits usually culminated in a bit of a lecture for his godfather. Harry had memories from a very young age of Molly fussing around the house, clucking at the state of it as she set about cleaning. The house elf Kreacher was always greatly offended, but Harry tried to mollify him with sweets whenever he could. Sirius didn't like Kreacher much but Harry had always felt a little sad for him. He didn't know what it was like to feel unwanted, and he never wanted to find out. Thus he was always generous with the elf even if it seemed his efforts weren't overly appreciated.

He took the tea to the sink and dumped it in. Thinking about Molly always led him to thinking about his best friend Ron. Ron had gotten his Hogwarts letter ages ago as he was a few months older than Harry, but he and his family were waiting to go shopping for school supplies until Sirius and Harry could come with them to Diagon Alley.

"What are you doing back there?" Harry called to his godfather.

"Nothing, nothing!" Whatever 'nothing' was, it was making a lot of noise; Harry could hear muffled thumps and a couple of curse words from Sirius. He'd almost decided to investigate when Sirius emerged from one of the back rooms, brushing off his shirt. He shot his godson a wink and glanced toward the window.

"That letter should be here any minute," he said in a tone that implied he knew something Harry didn't. The boy's sense of anticipation burned a little brighter as they both watched for any hint of movement outside. Sure enough, a few moments later a small, dark figure appeared in the sky. It grew larger and larger as it approached the window, and Harry could soon see that this was not one of the barn or brown owls that usually delivered their magical mail. As the large bird soared into the open window, Harry realized that this was a snowy owl, proud and beautiful with its white and black plumage and keen yellow eyes.

"Wow…" he murmured, stroking the feathers at the owl's chest before he removed the letter from the proffered leg.

"Do you like her?" Sirius asked.

"Like her?" Harry turned wide eyes to him, and his godfather offered him a grin. "Do you mean—?"

"She's yours. That's what I was doing back there, tying your Hogwarts letter to your new owl. The school bird wasn't too happy about it—" Sirius rubbed at his ear, which Harry now noticed was a little red from being nipped—"so it took a little longer than I anticipated."

"Thank you!" Harry was rushing to throw his arms around the older wizard, and Sirius ruffled his hair affectionately.

"Don't thank me: this is Hagrid's gift to you. He'll be here tonight for your birthday party, so you can thank him then."

He beamed as Harry introduced himself to the snowy owl. With an easy wave of his wand, he summoned a cage for the newly-christened Hedwig and watched indulgently as his godson took both up to his room. Eleven already…where had the years gone? Somehow or another, he'd managed to raise Harry into a healthy young man. He'd had plenty of help, thank Merlin, and now Harry was on the verge of leaving Grimmauld Place for his first term at Hogwarts. The pride was tempered only by the wish that James and Lily could have been there as well, preparing their son for his first year at the magical school.

Before the nostalgia got too much the better of him, Sirius washed the dishes that had piled up in the sink and called down Kreacher to help prepare the birthday dinner. There was no love lost between master and elf, but Kreacher had developed a bit of a soft spot for Harry and as he was the superior cook, it wasn't long before Sirius had been shooed out of the kitchen.

He was still hovering around the edges when a quiet knock came. Over the years, the small circle of friends that came to visit had all learned not to knock too loudly lest the disturb the portrait of Sirius' mother, Walburga Black. Sirius was still searching for ways to remove it from the wall. It remained silent but he still shot it a dark look as he walked by on his way to answer the door. Remus Lupin was on the stoop with a brightly wrapped package for Harry tucked under his arm.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd turn up." Sirius drew his friend into a hug. Remus was entirely too thin and there were bags under his eyes, but his answering smile was warm.

"I was going to wait until dinner, but…" He shrugged. "I hope you don't mind that I came a bit early."

"Not at all. Harry's just run upstairs, but he should be down in a few minutes. His Hogwarts letter has just arrived."

They both enjoyed a certain sense of paternal pride at these words. Though Remus stayed away for a few days when the moon was nearing its fullest every month, he had helped Sirius more than anyone else as Harry grew up. Molly had been a huge help as well, but her visits were less frequent as she had a house full of her own children to see to. Minerva McGonagall had visited every so often and had offered Sirius an exceptional list of tutors when the time came for Harry to begin his education. Even Dumbledore stopped in occasionally, although he and Sirius had quietly disagreed about where Harry should be raised for a long time. Though the headmaster had explained to him about the blood-magic that protected the boy, Sirius refused to turn over Harry long enough for the Dursley's house on Privet Lane to be considered home.

"We're his protection," he had argued one evening when Dumbledore had arrived to make his case yet again. "You and me, Remus and the Weasleys, even Hagrid and Minerva. This house is nearly as secure as Hogwarts itself with all the protection spells we've put on it. And even if he still exists, the Dark Lord is short on allies these days."

The older wizard had retreated with a thoughtful frown on his face but Harry remained in Sirius' care. The matter had remained closed since that meeting, and though Dumbledore did step out of the fireplace now and then, this was a rare occurrence.

Remus set down Harry's present and Sirius dragged himself out of his thoughts. His friend looked tired, but around this time of the month he was always tired. The full moon had been only a few days ago, after all. Sirius wished he could transform and run with Remus as they used to, but though the other took Wolfsbane he still decided it was too dangerous to be anywhere near Harry in the event that he changed. He never revealed where he traveled to, but there was no doubt in Sirius' mind that it would be somewhere secluded and wild.

"You look well," Remus said to him. There was a small smile on his lips. "It will be lonely here while Harry's away at Hogwarts."

Sirius frowned. He still hadn't made a final decision about whether he'd stay in Grimmauld Place or not. He'd never been particularly fond of his family home, but the unhappy memories of his childhood had been somewhat tempered by the years he'd spent here raising Harry. While he'd paced and fretted and worried over every tiny cough from his infant godson, Remus had been the one to soothe them both. Both men had enjoyed introducing Harry to Quidditch, seeing in him the echoes of his father's greatness with a broom. Both had helped him learn to read and write, and Remus had received some of Harry's first correspondence, the childish letters painstakingly scrawled out in messages asking when he'd be coming back to Grimmauld Place.

Then there was the fact that this was Harry's home, the place where he'd grown up. It hadn't been Sirius' first choice, but there were ancient wards on the place that had been easily reinforced with extra protection from the Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore himself.

"I'll just have to see what sort of mischief I can cook up for myself," he said at last. "And if you stop coming by for visits, Moony, I'll know that you like Harry better than me."

The corner of Remus' lips quirked. "That certainly wouldn't do," he replied, ignoring the way his heart had thumped a little harder at the words. From anyone else, that remark would have been almost flirtatious…but as far as he knew there had been only one great love in Sirius Black's life, and it hadn't been him. His heart had been lost a long time ago to James Potter, and Remus had watched as his friend had pinned after him quietly even as James had gone on to marry Lily Evans.

So much the worse for the werewolf. He had loved Sirius for nearly half his life, though he had never told a soul. After James had died, Sirius had thrown himself into being a father to Harry, and—being sure to guard his heart—Remus had done what he could to help, noting all the while that fatherhood suited his old friend more than he'd ever expected it to.

Before they could further discuss how Sirius might spend his time while his godson was at Hogwarts, Harry himself raced back down the stairs, making a beeline for Remus. He'd barely had time to get to his feet before the eleven-year-old had barreled into him, gripping him in a tight hug.

"You're here!"

"Eleven is a special year," Remus replied with a smile, ruffling the boy's hair affectionately. "Where else would I be?"

"I'm glad, I was really hoping you'd be back in time. Did Sirius tell you? Hagrid got me an owl!"

"He hadn't mentioned it yet." Remus met Sirius' gaze over the boy's head, his relief palpable. Considering all of the other creatures Hagrid might have sent along as a gift for Harry, an owl was a pleasant surprise. "You'll find having an owl very useful when you get school."

Harry nodded, insisting that Remus come see Hedwig, and the wizard allowed himself to be led upstairs. The boy's cheerfulness was contagious, and not for the first time Remus felt deeply glad that Sirius hadn't let him go to the Dursleys.

As evening fell, other guests began to arrive to help Harry celebrate his birthday. Hagrid had lumbered in with a rather squished cake under his arm, and after he'd deposited it with an indignant Kreacher, he'd wrapped Harry in a tight hug. The Hogwarts groundskeeper had been a frequent visitor over the years. He'd been fiercely protective of Harry from the very beginning, and that bond had only deepened as Harry had grown. Harry kept babbling thank yous to Hagrid over and over, trying to properly express how much he already loved Hedwig, and Hagrid's answering smile was wide and warm.

"This is yer Hogwarts year, Harry. Had ter get you something special, eh?"

As Harry began peppering the half-giant with questions about his new school, more visitors arrived. From the amount of voices coming from the fireplace, it was clear that the Weasleys were arriving. Bill and Charlie weren't able to come as both worked abroad, but the rest of the family were all taking turns climbing out of the green flames that had burst to life on their own.

Sirius shook hands with Arthur and Percy as the twins climbed out and dusted themselves off, shortly followed by Ron and then Molly and Ginny, each carrying a small stack of presents.

"Ron!" Harry's shout of joy met with the red-haired family as he ran over to hug his best friend tightly.

"Mate! Happy birthday!"

"Come meet Hedwig! Hagrid got her for me—she's a snowy owl." The two boys raced back upstairs while the rest of the Weasleys greeted Remus and Hagrid.

Minerva McGonagall and Dumbledore didn't come, though both sent owls wishing Harry many happy returns. It probably wouldn't have been appropriate for Harry's headmaster and one of his professors to come to the party, and Minerva was especially aware of how it could be construed as favoritism as she had never visited any of her other students on their birthdays.

With the birthday party assembled and the food laid out on the table, everyone gathered together to eat. They toasted Harry's health with raised glasses of pumpkin juice and stuffed themselves to the bursting with Kreacher's cooking. As they ate, Harry glanced around the table at each of the people there. They'd all been a part of his life for as long as he could remember. He and Ron had always been especially close as they were the same age, but Ginny hadn't come along too far behind and they'd grown close as they went back and forth from Grimmauld Place to the Weasley's house at the Burrow. Percy had been something of a stern babysitter over the years, but he'd also helped Ron, Harry and Ginny with their maths over the years. Fred and George had been an endless source of mischief and entertainment for as long as he could remember, and Harry was one of the few people outside of the family who could tell them apart (usually).

Molly and Arthur were like another set of parents, and though they had their hands full with their own brood, they'd always been generous and welcoming to Harry. Hagrid of course was his staunch protector and biggest fan, everyone knew that, and there was a bond of friendship between the two that Harry knew could never be broken. Even Bill and Charlie, though they were absent from the table now, had been a part of Harry's upbringing, and they still periodically sent owls with interesting tidbits from their work. From Bill he had several rubbings of hieroglyphics from ancient Egyptian mages and wizards, plus the exotic candies that the witches and wizards from Egypt enjoyed. From Charlie he had stories of the dragons he was breeding, and scales from the several different species he worked with.

These people were his family, though they didn't share any blood. He'd learned very young that blood ties weren't, perhaps, as important as they were often lauded to be. He'd been sheltered here in the Black House, surrounded by this family of massively talented witches and wizards, and he couldn't remember ever feeling as though he were unwanted or unloved. It made him almost nervous to start school, to be separated from the people that had always been with him.

But of course, that was silly. He wouldn't be separated from all of them. Fred and George were already attending Hogwarts, Hagrid worked there, and he and Ron would spend all seven years together. Ginny would be following them to school in another year. He gave a small, grateful sigh at his good fortune in having all these people with him. For an orphan, he had been extraordinarily lucky, and he and Sirius shared a smile over their plates.

Though most of the Weasleys returned to the Burrow after dinner and cake, Ron stayed over. Both boys were camped out in Harry's room, the bed forgotten in favor of sleeping bags on the floor. The window was open and Hedwig had soared out into the night to hunt, probably more for pleasure than out of hunger as Harry had fed her before his birthday dinner. Around them were the gifts he'd received: from Ron, seeker's gloves with the emblem of the Chudley Cannons emblazoned on the back. Arthur and Molly had given him a kit for owl care, Hagrid having told them in advance what he'd intended to give Harry. They'd also given him gifts from Charlie and Bill: from Charlie, a to-scale model of a Swedish Short-Snout egg which had the same soft luminescence as a pearl; from Bill a translation of an Ancient Egyptian hex which caused the targeted witch or wizard to grow scarab wings.

Percy had given him a used but very well cared for copy of Hogwarts: A History, and Fred and George had given him a bunch of sweets and some merchandise from Zonko's Joke Shop. Ginny had given him a toy broom which zoomed around his room and paused occasionally to hover over the boys as they lay on the floor speaking quietly.

From Lupin there had been a beautifully illustrated book detailing defensive spells and counter-curses. The drawings moved, first in real speed and then in slow motion to better illustrate the proper use of the spell on the page. Finally, from Sirius, there was an old snitch. He'd kept it with him since he'd unwrapped it, his fingers curled around its golden body as if in some way it could reveal its memories to him if he held on hard enough. Sirius had told him it was the first one James had ever caught, during his first ever school Quidditch match as seeker. For years after James had fiddled with it, tossing it and catching it or rolling it around on his desk when he was deep in thought. Harry knew the instant he'd heard those words that he'd never allow himself to be parted with it. Of all his gifts, this was his favorite.

"Are you nervous about school?" Ron asked him, watching the toy broom zip back and forth near the ceiling. Harry rolled his father's snitch between his palms and nodded.

"A bit. Sirius has always been strict about the no-magic rule. I wonder if there are others starting that have had more practice. I hope I'm not rubbish."

Ron snorted. "Not likely."

"Still…I feel like I had better do well. Everyone knows who I am. If I'm not very good at magic, well…just imagine."

Ron frowned. "Yeah, suppose there is a bit of pressure on you."

"I know what they say about me: that I'm the one that defeated the Dark Lord. But I don't even remember. I was just lying there, it's not as though I did anything special." Harry was squeezing the snitch hard now, hard enough to make his fingers hurt.

"Harry, c'mon. Don't worry. There will be plenty of kids starting that didn't even know they were wizards or witches in the first place. It won't be as bad as you think."

Harry nodded. Ron was right: he even had a few spells memorized already, although without a wand it was hard to know if he would be able to perform them correctly. He'd asked Sirius if he could practice with his wand, but his godfather had only acquiesced on a couple of occasions, and he had only tried very basic spells. He felt woefully unprepared for a magical education, but at least he knew he was magical. He tried to imagine what it would have been like to find out you were a witch or wizard when a Hogwarts professor arrived to explain it all. It was probably very hard to believe if you didn't even know magic existed in the first place.

"What house do you think you'll be in?" Ron asked him, and Harry finally relaxed his grip on the snitch and stretched his sore fingers.

"I don't know." He tried to remember what he knew about the Hogwarts Houses, but it wasn't much. Ravenclaw didn't seem likely; he certainly didn't feel clever enough to end up there. He wanted, or more accurately perhaps craved, to do well, but he wasn't sure if he was brave or bold. If he was honest with himself, he expected to be sorted into Hufflepuff. It was, he knew, a friendly and down to earth House which usually performed well across the board.

"I wonder how they decide. I mean, the rest of my family are Gryffindors, but I don't know. I wonder if you have to do something really brave, like perform some sort of task or test or something. I don't think I'd make a very good Ravenclaw, either…"

"I dunno, if it's a game of Wizarding chess, you're a shoe-in," Harry replied, and Ron grinned at him gratefully. He sometimes felt completely outshined by his older brothers, all of whom had stood out in some fashion or another. He didn't give himself enough credit, but no matter how many times Harry pointed this out to him, he never seemed to really believe it.

"None of your brothers have told you how the sorting works?"

Ron scoffed. "No way. They love it when they know stuff I don't. They get to watch me squirm. Suppose I'll enjoy it too, when it's me keeping the secret from Ginny."

Harry shook his head with a smile. If it was really something hard or painful, he'd tell her if Ron wouldn't. That way at least one of them would be prepared.

"You and Sirius are coming with us to Diagon Alley this weekend, yeah?" Ron asked with a yawn.

"Absolutely," Harry agreed, glad to get his mind off of the sorting. "We're going to meet you at the Leaky Cauldron."

"Excellent. Listen, mate, I'm about to fall asleep..."

"Me too. See you in the morning." Harry adjusted himself so he was deeper in his sleeping bag and closed his eyes.

"Night," they said in unison, and a few moments later they were both asleep.

A/N: I was really torn about whether or not to write some earlier stuff, like Sirius and Remus taking care of a younger Harry. I decided not to because I really wanted to get to a point where I could introduce other characters like Hermoine and Draco, BUT I probably WILL do a series of one-shots set in the BH universe where Remus and Sirius care for baby Harry just because I have a few very strong ideas and scenes floating around in my head.

Next chapter should be up a little quicker as well!