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"No," said Mrs Weasley, "Harry isn't spending the night with you degenerates. It would be immoral of me to allow something so inappropriate." An ugly, malicious twist to her voice made the words sting.

Sirius let go of Harry so fast that he staggered from the sudden loss of support. Remus steadied him, while Harry grasped after Sirius.

"I don't like your tone or your insinuation," said Remus.

"Snuffles," Harry called plaintively not understanding why Sirius had sprung away from him as if he were red hot.

Sirius just stood there looking wretched and furious.

"Not so smug now, are you?" gloated Mrs Weasley. "Didn't want your precious Harry finding out you're a couple of sodomites? Well he knows now. So come on away from them Harry dear," she held out her hand.

After several seconds bewilderment, Harry had finally caught up with the conversation. Mrs Weasley thought he would abandon Sirius and Remus because they were queer. The idea made him snort with laughter.

"Harry," said Mrs Weasley, "I know it's an unpleasant thing to discover, but it's okay, you don't have to stay with them."

"Why would I care about them being queer?" he demanded.

"Harry dear," Mrs Weasley wrung her hands anxiously, "I don't think you quite understand…"

"Oh I understand perfectly," Harry yelled back. His uncertainty of the last twelve hours vanished, swamped by a fury so intense he found it hard to breath. Actually he was faintly surprised at how much anger surged up inside him now that it had a focus.

"You can take your oh so touching concern and shove it. Where was it ten years ago when it might have been useful? Or back when I was seven? Or when your sons' rescued me from my locked bedroom?

"My being shut up under the stairs didn't bother you. My being half starved didn't bother you. But now, now you're worried about me. Worried I might get, what, contaminated. Too late for that I'm afraid. I'm thoroughly and utterly contaminated, so I'll take myself off before I infect Ron."

"Harry!" gasped Mrs Weasley.

Harry ignored her, turning sharply on his heel and storming from the room. He stomped furiously up the stairs to the next half landing, whirled around and slammed his fist into the wall. It didn't make him feel any better but it hurt too much to do again. Instead he hugged his firebolt and wished he could go flying, far above the ground in the pale sky where he was truly free.

He heard the door open and footsteps leaving the room so he moved to one side, out of their line of sight. He had every intention of avoiding the Weasleys for as long as possible.

"Well that went well," said Sirius.

"That's what I like about you Padfoot, always looking on the bright side."

"Yeah. I guess as an inconvenient sodomite, I was lucky not to get lynched."

"Don't be ridiculous. If you ended up dead that obscenely large Black fortune would end up in Lestrange's hands and Malfoy's pockets. The man would have ten times the influence with that much more money behind him."

"Ah, I hadn't thought of that. Hey look Moony, something good came of being a Black."

"That and your pretty face."

"Moo-ny," scolded Sirius.

"Yes?" said Remus brightly.

Deciding things were about to get slushy, Harry scuffed his feet loudly on the stairs.

"Who's there?" called Remus.

"Is that you Harry?"

Harry tromped down the stairs.

"Are you all right kiddo?" asked Sirius.

He shrugged his shoulders. Sirius stretched out a hand towards him but let it drop back to his side.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he said awkwardly.

Harry chewed on his lower lip. "I'm sorry," he burst out.

"What?"

"I'm sorry, for saying all that stuff about contaminated. I don't believe it or anything," he added hastily. "Uncle Vernon wouldn't let Uncle Hugh touch Dudley because he'd contaminate him and it always made Uncle Hugh really sad. I don't want you to be sad."

"Oh Harry," Sirius hugged him tightly, "I'm not sad. Or well, I am a bit, but not because of you."

"I hate to say it," said Remus, "But I really believe we should go back to our room. There's no point in offering blatant provocation."

"You think I care what that woman thinks?" sneered Sirius.

"No but I think you care about not placing Harry in the middle of an extremely unpleasant argument."

He sighed heavily, "Yeah, you'd be right. Come on Harry."

As soon as the door was closed, Sirius sighed and dropped down to sit on the bed.

"I thought she knew us better than that."

"Well," said Remus, "While I don't wish to defend her in anyway, I don't think she genuinely believes we'd hurt Harry. She just wants Harry back and doesn't care how dirty she has to fight to get him. You were reading off the wrong script, Harry, you were supposed to spring away from us in horror and foreswear our company forever."

"Hah," said Harry eloquently.

"Doesn't mean we have to like it," grumbled Sirius,

"Of course not. It was an unconscionable tactic that, had it succeeded, would only have hurt Harry more."

"Harpy. The only good thing is that she didn't bring up the fact that you're a werewolf. Because then I'd have to kill her and things would get messy."

"Sirius, I am a werewolf, I don't mind when somebody points it out."

"Tell that to someone who doesn't know you, Moony mine."

Remus smiled and shook his head, "Me too. And you cannot kill Molly Weasley when she brings it up. All else aside she's Harry's mother."

"She is not," said Harry.

"Harry…" said Remus gently.

"She isn't. She's Ron's mother and I'm not Ron. I'm not anybody."

"You're our Harry," said Sirius firmly. "Ron being my godson can't change that. I don't think anything could. Unless your father turns out to be Snape of course, then you'll be out the door before you have chance to turn round."

The broad smile on Sirius' face suggested he found this to be an unlikely contingency. Harry smiled back but his stomach felt a bit funny at the idea there was something that would make Sirius stop caring about him.

"Sirius," protested Remus laughing, "You can't say things like that, Harry will think you're serious."

"I am S…"

"Do not even go there."

"Oh all right. You're safe anyway Pup, not even being Snape's son would stop you being our Harry." Sirius stood up, crossing the room to ruffle his hair. Harry relaxed, feeling slightly foolish for being so relieved.

Sirius pulled back suddenly, looking comically anxious, "Provided you agreed to wash your hair regularly," he checked.

Now certain he was being teased, Harry giggled, "Okay," said he said as soberly as he could manage, "I faithfully promise that, if I turn out to be a Snape, I'll wash my hair twice a day."

Sirius gave an exaggerated sigh of relief and pretended to mop his brow. "That's all right then. Seriously Pup, and I can too be serious," he turned his head to stick his tongue out at Remus,.

"Of course you can be," said Remus kindly, as if he was talking to a five year old.

"Seriously," Sirius tried again, "You mean the world to me and Remus and we'd never want to upset you or make you uncomfortable."

Not sure what Sirius was getting at, Harry just nodded blankly.

Remus sighed, "What Sirius is trying to say is that Mrs Weasley felt you might find the fact Sirius and I were in a relationship to be awkward or… or embarrassing."

"Oh no," said Harry. "I mean you're not going to," he waved on hand in the air helplessly, "In front of me," his eyes widened, "Are you?"

"No, I can faithfully promise that we'll never do that."

"Okay then." Harry shrugged his shoulders. He really didn't understand why all the adults were getting uptight.

"All right," said Remus, "Tomorrow looks like it's going to be a very long day so we'd better get some sleep while we can. I'm sure everything will look much better after in the morning."

"It can hardly get much worse," muttered Sirius. Remus serenely ignored the interruption and continued.

"Today has been rather stressful. So Harry, I know it's difficult, but I wouldn't place too much importance on anything Ron said in the heat of the moment."

"He's not having my broom."

"No he won't," said Remus at he same moment Sirius said,

"That broom is yours."

"He took my Invisibility Cloak," said Harry, not sure if he was complaining or just looking for sympathy.

"Oh Kiddo, I'm sorry," said Sirius, "But I suppose since it was James', technically speaking it is Ron's now."

"He took my photograph album."

"There he was wrong," said Remus, "Hagrid gave you that album, didn't he?"

"Yes. But I guess Ron deserves it. After all they're not my parents are they? They're his." Harry's head drooped as he was filled with an aching sense of loss.

"Pup?" said Sirius gently as he stole one arm around Harry's shoulders.

"I don't mind about the album really," he said, "And I know it's silly because I can never have even met them… But I miss Mum and Dad. I mean Lily and James. I always sort of thought of them looking down on me and maybe, maybe being proud of me." Harry paused to take a shuddering breath.

"And now they're not there anymore," he finished painfully.

Sirius made a low distressed sound and swept him up into a hug so tight it was as if he was trying to squash all the sadness out of him.

"Padfoot let the poor boy breath."

Harry whimpered as the arms about him loosened.

"It's okay Pup," he whispered. "I won't let you go." They shuffled across the floor and then Harry was sitting beside Sirius on his bed.

"It's okay," Sirius promised. "We'll make it okay. Somehow. Moony?" he appealed.

"Well," Remus mused. Harry and Sirius watched him expectantly.

"Well," he said again, "If Sirius was your Dad, Harry."

Hearing the most secret wish of his heart spoken aloud, Harry snuck a hopeful glance up at Sirius to see how he was reacting, only to find Sirius was gazing wistfully down at him.

Harry smiled tentatively. Sirius' eyes brightened and he smiled cautiously back. Harry could feel his smile broadening with incredulous joy as Sirius' smile grew in strength until his whole face was lit up with its force.

"My Pup," he said with conviction, and for the first time Harry realised Sirius was really saying son.

"Your Pup," he agreed and he hugged him tightly around the middle, hiding his face against his Dad's side. Sirius dropped a kiss on the top of his head and hugged him back.

"So Moony," he said sounding brilliantly happy, "If I was Harry's Dad," he briefly squeezed Harry even closer, "What then?"

Harry risked a fleeting look and saw that Remus was sitting as quietly as Professor Lupin always did but somehow managed to look thoroughly pleased with himself.

"Well then, obviously James would be his godfather."

"What?"

"I am right, aren't I? Would you choose anybody else as godfather for your son."

"No, probably not," said Sirius, sounding apologetic.

"It's all right Padfoot. And you'd have Lily as godmother wouldn't you?"

"Yes."

"And you think a little thing like being dead would stop Prongs being godfather to your son?"

"No," Sirius huffed a laugh, "Not Prongs. Or Lily for that matter."

"There you are then. Somewhere James and Lily are looking down on us, laughing their arses off about you becoming a father just in time for teenage hormones to kick in."

"Merlin Remus, did you have to say that." But his grip on Harry didn't slacken.

"Would they honestly be my godparents?" he asked, not quite sure he could believe.

"Oh yes Harry," said Remus, "There's no way James and Lily would let anyone else be godparents to Sirius' son."

"And they'd adore you, you know," said Sirius, "Completely and utterly. And they'd be so very proud of you."

"Truly."

"Absolutely."