Chapter thirty seven - 'Your gonna run it an inch deeper so it hardly hits me stomach aren't you?!'
"Sirius, I wanna do something today. Let me get dressed and stuff and let me do something interesting and fun like!" Harry complained loudly from his bed through to Sirius who was just cleaning up in his own bathroom with all the doors open after he'd had a shower. Unfortunately what with Tonks working and Remus having gone away on order business Sirius and Harry really were just the two of them.
"Well if you want to you can have a bath if you want?" Sirius tried to suggest but already knew what would come next.
"Ok, but can I have a deep bath, I hate having them crappy little ones, I can never soak long enough in them?!" Harry called back from his bed as Sirius gave up cleaning sighed heavily and headed back out his room and in to Harry's.
"Harry, you know you can't have a bath that's as deep as you used to but I suppose I can run it a bit longer than I normally do seen as you want to soak in it."
"Your gonna run it an inch deeper so it hardly hits me stomach aren't you?!' Harry sulked as Sirius looked over at Harry's fed up face on the bed, not quiet sure what to do about Harry's quiet appalling boredom but perfectly capable of understanding his frustration.
'Not much point if you do that. Bet I can't have a shower either." He continued to grumble.
"Harry your not good on your legs yet!" Sirius sighed.
"I'm not that bad, I can walk about a bit and I can stand up by myself, I can always lean on the wall a bit!"
"Yeah you can, a bit, but you can't climb in to the bath by yourself and you can never stand for very long and I worry about you turning dizzy again. I know you haven't done it in a few days, but still. You'll just have to be a bit more patient."
"I don't want to be patient and I'm never dizzy these days coz you never let me stand up hardly ever. I always have to sit down and be careful and stuff. Won't let me jump on me bed or anything!' Harry grumped.
Looking after a completely incapacitated, barely conscious Harry, was difficult enough but at least he got the hang of it eventually. But looking after moody difficult Harry was harder, he was never very satisfied with anything and Sirius felt if possible, just as useless now Harry was on the mend.
'Isn't there anything we can do sat down? What does Remus do all the time on his own, bet that doesn't involve much standing?" Harry tried, aware he was perhaps being too stubborn now by how quiet Sirius had gone, Sirius always went quiet around Harry when he would normally get cross. It was the only way Harry could tell if Sirius was angry with him or not.
"I think he just likes his own company! He likes reading a lot. He was always as bad as Hermione for wandering around with a book in his hand." Sirius explained remaining quiet calm and sitting down on the bed opposite Harry, who although looked a bit on the dog eared side in the same t-shirt he'd been wearing several days now, was looking much better than he had done and was almost perky in the cheeks.
"I miss her. Even when she's annoying me."
"I know Harry. Why don't you try with the mirror for a bit once you'd had a wash?"
"You trying to say a look like a scruff Sirius?"
"Harry, you were the one that brought up washing." Sirius sighed hoping Harry wasn't about to get extremely argumentative or something now. Instead he finally broke into a smile.
"Yeah, I suppose I could try. But I tried last night thinking they might still be up but no one was there. I think they've forgotten about me or something. I haven't seen them in so long and well, I suppose they must be busy and stuff at school doing stuff." Harry sighed, Sirius was sure this wasn't the case but it was clear there was very little Sirius could say to reason with Harry and his worry that he'd been left out of everything as there was no way to prove he hadn't only trust in his good friendship.
"Harry I'm sure you just keep missing them that's all. And they might not even realise your doing so much better now. For all they know, your not getting better yet and they just don't want to bother you when your asleep."
"I know, I didn't want to write to them either coz then I wouldn't know what to put. I just wanted to say hello and they've forgotten about me. They must have!"
"Harry they haven't forgotten you! You could try and write to them if you want, Tonks would be able to pass it along to Ginny or something and then they'd know to try and use the mirror again."
"I suppose. But my head always hurts when I try and read."
"I know Harry. You just need more rest and eventually you'll be able to read better. In the mean time you can always just try and think of things to say to them. Now would you like me to run you a bath?"
"Yeah I guess. But I want it deep enough to sit in for a bit. Even if you have to be in the room too!" Harry added as Sirius got up and headed over to the bathroom where he turned the hot tap on and quickly stuffed the plug in the bottom.
It was as deep as he could safely think he could put it and after helping Harry out his clothes and in the bath and he was satisfied Harry wasn't going to be able to get his head under the water line to stop breathing, he finally let Harry sit there while he started to make some dinner. It was clear Harry needed something to boost his spirits a bit, as Sirius could see him starting to doubt wanting to go back to Hogwarts, he wanted his friends around him and just to hang out with Ron and Hermione doing boring things at school and making them seem fun. Sirius wanted that for Harry too, but they were all there and he was here and that wasn't going to change soon enough.
"So how do you feel today Harry?" Sirius asked passing Harry his plate of breakfast, there wasn't much interesting to it but the particularly red apple helped brighten it up more then usual.
"Hmm, same as always." Harry grumbled starting on the plate and saving the apple till last.
"Feel particularly sicky today or anything?"
"Not really." Harry mumbled.
"Feel particularly headachy?"
"No, it's no so bad today."
"Feeling particularly awkward and moody today Harry?" Sirius slipped in quickly. It was always a good way to find out what mood Harry woke up in even if occasionally it wound Harry up a bit too much.
"Oi, I'm not awkward! Just fed up!"
"Well Tonks is coming over later after work, give you a change of company for a bit."
"I don't need a babysitter while you go to order meetings Sirius?" Harry sighed drinking his water and biting slowly into the apple and letting all the juices squeeze out across his face and down his chin. Sirius could never understand why Harry liked doing this, the messier he got with his apple the happier he seemed and yet he didn't like getting messy in other ways, weird boy!
"I know Harry, I just thought you'd like the company that was all, now try not to think of a babysitter Harry coz she's not, I just worry about leaving you all on your own that's all.'
'Besides, Remus is ya babysitter Harry, not her. Don't want you giving his job away now do we." Sirius added and consequently got hit by a pillow a few times until Harry's arms got too tired to swing at him much more.
After a bit, Sirius got Harry out his bed and let him sit in the bath again, this time in even deeper than last time making Harry think that either Sirius was getting short sighted in his old age or he was trying to keep Harry in a sweet mood or something. This time Harry chose to think Sirius was getting short sighted and made a point of checking to see how much he squinted later when he was flicking through the paper. Unfortunately it was no more than normal and Harry was faced with the prospect that Sirius was trying to keep him in a sweet mood for some reason and it wasn't a happy prospect.
In the end after they'd had some tea and Sirius had let him have a bigger potion of carrot cake than normal Harry was quiet convinced he was being brought, as Sirius went to let the first few order members in. They always arrived in drips and drabs over the course of the evening, taking it in turns as to who has to arrive first and hang around for at least an hour before the meeting was anywhere near to getting going, but it was always Snape who got to waltz in last.
Sirius however assured Harry this was because no-one could stand the sight of his greasy hair and he had no-one else to talk to but didn't like it been made to obvious that everyone hated him. As soon as Sirius had gone though, Harry got up and moved over to the sofa with his cake in the hope the little rebellion of crumbs everywhere would make him feel better, it didn't.
Sirius let the first few members in and left them in the main dinning room to start the kettle going and grab the best biscuits, as Sirius went back to Harry he found Harry where he was expected, sat on the sofa hoping crumbs might annoy Sirius but it never did. He was quiet happy with the crumbs Tonks dropped so the few Harry made were positively necessary to make the place seem homely according to him.
Over the next three quarters of an hour the doorbell rang every now and then as the early members let the later ones in, until eventually Harry noticed Sirius check his watch subtly for the second time in as many minuets.
"If she's late you can always go down stairs, I'm not going to get in to much of mess sat here on me own. Honest, I don't mind. Got cake to eat!" Harry added pulling another little chunk of cake off and stuffing it in his mouth.
"No she's not late Harry I just wondered what time it was that was all. Besides, you'll get board on ya own."
"I'll probably get board anyway!' Harry mumbled, Sirius barely heard what Harry had said but assumed that was best, particularly when he heard two feet not troubling to keep there voices down as they banged up the stairs laughing.
Harry's ears pricked up as clearly the sound of giddy laughter coming up the stairs was rare bordering on plain weird in this house. Even Harry didn't make that much giddy noise when he was high on something Woolnough had given him to receive a bad giggly reaction.
'Who's that?" Harry asked leaning back to see if the door was open, it wasn't, Sirius had deliberately shut it to add to the surprise for Harry when he came in.
"Who's what Harry?" Sirius replied as neutrally as he could, covering his pleasure at seeing Harry at least curious by something for once.
"That running up the stairs?"
"Must be Remus, he gets a few side effects every now and then." Sirius replied with a bit of a forced yawn.
"What grows another new leg? Anyway, you said he hasn't been taking his potion recently. Woolnough said he should try without it and gave him something else after something I did to him!"
"Oh yeah, and well I some how doubt he's grown a new leg, but it doesn't seem to bother him so much these days in the same way, he say's it's just the weather changing that makes it stiff and sore."
"Oh, but who is it?" Harry continued to ask.
"Hmm, well dunno then, must be Tonks being a noisy twat again, you know that girl can never do anything remotely quietly!" Sirius sighed as Harry now shuffled in his seat waiting for the imminent arrival of the two bounding pairs of feet to presumably come crashing through the door.
Sirius seemed to look quiet smug by something now but Harry wasn't sure what, just that he was annoyingly smug and quickly got up and moved out the way of the door.
"So then where's..."
"...The invalid?!" Fred finished with a matching grin as the two crashed through the door.
"Ah there he is!" George continued spotting Harry with a rolled up toilet tube he was using as a monocle.
"Doggy splash!"
"Doggy splash!"
"Aggh what are you two doing here?" Harry yelped as two grinning red heads dived as carefully as they could whilst still remaining completely reckless and true to the Weasley idiotic clumsy character on to Harry.
"We came to see you!" Fred explained shuffling around so he wasn't quiet sat on his brothers head anymore.
"You twit who else would we wanna see?!"
"Yeah but why come?" Harry continued still shocked the twins would take time out of making money just to come and see him while he was ill.
"Well a little birdie said you could do with some cheering up so..."
"...We thought we'd come and share are latest brilliant money making idea with you!"
"Yeah so if this goes wrong then you've gotta make sure that Sirius doesn't get all arsey with us!"
"Yeah coz we didn't want to test it on our stuff in case it sort of..."
"...Explodes like the last couple of err..."
"Test subject rooms!"
"What do you mean test subjects?" Sirius suddenly wondered, he had said bring some sort of game to cheer Harry up with and now he was beginning to get a suspicious by his own sodding shady language James used. Anything that involved a test subject never turned out well he was quiet sure.
"It's best not to go into it too much Sirius!" Fred explained with a mock serious expression.
"Yeah so you go away and us and Harry will have some fun."
"Yeah, don't worry we'll baby-sit the whelp!"
"Oi, I'm not a whelp!"
"Hmm. Well you three don't do anything dodgy and don't ware him out too much. And be careful what you stick in your mouth Harry we're still not sure what foods have it in yet. I don't want you spending the next week puking or anything!" Sirius added far too seriously to ever be considered a joke even by Fred and George.
"I will Sirius. And don't you go stuffing pollo's down your neck or anything while I'm out the way. It wouldn't be fair on me now would it?"
"I won't, well the meeting shouldn't be too long but try and go to bed before I get back upstairs in case it goes on. You don't have to wait for me."
"I won't." Harry added rolling his eyes at Fred as he sat in anticipation for Sirius's departure with his brother.
"Yeah we can tuck him in all cozy like."
"Could sing him a song too couldn't we Fred."
"Hmm, well try not to blow anything up and try not to make too much noise, your mother might be downstairs and I know you don't like drawing her attention too much and I don't want her bothering Harry!"
"No we wouldn't want to inflict are dear demented mother on little wee Potter would we!" Fred explained in nodding agreement with George.
"No, not after we've had to put up with her for years and years and years of her charming company!" George added with a painful memory and a sigh equal to his twin's.
"How did you get yours to be quiet anyway? Did you finally manage to get her off the wall Sirius?" Harry asked curiously, looking over to Sirius now Fred and George had pushed him around so one sat on either side of him as Tonks wondered up the stairs to remind Sirius he's supposed to be leaving Harry with his babysitters tonight.
"No Harry. She's still there. I just got the plaster and cement out and slapped it over her for a few layers. At first it kept cracking but eventually after about eight or nine thick layers she's well and truly shut up. Even Tonks can't set her off the clumsy cluts she is."
"Oi! I am not clumsy, I just lack a bit of grace that's all!" She snapped banging the door against the wall by accident as she pushed it open to firmly.
"A bit of grace Tonks. How on earth Remus hasn't ended up black and blue with you I can't fathom?" Sirius sighed turning to face his little cousin.
"Maybe you just can't see where he's black and blue?" Harry shrugged looking to Fred and apparently Fred for some agreement.
They however both burst out laughing as Tonks blushed dreadfully as Lupin himself called up the stairs for them to come down. A humiliated Tonks and an upset and not so blindly ignorant Sirius started to make there way down the stairs. To get over his shattered ignorance Sirius tried to indulge in his other weird mental state and verbally started to worry about Harry too much to get over it.
"You think he'll be ok then. I mean I'm not so sure about Fred and George. They're nice enough and everything but they might be a bit rough by accident. Harry's still a skinny little thing even if he has put a stone and a half on!"
"Stop worrying I explained it to Fred and George and although making continuous Fred and George jokes they seemed to understand and will be careful with Harry and are just gonna cheer him up a bit. Just like you wanted. Make him a bit happier again and feel like things are going back to normal! Besides, if they wear him out a bit so what? The worst that could happen is he falls fast to sleep all night, most the day and you may have to spoon feed him again tomorrow night if he's still tired but at least he'll be in a better mood and you usually feed him that way anyway, he likes being lazy." Tonks sighed nudging Sirius in the back as he was in danger of stopping completely on the stairs now and turning around to go back up.
"I suppose. It's not so bad these days and moving around would do him some good. And I put charms on the furniture ages ago so he could walk into them as much as he likes and wouldn't hurt himself. And that's a sponge rug too below the sofa!"
"See, they'll be fine and Woolnough did say he should move around as much as possible and get a chance to be a bit fun and normal too once in a while. Besides, in a week or so me and Remus will try and take him out for some fresh air. He could do with something better in his lungs I'm sure."
"Hello? Hellooo?' Sirius called gently through the dark living room. The order meeting had stretched out much longer than ever anticipated and Sirius was a little concerned when he'd finally got a chance to come upstairs and survey the scene, after hearing an almighty crash and then a load of laughter echo down the stairs as Dumbledore entered the room all he did was smile gently and closed the door behind himself.
'Harry. Are you asleep somewhere?" Sirius wondered pushing the door open wider only to be met by darkness and silence. In the end Sirius flashed his wand and erupted a fire to burn in the grate and light the room. What he saw though was barely recognisable as the room he'd left Harry in earlier that evening. Spotting Fred and George fast to sleep on the sofa stretched out one either end he gently tried to rouse the nearer one.
"Errgh what you want?"
"Err, Fred or George you can go home now if you want and err, where's Harry?" Sirius asked just as the other one started to wake up a groggily.
"We stuck him in his bed, he was tired and we're stopping hear till shop opens in the morning."
"Now go away and switch light off mess'll drive mum nuts!" George grumbled turning over a bit and getting ready to dose straight back off to sleep.
"Oh alright!" Sirius agreed flicking his wand again at the grate and shutting the door behind him, sure he could sort out that mess tomorrow or something. He wondered across the landing and gently pushed Harry's door open. This was the first time Harry had ever gone to sleep without the landing candles burning and all the doors to Sirius wide open so they could hear each other breathing if they listened carefully enough.
Harry had clearly tried to pull his clothes off and after getting one sock, his trousers off and one arm out his jumper he'd either toppled over and pasted out on the bed or given up and flopped on the bed to go to sleep. Sirius was pleased, Harry was weirdly almost content. He bent down and helped Harry out of the rest of his jumper, then lifted him up slightly and pulled the sheets over his shoulders before pushing his hair back and after kissing him gently on the top of the head he left Harry to sleep.
Sirius would never do this if Harry was awake or capable of registering what Sirius did as he was always so worried about Harry getting frightened of him for some daft reason but he liked to do it all the same. James would, he'd do it even now if he was around, he'd always kiss his boy on the head before he went to sleep, whenever he didn't Harry somehow seemed to know and wouldn't sleep to well between feeding. Sirius had thought there was nothing in it but at some point he'd realised that like James, Sirius cared too much about Harry to be bothered weather it helped much now or not.
"So you've got your jumper on haven't you? And you've got you potion in your pocket, just in case?"
"Yes Sirius, can we go yet? I've still got me hat too it's in me other pocket!" Harry added slightly annoyed by the fussing Sirius seemed to do and was curious to know how the crazy convict would cope when he finally goes back to Hogwarts even if Harry was trying to think of a way to put it off a bit. So far best he could do was make Sirius worry about his eating, but Woolnough wouldn't let him go back until he'd finally settled on a weight as although much more in the normal bracket (well a bit anyway) Harry still seemed to be yo-yoing about the place and occasionally felt sugar rushes and drops because of it.
"Hmm, yeah I suppose, but don't wonder off from Remus to far. He's not brilliant on mud, spends most his time on his arse."
"How the hell do you know that?" Lupin called through from the living room where he was yanking his jumper on sure the jacket wouldn't keep him warm enough.
"I've seen the mud on your trousers Remus." Sirius called back taking his eyes off Harry for a few seconds and missing the couple of biscuits he stuffed in his trouser pockets for later.
"That's Tonks's fault, she always pushes me over." Remus called back crossly pulling his coat on now as Tonks slipped through behind him from her own room.
"Yeah but you like it when I climb on top of ya outside." She teased then wondered past him stroking him down the spine as she did and went to show Sirius she was ready.
"You done yet?"
"Sirius don't be so annoying, you don't even want us to go out today!" Tonks complained with a heavy sigh over at Harry who quiet agreed with her.
"I don't, it's windy, but if you must, sooner you go sooner you come back!" Sirius shrugged as Lupin finally came out the room and they headed down to the front door.
"You'll be about won't you, like downstairs and stuff when we get back? Don't want to be hanging around on the front door do we!" Tonks reminded Sirius as Harry pulled his coat closer and Remus unbolted the door for them checking through the spy hole before opening it enough for a person to slip through. Or at least someone like him to get through weather both Harry and Tonks could get through a much smaller gap or not without much difficulty.
Tonks grabbed hold of Harry who helped as best he could but was a bit useless apart from adding extra umph by accident so Tonks had to compensate, the three quickly appeared on the edge of a wood that Tonks and Remus often went for walks in. You could never apperate right in to the wood but after checking around themselves Tonks and Remus soon had Harry wondering around under the safety and cover of trees.
Remus was quiet confident that on the edge ridge where they were in there wasn't much to cause them a problem so long as they didn't accidentally piss a squirrel off or something. Harry liked walking around in this wood. He'd been here twice before but couldn't remember it as once, he'd suddenly past out and the other two had to carry him out the wood and back to Sirius. The other time Harry had just forgotten about it as he had forgotten about quiet a few things from over the past couple of months.
The wind wasn't too bad in here but it wasn't much warmer with the dodgy English weather. After a while of wondering, Harry got a bit annoyed of the coupley silence between Remus and Tonks and started to comment on the English weather. He was quickly informed as he had been before, that they weren't in England this was the north of Wales and it actually tended to be quiet calm in comparison.
Remus assured them that there just wasn't the same drizzling rain here, it tended to be more forceful and not quiet as pathetic even if it was a little less often than at Hogwarts. Harry seemed quiet satisfied with the answer but was eager not to have the three of them drift into a silence only he seemed to find slightly uncomfortable in. Suddenly though he had a bright idea and wondered how Remus in particular would take it being the slightly more traditional of the two.
"I missed Christmas you know!"
"No you didn't Harry, we had Christmas dinner together and Tonks got us those charming jumpers!"
"What jumpers Remus?"
"Yeah and I hope you aint being sarcky about my water-proof nit-wear!" Tonks put in quickly giving Remus one of her mothers looks that only reduced Remus to a smirk.
"Would I ever dare to? You might make me ware it out in public."
"What jumper? Anyway I don't remember it and well, because I missed it and I was wondering if before I got back to Hogwarts, we could do it all again. Get the tree out and everything?"
"What do Christmas all over again in the middle of March?!" Tonks wondered a bit lost as to why but sure Sirius probably wouldn't mind, it was 'sweet innocent little Harry' after all.
"Yeah. Have a turkey and Christmas presents and a tree and tensile and stuff. It'll be fun, besides you said it was a nice turkey we had Remus?"
"It was Harry, bit on the large side for four though but still, it tasted better than the last few I'd had before."
"Maybe that was because it was cooked Remus?' Harry wondered allowed without thinking much.
The three walked in silence for a minuet or so now as Remus didn't know what to say and Tonks was a little hurt on her sexy wolfie boy's behalf, before Harry stopped by a tree to wait a few seconds for them to catch up again.
'Am I being rude again?" Harry suddenly wondered looking over to Remus as he really was a bit unsure if he was being.
"A little Harry but it's not so bad. And that was probably why anyway." Remus explained quietly.
"Oh, your supposed to tell me when I'm being rude! I don't mind you know. I just forget sometimes and don't realise I'm doing it." Harry explained making Remus if possible a little guilty at Harry being rude to him.
"Well it wasn't so bad Harry. You've said worse things about people but Snuffles usually quiet agrees with you so doesn't mention it much."
"He's supposed to tell me things like that. Best remind him again. It's just I can't tell too well and I'll not remember if I am if he doesn't tell me these things."
"It's alright your not too bad." Remus replied diplomatically as Tonks wondered behind the two and watched the trees while Harry and Remus chatted a bit.
"Well actually Harry you do seem to be getting a bit worse." Tonks finally put in as it was clear Remus wasn't going to say it and Sirius was a bit oblivious to polite social boundaries most the time.
"I am?" Harry wondered looking up at Remus as he decided he'd best watch the floor for those pesky root's that just crop up out of no where and trip him up.
"Your more talkative these days Harry."
"I'm not that bad am I?" Harry pressed.
"Well..."
"Remus?"
"It's hard to say Harry, I get away with a lot too at that place, rude-wise and you can get away with anything if you really wanted to."
"I don't like getting away with things all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong I don't like actually getting into trouble but I don't like it when I get away with things because I'm me."
"Hmm, well you don't get away with things at Hogwarts."
"I do Remus, you let me off all sorts of things you shouldn't of."
"Yeah well I was bias Harry and you were normally quiet good about stuff in my lessons."
"McGonagall let me off homework once. I mean how often does that happen with other students in a decade?!"
"I suppose but she's bias too. Didn't it have something to do with Quidditch? She got you in young to try and beat the Slytherins didn't she?"
"I know, but she shouldn't let me off things. Hagrid does a lot of the time too but that doesn't bother me too much."
"Because he's your friend Harry?"
"No, because if you help him out and be nice to him he'll let most people off. Ron and Hermione get let off things too and so it doesn't bother me. Even Dumbledore lets me off things. It's not fair."
"To you or other students Harry?" Remus wondered sensing there may be more behind this than possibly meets the eye, Harry despite his rudeness was incredibly subtle about things these days and seemed to be making his mind up about people in a completely new way. Like it was the first time he'd ever met them.
"Both I suppose. It just doesn't seem very fair I should be so different to everyone else that's all."
"Your not so different Harry. I mean you are but plenty of people are. Well look at Tonks. She's near enough the weirdest one at work and they've got people like Moody wondering around like he's just two a knut."
"I suppose she is odd!' Harry pondered for a bit.
'And I suppose Hagrid says we're still the biggest bunch of misfits going. Never seems to bother us much though at school. And Dumbledore despite appearances can actually be rather annoying."
"You think Albus Dumbledore's annoying Harry?" Lupin repeated sure that was never a sentence you were going to hear twice in a life-time.
"Hmm. I mean he's a good teacher and headmaster and he's good at getting the best side out of people, but don't you think he's ever so annoying the way he does it?"
"Can you be more pacific Harry?" Remus wondered turning his head to Tonks who just shrugged at Remus's confused and bewildered face.
"Not really Remus. It's just one of those things, people either annoy you or they don't. Molly annoys you, yet then I suppose she does seem to annoy a lot of people, but not Arthur it seems. It's not perfect but they've been together a long time haven't they? So he must like her a lot. Like my aunt and uncle."
"That's one of the best kept secrets going, how that marriage seems to work well." Remus explained not sure what to make of this but assumed he probably should explain it to Dumbledore and Sirius later. He was just going to have to be careful about how he broached the topic with anyone. Tonks however eager not to let Harry wonder too far in to things he perhaps shouldn't if they were ever over heard asked about this Christmas idea Harry had.
"So another Christmas then Harry?"
"Yeah, well I remembered where I hid Pat's present and well, when I went to look for them they weren't there so I figured perhaps the presents thing won't work too well."
"That's because we already had Christmas Harry and you gave them to him. He was glad, he liked it, I can't remember exactly what you got him but I know he liked it!"
"Well I'm glad. And it's ok Tonks, I can't remember either what I got him I just vaguely remember where I put them. But can we do it all again, even if we don't do prezzi's and stuff."
"Ok by me I suppose."
"Yeah I don't mind either Harry, talk to err, Pat when we get back and see what he says." Remus explained still a little bit unsure as to why Harry was calling Sirius Pat but could vaguely remember him doing it before.
"Ok. Do you think we've been walking for long enough yet?" Harry wondered rubbing his knee where it had started to hurt with walking over logs and jumping muddy bits.
"Yeah if you want Harry. Is your leg hurting or something?" Tonks wondered seeing Harry lean against a tree for support.
"Yeah, bit." Harry mumbled taking hold of the tree more.
"Mine too." Remus added starting the quickest way back to the edge where they could apperate away from the forest.
"Honestly you pair should really mention things like this more often, rather than walking on something that hurts!" Tonks sighed taking Harry by the arm slightly as he started to falter and stumble over leaves.
They quickly apperated back to Grimmauld place, Tonks and Harry having over shot again due to Harry's accidental umph. When they made it through the door Sirius soon had them back inside and sat down for some dinner having clearly been up to something other than sleep while they were out, but no-one was quiet sure what and he seemed to merely shrug Tonks off whenever she tried to enquire.
Harry quickly asked about his idea's for Christmas as Sirius took Harry's coat off for him to hang it up and Harry continued talking about how much fun it would be to have a tree and things.
"But Harry where are we going to get a tree from, its March they won't have grown yet?" Sirius asked curious as to where he'd find a Christmas tree in spring.
"Use a plastic one Sirius. Muggles do coz they make less mess and they don't have wands to flick at it to clear the pine needles away." Harry explained dumbly.
"Yeah Sirius, plastic one would work." Tonks put in remembering how her dad had brought a cheap plastic tree home for Christmas one year which her mum found hideous and was forced to be polite about it for nearly six years until little Tonks accidentally knocked it over and set fire to the tinsel. The house and room were surprisingly fine but Andromeda refused to allow Ted to get another one however much he tried to replace it.
"Yeah but real ones are nicer Tonks." Remus added helpfully.
"It's sodding March what does it matter if it's plastic or not." Tonks argued back from the table where Remus was trying to boil tea up.
Harry however kicked his shoes off and stood behind Sirius on the sofa and started bouncing up and down in a slightly giddy Dobby fashion, waiting for Sirius to come to an answer. He was hoping it would be yes to another Christmas, tree and all and consequently got a bit excited with anticipation. After watching Tonks and Remus argue a bit thinking how cute, Sirius turned around to try and work out why Harry was bouncing up and down on the sofa like a six year old on too much sugar.
"What have you been doing out there Harry?"
"Just walking Pat. Was fun, Remus fell over in the mud again!"
"Oi, Tonks pushed me again!"
"Yeah I did it was funny wasn't it Harry." Tonks sniggered.
"Yeah and then we were talking, a bit and those too were being annoying, and then we came back here coz my leg started to hurt.' Harry explained with a little grin still jumping up and down until he quickly stopped looking a bit confused.
'Oh yeah me leg hurts best sit down. Oo head rush from jumping!" Harry explained a little blankly before dropping to his bottom and sitting back to front on the sofa, crossed legs and rolling his little weight from side to side off his bottom before falling off the front of the sofa backwards.
"What have you too been doing with him, he's sodding high again?!" Sirius wondered looking over to Tonks and Remus who were passing looks as to what they wanted to do too each other tonight in bed that Sirius thankfully missed.
"It's just fresh air Sirius. We didn't give him anything at all, he hasn't eaten since you fed him before we went out." Tonks explained coming over to look at Harry giggling on the floor slightly before he got up and immediately pretended he hadn't fallen over at all. He stood up looking as normal and inconspicuous as he could, honestly the pride of that boy Sirius found himself wondering yet again.
"How are you feeling Harry?" Sirius asked sitting him down on the sofa and sitting down next to him.
"I'm fine Sirius. So tree, can we do Christmas again then?"
"Yes if you want Harry but I think you should really calm down for a bit. Your a bit err, hyper Harry."
"No I'm not Sirius. So we can have a tree, can we and a turkey, with stuffing and puddings and carrots and lumpy pea-stuff and melon with weird little cherry sticks in it too?" Harry continued dismissing any thought of his being slightly hyper, he was sure he was just in a good mood and Sirius could over react sometimes.
"Yes if you want turkey stuffing and trimmings an all if you want. Now Harry what have you been doing while you've been out, you didn't eat anything did you?"
"No Sirius, well I did have one of those biscuits from the table when you weren't looking but you let me have them before with me tea. Do we have to drink fennel tea it's always missing something?" Harry wondered with a little giggle at Sirius who was still quiet concerned by this odd, clearly Harry, he was talking to.
"Oh well that's ok Harry, I thought a few were missing earlier, and that's the caffeine Harry, you can't have it in case it make you hyper. Like now!"
"I'm not hyper Pat."
"Why do you keep calling me Pat, Harry?" Sirius wondered if Harry had got a wire crossed or something now.
"Pat the dog, Sirius!' Harry explained patting Sirius on the head a few times and giggling again. Sirius was about to say something else about Harry's apparent hyper-ness but suddenly there was an almighty crack and all of a sudden a Christmas tree erupted out the grate in the fireplace when previously there had only been a few logs of wood waiting to be lit in the evening.
If this wasn't enough of a shock, the meat paste sandwich on the table that Lupin had recently got out his pocket having hoped to munch it on the walk, cracked and turned into a strutting turkey that started to peck at the bread it had previously been incarcerated in.
'Ooops!" Harry mumbled pulling a twig out of Sirius hair with a slightly sheepish look to Sirius.
"Well at least we know what was making you so hyper now."
"I'm not hyper Sirius." Harry replied quiet calm now.
"No, bet your quiet calm now aren't you. Oh well we've got a tree now for Christmas 2."
"And a turkey!" Remus added not exactly sure what to do about the turkey picking at his sandwich.
"Err, can't we have a frozen one or something, I mean what ever you two are like, I prefer not to meet me dinner alive before eating it!" Tonks explained noticing the resemblance between this creature and her prospective dinner.
"Don't be so picky Tonks, he'll do fine." Sirius replied having long since decided he'd actually prefer to know where his food came from most the time before eating it.
"Err, I agree with Tonks, don't think I'll be able to eat it if I knew where it came from. Can't we just keep him, as a pet?" Harry wondered turning to Sirius and looking noticeably less giggly.
"Well I suppose, but don't they need grass and stuff?" Sirius wondered sure he wasn't about to keep a turkey as a pet.
"Well the amount that comes off Tonks's big boots should be enough and besides, you used to keep a hippogriff here!' Harry explained as the not yet named turkey flew off the table and started pecking around on the floor at some of the grass that Tonks had quiet rightly walked in. Harry however had a weird feeling kicking in again.
'Am I being rude again Sirius? Your supposed to tell me when I am, I asked you too?" Harry quickly wondered looking at Sirius.
"No you're not being rude Harry, Tonks the clumsy cluts shouldn't walk grass up into me nice clean living room!" Sirius explained making Harry feel a bit better but this time, it was Remus's turn to feel hurt on Tonks behalf. Tonks really couldn't help being clumsy it wasn't her fault she had a lot of little accidents.
"Sirius!" Remus snapped.
"Well maybe your just a little bit on the blunt side Harry. But it doesn't matter much. However, you blowing a chunk of wood up into a full grow tree when your supposed to be keeping in control isn't a good thing. I thought you said you were getting better at it."
"Well I am aren't I, I don't faint so often and I don't get dizzy just major head rushes now and then and well, I don't do it so much in my sleep which is good isn't it."
"Yeah Harry that's better. I'm just a bit worried about letting you have your wand if you can make a turkey appear out of that sandwich of Remus's, I mean, I'm sure it hardly saw a turkey in its forma life and is probably just shit-eye stuff anyway."
"Shit-eye. You told me about that before?" Harry wondered.
"Yeah, can you remember it was Christmas time?" Sirius explained giving Harry time to remember if he could.
"No, it not jumping into me head, you'll have to tell me again."
"It's the shit end and the eye of animals Harry, that no-one really wants to eat."
"Oh yeah that makes sense. But I am better now, just maybe I need a bit more practice that's all. At least I didn't blow owt up this time. Really it's a positive accident coz now we got a tree to put the tinsel on Pat." Harry explained smiling and patting Sirius's head again as Tonks quickly looked about for something else that might suddenly appear if Harry happened to be thinking about wanting a glass of milk or something.
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