Chapter 15
On the day that they found out they were going to move into the house which they had all liked so much, it took the mauradering family a long time to come down from the high that they were on. It did not matter how much competition they had or had not had when it came to the house. The fact was it was theirs. There own little piece of the earth where they were going to be able to be happy and settled. Where they were all going to have bedrooms and beds and home comforts and be surrounded by all the things that by rights should have been there's in the years which had gone by.
As soon as he had heard that they were going to moving into the house which he had been able to see as there home so quickly, Harry wanted to move in.
"Can we sleep there tonight?"
"If only we could," said Remus to him as he shook his head. "Believe me I know it is annoying mate but we have got to do the paper work and everything first before we are able to move in. Hopefully we will be in before Christmas though!"
Sirius laid back on the opposite sofa and he rubbed his cheeks. He did not remember the last time they had hurt because he had been smiling so much, he really didn't – but it was the best feeling he had had in a long time.
He was able to give to his best friend and his godson the home the pair of the deserved. And when he looked out of his bedroom window at night, he was going to be able to look up at the stars. He was almost still feeling very cautious over it all though. He had got used to the fact when he was in jail that he was not ever going to be allowed to know any sort of happiness again. So to get it just like that did feel a little too good to be true.
That theory in the past two months had been blown out of the water entirely though. In spite of everything that had gone on he felt he was a very lucky man and he did not think that feeling was going to change any time soon.
As long as he had his family then he knew he was the luckiest man in the world.
"Sirius, do you think we should let Andromeda know? She was the one who found it after all," Remus said as he bounced the hyperactive Harry up and down.
"Well, I wouldn't like to think about the hex she would through my way if she was not the first to know, let's put it like that." He said as he sat up. "Why don't I floo call her and if she is in then we can pop over there for a bit. If we don't get Harry out of this flat then I think he is going to spontaneously combust."
Sirius was ninety-nine point nine percent sure that Harry had no idea what 'spontaneously combust' meant, but that didn't stop him laughing at it.
"You don't mind if we go over to Andy's, do you kid?" he said to the giggling lad who gave a relaxed shrugged.
Half an hour later and the three of them found themselves outside of Shell Cottage. Sirius had an idea that she knew something was up, for it was not as if the three of them had yet made a habit of just going over for a cup of tea (though that was something which both of the Black cousins hoped was going to change). Especially as they were now going to be living so close to one another.
"Hey guys," said Andy as she opened up the door to them. "How are you doing today?" she said as she raised her eye brows in questions.
Sirius could see how much she was longing to know what was going on. If there pure blood mania was the fatal flaw in her sisters, then Andy's was her need for gossip.
Her eyes only asked more questions as the two of them embraced.
"We are very good aren't we Harry?" he said to the lad who stood close by him. Though he was by no means the frightened little thing he had been when he had come to see her before, he was still not entirely sure of her, that was for sure.
Sirius wondered if it was because she was a woman. Though Andy was very much part of Harry's life now, he did not think he was able to call her his mother figure yet. The fact was he had just not had a lot of contact with women since he had left Petunia's care and he could not help but wonder if she had coloured his view of women for the worse.
It seemed to be a theory that made sense, at least in his head. It would explain why he had been able to take to Severus so quickly.
But he was going to get him used to Andy, of that he was sure. It felt as if the two of them were the last of the Black cousins – and he did not think it was a selfish desire, to have what was left of his family in his life.
"Yeah." The lad nodded as he gave her a tentative smile.
She nodded. Though she wished the lad was a bit more relaxed about her, she knew it was going to take a little while - he was only going to be comfortable with her in his own time, which he would be. They just had to wait.
"So to what do I owe the honour of a visit, cousin dear?" She asked as they walked into the kitchen. Of course, she had an idea of what it could be – but she did not want to get her own hopes up.
Turning to look at Sirius she saw he had a look on his face, the like she had not seen since they had been children. It felt so natural to see him up to no good once more.
"Your own genius!" he replied with a bark of a laugh.
She bit her lip as his news seemed to be just what she had hoped it was going to be. When she had been to the flat she had noted how dingy it was. It was no place to raise a child, let alone one who had been through all that Harry had. No, she knew she was not his mother but she was a mother and she liked to think after the years she had spent raising her daughter she did know a little about children. What the boy needed the most was, of course, to be with people who loved him. But having plenty of space to run about would help as well.
He needed good old country air in his lungs.
"Don't tease me." She pleaded.
"In not too long, we are going to be living at the house on top of the hill." She knew she could not be as happy as they were about the news but nevertheless she felt as if she was.
This could – this was going to be – a real fresh start for the lot of them. They were going to have everything they had been denied but deserved nevertheless.
Life had been cruel to all of them – but it seemed as if that time in their life had passed at long last.
She did not know quite what to say at first. She had not been happy like she was then in a long time. That Sirius and she were going to be living so close to one another.
He had really come back – and he was really innocent.
"I am so happy!" she said as she jumped into his arms once more. It felt as if she had been waiting a very long time for such good news.
Laughing, he spun her about. "You know you are not going to be able to get rid of us now, don't you?"
But she shook her head. She knew he had been joking about but she did not think she would want to get rude of them for anything.
"I can't tell you how pleased I am – oh, Sirius."
At last, after they had all spent so much time in the wilderness...
"I bet you're pleased, aren't you?" she addressed Harry once she and Sirius had broken apart.
The lad gave a nod – she did not think she had ever seen such a smile on his face. It came right from his heart.
Her mind run ahead of her when she thought of all the things they were going to have to do when they completed. Asides from the actual move, they were going to have to decorate and get the place just as they wanted it and she hoped they were going to allow her to be a part of that process. If she had no one else, then she knew her daughter and her husband were more than enough for her but on the other hand, Sirius was her family and if Harry and Remus were his family then they were hers as well.
"All that decorating – all that shopping you guys are going to have to do!" she said and she looked as if she was going to heaven.
The look that they gave her in return told her that none of them were looking forward to any of the shopping they were going to have to do – and besides it was all for another day!
"Why don't I open a bottle of fire whisky?"
"I think that is a good idea," Sirius nodded. It had been too long coming this celebration.
When Harry fell exhausted but happily into his bed that night, he could not help but think about the enormous changed which had taken place in his life of late. Had he been told that he would be living like as he was when he had been his aunt and uncle, then he knew he would not have believed it. He did trust Sirius and Remus – with all his heart he did. But part of him still felt like he was dreaming.
It was his opinion that he was the luckiest boy in the world.
And he was not the only one. Sirius, laying on the couch, felt for the first time in a long while that he was a contented man. It was sort the feeling you got after eating your favourite meal, without stuffing yourself senseless; pleasant and warm. Ever since the ministry had realised they had made a mistake when they had locked him up his life had gone from strength to strength.
While he was yet to get a job, he did have a home once more now and he was a father in all but name. He had accepted there were always going to be people he loved missing from his world and he did not think he was ever going to be able to forgive that. But he was going to do was let it stop them from living.
The last thing he had on his mind was forgotten that night – the only thing Sirius did know when he woke up was he had had a night of pleasant dreams.
The next few weeks were filled with anticipation for all three of them. In spite of the fact that they had magic to aid them, they found that packing up the flat did take a bit of time.
And then there was the preparation of the new house which never failed to excite them. Due to the size of the house, there was no question of any of them having to have a 'small' room. All of them were going to be able to have a decent sized one. Sirius knew the thing Remus was most looking forward to was having a lot more storage for the minty books he had collected over the years, while he was just looking forward to being able to watch the sun rise and set – and spoiling Harry rotten of course.
And he knew by the time he was done they were going to need a lot of room for all the toys he was going to buy his godson. From now up till Hogwarts, he was going to make sure Harry was a child. A proper little kid. He wanted tantrums and everything...
Though that thought might come back to bit him on the bum...
What did surprise him though was that when he and his cousin got to talking about it, he did care about things such as colour charts and what table and chairs they were going to have. All the girly things Lily would have sorted...
As much as he was under no doubt that it was going to be Remus and Harry who really made it his home, the things in it were going to make a difference.
In the end, the week of the move was to be just before the next full moon. Remus had hoped that it was going to be earlier than that. He had wanted to be firing on all cylinders.
The last thing he was going to do was delay it though.
He and the others had been waiting too long to go to a real home. He was more than capable of moving and it he was feeling a little run down - it was nothing that the look on Harry's face could not dispel when he came out to breakfast with him for the last time at the flat.
"It is the big day!" said the werewolf as the lad came running out into his arms. Remus did not know why but at that moment he was reminded of the sad little lad he and Sirius had saved from Surrey.
He had then dreamt of the day when he was going to be able to see Harry smiled as he did then. He had hoped it was going to come but he had not dared it would come so soon.
They had spent just three moons together...
And by the time that the next had come and gone they would have got used to the new house as well as celebrated their very first Christmas together.
Life was very good to him.
"We are going home!" Harry echoed the thoughts in his head.
"Indeed we are, my boy," said Remus and he cuddled him, having caught him in his arms. Remus recalled another day with Harry when he had been a tiny little baby, small enough to be held in just one arm. He had heard people say before that day that baby's had a smell to them – clean and soft and fresh and sweet...
He had thought it was rubbish until that day. And even though he was not even a toddler any more, Harry still had that fresh, green smell about him.
"Indeed we are."
Breakfast was a rushed affair that day. The last few things had to be packed before they left the flat and all of them were far too impatient to take their time.
"Right go and get dressed please, pup," said Sirius as he scooped the last bit of cereal out of the bowl.
Andy was going to be coming over to the flat before they left to help them and he wanted to give the impression to her that he was at least trying to be on top of things.
Harry nodded and run out the room.
"Can you imagine what our lives would have been had that bill not passed the ministry?" said Remus out of the blue to him.
As much as it was a happy day for them it was almost inevitably also one of deep reflection.
"I do not have to."
They had lived that life and he did not think any of them had enjoyed it.
"No," sighed Remus.
The two of them looked at one another both trying to work out what the other was thinking. They were on the cusp of something great...
But also terrifying.
Harry had been in their care for months but when they got to the new house, it was going to be for keeps (as it had always been)... but it was the symbolism of it all.
Of a home which the three of them had chosen together for the life they were trying to build.
00000
As midday came the last of the packing was at last done and the flat was bare. Andromeda had seen to that. Remus looked about the place which had never been a home to him but which had offered him security when he had needed it.
The living room was more spacious than he had thought it had been without the sofa and the book shelf in it. All that remained was the tiny little TV where Harry had watched cartoons. They would get a new one when they got to the new house.
There was a sudden tinge of sadness about leaving the past.
He knew he was never going to want it back, the TV nor the solitary life he had been living. But it was part of the tapestry of his life now. It would always be part of him.
He did not think he was sad that they were leaving the flat but they had had to arrive there. Some scars were never going to heal.
But this was not the day for sadness.
"You ready to go Moony?"
He turned to see Sirius who gave him a confident smile. A smile that said life was going to favour them from now on.
"I think I am – in fact, I know that I am." As Harry came into view, he nodded.
"Come on then, pup," said Sirius as he ruffled Harry's hair. "Let's take you home."
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Sirius loved the house even more than when he had seen it for the first time – for now it was his. Having apparated out of the flat for the last time they were greeted as they had known they were going to be - by big opens spaces and greenery. It was the perfect place to raise Harry and he knew James would think so too.
The two marauders and their ward practically run up to the house so eager were they to be inside of it.
As they raced up to it, Sirius could hear Andromeda laughing at their antics.
They were home indeed.
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