Chapter 16
The first room that they begun to assemble was Harry's; Remus and Sirius wordlessly agreeing that it was paramount for him to get used to being at the house quickly.
Both of them wanted him to love it, and look back when he was older on it fondly. Providing everything went to plan, which oddly enough it seemed to be doing of late, this was going to be Harry's home long into his and perhaps past his childhood, up until he was twenty or even older.
As for Sirius, as young as he was, he felt as if he had found his forever home. After all he had been through, the peace of a true home was all he craved.
"Harry, will you stop bouncing off the walls?" he said teasingly as with his wand he drew up the bed design he and Remus had agreed on for Harry. Already paid for, it would come out of his wand the shop assistant had said in at place of his choosing. "Pup, you're acting like – well, a six year old!"
From behind him, he heard Andromeda laugh.
"Padfoot, I am a six year old."
"Well that's ok then!" he said as the bed materialised and came crashing down into the room.
"There we are!" Remus beamed as he ruffled Harry's hair.
"What do you think Harry?"
"I think is the best thing ever!" he said as he jumped up at Sirius and put his arms about him. In the time he had been under the care of his godfather, he had put on enough weight for Sirius to class the lad as heavy but when he had put his arms about him in such a warm hug, there was no way he was putting him down.
"I am glad you think so."
In spite of the fact he had had the second bedroom when they had been at the flat, Sirius knew when he looked back Harry was going to see this room as his first real room, a proper one of his own...
When they had spoken about what he wanted it to be like, Sirius had been pleasantly surprised by how out spoken he had been about what he wanted in it. He seemed to really understand what it meant to be part of a family now. And he knew it was not going to be taken away from him either.
He had felt secure enough to speak out.
What Harry had wanted first and foremost was for it to be blue and large enough to play in. Gone were the days when he did not seemed to understand how he was meant to play – he loved to do nothing better now days, unless it was to go to Hogwarts.
The furniture he had chosen off the cuff, for Sirius and Remus knew better than to seriously try and get there hyperactive boy to sit down to talk about wardrobes, even though the ones he had pointed too were not ones which would look out of place at the school. In fact, Sirius had expressed some surprise to his friend over there charges choice, not knowingly that the part of Hogwarts which the furniture, which was quite imposing, would most specifically not look out of place in the rooms of Severus Snape.
Asides from the furniture though the room was light and airy with big windows looking out on to the surrounding fields.
It was an idyllic view and nothing less than the boy deserved after all he had been through.
Sirius wondered if he was ever going to stop having moments such as these when he just felt supremely grateful for what he had in life.
He hoped not.…
He too was looking forward to once more to have a bedroom of his own. He had not had a real room to call his own - well, perhaps in as long as Harry. He had had one when he had been a boy but then he had been with his own parents and he did not think he had ever been home when he had been with them. He had always felt so ruddy uncomfortable when he had been with the Blacks.
When he had walked out he had gone to the Potters, he knew they would have only too gladly given him a bedroom but he and James had been so young and they had said they would rather bunk down together.
Then he had moved into a flat on his own when his best friend had married and it again had not been a home to him... He was not and he was never going to be a solitary creature. No, he did not think any place he lived on his own would ever be a home to him.
But now he had a child and his best friend that was never going to be an issue. And while he did not think he had exactly settled down he knew he was going to live here for the rest of his days...
In his heart, he knew it.
As the boxes came in, he left his godson and his best friend to unpack to give some direction to his cousin as to what was to go where.
"Are you ok?" she said as she begun unpacking the kitchen utensils she had levitated in to the kitchen from the living room.
Sirius got himself a glad of water.
"I think I am – it is just a bit of a big day is all," he said and she had to smile. She knew he had to be scared about everything that was going on but he was not going to admit it to her – he was after all a Gryffindor and they did not do fear.
Not outwardly any way.
"You know it was bad enough when me and Ted were having our own baby – I cannot think how bloody terrifying it is to bring up some one else's."
"When you put it like that," he said with a sigh and a smile.
Not wanting to reflect too much, he went back upstairs to see Harry had got distracted by his toys and the rest of the boxes he had to unpack had not yet been opened. As for Remus, he was in the hall way beginning to fill up just one of the book cases he had chosen.
"I think we are going to be very happy here my friend," there werewolf said to him with a delighted smile.
He did not own a lot of his own but he had collected many books over the years – due to the fact he had not had adequate space or need of them at the flat he had not had them out - but here they were all going on display.
"At least we are never going to have to take Harry to Diagon alley when his book lists come through," teased Sirius.
He ducked out of the way of one of the paper backs that suddenly flew his wait and once more popped his head round the door of Harry's room to find the lad had at last found an occupation more interesting than playing with his toys.
Signalling Remus over to him, the two of the watched as the delighted and excited little boy jumped up and down on his bed as all children love to do.
"I'm home!" he squealed to himself as he landed down giggling to himself, eliminating with those two words any chance that he even might have been told off for jumping on his nice new bed.
He turned to give the two of them the cheekiest of smiles, though it was a bit coy. He had meant it to be a private moment of his own celebration, but he did not think there was anything he wouldn't want to share with them.
It was the best day of his life.
Dinner that night turned out to be a pizza, brought in for the four of them by Ted who came up to see them and his wife as soon as he got home from work.
He had tried to get the day off to help with the move but he had been unable.
"I was too busy thinking about all the fun you guys were having to get anything useful done, of course," he said as they at round the roaring fire. Christmas seemed only too close now as they begun to count down the weeks.
The holiday season was another reason he had been unable to concentrate. It was his personal favourite holiday and he was naturally looking forward to the return of his daughter from school.
Christmas was simply a great time of year.
"Well, I hope you got something done – we have presents to pay for dearest!" Andy teased.
"Don't remind me!"
The warm relationship between the two of them did not slip under the radar of Sirius Black and he smiled at the two of them together. When she had first told him they were to be married he had not been too sure about Ted if he was honest to himself. It was not for any of the ridiculous reasons there family had been against the marriage but he had just not thought Ted had a spark about him.
Granted, when they had been at school he had not taken a lot of time to get to know him but then he had been so caught up in himself and his friends. Ted had been a hard one to read – he had kept his cards close to his chest.
Now, at last, as he took the chance to get to know him he found Ted to be a good sort of guy – not extraordinary in the way James had been but he had a very kind soul, he saw, and he clearly was willing to accommodate his wife's crazy family into their lives in a heartbeat.
And he had been so good with Harry.
But more than that he could see just how happy he had made Andy over the years and he had taken good care of her. It could not have been an easy job at times.
He had not seen it enough at the time but their marriage had always been a love match in every sense.
It was in the way Andy looked at him that told him all he had to know about the way she felt for her husband and if he was enough for her, then that was good enough for him.
"What do you want for Christmas Harry?" Andromeda asked.
She did not know did she had done the right thing for a moment. The fact that he was still slightly nervous about her told her maybe it was a little unfair to talk to him so directly. But if Sirius thought it was the case then he did not show it. Rather, he looked to the lad to give her an answer.
"What have you told me you want? And Remus."
Harry bite his lip for a moment before speaking out.
"A puppy."
Andromeda smile and Ted chuckled knowingly.
"For years that was all our girl wanted for Christmas!" he said as he supped on the beer he had been given.
"And did Santa bring her one?"
Ted grimaced.
Andromeda shifted uncomfortably as Sirius gave her a knowing wink. "Just because she did not get one does not mean you will not, pup. Now come on Harry, it is getting late and I know you just can't wait to go up and sleep in that nice new room of yours!"
Harry gave a nod – normally he might have asked for just a few more minutes. But the truth was he did want to go up to a bed that was in his own room in his own home. It would feel good to sleep there. And he guessed he was a little tired – it had been a long day.
But a very good day at the same time. One of the very best of his whole life!
"Will you take me up?" he asked Remus. The werewolf nodded.
It was after all his turn to tuck him in – and Sirius had his family there.
And as well as that - he felt as if he had spent much of the day with Sirius and had not seen Remus so much even though they had been in the same house all day. And he wondered if he was a little sad that they had moved. He did not know a lot about their lives before they had come to get him. But he knew the flat where they had been staying had been Remus' and he had been the one living there longest.
He had to be a little sad over it, didn't he?
"Of course I will," said the werewolf as he got up. Putting Harry to bed and watching him fall into peaceful dreams was one of Remus's favourite things to do.
"Good night my lovely lad," said Sirius to him quietly as the two of them embraced. Together. In their own home.
It was real now. They were a family.
"I love you Padfoot."
"As I love you."
It was the perfect conclusion to a wonderful day for Sirius. It was the culmination of everything he had wanted and hoped for since he had lost James.
To give his little godson a good warm, secure home. But for him to be able to say the way he felt when there were other people in the room – people he did not yet know as well as Sirius would like him too – well, even he understood that it was one of the greatest tributes Harry had given to his and Remus' parenting skills.
A half arm hug and a tentative kiss from Andromeda later and Harry was on his way to bed, carried up the stairs by Remus.
If the werewolf had his way, then when Harry looked back on his childhood – his real childhood, then that was the image he was going to have in his head.
Once he was tucked up in bed, Harry curled into Remus' side. Normally this would be the part of the day when he asked for his story – but perhaps they both understood that that was not what either of them wanted that day.
Just the chance to have rest and think, and gather themselves.
"I am always going to be with you, aren't I?" Harry asked.
"Always. This is how our life is going to be now."
XXX
Even though it was a cold night and it was only going to get colder, Sirius went outside on to the poach. Andy and Ted were talking together about something he was not sure he had the energy to care a great deal about.
As he looked down the hill, he felt a smile form on his face. As far as his eye could see, the land was his. He was master here and that was not going to change in a hurry. He had a place in the world where he was meant to be – and that was something no one could put a price tag on.
He could see the stars and when morning came he was going to be able to get up and watch the sun rise over his own little piece of the world.
And what more could he say to that? There was nothing else he could possibly want.
This was his time. He had been waiting for it to come for long enough. And he had been standing out there on his own for a while, when he heard the door open behind him...
Andy was standing there with a tea for him and a smile. She had one for herself as well and she must have told her husband to stay inside for a moment as he did not follow her out.
"You know there was a time when I did not think me and you were ever going to get to spend time like this together again. I thought you'd gone for good – just like everyone else."
He shook his head. "It is going to take more than prison to get rid of me."
"And I am glad of it. I do not know another person who could have coped with what you have been through and managed to come out of it and be such a wonderful father."
"I have had my moments – and I'm not his father,"
"Not biologically, and I know you would not want to deny James his place in his sons heart. But you and Remus are going to be – are already – his father's in the real things you do for him. You are his father in every way that counts."
He knew she meant no harm – and she had said nothing he did not know to be true already. But hearing it was hard for a reason he did not think he could explain to his heart.
He had to get away from this subject.
"So you know what we need now that we have a new place don't you?"
"What's that?"
"A house warming."
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Author note: some of you got review Reponses for chapter 15 (again!) – sorry about that – just got a bit distracted!