Chapter 17
Remus was tentatively looking forward to the party. It was not as if it was going to be a rave. He was beginning to think Harry would cope with it.
Had he and Sirius not done so then they would not have even considered it – but he was not the same lad he had been when he had come to them. And it was time he spent a bit of time with kids of his own age really - high time.
If he did not then he would miss out on that key socialisation – and he did not want to think of the way Harry would get on at Hogwarts if he had only ever spent time with adults.
The 'party' was going to be a relatively small affair – only them and a few friends. Top of the guest list were of course the three Tonks'. They were purposely holding it after Nymphadora came back from school so she could come.
Sirius wanted to hear all about how his kid cousins first term had gone. In between all that had been going on, he had managed to send her a few owls and he was proud of himself for that. He wanted her to know he had time for her. Just as much as he had missed years with Harry, so he had missed years with her.
He had to make them up to her.
Along with Nymphdora and her parents, the Weasley's were going to be in attendance. Ever since he had got back, he had meant to met them and get in contact, but – well, life had got in the way a bit.
Christmas seemed the perfect time to make some new friends.
Last on the guest list was Severus Snape.
In his heart, Sirius did not want him to come - of course he did not and he was not going to lie to himself over it – or to anyone else if they asked. But he was sure if Severus was there, Harry was going to feel better about meeting the other children and the entire evening. And so asking him to come over had been in fact a bit of a no brainer.
The biggest surprise of it all was when he had agreed to come.
"So how many of them are there again?" asked Remus as he stood in the kitchen with Harry, the pair of them in aprons as they made their next round of cakes.
The three of them had been living in the house for three weeks and to Remus' delight it was already beginning to feel like a real home.
"Well, if you are counting Molly and Arthur then all, in all nine," said Sirius as he unpacked the butte beer he had just got in.
With a little drink, a roaring fire and some tunes, it was going to almost feel as if the separation had never happened.
"Are any of them my age, Padfoot?" Harry asked as he stood on a stool next to a mixing bowl. Just one of the perks of living with Remus and Harry were the cakes they made, thought Sirius – and they were really quite good.
"Yes, their youngest son Ron is going to be in the same year as you when you both go to school, and then just older than you are their twins, Fred and George."
He was glad there were so many boys. It might have been harder for Harry to get on with girls straight away. There was no denying the fact he had got on a lot better with men than women since he had returned to his true world.
"They've only one girl – Ginny, she is a year younger than you."
Harry nodded, taking in what he had been told. "If it all gets a bit too much for you Harry then you just tell us ok? One of us will go upstairs with you, or Severus. Or if you really don't like it-"
"I'll be fine."
Harry said it quietly and without annoyance but there was a definite tone in his voice which had not been there before.
It was not that he was not nervous over everyone coming over; and he was sure, at times, he might find it a little overwhelming. But the thing that settled him was the fact he knew if he had Sirius and Remus there with him, as well as Severus, then nothing too bad was going to go wrong.
They would allow no harm to come to him.
"Right – good. Carry on baking," said Sirius with amusement in his eyes.
XXX
"I did not even dare to hope he was going to be so confident so soon –but it is a lovely thing to see isn't it?" the Animagus said later on that night.
Having put the lad to bed ten minutes before hand, he and Remus were reflected on what had been it seemed, another quietly, triumphant day.
"It is – it has put my mind at rest over how he is going to handle things from now on. I don't suppose we can really ever know how he has recovered from what they did to him or if he will. But he is happy with me and you, that much is clear. And it is enough for me," Remus nodded as the two of them finally allowed themselves to say the words which they had been holding back on for so long, never allowing the congratulations to shine through. Until now.
XXX
To the joy of the three hosts, it snowed on the day of the party adding something more to the atmosphere – an excitement over a white Christmas.
This was going to be a Christmas party the like they had never seen before – mainly because they had never had the opportunity to enjoy one together before.
The sun had gone done by six and at half past Snape arrived. As usual, it was not because Sirius and Remus had wanted him there early but he was good for Harry.
That was something neither of them were going to deny any more.
They couldn't even if they tried.
"Merry Christmas Sev!"
Severus smiled back but deep down he was grimacing. The marauders knew as well as he did that he was not and he was never going to be the partying going type. But he had agreed to come – and that was primarily for two reasons, not just one.
The first was the one that the marauders themselves had given to him. That even though Harry had said he was fine with the two of them throwing the party, they wanted him to be there with him just in case. As far as he was concerned, he would do anything to make Harry feel just that little more secure. That was of paramount importance in spite of his growing confidence.
But there was the added attraction that he got to see the house. When Harry had told him they were going to be moving he had found himself curious as to where the lad was going to be living – it was only natural he was going to take an interest in his home life.
"And a merry Christmas to you as well Harry!" he said in reply.
As soon as he sat down on the sofa, Harry was at his side and he was telling him of all the things he had been doing since he had moved in.
"Sirius says when the New Year is past we are going to be able to go into the forests and explore!"
The only reason the two of them had not done already Harry knew was due to the fact there had been so much else to do.
Harry eyes glowed as they told Snape so, especially about the forest. Severus did not know what to make of it – begrudgingly, he knew that if Harry was with his godfather than he was going to be fine. Yet, he himself had not been much of an explorer when he had been a boy – he had never been one to go out and climb trees, whereas, he thought he knew the lad well enough to know that was something which Harry was going to be able to enjoy in time.
Maybe that was part of the reason that Black had invited so many young lads over as well – to try and get Harry a partner in crime.
He was never going to say it but it was just another of Sirius decisions he was actually in agreement with. He remembered the first time he had learnt that Sirius had Harry and he recalled the anger he had felt at that fact.
He had thought he was going to be confronted by a mini James and that was the one thing he had been focusing on – but the truth was, he did not think even had Sirius wanted to do that he could have. Harry was a little person in his own right and no one could undo the horrors he had been through and no one could ever take the affect that had had on the formation of his character away.
"I am sure the two of you are going to enjoy doing that together very much," he said with an almost indulgent smile.
"Do you want to come up and see my new room?" he offered – "it's really nice."
Severus was sure that it was. "Very well." He said as the two of them got up off the sofa and turned to the stairs. He and Black made eye contact as the two of them headed up.
The longer the two of them knew one another it seemed to him, the harder the other became to read.
In the past, when the two of them had been at school he had had no trouble in knowing what Sirius had thought about him – mainly because Black had made sure the entire student population knew how much he loathed him. But the truce was making it harder for them both to see the other for who he was.
"Even now I don't like trusting him Moony," he told Remus once they were out of ear shot.
"You have too – we have too."
There was not going back – not any more. It was as simple as that, the way that the werewolf saw it.
A knock at the door brought a swift end to the conversation. The Tonks and the Weasley's had both arrived.
"Hello, hello, hello!" said Sirius with a broad smile as he answered the door. He wanted to make a good impression on Molly and Arthur. As much as he knew it did not matter what they thought of him – it did.
He wanted them to like him and to actually believe he was not the crazed mass murderer he was meant to be. Even if he had been reported to be innocent, a tag like that was not one you could simply shake off over night.
They had to like him if they were going to let their boys be part of his lad's life. They had to like him...
He had had a lot of respect for them ever since he had learnt they were juggling to bring up their seven children – the gods above knew one was hard enough – and he had thought he had known how hard work it had been for them, he thought he could imagine it – until he had seen them. Seven kids looked even more work than he had thought they were going to be.
There was Bill the eldest, who had been a Hogwarts a year or two longer than his kid cousin and his brother, Charlie, was in Nymph's year if Sirius remembered right. Next in age was Percy who was due to join them at Hogwarts soon enough. Whereas Bill and Charlie's seem to be quite easy going lads by the looks of them, he instantly got a more serious and perhaps more nervous vibe from the third brother.
When he looked at him, he seemed to move closer to his mother – for protection? He did not know if he was going to get on with this kid.
Thankfully, it seemed as if the next two in line to the family name were going to redeem him.
"Mr Black?" said Fred as soon as he got in the door. "How do you obliterate someone leaving only there little finger? "
"Yeah, we were wondering – having four brothers and a squealing sister, that is the sort of information we could find seriously helpful," George pondered as if he had put a lot of thought into it.
It took a moment for Sirius to realise what they had said and process it. He took another moment to decide they were joking – and a millisecond to decide he seriously liked these boys already.
"Fred, George," their mother berated them as she went bright red. No doubt the kids had been told before they were due to leave that they were to say nothing of the time he had spent in jail – needless to say he preferred the boy's way.
Quite without warning, he remembered another pair of little boys who would have been fearless to say such a thing – and he found a lot of comfort in the fact that the spirit he and James had had within them was not yet dead.
And then on the end of the family he saw Ron and Ginny. His cousin had said that the lad was the same age as Harry and so he was more than likely going to be the one he grew closest with as he grew up…
As long as it all went well, then perhaps Harry was going to have a brother, after all and that was more than Sirius had even dared to hope for him.
"Thank you so much for asking us over," Arthur Weasley said to Sirius. His wife seemed a little more tentative about him but he was not going to blame her for that. He was just going to charm her into liking him.
It was a much better plan and much more likely to help him achieve his own ends.
"It is nothing at all," he said as the two of them shook hands. He was a little nervous even then but he was sure he was going to be able to get the hang of all this hosting business.
Remus was soon getting everyone drinks and taking coats. Andromeda aided him in this task – she was no longer treated as a guest in the house. She was a regular visitor and Sirius was pretty sure she was just going to treat the place as her own, which was as if should be.
He turned to see that Harry and Snape were coming back down the stairs. No doubt, having heard the commotion the lad had thought he had to meet everyone and he was going to do it sooner than later.
"Harry, why don't you come and greet our guests?" he said to him as he reached out his hand for him but for a moment the child choose to stay by Snape's side. Severus put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
It was a big moment for all of them. No doubt the Weasley kids had been briefed on what they were to do around Harry but the first meeting with Nymphadora still had to be in Harry's mind. It was in his godfather's, that was for sure.
He did not want that to happen again – but kids were going to be kids.
"Hey Harry," Sirius' little cousin said as she moved forward to break the tension, a lot more naturally than she had been about him before. She had said it in a manner she might have to any other child.
The Weasley's were not so natural with him though. It was still hitting Sirius that his godson since that awful Halloween night was the stuff of legends – before he was old enough to wield a wand.
He wondered what Molly and Arthur had said to their children about Harry before they had known they were going to be meeting him. It was quite clearly the two younger of the seven children who looked most nervous over meeting him, though Ron did off Harry a friendly smile.
He smiled a little as he moved forward. "I am ok – how was school?" Harry asked curious.
He could not wait until it was his own turn to go!
"It was so good wasn't it, Charlie?" she said as she turned to her peer who nodded with enthusiasm.
"Why don't you all go through to the living room kids? I am sure Nymph and Charlie will tell you all about school..." Remus said cheerfully as he and Sirius put the last off the coat's they had been given on the pegs.
"Because it is going to be fascinating..." George sighed.
"For the millionth time," Fred finished for him.
Nevertheless, when Charlie and Nymphadora lead the group into the living room with Harry, the twins went with them. It was obvious they were trying to be as natural as they could be with him – but they were children and this was a lad they had been brought up to think of as a hero. And Sirius found 'trying' to be natural didn't often work.
"I'll take some lemonade through to them," said Remus eager to stay with Harry until he got to know the others though it sounded as if little Miss Tonks was making short work of the introductions.
"Thank you very much for coming," Sirius turned back to the Weasley's. "A million people wouldn't have."
"You have done nothing wrong – " Arthur said with a shrug. "If the ministry is happy about that, then who are we to judge? Besides, Harry is – well, he is something special – we were eager to meet him. Not that we need to tell you that."
"Of course," Sirius replied, momentarily anxious that they were going to be like the kids themselves when they did speak to Harry.
"Andromeda told us some of what's happened to the poor boy," Molly explained.
Sirius nodded. He had thought his cousin would have to disclose some of what they had been through, to give them a bit of an understanding of why they were so protective of Harry and who he saw, as well as they had waited so long to take this step.
"Things have been rather fraught at times," he admitted to her. "But he's doing a lot better than he was now – in the last month or so, he has really begun to settle."
"I am glad – he has a rough time of it by all accounts," Arthur sighed heavily. Being a father of seven himself, his heart broke when he heard what the lad has been through. If anybody had treated one of his little ones that way... Arthur was a man of peace but... There were some things that broke even the gentlest man.
"Indeed – but we want him to try and start putting it behind him now," Sirius turned the conversation away from the horrors of the past few months. "And part of that I think it trying to get him about kids his own age."
"Which is where the lads and Ginny come in," Molly finished for him. Personally, she was thrilled that he had chosen their kids for Harry to socialise with. It was a good thing for all of them as far as she could see.
"Well – yes."
It had all made sense in the mind of Sirius Black ever since Andromeda had told him. He had to know he could trust the parents of the kids Harry was mixing with – and he did not think parents came more Gryffindor or trustworthy than the Weasley's.
"We're glad."
As if to punctuate their conversation, the first round of childish laughter came from the living room filling him with more confidence than what he had felt.
Putting his head round the door, he smiled. Harry had taken a seat on the floor between the two twins who seemed to have appointed themselves as his protectors already.
On the sofa above him, sat Ron and by his side his sister Ginny who was annoyingly staring at Harry – but then she was a little kid still, and he was her hero. He knew it was a big deal for all of the kids and not just for Harry. They were too young to grasp all he had been through. Even if they did know, then it would most likely just lead to too many awkward questions.
Better they just got on with getting to know one another themselves. Kids had a knack for doing that and parents never gave them enough credit for it.
When he saw him standing in the door way Harry gave Sirius a smile but he did not run to him for comfort. He just sat there and listened to the other kids as Nymph, Bill and Charlie held court over the younger ones. He could look more comfortable – but that was going to come in time.
"Right the first round of lemonades is up," said Remus as he came into the room followed by Severus. Now that the other kids had turned up it was apparent that he had very little to do there but he could not just take off either...
He would end up going into the kitchen with the rest of the adults but he did not think he would enjoy the conversation much.
"Sweeties and chocolates are coming up soon," Remus announced as he passed round the cups.
The adults turned from the room to let the children get on with one another – if Harry got spooked then he was sure to come and find Sirius, Remus or Severus.
Butterbeers were soon handed out to the adults in the kitchen and they sat round the large kitchen table laughing. They were just a group of friends, getting together at Christmas to celebrate and share a drink.
It was all so normal.
It was the way it was always meant to be.
They had been there for about half an hour when one of the Weasley boys came out to the adults. Sirius thought he was the one just older than the twins.
"Mummy?"
"Are you ok, Percy?"
"Can we go yet?"
When he had been in the living room he had been the only one who had not been having a good time – all the others were getting on. It was not that he did not like the games they were playing or get on with them or like hearing about Hogwarts, because he did. But...
"Perce, don't be so rude," Arthur gently chastised his son.
"You not having a good time buddy?" asked Sirius.
"A kindred spirit at last..." drawled Severus but the Animagus let it go.
"What's wrong?"
Percy had been about to tell his father when his mother spoke up. "I know what this is all about – is it that rat you found in the garden?"
"He is going to be getting lonely mum! I said I was going to look after him."
Arthur chuckled. "I am sure he is going to be fine for a couple of hours."
"Is he your first pet?" asked Remus and the little lad nodded. "What's his name?"
"Scabbers."
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