A/N: Sorry this is so short, folks. Especially since its been so long between updates. There will be more in the new few days/weeks as I am laid up with a foot that I cannot walk on. So in theory, I *should* have plenty of time for writing. We shall see.

Sirius was sitting by the fire reading with Harry when an owl tapped on the window beside them. "Daddy? What's that?"

"It is an owl, a wizard or witch's mail carrier." Sirius reached over to open the window, allowing the bird to come in and deliver his message. "Harry, will you run into the kitchen and get the tin out of the broom closet?"

"Sure Daddy." The little boy ran off, quickly returning to his godfather's side. "Here ya go!"

"Thank you." Opening the tin, he handed the owl a treat and conjured a small bowl of water.

"Who sent you a letter, Daddy?"

Sirius smiled, he never tired of hearing Harry call him that. "It is from an old friend of ours, Molly Weasley. We have been invited to her home tomorrow for lunch."

"Oh. Does she have any children to play with?"

"Yes, indeed she does. One of them is your age, I believe. His name is Ron."

Harry jumped up and down, "Yay! A friend! Wait. We're gonna go, right?"

"Of course, we are!"

The next morning dawned bright and clear, the sun was shining in through the windows of Harry's room when he opened his eyes. Putting on his glasses, he hopped out of bed and rushed across the hall to the loo. He was glad to find it empty.

"Harry? Breakfast is ready!"

He scampered down the stairs, pausing about midway down, looked over the railing toward the kitchen door. It was closed, so he took a chance and climbed up on the railing, expecting to ride down to the bottom. When he didn't go anywhere he looked around in confusion, only to find a cross looking Sirius standing next to him. Harry swallowed, "Hi Daddy."

"Harry James, just what do you think you are doing?"

"Umm..."

"Uh huh," Sirius gently pulled his wayward child off the bannister and carried him down the remaining stairs. Stopping to sit on the last step, he placed Harry on his feet in front of him. "What did I tell you the last time I caught you trying to slide down the railing?"

The little boy couldn't look his daddy in the eyes, instead chose to play with a ring on his daddy's hand.

"Harry James!" He scolded.

That was the second time his daddy had called him that in the last few minutes. "It's not safe an' I could fall off."

"And yet here I find you doing exactly what I told you not to do." Sirius frowned, he didn't like being this stern with his little pup but he needed to keep him safe. "What else did I say?"

Little green eyes pooled with tears, "I'd be in twouble."

Sirius nodded, "I did, didn't I?"

"Uh huh." The little head nodded as tears spilled down his face.

Sirius stood and pointed to a spot across the room, "You need to go stand in the corner until I tell you to come out." He gave Harry a swat to send him in the right direction.

Harry yelped at the sting in his bum, he quickly made his way to the corner he was told to go stand in. He couldn't help the sob that rose from his chest.

Sighing, Sirius went back to the kitchen to quickly place a warming spell over their breakfast of pancakes, sausage and scrambled eggs. He poured two glasses of orange juice and placed them on the table before walking back out to the hallway. The quiet cries of his child broke his heart. Letting another sigh escape him, he moved across the space between himself and Harry. Kneeling down next to his boy, "C'mere Pup."

Harry turned around and jumped into Sirius' outstretched arms. "I'm sorry Daddy, please don't send me away! I won't be bad no more!"

Sirius' eyes opened wide in horror, "Oh no baby! Daddy would never do that! Never!"

"But I was bad?"

"No Puppy, you weren't 'bad', I promise! You just were a little bit naughty, that's all." Scooping Harry up into his arms, he walked back to the kitchen and sat in a chair. "Pup, why would you think I'd send you away?"

Harry started to calm down and wiped his face with the sleeve of pajama shirt. "Aunt and Uncle used to say that all the time."

"I see." Mentally cursing the Dursely's for the umpteenth time, Sirius proceeded to reassure his pup. "Harry, I promise on my magic that I will never do that to you, no matter what! I love you as my own child, you may not have been born of me but please never doubt that you are MY kid or how much I love you!"

Harry smiled and hugged Sirius tightly, "I love you too Daddy."

Happily returning the squeeze, "Now, we need to talk about what just happened. Harry, I want you to understand that it's not that I don't want you to have fun and to feel free here in your home but what I do want is for you to be safe. And sometimes that means I need to make sure you do as your told."

"I get it Daddy. I won't try to slide down the railing no more."

"That's my good boy!" Sirius smiled and ruffled the mess of black hair in front of him. "Now then, let's eat our breakfast before it gets cold and yucky!"

Shortly after they had finished breakfast Sirius had sent Harry back upstairs to pick up his room and make his bed. Harry was busy playing with his building blocks when there was a knock on his open door, "Ready to go, Pup?"

"Yeah!" Harry jumped up from the floor and ran across the room.

"What about your blocks?"

"Oh, I forgot." Harry turned back to look at them and with a nod of his head, they all were placed back in their container.

Taking note of Harry's actions, he merely filed it away to discuss with Remus later on. He smiled at the child in front of him, "Okay, go put your shoes on and grab your jacket."

Once downstairs, they stood in front of the fire place. As Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder, he was stopped by Harry. "What's that? And how come we're not using the front door?"

Sirius knelt down to Harry's level, "This Pup, is called 'floo powder' and when I throw it into the fireplace, it will magically allow us to travel to wherever we need to go."

"Will it hurt?"

Sirius shook his head, "No baby, but it might make you dizzy. So I will pick you up and carry you in my arms."

"But Daddy...I'm a big boy!" Harry whined, somewhat mortified.

"Only until you are used to traveling this way, Pup." Sirius stood back up and tossed the floo powder into the said fireplace. "The Burrow!"

Harry watched in amazement as the flames turned from orange to green, "That's neat."

"Okay Pup, here we go!" He said as he scooped his boy up and stepped into the flames. They watched as several fireplaces swept by them as the dust swirled about. Finding the correct one, Sirius stepped out. As he expected, Molly Weasley was there to greet them.