I am so so so so sorry

I have been so so sick and then

The baby had to go to the hospital, and then I got sick again from the hospital.

Please forgive me

One more chapter and we are going to jump a few years. Just a warning.

I am not completely happy with this, but I am posting it anyways.

I am not JKR, you should all bow down and worship her though

Chapter Thirteen

Birthday Surprises

Today was the day, Sirius thought as he sat up in bed that morning. He glanced over at Harry who was still asleep beside him. Sleeping in his own bed the whole night had still been elusive for the boy, but Sirius would be lying if he said that he minded. He relished the little boy's need for his Godfather. Afterall, he needed Harry too. Not wanting to wake him before he was ready, Sirius crept out of the room, still in his pyjamas, and slipped down to the kitchen. Remus lifted his head from the paper and smiled.

"Is he still asleep?"

Sirius nodded and made a face at Remus' cup of coffee. "How do you drink that stuff?"

"I was raised in France, I summered here. I like coffee." Remus said with a shrug.

Sirius made another face, poking his tongue out dramatically. "Blech." And he rummaged in the cupboard for everything he needed for tea and breakfast. "It is weird to be doing this with so few of our friends." He muttered, not mentioning the two names he was actually referencing, his head still in the pantry.

Remus looked at him sadly. "It is. And without Mr. and Mrs. Potter and Evans. Remember how Lily had promised them that she would throw a big party this year to make up for the lack of one on his first birthday?" He thought briefly about the tragedies that had befallen James' and Lily's parents before the two of them.

Throwing the bread, unceremoniously hard, onto the counter and huffing, Sirius leaned against the wall. "Maybe we shouldn't have done this. We should have just let it be us and him."

"No, Harry deserves a party, even if it is hard for us to deal with the people that aren't here. He will have fun, and that is what matters." Remus replied.

"Ayyyyeeee! Ayyyyeeee!" they heard from the top of the stairs, as they did most mornings. "Me wake up! Me wake up!"

Remus smiled and pointed his wand through the door and muttered, "Finite, Glisseo." Dropping the blocking charm and turning the stairs into a giant slide, which Harry slid down with a squeal.

He walked into the kitchen wearing only his orange underpants and bouncing around. "Haawwee up!" he said happily.

"Hey birthday boy! Look how big you are today!" Sirius said, all thoughts of today's bittersweet emotions sliding away, replaced with only happiness at seeing his godson on his birthday.

"I big!" Harry said with a smile.

"Goodmorning Mr. two years old. Did you remember to use the toilet before coming down here?" Remus said with a grin. Harry wrinkled his nose and looked anywhere but at his Uncle Remus. "Go, my bathroom down here, then we can eat breakfast."

Both men laughed as Harry moped from the room.

"He stripped overnight again?" Remus asked, bemused.

"I'll be buggered if I know when he loses the pyjamas. They are on when I put him in bed in his room, and when I wake up in the morning, he is in my bed in his underpants. I will never understand." Sirius said, shaking his head.

"Maybe it is genetic, remember at school? We never could convince James to sleep in anything more than his quidditch shorts, and that was a fight in itself."

Sirius laughed, "I think I saw his boxers more than I saw my own."

"Well, maybe you should have worn them more often." Remus ribbed.

"Laugh it up wolf boy. That was only one time, and I had worn them, I just, forgot them in a broom closet when I was nearly late for charms. It was a really bad day for Pete to have issues with a vanishing charm."

It only took a few seconds after his name was said for both Remus and Sirius to fall silent. They didn't voluntarily talk about Peter, they had pretty much avoided his name at all costs. It was hard to think about Hogwarts though and not think about Peter. He was an integral part of nearly every marauder memory. Which put a depressing spin on a lot of them. It didn't take much longer for a nude Harry to come back into the room holding his underpants. Smiling he handed them out to Remus, who chuckled and helped him put them back on.

They ate breakfast and all got showered and dressed for their day. They were wavering about in the back garden, Remus holding Harry's hand.

"Do you think it is safe? You don't think they would suspect we would bring him there today?" Remus said, glancing down at Harry nervously.

Sirius followed his gaze. "I don't know, but, don't you think we should take him? I mean, it's his birthday, this day was about the three of them. Don't they deserve for him to come today?"

"Yeah, I mean, of course. But I think that most people will think on those lines, we would be risking, press, and public and possible death eaters, with Harry in tow."

Sirius thought about everything Remus was saying, he knew he was right. "He doesn't understand yet anyways. Maybe we will wait until he is older and take him on his birthday." Sirius said, resigned.

Remus nodded in agreement and the three of them walked from the garden down the lane to the children's park where they were meeting several of Harry's friends from the library and around the neighborhood. Remus had gone while Sirius got Harry ready and prepared the picnicking area for the small party, knowing if he had sent Sirius that magic use was unavoidable. They had decided against having anyone from home come. There was too big a risk of them being followed or inadvertently showing the location of the house. So instead it was an entirely muggle party, Remus had done it all by hand. He had hung streamers from the trees and set up balloons and a banner, all adorned with multi colored dragons. Jessalyn had brought the dragon shaped cake for them and they were stopping on the way to pick up the picnic foods they had ordered. It had turned out to be a very warm, bright day. And Harry was jumping about as soon as they entered the gates to the park, when he saw the brightly colored streamers and balloons his excitement only amplified, even moreso when the food was put out and about 7 kids ranging in age from 2 till 5 arrived to share the day with their story hour friend.

"Hey Jess." Sirius said with a grin as she sat the cake on the table.

She smiled and lifted Harry, who had flung himself into her knees, up for a hug. "Hiya birthday boy!" she said, tickling him until he giggled and squirmed to be sat down. "Hey Sirius, Remus. This looks great, I love that you did it all like a dragon fantasy land." She said, her eyes twinkling.

"Er…yeah that's what we did." Sirius said accepting her hug. As they watched Harry take off in a run after Sammi. "I swear those two are going to grow up and get married." He said with a chuckle.

"I wouldn't doubt it, all I hear about at home is Harry. You'd think they have known each other their whole lives." She giggled as both Sammi and Harry rushed back towards them, Harry pulling a red foil dragon balloon behind him. Sammi was beaming, waiving her arms.

"Mummy Mummy! Lookey! Harwee has a ninese fireball bawoon!" she said, bouncing up and down and pointing to the balloon.

Sirius and Remus, who had been standing just a few feet from the kids both stared at the blonde headed little girl, eyes wide, and then stared for several minutes at Jessalyn.

"Uhm, Sammi you are so silly." She said, nervously.

"You, you, you're a. She just said…" Sirius stammered.

Remus put his hand on Sirius' shoulder and smiled kindly at the stunned, shaken woman. "Perhaps you should come to our house this evening for dinner? The kids will have fun playing." He said.

Sirius was gaping like a fish.

"I-I don't know, I don't think it is a good idea." She muttered.

"But-But- you're a." Sirius continued his attempt at speech.

She sighed. "Yes, and you are Sirius Black and that little hellion that runs you about is Harry Potter. I am an English witch, I know who you are, I have known for months who you are. Ever since you slipped and said his last name. I just. I don't want affiliated with that world anymore." She said.

"But, Jess, we are that world." Remus said softly watching as Harry and Sammi ran off, the balloon trailing behind them as they met up with some of the kids.

"Just, come over, we can talk about it tonight." Sirius composed himself as a couple of the father's made their way over to Sirius.

"Hey Jean, hey Franco." Sirius waived.

"Remus, this is Jean and Franco, they belong to Cole and Scheyenne." Sirius pointed at a brunette little girl and a blonde headed little boy that were playing with Harry and Sammi in the sandpit.

"How is the party going Uncle Sirius?" the man named Jean said in a thick accent while Franco shook Remus' hand. "Hi Jessalyn."

"Hi Jean. Where's Celeste?" Jessalyn asked with a smile.

The blonde headed man pointed towards the tables where several women sat.

Sirius watched her go, a confused look on his face.

"If I didn't know better I would say our resident single uncle has a bit of a thing for Jessalyn." Franco said, laughing.

"I wasn't aware we knew better." Jean joked, causing Remus to laugh.

"I think I like these two." He chuckled.

"Good, you can take over story hour to keep me from the hassle of relentless ribbing when Harry wizzes on my lap this week." Sirius grumbled, following the other three men over to the tables.

The walk home was difficult to say the least, with bags of gifts and a sand, dirt, and cake covered sleeping Harry to carry. Remus and Sirius had their hands full.

"She is a witch!" Sirius hissed as they got closer to their house.

"And you never suspected it?"

"Did you?" he shot back.

"Well, no. But you were around her more." Remus argued.

"She never mentioned it. And I have never seen her do an ounce of magic. I had no clue. D'you think she will come tonight?"

"She said she would." Remus answered as he pushed the door open and held it with his foot so Sirius could walk through with Harry.

"Where should I stick him? He is filthy. Can he sleep in the bathtub if I charm the faucet not to come on?"

Remus laughed and looked at the blue and green icing that had transferred to Sirius' shirt and neck from Harry's clothes, face, hair and hands. "I think you should just put him in his bed and change the sheets after he wakes up."

0o0o0o0o0o

Jessalyn was sitting on the sofa, Harry standing at her knees handing her the padded quaffle for her to throw for him again. Sirius watched, bemused, as she did it time and time again, the obvious magic of it not even phasing her. Remus was sitting on the floor with Sammi in his lap, they were reading one of Harry's moving storybooks. She was pointing out the animals from the book.

"You don't have to worry. I won't tell anyone that you are here. I promise you that." She said softly.

"You have to understand Jess, we are here to keep Harry from being found, this was the last place we expected to run into an English witch. Let alone make friends with one and have them in our house multiple times. It kind of spoils the secrecy thing." Remus said gently as Sammi patted his face to make him pay attention to the book and her.

"How do we know you aren't going to say anything? And how do we not know you? You would have been at Hogwarts with us." Sirius blustered.

"I was, I was a seventh year Ravenclaw when you were in first year."

"Oh, well, we didn't know many seventh years at that point." Sirius said with a shrug.

"Not to mention that we spent nearly the entire first year in detention." Remus added ruefully.

"There is that." Sirius added thoughtfully. "Look. We have spent a lot of time together. How do I know nothing about you?"

"I didn't want you to know anything." She said softly.

"Why."

She sighed. "You can't tell anyone. I am begging you."

"If you can trust anyone to keep it secret, I think it would be us. We have an awful lot to lose here." Remus pointed out.

"Right. I know." She seemed deep in thought for a minute. "Her name is Sammi McKinnon."

Remus thought his head was going to snap off of his neck he looked up so fast. Sirius' mouth dropped.

"But-But- all the McKinnon's are. I mean." Sirius looked at Sammi, stunned. "Even Marleen, and she got married the same month as Jamie and Lily and wasn't even a McKinnon anymore. He killed them all, every one of them. The whole bloodline. You can't be a McKinnon."

He stopped when he noticed the sparkle in her eyes. "I'm not. My daughter is. I was dating Michael, Marleen's oldest brother. We kept it quiet since I am not a pureblood and he didn't want to endanger me. We talked about marriage, we wanted to wait until the war was over. And then we found out about Sammi. She was a huge shock. Michael knew it would make her a target. He knew that he was targeted as it was. He wasn't willing to risk her life, to put her in danger, and neither was I. I was 3 months pregnant when he sent me away, no one knew. I found out he died when she was six months old, from the morning paper. If anyone finds out who she is… They could still come after her, even with him gone. They were ordered to destroy the lineage. I can't let that happen. You have to understand." She plead, a tear slipping down her cheek. "So she goes by my surname and I just pretend that I am divorced. But her name, her real name, is Samantha Micayla McKinnon"

Sirius still looked a bit in shock. Remus smiled comfortingly. "Your secret is safe with us Jess. You really don't have to worry. We are the last ones that would turn you over. We are protecting a little monster from the same people, and Marleen was in our year, she was one of our friends. Lily was in their wedding. We would never, never do something to endanger her niece."

Jessalyn nodded, her golden hair flipping about her face as she tossed the quaffle back down the hall for Harry to chase again.

That night Sirius and Remus sat on the floor of Harry's room as he ran back and forth giggling like mad.

"I think someone had far too much cake today." Sirius said, shaking his head at the overexcited two year old.

Harry hopped his way to Remus, his thick hair thrashing about as he did so. His face alight with happiness and his eyes glittering with laughter.

"Yeah, well I doubt that the piece you snuck him twenty minutes ago helped much." Remus chuckled as Harry threw himself into his uncle's arms.

"Unca Memmy sing!" he squealed.

"What did you call me?" Remus asked. Sirius looked rather baffled for the third time that day.

"Unca Memmy sing song. Birfay song! Haawee birfay, sing song!" he said, now hopping about in another circle.

"Alright." Remus replied, taken back from the sudden name change. "Come on Uncle Siri." He said slowly.

Sirius nodded and helped start the song. Harry picked up half way through and finished it off with a flourish, somersaulting feet over head and landing on his bottom in front of Sirius laughing hysterically.

"Well, we haven't exactly called you Moony recently, I guess all the Uncle Remus rubbed off." Sirius said with a shrug.

"At least I don't sound like a cow now."

He wasn't sure how he felt about this new development, after all Moo Moo, while embarrassing in public, had been one of the last behaviors Harry had carried over from being with James. It had been the first sign that Harry remembered. It seemed that as the more time passed, the more Harry changed from the baby he used to be into this little boy. He watched as the little ball of energy was tickled into submission by Sirius and as he forced him into another round of happy birthday.

After everything that had happened, James and Lily's tiny baby was doing just what they had always wanted. He was growing and changing. He was happy and thriving, and even though they desperately still missed their friends, he and Sirius were actually living their lives. Harry giggle insatiably and jumped into his arms, catching him slightly unaware and knocking him backwards, causing all three of them to laugh.

"Happy Birthday little cub." He said, lifting him into the air above his head.

Harry cackled and kicked his feet as he flew through the air. "Happy Birfay Unca Memmy."