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Chapter Seventeen

London

Sirius stepped out of the large ornate fireplace lining the floo hall of the ministry, Harry held tightly on his hip. He sat the boy down and pointed his wand at him, after all, he didn't want him to appear dirty or not taken care of, though the tattered and stained Lion that Harry held clenched by the tail was a lost cause. He was decidedly woebegone. After ensuring that they were both clean and presentable he lifted Harry back into his arms, settling him on his hip and walking towards the security desk.

"Daddy, I wanna walk! I am five, too big for you to carry me." Harry whined, wiggling about in his arms.

Sirius shook his head, normally, he would have had Harry walk. Actually, that had been a battle with Harry. Until several months ago he wanted to be carried, even years later he was still rather clingy and nervous if he thought you were going to leave him. It surprised Sirius that he wanted to walk here, where he knew no one. Honestly, Sirius didn't mind carrying his small charge around. In fact, he rather enjoyed it, it wasn't difficult in the least. Even after picking up a substantial amount of weight since coming to live with Sirius he was James' son, and James had been small for his age until his sixth year. Lily had been rather small too, so it wasn't surprising that Harry was closer to the size of a four year old rather than a five and a half year old. But when he wiggled around like he was doing, it still presented a challenge.

"Sorry little bit, not here. You will stay right where you are or I will call Uncle Remmy to come take you right back home. If you are in my arms you are safe, so park it, sit still and paste a smile over that pouty face."

Harry fell silent, instead of losing the pout he poked out his lip and crossed his arm. Sirius sighed and continued on, trying to ignore the looks of recognition from the people walking by. He knew they didn't recognize Harry straight off, but he had been a well-known auror and one of the four miscreants that made up the marauders, anyone that went to school during his time at Hogwarts knew him. As such, since everyone knew who he was, and that he had custody of Harry, they immediately knew who the boy pouting in his arms was. He made his way to the counter and to the shocked looking man.

"Well I'll be, if it isn't Sirius Black!" he said with a smile. "It's been a long time since you graced us with your presence."

Sirius smiled slightly, nodding his head. "Hey Ned, yeah, it's been a while." He said, handing over his wand to be registered.

Ned printed out the paper and handed the wand back. "And this little rascal must be Harry, wow he looks like James." He said, shaking his head.

Harry cocked his head at the man and Sirius felt his grip tighten on his robes, it felt odd to be wearing wizard robes again, rather than his business attire or his muggle jeans.

"Harry, this is Ned, are you going to say hi?" Harry remained tight lipped and shook his head, he pulled Gryf tightly to his chest. Ned laughed and smiled in understanding. "Sorry, he is a bit shy around people he doesn't know."

"No problem at all Sirius. It was good seeing you."

Sirius nodded and walked past, heading towards the lifts. When they reached the MLE corridor Sirius was slightly overwhelmed with the amount of people who stopped him as he walked down the hall. Granted this had been his old stomping ground. He and James had spent nearly as much time here as they did at home. Maybe more right before James went into hiding. If he was overwhelmed it was nothing to how Harry felt. Everyone wanted to see him. Many of the aurors and hit wizards had never seen the boy who lived before, the ones that had, hadn't seen him since he was less than a year old, before he had been taken into hiding. His arms were wrapped around Sirius' neck and his face was buried in his shoulder. This was the Harry that he was used to in public, though this reaction, was perhaps more severe than in France, but he was never subject to attention like this in France either. Sirius rubbed small circles on his back while trying to politely excuse himself form the seven or more people that were attempting to greet him and catch up.

"What is going on here? Break it up and get back to your cases." A gruff voice said. Sirius turned towards his mentor.

"Moody!" he said with a genuine smile and a sigh of relief.

The grizzled man patted him on the back. "Well if it isn't one of my best two trainees ever." He said sincerely. "I was expecting you. I got the notice that you had to appear in the control of memory charms office." He began to walk to said department. Sirius fell into step beside him.

Sirius nodded towards Harry. "Someone came into their magic with a vengeance. To the point that I feel badly for his teachers. I am at that school at least once a week." He sighed.

Moody laughed. "I don't know what you expected of him, son of James Potter and Lily Evans, not to mention he is always subject to your own magic and Remus'. The amount of power that his own magical core is subjected to on a daily basis will strengthen and bring out his magic. Which is already, likely rather strong. You know, none of the four of you were what I would call mediocre wizards. You don't stand a chance against this little one."

Sirius chuckled, "Unfortunately neither do his teachers. Hopefully the department understands."

"I don't think you will have a problem with it. Well here you are, I believe Dumbledore is inside waiting for you. It was good seeing you back here Black."

Sirius smiled, he should have known Dumbledore would be here. "Thanks. It actually feels good to be back here. Even in light of the current situation." He said, and walked through the black door into the offices beyond.

Inside was a small office with a desk, where sat the head of the department. "Ah, Mr. Black I am glad you made it in good time. Have a seat please." He said nodding to the chair beside of Dumbledore who was beaming at him and Harry. He sat, placing Harry on his lap, who tried to keep his face hidden from both of the other men.

"I have most of your documents filled out. The letter you received is automatically sent out after so many infractions, for some reason your custody documents didn't affect it. Usually parents of small children who are in a muggle school are given a bye on this sort of thing. I do have to ask you for your account though, and why you didn't contact a ministry approved obliviator. And then get your signature to update our documents."

Sirius told of each of the instances he could remember, and tried to remember the back story he had given that specific muggle. "I'm going to be honest, I am pretty sure there are more than that, but it is almost like he started with the magic, and it just is nonstop. I really didn't know what else to do about it, aside from pulling him from school, and I can't exactly do that given that he needs to appear to be a muggle. Obviously I didn't call the obliviators because we are undercover and no one in this ministry knows or is going to be told, our location, for the boy's security, I am sure you understand."

"This matter has been covered, and vouched for by the custodial courts already. I have already presented documentation." Dumbledore said simply, pointing to the silver folder under the man's hand.

"Yes, that has already been presented, basically Mr. Black, this case has been covered and closed quickly, but your presence in this room was mandatory, though now that all of the custody papers are filed and linked, you won't have this issue again."

Sirius nodded and signed the papers that were pushed his way, all in all, it had been quick and fairly painless. Once the papers were signed and filed he was excused and followed his old headmaster out of the office. They walked together to the lifts.

"Thank you for settling all of that before I even got here." Sirius said.

Dumbledore nodded. "Of course. You shouldn't even have gotten a notification at all. Alastor contacted me when he got the message. I came right away. So, will the pair of you be heading back home?"

"Actually, I had planned to contact you to ask your opinion on that matter." He adjusted Harry so he was sitting more upright, trying to force him to look at the older man. "Harry here, wanted to go to Godric's Hollow to the cemetery, he has never been. He also asked if we could see Diagon Alley. I was thinking of taking him, if he still wants to go that is. This seemed to be a bit much for him to take in, not that I can blame him in the least."

Harry's head popped up so fast you would think that he had been charmed awake. "I still want to go!" he said suddenly.

A wry smile appeared on Dumbledore's wizened face. "Ahh, hello there Harry, I was beginning to think I wasn't going to get to talk you."

Harry just looked at him.

"Professor, this is Harry. Harry this is professor Dumbledore. You have heard all about him." Sirius said.

"You live at Hogwarts." Harry said in awe, with all of Sirius' stories about the marauders he was rather fascinated with the school of magic.

Dumbledore's eyes sparkled. "I do."

"You knew my daddy in school." He stammered, eyes wide. "Both of them. And uncle Remmy, and my mummy."

Dumbledore nodded, "I did."

"WOW!" he said admiration plain on his face.

"I don't think it would be a problem to take him out. In fact I think it highly unlikely for anyone to try anything with you out and about in wizarding London. The penalties are too severe now, nothing has been seen or heard of in nearly 3 years about that particular danger, and there are too many of us that regard him as something of a hero for someone to make an out and out attack. I think it would be safe enough. After all, with all the protections, it isn't as if anyone can follow you back home either, so I am certain that everything will be fine."

"Can we go to Hogwarts?" Harry asked again excitedly.

"Not during term, there are students there." Sirius said in exasperation.

"Please Daddy! I love it there!" Harry begged. Dumbledore smiled when Sirius replied to the term of endearment naturally.

"You haven't even ever been there."

"But I KNOW I will love it." The five year old said with a whine.

"I know you will too." The professor said, still smiling. "What if you and your dad come visit us over the summer holiday? I know that Professor McGonagall misses your daddy dearly."

Sirius laughed out loud as they stepped onto the lift. "I am so sure she does."

He and Harry bid Dumbledore farewell and got off on Melanie's floor, they headed towards her office. It was a Friday, which meant that she would be in the office unless there was an emergency that she had to attend to. When he made it to her door it was cracked and he could see her just beyond, sitting at her desk, looking at a file. He rapped on the door with his free hand.

"Knock, Knock." He said with a grin.

She looked up, startled. "Sirius! Harry! I tried to floo you when I saw Dumbledore here having files pulled but you had already left, I was hoping you'd stop by here."

"AUNTIE MEL!" Harry shouted, and began struggling to get down. Finally, Sirius obliged, letting him run to her.

He ran around the desk and jumped into her lap where she instantly caught him and kissed his head.

"Hey little love. How are you today?" she said nestling her face into his hair.

"M' good, I gotsto come to London and daddy says we can go see Godric's Hollow where my mummy and other daddy is at and he said if we aks you really nice and I promise to be good that maybe we can stay all night with you and you will come with us to see Diagon Alley tomorrow. Can we stay all night with you?" he said, all in one breath.

She looked up at Sirius who was grinning as he sat on the side of her desk. "What d'you say Auntie Mel? Do you want to have a sleepover with us so we don't have to stay at the Leaky Cauldron? Of course we would be honored if you would join us in muggle London for a nice dinner tonight before spending the day with us at Diagon Alley and Godric' Hollow tomorrow."

She didn't miss the slight plea in his voice, she was rather stunned. She had been trying to convince him to bring Harry to her flat for nearly a year, and he never took anyone, not even Remus with him to Godric's Hollow.

"Auntie Mel?" Harry said in his little voice.

She wiped the look of surprise off of her face. "Of course, of course you can stay with me. I don't get off for a few hours though, but you are welcome to go ahead to the flat." She said, her smile getting bigger by the minute.

"Since we are staying, and we brought nothing with us, I think we will head into London and pick up some clothes and stuff to stay the night. We will meet you at your place around six." He said, motioning for Harry to join him.

"You know, if you want, you can get enough stuff to stay for the entire weekend." She hinted.

Sirius smiled as he took Harry's hand. "It would make more sense than all three of us heading back to my place for Saturday night and Sunday wouldn't it?" he replied. For the last two years she spent most Saturday nights and all day Sunday with him at his place. Oftentimes Remus, Jess, and Sammi were there for Sunday too. Of course, before he moved out, Remus was usually there on Sundays.

"YAY! We get to stay ALL weekend!" Harry yelped excitedly much to Sirius and Melanie's amusement.

-oo- -oo- -oo-

Melanie answered the door quickly when Sirius knocked several hours later. He smiled brilliantly when he saw her tight dark jeans and bright blue blouse. He was carrying several bags so he leaned forward and kissed her, still holding Harry's hand firmly in his own.

"You look amazing." He said.

"I had to look my best if I was going to be going on a date with two handsome men." She replied bending and lifting Harry into a hug. "Hey lovie, would you like to see your room? Your daddy can drop your bags in there."

"I have a room?" he said excitedly, bouncing on the spot.

She laughed as they all walked into the sitting room. "You sure do. Come on, I'll show you."

After convincing Harry that he could play with the new toys in his room after shopping tomorrow, they managed to get him dressed and out to Sirius and Mel's favorite ltalian restaurant down the road, the one they often went to when Remus kept Harry for the night so they could go on a date. He had insisted on sitting beside Mel through dinner and somehow managed to eat more of her food than his own. After their meal was finished, Sirius caved at both Harry and Mel's pleading and they went to a late showing of ET at the cinema. Which Harry fell asleep watching, about half way through. After carrying him home, since it was only a few blocks away, Sirius stripped the half asleep child and put him to bed in his "new room". When he pulled the covers over him Harry opened his eyes halfway.

"Are you sleepin in here with me?" he asked, yawning through the end.

Sirius sat on the edge of the bed and smoothed his hair down, well tried to. "No, I will be asleep across the hall. You are sleeping in here, in your new bed."

"But…I never slept here before." He protested.

Sirius smiled and kissed his head. "Might as well get used to it now kiddo."

"Can Auntie Mel come tuck me in too? Like she does when she stays at our house?" he asked, craning his neck to look around his Godfather.

Sirius smiled, "Sure thing, she is just in the sitting room, let me go get her." He stood and walked out of the room he glanced back at Harry's whimper of protest at being left alone. "I'll just be a second, you will be alright." He said in a soothing voice before disappearing around the doorframe.

He headed into the sitting room where Melanie was standing looking out the window. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her head. "You presence is being requested in the dragon room." He saw her smile in the reflection cast in the large window and ran his fingers through a strand of her golden-brown hair. "He wants you tuck him in, but let me warn you, he is angling for a sleeping partner at the very least, if he gets off a full pout he will want to sleep in your room. Good luck, I'll be waiting here for you." She giggled and kissed his cheek before heading into the room where Harry was waiting.

"Hey cutie, I thought you were sleeping." She said softly, coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

"I'm scared." He said quietly. "I haven't ever not slept in my house."

He was right. This was the first time since Sirius carried him into his house that he was not sleeping there. Even when Remus kept him overnight every once in a while they always stayed at Sirius and Harry's house because of the wards. "That's true, but there's nothing to be scared of, you are here in my house, in a room that was set up just for you. Your daddy is here, and I am here, nothing to be scared of. You are just as safe here as you are at home."

He bit his bottom lip and worried the ragged tail of his faithful dragon. Seeing the nerves on his little face she scooted back and laid him down with his head in her lap and began to play with his hair. He lay there still, watching the light up stars and moons that lit up and spun around the walls.

She began to speak softly to the sleepy little boy, "You know tomorrow we are going to go to Diagon Alley, and we are going to meet Uncle Remus, Jess and Sammi at the ice cream parlor after lunch. We are going to go to Gringotts and knowing Sirius we will go to the quidditch shop, and I bet we can get a good trip to the toy shop out of him too." Harry had not responded, his eyes fluttering ever so slightly as he fought sleep. Instead of continuing their one sided conversation she started to sing the same soft song she usually sang to him when she got to tuck him in, while she ran her fingers through his silky ever messy hair.

"He won." Came Sirius' voice from the door. She looked up to see him leaning against the door frame, his button down untucked and unbuttoned and his perfectly white undershirt showing, his red tie was hanging loose around his neck and his belt was hanging undone in the belt loops of his jeans.

"No, but he is asleep." She whispered.

Sirius smiled and walked over, he helped her move Harry so he was on the pillow and she could climb off the bed. Sirius closed the door behind them most of the way, leaving a small crack open, just as he did at home. He walked over to the counter where Mel was standing, leaning with her back against it. He placed his hands on her hips, letting his fingers slip under the bottom hem of her shirt.

"He will be up no later than eight, and that is pushing it, what do you say we follow his example and move this party to bed?"

0o0o0o

His watch read 4:47 when he looked down at it with bleary eyes after hearing the bedroom door creak open. Sirius lifted his head to see Harry standing in the doorway, holding Godric with his little lip pouted out.

"Daddy?" he whispered.

Sirius was instantly thankful that he had the insight to put his boxers back on and that Mel had slipped into a pair of stretchy pants and his undershirt before falling to sleep.

"Hey little boy, why are we up and about?" he asked, trying to stifle a yawn.

"I'm scared, I had a bad dream about the green again." Harry answered, his lip trembling.

Sirius felt Mel move her head from his chest to the pillow.

"Come on little man." She mumbled, sliding over to make a space between herself and Sirius. Harry scurried around the bed and climbed over her, settling between them on top of the blanket. Sirius sighed and silently summoned the blanket from Harry's bed, which he threw over him before rolling and wrapping his arm around the five year old.

"Sleep." He whispered into his ear, but to his surprise, Harry had already fallen back to sleep, Melanie's hair twisted into his fingers the way he usually twirled Sirius'. He smiled softly over the pair, both sound asleep, that quickly, and let his own eyes fall back closed.

0o0o0o0o

The morning had turned out to be clear, though cold. Harry was completely wrapped in scarves a jumper and a coat, mittens on his hands and boots on his feet as they apparated directly into the cemetery of Godric's Hollow. They walked the path he was so familiar with, the now accustomed hitch settling into his throat and the twinge pulling at his insides. It was a bit worse today than it had been in recent months, it was harder to see Harry here, and harder to not be alone. He realized with a pang that it had been right at four years since he had taken Harry home with him. He came to a stop in front of the white stone and pointed, releasing Harry's hand.

"Right here. This is them." He said gruffly.

Without preamble Harry sat directly onto the grave, placing both of his hands on the headstone. It was both the most pitiful and beautiful thing Sirius had ever seen. He watched silently as Harry took his little finger and traced the names.

"L-I-L-Y P-O-T-T-E-R…J-A-M-E-S P-O-T-T-E-R. Just like two of my names." He said, looking up at Sirius, who was kneeling at the foot of the grave, Mel was standing behind him.

"They are, they are just like your names." Sirius replied.

"They are under here?" Harry asked, cocking his head to the side and trying to look behind the stone.

Sirius looked lost, he wasn't sure how to explain this to a five year old child. Luckily Melanie stepped in. She walked over and sat to the side of the headstone, so she was looking Harry in the eyes.

"When somebody dies Harry, they pass the veil, and they can't come back. But all of their love and hopes and dreams still live in whoever they leave behind. So even though you don't see them, they are in your heart, and they are always with you. This is just a place that we come before we pass the veil too so that we can remember them and leave them flowers, and remind ourselves how much we love them and miss them."

Harry nodded, Sirius wasn't sure he understood, but he was at least considering it. No one said anything for a while until Harry turned back and looked at Sirius.

"What's it like to have a mummy?" he asked, his eyes wide and questioning.

Sirius stared at him, mouth agape, he really should have made Remus do this.

"Well, it's…I mean it's." he didn't really have a frame of reference for a mother when he was young, his only good mother figure had been Mrs. Potter and that had been after he was twelve. He ran through his memories furiously, thinking of everything he had seen her or Lily do. "Well, they tuck you in, and they sing to you, they read you stories and kiss boo-boo's, they worry about you and fuss when you are naughty. They give really soft hugs and cook the best food in the whole world." He said.

Harry looked back down at the stone, and pulled up a blade of grass, something Sirius had been known to do himself. "You do lots of that stuff." Harry said gently.

"I try." Sirius replied honestly.

"You don't sing to me. And you give good hugs, squeezy ones, but they aren't soft." Harry said with all the honesty of a child.

Sirius chuckled.

"But Mel sings me to sleep sometimes. And her hugs are really soft."

"She does give good hugs." Sirius conceded.

"And when she is with me she tucks me in and tells me stories."

Sirius and Melanie just looked at each other, pretty sure where he was going with this. "How's come she's not my mummy?"

Sirius winced, maybe Harry hadn't been old enough for this, again it was Melanie who answered the question. "I can't be your mummy. Your mummy was so perfect and she did everything she could to keep her perfect baby safe, no one can replace her." She said softly.

"But I call uncle Sirius, daddy." Harry argued, "And he acts like a daddy, a good daddy. He does all the stuffs he's supposed to. I have two daddies."

It astounded Sirius that here, in the actual presence of James and Lily's final resting place that Harry naturally reverted to Uncle Sirius, as if he understood that this was his mum and dad. It was bittersweet in the very least.

"Yes, and Uncle Sirius is a fantastic daddy, you are right. But a mummy has to be married to the daddy." She said simply, hoping that would close the subject.

"Well, let's do that then." Harry said with a nod, as if that made it final.

Sirius laughed lightly at the look on his long time girlfriend's face, he knew how uncomfortable the position she had put herself in was. Harry did it to him all of the time. He decided to step in to save her as he thought about everything Harry had said.

"It isn't quite that simple little bit. But what if, after this weekend, we come here and stay with Auntie Mel more often, and maybe, if both of us are really good, she will start coming and staying with us a lot more."

"What's a lot more?" Harry asked, inquisitive as ever.

Melanie was looking at Sirius dumbfounded, this was a bigger step in their rather casual relationship. "Well maybe she will come stay with us three or four days every week."

Harry bounced around on his knees, Sirius knew it was a low blow using Harry to basically ask her to move forward in a relationship that he had intentionally kept on hold but it seemed right in the moment.

"Ooooh yes! Will you? I will even try not to do magic in school anymore!" Harry plead.

"How about we talk about it over lunch?" Mel said diplomatically, standing and brushing off her jeans. "I am afraid you are going to freeze out here."

Harry stood quickly and took her hand, pulling her quickly from the grave before turning and looking back, talking to the frozen ground as if it was the most natural thing in the world. "Bye Mummy, bye Daddy."

Sirius bit his bottom lip as he watched Mel be lead away. He sighed and took a last look at the headstone. "And there is your ever precocious five year old son."