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I'm so sorry this took so long. Real life hasn't been a cake walk lately.

Anyway, go. Read and enjoy!

Severus was extremely grateful that upon Hermione going into the kitchen to greet Sirius, he'd laid Nicholas back in his carrier. He knew Harry would be shocked, but hadn't foreseen him fainting. Nor could he had foreseen his wife saying something so simple and so deadpan that he'd laugh harder than he had in a long time.

''Why don't the rest of you take the kids upstairs to the playroom, hmm?'' Helena asked as she glared at Lucius as he shakily levitated Harry to the sofa. He, like Severus, was laughing harder than she could remember him doing in a while.

''Alright.'' Percy agreed. ''Come on, kids.'' he said, guiding them all out of the room with the help of their parents. ''We'll go play before lunch is ready.'' he said, making all the kids cheer. ''And Uncle Ron's going to help, isn't he?''

Ron looked from where he'd been staring slack jawed at Harry to Percy. ''Uh..sure. I guess.'' he said, getting up from the sofa and following. Turning back at the door, he asked, "'He'll be alright, yeah?''

''He'll be fine. Go on.'' Molly said, shooing him out as she and Arthur followed. ''Let them have some privacy for a bit.'' she said, turning to smile at Helena, who smiled back gratefully.

''Is he alright?'' Eileen asked from her chair as she too laughed. Unlike her son, however, she laughed quietly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Hermione nodded as she knelt next to Harry's head. ''He's fine. He just fainted.'' she said. Standing, she turned to glare at Severus and Lucius as they sat together on the sofa and giggled like two schoolgirls. ''Mum, would you get me your smelling salts, please? That'll be better for him than if I used Renervate on him.''

''Sure, love.'' Helena said, rushing off to her and Lucius' bedroom.

Hermione went over and checked on Nicholas while her mother was gone. She smiled seeing him lying there peacefully asleep despite the noise in the room. It made her extremely glad she got the baby carrier with the one way silencing charm.

''Here we are.'' Helena said, handing Hermione the jar of salts as she came back.

''Alright. Here goes.'' Hermione said, sitting on the edge of the coffee table and waving the jar under Harry's nose. After a few passes, Harry started groaning and turned his head to face the back of the sofa. Hermione put the lid back on the jar and handed it to her mum. ''It's working. Harry?'' she asked softly, putting her hand on his shoulder. ''Harry, can you hear me?'' she asked, gently tapping him on the cheek with her palm.

''Hermione?'' Harry groaned, turning his head back toward her. Opening his eyes, he squinted at her. ''I had the oddest dream. We were all here, and you gave me Sirius as a Christmas present.'' he said. ''Weird, huh?'' he asked with a laugh.

''It wasn't a dream, Pup.'' Sirius said from beside Helena.

''Sirius!'' Harry exclaimed, trying to sit up.

''Slowly, Harry.'' Hermione said, helping him sit up. ''Mitzy?'' she called.

The brightly dressed house elf popped into the room. ''Yes, Mistress Herminny?'' she asked.

''Could you bring us a pitcher of ice water and some glasses, please?'' Hermione asked. Mitzy nodded her head and popped back out of the room. A second later, she was back, and setting the serving tray with the water and glasses on the coffee table. ''Thank you, Mitzy.'' Hermione said before the elf popped away again.

''Sirius? But..how..what are..I don't..I'm confused.'' Harry stammered as he stared at Sirius.

''Here, Harry. Drink this.'' Helena said, handing him a glass of water.

Sirius sat down beside Harry and smiled at him. His smile got wider when Harry practically tossed his still full glass back at Helena and threw himself at him, wrapping his arms around Sirius and bursting into tears.

''Uh..Mum, are there still pancakes?'' Hermione asked, nodding her head to the kitchen.

Helena smiled as she caught on to what her daughter wanted. ''Oh! I think so.'' she said, turning to go there.

''Well good. Because I'm famished.'' Hermione said as she stood from her perch on the table. ''Severus.'' she said, noticing her husband wasn't paying attention.

''Yes?'' Severus asked, looking up at her.

''You're hungry, too.'' she said, smiling tightly at him..

''I am, indeed.'' he nodded, standing. Reaching over, he picked up the baby carrier and followed his wife into the kitchen as his mother, Helena and Lucius followed him.

''Poor Harry.'' Helena said as the group sat around the island in the kitchen. ''I hope that he's going to be alright.''

''Yes. It was a shock for him, wasn't it?'' Eileen asked as she poured herself a cup of coffee.

''Severus, can you heat one of the bottles up for me, please?'' Hermione asked as she picked a now crying Nicholas up from his carrier. ''Harry will be fine once he calms down. Thanks, love.'' she said as Severus handed her a warmed bottle.

''I hope you're right, Hermione.'' Helena said softly, smiling as she watched her feed Nicholas.

Sirius held as tightly to Harry as Harry did to him.

''Shhh. It's alright, Harry.'' he whispered as his godson clung for dear life to him. He could hear Harry saying something, but couldn't understand him through his crying. ''What're you saying?'' Sirius asked, leaning back a bit.

''Ho..how are y..you h..here? I s. you d..d..die!'' Harry wailed.

''Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really know myself.'' Sirius sighed. ''I mean, I know how, but it's a long and very confusing story. To put it simply, an Unspeakable had done some research on the Veil and found that since I was stunned into it, I wasn't technically dead. I was just..suspended..as it was. I was retrieved, I guess you'd say, about a year after the war.'' he said.

''I'm sorry I wasn't here, Sirius.'' Harry said in a whisper as he wiped his face with his handkerchief. ''Just..after it was over, and Voldemort was gone, I just..I needed a break from everything. I never meant to stay away so long, and if I had known how life was gonna be, I would've come back.''

''Harry, I understand. Really. Not the part where you cut contact with everyone, but the need to get away. I've been out of England for the past couple of years, myself.'' Sirius said. ''You needed to do what you felt you needed to do to revive yourself. I can't fault you on that. I just hope you'll stay around.''

Harry nodded as he blushed in shame. ''Yeah. I'm back for good. Don't worry about that.'' he said. He was surprised when Sirius wrapped him in another big hug.

''I missed you, Pup.'' he whispered.

''I missed you, too, Padfoot.'' Harry whispered back, once again crying. Only this time, not in surprise, but in happiness.

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