Severus never came down for lunch, or dinner. Harry sensed that he feel asleep. And once again the night drew on. The sky turned dark blue. Stars and the moon rising over the horizon. Slowly everyone made their way to bed. And the house became still. Ginny once again spent the night in Harry's room. It had gotten chilly and Ginny nudged Harry, "Harry could you get me my night robe? I'm freezing." Harry looked at her through his blurred sleepy vision. "If you're cold, here take mine, it's thicker. You'll stay warm longer." As he handed Ginny his thick, long sleep robe. She took it from him, and wrapped it around herself. "Thank you Har-ry." exclaimed Ginny while yawning.
"Don't mention it Ginny. As long as you're comfortable, I'm happy. And I'm happy to make you comfortable." As he put his arm around her waist, and slowly started to fall asleep yet again. Ginny gave him a kiss on the cheek, patted his hand with hers, and she too drifted off to sleep. They had a big day tomorrow; they were going to have everyone they knew over for the party.
Harry getting up in the middle of the night to use the loo thought he had heard someone call out his name. Searching the hall he didn't see anyone there, and no one else was stirring. He had passed an Enchanted Mirror in the hall, and the voice he was hearing seemed to come from it. "Harry. Harry. Harry." The voice was familiar, but he wouldn't let himself believe that Sirius was talking to him. He heard the voice again, and he looked into the mirror. Instead of seeing himself he saw Sirius. "Hello Harry. How are you?"
Flabbergasted Harry replayed "I'm fine, thank you. Um –er how are you?"
"As good as I can be I guess. I have to ask you something though."
"Sure, anything, if I can help I mean."
"Sirius what are you doing? Waking the poor boy up on his birthday." said a voice Harry had heard, but only when he was a baby.
"Mum? Is…is that you?"
"Oh yes dear it is me. How are you?"
"I'm fine mum. How are you? Where's dad?"
"I'm here Harry. Your mum and I are alright. Sirius really why are you bothering Harry at this time, on his birthday no less?" Harry was at a point where anything in the magical world didn't surprise him much.
"Well I wanted to talk to Harry about what we were told today. And what a better birthday gift?"
"Mum, dad what is Sirius talking about?"
"Harry dear, lets not discuses this now please it's late."
"No, I wish to know, please. I'm already up, I wish to know why Sirius woke me up, in my own house no less."
"Harry this is the House of Black." Sirius said in a matter of fact voice.
"No Sirius I quite remember you left it to me. It's my house now. So what did you want to talk about?" Ignoring the look on Sirius' face, after he finished speaking.
"Sirius you left Harry your house? He's only eighteen." exclaimed Lily.
"Mum I'm not here alone. I spent a great deal of last year here. It's quite homey now."
"Wait me mum's not wailing. What did you do to her?"
"Honestly, well she's no longer here, she was driving me mad. Kreacher helped me get her down. And if it weren't for Severus I don't think I would've found that charm."
"You let Severus in my house!" clearly outraged, at that news.
"My house Sirius. And yes, he's staying in the first floor bedroom."
"But…how could you? You hate Severus."
"Times are different Sirius. We still disagree on almost everything I can assure you of that."
"But he tried to kill me!"
"And he didn't, we knocked him out first, remember?"
"Harry you knocked out your Professor? And your mum's friend?" exclaimed James.
"What was I supposed to do, let him kill Sirius? He was quite alright after Madam Pomfrey took care of him."
"You sound too much like your dad Harry." exclaimed Lily while shaking her head.
"What can I say mum I have a thing with rules, I don't like them. So what can I help you with?"
"Anyone killed by Lord Voldemort can come back as a ghost. Your dad and Sirius think it's a good idea. They wanted to know if we could all come back and live with you?"
"I'd love if all of you would come and stay. But I'd have to ask the others first."
"Others? Who else lives here Harry?" asked James worriedly.
"Ginny and Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Lupin, Tonks, their son Teddy, and right now Severus, plus me, Kreacher, and Winky."
"Lupin has a son? Since when?"
"Since last year, I'm Teddy's godfather." Looking quite proud, for this was a honour. "He's quite a little trouble maker too, I guess that sort of thing is genetic."
"Well dear please ask everyone."
"Ask who?" said Ginny who had fallowed Harry into the hall. "Harry who are you talking to?"
"Ginny? Why are you awake? Oh I'm talking to Sirius, me mum and dad."
"I heard you leave, and you never came back to the room, I was getting worried. Hello Sirius, Mr. and Mrs. Potter."
"Hello dear, please call me Lily, and this is James."
"Hold on Harry you and Ginny are sharing a room?" appointed Sirius.
"Ya Sirius. Why, something wrong?"
"Well I...I...I, Lily some help here please, he's your son?"
"I think that there's nothing wrong with it dears. So what do you say Harry?"
"I'd love you to. Ginny do you think Ron or Hermione would mind having the rest of us Potter's here plus Sirius? I know Lupin won't have a problem with it."
"I don't think so. Ron loves company, not so much in the form of Professor Snape. But well, you know Ron. Hermione wouldn't care at all."
"Well then yes, you're all welcome to stay."
"Thank you dears. Step back for a moment please."
After stepping back Lily, James and Sirius stepped down from the Enchanted Mirror. Now looking as the ghosts from Hogwarts did. Pearly white; and Harry could see straight through them. "Alright I'm hearing something down the hall Tonks, I'll be back." said Lupin coming down the hall. "Harry, Ginny what are you two doing up so late?" Once he turned the corner he had seen James, Lily and Sirius. "James, Lily, Sirius it can't be, someone tell me I'm seeing things. Harry I am seeing things right this can't be possible." Vigorously rubbing his eyes, as if he was seeing things.
"Lupin, it's possible, you're not seeing things. At least I don't have to introduce you. Lupin you don't look well are you alright?" seeing Lupin starting to shake Harry yelled, "Ginny, please go back to your room. Look outside." Taking a sneak at the dark sky, now showing a full moon. "Ginny, run! Now!"
"What about you Harry?"
"Don't worry about me, go!"
"Harry dear, you must go also." said Lily.
"No mum I'm okay. Lupin lets get up to the attic. You guys can come."
They all ran up to the attic. Ginny back to their bedroom. Once they got there Lupin started to transform. "Harry now!" After Lupin said this, Harry transfigured into a stag right on the spot. "James look." said Lily pointing at Harry. "He's a stag." On the verge of tears she stared down at Harry. Sirius chimed in, "So is his patronus. It's a very powerful one too, it saved me." Lupin, who shot up as a werewolf right there, just looked at Harry and the others and sat down for the time being. Shortly later Lupin turned back to his normal self. And so did Harry. "Thank you Harry. You know I hate to be alone. It'll be better at Hogwarts, if I don't get the potion; we've got the Shrieking Shack. But I'm quite surprised, that went more quickly than ever." And Lupin patted Harry on the shoulder, after saying this.
"Well that was interesting, I'd say. Harry I'm proud of you. You transfigured quite fast." stated James.
"Thanks dad, Lupin told me you were a stag also, so naturally I chose a stag. Although I didn't choose my patronus, it chose me instead." Looking at Lupin, "And if it weren't for Lupin I wouldn't be able to make a patronus. The best Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher I've ever had."
"Don't flatter me Harry. You did that yourself."
"If I recall correctly I asked you to show me how to fight off the dementors. And you showed me. And that boggart didn't like me much after that I could just tell. When I needed it when it counted most it came through as powerful as it could ever be."
"There were dementors at Hogwarts?" asked the enquiring Lily.
"Yes, they were all after Sirius. And again if it weren't for Lupin I probably would've let Severus kill him. I didn't know the truth until that night. And I was gravely angry Peter got away, but he killed himself anyway last year."
"Harry what do you mean he killed himself?" asked Sirius.
"You didn't ask him that? Well figures he wouldn't want to see you; you're the one who almost did him in. And I said no."
"Why did you say no Harry dear?" Lily's eye brows rising.
"I didn't think either of you would've wanted Sirius to do it, I told Peter he could go to Azkaban and die there in misery instead. But he had gotten away, helped bring Voldemort, I mean Tom Riddle back. I asked him for one favour, to get us out of the Malfoy's house, and he killed himself right there. Must have hurt him to request a simple favour to me. Serves him right in my opinion. He asked for it, he was either going to die from Sirius or by me. He chose neither in the end."
"You're telling me that if he didn't kill himself Harry, you would've killed him?"
"Yes I would've. At that point I didn't want anyone else to die because of me, and if he was going to stand in my way, I'd do what I'd have to. And if that meant putting an end to Peter Pettigrew than that's what I'd have to do."
"Let me get this straight Harry, you wouldn't let me kill him, but you would do it yourself?"
"You were alive then Sirius. If you were there with me that night I would have let you do it. But you were not, so I would have done it."
"I think I hear Tonks, let's go down stairs." Stated Lupin hastily to end this conversation. And they all walked and floated down the hall.
"Lupin, Harry where are you two?" yelled the worried, stony face of Tonks.
"Where right here dear, how's Teddy?"
"Calling for Harry. Harry you don't mind do you?" handing Teddy to Harry, before he could respond.
"No, not at all. Come here Teddy. Shh it's okay."
"Uncle Harry, Happy Birthday!"
"Thank you Teddy. But the party hasn't started yet."
"I know. Your welcome." Pointing at Lily, James and Sirius. "Who are those people Uncle Harry?"
"Well Teddy, this is my mum and dad, and this is Sirius he's like my uncle." Seeing the look on Sirius' face made his day.
"Daddy, do you now them too?" turning to look at his dad.
"Of course I do Teddy. There old friends of mine. Let's get you back to bed okay Teddy; we have a long day tomorrow."
"Okay, can Uncle Harry take me upstairs?"
"I'd love to Teddy. Let's go alright? Don't worry Lupin, I've got him alright." After saying this Harry carried Teddy up to his room, so he could get some more sleep.
"Lily, James, and Sirius it's good to see you three. You should be happy to know that he's very good with Teddy." Nodding her head in the direction Harry just went. "He'll make a good dad someday. Hopefully soon too, he and Ginny are inseparable at times."
"Are they engaged?"
"No, not yet. Although when Severus turned up earlier today, he seemed glad at what he gave him."
"What did Severus give Harry?" asked Lily with an enquiring look upon her face for another time that night.
"None other than the key to your house in Godric's Hallow. He was quite thrilled."
"He has the key? I'm glad for that, but I didn't think he was ready."
"Lily he's already been to Godric's Hallow. On Christmas Eve, he and Hermione went to the grave and the house." stated Lupin, realizing that he shouldn't have said this.
"He's already been there? I didn't think he would so soon. And you let him?"
"He was on the run, and last I checked he's an adult now, he made the choice to go. After which he became obsessed with the Deathly Hallows. Good thing he did, when he did."
"Lupin you don't believe in that do you?"
"Don't ask me, ask James that question. Mr. I've got Death's cloak."
"James, you believe in that nonsense? It was just an invisibility cloak."
Out of thin air Harry appeared in the hall with the cloak in his hand.
"Mum, can a regular invisibility cloak do this?" As he threw it over himself. "Lupin please summon the cloak and know I'm not holding it." To prove his point he stuck his hands out from beneath the cloak.
"Accio. Nothing, it's not coming." As Harry then took the cloak off of himself. After doing this Tonks left the room to go back to sleep.
"See no other cloak but Death's can do that. And what do you think this wand is made of? That's right it's the Elder Wand."
"Harry, if you have the cloak, the wand and the stone, your, your invincible." stated James.
"Only I destroyed the stone the night I destroyed Volde-Tom Riddle. So I only have these two. They usually stay locked up in my room. Along with my snitch, the Triwizard Cup, and my seeker badge."
"I knew my boy would be a Gryffindor seeker!" shouted James while doing a flip Peeves would be proud of.
"Dad, there's still people asleep."
"Oh right." Lowering his voice to a whisper.
Hearing a knock at the front door Harry asked, just to make sure. "Did you hear someone at the door Lupin?"
"Yes I did Harry. Who could it be?"
" I have no clue. If you'll excuse me I'll go see whom it is." And Harry left the room to go to the door. When he opened it there stood two people he had never seen before. An average height man, with greying hair that looked just as Harry's had. He was not thin nor fat. He wore a ride grin on his face. The woman was a slight bit shorter than the man, with long black and grey hair. She too wore a smile from ear to ear upon her face. "Harry who is it?" called out Lupin.
"Was that Remus Lupin dear?" clearly asking the man next to her.
"Mrs. Potter! Is that you?" called Lupin now in the hall walking towards the door.
"Dear it is Remus. Hello dear boy, come give mum a hug." As she reached out and squeezed Lupin over toward her.
"Mrs. Potter I haven't seen you in ages. How are you?"
"I'm fantastic dear, you?"
"Great. Heavens I'm sorry, Harry, this is your grandmum, and granddad Potter." Looking at the now very confused expression upon Harry's face.