Author's note: Wow, it has been far too long since I updated this story. I had a major case of writer's block. I have a detailed plan for every chapter of this fic but every time I settled down to write this chapter it just turned out rubbish. I have written the 7th and 8th chapter and parts of the 10th, I just couldn't get this one done. But oh well, I've done it now. Hope you enjoy it and please review! Happy Easter everyone!

(Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything in that world. The marvellous J K Rowling has that pleasure. I also do not own 'Santa Claus is coming to town.')

Chapter 5: An Outing at the Zoo.

A loud bang startled Harry out of dreamland and he shot up in bed, listening hard.

"Whoops, guess picnic baskets don't bounce," He heard Sirius exclaim.

He smiled lightly, today they were going to the zoo! And Remus was coming too and so maybe Emerald would be nice to him! He bounced out of bed and began to get ready.

"Harry? Are you up?" Sirius called through his door, just as Harry had finished.

Harry threw the door open and jumped into his godfather's arms. Sirius seemed startled by the warm welcome but he returned the hug enthusiastically.

"All ready to go?" He inquired as he set the little boy back onto the floor.

"Uh huh, where is Remus?"

Sirius had the grace to blush "Well, erm…I had a little accident with the picnic basket and so Remus is making some new food. Apparently reparo doesn't work on sandwiches."

Harry giggled before running to the kitchen to greet Remus. When he realised who Remus was talking and laughing with he stopped so fast he nearly skidded and fell over. Remus was cutting some bread on the counter which Emerald was sitting on, swinging her legs and chattering away. Both turned around to look at Harry who blushed bright red.

"Hello, Harry," Remus greeted, his amber eyes warm and welcoming.

"Hi," Emerald said, almost civilly before turning back and carrying on talking to Remus before Harry had had time to reply.

"Do you want to put some ham in the sandwiches?" Remus asked kindly, the second Emerald (who was now cutting cheese) had paused to take a breath.

Harry nodded enthusiastically and so when Sirius came into the kitchen all three of them were working on the sandwiches.

"How are the sandwiches coming along?" Sirius asked with a smirk.

"Nearly done," Remus replied, glancing up at his friend and smiling back "Emerald, Harry and I make a great team."

Harry blushed again, glad that he was doing the ham. If Remus hadn't asked him to join in then he would have only said himself and Emerald and then Harry would have felt like an outsider, it was so nice to be included on the 'team'.

Sirius smiled proudly at both of his charges, "looks like you have done a great job."

"I think that's about enough," Remus said, loading the sandwiches into the basket which he was about to pass to Sirius before thinking better of it.

"Let's go then!" Sirius exclaimed childishly.

--

"Are we nearly there?" Emerald asked, leaning her head against the window and sighing. It felt like they had been travelling for ever.

"Not yet," Sirius answered, staring at a map distractedly.

Emerald groaned and slumped further down in her seat.

"Why don't we play a game?" Remus suggested, looking down at Harry who also looked very bored.

Both Emerald and Harry agreed enthusiastically and so a game of I-spy began.

"I-spy with my little eye, something beginning with….C," Remus started.

"Car! You always do that one, Uncle Remus!" Emerald accused.

Remus chuckled softly, at least it meant it wasn't his turn for long.

"Okay, my turn, my turn!" Emerald declared. "I-spy with my little eye, something beginning with……S!"

"Sirius!" Sirius guessed, looking around hopefully.

Emerald laughed, shaking her head.

"Awwww," Sirius whined. "How about….seagull?"

"Sirius, where can you see a seagull?" Remus butted in.

"Well, you never know!" Sirius defended.

Emerald and Harry collapsed into laughter.

"Sun." Remus guessed after they had all calmed down again.

"No, but good guess!" Emerald replied, patting her godfather on the shoulder.

"Shoe!" Sirius said suddenly lifting his feet up as high as they could go and waggling them around.

"No, dad!"

"Santa Claus then, he's always there." Sirius began to sing in a warbly voice " He sees you when you're sleeping… he knows when you're awake…he knows if you've been bad or good so-"

He was cut off as he was attacked by everyone else in the car, even Harry lurched forwards and put his hands over his godfather's mouth and Remus took one hand off of the steering wheel to punch his friend lightly.

"Okay, okay…it's not Santa, I get it!" Sirius held his hands up in defeat.

Emerald laughed as she fell back into her seat and tightened her seatbelt again. "Does everyone give up then?"

"No! We will never admit defeat!" Sirius bounced up and down in his seat.

"Steering wheel," Remus guessed, mainly to get the game over and done with.

"Nope!" Emerald answered smugly.

"Sky."

"Seat"

"Sausages!" (Guess who that was from)

"Sweater!"

Emerald shook her head at each one, a smile spreading across her face. They were going to have to give in….

"Is it….is it….sign? Like a signpost?" Harry piped up, the first guess he had given all game.

Emerald froze, then, noticing her dad looking at her she forced a smile onto her face and nodded cheerfully. "You got it!"

Harry beamed as Sirius lent round and tickled him and Remus smiled at him in the mirror.

"I think that's quite enough of that game." Remus remarked when Sirius began the rhyme again.

"Awww, you're no fun!" Sirius protested.

"Maybe because….we're here!" Remus smiled as the car erupted into cheers.

--

A few minutes later, the car was parked, the tickets were paid for and ice creams had been bought (at Sirius' request) and the mismatch family were wandering around the enclosures, chatting, laughing, gasping and at times squealing at the animals they saw.

Harry liked the lions best, they were really big and golden, with great big manes which stood up much like Harry's hair and best of all, Emerald was scared of them and so she wouldn't go near them which meant it was Sirius who was holding onto him as he stood clinging to the fence watching them sleep in the sunshine. He bet they weren't frightened of a teenage girl, he bet they would stand up for themselves or tell someone.

"Are you okay, Harry?" Sirius asked worriedly, taking note of Harry's troubled expression.

Harry nodded, smiling at his godfather and trying to clear the thoughts from his mind, he wasn't going to think about Emerald, he would tell someone…one day.

After Harry had had his fill of the lions (a very long time later) the pair wandered back over to Remus and Emerald who were over at a park bench eating what looked suspiciously to Sirius like his favourite snack, chocolate orange pieces.

"Can we go and see the monkeys, please?" Harry asked hopefully. After Sirius had successfully managed to steal Remus' packet of chocolates away from him without him seeming to notice.

"Yeah, okay. That's….ummm….this way." Sirius replied, studying the map and pointing.

"It always helps when you hold the map the right way up." Remus smirked, turning the map the other way and pointing in the opposite direction.

Sirius pulled a face at him and was about to retort when Emerald started up.

"I don't want to see the boring old monkeys," she complained.

"Well, I'll take Harry to see the monkeys and you can go with Remus." Sirius compromised.

Emerald didn't look very happy but she said nothing, just watched bitterly as Sirius lifted Harry into his arms and proceeded to tickle him mercilessly as he walked to the monkey enclosure.

Remus watched them go too, only his smile was sincere. He waited until they had disappeared out of sight before turning to Emerald and pointing at a bench "shall we?"

Emerald smiled and led the way to the creaky bench, Remus followed and sat down with a sigh. If Sirius was going to keep delaying this talk that he and Emerald so badly needed, then Remus would have to do a bit of digging for him.

"So, Emerald. How have you been keeping?" Remus began cautiously.

"Fine, Molly has been coming around. We have played a lot of chess, I beat her every time! And-" Emerald began to chat about her friends and hobbies.

Remus smiled politely, nodding and trying his best to look interested. Normally, he was. But right now all he wanted to know was how she felt about his best friend's son.

"I bet it's been fun having Harry around to play with," Remus said when she paused for breath, he had tried to find the most tactful way of prying and this was the best way he could think of.

"It's been okay," Emerald replied vaguely, "he's a bit young to be much fun, and he doesn't know how to play Wizard's chess."

"You could teach him," Remus suggested, maybe if Emerald taught him something it would bring them closer and she would stop feeling so jealous.

"I don't think so," Emerald answered shortly.

Remus sighed, maybe if he tried a different tact. "You aren't jealous of Harry at all, are you, Emerald?"

Emerald jumped off the bench so fast that it rocked. "No I am not! I wouldn't….I'm not….I can't….I…."

"Calm down." Remus soothed. "I wasn't accusing you of anything." Yet, he added silently.

Emerald had only just flopped back onto the bench when Sirius and Harry flew over to them.

"It was so cool! One of them pulled a face at me!" Harry exclaimed.

"One of them was picking it's nose!" Sirius added, equally excited.

Emerald pulled a disgusted face. "I'm glad I didn't go."

"I think you would have liked it, Emerald." Harry murmured quietly, looking up at the girl with a tiny, hesitant smile.

"Who cares what you think!" She hissed back.

Luckily for her neither Sirius or Remus heard as they were arguing about whether it was too early for dinner or not.

"But I'm starved, Moony," Sirius whimpered.

Remus rolled his eyes.

"And you know you want a coffee….lots of nice creamy milk…a big spoonful of sugar…all of those yummy little…..bean things?" Sirius screwed his face up as he tried to think of what they were called. He was trying to tempt his friend into getting lunch, it didn't really work when you couldn't remember the names.

"Coffee beans, Sirius," Remus rolled his eyes again, though he had to admit; the coffee tempted him. He could really do with a steaming mug of coffee, especially after his talk with Emerald. "And fine, fine, we'll have dinner."

Sirius smiled smugly, oh, he still had it, he could still wrap his friend around his little finger…he could get what he wanted…he-

"You aren't having one of those horrible, fatty, burger things though," Remus continued.

"What!? Awwww, but Moony!!!"

"No!"

Or maybe he didn't.

--

Lunch was a quiet affair, Sirius was stuffing his face, Harry was still thinking about the lions and Remus was lost in thought about his useless talk with Emerald and Emerald….well, she didn't have anyone to talk too.

"I want to see the seals with you, dad." Emerald announced. The second the plates were cleared.

"Well, we can all go, can't we?" Sirius replied in confusion.

"You went to see the monkeys with Harry, it's not fair if I don't get any time with just you." Emerald whined.

Sirius looked at Remus helplessly, he shrugged.

"Well, I guess, so long as Harry doesn't want to see the seals." Sirius said at last.

"He doesn't," she turned to Harry, "Do you?

He shook his head quickly, as if he was going to protest when Emerald had that look on her face.

"Well, I'll look after Harry then and we can do something fun." Remus suggested.

Harry's face lit up, he wanted to spend some time with Sirius' friend and if Emerald wasn't going to be there then it was even better.

Emerald didn't seem too bothered about it and Sirius thought it was a good idea and so within minutes they were strolling out of the restaurant. Sirius and Emerald going one way and Remus and Harry taking the other.

"What do you want to do then, Harry?" Remus asked kindly.

Harry took the hand the man offered and pointed at a colourful sign showing a rollercoaster.

"The fair?" Remus asked, hoping he was wrong.

Harry nodded eagerly. Inwardly, Remus groaned. He hated fairs and rides. Why did they have to ruin a perfectly nice zoo by having a fairground in one corner? But he allowed seven year old Harry Potter to drag him away.

"Can we go on the rollercoaster first? Please, please!" Harry asked, bouncing around excitedly.

Remus nodded, smiling at him and inwardly remarking on how different he seemed from the timid little boy he had seemed back at the house.

In the queue Remus felt distinctively sick all ready and he hadn't got on yet. Just looking at the massive loops and steep drops made him want to lose his dinner. It felt like they had only been there a few seconds before the barriers opened and everyone pushed forwards to get on. Glad that he had little Harry by the hand so he couldn't lose him Remus let the crowd shove him forwards and he lifted Harry into one of the seats before sitting in the one next to it and holding on…tightly.

"Remus? Why have you got your eyes closed?" Harry asked curiously.

"Hmmm?" Remus kept his eyes screwed shut as he turned to his godson. "Oh…the sun's a little bright, that's all."

"Why are you holding on so tightly? It hasn't started yet, everyone is still getting on." Harry continued his interrogation. "look, your knuckles have gone white!"

"Some of these rides start very suddenly." Remus muttered.

And this one certainly did because by the time he had finished his sentence the rollercoaster shot forwards and instantly went down a very steep slope. Remus felt his dinner come up to his throat and he swallowed hard, cracking his eyes open a second to check Harry was not too upset.

He was horrified to find that he was waving his arms in the air and shouting gleefully.

"Hold on!" Remus demanded, grabbing the little boy's hands and putting them on the handrail firmly.

"But it's more fun this way! When you go down a hill it feels just like you are going to fall out!" Harry squealed.

Remus turned whiter than Nearly Headless Nick, why did he say they could go on this stupid ride?

It seemed to be gathering speed as it went up and down and up and down the track, throwing its passengers around inside. Remus swallowed again and sank as low in his seat as he could while still having the hand rail in a death grip.

If he had had his eyes open he might have seen the big loop-the-loop coming up. But he had no warning and so he let out a very girly squeal which he was very glad Sirius was not around to hear.

"Isn't this fun!?" Harry exclaimed, obviously mistaking Remus' squeal of fear as one of enjoyment.

Remus could think of many adjectives to describe the ride but fun was not one of them.

"Look!" Harry pointed out of the rollercoaster and into the crowd below.

"Very nice," Remus muttered, still with his eyes shut and most definitely not looking down at the ground, as if that would make him feel less ill!

"There's Sirius and Emerald!" Harry exclaimed.

"What!? Where?" Remus shot upright just in time for another loop-the-loop which sent him against the side of the rollercoaster with a nasty bang.

"He's waving!" Harry said excitedly, waving back with both hands, vigorously.

Remus groaned, that was all he needed, a witness to his terror. "Hold on!" He repeated, catching the boy's waving hands and replacing them on the hand rail.

After that (and another loop) he felt so sick that he didn't open his eyes again so he didn't notice when Harry began waving again or when he stretched his arms up for the really big drop.

Finally, with a judder, the ride stopped where it had started.

"Thank Merlin for that," Remus smiled for the first time since getting on and made to stand up.

"Remus! Sit down!" Harry protested, pulling on the man's sleeve insistently.

"Why? It's finished!" Remus explained in confusion.

"No it's not, it's going to do it all again backwards!" Harry's voice was high pitched and excited.

Remus sank back down in absolute horror, as if it hadn't been bad enough going forwards!

Just like before, the ride suddenly shot off, but this time…it was the wrong way. Taking a steep slope at a hundred miles an hour was bad enough, but backwards so you couldn't even see it coming (if your eyes were open) was even worse. His heart dropped to his feet at the first once and he felt as if he had left his stomach behind.

Harry had his arms in the air again but Remus didn't tell him to hold on this time, he was far too afraid to open his mouth.

It felt like eternity before the ride juddered to a halt and this time everyone crowded off, talking and laughing. Remus didn't know how everyone could be so cheerful after a near-death experience.

Sirius and Emerald laughed hysterically as Harry skipped (and Remus staggered) over to them.

"Had fun, Moony?" Sirius joked, pulling Harry over to him and ruffling up his hair affectionately.

"What are we doing next?" Remus asked weakly. "I think I'm done with fairs."

"Let's go to the gift shop!" Emerald exclaimed excitedly.

"Okay, but you can only pick one thing each." Sirius warned.

Both children nodded and then raced into the brightly coloured shop. Sirius trotted after them and Remus followed at a more sedated pace.

Once he was in there he could see no sign of Sirius or either of the children but he did see a very realistic little lion which actually roared when you turned it on, remembering how much Harry had loved the lion exhibit he quickly paid for it while they were not around and then slipped it into his pockets, that would do as a little present for his godson.

He wandered around the large store aimlessly, hoping to catch a glimpse of the others. In the end he heard them before he saw them. Sirius and Emerald were having an argument of some sort while Harry stood beside them awkwardly.

He hurried towards them and lay a hand on the little boy's shoulder reassuringly, Harry looked up with a smile.

"What's up with them?" Remus whispered.

Harry shrugged, looking at his godfather again nervously.

Remus rolled his eyes at the little boy, making him giggle, before tuning in to the argument.

"But there aren't any horses at the zoo. Its not much a zoo souvenir." Sirius said looking at the top distastefully.

Emerald hugged the top to her chest protectively. "So what? They're animals, aren't they?" She snapped.

Sirius sighed but gave up, battling against Emerald was hopeless. He was doomed to failure. His attention turned to his youngest charge. "How about you, Harry?"

Harry didn't reply, he was staring at the very top shelf with wide eyes and a small smile playing on his lips. Sirius followed his gaze, his godson was staring at a large, fluffy monkey. It had little black eyes which were set into the monkey's plush fur, a small sewn smile was on the monkey's face. Sirius could see why it had captured his godson's attention, you could practically feel its softness just by looking and he could only imagine what it would be like to cuddle it. Not that Sirius Black would ever cuddle a soft toy, he told himself firmly but a smile played on his mouth as he considered just how big a lie that was.

"The monkey?" He asked kindly.

Harry's eyes grew wide and he nodded enthusiastically, his smile growing as he watched his godfather grab the monkey and walk to an empty checkout.

Emerald gave Harry a look before flouncing off to join her father and grab the top he had just finished paying for. A look which Remus had seen very clearly…

"Here you go, Harry." Sirius said cheerfully depositing the big toy in his godsons arms.

Harry wrapped his arms around the monkey tightly and pressed his nose into its soft fur. It was just as cuddly as he had imagined. A soft hand rubbed his back and Harry turned to smile at Remus, things were getting better and better maybe even Emerald would leave him alone. And so he stood there, as it started to spit with rain, a small smile on his face, the monkey cuddled up in his arms and a gentle hand rubbing his back. Maybe his dreams of a family were really coming true at last.