Author's Notes: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.

xxxx

Harry's Godfathers

Inus went over to see Remus using muggle transportation - bus, underground then walked the last couple blocks. A gentleman honked at Inus.

"Luv, would you care for a ride?" asked the driver.

"I can manage. Thanks." Inus waited for the car to pass before he walked over to the vacant lot where 12 Grimmauld Place stood invisible to everyone other than the Blacks and their invited guests. Inus rang the doorbell, although he had the key.

Sirius opened the door. "Hello, Harry."

Inus hugged Sirius. "Hi, Sirius. Is Remus in?"

Sirius closed the door. "Sit. Make yourself at home."

Inus sat on the sofa.

Sirius went to the kitchen then returned with an arm around Remus. Remus's arms weren't on Sirius, making Remus look like he was more pushed into joining them to please Sirius then being in the living room because he wanted to be there. Remus might have been in the middle of cooking something or eating. His defensive stand and pouty face didn't mean he was necessarily angry at Inus. Letting go of Remus, Sirius sat down beside Inus while Remus continued to stand.

"What's up?" asked Remus.

"I did my runes and I'm not dead," said Inus.

"I see the gods caught up with us mortals."

"I thought you were a supernatural creature," Inus said.

"I'm more cursed than immortal," said Remus. "I was asked to define a werewolf on my O.W.L.'s. It took all my self-control not to write me. My grey hair proves I'm mortal."

"Voldemort wanted to be immortal," said Inus.

"He died a non-magical death in a twelve year old body," said Sirius.

"I wouldn't say non-magical," said Inus.

"Nothing magical about being mauled by an animal," said Sirius. "I have to live with his smell; your smell."

Inus placed his arms around Sirius and put his head against Sirius's chest. "Do I still smell like James?"

"Of course," said Sirius. "Why would you ask such a foolish question?"

Remus sniffed Inus. "You smell like you and paint - oil based."

Inus was still hugging Sirius when Remus sniffed him. Inus knew Remus was a werewolf and therefore had a good sense of smell, but it was still awkward.

Remus sat on the overstuffed chair opposite them. "So why the weird questions?"

"I did my runes. The message seemed to apply to Quirrell, but when I was in Heaven, I was Harry. Quirrell wouldn't go to Heaven." Inus relaxed into the soft sofa, using a charm to relax his injured leg.

"I could put your leg on the cushion; it might be more comfortable," Sirius suggested. While Sirius was propping Inus's leg on a throw pillow, Remus left the living room.

Inus stretched out a bit. "Much better."

Remus returned in a few minutes with tea and biscuits. "I could do an identification charm."

After they finished their tea, Remus did a spell on the cup. "Q. Quirrell."

"It's my fingerprints."

"Handwriting would come out the same and your smell hasn't changed so the polyjuice results would be the same as two years ago."

"I would get one Quirrell, one indecisive and one Potter. How does that help?" Inus refilled his teacup and ate another biscuit.

"What happened since the last time you threw your runes?" Remus asked. "How is this time different?"

"I remember more of Quirrell's life. I feel so horrible about everything. When Lord Voldemort scared away the vampires, I owed him my life. Carrying him to England felt like such a little thing," said Inus.

"How did he scare the vampires?" asked Sirius.

"I don't know. I was too frightened to ask questions. I suppose he entered one of them like he entered me," Inus said.

Remus laughed. "A ghoul entered a vampire. That would give them the scare of their undead lives."

Inus forced a smile. "He told me only power mattered, all my beliefs about right and wrong were hogwash."

Sirius hugged Inus. "Harry, you didn't do those things. You entered this body after those things happened."

Inus wrapped his arms back around Sirius. "Siri, they feel like mine. The runes say I'm responsible."

Remus said, "I'm no expert on such matters, but since your body is dead, the gods can't give you back your life, so they are letting you finish someone else's. What did the runes say?"

"Fix past errors, mistakes, wrongs," said Inus. "It is all in the translation. Madame Bell is returning to finish the painting tomorrow. She needs to work on my eyes. Eyes are the windows of the soul, especially in wizard paintings. My portrait will be making small talk with students long after I'm dead."

"I had a portrait done," said Sirius. "My mum burned it when she disowned me."

"What were you thinking when it was done?" Inus wanted an idea what his portrait would talk about. A picture without a soul nodded, said the same few words over and over, smiled and waved. The portrait wouldn't have a soul until Inus died. The whole thing was creepy, but all the previous Hogwarts headmasters and the previous Triwizard Tournament winners had them, so plenty of wizards had magical portraits done and still.

"Playing ball with my friends. The artist told me to think happy thoughts." Sirius smiled.

Inus scanned the man's thoughts a moment and he was thinking about playing with James, Peter and Remus when they were twelve. "How's the therapy going?" Inus asked.

"Good," Remus said. "Sometimes, he goes without me now. His behaviour is less dog-like."

"I see that. He's sitting on the sofa and he isn't licking me," Inus teased. "Sirius, are you up to being human at the Quidditch Cup?"

"I still want to spend most of my time as a dog. My therapist says that it's up to me, but Remus needs me to be a man," Sirius explained, not answering the question, but that sounded like a no.

"I don't need you to do anything." Remus walked over to Sirius and muffed his hair.

Inus laughed. Remus preferred Sirius to remain human. Inus didn't need to scan Remus to feel those emotions. He needed to talk to his dad to see if natural legilimens ran in his family since his mother claimed they didn't and he needed no training to keep Voldemort out.

He had read Severus's mind that learning legilimency could take years for any type of competency and he was unconsciously scanning people in weeks. Inus didn't shield himself from Remus and Sirius thoughts, but he wasn't scanning them.

Remus broadcasted his thoughts while Sirius's thoughts in mostly pictures, smells and textures so his thoughts were silent. Inus often scanned Sirius's thoughts when he had trouble understand what Sirius was talking about. He felt guilty about hearing Remus but he could only block it by putting his walls up while with Sirius, he heard nothing. With Sirius, the sounds in his mind were the sounds of the room.

Sirius sat on the floor, took off his clothes and changed into his animal form then sniffed Inus's private parts.

Remus slapped Sirius's side - hard enough for the dog to feel it, but not hard enough to hurt. "Bad dog. You change back and put your clothes in the laundry basket. I'm not your maid."

Sirius whined and tried to lick Remus's hand.

Remus pulled his hand away. "I'm not falling for your sad eyes. You have complete control over your animal form. You can't use it as an excuse to be lazy."

Inus could hear in Remus's mind that Sirius had done this before.

"There's a low in the conversation and he does this." Remus picked up the empty cups and tea service.

Inus got on his crutches then hopped down the narrow stairs carefully.