His Boy

Chapter Twenty-Three: Trees

"Moooooonyyyyyyy." Sirius groaned as he rolled over, having taken to being in the sick bay… er… guest bedroom. He had come down with the bug a day after Harry and Lexie, so Remus had transfigured the only chair in the room into a comfy cot for him as well as made a duplicate of one of the buckets. Something about his werewolf genes made Remus less likely to contract most illnesses that originated in Muggles, which he was glad for at the moment. If he had been sick too, he would have hated to think who would take care of everyone in the house. He was cooking broth and giving out doses of medicine, getting extra blankets or cleaning out buckets.

The bug had now been in the house for three days. Harry was getting crankier and crankier about being stuck to bed, but the fact of the matter was that he was not well enough to be allowed to do more than go to the bathroom on his own because he still got rather dizzy when he was up for more than five minutes at a time. Lexie was being a trooper, trying to entertain Harry the best she could when he was awake and making failed attempts at doing more around the house. She wanted to help but she could only manage being up a tiny bit longer than Harry before she needed to lay back down. Sirius…. Was only behaving because Harry was in the room. He had never been graceful about being sick. It irritated him to no end that he couldn't get up and do what he felt needed to be done… that he couldn't help take care of his sick godson at the moment because he was stuck in bed. Whenever Harry was asleep he'd argue with Moony about being allowed out of the bed and Moony had threatened on more than one occasion that if Sirius even thought about it, he would tie him down and take away his wand so he wouldn't even be able to do pretty spells for Harry's amusement.

"I'm coming Sirius, calm down." Remus sighed, entering the room with a tray of medicine cups. He handed out two to each of his patients, ending with Harry who made a face.

"I dun wanna." Harry complained, eyeing the purple liquid of the disgusting potion he had to take with all the apprehension a four year old could ever possibly have.

"Harry, I have the pink stuff and some juice here for you afterwards. If you're good and drink it right down, I'll even get you some ginger ale." Harry seemed to ponder this for a moment before sighing and downing the tiny cup of hideous potion. He gagged, coughing and sputtering before Remus handed him the pink. He drank that down, liking the taste of it better than the purple stuff and then reaching for his juice that sat in a sippy cup beside the bed. He had to have the cover on when he was in the bed, Moony said. Even Lexie and Sirius had to have covers in bed, mostly so Harry wouldn't feel like a baby for having one. Moony had allowed him to go without one once and it had ended in an absolute nightmare. Of course, the it had taken next to no time to clean up with magic, but still…

"Remus, I'm going to take a bath." Lexie said after she downed her own medicine and pushed back the covers.

"I don't know it…"

"I have been in this bed for three days with nothing but bathroom breaks. A bath will do me good. I promise to call if I need any help whatsoever, but I can managed to stand long enough for however long it takes to put my clothes back on."

"Well, alright. Just be careful. I'll be right out here." Remus said with a nod, watching as she went into the bathroom and shut the door behind herself. She'd been wearing one of Sirius's t-shirts and a pair of Remus's pajama pants for her stay here. Remus had written an owl to St. Mungo's for her letting them know she'd be out until she was over this stupid bug.

"Moony, tell me mummy-daddy story." Harry begged, tugging at his sleeve. Remus sat down on the edge of the bed with a sigh and hugged Harry to him. "Have we told you about the time your daddy saved your mummy's life?"

"He did?" Harry asked, green eyes going wide behind his glasses. "How? When?"

"Well, it was back in our third year, way before they were even dating. There was a Quidditch match, Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw and we were up by fifty points. Your dad was our very best Chaser and Sirius and I were Beaters and Lexie was another one of our Chasers. So, the game was going well, we were winning, and just as your dad is about to score another goal, this gut wrenching scream comes out of nowhere."

"You dad knew who it was before he even turned to look. He dropped the Quaffle and went as fast as he could to the opposite side of the pitch where your mummy was dangling from the stands. She'd gotten pushed over the edge and no one had been able to catch her or hoist her up because she was holding onto the stadium hangings for dear life." Sirius added, sitting up a bit so he could watch Harry's reaction.

"What happened then!" Harry asked, his little heart racing at the very thought of his Mummy dangling so very high up in the air.

"You dad was faster than anyone else on the pitch, even though he didn't have the newest of brooms and it was only his second year being on the team. He went flying for your Mummy and got their first, just as her fingers slipped. He caught her like she was a giant Quaffle and dragged her onto his broom."

"Yay Daddy!" Harry cheered, pumping his fists in the air. "Then what?"

"Well, when your dad was busy saving your mum from certain death, the Ravenclaw team managed to score about three goals and catch the snitch. So we lost the game, but everyone was pretty much just happy that Lily was alright." Remus finished, handing Harry his juice and picking his lion up off of the floor. The room looked like a war-zone. There were coloring books and crayons and toys and books all over the floor on Harry's side of the bed. Healing books and game pieces littered Lexie's side, and Sirius… well… he was surrounded by what appeared to be a mountain of hand puppets mixed with motorcycle magazines. Blankets and sheets were grossly disfigured into lumps on the beds. Juice cups and potion bottles and cracker packets were spread out on the table at the foot of the bed.

Remus sighed. "When you all are well again, we are doing some serious cleaning in here."

"We're gonna wash Paddy?" Harry asked confusedly, looking around the room.

"No, Harry, the other kind of serious."

"Ooooh." Harry nodded and snuggled down with his lion for a moment before eyeing Remus. "Moony, I want a bath too." He tugged at his pajamas, the kind with feet that kept him nice and warm during the winter.

"When Lexie is done." Remus patted his head and handed him his juice. Harry drank it down. He hadn't puked in a solid twelve hours and the color in his cheeks was seriously improving. His temperature was still higher than normal and he still got a bit dizzy though, so Lexie had suggested he stay in bed. Of course, when Harry had complained about this, she had told him she'd be lonesome without him there, so he'd given in for the time being.

"Bloody hell!" Lexie's voice came from the bathroom and Remus shot up off of the bed, Sirius rolling over and moving to get to his feet.

"I've got it Sirius." Remus knocked on the door. "You ok, Lexie?"

"Yeah. I just cut myself shaving… and knocked over the shampoo… and now I can't get up."

"Do you want me to come in?"

"Unfortunetly I think there is currently no alternative." Lexie heaved a sigh and Remus pushed open the door, entering and closing it behind himself. He pressed it open five minutes later, carrying Lexie clad in the shirt he'd been wearing, which was, thankfully, fairly long. He set her down on the bed and she tugged the covers over herself embarrassedly. "Sorry about that."

"Don't sweat it." Remus smiled and offered her a cup of water. She accepted it gratefully and drank it down. Harry pushed back the covers.

"My turn, Moony!" He stated happily, moving from the bed for the bathroom. Remus followed after him quickly.

After his bath, there was more pink in Harry's cheeks, partly from the hot water, and partly from having gotten the blood in his body flowing a bit more. He was looking less ill and a lot more back to his old self. One more night's good rest and he'd probably be ready to be out of bed and playing a lot more.

"Can I've another story, Lexie?" Harry asked as he was tucked back into bed. He snuggled up to her side, gripping his lion with his other arm and looking up at her expectantly.

"Sure." Lexie smiled and raised her wand from where it sat on the bedside table. "Let's see…"

…

"Here we go, Paddy!" Harry laughed, holding out the sippy cup of water to his godfather whom had moved from the cot to the bed, the only occupant left in the 'sick bay'. "Lotsa liquids."

"That's right, Harry. Lotsa liquids." Sirus laughed, taking the cup from him and drinking straight from the spout. Now that he was well, Harry got a hellva laugh out of seeing a grown up drinking out of a sippy cup like a toddler. Even he didn't need a lid anymore, only when he had been sick. Sirius was almost well now, but he still got a bit dizzy if he was up for too long. He didn't need the sippy, but anything to make that kid's face light up. Four days after the illness had hit the house in the first place, it was almost gone. It was now Friday, December the 21st and Harry hadn't been to school today due to a blizzard that had knocked half of the town's power out. Not that that made much of a difference in an all wizard house.

With the power outage, the guys just lived like they would have at Hogwarts. Fires had been lit in every fireplace in the house, the living room, the dining room, Sirius and Remus's rooms, and the guest bedroom. When it got dark out, they had a lot of candles placed about the house, ready to be lit. Harry, of course, had a flashlight instead of a candle, just because it was safer all around. Remus was able to fill the back of the toilet and pitcher with water from his wand, which Harry found quite exciting.

"Next time, Moony said he'd make apple juice." Harry said happily, watching Sirius drink down his water. "Or pumpkin juice." He added after a moment's thought, a grin spreading across his face. "And he said, tomorrow, we're gonna get a Christmas tree! 'nd Lexie's gonna come too."

"Wow, sounds like tomorrow is going to be a busy day for us huh? I think I might be well enough by then to come along." Sirius smiled, not wanting to miss out on taking Harry to get their first Christmas tree together.

"Yay!" Harry cheered and danced about in his footed pajamas. He ran out of the room. "MOONY! PADDY SAYS HE'S GONNA BE BETTER TOMORROW!"

Sure enough, when the sun rose of the snow covered world the next morning, Sirius was up and out of bed feeling like his old self once more. He whistled, flipping a pancake on the stove and then setting it down on a plate. Harry came into the room, bright eyed and ready for tree picking. "Paddy! You're not sick!"

"Nope." Sirius smiled and began cutting Harry's pancakes up into manageable bits for him. He doused them with syrup and then set them on the table. Harry climbed up into his chair and smiling, dug into his breakfast. "As soon as you're done it's into the tub and then we're all going to get dressed and find a tree."

"Okay!" Harry began shoving pancake into his mouth and chewing hurriedly. He wanted to finish, excited about the tree. It took him less than three minutes to get his pancakes into his stomach. He downed his milk and then dashed from the table. "Done!"

"Don't get in the tub without me!" Sirius called with a laugh. He jumped around as there was a crack from the living room and Lexie popped her head in.

"I'll watch him, but I want pancakes and bacon too." She said, eying the pan in which Sirius was putting more butter. He laughed, saluted her, and then watched as he disappeared. He could hear her hurrying up the stairs after Harry.

Once bathed and dressed, Harry jumped from booted foot to booted foot. He was wearing his snow suit, ready and rearing to get to some tree picking. He held a tiny plastic ax from his firemen's kit and was swinging it back and forth. "We're gonna chop a tree!" He cheered, waiting as Sirius pulled on his own hat and gloves.

"Alright, alright, Prongslet." He laughed, picking Harry up and hoisting him up onto his shoulders with ease. Remus and Lexie joined them, heading out the front door and across the lane. They made their way up the snowy slope across from the cottage and through a barren orchard. Coming out of the orchard, Harry grabbed hold of Sirius's head with one arm and pointed with his axe.

"Woah, Paddy! Who lives THERE?" Harry asked, leaning forward slightly to get a better look.

In the distance, not too far from the orchard, was a house that defied the odds of gravity. Built upon a stone wall and up, it stretched tall, portions of it looking as though they had been added over time, lopsided. Many little chimneys stuck out of the different colored roofs, all emitting the white smoke fireplaces. A large shed sat a bit from the house, and then other, smaller one that looked as though it might hold two grown men and nothing more. A chicken coop was off to the side and then there were trees and a garden hedge, all covered with frosty snow. A blue car sat near the larger shed, looking as though it was still missing some pieces.

"You'll see." Padfoot laughed and they made their way down the hill from the orchard, heading towards the house. As they got closer, the door opened and two small figures came running out. One was clad in a worn blue jacket, the other in a red coat that looked a bit large. They came barreling across the yard as the group got closer and Sirius set Harry down.

"Harry!"

"Hawwy!"

Red hair peeking out from under their knitted hats, Ronnie and Ginny grinned, all freckles as they waved their mittened hands. Harry perked up, and laughing, ran to hug them. Wow, Ronnie and Ginny really did live just over the hill, like Sirius had said! It wasn't the least bit far at all. "Ronnie! Ginny!" Harry hugged them tightly as they tackled him down into the snow. They rolled about, laughing and getting covered in white fluffy flakes.

"Be careful you lot." Mr. Weasley said as he came out of the house, tugging on his jacket and laughing at the rolling children. He was followed by the twins who were wearing matching green jackets and looking like they were up to something.

A window opened near the door and Mrs. Weasley poked her head out. "Good morning everyone. Arthur, don't let those two anywhere near the ax, remember what happened last year."

"Don't worry about it, Molly." Mr. Weasley smiled and headed for the larger of the two sheds which he unlocked and then pulled out an ax which was near the inside of the door for easy access, but out of reach of the kids, specifically the twins. "We ready? Right then, come along."

They followed Mr. Weasley beyond the Burrow and into the woods nearby. It wasn't a very big wood, most of this area of the world being hilly and grassy instead, but it was a good bit, big enough to find Christmas trees in.

"There are some nice spruces that grow in here just a ways. We plant a few every summer." Mr. Weasley explained, going along a path that he seemed to know well. It didn't take very long to get to the patch of trees he had mentioned, and then it was up to the kids.

"I want this one!" Ronnie exclaimed, pointing to a fat tree that was lopsided on one side.

"Nooo! This one!" Ginny jumped up and down, hugging a tree that was currently the same height as herself.

"Nu uh! This one!" Fred and George shouted from somewhere within the thicket of trees.

"Kids, calm down. You know this year it's Ginny's turn to pick."

"Aw, but why does so get to pick? Charlie picked last year, so it's Bill's turn, but he's not here and neither is Percy, so it should be our turn." Fred said, peeking out from the trees.

"Because Bill wrote to say and skip him this year. So it's Ginny's turn, you know how it works. Next year it'll be Ronnie's, and then you two will have your turn, but you've got to let Ginny pick this year."

"But she wants the weeny tree!" George complained, and Ronnie nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, Daddy, we can't have a weeny tree!" Mr. Weasley sighed.

"Ginny, the boys are right. That tree's still a baby, we need a bigger tree than that."

Ginny pouted but let go of the little tree. She looked around, eyeing the larger trees passively, unsure as to which one would be best. "But, how big, Daddy?" She asked, biting one little chapped lip.

"One as big as me." Mr. Weasley explained and Ginny nodded brightly, hopping around to find another tree that was as big as her Daddy.

"Paddy, how big do we need?" Harry asked curiously, looking up at his godfather, worried as though he thought they might not pick one that was the right size.

"Well, we can get a tree that's a little bit taller than me, Harry." Padfoot explained. "Our ceiling is pretty tall, but we'll still need room for the topper, so maybe about… eight feet."

"Ok." Harry nodded with a smiled before his face turned into a frown again. "Paddy?"

"Yes?"

"Kid feet or grown up feet?"

Sirius burst out laughing, as did Remus and Lexie. It was a typical four year old question. Of course, Harry hadn't gotten to measuring things yet in school, so he didn't know the difference between feet and people feet.

"Here." Sirius hoisted Harry back onto his shoulders. "Now we want one as tall as both of us."

"Ok!" Harry felt better now that he understood how big their tree needed to be. He smiled as Sirius led Remus and Lexie through the trees. The piney scent of them was delicious and Harry loved breathing it in. It was a good smell.

"How about this one?" Moony called, pointing to one tree. Sirius turned around so Harry could see it.

"Yeah!" Harry nodded, liking the look of the big tree. It was tall enough and it had a lot of full green branches making it quite fat. To be honest, it was quite the beast of a tree. It was perfect.

"Alright then! Arthur, have you got that ax?" Lexie called, pushing through the trees to search out Mr. Weasley.

"I'll do it!" Harry said and Sirius set him down so that he could raise his plastic ax to the base of the tree. He gave it a couple of whacks and then fell backwards. "Phew." He wiped his brow and then looked up at Lexie came back with the borrowed ax (Ginny still hadn't made up her mind). "I got it started for you, Lexie."

Lexie laughed and handed to ax to Remus. Sirius tugged Harry up out of the way and they all backed up. Remus raised the ax and gave the tree a nice chop. He blinked as it stuck in the wood. "Why are we not using magic for this?"

"That, is a very good question." Mr. Weasley stated as he came through the trees. "Normally Bill and Charlie liked to help chop it down, so I guess using an ax has become sort of a habit. But the kids are too little to use it this year."

"I'm not!" Fred shouted.

"Me neither!" George added, both of them looking disgruntled.

"Not until you're at least eight boys." Mr. Weasley sighed and raised his wand. Harry's tree severed where it had been hit with the ax, falling to be caught by Remus. The ax fell to the ground off of the stump. "There."

"Yay!" Harry cheered, glad that his tree was ready to go home now.

"Hawwy, help me picks one." Ginny said, coming out from behind the trees. She eyed Harry's tree jealously.

"We need one like that, only smaller." Mr. Weasley suggested and everyone set to searching. Harry took Ginny's hand and they pushed through the lower branches of the trees, looking.

"That one!" Ginny exclaimed after a few minutes. "That one's big like my Daddy, but not too big."

"You're right, Ginny. Good job!" Mr. Weasley smiled and looked the tree over. It was a nice full one as well. He severed it near the bottom and caught it. "There, now let's head home."

With the help of the kids, the adults dragged the two trees back through the woods to the Burrow.

"Mummy! Mummy! I pickded a good one! Mummy!" Ginny hollered as they got closer to the house and she took off running, excited to show her mum the tree. Mrs. Weasley peeked out the window again.

"Oh Ginny, that's a lovely tree! I'm so proud of you." Ginny beamed with pride and ran to open the door for her father and brothers. "Join us for lunch?" Mrs. Weasley asked of Sirius and he nodded.

"We'd love to." He and Remus rested the tree against the shed and then moved to help Mr. Weasley lug the other tree into the Burrow. They got it in through the kitchen and into the little sitting room where its stand was waiting. It fit perfectly, Ginny had done well.

"There, now let's just leave it to warm up and melt some of that snow off of it then." Mrs. Weasley smiled and ushered them all back into the kitchen where she had hot bowls of soup waiting.

Harry was looking around everywhere. He'd never been inside Ronnie's house before. It was a lot different from his own. It was warm and homey, comfortable and clean, but it was also obvious that a family lived there. He took his seat at the scrubbed wood table beside Ronnie. Everyone's boots sat beside the door, snow melting off of them where a towel ran along them all on its own, keeping the floor dry. Jackets hung on the coat rack, mittens from pegs to dry above the huge fireplace. It was a really big one, like the one in the living room back home, big enough for a person to stand in. It made Harry feel warm and cozy inside to be here.

"Oh, the Hogwarts Express has left, Arthur." Mrs. Weasley nodded to the clock on the wall. Harry turned around and gasped as he watched two of the nine hands move. He'd never seen a clock with so many hands before. Seven of them were in the same spot.

"Oh, that is a neat clock, Molly." Remus said, sounding slightly astounded.

"What's it say?" Harry asked curiously.

Remus stood up and pointed to the spot where most of the hands were. "Each hand has one of the Weasleys on it, Harry. It says where they are. Home. Work. School. Traveling." This was where Bill and Charlie's hands were. "Lot. Hospital. Prison." He purposely left out 'Mortal Peril.' and then turned to smiled at Harry. "It's so Mrs. Weasley knows where everyone is."

"Wow." Harry stared at the clock, his eyes wide. "Is it magic?"

"But of course." Remus laughed and patted Harry on the head. "It's a special charm, isn't it Molly?"

"Yes."Mrs. Weasley nodded. "Each hand has a strand of hair in it from the person it's for, then it has a few difficult charms on it to make it work."

"Wow." Harry said again, still impressed by the clock. He'd never seen anything like it before. "Moony can we make one of those?"

"Whaddaya say, Molly?"

"I'd love to help you make one." Mrs. Weasley beamed, glad they liked her clock so much. Aside from her family, it was her pride and joy. She felt it was something every family should have, especially one with lots of children like her own.

"Then I'd known when Paddy is coming home!" Harry exclaimed brightly, scooping the last of his soup into his mouth and smiling happily.

"Mum, can I show Harry my room?" Ronnie asked as he set down his spoon.

"Go ahead, but not too long now."

"Alright!" Ronnie grinned and tugged at Harry's sleeve. "C'mon." They dashed out of the kitchen and up the stairs. They went up and up and up, all the way to the top until they reached the very last door that had a plaque on it that read 'Ronald.' Ronnie pushed the door open and they entered the room.

Ronnie's room was smaller than Harry's but it was very bright and friendly. The walls were orange with a few posters on them, two displaying Quidditch players in orange robes, and a third displaying a cartoonish character.

"Who's that?" Harry asked, pointing to the poster and sitting down on the patchwork quilt that sat on the bed. It looked as though it'd been made out of baby clothes, it had bears and rattles and stuff that babies wore all over it. Harry thought it was rather neat all put together like that.

"Martin Miggs, the Mad Muggle." Ronnie said. He went to his desk and picked up five comic books that sat there. "These were Charlie's, but he gives them to me when he's done with em. I can't read much yet though…" Ronnie frowned. "But the pictures are good. They tell most of the story."

"Cool!" Harry admired the comic book Ronnie handed him and opened it. It had a colorful cover and black and white pictures with word bubbles all in it. He could read a few of the words, but most of them were a bit big for him still. He set the book down and then pointed to the other posters. "Quidditch?"

"The Chudley Cannons!" Ronnie said excitedly. "They're my favorite. When I'm big, I'm gonna play for them." He stated proudly, a thumb to his chest. "But first I need to learn how to fly. Bill takes me sometimes, and Fred had a toy broom for a while, but Mum says I can't have one 'cause I broke Fred's by accident."

"You can still play on mine." Harry suggested with a smile. He knew he would be very sad without his toy broom. It was probably his favorite toy aside from all of his trains and his lion and dragon.

"Harry! Time to go." Lexie called up the stairs and Ronnie sighed.

"Aw… I wanted to play more." Harry pouted slightly but then brightened up a bit. "Maybe you can come too."

"I gotta help decorate the tree." Ronnie said after a moment's consideration. "But Mummy says we're going to a party at your house for New Year's. 'nd she said Bill or Charlie or Percy can bring me to play over at your house sometimes when you're not at school and that you can come here when Mr. Black says you can."

"Oh yeah!" Harry nodded, remembering about the party now and how Sirius had said Ronnie could visit a lot while he was on holiday from school. He felt better about leaving knowing when he'd see Ronnie again. "Maybe tomorrow?"

"Yeah! Let's ask."

The two little boys bolted back down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Paddy, can Ronnie come over tomorrow and play?"

"Sure. We'd be glad to have any of you lot over to play." Sirius smiled, holding out Harry's snow suit so that he could get dressed for the outdoors.

"And you're welcome here any time, as well." Mrs. Weasley smiled and then bent down to zip Harry up and give him a kiss on the cheek. "Keep warm."

"I will." Harry smile brightly and tugged his hat down over his ears. Bidding the Weasleys goodbye, the guys and Lexie headed out into the snowy afternoon. They got their tree and dragged it along, back to the house.

Sorry about the lapse, guys. It's kind of hard writing with my 's' key being stupid as it is. Until now I didn't realize just how many 's's I use. It's basically broken to the point where I've had to take the actual key off until I can figure out a way to get it to... wait a damn second... Nope, that is officially broken pernamently. Don't ask me how I managed it, I don't even know myself. I'd glue the key to the top if I wasnt scared of it sticking forever and never working again, so alas, I type it on a little white rubber nub instead.

I may or may not also be building a doll house out of popsicle sticks. XD Needless to say, this is also a very distracting project.

Go ahead and ctrl F, see how many damn s's there are in this chapter. Not that I'm going to stop writing just because of this. I'm going to continue to the best of my ability. Ooo... if I balance the key on top of the nublet it seems to work a bit better than without it.

Oh yeah, as for you all who have mentioned, or wondered about Harry growing up. I'm not in any rush. This story is about Harry getting the life he deserves before Hogwarts. I may continue on into Hogwarts, but he's going to grow up first. At least the first year with Sirius will be written about, and then I'll probably skip a bit.

I appreciate and read every single reveiw you guys write. I honestly am beyond belief with how much love this story gets. I would just like to say thank you, very very very much for your continued reading. I will try my very best to update more often.

Sorry for the extra long author's note! Just some stuff I really felt needed saying.

As always, with love, for absolute serious with so much love and thanks,

S.Q.O. another damn s.