His Boy

Chapter Thirty: Ice

"Hey, Moony?" Harry asked, leaning up against the car window curiously, peering out through the glass with interest.

"Yes, Harry?" Remus asked, peeking at Harry in the rearview mirror before returning his eyes to the road. It was Friday, two weeks after Harry and Sirius had found out about the baby Lexie was going to have. It had been a bitter cold past few days, leaving the guys cooped up in the house, trying to keep warm and unfrostbitten.

"What're those big kids doing?" Harry pointed a mittened hand out the window and Remus glanced over. There was a pond with a bunch of kids sliding across it on skates. He smiled.

"They're ice skating, Harry. It's a lot of fun. We used to go ice skating at Hogwarts in the winter, when the lake froze over."

"Oh. Can we go ice skating sometime too, Moony?"

"Sure." Remus nodded and turned right, heading down the lane that would lead to their cottage. He pulled into the driveway after a few minutes and Harry climbed out of the back, toting along his schoolbag. He slid across some ice on the sidewalk and laughed.

"Woohoo!" And then he fell, gently, into a pile of snow on the side and started laughing. "Wow Moony, skating is fun!"

"You'll do even better once you're on a proper lake with skates." Remus laughed, tugging him up.

…...

"Ice skating?" Sirius asked at dinner time, looking up from his soup to see Harry's eyes glued to him with pure excitement at the very idea of doing this new, cool thing. "Yeah, I suppose we could do that. It's been quite a few years since we've done that, hasn't it Moony?"

"Yes. Not since Hogwarts." Remus nodded and lifted it bowl from the table to carry it over to the sink. Both men watched as Harry tilted his bowl up and drank the remaining bits of onion soup before rising from his seat to mimic Remus's movements.

"How long since Hogwarts?" He asked curiously, once his bowl was in the sink.

"Er… well… hmm… It's been about seven years, I think. At least, since we skated." Sirius said after a moment of pondering and then he too, placed his bowl in the sink. He scooped Harry up, swinging him around for a moment before lifting him up onto his shoulders without any warning.

Harry squealed with absolute delight, really liking it when his Padfoot did this. It made him tall enough to reach his arms up and nearly touch the ceiling, but not quite. Maybe when he was a bit bigger he'd be able to touch the ceiling.

…...

"Here, Harry." Sirius said that Sunday, offering Harry a pair of black ice skates. Harry stared at them, eyes wide at the sharp shiny blades and the fact that they were his size.

"Paddy! Are we going skating?!" He asked excitedly, jumping up and down.

"You bet." Sirius laughed, swinging the skates up over his shoulder and reaching for Harry's snow suit. Harry dressed, super excited about this now. He couldn't wait to skate! This was going to be soooo fun!

Sirius smiled, helping Harry get his snowsuit tucked into his boots. It hadn't snowed in a couple of days, but it was better to be safe than sorry when it came to his Prongslet. He didn't want him getting any snowburn on his ankles if the snow went down into his boots.

"Are we ready?" Moony asked, tugging on his own hat and reaching for his car keys.

"Yes!" Harry shouted, jumping up and down and bolting out the front door before either of them. He dashed down the walkway to the car and tugged the back door open, so super excited about skating he could hardly contain himself. His mummy had skated… he wanted to skate as well.

When they got to the skating pond, Harry was bright eyed and bouncing in his seat. Sirius helped him out of the car and down to the ice where he and Remus each took a little foot and got a skate tied onto it the best they could.

"Alright, Harry. Now you wait a couple of minutes while Moony and I get our skates on, alright?"

"Okay, Paddy." Harry nodded and swung his legs back and forth on the bench, admiring the way his skates felt on his feet. He watched a few other kids skating along, it looked easy enough. They were moving just like a skimmer bug moves on the little fish pond that wasn't frozen over in the summer. Harry was sure he'd be able to do that too without any problems. After all, he could walk and run just fine.

"Alright, Harry." Moony smiled, reaching down to take one of Harry's hands while Sirius took the other. Together they hoisted Harry up over the snow and then placed him down on the ice while they stepped out on it as well.

Harry yelped as his feet started slipping and sliding. His right foot went backwards, his left foot went sideways and he went downwards, only to be tugged back up by Padfoot and Moony.

"It's a little tricky keeping your balance on the ice, Harry." Moony explained. "It's very slippery, but we'll help you. Try to keep your waist, knees, and ankles all straight and locked."

Harry wobbled , his feet still all slippy beneath him as he worked at getting his legs to stay up. Padfoot and Moony both tugged him upwards again, helping him lengthen his legs out so that he was standing firmly on the ice now.

"I'm doing it!" Harry said excitedly.

"Good job, Harry! Now just keep those legs and ankles straight. Don't move your feet yet."

"But, Paddy…. Everyone else is moving their feet." Harry frowned, watching as one child, not too much bigger than him, slid across the ice with ease. It made him feel a bit silly, to have to need help even to just stand up.

"You need to get your balance first, Harry. Skating takes practice, so be patient. You'll skate like the other kids soon enough."

Harry sighed. "But I wanna skate like them now."

"Patience, Harry." Moony smiled as he and Sirius began to woosh forward. Harry gasped as he began to move. He kept himself as straight as he could, his feet still a bit wobbly, but not as much as they had been. Sirius and Remus really did help at keeping him from falling. And this was fun… even if he couldn't skate like the other kids just yet.

"Woohooo, look at us go, Paddy! Look at us go, Moony!" He laughed, looking down at his feet as they slide across the ice. "Woosh, woosh, woosh! We're skating!"

"You bet your hippogriffs we are." Sirius laughed again, unable to help it when Harry was so delighted with everything like he was now.

After a bit of skating together, Moony let go so Sirius could start helping Harry move his feet more. Sirius bent a little, holding each of Harry's hands while Remus remained behind him in case he started to fall backwards. It was harder to get back up once you fell on the ice than it was to skate on it.

"Baby steps Harry." Sirius said gently, watching as Harry slid his feet back and fort, trying to slide across the ice without lifting his feet at all. He stayed in once place, just slipping and sliding back and forth. "Lift your foot just a little bit and then push forward with the other one. Just like walking, only slower and longer steps. You'll slide forward."

Harry nodded and looked from Padfoot's face down at his feet. He wobbled slightly, clinging tightly to Sirius's arms as he lifted one foot just barely off of the ice and then set it back down, pressing foreword. He slipped a bit, but mostly had the desired affect.

"PADDY! MOONY! I'm doing it!" Harry exclaimed as he lifted his other foot the same and pushed himself along, Sirius shimmying himself slowly backwards on the ice to make sure Harry could keep going forward.

"That's it, Harry! You're doing it!" Moony clapped as Sirius beamed, full of pride at his godson's progress. He wasn't perfect at it, but it was something more than what he had been doing.

"I can skate! I can skate!" Harry laughed, so excited as he pressed along, baby step after baby step, moving across the ice with his godfather's help. This was so much fun! "Can I try by myself?"

"I dunno as you're ready for that just yet Harry." Sirius admitted. "You haven't quite gotten your balance yet."

"Oh…" Harry frowned, stopping. "When will I get my balance?"

"It'll take a while."

"Hold on, Harry. I know what we can use so you can skate by yourself." Moony said after a moment. He skated away and returned very shortly with a couple of stacked on top of one another and tied together. "Here, see? There's a couple of other kids using them to help them keep balance while they skate by themselves."

Harry looked up and across the lake a little ways. Sure enough, there were a couple of younger kids pushing along milk cartons. And they were doing it on their own!

Excited, Harry reached for the milk cartons and Sirius held onto him until he had. Then he let go and Harry laughed, pushing himself and the milk cartons along.

"Look! I'm doing it! I'm doing it by myself!" He grinned up at them, so full of pride at being able to skate on his own with just the milk cartons to help it. It was a little like skating with Sirius.

"Look at you, Harry!" Sirius grinned, patting his hat covered head and watching as he skimmed about the ice. "Just stay far away from that sign!" He said, pointing to the wooden painted sign that had been stuck into the ice, indicating that past that point it was too thin to skate on.

"Okay, Paddy!"

It was then that it happened.

A couple of teenagers were shooting across the ice after a hockey puck, sticks in hands as they skated for it, each wanting it. Neither of them saw the little boy pushing the milk cartons because they were so concentrated on the puck.

"Look out!" Moony shouted, but it was too late.

One of the big boys bashed right into Harry's milk cartons and the little boy was sent backwards, sliding across the ice, clinging onto the milk cartons for dear life as he went almost as fast as the hockey puck.

"Paddy!" Harry yelped, shocked by the sudden change of speed. He fell backwards, still sliding as he let go of the milk crates, wanting to slow down.

"Aw man, sorry about that." The hockey players came to a stand still.

"I'll get him." Said the other one and he shot off across the ice but suddenly came to a stop as Harry, clad in his little red snow suit, slide right on past the sign….WARNING: Thin Ice!

"Harry! Don't move!" Sirius shouted loudly as he chased after Harry, stopping as he got nearer the sign, Moony and the hockey players at his heels. "Harry, stay perfectly still!"

Harry blinked. He had never heard so much fear in his godfather's voice before, except for that time he tried to bring werewolf Moony a book. He froze, having come to a stop a little ways past the sign. If Sirius was scared… this must be bad. Why wasn't he coming to get him?

"We need a rope." The first hockey player said after a moment and shot off across the ice again, heading towards the bank.

"Harry, the ice is thin there. If you move too much, it might break and there's water all under there." Moony explained. "We're going to get you, but just stay still."

"O-okay." Harry whimpered, frightened now. How much water was under the ice? Was it as deep as his bathtub? No… it had to be deeper. He couldn't swim without his floaties yet… let alone in ice covered water in his snow suit. "P-paaaaddy…" He called, reaching one little mittened hand out towards his godfather, forgetting not to move.

The ice cracked beneath him a little. It didn't take much. Harry had slid right out onto the thinnest bit of ice there was and even though he was small, even the slightest of movements could put him under.

"It's alright, Harry. We're going to get you, just stay still." Sirius called, feeling beyond helpless at the moment. He had his wand on him but they were surrounded by Muggles.

The hockey player returned with the rope, tying a loop with one end that Harry could put over himself so they could pull him back.

Sirius took the rope from him and tossed it towards Harry. "Harry, pull that over your head and around your tummy."

Harry leaned forward to grab for the rope, but then, as though in slow motion, the ice beneath him gave way.

Sirius watched with absolute horror, as that beloved child of his fell through the ice and into the freezing water below. He shouted and Moony had to grab hold of him to keep him from running forward.

"HARRY! HARRY!"

Harry's head bobbed up above the ice for a moment. "Paddy!" He garbled and then he went under again. His boots and snowsuit were acting like weights, making it even harder for him to pull himself up to the surface. It was dark under here, scary. The water felt like knives on his skin, trying to choke the life out of him as he thrashed about, trying to break free of it. His head did not bob above the surface again. The world went black.

When his godson did not reappear, Sirius did the only thing he could think of. Screwing all Ministry laws against Muggles being exposed to magic, he drew out his wand. He pointed it straight at the hole where Harry had fallen. "LEVICORPUS!"

Harry shot up out of the hole, suspended upside-down as though by an invisible rope tied about one ankle.

"Accio!" Remus shouted, and Harry shot towards them, limp and lifeless. Sirius caught the little boy, not caring as a little skate blade cut his cheek. He hurried with Harry over to the snow, setting him down flat upon it.

"Harry! Harry!" He patted his little boy's blue cheeks before grabbing up his wand again. He placed it before Harry's lips. "Adeo Aguamenti!"

Water from the lake shot up and out of Harry's lungs, spewing forth from his mouth and hitting Sirius in the face. Harry gave a raspy breath as his emerald eyes shot open. He gasped for air, staring up at Sirius slightly glassy eyed.

"Harry…" Sirius heaved a huge sigh of relief as he tugged the little boy up to his chest, holding onto him tightly. "Oh Harry."

Harry burst into tears, clinging to his godfather's jacket as Moony grabbed hold of both of them, kissing the top of Harry's head repeatedly. "It's alright, Harry. Shhh…"

"Holy shit. That was the coolest thing ever!" The first hockey player stated as he flopped down in the snow nearby. "He just… out of the water… and then… wow!"

"Er yeah…. Don't mention that. Ever." Sirius said after a moment of cuddling Harry.

"P-p-paaad-d-d-dy." Harry stammered, shivering something awful, his teeth chattering behind blue lips. Sirius quickly stood up, worried now, about his godson's well being. He was gout of the icy water, but he definitely was not looking so hot at all. His little body had been exposed much too long to the icy water and he was slowly tinging blue.

Without thinking about it again, Sirius shot out onto the ice, gave a great spin without warning, and disappeared with Harry with a crack.

Knowing where he was headed, Remus kicked off his skates and did the same, neither of them giving a shit about the Muggles all around them. Harry's well being was more important than any Ministry laws.

Sirius landed awkwardly in the waiting room at St. Mungo's and almost immediately fell over. He couldn't stay up on his skates on the floor here very well. Harry in his lap, he looked up at the shocked woman behind the desk. "He fell through the ice. He's turning blue. Hurry!"

The woman nodded and shot down the hallway, through a set of double doors. She returned as Sirius was removing his skates, a female Healer hurrying along behind her. Upon sighting Harry, shivering and now fairly despondent, his eyes glazed, panting, she snatched him up from Sirius's lap and shot back down the hallway, looking worried.

Sirius heaved a sigh, chucked a skate to one side and then took off after her in his socks just as Remus appeared a couple of feet behind him. He chased off after Sirius and they both followed the Healer down the hallway and up a set of stairs to the children's ward.

The Healer laid Harry down on a bed and began tugging off his clothes. "We have to get him warmed back up. He's hypothermic."

Once Harry was out of his sopping clothes, Sirius helped the Healer dress him in some pajamas and get him tucked into bed. The Healer ran her wand over Harry a few times, muttering to herself before she dug into the pocket of her robes for a vial.

She tilted Harry's head up and poured the potion down his throat, the dazed little boy just going along with it before he fell back against the pillows, still breathing rather heavily. Sirius watched as Harry's cheeks slowly began to regain a bit of color and the little boy closed his eyes, exhausted from his ordeal. His breathing slowed and steam began flowing out of his ears.

"Your son's going to be just fine. You got him here in time. He'll have to stay overnight for observation, but that's only precautionary, in case his system backlashes." The Healer smiled, placing the vial back in her pocket. "I'm Healer Fulby, by the way."

"Glad to meet you." Sirius smiled, keeping his eyes on Harry. He was absolutely relieved that Harry was going to be ok. He'd been worried there for a few minutes, when his poor little boy had been so blue in the face. But now he was safe and sound, warming back up on the inside. He turned to Remus. "So er… how much of that d'you think the Mu-…"

"Sirius Black? Remus Lupin?" A short wizard wearing deep green robes and a matching hat entered the room. "My name is Cadmus Trillington, of the Department of Wizarding Security at the Ministry of Magic. I need to speak to you in private."

"Well, that didn't take long." Sirius muttered to himself. He glanced back at Harry as they followed the wizard out into the hallway. He led them down it a bit to an office where they were ushered inside.

The wizard closed the door and turned. "It has come to the Ministry's attention that you both broke Statute of Secrecy, page 242, section 8 by performing magic knowingly in front of no less than fifteen Muggles. This is a very serious matter. We've had to send out Obliviators to take care of all of the Muggles who witnessed it."

"My kid fell through the ice, and it was either magic him out or let him die." Sirius said after a moment, rather scathingly. "I wasn't about to let him die!"

"The Ministry recognizes certain situations in which magic is allowed to be used in front of Muggles without penalty. However, there is a bit of paperwork involved in which we just ask you to properly clarify the events that happened. And we will also be looking into your ability to parent properly as this incident involves a young child, who also happens to be one of the wizarding world's most important people."

"Why?" Remus asked, a little taken aback at this sudden explanation. "Sirius is his legal guardian, one hundred percent. He adopted Harry months ago, making him, officially, his full time parent. Would you fault any other full time parent? Is it because he's adopted, or because he's Harry Potter?"

"If the Ministry has reason to believe there is a fault in parenting, whether the child is adopted or not, it is our responsibility to step in for the welfare of the child in question."

"Fault in parenting?" Sirius seethed after a moment as Trillington's words sunk in. "My godson spent nearly three years living in a cupboard under some stairs and having his backside beaten with a belt and the Ministry didn't step in then! Now, we simply take an outing to go ice skating, like any average family would, and due to an accident that could have happened to anyone, my ability to parent is being called into question? This is absolutely ridiculous! But go on then. Send over your investigators to see our house and ask Harry unneeded questions."

"It is just in the best interest of the child in question, Mr. Black." Trillington stated, digging into his bag and pulling out a scroll of parchment. "Now, this merely states that you recognize that you knowingly preformed magic in front of Muggles and it has a section here, where you can fill out the reason for doing such. In this case, there will most likely be no charge against you because it was special circumstances. It needs to be filled out by the both of you and sent back to the Ministry within one week of today's date. An official representing the Department for the Welfare of Magical Children will be around to investigate your parenting ability within the next few days."

"Fine, whatever." Sirius sighed, taking the scroll of parchment and tucking it into one of his pockets. They would do what they had to, if only because the Ministry was demanding it. "Now, I need to get back to my godson."

…...

Harry was released from the hospital the next morning after a quick go over by Healer Fulby. He was no longer hypothermic, suffering merely a bit of a cold now that was easily helped with a dosage of Pepper-Up potion in the morning and evening.

Steam pouring out of his ears, Harry sat at the kitchen table, coloring as Sirius made him some soup for lunch. Remus sat across from the little boy, helping him make up a story to go along with the pictures. Harry had been assigned a special book-making homework project for school because it was the school's reading appreciation month. It was supposed to be due today, but since Harry hadn't gone to school and falling through the ice had gotten in the way of finishing it up yesterday, he'd turn it in tomorrow.

Sirius smiled, setting the bowl of soup for Harry down on the table and Remus pulled the papers for the story book out of the way, not wanting them to get wet.

"We should really clean this house up before that Ministry official gets here." Remus suggested after a moment. "The letter said he or she would be here by two and it's nearly one already."

"Yeah, good idea." Sirius nodded, taking a bite out of his grilled cheese sandwich before placing it back down on the plate. He was a bit nervous about this inspection. What exactly was this Ministry person going to be looking for when judging his parenting ability? "Remember, Harry. I expect you to be on your best behavior when our visitor arrives."

"Okay, Paddy." Harry nodding, spooning some soup into his mouth.

"Good boy. I'll get started upstairs if you want to start down here, Moony."

"Sure thing." Remus nodded, rising from his chair. He moved Harry's pictures and the story they had written down on lined paper so far before they would put it on construction paper to a shelf on the wall above the table where they kept some of Harry's coloring books, crayons and markers along with a binder to put all of his past and graded assignments into. Sirius wanted to save them, thinking it would be fun, as Harry grew, to look back on them.

So, Sirius and Remus set to work tidying up the house, mostly just using magic to replace things to their proper areas. Harry began helping once he had finished his lunch.

Trying to make it look like someone lived there, while making it not overly messy, Sirius kept some of Harry's toys out in random places, like the corner between the couch and the fireplace where they had built a fort with a sheet, spanning it from one arm of the couch over to a bookcase shelf that sat against the wall next to the fireplace. The playroom was left as messy as it usually was, and Harry's bedroom was mostly clean, his watercolors left out on the table.

Once all three men were satisfied of their good job, Sirius flopped down on the living room couch and Remus got Harry's project back out so they could work on it at the coffee table.

Shortly afterwards, the doorbell rang and Sirius rose to answer it apprehensively.

A man wearing a long coat tipped his hat. "Afternoon, Mr. Black. I'm Owen Troit, representative for the Department for the Protection of Magical Children."

"Come in." Sirius forced a smile, stepping back and reaching out to take the man's coat and hat, hanging them up on the rack that stood next to the door. "So, how does this work?"

"Well, I'll give your home a look over, make sure it's a suitable environment for a young child to live in and then I'll be asking you, a Mr. Lupin, and the child some questions, just to get a feel for how you act as a parent."

"Alright then, well, how about we start in here?" Sirius suggested, gesturing the man into the living room.

"Paddy! Look! I made a tree!" Harry said excitedly, holding up his newest picture which had a tree made out of construction paper glued to it, the glue dripping slightly onto the coffee table below. Sirius beamed.

"That looks great, Harry." He crouched down in front of the little boy. "Hey, listen. This is Mr. Troit, and he's here to see our house and talk to us a bit. Would you like to help me show him around?"

"Yeah!" Harry nodded, standing up and setting his picture back down on the coffee table. He smiled up at Mr. Troit, knowing Sirius and Remus wanted him to be as good as he could while they had a visitor. He was a lot bolder than he used to be. Not so shy of stranger anymore, especially not in his own home when Sirius and Remus were around to keep him safe. "Wanna see my fort?"

Harry ran over to his fort, diving inside. "My Paddy helped me build it. And we put stars on it too, so it glows when it's dark. And look, comfy too!" He beamed, patting a couple of fluffy pillows they had taken out of the guest room and put on the floor for Harry to rest on if he wanted. He also had a throw blanket, books, and a few toys he liked to play with in the fort.

"Well, that's a very nice fort, Harry." Mr. Troit smiled, admiring it. He pulled out a scroll of parchment and a self inking quill, recording things.

"And…" Harry climbed out of the fort and jumped over to the window seat. "Look, this is like magic. It looks like a seat, but it goes up, see?" He lifted the cushioned lid to reveal some more of the toys that had somehow made their way down from his bedroom or playroom.

"That is neat." Mr. Troit nodded as Harry closed the lid and skipped over the doorway that led from the living room to the hallway. It was plastered with his drawings and the ones Luna and his friends would owl him sometimes.

"And these are my pictures. I made them, but my friends made them to." Harry stated quite proudly. He enjoyed having one whole wall of the house mostly covered in his artwork. It made him feel good to know Padfoot and Moony liked his colorings so much that they put them in the living room where everyone could see them.

"How lovely." Mr. Troit smiled and followed as Harry went into the kitchen. He showed him the fridge, with more of his drawings, and his special plastic bowls and cups, and the shelf with all of his homework things and coloring books on it. They went through the dining room, Sirius and Remus following after them, and out into the hallway where Harry happily pointed out the little bathroom and Remus's study with all of the books in it.

Then the little boy led them all upstairs to the second floor.

"And this is my favorite bathroom, cause it has ducks." He explained, peeking in through the door and entering. "And this is my stool." He pointed to the stool in front of the sink that he used to reach and wash his hands with. "And my boats and duck. And my lion towel."

After the bathroom, Harry showed them all his playroom and his bedroom (which included Hedwig who was currently asleep, having had quite the morning goofing around with Harry), having to be redirected after a couple of minutes to get them going onto the rest of the house so that Harry didn't end up just playing trains with Mr. Troit, as he desired. He was only four after all, and his attention span didn't hold on one thing for as long as children older than him could.

They went through the rest of the house fairly quickly, there not being much to look at since the rest of it was pretty average. Just bedrooms and another bathroom.

"Thank you for that lovely tour, Harry." Mr. Troit stated once they were back down in the living room. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask you some questions."

"Okay." Harry climbed up onto the window seat and Mr. Troit, who propped himself up against it on the other side, his quill poised over parchment.

""Do you like living here with Sirius and Remus?"

"Yes!" Harry laughed as though it were the simplest question in the world. If all questions this man asked were this easy, he'd have no trouble answering them!

And what sort of things do you like to do with them?"

"We play." Harry pondered, trying to think of more. "And we eat and we do my homework and Paddy helps me take baths and Moony reads me bedtime stories and they tell me stuff 'bout my mummy and daddy and sometimes Lexie comes over and she's really fun. She's a good cook and she does good cuddles too."

"That sounds very nice, Harry. What happens when you misbehave though? When you do naughty things that you're not supposed to?"

"I get a time out in the corner." Harry frowned. "I don't like time outs, but my Paddy says that's what happens when I don't do right."

"Do you remember what happened yesterday at the ice skating pond?"

"Yeah." Harry nodded. "It was fun, but then it wasn't fun, it was scary."

"How was it scary?"

"I went under the water and it hurt." Harry shuddered, not liking the questions so much now. Sirius moved to go to him, but Remus shook his head, placing a hand on his shoulder. They had to let the questions be asked, or they'd be accused of interfering for fear of something bad coming out and making it so they lost Harry.

""So, the ice broke and you went under? How did you get on the ice that broke? Didn't Sirius or Remus tell you that it wasn't safe?"

"Yeah, they said it was not good to skate on and to far away from the sign. I was skating, all by myself and a big big big boy hit me by accident and I slid." Harry bit his lip, not liking remembering what happened after he had slid across the ice. That part had been awful.

"And do you remember how you got out of the water?"

"My Paddy saved me!" Harry grinned now, beaming with pride, his chest puffed out. "He used magic to get me out. And Moony helped too. I always need help sometimes, and they help me."

"What sorts of other things do they help you with?"

"My homework when it's too hard. And getting stuff that's too high and tying my shoes when I can't make them tie."

"Oh yes, adults are good for things like that." Mr. Troit smiled, writing things down. "And lastly, what is your favorite thing about Sirius and Remus?"

Harry pondered for a moment, biting his lip and not quite sure what to say. And then he looked up, beaming brightly as the idea formed in his head. Of course he knew what he liked best about Padfoot and Moony. "They love me bigger than the sky."

"Thank you, Harry. You did an excellent job answering my questions. Here's a prize for you." Mr. Troit dug into his pocket once he finished writing and offered it to Harry who looked at Sirius for confirmation. He had been told never to take anything from strangers unless an adult he knew very well had told him it was okay. Sirius nodded and Harry smiled, taking the lollipop.

"Thanks!" He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth, eyes lighting up. "MMm… blueberry!"

Mr. Troit went into Remus's study, one by one with Sirius and Remus to ask them questions in private. Once he was done speaking to Remus, he came out, rolling up his parchment with a smile. "Well, I can see this is a very happy little household you have here, Mr. Black. And quite a lovely home, if I do say so myself. I'm sure you won't have any future problems around this matter. Your ability to parent is, in my opinion, very good compared to some of the other people I'd interviewed in the past."

"Thank you, Mr. Troit." Sirius smiled, shaking his hand. Well, he was certainly glad that was over with.

Once Mr. Troit was gone, Sirius returned to the living room and ducked his head into Harry's fort. He received a very blue mouthed grin. "What d'you say we finish up at story for school, mate?"

"Yeah!"

Hey guys! I would like to apologise for my long overdue update! I realise it has been about two months since I last added a chapter, and for that, I am quite inpossibly sorry. Work has been tiring me out and I've been sick with a cold and a bad case of writer's block. But, I now have a plan for the next chapter already, so don't worry, I promise it'll be coming along soon.

Also, if you've never been to a Wrock concert, you need to go. Because it is one of the best and most wonderful experiences a Potterhead could possibly have.

Anyway, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it feels a bit rushed and rough around the endges. I always love hearing from you, so definitly let me know what you thought if you've got the time.

A thousand loves always,

S.,Q.O.