Harry woke up feeling very warm and comfortable, which still made him feel like he was having a good dream. He had slept on the floor of the cupboard, having outgrown his crib the previous year, and not been given anything to replace it. Just a flimsy mattress that wasn't any more comfortable than the floor, really. And a couple of blankets that the Dursleys didn't want.

Now, sleeping under three blankets that his godfather had charmed to stay warm (but not too warm) and wrapped in the arms of his godfather, Harry couldn't keep the smile from his face as he woke up.

He was safe. He was warm and comfortable, and best of all, he was loved.

Harry moved his body so he was a bit closer to Sirius, who yawned and hugged him tightly. Not so tight that Harry couldn't breathe easily, but in a very tight hug.

"Good morning, puppy," Sirius murmured, giving him a light kiss on the forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," said Harry, yawning a bit.

"Still sleepy, though?" Sirius asked, releasing his arms from Harry so he was just settled into them, and looking down at him.

Harry shrugged, then smiled at his godfather. "I am very comfy."

Sirius pressed another kiss on the top of his head. "Me too, puppy. You're very warm. Nice to cuddle with!"

Harry let out a giggle. "So are you!"

Sirius grinned, and began stroking Harry's hair, running his fingers through it. Harry let out a contented sigh. He could almost fall asleep again, it felt so nice...

When he woke up again, Sirius was still there, and so was Uncle Remus. Harry gave his second guardian a shy smile. He liked him well enough, but he didn't feel as safe with him as he did with Sirius. But his godfather liked him, so he must be all right.

They had been talking about something, and Uncle Remus smiled down at Harry when he saw his eyes were open.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," he said, softly.

"Good morning," Harry answered, sitting up. He was about to say more, but then, his stomach growled. Very loudly, too. He looked down in embarrassment.

"Time for breakfast!" Sirius announced, cheerfully. "My stomach was growling a few minutes ago, too."

"Really? Aunt Petunia said it meant I was ungrateful," Harry admitted, as Sirius lifted him off the bed.

"Your aunt is a s-a very mean and angry woman," Sirius said, looking at Remus. "And you should try to forget about anything she ever told you."

"That's...not very easy," Harry said, looking at the floor.

He saw Sirius kneel down before him. His head was still above Harry's, and he had to look up to see him.

"I know, honey," Sirius said, softly. "They all treated you very, very badly. That's not easy to forget. But we will help you so that you know what is good, and what isn't."

Harry nodded, swallowing hard. "Okay."

Sirius held out his hand, and Harry took it. Still all wearing their pajamas (well, Sirius was wearing something that looked more like a nightgown, as was Remus), they headed downstairs to eat.

After a breakfast of porridge and scrambled eggs, Sirius suggested that they go to the park for a bit.

"We have to use Apparition to get to the nearest one," Sirius explained as he helped Harry out of his pajamas and into his wizarding clothes.

Harry glanced down at his green robes. "Will they stare at us? Because we're wearing robes?"

"No, I will disguise how our clothes looks," Sirius promised.

"Cool!" Harry answered, grinning.

Before Sirius took his hand to Apparate, he showed Harry what the three of them looked like in the bathroom mirror. Even though they were all wearing robes, after Sirius performed the spell on the three of them, they looked like like regular adults. Sirius and Remus wore pants and nice shirts, and Harry looked like he had on a yellow shirt and a pair of shorts. He kept staring from the mirror to the adults to himself until Sirius, chuckling, swooped in and picked him up.

"Ready to go?"

As soon as Harry nodded, he felt himself being squeezed in all directions, and then, it was over. While not quite as bad as before, Harry panted for at least a minute, and Sirius held him tightly and rubbed his back in circles.

"I know, I know," Sirius soothed. "It gets easier after a few more times, I promise."

"You're very brave, Harry," Remus added, brushing some hair back out of his face. "The first three times, I was very sick, and then made myself ill from crying."

Harry didn't say anything, just buried himself in Sirius' shoulders. His godfather didn't yell or scold him, just walked around for a bit, murmuring soothing words.

Finally, Harry felt well enough to poke his face out of Sirius' shoulders and look around at the park. He'd never been allowed to go to one before, and it was even better than he could have imagined. There were swings, monkey bars, a seesaw, and even a merry go round. On second thought, he should probably wait before trying the merry go round.

He really wanted to try the swings, though. Glancing at Sirius, who was still holding him securely, he asked if he could go on the swings.

"Good choice!" Sirius grinned. "Want me to push you?"

Harry frowned, then recalled Dudley telling Uncle Vernon how Aunt Petunia had pushed him. It must be something good, then, if he talked about it in a good way. Slowly, he nodded, and Sirius headed over to an open one, then carefully placed Harry on top.

"Hold on tight, puppy," he instructed, with a laugh. "Let me know if you want to go higher."

"Okay!" Harry agreed, holding on tightly to the ropes.

Sirius started by keeping him close to the ground, but slowly took him higher and higher. Harry closed his eyes, imagining that he could fly. Did wizards fly, or was this the closest he would get?

Still, it was pretty incredible! He giggled with delight as he swung at least as high as Sirius' head.

"Too high, puppy?" Sirius teased from behind him.

"No!" he squealed.

But he didn't want to ask to go higher. Partly because he couldn't bring himself to tell an adult what to do...and also because he was a little scared of falling off.

After awhile, Sirius told Harry that Remus was going to push him, and he nodded in agreement. Uncle Remus was just as good as Sirius, and he thought he could stay up there all day.

He did have to come down, though. Partly because Remus' arms were getting tired, and also because he was getting hungry. So, Sirius slowed the swing down to a stop, and Harry tentatively stepped off.

"That was so much fun!" he grinned. "Thank you, Sirius! Thank you, Uncle Remus."

Both adults grinned at him.

"Well, I don't know about you, but I am starving. What do you say we head back, and leave the rest of the playground for another day?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded, although he was a little disappointed. Pulling Harry into his arms, Sirius murmured, "We'll be back soon, I promise."

Harry felt better after that.

After lunch, Harry could hardly keep his eyes open, so when Uncle Remus suggested that he take a nap on the couch, he agreed.

"I'll tuck you in, if you want," Sirius offered, taking the child's hand.

"Yes, please," Harry murmured, training behind Sirius as they covered the distance from the kitchen to the sitting room.

He thought, as he let himself relax against the pillows, that this couch was the perfect size for a bed. His old room wasn't nearly as scary, not with Sirius there, but the bed there still felt like it could eat him up, it was so large.

After Harry woke up from his nap, Uncle Remus offered to read to him.

"Or, if you like, we can work on a puzzle," Uncle Remus added. "Your godfather bought you several magical puzzles before you arrived."

"Magical puzzles?" Harry echoed, amazed.

The older man smiled, and it showed on his whole face. "I'll show you."

He left the room, and Harry stretched and folded the blanket at well as he could, then placed it on top of the couch. Aunt Petunia had started showing him how to fold sheets and blankets before Sirius had come to get him. His aunt had told him that he still had a long way to go before he was nearly good enough. But Remus and Sirius had magic, so if he didn't fold something correctly, they could always use magic to return it to normal before letting him try again.

They hadn't given him any chores, yet, but Harry expected that he would have to do some soon. It was only right, since they were letting him live with them.

Right now, though, he could enjoy going to the park with Sirius and his new uncle, and doing puzzles with his new uncle. They passed most of the afternoon working on a two hundred piece one, featuring kids playing a wizarding game called "Quidditch," until Sirius called them in for dinner.

Author's Note:

As some of you may know, I started a fic called "Harry Potter and the Survival of Sirius Black" well before this one. I mention this not simply to promote it here (though I won't deny that if you DO take a look after reading this, I won't be disappointed!), but to explain what I plan as far as updates go for the foreseeable future.

I generally try to update that fic at least once a week, and this one as often as inspiration hits. At the moment, I seem to be able to focus on one fic, and have a blank for the other. I also don't want to post as I write, because I would like to have at least one chapter written (if not entirely ready) before posting the next one.

That being said, I am aiming to post one chapter of EITHER fic once a week. I should stress that this is a goal and not a promise. I want to add that it does not mean I'll go back and forth between each fic: it might be that I go for a few weeks without updating one, and if that's the case, it's because I'm focused on the other. I am hopeful that I'll have more written when I'm off from work during the week of Christmas, but we'll see how things go.

Thanks for your continued readership, and thank you for your kind feedback!