Harry woke up the day after he turned five curled up in Sirius' arms and smiled to himself. He loved waking up in a real bed, in a real room, with a real guardian who loved him. It still felt a little strange, sometimes, when he woke up and saw that he was actually living this new life. No more Dursleys, no more mean Dudley, and no more horrible Aunt Marge! Instead, he had his godfather, Sirius, and his Uncle Remus. And they were nicer to him than he could have ever imagined. Even nicer than Uncle Vernon had been to Dudley-because Uncle Vernon was always a little cross, even to his son. It had been Aunt Petunia who had showered Dudley with hugs and kisses and praise. Now, Harry was getting the same. Well, maybe not as many kisses as his cousin-but he didn't care about that because their hugs were so nice. Harry remembered, then, that something was going to be different about today, but he couldn't recall exactly what.

Sirius' arms tightened around him, just a little, and Harry grinned even wider.

"Are you up, little puppy?" Sirius asked, softly.

Harry giggled. "Maybe."

Sirius let go of one hand and gently ran it along Harry's side, resulting in peels of laughter and lots of squirming.

"Maybe, huh?" Sirius teased, picking Harry up and dangling him over his head. "Looks to me like you're very awake!"

Still laughing, Harry nodded.

Sirius placed him on top of his chest, and Harry glanced down at his godfather's eyes. They were soft, much softer than any of his other family when they looked at him, and Sirius grinned at Harry the way Dudley's parents grinned at him.

Then, Sirius began to run his hands through Harry's hair, slowly, and Harry felt his own eyes close.

Just for a minute. Sirius spoke again, and Harry's eyes opened immediately.

"It's the day of your birthday party, puppy. Or, have you forgotten?"

"I think I forgot," Harry admitted, looking away. "I knew that today was different, but I forgot that I turn five."

"Well, you actually turned five yesterday," Sirius reminded him, gently, pulling him into another hug, "but we'll celebrate today."

"With cake?" Harry asked, hopefully.

"With two kinds of cake," Sirius answered, chuckling. "You helped me make them yesterday, remember?"

Harry nodded. Sirius had let him put in the sugar and the eggs and the flour, and other things that he didn't remember. He hadn't even been angry when some of the flour fell on the floor-just pointed his wand at it, and it disappeared. Like magic!

"We'll have chocolate chip pancakes and blueberry pancakes for breakfast," Sirius continued, "because even on your birthday, you can't just eat cake. Although, you can certainly have a lot of cake!"

Harry nodded. Sirius had told him that balanced meals were very important, and the Dursleys hadn't been giving him-or Dudley-very balanced meals. He'd never had porridge before living with Sirius, and that was very healthy and very yummy.

They had eaten a lot of bacon (but not Harry), which was not very healthy. It was okay to eat sometimes, but it was better to eat foods like porridge and pancakes (except maybe not chocolate chip ones-those were a special treat) for breakfast. Also, lots of fruit, which they ate regularly.

"Am I getting taller?" Harry asked.

"We'll have to measure you, but I'd say you've grown at least an inch since you've been here," Sirius answered, studying Harry.

"Is that good?"

"It is, puppy." Sirius smiled at him, and Harry smiled back.

They cuddled for a few more minutes, and then rose to brush their teeth and change into their robes. Sirius had said that Harry could stay in his pajamas all day if he wanted, but Harry liked wearing his robes more than his pajamas.

Remus was there when they went down for breakfast. He looked tired, but still scooped Harry into his arms and gave him a hug.

"Happy birthday, Harry," he told him, softly.

"Thank you, Uncle Remus," Harry answered, just as softly. "Are you feeling better?"

Remus smiled as he set him down. "Much better than yesterday. Certainly well enough to help you celebrate your birthday."

"You can start by sitting down and enjoying my pancakes," Sirius told him, rather a bit more sternly than he would speak to Harry, but he was smiling. "You need your strength, Moony."

Uncle Remus nodded. "I promise to eat a double helping of chocolate chip pancakes, Sirius."

"And blueberry, because they're healthy!" Harry chirped up.

Uncle Remus made a pretend disappointed face. "Yes. And blueberry."

Because of magic, the pancakes were ready much faster than they would have been if Aunt Petunia had been making them. Within a few minutes, two large plates were filled with the chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes.

"I'll make more if you finish what's there," Sirius promised, serving Harry first, then Uncle Remus, and then himself.

It was still a little strange to be allowed to eat as much as he wanted. The Dursleys often glared at him if he reached for seconds of anything, so he would only eat what was on his plate. And what they gave him was much smaller than what they gave Dudley. Sirius and Uncle Remus filled his plate during mealtime, and smiled if Harry asked for seconds. The food was much tastier than at the Dursleys, too. Perhaps, it was because the home was magical?

After eating his fill of pancakes-blueberry and chocolate chip-Sirius and Remus asked Harry to come to the sitting room.

Harry must have looked confused, but they just gave him big grins, so he walked between the two of them.

Then, he stopped in his tracks. There were presents on the couch! Lots and lots of presents! Laughing, Sirius picked Harry up and sat him on his lap on the couch.

"They're all for you, puppy," he said, softly.

"All of them?" Harry asked, hearing his voice tremble a bit.

Surely, this was a mistake. Even here, they could not all be for him. There had to be at least ten!

"Every last one," Uncle Remus added, sitting next to Sirius. "We picked them out especially for you, Harry."

Harry felt a tear on his face, and then Sirius was rocking him back and forth.

"Shhh, it's okay," he soothed, still holding him and rocking him. "You're here, now. You're safe. We love you so much. And that means you get presents on your birthday."

Harry buried his face into Sirius' shoulders, feeling a mix of happiness and sadness. Mostly happy, though.

Sirius was right. He was safe, now. He wasn't a freak, or a burden. He was a wizard, and even though Sirius and Remus weren't his mummy and daddy, they would love him and take care of him for a very, very long time.

Finally, Harry pulled himself away from Sirius' shoulders, but still stayed seated on his lap. Sirius gave him a squeeze, understanding what he needed.

"I'd open this one, first, if I were you," Remus said, gently, handing him a parcel that was big enough to sit in his lap.

Harry nodded, then smiled. "Thank you," he answered, because he knew it was polite.

He tried to unwrap the gift carefully, but his hands were shaking too much to do it very neatly. Sirius still told him that he had done very well, and inside of the wrapping paper was a box, and inside of the box was a big stuffed dog that looked almost exactly like Sirius when he became a dog.

He giggled. "He looks like you!"

Sirius laughed, gleefully. "Yes, I picked him out especially because of that."

Harry hugged the dog to his chest. It was big, big enough to give a really good hug, and it was very soft. He sat it carefully on his lap and Remus handed him another gift, which turned out to be a stuffed wolf.

"Is that you?" Harry asked. "When you become a wolf?"

Remus smiled. "Well, there aren't any stores that sell stuffed werewolves, so we had to buy a regular wolf. But it does look very similar. Do you like it?"

"I love it!" Harry answered, meaning it. "Thank you, Uncle Remus!"

The next gift was a large box of wizarding candies that, had Dudley seen, would have disappeared into his tummy in less than a day. Harry knew that he would make them last for much, much longer. There were chocolates, white and milk and dark, of various sizes and shapes. There were licorice, in the shape of wands. There were cakes that he later learned were called "cauldron cakes." There were even beautiful feathery looking sugar treats that turned out to be "sugar quills." And there was even more!

"Would you like a chocolate, Uncle Remus?" Harry asked, offering the box to him.

Remus hesitated, just for a second, before taking one of the smaller chocolates. "Thank you. That was very kind of you."

Harry offered the box to Sirius, who also took one of the smaller ones, and thanked him.

The next box held a set of five puzzles, and Harry grinned as he saw the pictures. He knew that he would have a lot of fun putting them together! They also had more pieces than the ones he had previously put together, but Sirius told him that they were magical and would help him put them together.

"And we'll help, too, if you want," Remus added.

"I'd like that," Harry answered, a bit shyly.

The next present was a set of what Sirius and Remus called "beginner quills." Since witches and wizards only wrote with quills, not pens or pencils like muggles, it was important for Harry to learn how to use them. But regular quills could be difficult for kids, so that's why they gave him the beginner ones.

"We'll begin teaching you to read and write in a few days," Sirius told Harry. "Now that you're five, it's a good time to learn. And these quills will help you write well."

Harry understood this, and was excited that he would begin this journey so soon.

Then, there were books, a mix of picture books much like the ones that Sirius and Remus had been reading to him for more than the past month, and also longer books. One of the books was a book of fairytales that witches and wizards read to their kids, called "The Tales of Beetle the Bard." It sounded very interesting!

The final gift was a broom. Harry was a bit confused, at first, but before he could fully react to being given a gift that was meant to do chores, Sirius set him straight.

"It's for flying, puppy. This is really the second broom I gave you. When you were just one, I gave you your first, and your mum gushed in a letter about how much you loved it. Now, we'll get to see you fly on a slightly more...advanced...version," Sirius explained, holding Harry tightly. "It lets you go up five feet in the air, and a bit faster than a muggle car on a busy street, but it's very, very safe, so you won't be able to fall off."

Harry looked at the broom in a new light. It wasn't meant for housework, but for flying? And he had flown before?

He wished he'd remembered.

He had so many questions, and he had to remember that it was all right to ask them. Finally, he asked, "Can you fly?"

"We both can," Remus answered. "Not as well as your father could, but we can fly. We each have our own brooms, although they're a bit dated."

Harry stared at the broom again. It was red, with brown bristles. It looked so ordinary. Could he really fly on it?

"Do you want to give it a try?" Sirius asked, softly.

Slowly, Harry nodded.

They stood up, and Sirius showed Harry where to put his legs, and where to place his hands.

"Good!" he praised, grinning. "Now, kick off from the ground, and you'll be in the air before you know it!"

"What if I fall?" Harry asked, suddenly a little nervous.

"You won't," Remus promised, placing a hand on his shoulder. "This broom has safety features...it won't let you get hurt."

Harry nodded again. Magic. You might not see it, but it was often there.

He kicked off...and then he was in the air! He was hovering around the shoulders of his uncle and his godfather! The broom wouldn't go higher than that, but once he looked down at the floor, that seemed high enough! He clutched the broom a bit more tightly as he flew back and forth for a minute, trying to get the feel of being on a broomstick and being in the air.

Dudley had ridden a tricycle a few times, and Harry had been even more jealous than when he got to eat a big bowl of ice cream. But he thought that this was at least ten times better than riding a tricycle. Imagine what Dudley would say if he was here, now!

Sirius suggested that they play a game where they would run around the room and Harry would try to catch them on his broom. He readily agreed, happy to be able to spend more time flying! He caught both of them easily, and soon his guardians were out of breath.

"Whew!" Sirius panted, clutching his stomach. "I'm worn out from running. What do you say we have some of your cake?"

Harry really wanted to keep flying, but he also didn't want to get in trouble for asking for more time. Anyway, cake sounded very good.

"How do I get down?" he asked, still hovering around Sirius' shoulders.

"Aim the broom at the ground, and once it's nearly there, you can jump off," Sirius instructed.

So, Harry did as he was told, and slowly, the broom moved towards the floor. Once it was almost touching the ground, he slipped his legs off, and then his hands, happy that he hadn't fallen down.

Sirius laughed and pulled him into a hug. "You were brilliant, puppy!"

"Brilliant?" Harry echoed. "What's that?"

"Excellent. Talented. Very, very good," Sirius explained. "Not that I had any doubt, but I had never seen you fly before."

"I don't remember flying before," Harry reminded him, as they walked to the kitchen.

"You were only one," Remus reminded him, with a chuckle. "But Sirius is right. You're a natural!"

Then, they sat at the table and Uncle Remus and Sirius sang "Happy birthday!" to him, and served him a small piece of cake in each flavor.

It was even tastier than Harry could have hoped.

They played more games that afternoon, and Harry started on one of his new puzzles. He hugged both of his stuffed animals to him as he took his afternoon nap (he was very tired!), and after a delicious dinner, they each had even more cake.

Sirius promised that they could finish the cakes for their after dinner desserts until it was all gone. Both the cakes were large, too, so they would last awhile.

Then, it was time for a warm bath, and two picture books (an extra one because it was still his birthday, Sirius explained), and time for bed.

Harry's last thought before he fell asleep in his guardian's arms was that it was the best birthday ever.

Author's note:

Up next: learning to read and write, and perhaps new friends?

As always, constructive feedback is most welcome! I know it's been awhile since I posted...I have been having trouble writing this fic. I do have two others in the works if you want to read something updated more frequently. In "Harry Potter and the Survival of Sirius Black," his sixth year takes a turn when Sirius never went through the veil. In "The Unlikely Gryffindor," Severus Snape joins the Marauders when he gets sorted into Gryffindor.