"Brumous"

"Chapter Twenty: The Vending Fairy"

Harry walked into St. Mungo's sandwiched between Andromeda and Ted. Andromeda had her arm looped around his while Ted had an arm wrapped around his shoulders. Harry found himself, oddly, not even caring. Andromeda had made it very clear before they left the Burrow that he was to stay close and went over the rules that he had heard from Sirius a hundred times prior. Harry vaguely wondered if all parents just had programmed speeches at their disposal. Either way, Harry wasn't going to argue with her because he was happy that Andromeda actually took in consideration his feelings, which was a welcome surprise.

They went straight to the waiting room, bypassing the Welcome Witch and moving quickly to avoid the stares and whispers. As soon as they entered the small room, Remus shook his head as he glared at Andromeda with clear disapproval written across his face. If Andromeda cared about Remus' opinion in that moment, she didn't show it as they joined Remus and Tonks across the room.

"Andromeda," Remus sighed, his eyes moving to look at Harry. "He can't be here."

Andromeda only wrapped an arm around Harry and tugged him close to her. "Harry is Sirius' son. Of course, he should be here."

Remus cocked his head to the side, clearly not amused. "You know what I mean. Sirius will have a stroke if he sees Harry out in the open like this."

"Tegan sent over some Aurors to post outside of Sirius' room," Andromeda explained. "We saw them on our way in. Harry has been listening perfectly to what Ted and I say. You two are here also. We will be able to get him out if anything happens."

Remus' lips drew in a thin line. "And if he becomes possessed and hurts someone?" he whispered, his eyebrows raised.

Harry frowned. "I don't have my wand. I'm not a moron, Remus."

"I never said you were, Harry," Remus replied, his eyes snapping to Harry. "But there are plenty of wands in the vicinity."

"I've pushed him out before," Harry protested.

"You pushed him out when he was nowhere in the same vicinity as you," Remus reasoned.

"Ted and I will take on the wrath of Sirius if it comes down to that," Andromeda interrupted, ending the conversation. "You and Sirius worry too much."

Remus' muscles feathered in his jaw, not saying anything. His eyes searched Harry's face, but Remus didn't move a muscle. His lower jaw jutted to the left before a breath escaped his lips. Carding a hand through his hair, Remus walked away from the small group and began to pace at the opposite end of the room.

"Mum," Tonks sighed, her head shaking before she dashed over to Remus.

Ted clapped a hand on the back of Harry's neck. "Want to grab something from the Vending Fairy while we wait?"

"Err… sure?" Harry replied.

Ted led him outside of the small waiting room and towards a large rectangular box that Harry thought looked like a vending machine. He squinted through the glass to see a bunch of snacks and drinks and a little tiny fairy fluttering about inside. She flew over to the one side where the coin should be inserted.

"This is the Vending Fairy?" Harry asked.

Ted rummaged through the coins in his hand. "Oh, right, you were raised in a Muggle home. Be sure you don't insult a Vending Fairy or else they won't give you what you ask for. They like pleasant and happy wizards," Ted explained as he deposited a few coins to the fairy. "What would you like? Pick anything. Pick everything, if you want."

"Uh…" Harry trailed off, looking at all the different options available to him. "A water?"

Ted raised his eyebrows. "That's it? You don't want anything to eat?"

"I'm not really hungry," Harry admitted.

Ted nodded, a soft smile crossing his face. "Miss Fairy, could we have two waters and two bags of cheese and onion crisps, please?" he asked before he turned to Harry and winked at him. "Just in case you get hungry. Who knows how long Sirius will be."

Harry shifted as he watched the little fairy push two bottles of water down. "You're a Healer, right?"

Ted nodded, putting away his spare change. "I am but I deal with everyday healing issues a person has. Minor sicknesses and rashes and keeping everyone up to date on their potions. Which, Sirius asked me to get you up to date on your potions and said you probably never had any as a child. And I pulled up your medical file and saw that you are, in fact, lacking in every single preventative potion known to wizardkind."

Harry wrinkled his nose. "I have a medical file?"

Ted bent down to grab the waters and crisps, handing one of each to Harry. "Honestly, it was only a small blurb about your birth," he explained as he turned towards the fairy. "You are amazing, Miss Fairy. I wish you a splendid day! Keep up the marvelous work!"

Ted led Harry over to a couple of chairs outside of the waiting room. Harry could hear soft voices arguing as he took his seat. He frowned as he shoved the water between his thigh and the chair and opened his bag of crisps.

"Andy is very passionate," Ted explained as he opened his own bag of crisps. "She lost so much when she left her family that she tends to cling to those that are left. She truly thought Narcissa would still keep in contact. They were close. But Narcissa followed the family and hasn't spoken to Andy since. At the time, Sirius and Regulus were so young and there was nothing either boy could do. Sirius wrote her while at Hogwarts a few times, but he was a young and rambunctious boy. Seemed to only write her when his mother was particularly nasty. As soon as he started having Hogsmeade weekends, we'd go to Hogwarts to meet with him. Regulus never joined which upset Andy, but she has Sirius and she loves him dearly. The older Sirius got, the closer he and Andy became."

"The Blacks sound foul," Harry replied.

Ted nodded. "Oh, they are. Sirius and Alphard were the only good ones. Well, they were the only ones I ever met. Alphard gifted Andy and I our cottage as a wedding present, said he was sorry he couldn't attend but he couldn't cut ties with his family if he was to continue to help the other kids out. I think his main focus was Sirius and Regulus. Well, after what happened to Sirius, I'm glad Alphard was there to get him out. I fear Sirius wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for Alphard."

"When Sirius ran away from home, you mean?" Harry asked, glancing over at Ted.

Ted looked sad, his head turning to catch Harry's gaze. "Sirius had always been abused but for some reason, things got out of hand when he was sixteen. I don't know all the details, and I daresay it's something that's best left to Sirius to share with you one day. But Andy and I stopped by your grandparents as soon as we heard and he looked awful. His eyes had just aged so much and for months, Sirius wasn't himself. Just a shell of the boy he had been. After a while, he laughed a little easier again but never quite the same as before."

"Sirius doesn't talk about what happened," Harry said, his fingers digging through the bag of crisps.

Ted sucked in a breath. "Well, no, I suppose he wouldn't want to," he replied, wrapping an arm around the back of Harry's chair. "As terrible as it was, it was the bristle that broke the broom. Finally. He never went back. Your grandparents basically adopted him. They all but adopted us as well. They were wonderful people. And we were devastated when they died."

Harry swallowed. "That's what everyone says."

Ted gave Harry's shoulder a light squeeze. "We watched you from afar in the Prophet and other publications," he said in a quiet voice. "You were sprinkled throughout the papers since you were eleven. A picture of you with Hagrid at Diagon Alley. A picture of you at King's Cross. News reports of when Sirius escaped and was supposedly after you. The entire Triwizard debacle." Ted sighed. "Andy wanted so badly to contact you. But she never knew what to say or how to explain the connection. Talking about Sirius always upset her. She tried so hard to see him in Azkaban but no one would allow her access. No lawyer would take the case. Nobody wanted to help him. She felt like she had failed him and you."

Harry wondered what it would have been like to have Andromeda and Ted in his life. Would they have let him visit? Would they have offered him a home once he got to know them better? Harry looked up at Ted, and he couldn't help but think of the possible outcomes. Ted and Andromeda were amazingly kind. Harry already liked them a lot.

"Andy's just trying to do right by you and Sirius now," Ted concluded.

An odd yet pleasant pressure settled on his chest as he grabbed another crisp and munched on it. He definitely thought he could get used to having family around. He was forever thankful for not only Sirius but for Ted and Andromeda as well.

Before long, Ted and Harry joined the others in the waiting room once the arguing had ceased. Remus looked stressed but less angry as he sat across from Harry with Tonks by his side.

Time ticked by slowly and Harry had grown fidgety when the Healer finally came to give them an update on Sirius. His leg was repaired and he was slowly coming out of the Sleeping Potions they had him under. The Healer warned them that he would be out of sorts for a bit because of the combination of potions they gave him, which Andromeda asked far too many complex questions about that Harry couldn't even begin to understand. Even Ted jumped in with his own questions about how exactly his leg was repaired.

Harry just wanted them to hurry up so that way he could make sure Sirius was all right with his own two eyes. Even Remus seemed annoyed by all the questions being asked, but Harry suspected it was for an entirely different reason than his. Nothing bad had happened, so Harry thought Remus should calm down about him being out in public. It was going to happen come September anyway when he went back to school.

When they finally arrived at Sirius' room, Harry grinned as soon as he saw his godfather. Sirius sat up in bed looking exhausted as a matron pressed her wand to the inside of his wrist as she looked at her watch. Sirius looked up when the door opened and he greeted them with a small wave. Harry broke away from the group, rushing towards his godfather's bed.

The matron finished whatever she was doing and then started listing off a bunch of vitals to a quill that wrote it all down in midair. Sirius reached for Harry and, as childish as it was, Harry practically dove at him, unable to stop himself. Harry wrapped his arms tightly around Sirius, burying his face into the crook of his godfather's neck.

"Mmm 'kay," Sirius slurred his words, his cheek pressing against Harry's head and his fingers gripping the back of his shirt.

Harry pulled back, his eyes searching Sirius' face. "Are you really all right?"

Sirius nodded. "Tired."

"One more potion and I'll leave you to it," the matron said, holding a glass to Sirius.

Sirius' shaky hand went to grab it, but the matron didn't let go. She helped Sirius drink the contents. When the potion was all gone, she packed up her things with a flick of the wrist and said someone else would be by later with more potions. Andromeda crossed the room and immediately grabbed the chart at the foot of Sirius' bed and flipped through it. Ted joined her, peering over her shoulder as they discussed the potions in hushed tones.

"Come here," Sirius said, gesturing for Harry to sit on the bed next to him.

It felt weird at first, but Harry quickly overcame his awkwardness when the knot in his stomach eased. He settled down next to Sirius, who wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. Remus stepped up to the bed, his hands stuffed in his trouser pockets, as he stared at Sirius.

"There's Aurors at the hospital. They'll be standing guard outside of your door," Remus explained. "Harry being here is courtesy of Tegan and Andromeda."

"He was worried sick about you, Sirius," Andromeda said, not bothering to look up from the chart. "Merlin, they have you on some powerful pain potions."

"I feel so, so, so good," Sirius said, the slur still in his words.

Ted snorted. "I bet you do," he replied as he pointed to something on the chart and whistled. "Look at that break."

"Hmm… it was Macnair and Dolohov," Sirius supplied. "Wanted to kill me."

Harry tensed at the words. Andromeda glanced up from the chart to look at Sirius.

"Dolohov broke my leg so I kicked him back, think I broke a little something too," Sirius said, his eyes closing. "May not have gotten bone out but, you know, can't win them all."

"Sirius," Andromeda said with a sigh.

"Tegan kicked Macnair in the cock with her heel," Sirius continued. "She was impressive."

Andromeda groaned. "Merlin, Sirius, Macnair hates us and Dolohov is deranged!"

"They're all deranged," Sirius commented as he opened his eyes. "Just some more than others. Oh, I saw Malfoy. I punched him in the face. I may have broken his nose."

Andromeda sighed, shoving the chart back into the little slot in front of the bed forcefully. "Merlin, Sirius, for once can't you just stay out of trouble? Do you have to go around Muggle dueling everyone you hate?"

Sirius shot her a tired lopsided grin. "How else am I supposed to greet our family? I also spoke with your mother. She's just as unpleasant as always. When will she bloody drop dead?"

Andromeda tensed and Ted wrapped an arm around her. "What did she say?"

"Called me a bête noire. Said I was a foul and vengeful man. You know, just being her usual bitchy self," Sirius replied. "She didn't say anything about you or Dora or Ted. I think she just likes to pretend she only had two daughters."

"I didn't go near her," Tonks added. "Nor did I go near Narcissa or Lucius or Bellatrix."

"Bella was there?" Andromeda asked, her eyes wide. "Sirius…. tell me you didn't get in a spat with her."

"She tried to kill me too," Sirius replied, sounding far too unbothered for Harry's liking. "I wanted to kill her as well but it was pure chaos."

Andromeda looked torn between crying and wanting to kill Sirius for being so reckless. Honestly, Harry couldn't blame her for those feelings. Sirius being out on a mission, or just out in general, caused anxiety to rise in Harry's chest. He was coming to realize that there were a lot of wizards who didn't like Sirius and who Sirius didn't like back. They were all more than happy to try to kill one another like it was a totally normal occurrence.

Before long, everyone left the room to give Harry and Sirius some time to talk alone which wasn't all that exciting because Sirius seemed to be close to falling back asleep. They turned on the Wasps versus the Magpies game on the wireless, projecting it up on the wall of the hospital room. Sirius started to tell some story about how James had tried out for the Magpies but didn't make the team, but he had fallen asleep during the tale.

Harry didn't mind. He was just happy to spend some time with Sirius in the hospital and not be sitting at the Burrow wondering how he was doing or relying on second-hand information. He settled down next to a snoring Sirius and watched the Quidditch game. The volume was only a soft hum, but Harry didn't care if he heard the commentary or not. His mind wandered to what it would have been like to see his dad in pictures playing professional Quidditch.

A knock sounded at the door when the Magpies were up by a hundred points and Harry didn't know whether to call out or not. He glanced over at Sirius sleeping sitting up, oblivious to someone at the door. Before Harry could decide what to do, the door opened to reveal a matron walking into the room. She gave Harry a warm smile as she walked around the bed and pulled out her wand.

"Has he been sleeping this entire time?" she asked with a tight smile on her face.

Harry nodded. "Yeah," he replied in a soft whisper. "Ever since the potions earlier."

The matron pressed the tip of her wand to Sirius' exposed neck. Numbers Harry didn't understand floated above him. Sirius groaned, his head rolling and falling against Harry's shoulder. But he didn't wake up.

"Is this normal?" Harry asked. "He seems pretty out of it."

The matron hummed. "It is. He's on some pretty heavy pain potions since the process to mend the leg was intensive. When you lose so much blood as well, it can only amplify the drowsiness of the potions."

Harry only nodded, watching as the matron moved down to the bottom of the bed to look at Sirius' bandaged leg. She unwrapped it, and Harry craned his neck to look at the bright red skin and the darker line where the bone must have poked out from. The matron doused his leg in some more potions before she bandaged it up again.

The matron then moved up towards Sirius' arm. She lifted it up, turning it until she gained access to his elbow. Still, Sirius barely moved. The matron grabbed a small vial of blood-red liquid and pressed it tightly to the inside of his elbow. With a quick tap of her wand, the liquid seemed to seep into his skin at a very slow rate. Her eyes flickered up to look at Harry.

"It's a Blood Replenishing Potion," she explained as she waited for the vial to drain. "This is a slower process than drinking but I'm not sure I could wake him enough not to have him choke on the potion."

"He already had one of those," Harry replied. "Did he lose that much blood?"

The matron nodded. "Quite a bit. He'll need a few more doses before he's ready to go home," she explained, the vial still draining as she held it steady. "You're a good kid staying with him for so long. Most kids your age would have grown bored and left, I reckon."

Harry shrugged his shoulder that Sirius wasn't sleeping on. "He's my family."

The matron smiled sadly at him. "That's sweet."

Harry blinked at her, his brows furrowing beneath his glasses. "He adopted me," he added, as though trying to make it clear that he wasn't going to put up with any slander against his godfather.

The matron blinked at him, her head cocking to the side. "I know."

"The Prophet is lying about him," Harry barreled on. "Just like they lied about me all last year."

Harry didn't know why he felt the need to set her straight, especially because she hadn't really said anything. There was something about the sad way she looked at him that made him feel uneasy and want to defend his sleeping godfather.

"I know," the matron responded, her tone faraway and sad still. She sniffed, almost as though she looked about ready to cry but didn't.

The door to the hospital room opened again. Harry let out a breath of relief to see Remus walking in. His eyes stared at the matron, his body growing stiff.

"Mary?" Remus asked as he stepped up to the bed.

The matron looked up at him, a tight smile crossing her face. "Remus."

Remus blinked at her. "I'm surprised you were assigned to Sirius."

Mary shrugged. "I was one of the few willing to," she said in a soft voice. "Everyone seems scared of him so I thought I should step up."

Harry's head darted between the two, waiting for Remus to make the introduction.

"I trust you heard about Peter?" Remus said, his arms crossing over his chest.

Mary nodded. "Dumbledore came by personally to tell me everything a few years ago."

Harry now stared at Remus, his eyes widening. He wanted an explanation, deserved one, especially if they were going to talk about Peter Pettigrew right in front of him.

Remus nodded, his gaze finally snapping over to Harry. "Harry, this is Mary Macdonald. She went to school with us."

Mary bit her bottom lip. "It's Parker now," she whispered, her gaze flickering towards Harry. "I was a year below them at Hogwarts."

"Oh," Harry replied in a lame tone, not really knowing what to say to that.

"I'm sorry, Remus," Mary said in a rush. "I wanted to apologize to Sirius too."

"Mary…" Remus heaved a sigh. "You didn't do anything."

She blinked at Remus, picking up the now empty vial from Sirius' arm. "I should have seen it. I should have known. There were so many red flags and I ignored them all."

"He had every single one of us fooled," Remus whispered.

"I'll be by later to check on him," Mary said in a rush, her wand flourishing to gather up all of her supplies before she rushed out of the room.

Remus rolled his head back, staring at the ceiling as a long breath escaped his lips. Harry stared at Remus, waiting for him to speak. But he didn't. He just kept staring.

"Remus…" Harry trailed off.

"She dated Peter during the first war," Remus replied, looking down at Harry.

Bile rose up Harry's throat. That woman had dated Peter Pettigrew? How had she not noticed he was a good-for-nothing traitor? Did they live together? How serious were they? A million questions fluttered across Harry's mind that he couldn't even think straight.

"She didn't know," Remus said, holding up a hand to stop Harry from blurting out a bunch of questions. "She is a Muggleborn, was friends with your mum, and was in the Order."

Harry only nodded curtly, unable to speak.

"Visiting hours are nearly over," Remus changed the subject. "Andromeda and Ted are waiting for you outside the room to take you back to the Burrow for the evening. I was going to stay for a few hours until the next shift starts. We're having a guard on Sirius' door until he's released due to security reasons."

"Do I have to go?" Harry pressed.

"Yes, hospital rules," Remus replied, his eyes searching Harry's face. "Look, before you go, I just want to say, it's not that I didn't think you should come today to see Sirius. I know you wanted to and you've been anxious about the mission. It's just… Sirius and I tend to worry and we get paranoid when it comes to you. We watched all of our friends die in the war all in the span of a summer. The entire Order started dropping like flies and it was…" Remus' face pulled. "I can't speak for Sirius, but I look at you and I see all that you lost. All that we lost. There's just this, this primal need to protect you because Lily and James aren't here to do it. I think sometimes we forget you're just fifteen, sixteen in a few days. And you need to get out and live a bit."

Harry didn't know what to say to that as an odd feeling settled in his chest. It was nice to have not only Sirius care about him but Remus as well. They knew his parents better than anyone and they had both been so good to him. Harry thought that perhaps he needed to give Remus the same breaks he gave Sirius.

"I know," Harry whispered. "I do appreciate everything you've done for me, even if I don't show it all the time."

At Remus' tight smile, Harry slowly crept off the bed so he wouldn't disturb Sirius. Although, Harry was fairly positive that a dragon could attack the hospital and Sirius wouldn't wake up. Remus walked him out of the room to where Andromeda and Ted were waiting for him with bright smiles and open arms. A sun burst in his chest as he walked towards them, a smile tugging on his lips as they wrapped their arms around him before they made their way through the hospital.

Ginny didn't bother knocking again, as she opened the door to where Harry was staying at the Burrow. She slinked through the room, hearing Harry's soft snores. He must have been exhausted if he didn't wake when he heard the door, especially since Harry seemed to be a light sleeper. Her shin hit the bed and she felt for the mattress before she climbed in, shimmying under the covers.

Harry groaned. Ginny reached out and carded a hand through his hair. She felt him stiffen underneath her touch before he jerked up.

"It's me," she whispered. "Just me."

"Gin?" he asked, as though wrestling with sleep to make sense of the voice.

"What other me comes to visit you in the dead of night?" she asked, smiling broadly even though he couldn't see her.

Harry chuckled softly as he settled down next to her. "Well, Ron for one."

Ginny rolled her eyes as she snuggled against his side, her fingers brushing against his bare chest. "I'm going to murder him one day."

"Please, don't," Harry replied, his tone light. "I'd have to break up with you if you kill my best mate. That feels like it should be a deal breaker."

Ginny rolled so that her chest was propped up on his. She squinted in the darkness as she settled on top of his chest. Harry laid very still underneath of her, his fingers skirting along her sides and tugging up the fabric of her vest just a tad. She leaned down, pressing her lips against his. Luckily, she didn't miss in the darkness. Her body tingled, sending a shiver down her spine.

When they parted, she settled back down into his arms, her head resting on his chest and hearing his heart beat slightly faster than normal. "Still a deal breaker?"

"Hmm," Harry hummed, a crinkling sounding to let her know he was smiling. "I'm less certain now."

Ginny traced lazily circles with her finger on his stomach, a soft grin flittering across her lips. "How was Sirius today?"

Harry chuckled. "Drugged out of his mind."

Ginny's brows furrowed. "Drugged?"

"Uh… he was on a lot of powerful pain potions and such for his leg so he was acting all loopy," Harry elaborated. "I don't even think he connected that I was there, or at least the supposed danger I was in to be there. Remus was upset I was there but Sirius didn't seem to care. Again, I don't think he was thinking straight."

"They just want to protect you, Harry," Ginny whispered. "I get that's annoying. Trust me, I understand. But isn't it nice that they care so much?"

Harry didn't respond, a comfortable silence washing between them. Ginny splayed her fingers over his stomach.

"Yeah," he agreed finally in a thick voice. "It kind of is."

The silence dragged between them. Ginny closed her eyes, a long sigh escaping her lips as she drifted off into nothingness. No nightmares seemed to plague her when she was with Harry. He was a calming presence, a beacon of protection. Ginny never worried when she was with Harry.

A scream sounded, jerking Ginny awake. Disoriented as to where she was, she scrambled to a seated position to see Harry shooting up in bed next to her. Another scream sounded, a scream that sounded very much like her mother calling her name in a panic.

"Gin!" Harry hissed, trying to detangle himself from the covers. "It's past nine!"

Ginny paled as the door to the bedroom burst open to reveal Remus Lupin standing there with his wand out. His eyes flickered between Ginny and Harry in bed. The two teenagers froze. Ginny groped for Harry's hand, her heart beating harsh in her chest.

"Molly!" Remus shouted, his eyes not leaving the bed. "I found her!"

Footsteps thundered on the stairs as Remus took a step back. Ginny's mum burst into the room a few seconds later, her eyes soaking in the scene in front of her. Her lips parted, her eyes widening.

"We didn't do anything, Mum!" Ginny protested as she scrambled out of the bed. "We just fell asleep talking! I swear!"

Ginny looked back at Harry to see he hadn't moved a muscle. She shot him a glare because he very much looked naked sitting in bed with no shirt on and the blanket covering up his pajama bottoms. Harry wasn't even looking at her though. His wide eyes stared at her mum, his lips spread into a thin line with a slight wince about him.

To make matters worse, Ron stumbled into the room. He looked between Harry and Ginny, a look of disgust pulling on his face.

"Are you bloody serious right now?" Ron asked. "Come on, you just started dating!"

Ginny shot him a look. "We didn't do anything! Ron slept in here the other night and nobody even batted an eyelid!"

"Ginny, they are both boys," her mum whispered in a harsh tone. "You and Harry are dating. It's inappropriate!"

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, her chin jutting up. "I'm not going to apologize. We did nothing wrong. We've only ever snogged."

"I'm sorry, Mrs Weasley," Harry said in a shaky voice.

Ginny whipped around to see that he had finally moved, climbing out of bed to reveal that he was, in fact, not naked. Clenching her jaw, she gestured in Harry's direction and shot her mother a look that very clearly read SEE! I TOLD YOU!

"We really did just fall asleep talking," Harry corroborated as he stepped up next to Ginny, squinting at her because he had failed to put on his glasses. "We've never done anything any of the times–"

"Any of the times?" her mum whispered, a slight horror ringing in her tone.

Ginny groaned, the back of her hand slapping Harry in the arm. "Harry!"

Harry froze, realizing what he had said. But it was too late. The damage had been done. Harry swallowed visibly as Ginny screwed her eyes shut.

"You need to sleep in your own beds from here on out," her mum explained as Ginny opened her eyes to look miserably at her.

"But, Mum–"

"No buts," her mum said in a firm voice. "We need to know you are all safe in your own beds every single night."

Ginny frowned but didn't argue with her. She had no intention of following her mum's new rule. They would just have to be cautious and set an alarm or something early in the morning so she could sneak back to her own room. Ginny didn't have nightmares when she was with Harry. She was fairly certain Harry slept better as well.

"Yes, Mrs Weasley," Harry whispered, his head bowing as he stared at his toes.

Ginny huffed.

"Out, Ginny, now," her mum instructed.

Ginny stood rooted in her spot as Remus entered the room. He gestured wordlessly for Harry to present his arm. Harry did without even looking up, and Remus tapped his wand on the bracelet.

"Ginny," her mum pressed.

With another huff, Ginny stormed out of the room without even looking at Harry or anyone else for that matter. She made her way downstairs to her bedroom and slammed the door shut. Plopping down on her bed, she stared at her window to the back garden of the Burrow and stewed.

Remus sat in a chair by Sirius' bedside, waiting for the Healer to discharge him from the hospital. Sirius dressed carefully, trying not to put any weight on his leg. Even though it was nearly healed, it would be days until the pain receded completely when weight was put on the leg. Sirius had scoffed at the mention of walking with a cane for a couple of days. Remus knew better than to ask his friend if he needed help since Sirius rarely accepted help unless it was James Potter who offered it. Or that could just be because James would just do it and he didn't even become frustrated when Sirius bitched the entire time.

"What are you and Harry going to do now?" Remus asked, folding his hands in his lap as Sirius grunted as he finally got his bad leg into his trousers.

Sirius frowned. "I don't know. We can't stay at the Burrow. We need a place where we can put up blood wards that's preferably not in a busy shopping village."

Remus winced. "A Black property then?"

Sirius ran a hand through his black hair, his fingers clutching at the strands. "Fuck me. Probably," he replied in a growl as he placed his hands on his hips. "I know Kreacher recognizes Harry as a master, which is good. But I know there's rituals to make adopted children blood children."

Remus raised an eyebrow. "Blood children?"

Sirius' face grew into a grim line. "It would make him a Black by blood. Which would strengthen the blood wards as recognizing us as the same bloodline and not two separate bloodlines. The more bloodlines you add to blood wards, the weaker they become. The blood wards on Grimmauld were rock solid because Walburga and Orion were second seconds. It was probably the most solid blood warded house in centuries because of the close relation."

Remus sighed, his head shaking. "It unnerves me how much knowledge you hold about outdated and questionable magic."

Sirius only scowled deeper as he grabbed his shirt off the bed and shoved his arms through it. He looked exhausted as he collapsed down onto the bed, his head falling back against the pillow. His chest heaved as he straightened his bad leg.

"You're just jealous that I'm smarter than you," Sirius quipped, the corners of his lips tugging up just slightly.

"Oh, you got me there," Remus replied in a sarcastic tone. "I'm so jealous of your knowledge about odd pureblood magic bullshit. So jealous that my parents weren't cousins so I could know what you know. I wish I was inbred too."

Sirius rolled his head to look at Remus, a broad grin on his lips. "I knew it."

A knock sounded on the door and Sirius muttered about fucking time before he called for them to enter. Except a Healer didn't open the door. There was only Marlene McKinnon with a red box in her hand and an unsure smile on her lips. The grin from Sirius' face fell at the sight of her. Remus wanted to kick him to get his face to cooperate.

"I heard what happened," Marlene said to Sirius, standing in the doorway and gesturing to the box in her hands. "I brought you some baked goods."

Remus watched Sirius carefully who seemed to be staring at the red little box in her hands. He swallowed visibly, his face attempting to smile but he just looked like he was in physical pain. Remus leaned forward, slapping Sirius in the side with the back of his hand.

"That's from a little bakery in Godric's Hollow," Sirius said as a means of greeting.

Remus screwed his eyes shut. Sirius really had lost his social prowess while locked away in Azkaban. Sirius was far more socially competent when he was younger.

"Uh, yeah, it is," Marlene replied as she stepped inside and closed the door behind her. "I've been staying there until school starts in September. I've been exploring the town more and more, feeling comfortable going out again after, well, everything."

Sirius nodded. "We used to pick up sweets from there to take to the Potters when we would visit," he explained, his voice sounding like he was trapped in some memory. "They had a really good treacle tart that James and Harry always devoured."

Marlene blinked, her brows furrowing. "I actually got a few mini treacle tarts."

Sirius' eyes snapped up to look at Marlene's face. "We used to get Harry the mini ones, tell him he got one all to himself. It's still his favorite dessert, surprisingly."

Remus rubbed his hands on his trousers before he stood up, wanting to give the two of them some privacy. Sirius snapped his attention to him in an instant, his expressive gray eyes flashing to tell him to sit the fuck back down. But Sirius was an adult who could manage without Remus being a third wheel.

"No, no, don't leave because of me," Marlene said in a rush as she crossed the room to sit the box of treats on the bedside table. "I just wanted to bring something by and, well, I wanted to-to apologize, Sirius."

"For what?" Sirius asked, his brow furrowing.

"Not writing you," Marlene whispered, her hands rubbing on her sundress. "I'm sure you've seen the couple of letters that Harry and I have exchanged. I started a letter to you more times than I care to count, but the words never seemed to come out right. I always pitched them in the bin before I could send them."

Sirius nodded. "I'm guessing you don't remember anything else."

Marlene shrugged. "I'm not sure. I have these… vague sort of memories I guess."

"Like what" Remus asked, sounding far more pleasant and friendly than Sirius could achieve.

Marlene squinted at Sirius, her head shaking. "I have this, this memory of picking a maggot out of your hair."

Sirius let out a small chuckle, his head nodding. "Kreacher, my parents' house-elf, sent me maggots for my fifteenth birthday. You found one in my hair that night in the common room and then Archibald, Lily's cat, fucking attacked you to eat it. You had scratches on your arm for trying to deny Archie his pray."

Remus blinked, fairly certain that James and Sirius had taken the box of maggots and dumped them all over the Slytherin common room in the dead of night after they had somehow managed to uncover the password. But there had been a lot of maggots. They found some sprinkled throughout the Gryffindor common room for the next couple of days. He was fairly certain Archibald had been happy to hunt them all down.

"So that's real?" Marlene asked, a smile crossing her face and a small sigh escaping her lips. "That's brilliant."

"Kreacher's a gem," Remus added, filling in the silence. "Sirius owns him now. He's loving every minute of it."

Sirius' face pulled. "Harry can have him. I want nothing to do with that little cockwombling gremlin."

Marlene laughed, her grin only widening to the point where she looked years younger and more familiar. "I promise not to send you any maggots."

"If you do, I'll think you hate me as much as Kreacher does," Sirius replied. "But, really, it's okay if you don't want to write me. No pressure. I know you don't have the best memories of me."

"They're fake," Marlene whispered. "I keep wondering if a memory is real or not real. It's bloody frustrating."

"I can't even begin to imagine," Remus replied when Sirius didn't say anything. "Sirius and I are here to help you in any way that we can. I hope you know that."

Marlene nodded. "I, uh, I saw a statue at Godric's Hollow of the Potters."

Sirius winced, his eyes dropping to his lap. Remus had heard of the statue but had never been able to go see it in person. In fact, he hadn't stepped foot in Godric's Hollow since the funeral. There had been times over the years when he had wanted to stop by James' and Lily's graves, when he was feeling like life just wasn't worth living, but he couldn't find it within him to go. So he drank and drank and drank until he couldn't feel any longer.

"Nothing clicked," Marlene whispered.

"I've never seen it," Remus admitted. "Before you started living in Godric's Hollow, it had been years since I had been there."

"I wonder if I get my memories back, if I'll regret that I lived there," Marlene wondered out loud.

"When," Remus insisted. "When you get your memories back."

Marlene offered in a strain smile. "Let's hope," she replied as she rubbed the back of her neck. "Uh, but, I should get going. Leave you two be. I'm just… I'm sorry about not writing. I'll really try to finish my next letter."

Remus and Sirius bid Marlene goodbye. She turned and left. Sirius glanced at the little red box on the bedside table and winced at it before he looked up at Remus.

"I kissed Tegan," Sirius said in a flat tone, his wide eyes staring unblinkingly at Remus. "In the cave. She was gorgeous and so bloody vicious. And, and she is just in the same place in her life that I am. A single parent stuck in a fucking war. I felt… good in that moment. And I thought about how I wanted to do it again and probably more because it's been so long since I've been with a woman. I was at peace with that because Marlene fucking died. She may be alive now but she's like a new Marlene and not the old Marlene. This Marlene isn't anything like the old Marlene. But then she brings me fucking desserts from a bakery we used to go to all the time and she remembers picking maggots out of my hair and I don't know what I'm supposed to do with that information. Tell me what to do, Remus, just tell me what to fucking do."

Remus sank down in his chair, a long sigh escaping his lips. "Are you sure you want to ask me for relationship advice?"

Sirius' lips spluttered, the skin around his eyes crinkling. "You're right. I really shouldn't."

Remus swallowed. "I mean, look, Marlene isn't Marlene. If you want to have fun with Tegan, go for it. But I would be upfront with her about your intentions."

Sirius dropped his head against his back. "I don't know what my intentions are. I mean, I don't want a girlfriend because I have Harry to focus on. I just wanted to…" he trailed off, his eyes searching the ceiling. "I don't know. Feel something."

"Do you even like Tegan or do you just want to shag someone?" Remus asked plainly. "Because, over the years, when I would get lonely, I would go to a Muggle bar and pick up a woman and shag her and then we never spoke again."

Sirius chuckled, his palms scrubbing his eyes. "Bloody hell, Remus. I never pegged you as a one-night stand kind of bloke."

Remus shrugged, refusing to apologize. "I wasn't going to have some unsuspecting woman date a werewolf."

"Until my cousin, that is," Sirius replied as he glanced over at Remus.

Remus sucked in breath. Nymphadora was just different. She was fearless and she knew about his infliction before they had even kissed. He had tried to keep it casual and keep feelings out of the entire thing. Except they had both fallen as they shagged more and more until they were so deeply imprinted on each other's souls that there was no escaping.

"Dora knew what I was before we did anything," Remus defended himself, even though he knew deep down he didn't need to defend himself with Sirius.

"Who you were, Merlin fuck, Remus," Sirius snapped. "That bullshit always annoyed James and I. You're a person. Not some monster."

A warmth spread through Remus' body. "We're not here to talk about me. We're talking about what exactly you want. A good shag or something more."

Sirius shrugged. "I know I had a reputation around school for being a serial shagger, but I honestly didn't sleep with all the girls who claimed I slept with them. Snogged a bunch of them, sure, but I had only shagged one girl before Marlene."

Remus' brows lowered. "You only slept with two girls?"

"I was with Marlene since I was eighteen," Sirius explained in an annoyed tone. "There was only one girl before that and it was short-lived. Now girls I snogged in broom cupboards, yeah, I lost count after a while."

Remus blinked. "Who was the other girl?"

"Oh, you want to go over our shag history?" Sirius challenged. "Do you even remember the Muggle girls' names you slept with?"

Remus snorted. "It was more than two, I can tell you that much."

"Fuck off, Remus," Sirius snapped.

Remus smirked, trying to think of what girl Sirius had slept with in school. Many had claimed they had, that was for sure. Sirius had been popular because he was quite good-looking then and even now. He had heard the phrase tall, dark, and handsome too many times when they were younger when girls would describe Sirius. He also had that mysterious and broody personality that somehow intrigued them.

"Tell Tegan you want to be casual then," Remus suggested. "It's what I told Dora."

Sirius snorted. "Yeah, it stayed real casual for you two."

Remus waved him off. "Tegan hasn't gotten remarried in the fifteen years that David's been dead. She may just have casual relationships as well. She has a high-stress and demanding job on top of being a single parent."

"It's not just that, Remus," Sirius said, his hand waving towards the red box. "It's the Marlene shit as well. It's how Harry needs my undivided attention and support. It's the war. It's the fact that I spent twelve years in Azkaban and–"

"There's always a reason not to do something," Remus interrupted. "Trust me, I've come up with every single reason in the bloody book to avoid social interactions. The thing that you taught me recently was that I'll never be happy if I keep isolating myself. You do the same damn thing, Sirius. You didn't even talk to Andromeda until Dora told her you were innocent and she was in contact with you. You've always isolated yourself except for a small few. In school it was James, Peter, and me. After school, it was James, Lily, and Marlene. Now it's Harry, Molly, and me. You hyperfocus on a group of people and refuse to let anyone else in. There are so many people who care about you and people I think you care for but refuse to allow yourself to admit."

Sirius swallowed visibly.

"If James was here–"

"Don't," Sirius snapped, the muscle under his eye twitching.

Remus only raised his voice. "James would tell you to be happy. James would encourage you to meet new people and make new friends. James wouldn't want you wasting away in isolation."

Sirius scowled. "Harry needs me."

"Don't put that on Harry," Remus replied, his head shaking. "You can't use Harry as a scapegoat to avoid your problems," he insisted, a sigh escaping his lips. "Yes, Harry needs you. You are the closet person to a parent he will ever have. You are solely responsible for him. But he'll be at Hogwarts in a month. You deserve to live a little. Get out. Go on a date. Enjoy life. If something happens with Harry, you will drop everything to be there for him like any good parent would. But you don't have to put your entire life on hold. Knowing Harry, he wouldn't want that either."

Sirius screwed his eyes shut.

"You saw first-hand how isolation and depression caused James to be a shell of the person he once was," Remus whispered. "Those final few months of his life… it was like he wasn't even James anymore. You don't want to spiral into that pit. You can't afford it and neither can Harry."

Sirius scratched his eyebrow with his thumbnail, his eyes gazing off into space. Before he could respond, a knock sounded at the door and the discharging Healer walked in. Remus leaned back in his chair as Sirius was evaluated one last time, hoping that he had gotten through to his friend.

Sirius stared at the paper in front of him, a picture of his godson splashed across the front page of the evening edition of the Daily Prophet. It was a picture Sirius had never seen before, one of Harry sometime during the previous year at Hogwarts. An uncertain and shy smile graced his face as he walked down the road of Hogsmeade with a pretty girl with black hair that Sirius didn't recognize but assumed was his disastrous and short-lived girlfriend he had heard about in passing.

The Chosen One

Sirius held his breath as he stared at the headline. His eyes roaming down until he saw the picture of the prophecy sitting on the shelf in the Department of Mysteries with Harry and Voldemort's name on it. Bile rose in his throat as he wanted to scream and throw things to curb the emotions swirling inside of him.

Arthur placed a hand between his shoulders. "We will figure it out together, Sirius. You're not alone."

Except the words brought no comfort. Sirius felt very alone. With the kidnapping of Adriano Fidelius, Sirius knew that he and Harry had to leave the Burrow. He also knew the Weasleys couldn't stay there either.

"Bones was irate, apparently, when she found out about what happened in Snowdonia," Arthur continued, taking his glasses off his face and cleaning them with the hem of his shirt. "She ranted to Gawain and Scrimgeour for a good two hours about how she told you she didn't want you working for Dumbledore. I'm assuming this is her retaliation."

Sirius folded the paper and tossed it to the middle of the table. "Well, she can go fuck herself if she's thinking I'm giving her little press conference now. Her speech writers can take their little speech and shove it up their ever-loving arses!"

"What if she retaliates more?" Molly fretted.

Arthur shook his head. "She's testing how far she can push Sirius. Everyone already knew that Harry was special. There were rumors for years after Halloween that there was something more to what happened in Godric's Hollow than the Ministry was letting on. Releasing that there's a prophecy is just lighting Lumos over people's heads."

"They're calling him the Chosen One," Sirius seethed.

"Well, I suppose he'd like that better than the Boy Who Lived," Arthur said in a nonchalant tone. "I know you may not want to hear this, Sirius, but this actually helps Harry. It spreads the message loud and clear that You-Know-Who is back and Harry is not a liar."

"It makes him a worthy adversary," Sirius replied, his head turning to look at Arthur.

Arthur let out a small sigh. "It does, but anyone who has heard the story of the Boy Who Lived already believes he's a worthy adversary. And if I was a betting man, I would bet the Burrow that this was her plan all along with her speech. She was going to paint Harry as a hero, a savior. She needs a beacon of hope, because people like us know how dark and hopeless the first war was. Harry is that hope because of his mother's love and a scar on his forehead. Whether we like that or not, that's the truth behind it, Sirius. Bones is barreling ahead without you because she knows you're still in the Order after Snowdonia. She can't trust you to back her. She can't trust Harry to back her. So, she's moving on with her plan without you."

Sirius swallowed. "Can she take Harry away from me?"

"Honestly, it would make the Ministry look terribly bad if they granted you custody of the newly appointed Chosen One only to snatch it back a few months later," Arthur explained. "The Ministry would look foolish to have granted you custody of him in the first place. What I think will happen is that Bones will most likely pay Harry a visit once he's back at Hogwarts and talk to him behind your back, to try to coerce him into helping. If I were you, I'd be very careful not to do anything that gives the Ministry cause to arrest you again."

Sirius rubbed his fingers along his forehead, his eyes screwing shut. There never seemed to be a break where Sirius could just bloody well breathe. The next crisis was already around the corner, the next anxiety attack bubbling up in the cauldron. For once, Sirius would just like something to be easy and to go right.

"I'll talk to him," Sirius whispered. "I'll prepare him. And I'll be careful not to give the Ministry any just cause to arrest me."

Sirius tried not to look at the paper on the table. He was teetering on having a complete mental breakdown at the very thought of Harry painted as the Chosen One, that the prophecy was on the front fucking page. Pushing down his anxiety, he looked up at Arthur and Molly.

"We need to talk," he said with a sigh, because there was another crisis that needed to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Molly didn't move from her spot by the stove, her wide eyes flickering between Arthur and Sirius.

"Harry and I need to leave," Sirius announced. "With Fidelius kidnapped, we can't trust the Fidelius Charm to keep us safe. We need to rely on blood wards, because that gives us a warning and a chance to escape before things go to complete shit. I was thinking of moving into the Hogsmeade house. The blood wards are up and functional. The Portkey will be ready by tomorrow. You two need to leave here as well, preferably somewhere you can put up blood wards of your own."

Arthur leaned back in his chair. "We've talked about… switching locations after what happened in Snowdonia."

"No," Molly whispered. "We're stronger together. We can protect the kids better together."

Sirius glanced over at Molly. "We're not. Once Voldemort figures out how to break the Fidelius, we're done for. We know blood wards take some time to dismantle, more than enough time to escape."

"You can't go to Hogsmeade," Molly said, tears brimming her eyes. "Someone will see the pair of you."

Sirius forces a strained smile on his face. "We won't leave the house. It's the only house I have that's not an ancestral Black family home. Bellatrix and Narcissa know about all of those homes. Hogsmeade seems like an impractical choice so it'll buy us some time."

Molly frowned. "Just come with us and we can all be together. We were thinking of going to Arthur's brother's old home. It's sat empty since he died and it's been in the Weasley family for ages."

"You know Harry and I will weaken the blood wards because there's no direct bloodline between us," Sirius explained. "I'm related to you both through marriage. I share none of your blood. Neither of us share a direct blood line with Harry either. The more bloodlines you have, the weaker the wards. The Hogsmeade house is already weaker because of the conflicting blood lines between Harry and I unless I bind us by blood, which I haven't ruled out doing."

"What about Andromeda?" Arthur asked. "Would staying with her help strengthen the wards because she shares your blood? Could that counteract Harry's line so you don't have to bind you by blood?"

Sirius stilled at the suggestion. It certainly wouldn't harm things but Ted would complicate things.

"I can't ask that of her," Sirius replied. "Just like I'm not asking it of either of you."

"What if you two left the country until term starts?" Arthur suggested. "You said before your family had a holiday home in France. Just take him to France until school starts."

Sirius perked up at that idea. It would take Voldemort forever to get to France if he figured out where they were. The holiday home in the south of France had been in the Black family for centuries and already had blood wards on it. He'd only need to add Harry. He could pack their emergency Portkey with them, have time to do the blood ritual with Harry to make him a Black through blood, and they could be safe for the last month of summer. He'd need to get travel documents for the pair of them, but he could easily pay extra to expedite them.

"That's… not a bad idea," Sirius whispered.

Out of all of the Black properties, the holiday villa in Agde held the most pleasant childhood memories for him. Uncle Alphard always joined them and spent all day with them on the beach. He took them to the small wizarding village, took them swimming, and built sandcastles on the beach. Sirius could remember laughing with Regulus, Andromeda, and even Narcissa all day long. Bellatrix rarely partook in their adventures, snubbing them as she was far too old for childish games. Which Sirius had always been fine with. Out of all of his cousins, Bellatrix had always been his least favorite even before he learned just how fucked up the Black family really was.

"It wouldn't be bad to get Harry out of the country for a bit," Arthur mused. "Especially until Fidelius is found. If he's found before he can figure out how to break his own charm and tell You-Know-Who, then that's just a bonus. You can come back to England with no worries."

Sirius nodded. "I'd want to sneak us out of the country, but I'd doubt the Ministry would keep it hush hush."

"Hestia works in Transportation," Arthur said, his fingers rubbing his jaw. "She can help you get all the required documentation and set up the Portkey discretely. I'll tell her tomorrow morning when I get into work that you'll be by to see her. It might be smart to go later when most employees have gone home."

"Thanks, Arthur," Sirius said in a sincere voice, grateful for everything Molly and Arthur had done for him and for Harry over the years.

Molly crossed the room and sat down across from Sirius and Arthur with a sigh. Her wide brown eyes stared at Sirius, a frown working its way across her face.

"I'm going to miss you and Harry," she said. "It won't be the same without the two of you."

Sirius reached across the table, his palm up. "I'll miss you all too. I know Harry will miss you all, especially Ginny."

A grin tugged on Molly's lips as she laid her hand in his, giving him a squeeze. "Speaking of Harry and Ginny, I found my daughter in your son's room this morning. They had spent the night together."

Sirius wasn't surprised in the slightest. He was fairly certain they were spending the night together on and off for weeks now because he had heard them talking late at night through the wall when he was attempting to sleep. But he didn't dare tell Molly he even suspected it because he had done nothing about it.

"Oh?" Sirius feigned surprise. "What were they doing?"

"They said they were just talking and sleeping," Molly replied with a small huff.

Sirius nodded. "Do you believe them?"

"Well, yes, I believe them! Harry seemed very apologetic, more so than Ginny," Molly explained. "But they can't continue to do that."

"Good thing Harry and I are heading to France by hopefully the end of the week," Sirius replied.

Molly leaned back in her chair, her hand leaving Sirius' in the process. "Sirius."

Sirius grinned. "Molly."

Molly sighed. "The last thing we need is an unexpected pregnancy."

Sirius nodded, thinking of James and Lily and how Harry had been a surprise to everyone. "Well, fuck me, Molly, I didn't know lying next to someone could result in pregnancy. I think Tegan and I will have a baby come nine months from now because we laid very close together in that cave."

Arthur snorted. Molly shot him a look.

"This isn't a joke, Sirius," Molly replied, her lips pursing.

"Look, I understand the concern," Sirius amended, his thumb scratching his eyebrow. "They're young and inexperienced and they don't know the first thing about sex. I get that. I will give Harry the talk in France and you can give Ginny the talk and it'll be fine. We'll make sure that when the time comes, Harry and Ginny are prepared to not have a baby until they're a lot older and ready for one. Because you are right. The last thing we need is an unexpected Potter child running around. I've been through that once and look how that turned out," he said as he gestured towards the paper between them. "He turned out to be the Chosen One. Their baby would probably have some silly moniker and stupid fucking destiny as well given the trouble unexpected Potters find themselves in."

"Well, now that that conversation is over, I think I'm going to head to bed because I have to be up in about six hours for work," Arthur announced as he rose from the table and looked across the table at Molly. "You coming to bed as well?"

"I'll be up in a few," Molly replied. "I need to finish cleaning while I have access to my wand."

Arthur nodded as he gave Sirius' shoulder a squeeze before rounding the table to press a quick kiss on Molly's lips. Molly rose from the table to finish cleaning, her wand flicking at sponges and the dishes on the drying rack. Sirius leaned back in his chair, tipping it back on its hind legs. He kicked his legs up on the table, wincing at the tinge of pain in his one leg.

Molly turned to face him. "Did you bring your Pensieve to the Burrow?"

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "I did have Remus grab it from Grimmauld, yeah, why?"

Molly placed her wand in the pocket of her apron before leaning back against the countertop. "I thought, well, I'm going to bake Harry a Snitch cake for his birthday and I already got stuff to make some chicken pie, which is his favorite. I found a Defense book at the second-hand shop that I bought him. But I thought, well, Harry doesn't need things. He's always seemed far more grateful for the jumpers and such that I make him. I thought, well, do you remember when we first met?"

Sirius let out a laugh. "You mean at your brothers' funeral? Yeah, you bloody well hated me."

"James was with you," Molly whispered, her bottom lip sliding between her teeth for a second as the laughter died on Sirius' tongue. "It was the one and only time I met him. He talked so enthusiastically about Harry. And, well, I remember him being so very charming. We talked about Harry and Ginny because Ginny was only a week old. James said Harry's due date had been the eleventh of August, which is the day Ginny was born and also was her due date. We talked about that old witch's tale about soul mates having the same due date."

Sirius stilled, his brow furrowing as he tried to recall the conversation. The memory was vague and he was fairly certain he had started to tune them out because James was always a sappy old romantic. It just annoyed Sirius, because he definitely was not one.

"Anyway, I thought that Harry might like seeing the memory," Molly continued. "If you think he'd want to, of course. I don't know if seeing his dad and I talking about our children being soul mates is too early in their relationship or not, but… well, it's the first thing I thought of the night they announced they were dating."

Sirius licked his bottom lip, wondering if he could stomach seeing the memory with Harry and the Weasleys. He swallowed at a lump in his throat, to no avail. It stayed stubbornly stuck in there.

"And you just said you didn't want a surprise Potter child from them," Sirius said, going with humor to try to stop the crack in his voice. "Showing them they're soul mates is not going to stop them from sharing a bed. Might just make them do it more."

Molly let out a small chuckle. "You may be right, but I think it's a nice memory."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, yeah, let's do it."

Molly smiled at him before she turned away from him to check to make sure everything was put away and the sponges were done cleaning. Once finished, she locked her wand away and Sirius walked up with Molly to bed, waving at her right outside of his room before he entered. Collapsing down on the bed, he propped his arms behind his head as he heard frantic whispers through the wall and he couldn't keep the smile off his face. Sirius strained his ears to hear.

"Gin, shh," Harry hissed as Ginny giggled. "Someone just went to bed! You're lucky they didn't come in!"

"You worry too much, Harry," Ginny said with laughter ringing in her voice.

"And you don't worry enough," Harry retorted, annoyance clear as day in his tone.

"It'll be fine, Harry," Ginny insisted. "Mum wasn't even that upset. She was more disappointed than anything."

Harry groaned. "I just don't want anyone upset with us. Your mum made it very clear we were not supposed to sleep together."

"Shut up and kiss me," Ginny insisted.

That was Sirius' cue to stop listening. He closed his eyes, far more tired than he normally was at this time of night. He couldn't help but think of Harry and Ginny being soul mates, a broad grin spreading across his face at the thought as sleep came easily for him that night.

I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter! Don't forget to drop a review. They motivate me to keep writing and even sometimes spark ideas! There will be NO new chapter next weekend due to the holiday. I'll see you all in two weeks!

Special thanks to Bell for doing a fabulous job editing.