"Brumous"

"Chapter Twenty-Three: Turning Fifteen"

Harry woke up to indistinct voices chattering and laughing. Rolling over in bed, he fumbled for his glasses on his bedside table. Plopping them on his face, he saw that it was already a quarter past nine in the morning. He stared at the wall across from him, giving himself a few moments to wake up before hauling himself out of bed. Like every morning, he grabbed his wand and his mirror, stuffing them into his magically expanded pockets in his pajama bottoms. Andromeda and Ted were meant to arrive that morning, and Harry had been excited to see them again.

As soon as he stepped on the top stair, he could hear Sirius cuss loudly as he scrambled below. Harry met his godfather at the bottom of the stairs, holding out his wrist so the bracelet could be deactivated. Sirius observed him for a few moments before a smile broke out across his face.

"Come on, Andy and Ted stopped to grab some pastries on their way over," Sirius announced, pressing a hand to the back of Harry's neck and leading him towards the kitchen.

Andromeda sipped a cup of tea, a smile on her face as she laughed at something Ted said. When she caught sight of Harry, she sat her teacup down and closed the space between them. Andromeda pulled him into a warm hug, forcing him to bend down to her height. Harry wrapped his arms around her with ease, getting more and more used to the physical affection that seemed to follow him like a shadow lately.

"Merlin, you got even taller," Andromeda huffed as she pulled back, her hands cupping his face. "I swear, you're probably taller than Sirius now."

Harry grinned until his cheeks hurt. "Not quite, but close."

"James and Fleamont were tall as well," Andromeda commented as she stepped aside for Ted to greet him. "Though, Sirius was always the tallest of the bunch but just barely."

"Good to see you again, Harry," Ted greeted as he too pulled Harry into an embrace, his hand thumping him on the back. "You look like a tomato."

Harry laughed as he pulled back, his eyes glancing over at Sirius who had sat down at the breakfast bar to drink his morning coffee. "I don't think the sun likes me very much. I had that problem as a kid too. I always burned easily."

Andromeda shook her head, her attention turning to Sirius. "Have you been reminding him to reapply the Sun Potion every two hours?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yes, Mum, I have. I swear his skin is resistant to it. The sun is going to get him no matter what."

"Hmm," Andromeda hummed, her hand reaching out to grab his arm and inspecting his red skin. "Let me see your Sun Potion after breakfast and I'll try to tweak it a bit for you. I might be able to add something to it to help."

"Thanks, Andy," Harry said in a sincere voice, a lopsided grin flitting across his face.

"Grab some breakfast, darling," Andromeda replied, giving his arm a quick squeeze.

Harry grabbed some coffee and a croissant from the box Andy and Ted brought with them before he took a seat next to Sirius. Andromeda crossed the kitchen towards where her pocketbook laid on the counter. She shuffled through it for a few moments before she pulled out what looked like a Hogwarts letter.

"I saw Professor McGonagall yesterday," Andromeda explained as she sat the letter in front of Harry.

Harry J. Potter

Black Villa in Agde, France

Harry picked it up, his thumb brushing along black ink. The happy visit turned into a bundle of anxiety. This was the moment he would know if his dream to be an Auror would be shattered forever. His bottom lip slid between his teeth.

"She said it would have taken a good week to get to you, and she knew Ted and I were coming," Andromeda continued. "Your O.W.L. results should be in there as well as your supply list."

Harry sucked in a breath as he slid his thumb underneath the Sticking Charm. Before Harry could even process what happened, something tumbled out and landed on the countertop. Harry's heart thumped in his chest. It was a badge. His fingers reached out, brushing against the metal as the words Quidditch Captain shined up at him.

"About time!" Sirius exclaimed as he pulled Harry into a side-hug. "You've always been a brilliant flyer!"

Ted beamed. "Well, Andy, we'll have to buy some Gryffindor scarves, because we have some games to attend come September!"

"Merlin, I haven't been to a Quidditch game since I was at Hogwarts," Andromeda said, a smile twitching on her lips. "Regulus played but I never saw one of his games. Sirius doesn't have an athletic bone in his body."

"Fuck off, Andy," Sirius said with a chuckle. "I'm more athletic than you are!"

"No bickering!" Ted exclaimed, his arms waving. "This is about Harry! Now, Harry, Andy wanted to go into the wizarding village today or tomorrow. So, we need to celebrate. We'll pick a restaurant to eat at and then we'll head to a Quidditch Supply Shop. Whatever you want or need for the upcoming season, just let us know! Our treat to congratulate you."

Harry felt a newly familiar warmth flood his body. "You don't have to get me anything."

"Nonsense!" Andromeda exclaimed. "Ted's right. You've worked hard and deserve a little reward."

"We'll stay in the Muggle world for dinner though," Sirius instructed. "I know we're in another ruddy country, but it would make me feel better."

Andromeda waved off his concern. "That's fine. It's probably better that way too in case either one of you are recognized. I'd think it'd be less of an issue here, but we should be cautious."

Harry turned his attention back to the letter, sucking in a breath as he pulled out two sheets of parchment. The first was his supply list and he tossed it onto the counter next to his captain's badge. Andromeda scooped it up immediately to look at.

Chewing on the inside of his cheek, he unfolded his O.W.L. results and read.

Astronomy: A

Care of Magical Creatures: E

Charms: E

Defense Against the Dark Arts: O

Divination: P

Herbology: E

History of Magic: D

Potions: E

Transfiguration: E

It could have been worse, Harry supposed. Though, he had to admit, he was rather proud of his Outstanding in Defense Against the Dark Arts. It would have been disappointing not to get the highest grade in his best subject, not to mention embarrassing since he had been dubbed the Chosen One. But the thing that stood out was his Exceeds Expectations in Potions. An Outstanding was needed to proceed in the subject.

"How did you do, Harry?" Andromeda asked, looking up from the supply list.

Harry shrugged, trying to push down the disappointment in his voice. "All right."

Sirius leaned in close to him, reading over Harry's shoulder. Harry stayed perfectly still, wondering what his godfather would say about his grades. For the first time ever, he found himself caring about his test results. Normally, if he passed, he was happy. For some reason, he was nervous that Sirius wouldn't be proud and say something.

"You did better than all right, Harry," Sirius said, his voice sincere. "An Outstanding in Defense! Like there was any doubt."

"How was Potions? I know you were worried about it," Andromeda asked.

Harry swallowed. "Exceeds Expectations."

"Oh, that's fabulous, Harry!" Andromeda exclaimed, smiling at him.

Harry glanced up at her. "I needed an Outstanding to continue."

Andromeda's brow furrowed. "No, you don't. That was Professor Snape's policy. Which, trust me, stressed Dora out tremendously when she was your age. But Marlene is the new Potion's professor. She said she was going to accept anyone with an O.W.L. into the N.E.W.T. level class. So, even an Acceptable would have gotten you in."

Relief flooded Harry, his mood lifting considerably. He couldn't help the smile that crept on his face. His dream of one day being an Auror wasn't dead quite yet. Harry tried not to think about how it probably didn't matter anyway since he was the Chosen One and expected to defeat Voldemort because of some prophecy.

Harry heard the familiar buzzing sound of his mirror. He pulled it out of his pocket to see Ron looking rather pleased with himself.

"Ron Weasley," Harry answered as the two mirrors connected.

"Mate! What did you get on your O.W.L.s?" Ron asked.

They happily exchanged O.W.L. results, seeing how similar they were to one another. Ron looked less than thrilled to continue with Potions but shrugged it off quickly since it wasn't actually Snape teaching the class anymore.

"Is Ginny there?" Harry asked.

Ron rolled his eyes. "You have evenings with her. Mornings are Ron time."

Harry laughed as a scrape could be heard over the mirror. Ginny appeared, her cheek pressing close to Ron's. He swatted her away but that only caused her to scoot closer, her arms wrapping around his neck.

"I wanted to tell you both something," Harry said as he reached for the captain's badge and held it up for both to see, a wide grin spreading across his face. "I'm the new Quidditch captain!"

Ron and Ginny roared, clapping loudly. Ginny even did a little dance that had Harry clutching his side from laughing so hard. Sirius peered at their antics in the mirror, chuckling along with them. Harry couldn't help the small spark that lit to life deep within his chest. He was normal for once, even if it was just for a few moments.

Sirius glanced over at his godson to see him chewing on his lip as he squinted at the menu in front of him, knowing he had no idea what anything was. He gestured for Harry's glasses and the kid handed them over with a bewildered look crossing his face. Sirius shoved the glasses underneath the table and drew his wand from his pocket. He muttered a spell he had heard Fleamont and James use multiple times when they left the country to attend Quidditch games or simply just to go on holiday when he was a teenager. He handed them back to Harry who put them on his face.

"Whoa, it's all in English now," Harry said in wonderment. "That's amazing. Thanks, Sirius."

Ted raised his eyebrows and took off his reading glasses. "Merlin, Sirius, don't hold out on us. I need that as well."

Sirius accepted the reading glasses and performed the same spell before handing them back. "I'll teach you both later."

Andromeda arched an eyebrow, her eyes roaming across the menu. "Luckily my French is good enough that I can actually understand most of the menu."

Sirius chuckled, leaning over to his cousin. "What don't you understand?"

Andromeda pointed to one of the items. "What is this?"

Sirius offered her an upside-down smile. "It's a lamb's pancreas."

Andromeda wrinkled her nose, her head shaking as she moved on with the menu. "I'm surprised your French is still impeccable.

Sirius chuckled as he leaned back in his chair. He glanced over at Harry to see him squinting behind his glasses still.

"Can you not see the menu, Harry?" Sirius asked.

Harry glanced up, his brows furrowing. "I can see it fine."

Sirius just nodded, glancing across the table at Ted. When Harry turned back to the menu, all three adults peered at him.

"Can you make him an appointment with you under a fake name?" Sirius asked Ted. "We arrive back to England early on the thirty-first. Maybe later that day?"

Ted nodded. "Yeah, that should be fine. I'll book you for the last appointment that day. Well, no, I'll book you an after-hours appointment so most everyone in the office is gone."

Harry glanced between the two. "Wait, an appointment for me?"

Sirius nodded, a frown working its way on his face. "Ted said you have had zero preventative potions. From what McGonagall told me, she couldn't get the Dursleys to sign off on giving them to you at school."

Harry blinked. "So?"

Ted's face pulled. "So? So? Sirius, did you tell him his grandparents died of dragon pox?"

Sirius nodded, his face twitching down. "I did."

"That potion wasn't developed until 1987, Harry," Ted explained, setting his menu down on the table. "It is now a preventable disease. If you want to be an Auror, you never know when you're going to come into contact with contaminated objects or potion ingredients!"

"Oh, well, yeah, I guess that makes sense when you put it like that," Harry replied. "Have you had your Muggle vaccines?" Ted pressed.

"Uh… I don't know?" Harry said, his brow furrowing.

Ted blanched. "Who was your doctor?"

Harry's mouth moved but no sound came out. Sirius frowned.

"Can you get me the name of his aunt and uncle? As well as their address?" Ted asked Sirius with a sigh. "I'll do some digging into the local Muggle clinics around the area and see if I can't scrounge up Harry's Muggle medical file in case Hogwarts doesn't have it. If he's had none of his vaccinations, we have to start there and catch him up over the next year. We have potion versions of all of that. Then next year, we'll have to catch him up on all of his magical potions."

"Yeah, of course," Sirius replied, crossing his arms over his chest. "Can you get him an eye exam too?"

Ted glanced over at Harry. "Yeah, I have a mate you can trust who specializes in that. I'll have him take Harry for a quick exam before my exam and make the necessary adjustments. When was the last time you got new glasses, Harry?"

Harry looked down at the table and squirmed. "Err… I think when I was seven or eight?"

Ted's frown deepened, Andromeda tsked, and Sirius just ran a hand over his face. Sirius would bet anything that the glasses Harry wore were his one and only pair. Not for the first time nor probably the last time, Sirius felt like an utter failure when it came to his godson.

Andromeda tried to bring the lunch around as she changed the subject and started chatting about everything and anything under the sun. Ted joined in, talking animatedly with his hands. Soon Harry was smiling and engaging, the Healer appointment long forgotten in his mind. But Sirius couldn't forget about it. If he hadn't gone after Peter, then Harry would have had new glasses every single year of his life and would be up to date on all of his potions and he wouldn't ever be embarrassed that his basic needs hadn't been met as a child. Sirius wanted to hurt the Dursleys, he wanted to kill Peter, and in that moment, he just wanted to drown himself in a vat of alcohol and numb the voices in his head.

After lunch, they walked around a wizarding village and sought out a Quidditch supply shop. The small village was bustling with people, no doubt families trying to buy school supplies for the upcoming year. It had been a long time since Sirius had been around so many people that he felt the anxiety rise in his chest. His grip tightened ever so slightly around Harry's arm, his throat narrowing so painfully that he could barely breathe. His eyes darted around at all the unfamiliar faces. The fact that no one even gave them a second look didn't bring him any comfort.

That's when Sirius saw him, surely thinking he was hallucinating. Regulus walked a little way ahead of him, crossing the street with a group of friends and a wide grin plastered across his face. His dark hair fell elegantly into his eyes, and the kid brushed it away. The kid turned, his gray eyes locking with Sirius for a few moments before he looked away. Sirius swallowed, unable to move, his grip loosening from Harry's arm.

"Sirius?" Harry asked, staying by his side.

Except Sirius could only stare at the kid ahead of him. He wore a Beauxbatons Quidditch t-shirt, so he couldn't be Regulus. But fuck the kid looked just like him. They could have been twins at one point in time.

"The Quidditch shop is just up here," Ted announced. "You two coming?"

The kid and his friends disappeared into a bookshop. Sirius shook his head, trying to forget about the kid. Regulus was dead. He certainly wasn't a bloody teenager still. Slowly, Sirius turned to Harry. His godson stared at him, concern shining in his eyes. Sirius only forced a smile on his lips as he wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders and they made their way into the Quidditch shop.

By the time they finally arrived back at the villa, Sirius was exhausted both mentally and physically. He allowed Andromeda to cook dinner, watching happily from his spot at the table as Harry helped her chop vegetables. The two of them chatted the entire time, wide grins on their faces, as though this was an everyday occurrence between the two. Sirius had watched over the course of the summer how Harry had blossomed more and more each day, opening himself up to those he trusted around him. The child that Sirius had met at thirteen was a very different young man that stood before him at sixteen.

"Merlin, Harry, you're an expert in the kitchen," Andromeda said in a fond tone, her hand rubbing his back between his shoulder blades. "Those onions are so nicely diced!"

Harry smiled shyly at her, shrugging. "Just a natural, I guess."

Ted slid into the chair next to Sirius, his face pulling into a thin line as he leaned in close to Sirius. "So I contacted Minerva to see if Hogwarts ever obtained Harry's Muggle medical file. They did collect it, even if it did take them an entire year to locate it."

Sirius watched as Harry laughed, his head rolling all the way back. He couldn't imagine what Andromeda could say that was so funny. She wasn't exactly the funniest person Sirius had ever met.

"Let me guess, he needs everything?" Sirius asked out of the corner of his mouth, his sad eyes never leaving his godson.

"You would be correct," Ted replied, his head shaking. "The only record they have of him from before Hogwarts was stitches on his arm when he was five. The notes said that a vase had fallen and he had cut himself with a shard."

Sirius frowned. "Stitches? That's when they take a needle with thread and sew you up, right?"

Ted nodded. "Yeah, I have to say, you impress me, Sirius."

Sirius waved him off. "I received Outstandings every single year in Muggle Studies. By far, my best class."

"They also had a visit to the optometrist for his eyes. He has a strong prescription and he has astigmatism," Ted whispered. "There was a note about how they wanted to monitor him and potentially patch one of his eyes. But he never went back."

Sirius winced. "What does that mean? Patch an eye?"

"He had a bit of a lazy eye," Ted explained. "It would have helped strengthen the eye. It was just something to watch, but it could have corrected itself. I wouldn't be too concerned about it. I never noticed anything concerning."

Sirius shook his head, a long sigh escaping his lips. "It's like Petunia and Vernon practically ignored him, giving him the bare minimum care."

"Well, it's not surprising, Sirius, given his disposition," Ted mused. "I see a lot of a teenage you in him, to be honest."

Sirius winced, his eyes dragging to glance at Ted. "Don't insult my godson like that."

Ted chuckled, meeting Sirius' gaze and reaching out to grip his shoulder. "Don't insult my little brother like that."

Sirius' chest constricted at the words, not knowing how to respond. All he knew is that he was grateful to have Ted in his life and, more importantly, a part of his family. Harry was lucky to have Ted and Andromeda in his corner as well.

Having Andromeda and Ted staying with them in France was a nice change of pace. Harry seemed to enjoy having the both of them around – especially since Andromeda was able to ease the sunburn on Harry's skin and provide him with a better Sun Potion for when they were out in the sun. Much to Sirius' chagrin, Andromeda and Ted loved telling stories about a young Sirius. Harry ate the stories up, laughing more often than not at how big of a moron he and James had been as kids. Sometimes, Andromeda talked about her and Sirius' childhood together, bringing up bittersweet memories that left Sirius not knowing how to feel half the time.

One night, the four of them sat out on the back deck playing Conjurer's Relics with enough snacks and sweets to feed a small army. The sweets were all homemade as Andromeda and Harry took to baking in the afternoons. Either Harry was a natural in the kitchen or Andromeda was an exceedingly good teacher because the food and the sweets rivaled those of Molly Weasley and Euphemia Potter.

"Oh, Sirius, do you remember Uncle Alphard that one summer? He brought expired Sun Potion and he burned to a crisp," Andromeda asked, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Sirius nodding, a smile creeping on his own face. "Yeah, it was the summer before my first year."

Andromeda swallowed, her lips twitching. "The summer before I was disowned when I announced my engagement to Ted."

Sirius jutted his jaw to the side. "The summer before everything went to shit."

Andromeda brushed her hair off her skin-kissed shoulder, her eyes glancing down at the cards in her hand. "I remember you went with me trying to find an apothecary. Your French was better than mine. Walburga made sure you and Regulus were fluent. Cygnus and Druella never cared enough."

"I believe Walburga called you all uncultured swine for only have a toddler-level of understanding of French," Sirius teased, tossing a card into the middle of the pile. "I heard Bella paid for a private tutor just to impress Walburga."

Andromeda wrinkled her nose. "Bella would. I think she was secretly disappointed she wasn't Walburga's daughter. Certainly tried to emulate her as best as she could."

"Wait, so Walburga is your mother, right, Sirius?" Ted asked. "I'm trying to get all the Blacks straight in my mind. There are so many of you."

Sirius scowled. "Please, Ted, I prefer the term egg-donor."

"Sirius," Andromeda sighed.

Harry chuckled as he tossed a card into the middle of the pile, his bottom lip sliding between his teeth as his eyes eagerly flew between everyone at the table.

"Walburga, Cygnus, and Alphard were all siblings," Andromeda explained. "Our grandparents were Pollux and Irma. Pollux's dad, so our great grandfather, was Cygnus as well."

"Oh, Merlin, Andy, don't tell me you're going to explain how my parents are related," Sirius complained, his head hitting the back of his chair.

"I am," Andromeda said, waving a hand in his direction. "Great-granddad Cygnus had a brother named Sirius."

"Do the Blacks just reuse names?" Harry asked, grabbing a few crisps from the middle of the table.

Sirius bobbed his head from side to side. "Well with so much inbreeding, we're not a very creative bunch."

Ted choked on his wine.

"Great Uncle Sirius had a son named Arcturus," Andromeda continued. "He had a son named Orion who is Sirius' dad."

"So your great uncles are also your great grandfathers?" Ted asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Welcome to the family of the fucked up, Ted," Sirius said in a dry voice as he folded his hand. "Aren't you glad you married into this?"

Ted wrapped an arm around the back of Andromeda's chair. "Oh, I count my blessings every day. Wouldn't trade this life for anything."

Sirius chuckled. "You're such a sop, Ted."

"It's all very fascinating," Ted said. "We come from such different worlds. The portrait at Grimmauld, that was your egg-donor, Sirius?"

Sirius grinned. "You're catching on. Yeah, she unfortunately was. Lovely woman, wouldn't you say?"

"I believe one day she commented that I must be the Mudblood who defiled the blood traitor," Ted replied, giving Sirius an upside-down smile. "Amazingly lovely."

Sirius snorted. "She had a way with words."

"Oh, certainly," Ted said as he folded his hand. "I'm just glad she's the only family member I've come across, well besides you and Alphard. Though I can say with definite certainty, you are my favorite Black relative, Sirius."

"I'm sure the competition was steep," Sirius said, glancing over at Harry who seemed less interested in the card game and more interested in the conversation. "My favorite Black would have to be Dora because she's dating Remus. Sorry, Andy. You were demoted."

Andromeda rolled her eyes. "She reminds me of you, so I'm not surprised. I feel like she's really expanded her vocabulary since she started spending time with you. As soon as I heard her call someone a cockwomble, I knew she had spoken with you."

Sirius let out a bark-like laugh. "Is that the night you demanded to see me?"

"I can't believe you didn't come see me as soon as you escaped!" Andromeda hissed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Of all the rotten things you've done, that was the worst."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "If you consider that the rottenest thing I've done, you have some pretty high standards."

"I was raised a Black, Sirius," Andromeda joked, a smile crossing her face. "Honestly, though, did you think I wouldn't believe you?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. Nobody did."

Andromeda swallowed. "I tried so hard to see you. I was at the Ministry nearly daily asking to speak with you. I wrote a character letter for you, but I don't think anyone even read it. When it was announced you wouldn't receive a trial, it was implied that I would be arrested if I kept harassing the Auror Department. If it wasn't for Dora, I would have gladly been carded off to Azkaban. At least I could have talked to you."

Sirius held his breath as a pressure settled on his chest. Andromeda was one of the few people he could say that he honestly loved.

"That's not even something you want to joke about, Andy," Sirius said, pushing his chair back, because he would rather not talk about what happened all those years ago. It made it harder to push it all down into some dark pit and pretend it didn't happen if Andromeda was talking so bluntly about it.

Andromeda reached across the table, snagging Sirius' hand and keeping him from leaving. "I love you," she whispered.

Sirius blinked, his gaze flickering to her face. "I love you too, Andy."

Andromeda grinned, her eyes sparkling. "But not love in the way your mum and dad loved each other. Just in the normal cousin love way."

Sirius attempted to rip his hand from Andromeda, trying to swallow down the laughter that bubbled in his throat. Andromeda only tightened her grip.

"Shut up, Andy," Sirius said with a wide smile.

Ted leaned in close to Harry. "Do you think I should be worried?"

Harry laughed. "Probably."

"Oi!" Sirius shouted, attempting to sound offended. "I turned down a betrothal to one cousin already!"

"You like me more though," Andromeda replied with a wink, releasing his hand and leaning back in her chair. "Who's still in on this round? I lost track of the game."

"I feel like we never actually finish a round," Ted mused. "I blame Sirius for that."

Sirius shook his head, grabbing all the cards to start to shuffle again. He hadn't paid attention to the last game either and it was better just to start over.

"I'll keep my mouth shut during the next round," Sirius replied as he straightened the cards in his hands.

Andromeda snorted. "I bet you a Galleon you won't be able to accomplish that."

Sirius' lips twisted as he started to shuffle the cards. Perhaps before Azkaban he would have had a hard time not talking. But after twelve years in Azkaban, well, he had grown used to not talking for weeks at a time. He certainly didn't have any desire to talk to any of the Death Eaters he had been surrounded by. The only time he talked seemed to be to the ghosts that haunted him.

Sirius dealt the cards, winking at Harry as he did so. He was more than happy to win Harry some pocket money for his first Hogsmeade visit of the year. Not that he actually needed it because Sirius planned on giving him a large pouch of money for the year regardless. But it was the thought that counted.

Ginny sighed, glancing over at the empty bed next to her. Looking around the unfamiliar bedroom, she couldn't help but frown. Not only was she separated from Harry, but she was in her dead uncle's old house which had been just as dusty as Grimmauld had been, but not nearly as interesting. Her and Ron had worked around the clock cleaning ever since they arrived.

A pecking sounded on her window. Ginny looked at an owl she had never seen before and made her way over to it. A smile twitched on her lips at the sight of the lumpy package. She allowed the owl inside, while on the other side of the room Hedwig ruffled her feathers and turned her head away from the new arrival.

Ginny untied the package before the owl flew over to Hedwig's perch for some water. Harry's small and cramped handwriting stared up at her. She plucked the letter off first and opened it. Several photographs spilled out. Setting them aside, she decided she wanted to read the letter first.

Dear Gin,

Happy birthday!

I'm sorry I can't be there to celebrate with you. It seems unfair that you were around to celebrate mine and I'm in another country for yours. I sent you some photos from France. Sirius decided that the villa had too many pictures of the Black family and went on a rampage to find them all on the first day we were here. I think I told you about how he made Kreacher cry. He burned them all except a few – ones that only had his Uncle Alphard, Andromeda, Regulus, and himself. Although, I think if he knew some more of what Regulus was up to during the war, he would have pitched those pictures too. Anyway, Sirius said we should redecorate the house with pictures of us. It seems weird, but I went along with it because it seemed to make him happy. I thought you might like to see some of what we've been up to since I've only told you about it.

I hope the owl arrived on time. Ted took me to an owlery in a small wizarding village nearby. I paid extra to get it to you on time and they guaranteed a morning delivery. So, there's that. I hope you enjoy your gift. I had the idea but Sirius helped make it happen. Oh, also, the gift wrapped in gold is from Sirius. He says happy birthday as well. Andy and Ted sent the macarons. They're from a Muggle bakery not far from where we are staying.

While I'm enjoying spending some one-on-one time with Sirius and now spending time to get to know Andy and Ted better, I still miss England. I miss you. I miss Ron. I miss all of us being together. I think Sirius is getting a little homesick too. He's been talking to your mum nearly nightly. He also misses doing his crosswords. He's tried a few times to do them in French, but he says it's a lot harder to remember how to spell things. He's really fluent in speaking French, at least I think he is. He's had no issues with people understanding him when we go out and he barely stumbles over his words. It sounds impressive to me who basically knew oui and non before I came here. But Andy brought him a week's worth of Daily Prophets so he can catch up on his crosswords and even brought him a book of puzzles.

Anyway, I can't wait until I can see you again on the first.

I miss you,

Harry

Ginny couldn't keep the goofy grin off her face as she turned towards the parcel. She unwrapped it slowly, watching as three separate gifts tumbled out. She found the box of assorted macarons and set them aside. She opened Sirius' parcel first, finding brand new Chaser gloves. Next, she turned to Harry's package and her heart skipped a beat. Inside was a Holyhead Harpies jersey that looked to be authentic. She flipped it over to see what player he chose and jaw dropped when she saw Weasley etched on the back.

A giddy giggle escaped her lips as she pulled the jersey on over her head. Her fingers trailed along the stitching of the logo. It smelled like Harry, like he had it stuffed with all of his clothes for a while now and the scent lingered. Collapsing down on her bed, she flipped through the photos. She laughed at a sunburnt Harry on the beach in his swim trunks next to a sandcastle with a shy grin on his face. Another picture of Harry holding a treacle tart with Andromeda next to him. A picture of Ted, Sirius, and Harry (who looked slightly tanned and no longer burnt) playing some odd game in the sand with different colored balls. A picture of Ted on Sirius' back with the sea in the background. Another picture of Harry squished between Ted and Andromeda with Sirius behind them with his arms stretched around everyone.

Ginny couldn't get over the fact that Harry was smiling so broadly in nearly every single picture that it looked as though his cheeks would crack and break. She had never seen him look so happy before. In the few pictures that she had seen from Ron or Hermione over the years, he rarely smiled or he offered a toothless smile. Now, well, now all of his pearly whites showed and his eyes sparkled. He looked like a totally different person. Younger and happier than he had ever looked.

A vibrating sounded from her bedside table. Ginny looked up to see Harry's face shining in the mirror. She practically dove for it, eager to talk to him.

"Harry Potter," she said as the mirrors connected.

"Happy birthday!" Harry exclaimed.

The mirror shifted and Sirius shoved his face next to Harry's, their cheeks touching. "Happy birthday, Ginny," Sirius greeted. "I see you received our gifts."

"I just finished opening them," Ginny confirmed. "Thank you so much! Please, tell Andromeda and Ted thank you for the macarons."

"You're welcome, Ginny!" Andromeda's voice rang from somewhere Ginny couldn't see. "Harry, darling, how many pieces of toast do you want for breakfast?"

"Uh, two please," Harry replied, his eyes flickering over the mirror.

"Sirius, are you eating or are you just going to drown yourself in coffee?" Andromeda asked.

Sirius grunted, pulling away from the mirror. "I'll drown myself in coffee. You want to make some more?"

Harry rolled his eyes, turning back to the mirror. "Sirius doesn't believe in breakfast half the time."

Ginny scrunched her face. "I remember. Merlin, I'll never understand how anyone could skip a meal."

"Coffee is a meal!" Sirius shouted.

"So what are you doing today for your birthday?" Harry changed the subject, leaning back in his chair which appeared to be at the breakfast bar in the kitchen where he often called Ron from.

"Bill, Fleur, Fred, George, Remus, and Tonks are stopping over for dinner," Ginny said as she leaned against the pillows. "Ron said we could practice some drills today. Mum's probably already baking."

"Well, maybe Andy and I can bake a small cake and we can set up the mirror and have cake together," Harry suggested. "Andy and I have been baking a lot since they got here."

Ginny soaked in how happy he looked, how at ease he seemed to be with Sirius and the Tonks family. While she hated to admit it, maybe it was a good thing he left England. It gave him time to really bond with his new family instead of spending his days lazing about with her and Ron. Despite not sleeping next to one another, he looked more refreshed as well. The dark circles were gone from under his eyes and he could breathe easily for the first time in a long time.

"That sounds like fun," Ginny agreed. "Will you sing happy birthday to me as well?"

Harry pursed his lips to the side. "I'll think about it."

Ginny laughed. "I'll hang up on you if you don't!"

Harry threw his head back, laughing like Sirius often did. Ginny had noticed over the course of the summer that Harry had slowly but surely picked up quite a few of Sirius' mannerisms.

"I will sing to you," Harry replied, tilting his chin down to look at her again. "Can't promise it will be any good though."

Ginny smiled. "That won't bother me one bit, promise."

"Harry, darling, do you want to run to the market with me?" Andromeda asked. "I'll wait for you to finish on your call if you do."

Harry looked away from the mirror, a small smile creeping on his lips as he nodded his head.

"I'll let you go," Ginny commented. "I can smell Mum's breakfast already and my mouth is watering. She goes all out on birthday breakfasts, as you are well aware."

Harry glanced back at the mirror. "You sure?"

Ginny nodded. "We can talk more tonight."

"I'll keep my mirror on me," Harry promised. "Happy birthday, Gin."

"Bye, Harry."

The mirrors disconnected. Ginny placed it on her bedside table before she rolled out of bed, thinking about how she couldn't wait to go back to Hogwarts for her fifth year and see Harry once more. She also couldn't wait to rub her birthday gift from Harry in Ron's face. At least Harry thought she could go professional one day if he already bought her a jersey with her name on it.

Remus sighed, a frown setting deep in his features as he tapped his foot on the floor in the Portkey Department of the Ministry of Magic. Nymphadora sat next to him, lazily flipping through some music magazine. He wasn't quite sure how Sirius and Nymphadora had gotten him to agree to go to bloody France during the week of the full moon. Except Nymphadora had talked to Fleur who talked to Madame Maxine who talked to her potions master who agreed to brew the Wolfsbane Potion. Sirius said he would meet with her daily to collect the potion for him. And Sirius even pointed out a small wooded area they could go to for the transformation if he was against staying at the house. Andromeda, Ted, and even bloody Marlene had told him to go to France to help Sirius get Harry home without incident. Before he knew what was happening, Nymphadora told him Sirius had bought them a Portkey and she was going with or without him.

"Would you go to a concert?" Nymphadora asked in a casual tone, not looking up from her magazine. "You don't strike me as someone who would enjoy it."

Remus furrowed his brow, glancing over at the article about the Hobgoblins going back on tour. He had been to a few concerts with James, Sirius, and… Remus swallowed. He had fun with his friends, screaming at the top of their lungs and drinking until he couldn't even remember how they had made their way back to James and Sirius' old flat.

"I think I'd enjoy it if you were there," Remus replied, glancing over at her.

"Oh, then we are definitely going to one," Nymphadora promised him. "If only Sirius had a girlfriend, we could go on a double date. I'm not quite sure if he'd come alone."

"Well, he was always a third wheel with James and Lily and never seemed to mind it," Remus supplied because he was going to keep his mouth shut about Sirius' conflicted feelings towards Tegan Robins and Marlene McKinnon.

Sirius would only be irritated with the breach of trust. Remus wasn't ready for a quarrel between them, no matter how minor it would be. They were the last ones of their friendship group left. Remus would be damned if he allowed the two of them to fall out again.

Luckily, their Portkey was called before long. He followed Nymphadora since he had never left the country. His father had been too afraid to take him out of England, claiming he was scared his affliction would be found out and he would be taken from them in another country where he didn't know the laws. It had instilled a fear in him even as an adult, not that he ever had the money to go anywhere. But Remus was really trying to break out of his comfort zone.

It took them nearly two hours to find the Black Villa and they got lost no less than six times. Nymphadora claimed she was amazing with directions, but he started to question that after she started rotating the map of the city on their third missed turn. When they finally turned up at the end of the road where the villa should be, they saw nothing but the boundless sea in front of them.

"What the actual fuck?" Nymphadora huffed, rotating the map again. "This is it. It has to be! I'm a Black! I should be able to see the house!"

Remus was exhausted and he wanted to go home. Peering over Nymphadora's shoulder, he tried to figure out where they went wrong yet again but couldn't work it out since he couldn't read French.

"OI!"

Remus glanced up to see Sirius standing there, his arms thrown up like he didn't know why they were standing there like idiots. Then, out of thin air, Harry appeared behind him and offered a small wave.

"We can't see the bloody house!" Nymphadora exclaimed.

"Huh," Sirius hmphed as he walked closer to them. "Not even you, Dora?"

She shot him an annoyed look as Sirius drew his wand. Of course, to enter one of the ancient houses of the Black family, blood was involved. Remus watched as Sirius and Dora disappeared into thin air. Harry lingered next to him, glancing down at him.

"It's clean unlike Grimmauld," Harry commented. "Andromeda apparently ordered Kreacher to have it ready for us when we arrived. Sirius was thrilled."

Remus snorted. "I swear, one of these days Sirius and Andromeda are going to have a full out brawl if she keeps meddling."

Harry shrugged. "I think they just bicker to bicker half the time. Kind of like Ron and Ginny."

"Maybe," Remus said with a sigh. "I never had a sibling or a cousin growing up, so you may just be right."

Harry shifted. "I didn't either," he said with a wince. "Well, I mean, there was Dudley, but he doesn't really count. He actually hated me so it was never banter. It was more like he was going to beat me up if I didn't run fast enough."

Remus shot Harry a glance. He had heard, secondhand through Sirius, some of the odd comments that Harry would make about the Dursleys. Kids at Hogwarts liked to gossip about Harry as well, about his hand-me-down clothes, to how his glasses had been broken when he first arrived at Hogwarts, to how he flinched away from people's touch. It didn't take Remus long to recognize that Harry hadn't been brought up in a loving household. While Remus hadn't met any of them before, Sirius had met Petunia a time or two and had nothing but awful things to say. Remus could clearly remember the stories that James would tell about them, from the Dursley wedding fiasco, to the awkward Evans family dinners, to the way Petunia had screamed at Lily at their parents' funeral.

"He was bigger than me," Harry said in a rush, his neck flushing. "And it was just normal kid stuff. It doesn't matter anyway. I'll never see him again, and that's just fine with both of us, you know? And, and I'm sure lots of kids hate their cousins. I mean, look at Sirius with his. Andy is the only one he likes. And… well, oh, look, there's Sirius."

Harry darted forward, disappearing into thin air. Remus' lips twisted, his gaze boring into the spot where Harry had been. Sirius held out his bloody hand to him.

"Draw some blood and let's go," Sirius said in a dry tone.

Remus did as he was told. "Harry's chatty."

Sirius arched an eyebrow. "How so?"

"He was talking about his cousin," Remus elaborated. "Normally, he's not so willing to give any personal details or voice his thoughts so freely."

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I noticed he's way more talkative since we arrived in France. I wonder if he's just finally becoming comfortable around all of us."

"He was always comfortable around you," Remus replied, reaching out his bleeding hand towards Sirius'.

Sirius shook his head. "Nah, he wasn't. He held back a lot."

"He always seemed at ease around you," Remus replied.

Sirius shrugged. "Maybe more so with me than other people. But he's no James, Remus," he said in a sad voice. "Not that I want him to be or anything. I'm happy he's uniquely Harry. But James would overshare. He'd tell you his entire life story within the first five minutes you met him. Harry has always been quieter, making vague statements that left you wondering what the hell he was even talking about. I could tell he wanted to be closer, you could see it in his eyes. But he never allowed himself to. There was always something that held him back and it was so bloody frustrating. Something switched over this past summer though. Slowly he started talking about himself more and actually asking questions. He sought out comfort and stopped being so embarrassed over affection – at least with a select few. Now, well, I mean, he just seems happy in France."

Remus gave a quick and soft smile. "Maybe you were right to bring him here then. Maybe getting away and decompressing a bit was what he needed. He always seemed tense."

"Yeah, he did," Sirius agreed.

Remus grabbed Sirius' hand, their blood mixing as they made their way towards the villa as Sirius muttered under his breath. It appeared suddenly, like a fog had lifted, looking as impressive as all the other Black properties he had been to. When they entered the house, Nymphadora had enlarged her luggage and was digging through it at the table. She pulled out a textbook and handed it to Harry.

"This is how I passed Snape's N.E.W.T. Level Potions," Nymphadora said with a broad grin. "There are notes in there from Mum and Dad. Dead helpful. Though, Mum's been helping Marlene with her syllabus and I don't think it will be as grueling. She'll probably explain things a lot better as well."

Harry looked down at the Advanced Potions Book in his hands. "Are you sure?"

Nymphadora waved at him. "Of course, I'm sure. What am I going to do with that? I would keep it when you go through Auror training. It's a good reference."

"Thanks, Tonks," Harry said in a sincere voice, flipping through the book.

"Now, Mum will buy you a new copy," Nymphadora continued. "She'll think you don't want a book all marked up, but just accept it. Oh, Mum told me your grandfather's potions book was on the syllabus too. I think it's being used as a reference guide. But she'll buy you a new edition of that too. Just accept it with a smile. She likes new and shiny things," she continued, leaning forward and dropping her voice. "It's a Black thing."

Harry looked up at that bit of information, his brows furrowing. "Honestly, I didn't even look at the supply list. Your mum just said she was going to take care of it all."

"We may have been abused as kids, but damn if our parents didn't get us the most expensive supplies and robes so we looked the part," Sirius said in a dry voice as he motioned for Harry to hand him the potions book. "I think I prefer old and dirty now."

Nymphadora snorted. "You and Mum are so vastly different."

"I aim to be like no one else in our wretched family," Sirius replied, flipping through the book. "Even the good ones. Oi, Dora, is this Snape?"

Remus peered over Nymphadora's shoulder to see a stick figure with an impressive nose on it. The stick figure pointed a wand at its head, green flashed, and the figure fell dead before the animation started again.

"Merlin, Dora, you can't give that to Harry to take to school!" Remus exclaimed. "Give it here, I'll get rid of the drawing before he gets detention."

"The fuck you will," Sirius snapped, drawing the book close to his chest. "That is a masterpiece!"

Nymphadora looked up at him, her lips curving. "I love that you're such a rule follower. Is that new since you became a professor? Because I've heard you and Sirius talk about your Hogwarts days before, you weren't that much of a goody two shoes."

"He really wasn't," Sirius confirmed, handing the book back to Harry. "It probably is the whole professor thing."

"I won't let anyone see," Harry said, his lips twitching. "Except for Ron, because he'd find it hilarious. Probably Ginny too."

Remus sighed, his head shaking.

"And I bet the twins would get a kick out of it," Harry added.

"Oh! Show Bill too!" Nymphadora added in an enthusiastic tone.

Remus shot Nymphadora a look. They were supposed to be the responsible adults in Harry's life, not encouraging him.

Nymphadora shrugged. "What? Mum and Dad have adopted Sirius as their brother and Harry as their nephew. That makes me the fun older cousin!" she explained before turning towards Harry. "Which, only my family gets to call me Dora, so feel free to seize that opportunity. Not many get the pleasure."

Harry offered her a shy lopsided smile. "All right."

Sirius carded a hand through his dark hair. "You know, I am fairly certain that your mother is just promoting herself to my sister in order to meddle more in my life. Did you know she sent Kreacher to clean this place?"

Nymphadora feigned surprise. "You're joking! The nerve of her to have this place in tip top shape for her two favorite extended family members! Disown her, Sirius. You have the power as the head of the household!"

Sirius shot her a look, his lip snarling. "Don't tempt me."

Nymphadora rolled her eyes, reaching up and tapping Sirius on the cheek. "We both know you love our little branch of the family too much. Mum already knows you like Dad more than her anyway. So she's just trying to win top prize by making sure you're taken care of."

"I don't need taking care of," Sirius grumbled. "I'm thirty-six years old. If I don't have it figured out by now, I'll never have it figured out."

Remus snorted, causing Sirius to shoot him one of his infamously murderous glares. Harry tried to hide his smirk, clutching the potions book to his chest as his eyes flickered between the adults. It was definitely going to be an interesting week with the four of them together. Remus had no doubt that Harry and Nymphadora would be endlessly entertained with his and Sirius' bickering.

Harry sat next to Sirius on the back deck with his grandfather's potions book open in his lap. Except he wasn't reading the words anymore. He watched as Remus and Tonks laughed as they caught wave after wave on the boogie boards. At one point, the boards lay forgotten in the sand. Remus grabbed Tonks around the waist from behind, swinging her around until they tumbled beneath the waves. They looked effortless together, completely in sync with one another. Harry couldn't help but think that Tonks was to Remus what Ginny was to him. Because more often than not, Remus was standoffish and guarded. But with Tonks, he was a completely different person.

Glancing over at his godfather, who was still in his swim trunks from when they were in the pool earlier, Harry found himself studying Sirius' array of tattoos. It wasn't the first time he had tried to decipher the meanings behind all of them. Some were easier to figure out the meaning to than others. His eyes stopped at the words bête noire etched across Sirius' heart and he felt bile rise in his throat. When he had heard the story behind the tattoo after his possession when Marlene asked about it in the kitchen of the Burrow, Harry had understood for the first time why Sirius had declined to be his family's Secret Keeper. Even now, Sirius refused to be a Secret Keeper to any house where Harry potentially stayed.

As though feeling Harry's eyes on him, Sirius turned to look at him. He shoved his sunglasses up into his hair, his eyes squinting at Harry and causing little lines to spread from the corners.

"You all right?" Sirius asked, the book of puzzles long forgotten.

Harry nodded before tilting his chin to indicate Sirius' upper arm. "The constellation tattoo on your arm, which one is that?"

Sirius glanced down at his arm briefly. "Hydra," he replied and pointed to one of the stars. "That's Alphard. I got it after he died. We were all named after stars or constellations, in case you never noticed. Or I guess, most of us were."

"I had an inkling," Harry replied.

Sirius smiled. "I purposely failed my Astronomy O.W.L. to stick it to Walburga. Got a Dreadful."

Harry let out a small chuckle. "Somehow that doesn't surprise me."

"I was aiming for a Troll," Sirius continued, kicking his legs up on the coffee table. "James and I were convinced the grade didn't exist after that. I tried my damn near hardest to answer every single question wrong. I even answered a question wrong about my own name."

Sirius turned back to his crossword, the top of his quill scratching his chin. For some reason, a touch of melancholy washed over Harry. Their time in France was nearing an end and he'd be back at Hogwarts in less than a week. While he hadn't wanted to go to France to begin with, he was really glad they did. He felt impossibly closer to Sirius, closer to Andromeda and Ted, and had started to become closer with Remus and Tonks. Harry wondered if this was what it meant to have a family, just people always around willing to talk about anything and everything under the sun. To have people he could rely on when he was upset or nervous, to hug when he needed the support, and just know someone always had his best interest at heart.

Sirius cleared his throat. "Oi, what's a Seeker defensive dive that causes the other Seeker to crash in a last second pull out? Blank Feint."

"Wronski Feint," Harry replied.

Sirius mouthed the word Wronski, spelling it out. "Is that with a y?"

Harry shook his head. "No, an I."

"Ahh, that makes sense. All right, thanks," Sirius replied as he wrote the letters down in the boxes.

Harry closed his potions book and looked up to see Remus and Tonks making their way towards the house. Tonks shook out her pink locks, her gaze glancing over at Remus who smiled softly at the sand as he carried both boogie boards.

"Wotcher, Harry!" Tonks greeted as she shoved Sirius' legs off the coffee table and took a seat across from them.

Sirius huffed, resting his ankle on the opposite knee.

"You did well," Harry commented. "Better than I did when I tried when we first got here."

"You should have come out with us, I could have shown you," Tonks replied, a bright smile on her face. "I'll show you tomorrow."

Harry nodded. "That sounds brilliant."

"Speaking of tomorrow," Remus interrupted, his face growing grave. "We need to talk about your escape plan in case things don't go the way we plan them to."

Sirius waved him off. "Madam Maxime's Potions master has been brewing you the Wolfsbane Potion. You'll be fine."

"It only takes one bad batch, Sirius," Remus insisted. "You know that."

"If Snape could make it perfectly for you for a year, then I think the Beauxbatons Potions master can brew it perfectly as well," Sirius argued.

Tonks nodded, leaning back to look up at Remus. "Snape hates you too."

Remus sighed. "He wouldn't try anything right under Dumbledore's nose. He's not a moron."

"That's debatable," Sirius said.

Harry snorted, a grin flitting across his face.

"It'll be fine," Tonks insisted. "We have the emergency Portkey."

"Uh, yeah, that's only to be used as a last resort," Sirius said, pointing at Tonks. "That takes you back to England and I don't fancy being in separate countries right now."

"Would you rather have Harry mauled to death or to be separated?" Remus asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "I can handle you."

Remus let out an incredulous scoff. "We both know it was James who handled me when it was needed. I still have antler scars."

"Not because I couldn't do it," Sirius insisted. "Pointy antlers made a point more than just teeth."

Harry's eyes flickered between the two. He always loved to hear when they brought up the past, which was a rare occurrence because it only seemed to be associated with bad memories for the both of them. But they seemed to be growing more at ease with talking about the past over the course of the summer – slowly yet surely growing closer and less bitter about the past.

Remus threw his hands up. "It's only your godson you're putting at risk."

Sirius' lip curled. "Don't try to guilt me."

"Harry shouldn't be here tomorrow night," Remus stressed. "Dora can take him to a hotel under a fake name. They'd be safer."

"Look, if you don't want to be in the house, there's woods down the road," Sirius explained, gesturing behind him. "Or I can ward a door well enough to contain you. I had a lot of fucking practice. Trust me, James and I researched it extensively and we practiced with Fleamont."

Remus' lips drew in a thin line.

"I personally trust that Sirius has handled everything adequately," Tonks added, her attention turning to Harry. "But I will do whatever you want, Harry. If you'd like to leave for the night, we can grab a hotel or something. If you're comfortable staying here with the precautions Sirius has taken and feel confident that both Sirius and I can handle any potential unforeseen disasters, we can bunk in a room together at the house."

"I'm fine with staying at the house," Harry decided without really taking any time to think about it.

Remus huffed. "I will never understand all of your blatant disregard for your own safety around a bloodthirsty monster."

Harry shrugged. "It's just a little problem."

Sirius' lips curled. "A furry little problem. Too right, Harry."

Remus made a choking noise in the back of his throat, his wide eyes flickering between them.

"Oh, fuck off, Remus, just because we're not wankers doesn't mean we're being reckless morons," Sirius insisted. "We're taking the proper precautions and this is definitely not my first fly around the pitch. I understand the dangers of a feral werewolf, all right? I would never put Harry in harm's way."

Remus looked like he wanted to argue, but his lips never moved. Tonks reached up, grabbing his wrist. Her thumb brushed against the inside of his wrist and a reassuring smile crossed her features.

"Let's get cleaned up for dinner, yeah?" Tonks suggested. "You look tired from a day in the sun. We can eat and then you can go to bed early."

Remus nodded briefly before the two disappeared into the villa. Harry stretched out his legs, plopping them down onto the coffee table in front of him.

"He gets cranky before the full moon," Sirius explained, closing his crossword book. "Don't mind him. He just has your best interest at heart. We all do."

A lump formed in Harry's throat. "No, I know."

"Come on, let's go get ready for dinner as well," Sirius said, standing up and extending a hand for Harry. "Dora wanted to try this one restaurant Andy told her about. So put on something nice, yeah?"

Harry accepted the hand and grinned. "You sound like Andy now."

Sirius laughed, cuffing Harry gently on the back of the head. "Shut up."

Harry chuckled as he followed Sirius inside of the villa before making his way up to shower to attempt to get all the sand out of his hair. He had a feeling, given how thick his hair was, that he would be finding sand for weeks after they left France. While he would surprisingly miss France with his family, he was more than just a tad excited to see Ron and Ginny again.

Sirius leaned back in his bed, the mirror in hand. He had called Tegan Robins a few times over the course of the past three weeks, the two chatting into the late hours of the night or talking in the early hours of the morning. It was impossibly easy between them as the conversation never seemed to lull, and laughter often rang from their lips. He predicted that he would be spending a lot of time with Tegan once they arrived back in England and the kids were at Hogwarts once more. It would be a welcome distraction and keep Sirius from staring obsessively at the castle.

"Remus thinks I'm a moron," Sirius said, crossing his long legs at the ankles as he stretched in his bed in the early hours of the morning, a cup of coffee in his hands. "I would never put Harry at risk if I thought he was dangerous."

"I think Remus has a very low self-worth," Tegan replied. "He views himself as a monster first and a person second."

"Well, that's fucking bullocks," Sirius snapped, a frown working its way on his face. "It's one day a month. Now, they make a potion to help them keep their minds. I've made sure he's had it every single month for over a year now."

Tegan cocked her head to the side, her lips curving. "You're a really good friend, Sirius."

Sirius let out a mix between a chuckle and a scoff. "I think a lot of people would disagree with you there."

Tegan looked up at the ceiling. "You have self-worth issues too, you know that, right?"

"I was raised in the Black family," Sirius explained in a deadpan tone. "My parents were cousins. There's a lot more wrong with me than just self-worth issues, trust me."

"Merlin, Sirius," Tegan breathed, a small chuckle escaping her lips.

"Does that revelation make you want to cancel our dinner plans on Sunday?" Sirius asked, his chest tightening as he waited for her answer.

He kept waiting for the broom to drop, to have her say that she's changed her mind about dinner and seeing one another. Sure, she must know that a majority of his family are Death Eaters given her job and from Order meetings and from the little comments he'd dropped. But that didn't seem to scare her away. If that didn't drive her away, surely his obsessive personality would or the fact that he was the byproduct of incest would disgust her or something.

Tegan pursed her lips to the side. "No, I still want to go to dinner with you. I picked out a restaurant not far from my house, if that's all right. It's amazing food."

Sirius' chest unraveled. "Sounds good. I'm not a picky eater."

"Good," Tegan replied, her eyes sparkling. "And I thought we could do something afterward."

Sirius raised his eyebrows. "What did you have in mind?"

"It's a surprise," Tegan said with a smirk. "Something Muggle so you might have never tried it before."

"Lily was a Muggleborn," Sirius explained, because he wasn't sure if Tegan knew or remembered Lily's background. "She introduced James and I to a lot of Muggle activities. And, I'll have you know, I received an Outstanding on my Muggle Studies N.E.W.T."

"Oooh, then this is a test to see just how much you know, Black," Tegan teased.

"Bring it, Emerson!" Sirius exclaimed, smiling.

Tegan laughed. "You will score points based upon how little I have to tell you about what we're doing. You take the lead."

Sirius' lips twitched. "Deal."

Tegan sighed. "I really should go," she said with a frown. "I hear Demelza up and about. She's been going over to her friend Niamh's house while I've been at work the past couple of weeks."

"I should get downstairs anyway before Harry wakes up so I can deactivate his bracelet," Sirius replied.

Tegan smiled. "You're doing a fantastic job with him, you know that, right? It's so hard being a single parent. You never feel like you're there enough or doing enough and playing multiple roles is just exhausting."

Sirius nodded. "I have to say, I've had such a wonderful support system. Andy and Ted have all but adopted Harry as their nephew. Remus and Dora have been great. Don't even get me started on Molly and Arthur or else you'll be late for work with all the amazing things I have to say about them."

"I can't say I'm not a tad jealous," Tegan replied in a light tone. "It's just been Elza and I for so long."

"The Weasleys are great, Tee," Sirius emphasized. "They will always help you if you need it. Their home seems to have a revolving door that allows strays with no family to enter and gain a homecooked meal and an ear to listen to them."

"I'll keep that in mind," Tegan promised, a soft smile gracing her exhausted face. "I'll see you Sunday. Let's meet outside of the Three Broomsticks at say five?"

"I'll be there," Sirius assured her. "Have a good day at work."

The mirrors disconnected. Tossing it onto the bed next to him, Sirius rose from the bed and placed his coffee on his bedside table. He grabbed a t-shirt off the back of the chair and shoved it on over his head before he grabbed a pair of trousers to put on. After running his fingers through his hair, he exited his bedroom.

He paused in the doorway to see Harry sitting outside his room, a Defense book in his lap. Sirius made his way over to his godson, shoving his hands into his pockets as he loomed over him. Harry looked up and smiled at him.

"What are you doing?" Sirius asked.

Harry shrugged before he stood up. "I saw your bedroom door was closed, so I thought I'd let you sleep instead of waking you up by setting the bracelet off. Tonks didn't know how to deactivate it and she said Remus was having a lie in because of the moon tonight."

Sirius grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled his wand from his pocket. "Just knock and wake me up next time. You don't need to sit in here all by yourself."

Harry rolled his eyes. "You never sleep. I'm surprised you're not hallucinating due to lack of sleep yet."

Sirius grinned. "You mean one can't live off three to four hours of sleep a night?"

Harry's nose wrinkled as the two of them made their way downstairs. "Well, I wouldn't have to worry about Voldemort doing me in because I would die due to exhaustion if I were you."

Sirius chuckled as they made their way into the kitchen. "It's a talent, Harry. I've spent my entire life slowly cutting out sleep until I can survive on very little," he explained, making a beeline for the coffee pot and grabbing himself another cup. "Where's Dora? I thought you said she was up."

"She went for a run on the beach," Harry explained as he browsed through the box of breakfast treats on the counter before he selected a croissant. "She said she'd be a few hours."

Sirius' face pulled as he poured Harry a cup of coffee as well and handed it to him. "Ugh, that was James. He'd get up at ungodly hours to go for runs around the lake or around Godric's Hollow. I did not join him."

Harry sat down at the breakfast bar. "Was he a big runner then?"

Sirius bobbed his head from side to side. "He just liked sports. You know, your grandparents sent him to a Muggle school growing up, which was very frowned upon in most pureblood circles. He played football with all the local Muggle kids in the village and tried a bunch of different Muggle sports."

"Really?" Harry asked. "The Weasleys were always homeschooled."

Sirius nodded. "Doesn't surprise me. The Blacks had personal tutors while Molly probably taught them herself."

Harry plucked a piece of croissant off, squishing it between his fingers. "I didn't know that."

Sirius stood across the counter from Harry, observing his godson closely. Half the time, Sirius couldn't tell if Harry was upset that he didn't already know the information or if talking about his parents just depressed him. Sirius didn't know whether or not he should talk about them or not.

"Hey, uh, since we're alone and we're going back to England on Saturday, I told Molly I would have a conversation with you," Sirius started, changing the subject.

Harry glanced up at him, his brows furrowed. "About what?"

Sirius shifted, because he really didn't want to have this conversation. He had been putting it off for weeks now.

"I know about you and Ginny sharing a bed," Sirius said in a rush, holding up his hand to stop Harry from speaking when his mouth opened. "It's fine. I'm not upset or anything. I trust you to be smart, but you're also sixteen and probably don't know exactly how to be completely smart."

"We didn't do anything!" Harry protested, his neck flushing a bright red.

"Not yet, at least," Sirius barreled on. "It's fine. Sex is… natural."

Harry screwed his eyes shut. "I really don't want to talk about this."

"Look, there are potions that Ginny can take or there are spells to be cast to prevent any… little Potters right now," Sirius added, his eyes squinting at Harry.

"Sirius, please stop," Harry asked, a slight whine in his tone.

"If you go the spell route, don't forget to cast it. It's been… known to happen," Sirius added, thinking of how Harry was a result of James thinking with his prick and forgetting to cast the charm.

Harry sucked in a breath. "Are you done?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm done," Sirius replied before taking a large gulp of coffee, his tongue and throat burning.

Harry looked down at his croissant, staring at it hard. Sirius sat his cup down onto the counter, his eyes glancing up at Harry.

"Look, when you're ready, you can talk to me, okay?" Sirius pressed. "I'd rather you ask questions about anything you're unsure of than to surprise us nine months later. You're just young and… a baby isn't a bad thing, but you're sixteen and there's a war and–"

"I don't plan on having a baby at sixteen, Sirius," Harry mumbled, his eyes refusing to look up. "I'm not a moron. I won't make that mistake."

"A baby is never a mistake," Sirius felt the need to say, because he would never want Harry to find out he had, in fact, been a surprise and think he was a mistake. "We would… figure it out if it happened, but it isn't the right time right now. So I'm just asking you to be careful, all right? That's all I'm saying."

"Got it," Harry assured him, pushing his chair back. "I'm going to go shower. I'm not hungry right now."

Sirius just nodded, feeling like that could have gone better as he watched his godson practically dash out of the room. Fleamont and James would have handled that a lot better. Wincing, Sirius drank his coffee and hoped that Harry was mortified enough to remember to do the bloody charm.

I hope you all enjoyed the latest chapter! Don't forget to drop a review. They motivate me to keep writing and stay on my posting schedule.

Special thanks to Bell for being a stellar editor!