Wednesday 28th June 1989.
Amelia Bones stepped last from the interrogation room, the other Wizengamot members walking briskly away talking among themselves, most looking truly disgusted at what they'd heard.
She nodded to the pair from St Mungo's, who wasted no time in entering the specially prepared room. Amelia glanced through the see-through portion of the wall at the twitchy man as the healers began their assessment. Should it come back clean, this would have been the most successful interrogation she'd ever pulled off.
She'd had a hard time getting the Wizengamot to attend a trial inside the room, but there was no way she was letting someone who could become something as tiny as a rat out of there while conscious. The sentence had been delivered and, pending this assessment, Pettigrew would be making one final one-way trip to an island resort no one wanted to visit.
"He gave us everything we could have wanted and more." Shack boomed from her side, not drawing her eyes away from the scene within.
She only nodded in reply. "He was very cooperative," Moody added suspiciously from the far side of the observation space. "I hope you didn't rough him up before bringing him in, Lupin."
The glimmer in the werewolf's eyes belied the truth of his response. "I would never."
Amelia let a soft chuckle leap through her chest at the idea. She would have. That… she refused to refer to him as a man any longer. He was an animal of the worst sort. Pettigrew had shown no remorse for what he had done, and he had done a lot.
She had nearly gone at him herself when he had confessed to having been how the Death Eaters had gained entry to Edgar's home. Allowing them to butcher her brother's entire family. While Voldemort himself was still responsible for the death of her parents, the rat in that room had been responsible for gouging out a significant portion of her family.
"Shack, I don't trust these to an intern. See to it that they're entered into record immediately. We've got a trip to make this afternoon." Amelia instructed, handing the tall man the paperwork.
Silence filled the room after Shacklebolt's departure for several long minutes as the three occupants watched Pettigrew's assessment.
"How long did you have him before you brought him in, Lupin?" Moody finally asked from his corner, preferring whenever possible somewhere he could keep his back to the wall and his eye on everyone else. Unless there was a more obvious threat nearby, at which point he would face that while keeping his magical eye roaming the space.
"Bit over a week. Wanted this over as soon as possible." Remus mumbled his reply, glaring in disgust at his former friend.
"Did you coerce him? I have to know your reply for the record." Amelia asked, glancing momentarily at the man beside her.
"No. I may have put the fear of death into him. Or, the idea that I know someone very pissed off at him that might have escaped death." Remus smiled.
"Who?"
Remus turned and smiled at her, simply tapping the side of his nose once before turning back to the healers. The pair were clearly finishing up. All three tracked them as they stepped out, ensuring the door was sealed before stepping over to them. Alastor had put his finest work into that room.
Pettigrew was staying human for the foreseeable future.
"Result?"
"Clean." The Senior Healer replied, passing over his report. "In as perfect health as I could expect for someone who spent so long living as a rat. There is no sign of coercive substances, nor any lasting magical residue beyond his own transformation. So far as I can tell, the twitching is a side effect of such an extended experience as a rodent. They tend to be very twitchy animals. No evidence of physical harm either. My report is that he is one hundred percent in his right mind."
Amelia nodded as she read through the report. Everything matched what the healer was telling her, and confirmed the first assessment done the day he had arrived at the department. Once this was added to the paperwork Shack was already filing, they would have all the proof they needed to act on the injustice.
It was time to make a deposit and a withdrawal at Azkaban.
ϟ
Sirius moaned as he was once more dragged from his cell and directed to the Warden's Office.
He kept his eyes trained on the floor, not caring much for visitors after the pain they'd drudged up the last time. With nothing for him on the outside, he still believed he was where he belonged, the renewed effect of the Dementors on the revived happy memories had taken their toll.
He grunted as he was roughly pushed into a chair by the guards and sat unmoving, ignoring everyone about him as he wallowed in his own mind.
"Mr Black." Came the familiar voice from the last visit. "You look terrible."
Sirius gave the barest hint of a smile. He'd always been close with humour, one of his best friends in fact, but he wasn't really feeling it right now.
"Very well, I need you to sign this please." Sirius glanced up as a document was placed in front of him and a quill laid down beside it.
"What?" He whispered.
"Your release documentation. Already signed by myself, the Minister and the Warden. It just needs your signature and you are a free man." Bones smiled widely at him as though she'd just given him the best present in the world.
"No, thank you." He replied simply, stunning everyone in the room.
"What? What do you mean no?"
"I'm right where I should be. Paying for my failures here is as good as anywhere. Not like there's anything to live for out there anymore."
The people gathered behind the desk all looked gobsmacked. A resounding clap of flesh on hairy flesh drew the observers' eyes upward and left Sirius with a throbbing pain on the back of his head. Turning to look behind at what had struck him, Sirius became certain he had finally gone off the edge.
"Get your sorry arse out of that chair, sign the damn form and get outside, or I swear I'll drag you out by the hair you mangy mutt! And that beach is not made of soft sand."
Remus Lupin looked better than Sirius could remember, the smile on his face a relic of their school days he hadn't seen in a long time. "Moony? Can you believe these loonies want to let me out? Look at me, I'm seeing the dead."
Remus punched him firmly in the shoulder making Sirius growl in pain as he grabbed the wound. "What the hell, Moony?"
"How many more is it going to take for you to accept I'm real? Now sign!"
"But you died. Me and James, we mourned you."
"You were misinformed," Remus replied, raising his hand once more. "You gonna sign, or do I need to break your nose again first?"
"Wait… if you're Moony, name the Marauders' Marks!" Sirius looked smugly at his friend as the other man paled.
"No!"
"Then I'm staying, imaginary Moony!"
"I hate you so much," Remus mumbled, barely audible even to Sirius sitting well inside the other man's personal space. "Crescent moon, arse cheek, pubes, ear."
"Can't hear you, Moony. I need details."
"Fuck you, Padfoot." The Marauder growled roughly, eyeing Sirius darkly. "Crescent mark on my left calf where Greyback bit me! A blotch on Pettigrew's left arse cheek. James's was a squishy diamond in his pubes, half an inch left of centre, hence why he always kept them shaved off. You just did it to match. And yours is behind your left ear, black as your soul and oval-shaped. Probably hidden under that mop you have instead of hair right now. Happy?"
A smile broke out on Sirius's face, the first since Bones had last visited and one of very few he'd worn in years. With a speed that none present believed him capable of, Sirius leapt from the chair, wrapped his not-dead friend in his arms and hugged him tightly.
"Oh, hell. It's good to see you too, Padfoot, but you reek. Get off me." Remus shoved the scraggly-haired man back towards the desk.
"How?" Sirius asked.
"We found Wormtail," Remus replied with a nasty grin.
Sirius's face soon matched his friend's. "He's alive? Can I see him?"
"Sign first," Remus said simply, pointing at the parchment on the desk.
Sirius twirled and grabbed the quill. Their audience watched as he signed the form. He had failed the Potters utterly, but if Moony was about he had something to live for, someone to live for. And someone to mourn with. Moony would understand their loss.
Without the Dementors sapping his joy, he felt freer than in years. He handed the signed paperwork back to Bones, who nodded to the man behind him. Not to mention the now-promised long-awaited reunion with the Rat.
"I'm not giving this back to you if you're going to see Pettigrew." Bones stated, holding up the evidence bag with his old wand inside. "In fact, maybe I should hang onto it until you've got a clean bill of health."
"Fine by me," Sirius said, twirling back to face Moony. "Take me to him."
Moony smiled at the change in his friend, seeing the spark that Sirius Black was known for resurging in his eyes. "Follow me."
Without waiting for permission or guidance, the werewolf led the pair down several corridors, ignoring the calls to stop from behind as they came to a doorway that looked far newer than those Sirius had passed on the way there.
"Do you like it? New addition. The old area for keeping animagi was in a sorry state. Runes carved into its walls, floor and ceiling make sure no one can transform inside that room. Completely animagus proof. A rat can fit between bars a lot easier than a dog, after all." Moony remarked, flicking open the mesh opening at face height.
Sirius stepped forward and noted the inside of the room was slightly different from the one he'd spent so long in.
Still carved from the dark stone, it was littered with runes and had no windows or plumbing of any kind. He crinkled his nose as he realised what that would mean going forward before his eyes settled on the lump in the corner. He smiled at it with demented glee.
"Hello, Peter." His tone of voice managing to be light and airy, yet full of undisguised malice.
The lump leapt at the sound and tried to curl further into the corner, clearly trying to hide from the doorway.
"Sorry, we haven't spoken in a while. I've been really busy being locked up in this hellhole. You know, after you betrayed us all. It really gets to you after a while. Padfoot helped a lot, but you won't get that relief. Moony tells me this room was custom-built for your form. I was so disappointed I didn't manage to kill you on that street. Thought you had taken that chance away from me for good. But knowing what you're going to suffer through in here, I think I prefer it this way."
Remus laid a hand on Sirius's shoulder and the scraggly man looked away for a moment. "Before I go, tell me why. Why you betrayed us all? Betrayed what we stood for. Killed my godson." Sirius yelled as he hammered on the door in fury.
Sirius was growling now, anger surging as he felt the urge to find some way inside to enact revenge. The lump simply whimpered and huddled deeper into the corner, screaming aloud as a shudder ran over his body. A shudder Sirius was intimately familiar with. One that came with an attempt to make the animagus transformation.
"Good to see these morons managed to get that one right," Sirius growled, realising that Wormtail wasn't going to say a word.
"C'mon, Sirius. He's finally getting what he deserves. Let's get started on the rest of your life instead of worrying about the rest of his." Even kind Remus had a vicious edge to his voice as he finished and Sirius realised how betrayed his other friend must have been feeling. He'd only had a few people in this world, and Pettigrew's actions had torn all of them away from him.
Sirius surveyed his long-time friend and finally noticed how worn he looked even at their still young ages. "Geez, Moony. You look like arse. What the hell have you been doing with yourself?"
"St Mungo's now, banter later, boys." Bones said, standing behind them, wand drawn as she gestured them away from the new cell. "He's not going anywhere for a long time. Not with his sentence."
Sirius grinned and wrapped an arm around Moony's shoulder. Justice for the traitor at long last. That was something he could happily live with, even with what it had cost.
"How about a shower first? It would be cruel and unusual to subject the healers to your smell beforehand." Remus commented, weaselling out of Sirius's grip once more, and setting the newly freed man laughing once more.
ϟ
Thursday 29th June 1989.
Remus flicked the golden token into the air as he stepped into the small anteroom.
Life had taken a huge turn for him since the little elf had dragged his half-frozen and fully drunk arse out of that glacier. He had his family back again, and it was growing back to its former size once more.
"How'd it go?" Lily asked the moment she spotted him.
"Wormtail is nice and comfy in his new accommodation in Azkaban and Black is hitting on every nurse and healer that enters his room. Male, female and goblin."
"So, he hasn't been affected by his time in there?" James questioned, his eyes hungry for news on the man he considered true family.
"He stinks and he hasn't eaten properly in years, but somehow, he's still the same old Sirius Black underneath. I'll bet he has some nightmares and residual issues we'll need to work on, but he's still Padfoot." Moony smiled widely at his friends' painting and they cheered and kissed in celebration. "And that's something I wanted to talk to you both about."
The Potters broke apart and turned to face him, both looking curious at the sudden comment. "Natalie suggested something yesterday when I popped by and I think you should agree."
"What?" James drew out the word slowly, looking suspicious now.
"They're going away for a few weeks of the summer holidays. It's been planned for ages. Spain and France. They want to invite Harry along as well."
"I don't know," Lily whispered, James nodding beside her. "Albus is still out there. It's dangerous."
"I'm aware. You know I care about Harry as much as you both do, but we send him to school every week. We want him to live as normal a life as he can, but he's never really gone anywhere but here, school and the Grangers. I think the trip will be good for him."
"I agree he deserves some excitement and fun, but his safety has to take priority, Remus. All those places are now covered by the Manor's wards." Lily countered.
"Of course, but they haven't always been, and you let him go then. Which is why, with Hermione's help, Charlus told me how to make this." Remus held up an orb of stone about the size of a medium dragon's egg that had been concealed inside his bag. "This was made from the primary diamond wardstone. The magic those kids can wield is insane. Took a chunk right out of the middle and healed it back over like it was playdough.
"The more practice they get, the scarier they become. This will erect a portable version of the wards over wherever they happen to take it. Even worked in Azkaban. Didn't feel a lick of the Dementor's touch when we sprung Padfoot."
Lily eyed the orb closely, worry still clear on her features. "And if it gets lost or damaged?"
"We've categorically proven their jewellery works perfectly. All four have taken a trip back here unconscious half a dozen times. If they're knocked out, for any reason or by any means, they come here instantly. No side-along possible.
"Hell, it even worked when Richard knocked himself out in the shed two weeks ago. If they're conscious, who in this world can keep Harry and Hermione locked up? Besides," He added, raising the stone slightly higher, "this is Diamond, Lils. The hardest substance on earth, reinforced with goblin runes. Who is even scratching that without a lot of effort? Let them live a little."
"What's the catch?" James enquired.
"No catch. I've looked it all over. Their planned destinations are all safe magically and muggle. Mipsy and Nemea can tag along undetected with no problem. And those two need the holiday as much as the kids. And the bonus, it allows me to focus on getting Padfoot back to full capacity. Might even be good to go in time for August, or sooner." Remus had a cheeky smile as he said the last.
"Oh. That would be nice for Harry." Lily commented, thinking through their options. "We'd need to talk to the Grangers about this. I can't say yes unless I know more."
"Which is why they're coming over for dinner tonight. I'll keep the kids distracted long enough for you to talk. Harry's been remarkably good about all this cloak and dagger. Thanks to Mipsy, we know he knows we're up to something, and yet hasn't thrown a wobbly besides spending a few nights at Hermione's. I think he's earned a little freedom."
Lily and James conversed between themselves for several moments, keeping their voices too low for even Remus to hear a few feet away. "Fine. We'll talk tonight and see what is what. I promise nothing more than that."
"Deal." Remus nodded, flicking the token into the air once more and catching it smugly.
"What the devil is that thing, Moony?" James asked, his eyes tracking the small golden object.
Remus smiled at the item and held it up for them to inspect. "A gift from an old friend. Seems Mad-Eye still has trust issues. Found it in my pocket after leaving St Mungo's and Harry tells me something heavy bounced off the wards just after I arrived and ended up 10 feet underwater about 80 miles south-east of Azkaban. Any idea why your ancestor set the wards to dump intruders out there?"
James smiled maliciously. "Yeah. It's cold as hell. And as a bonus, ever since whichever one of them shifted it to Azkaban and its wards, they cannot apparate out. Unless they have a very specialised DMLE-authorised portkey on hand, they've got a hell of a swim on their hands. Given the wards go out 100 miles from the island. The wards here are so strong that the individual slips straight through those over the island. But then Azkaban's wards make for a hell of a time getting back out again."
Remus looked at the token with a smirk, happy to know that something so strong was keeping them all safe. "Remind me never to piss off Harry when we're at home."
ϟ
Thursday 20th July 1989.
Harry Potter was having the time of his life.
Firstly, his parents had admitted they were keeping something important secret from him. And had even agreed that he would be told what that secret was before the summer was over.
But even more impressive than that was the beautiful clear water of the white sandy beach upon which he currently stood.
The reveal of information had been made conditional on his behaviour on this trip, but Harry was never going to play up with the Grangers ever again if behaving saw him visiting brilliant places like this. The beach was crammed full of people, the most Harry had seen gathered in one place in his life, in various states of summer dress.
Some were wearing colourful shirts, shorts and dresses that fluttered in the light breeze. All the way to the woman he'd seen earlier wearing so little he'd blushed and turned away thinking she was nude.
Today was to be their last in Spain before heading north into France for the second leg of the fantastic holiday, so Harry was cataloguing the many amazing sights they'd experienced in the country. From museums and aquariums, to ancient ruins, palaces and churches. To simple drives through scenery that almost put the gardens at the manor to shame.
He'd seen things he'd never imagined and tasted foods that had charmed his senses. It had hammered home to Harry just how little of this enormous world he was truly aware of and left him in a near-permanent state of awe and distraction.
Something that proved unwise around the Grangers since their introduction to half of the Marauders. Harry yelped as a bucket of cold seawater splashed over his back and drew his attention to the giggling girl standing behind him in a dark purple one-piece, a now-empty bucket in her hands.
"You're going to pay for that!" He called as he began to chase Hermione across the soft sand and into the crystal blue waters. Both screeching as water and sand went everywhere in their tussle.
Harry thought back to the day the pair had first truly met, laughing to himself and getting a mouthful of salty water as his brain considered that it had been sand that day that had brought them together as well. Though that sand had been far coarser than the light wispy sand under his feet now.
He knew that four sets of very relaxed eyes were watching them happily from higher up the beach, safe in the knowledge that the Orb was keeping them safe as they let themselves behave like children were supposed to.
"This has been the best holiday ever." Harry spurted, resurfacing after Hermione knocked him into the sloshing waves. A broad smile on his face, one that had almost never left it since their arrival in the beautiful country.
Hermione returned it with a small laugh. "Spain is great, but we've still got France to go. We've not been in years, but there is so much I cannot wait to show you!"
Harry beamed at his best friend before lunging forward, glomping her into the slightly deeper waters with a squeal and a laugh. He was so glad that Remus and Natalie had convinced his parents to let him come with the Grangers.
He wouldn't give this up for the world.
ϟ
Monday 31st July 1989.
Sirius felt better than he could remember feeling in his life.
Over a month in St Mungo's had repaired almost all of the malnourishment damage that he'd suffered in his years in Azkaban, and he was getting along well with Robert in their sessions.
Moony had sat in on a few and he'd given him both metaphorical and physical slaps to the head, much to Robert's chagrin, for some of the garbage he was holding on his shoulders from the start of the decade. Robert was still trying to get him to accept he wasn't at fault, but Sirius knew the truth.
While he could technically leave and end the sessions at any time, they were conditional for his full clearance by the Ministry after his imprisonment.
The papers had proclaimed him a free and innocent man, though not for almost three weeks after his release, and most people he saw on the street no longer eyed him with fear and suspicion. But he still felt like he was going through the motions a lot of the time. It was fantastic being away from the Dementors full time, but Sirius was still holding so much guilt over what had happened to the Potters that some nights it felt like he was still trapped in that dark cell.
And some days held far worse significance to the man than others.
"C'mon, Moony. Where are we going?" he whined as his friend led him through a densely wooded area that seemed vaguely familiar. "I really don't feel like a run today."
"We're not going for a run and if you're going to be a spoilsport all day then maybe I won't bother with your surprise," Remus replied, looking at him over his shoulder.
"Surprises can wait for good days. Today is not a good day."
"I know, Padfoot, but trust me for five minutes would you," Remus called, coming to a halt at the edge of the trees.
Sirius huffed but stepped up beside his friend and looked out into what turned out not to be a clearing but a wide opening that led over gardens and up to a large stone house. A house that was tremendously familiar.
One in which he had lived for his final Hogwarts years.
Sirius's eyes went wide and a spear of fear went up his spine." Nope! No, no, no, no, no, no, no."
Sirius spun on his heel and began to rush back into the woods he now recalled only to hear a single word yelled from behind him. He was suddenly in a small room with doors at either narrow end, a large window looking out over the woods he'd just been inside, and when he turned about, an enormous painting empty but for two people he'd not seen in almost eight long years.
The man fell to his knees as they smiled at him and he sobbed heavily. The woman's doe brown eyes beheld him with a love he'd never seen from his own mother and stung as she held him in her gaze. "Hello, Sirius. It's been a long time."
"Hello, Dorea." Sirius choked out.
"Dorea? What happened to mum?"
Sirius howled in pain at the thought. The memory of his slip-up on the day of their graduation hit him hard after so long. He felt an arm slip over his shoulder and he glanced to his left to see Moony by his side, looking as morose as he felt.
"They wanted to see you. Their long lost boy."
Sirius nodded as he let the emotions he'd been hiding inside for ages out and found that Robert had been right again. Confronting the pain usually lessened its burden.
"I'm so sorry, mum," Sirius stated, a slight cheek in the final word. "I failed him. I failed them all."
"Bullshit, Padfoot."
Sirius looked up to see that two others had joined Charlus and Dorea in the massive painting. One hugged up to Dorea's side, looking at him softly with almost the same look as his surrogate mother. The other was lying on his stomach so that he was eye to eye with Sirius. The brown eyes matched his mother's but his hair was as wild and Potter as ever.
"'Sup?"
Sirius howled even harder and Remus held him tighter, pulling him against his body. The sobbing heaved his entire body as he could feel the gaze of his closest friend watching him break down.
Everyone remained silent and simply let him slowly work through his emotions. The feeling was so strong that it was god only knows how long before he was stable enough to even open his eyes. When he did, he found James now lying on his back, looking at him just the same.
"I'm…"
"If you apologise one more time for that arsehole's actions, Padfoot, I'll reach out of this damn painting and slap you stupid...er." James cut him off loudly.
"It was my idea." Sirius countered.
"So what? We all agreed. I don't blame Lily or Harry or you. Only Wormtail and Voldemort. It's entirely their fault." James paused and rolled onto his front once more. "But it's bloody good to see you, Padfoot."
"It really is," Lily stated, drawing his eye higher up the painting. "Pops, some tea, please. Make it strong."
Silence reigned for several moments before the aged elf appeared with a full tea set. Sirius eyed the elf comparing him now to his memories and struggling to find a single new wrinkle. "Damn it Pops. Don't you ever age?"
Pops glared at him for a moment before passing him a teacup. "Good to see Master Sirius still hasn't grown up and learned that some things are improper discussion over tea."
Sirius couldn't help but bark a laugh at the elf. Given he was the one who had been left to clean up after James and himself so often during their school years.
"Nothing's off-limits with family, Pops," James added, standing up once more. "But some rooms are more comfortable for chats and tea. Meet us in the library, Moony."
Remus hefted Sirius to his feet, somehow managing not to spill his tea in the process and began guiding him through the halls. He'd not been in the Manor in years and everywhere he looked had memories he'd long since forgotten attached.
A vase the two terrors had knocked over and forced Pops to repair. A room they had filled with some horrible smell and forgotten about, catching themselves in their own prank a month later.
He laughed loudly to himself as he recalled the day he and Prongs had transformed and ran through the halls only for Prongs to get caught on half the doorjambs as his antlers had grown too wide. The longer he was away from the dementor's grasp, the more happy memories returned and filled him with joy, even if most were tinged with the pain of those easiest-to-recall memories.
When he was parked into a soft leather armchair, Sirius returned from memory lane and glanced up at the life-sized image of his former family smiling out at him. Many tears were shed and more than a few sorries passed Sirius's lips as he reacquainted himself with his true family. Hours passed and he was pretty much a babbling teary mess occasionally cackling with laughter when he felt a soft hand on his shoulder.
Before he could turn, Pops appeared and took the teacup from his hands. Confused, Sirius turned to see a black-haired blur standing next to him. Wiping his eyes clear of tears, he looked again and was struck dumb immediately.
Wild black hair even messier than his best friend covered the head looking at him silently, a pair of bright green eyes full of joy stared back sitting just above a wide cheeky smile that hadn't changed a bit since he'd last seen it looking up at him out of a tiny crib, babbling nonsense as the Marauders laughed at his tiny features.
Sirius rubbed his eyes again, certain he could not be seeing what he was seeing. His godson appeared to be standing next to him, his hand resting on his arm lightly. "Harry?"
"Hello, Padfoot," Harry replied simply, eyes not leaving Sirius's face. "Best birthday present ever."
Sirius leapt from the chair and had the giggling child wrapped in a firm hug in seconds. He was going to give the others hell for keeping this secret from him until now, though he could see the amusing angle, he had a reputation to enforce.
When he had woken that morning, he'd been saddened to see the date, believing he wouldn't be able to see the birthday boy ever again. Now he understood the smug look Remus had been giving him all day long.
Pulling back, he looked at Harry. "How would you like to have some fun and help me get these old coots back for not telling me that you were alive?"
"They did that to Remus too," Harry smirked.
Sirius turned to glare at the others who were all looking at him with innocent smiles on their faces. He tucked his arms under Harry's arms and hauled the little boy into his lap as he sat back on the chair and only then did he notice the nervous-looking girl standing behind his giggling godson.
"Oh, hello. Who is this?" Sirius asked, mind still whirling from the revelation perched in his lap.
"Padfoot, this is Hermione Granger. My best friend." Harry glowed as he introduced the girl and waved her closer.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Black." The girl stated, offering her hand.
Sirius laughed heartily at the address, feeling like he was looking at a young Minne McGonagall. "Pleasure is all mine."
Sirius shook her small hand and was surprised when she released his own to have Harry take the free appendage and haul her onto his lap as well. He glanced at the others in surprise to find them chuckling in his direction.
"They normally sit in that chair together." Lily offered as an explanation.
Sirius nodded in response and considered the pair sitting on him carefully. They seemed as perfectly at ease with one another as he and James had been after a few years at Hogwarts, so he assumed they had known each other a while now. And the fact that the little girl was in a house magically hidden from the world implied something fairly obvious in his mind.
"Given Miss Granger appears to be magical, where did you two meet?" He finally asked, shocking the others with his question.
Harry grinned. "School. But we just got back from holiday yesterday. And my party at Hermione's house today." He turned to the girl for a moment. "Sorry about that, too. I loved what you got me, but I've not seen Padfoot in a long time."
"Don't be. I'd be excited about seeing my godfather for the first time in 8 years too."
The conversation continued for hours, now covering some of the obvious holes Sirius hadn't noticed before where the others had clearly been avoiding speaking of Harry. He was so proud to hear that his godson appeared to be following in the Marauders' footsteps to a degree. It wasn't until both children began to loll against his chest that he realised how late it had become.
"Um, little help," He whispered, turning to glare at the clicking sound as he watched Moony lower a camera with a wide grin. "Oh, funny."
"Adorable," Lily commented, setting James laughing at the look on Sirius's face.
"Yeah, it's cute and funny, but we should get her home don't you think? It's improper for Harry to keep her out past midnight." Sirius quipped, with a wink that did not draw the response he had expected.
The others practically ignored the jibe as Remus walked over and hefted Hermione into his arms, the girl babbling softly as she was moved but refusing to let go of Harry's hand. Sirius stood and moved to take Harry aside, but the boy held fast just as strongly. Sirius glanced up at his friends to find them still smiling at the group.
"Well, she was always staying the night after the party. Looks like they're sharing a room again." Lily smiled. "Pops, if you would?"
The elf appeared once more and with a click of his fingers, Hermione was dressed in nightclothes. Remus stepped around him. "C'mon, Padfoot, I'll lead the way. Mind their arms."
He followed blindly as the werewolf led him to a room he couldn't recall having entered before. He watched Remus lay the girl onto the bed and helped him tuck Harry in beside her sleeping form, the two snuggling together as soon as the covers were laid over them.
"Is this common?" Sirius asked, eyes fixed on his slumbering godson.
"More than you'd think. James thinks they'll be together forever. Says it's him and Lily all over again. Lily likes to remind him that Hermione doesn't think Harry's a show-off that should go dowse his head in the Black Lake."
Sirius watched them silently for several minutes, afraid that if he walked away, that Harry would disappear. He was distracted by a patting sound and noticed Moony smirking at him from the end of the large bed, patting a dog bed he'd conjured atop the covers.
"Very funny." he jibed, ignoring his friend for a moment.
But as he thought about it, he decided ridicule he could live with. Changing into his enormous dog form, Sirius climbed onto the dog bed, poking his bum in Moony's face before settling down and staring at the softly moving lump at the other end.
Harry was alive and happy. And Sirius was home at long last.