Archive of Our Own

Remus had spent the better part of twelve years alone, with no one bothering him and him bothering no one. It was not an arrangement he was particularly fond of but it was one that was necessary. The years of isolation came to a sudden halt when he returned from Hogwarts with an owl waiting at the end of his walkway, clutching a piece of paper. The piece of paper was a short letter from Sirius asking if he could reside at Remus's house until his trial was over. As always, Remus was happy to help a friend in need, even if it meant sleeping on the lumpy bed in the attic. It felt like they hadn't spent over a decade apart once Sirius arrived, instantly back to teasing Remus and talking as if they were never apart. So much so, he didn't remain in the attic long. Soon he was back in his own bed with Sirius by his side.

It was once the trial was over it all changed.

Sirius had won and his name was cleared. Years of lies and myths being spread about him had finally been debunked and he was now, for the first time ever truly a free man. But, even a free man has responsibilities he must attend to. So when the white owl flew in through their kitchen window, it really shouldn't have been as much of a shock as it was. Remus read the latter out loud while Sirius listened silently, ever so often sipping his teach and running his fingers through his beard.

"So the ministry was in contact with Harry." He mumbled when Remus finished, looking at him over his mug as he took another drink. Remus nodded his head and pulled down his cardigan sleeve and began to play with it, "what are you going to do?"

Sirius didn't respond for a moment, his eyes lost somewhere behind Remus. He slowly came zoned back into the conversation, his hand reaching out and taking Remus's and he gave it a gently squeeze, "Now, just hear me out, okay?"

"Sirius-"

"Ah, ah, ah," Sirius cut him off, a smirk tugging at the edge of his lips. Remus sighed and bit the inside of his cheek, nodding his head for Sirius to continue. The other man cleared his throat and took in a deep breath, "I got a similar letter from the Ministry a few days ago saying I now had sole custody of Harry. I didn't show it or tell you because I wasn't sure if Harry wanted to live with me after everything last year...But clearly he does. So...could Harry move here, with us?"

Remus didn't respond, his eyes now looking at the cold cup of coffee in front of him, Sirius still holding his hand, "No, Sirius, I need you to think about this. It's not like he is just moving in with his Godfather. He'll be moving in with his ex-professor who also just so happens to be a werewolf. It won't be safe for him here, not to mention we live quite literally in the middle of nowhere-"

"Moony, shush, listen to me." He stated, finally getting Remus's attention, "I thought about all of this. He can stay up in the attic bedroom, we can do it up over the next few days. On full moons he can stay at the Weasleys, I've already asked Molly and she said it is fine. And he adores you. He asks about you every letter he writes! If he gets bored, we can invite over his friends or he can visit them."

Remus was once again silent. He moved his other hand over Sirius's and rested his head gently on top of them. He wasn't going to win this and he could see that. He was nearly proud of Sirius for having put so much thought into this but it didn't ease the knot that had formed in his stomach at the mere thought of having to help raise Harry with Sirius. Then again, Harry had told him what his aunt and uncle were like. Their current living situation may not be ideal but at least it was better than the Dursleys. He also had the comfort that he wouldn't be here for full moons, safe away from the wolf. He sat up and offered a weak smile, squeezing Sirius's hand, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"You have to carry the things from the attic though." He smiled. Sirius reached across the table and gently planted a kiss on Remus's forehead.

Harry arrived a little over a week later, arriving at the front door with Sirius carrying his suitcase behind him. Remus opened the door and greeted them both with a smile, reaching over and taking the suitcase off Sirius and allowing them both to walk in. Sirius gave him a reassuring smile as Harry walked in, his eyes gazing into the living area. Remus put his suitcase at the foot of the stairs, turning back to Sirius who was leading Harry into the living area, giving him a tour of their very small home. He sat down on the couch and looked around wide-eyed. Sirius shuffled over to Remus and rested his head against him arm and smiled. Remus suddenly felt very tense, how was he to act with Sirius around Harry? Harry, turned to them and smiled, "This is amazing!"

"Glad you like it, Harry." Sirius smiled, giving Remus a cheeky glance.

Harry looked up at Remus, "Prof-" He cut himself off and his cheeks began to go a light shade of pink. Sirius let out a small chuckle and Remus scratched the back of his neck, "Remus will be alright."

i.

Remus knew it wasn't instantly all going to fall into place. Things like this take time, weeks, months sometimes even years before they work themselves out. So he tried to excuse Harry's nervousness around him on the fact this was unfamiliar for him. One, having two people actively try to care for him and include him in their daily activities and two, living with his former professor who he thought had betrayed him. Remus was also nervous around him. He felt tongue-tied all of a sudden when he tried to talk to Harry and resulted in asking him about his summer homework and helping where he could.

Harry, in turn, only ever seemed to ask about his school work or would look at some of Remus's notes and ask about what he was writing. A few times, Remus tried to ask Harry about quidditch but he knowledge on the sport was laughable, so these conversations died quickly and Remus tried his best to avoid the topic. So, they spent most their time together in an uncomfortable silence, unsure of whether they should talk or just stay as they are. Remus thought Sirius never picked up on this since he talked enough for all three of them, but he was very wrong. 

"Moony?"

"Mmmh?" Remus asked, shuffling closer to Sirius in the bed and draping one of his arms over the other man. 

"Are you avoiding Harry?"

Remus opened his eyes and sat up a little, gazing down at Sirius with slightly blurred eyes but he could see the other man was being genuine. Remus shook his head and rubbed his eyes, "No, why would you think that?"

Sirius shrugged his shoulders and gazed up at the ceiling, "You always seem to be in different rooms, which is hard to do in this house and you never talk to him when you two are together..."

Remus laid back down due to an ache forming in his shoulder and sighed, looking over at Sirius. Sirius looked over at him, his brows furrowed a little and his eyes glistening with the morning sun, "I-I don't know how to say it." Remus admitted, his voice so quiet he was even sure if Sirius heard him.

"Do you want us to leave?" Remus shook his head, his hand reaching over and taking one of Sirius's. He gently squeezed and rubbed his thumb across the knuckles, "No, no. Never!"

"Then what?" Remus could hear the strain in his voice, had he slept? Remus looked down at Sirius's hand, his fingers trailing over the faded tattoos, "I dunno how to talk to him." He admitted sheepishly.

He looked over at Sirius who now had a smirk on his face, "Is that it?"

"Yes?" Remus muttered, feeling a bit foolish now. Sirius let out a small chuckle, "How can you be so dumb yet so smart at the same time?"

Remus scowled, and playfully nudged Sirius, "I could very well ask you the same thing."

"I know how to talk to kids, and I wasn't a teacher for a year." He shot back, flashing that Sirius Black grin. 

Remus could feel his cheeks going red and Sirius must have as well. He scooted closer and wrapped both his arms around Remus. Remus felt the uneasy feeling in stomach disappear a little as he hugged Sirius back and focused on his breathing, "When you say you don't know how to talk to him..."

Remus shrugged a little, "I just dunno what he likes other than quidditch and we both know how little I care for it."

"Why don't you ask him?"

"What?"

"Ask him what he is interested in then you oaf!" Sirius teased, gazing up at Remus with a wide grin. Remus rolled his eyes back, leaning forward and placing a gently kiss on the side of Sirius's mouth. 

Later on at lunch, Sirius excused himself to go to the ministry in order to finish some of the paperwork for his release, leaving Remus and Harry home alone, awkwardly glancing at each other every now and again. Remus gazed over his book and saw Harry doodling on his parchment, unable to make out what exactly he was drawing. Remus lowered his book and smiled, "What are you drawing?"

Harry's head shot up and his eyes wide like a dear caught in headlights. He stared at Remus for a few moments before taking a deep breath and gazing back down at his doodle, a smile tugging at the edge of his lips, "A hippogriff."

"A hippogriff?" Remus repeated calmly, Harry nodded his head and looked up at him, his eyes sparkling, "Hagrid had one for a lesson last year, Buckbeak."

"The one that mysteriously disappeared with Sirius?" Remus asked, earning him a small smile from Harry who dodged his gaze, "Yeah. I just think its a nice creature, smart as well!"

Remus smiled, "I wrote a paper on hippogriffs a while ago, actually a few of them. I use to love magical creatures."

"Use to?"

"Just got a bit old and had to focus my attention else where, how about you Harry, do you like them?"

Harry nodded his head eagerly, "Yeah...Did you ever write about any other creatures?" Harry asked.

"Yes, quiet a few, especially after I had graduated from Hogwarts."

"What type?"

Remus smiled and began to tell Harry about all the creatures he had written about and the few he had the pleasure of seeing in person. Harry, listened eagerly and clung onto every word Remus spoke and asked dozens of questions after each little story. When Sirius came home later that evening he was shocked to find Harry and Remus in the office, Harry looking at some pictures while Remus spoke enthusiastically about some dragon. He always had a strange fascination with them. Sirius approached the door quietly and leaned against its frame, a huge smile on his face.

Remus glanced up and smiled at Sirius. Harry turned around, his face beaming, "Sirius."

"Hello you two, hope I'm not interrupting anything." He smiled, stepping into the room and sitting at the edge of the desk, picking up one of the many pictures scattered across it, "No, Remus was telling me about magic creatures."

"Magic creatures? Didn't know you had any interest..." Sirius replied, looking back at Remus who had a smug smile on his face, "Maybe you should have asked."

ii.

Remus was sat on his end of the couch, Harry and Sirius out from practicing Quidditch. Remus sighed as he scribbled out some of his writings and threw his parchment onto the table. He had been trying to write a new paper for the ministry but his brain was in an extremely uncooperative mood today and he was struggling to get past his introduction paragraph. He let out a deep sigh and fell back into his seat, his eyes gazing out the window, briefly catching a glimpse at Harry speeding past, Sirius trailing behind him. He pushed himself off the chair and shuffled out the front, watching as Harry cheered, holding a little golden ball in his hand. Sirius landed his broom down beside Remus, his face red and his hair a mess from the wind, "Well done, Harry!"

He turned to Remus and smiled, "He's beaten me twice now."

"Maybe you're just getting-"

Before he could even finish his sentence, Sirius slapped his arm but he had a smile on his face, "Don't think of finishing that Moony! I'm only five months older than you."

"I know." Remus smirked, nudging Sirius who just scowled, turning back to Harry, "Come on down, Harry!"

"Just one more time, Padfoot." He pleaded. Sirius shook his head, "Not today, maybe ask Moony."

Remus turned to Sirius who was just smiling as he walked back into their house, leaving Remus with Harry who had come down to the ground, holding out the snitch for Remus, "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I don't think I have ever played it." He chuckled, taking the snitch and holding it firmly between his fingers. He looked up at Harry who was kicking rocks with his feet, his eyes once again avoiding Remus's. Remus sighed and handed Harry back the snitch, "Why don't you try teach me the basics and we'll go from there?"

"Really?" Harrys face lit up like a little kid on Christmas morning. 

"Just the basics!" Remus warned but he tone was light and joking, "I don't want to be flying around all evening chasing that thing." He sighed, pointing at the snitch, its wings fluttering furiously.

Harry furrowed his brows before crossing his arms, "You won't be flying today! We'll start with the rules, don't want you falling off your broom!"

Remus' jaw was stuck open, but he could feel the smile forming at the edge of his lips. He wanted to protest and remind Harry that he did referee one of the friendly matches at the beginning of term last year but he couldn't seem to get the words past his lips. It didn't help that Sirius was in the doorway, clutching his stomach as he laughed uncontrollably. Remus turned to him, his face bright red, watching as he slowly slid down the doorframe, wiping a tear from his eyes before looking between Harry and Remus, "Alright Moony, you best be a good boy and listen to Mister Potter."

Remus kicked him gently with his foot, "Fine, you can make dinner tonight."

Sirius opened his mouth to protest but Remus was already walking off with Harry, the young boy beginning to explain the rules of the game, already going off on a tangent about a game they had against Ravenclaw last year. They sat at the edge of the garden, Harry using a bunch of sticks and some rocks to explain the game to Remus. He knew how the game worked. He was James Potters friend after all, it would have been considered treason if he didn't. But Harry grin from ear to ear every time Remus said he understood a rule or a position. 

"You're a quick learner." Harry joked, moving the rocks into a different formation, "It feels good to teach you something."

Remus smiled, "You're a good teacher."

He looked at Remus, his cheeks a light shade of pink, "Like you?"

"Even better."

iii.

Remus and Harry were sat in the kitchen, Harry doodling on some paper Remus had bought him in the shop last week and Remus skimming over his morning paper. Sirius had come home late from the Weasleys, deeply regretting his decision to help Arthur with his car, meaning he was still fast asleep in bed and showed no signs of wanting to wake up. Remus glanced out the kitchen window, admiring the small breeze that made the tree branches shake ever so gently and the rays of sun that broke through its leaves. He lowered his paper down on the table and let out a deep sigh, "How about we go on a walk?"

Harry lowered his pencil and looked up at Remus. He needed a haircut, "A walk?"

"Yeah. It's a nice day out and my back is beginning to ache a little, some fresh air would help."

Harry glanced back at Remus and Sirius' bedroom door, biting down on the inside of his cheek before nodding his head and turning back to Remus, "Where are we going?"

"There's a trail just down the road, leads to a small lake, its short so it won't take too long. We'll probably be back before Sirius is awake." 

"Can I leave him a note just in case?"

Remus nodded his head and patted Harry on the shoulder as he stood up, "Of course, I'll be at the gate."

Harry emerged from the house a few minutes later, clutching a bag in his arms as he hopped down the rocky pathway, looking up at Remus with a smile, "I told Sirius to meet us there if he wakes up and we're still not home."

"Is that my case?" Remus asked, tilting his head to the side a little. Harry nodded his head and held it up from Remus to see, "I took some snacks!"

Remus smiled and ruffled his hand through Harry's hair, "Come on, it's down this way."

"Do you come here a lot?" Harry asked, strolling beside Remus, his eyes focused on his feet moving in front of him. Remus hummed, his eyes looking up at the trees and the flowers that had bloomed on them, "I use to come out here all the time as a kid, like my own personal paradise away from everything?"

"As a kid?" Harry asked, looking up with his eyebrows furrowed.

"I know it may be hard to believe but yes, I was a child once." Remus teased, causing Harry's cheeks to burn a little red, "That was my parents house, mine now obviously. Grew up here."

"Must have been lonely." Harry mumbled, looking away from Remus to the path before him, "It could be sometimes, but when I met your Dad, Sirius and Peter, they would come over every summer. After fifth year your mother would come for a few weeks as well before we would all go to your grandparents."

"Where did you all sleep?" Harry asked in bewilderment. Remus chuckled, "We gave Lily my bed, but of course James would always share and then Peter, Sirius and I would sleep on a pile of blankets and pillows on the floor."

"Sounds like fun."

"It was, it was always my favourite part of the holidays."

Harry brushed his hair out of his face, "Did you guys ever come out here?"

"In sixth year we camped out here for a week. Though I'm not sure you would classify it as camping since we came back twice a day for breakfast and dinner, and then James insisted he needed all the blankets because it would be "cold", even though it was the middle of summer."

Harry laughed, falling silent for a moment, thinking about his parents and what it would be lick if he could camp with them now. Remus rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently. Harry looked at the hand and then at Remus, "Do you think we could do it? Go camping I mean."

Remus nodded his head, "Of course, I'm sure I can get us some tents and a few sleeping bags."

Harry's smile returned again this time brighter, "Can we do it for my birthday?"

"If that is what you want!"

Harry smiled happily to himself, watching as the trees began to space out and the lake came into view. His eyes widened as he ran forward ahead of Remus. Remus smiled, not changing his pace at all. He remembered their last summer here. Remus had woken up earlier because of some nightmare he can't remember and he walked out here, watching as the sun began to shine through the leaves. Sirius had appeared half an hour later, not saying anything, just draping a coat over Remus and lying down on the grass beside him. It was a peaceful moment, but one he treasured. 

When he was at the edge of the lake he could see Harry walking along the water edge, his eyes peering into the water. He looked up at Remus and smiled, "This is amazing! How have I never seen this before?"

"The trees cover it pretty well and if you didn't know it was here you probably wouldn't be able to find it." He replied, stretching his hands in the air and twisting his back a little. Harry shuffled back over, sitting down on the ground and opening the suitcase. He pulled out a sandwich and handed it to Remus, "There's no mayo on it."

Remus thanked Harry and took it, sitting down on the ground beside him. Sirius had made him a sandwich a few weeks ago with mayonnaise and they spent about an hour arguing whether or not mayonnaise belonged on a ham sandwich. Harry had obviously remembered. 

"What would you guys do out here?" Harry asked, taking a huge bite of his own sandwich.

"Swim, explore the forest, drink, though you most certainly won't be doing that..." Harry laughed, "Your mum and dad let you drink?"

Remus raised a brow at Harry, "No, they didn't know. But I guess they suspected it when we didn't show up for breakfast one of the mornings and then arrived for dinner looking like we had been attacked by a badger..."

Harry nodded his head, his eyes scanning over the lake, "Is the water deep?"

Remus shook his head, "Goes up to my chest...James could still touch the floor and he was the shortest out of the lot of us."

"You can go for a swim if you want."

"Can I?" Harry chirped up. Remus nodded his head and shooed him off.

He watched for a few moments as Harry ran into the lake, jumping in before lying down on the grass and staring up at the trees. He closed his eyes and listened at the splashing off the water and the wind rustling the leaves. He didn't open his eye when he heard grass crunching behind him followed by a loud sigh as Sirius sat down beside him, "Morin'" Remus smiled, opening his eyes and looking over at Sirius.

His hair was still sticking up all over the place and he was wearing one of Remus's old band tees. He looked down and smiled, "Not going in for a dip?"

"Not a chance." Remus muttered, sitting himself up properly and looking over at Harry who was still splashing around happily. Remus never took his shirt off around other people, minus once. He was here at the lake, just him and the boys. It was their final year and Peter had thrown Remus into the lake while he was still fully dressed. Remus hadn't even realised he had tugged his shirt off until James and Peter were staring at him all wide-eyed. His torso was covered in scars from the wolf, it didn't help that he was terribly skinny even though he ate enough food to feed a small village. The insecurities around his body never really went away, especially now that he was older and had a lot more scars, wrinkles and was not the scrawny boy he once was.

He had forgotten Sirius was beside him until the other man took one of Remus' hands and squeezed it gently. He looked at Sirius who just smiled, "What you thinking about?"

"Nothing." He muttered in response, leaning in and kissing Sirius, "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, but I know you Moony. For all your greatness you think too much."

"Well maybe you should start thinking a little more and I wouldn't have to." Remus joked, nudging Sirius.

"Padfoot!"

Both men looked up at Harry who was tugging on his t-shirt before sitting down in front of the two men with a wide grin on his face, "Guess what?"

"What?" Sirius smiled.

"We're camping for my birthday!"

"What now?" Sirius asked looking at Remus who was just smiling smugly.

"Yeah! Remus was telling me about when you would go camping and all the things you guys did, so I asked..."

Remus zoned out watching as Harry explained everything to a slightly terrified Sirius and he couldn't help but smile to himself. Maybe everything was fine after all. 

iv.

The mornings after the full-moon were always the worst.

No matter how many he went through, no amount of wolfsbane or magic could ease the pain he always felt the morning after. As Remus got older, the moons have grown harsher and it takes him even longer to recover than ever before. His joints ached for longer and he carried a uneasy feeling with him for nearly a week after. Now, he was curled up in bed, burying his faces in his pillows praying that the pain would just go away. Sirius wasn't beside him and their was no noise coming from the other room so he must have popped out, probably to the muggle village nearby to get some more painkillers. It still amazed Remus how muggle medicine worked better than countless magic spells, but he wasn't going to complain. He doesn't have the energy to open his eyes, let alone try cast healing spells on himself.

After a hour of feeling sorry for himself he slowly began to stretch out his body and see what joints ached or creaked more than usual. The usual culprits, his hip and back, throbbed as he stretched out but everything else seemed okay for the most part. It was a good moon then, he doesn't get this lucky usually. He opened his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Sirius had put a jumper on him a some stage and he was grateful, even though it was summer and the sun was shining down, he was always cold after the moon. He rubbed his eyes and gazed out the bedroom window. The bedroom door opened slowly, "Remus?"

He slowly turned his head back to the door and looked at a nervous Harry, standing in the doorway clutching a cup of tea and a newspaper. Remus gave him a weak smile and slowly began to prop himself up onto his elbows before scooting up fully and resting against the headboard, "Morning, Harry. You're back early."

"Sirius had to run into town and didn't want to leave you alone." Harry muttered, putting the mug and paper down on the bedside table and quickly stepping back from Remus. He gazed down at his fingers and bit down hard on his lip. He was a lot like his father, unable to keep still whenever he had something on his mind. One of the few things he had begun to notice over these few weeks Harry had been here, "Something on your mind?" Remus asked.

Harry looked up at him and hesitated a moment, "Remus?"

"Yes?"

"Does it hurt, even with the potion?"

Remus picked up his mug and took a sip before nodding his head, "Yes, but at least I no longer have to worry about scars and broken bones."

"Did you get a lot of those? I remember I broke my arm in second year and it hurt a lot." Harry rambled a little. Remus nodded his head, "A bunch. Luckily at Hogwarts, Madam Pomfrey was able to fix me up quick enough and the broken bones became less frequent once your Dad, Sirius and Pete had successfully become animagi."

"Is it scary?" He asked quietly. Remus looked at him and sighed, "I worry sometimes that the potion won't work or that I'll wake up and, well....None of that has happened though. It's just me overthinking."

Harry lowered his head again, Remus opened his mouth to say something when the door opened and Sirius called out for Harry. Remus watched as he looked at the doorway and smiled, shuffling over with a large bag, "Morning, Moony. I got you some of that muggle stuff but I couldn't remember which ones you get so I just bought a bunch and hoped that one was the right one-"

"Don't forget to breath, Padfoot." Remus smiled, Sirius shut his mouth and smiled. He sat down at the edge of the bed, his hand reaching out and stroking the stubble on Remus's chin before he pulled away and looked at the cup of tea then Harry, "How come he gets tea in bed?"

"Because I didn't nearly knock him into a tree playing quidditch..." Remus replied slyly. Harry shrugged his shoulders, "It seemed like a nice thing to do."

Remus looked at Harry who smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his neck. Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry and smiled, "taking care of your old uncle Moony!"

"Old?"

v. 

Its the last day of summer holidays and they are all currently crowded up in the attic trying to help Harry pack before he heads to King Cross with the Weasley's early tomorrow morning. Harry and Sirius were currently arguing over the quidditch World Cup final, which they all had attended a few days ago. Ireland had won but Sirius was insistent they should have been disqualified. 

"She elbowed him!" He replied a little too loudly to Harry who was currently packing his books into a bag. He stopped and raised a brow at Sirius who looked a little taken back, "Did you not tell me about a Hufflepuff you once kicked off a broom during a match?"

Sirius scowled and picked up some of Harry's books, "You've been spending too much time with Remus."

"That's a good thing." Remus piped up from the corner with a cheeky grin on his face. Sirius rolled his eyes back and flopped onto Harry's bed with a loud sigh, "I see how it is, both of you siding against me!"

"Quit being a drama queen and get up, you're lying on top of Harry's uniform." Remus instructed, Sirius instantly getting up and glaring at Remus before turning to Harry, "Did you know, he use to iron his socks when he was in school?"

Harry chuckled and looked up at Remus's whose face was a slight tint of red as he looked at Sirius but he couldn't help the smile tugging at his lips as he shuffled over to the bed and put Harry's uniform into his case. Sirius laughed to himself and wrapped a arm around Remus and pulled him in close, "I would be beyond proud if you were even a fraction as smart as our, Moony."

Remus shook his head, "He already is, you're just too thick to realise that."

Sirius nudged Remus in the elbow and Harry laughed loudly, sitting down on the floor as he watched as Sirius and Remus jokingly went back and forth, both smiling at each other like the lovestruck fools that they were. They eventually stopped when Remus sat down beside Harry and grinned, "Harry, ignore your godfather. He's just spouting lies to make himself look better."

"Sure, Moony." Sirius shot back, sitting back against the bed facing the other two. He smiled fondly as he nudged Harry with his foot, "Come on, best finish packing. Don't want to be late to the Weasley's tomorrow." 

Later that evening, Remus was curled up with Sirius, his fingers stroking through the other mans hair as he hummed a tuned into Remus's ear. Remus closed his eyes and focused on his humming, how his hair felt between his fingers and the comfortable weight on his chest. Sirius stopped humming and Remus opened his eyes, greeted by a familiar blue pair, "You okay, darling?"

Remus nodded his head, "Mmmh...just thinking..."

"About?" Sirius asked, resting his head back against his chest.

"It'll be weird not having Harry here." 

Sirius sat back up again, this time a bright smile on his face, "My, how far we have come."

Remus rolled his eyes back, "Sirius-"

"To think you were scared to talk to him and now you're missing him when he hasn't even left yet!"

"I wasn't scared-"

"Don't worry Moony, I know he'll me you, but mostly me, when he's at school."

Remus threw his head back against the pillow, "Surprised you aren't fretting out about him going back..."

Sirius shrugged and laid back down, his finger playing with the button on Remus's pyjama top, "I will miss him, but it won't be for long. He promised to write every week..."

"You're a good godfather." Remus mumbled sleepily, pressing a kiss into Sirius's head, "You're a good uncle too."

vi.

Harry had kept true to his promise and wrote to both of them every week. Remus joked that his letters was just a result of him running out of parchment for Sirius, yet, he was always happy to see them arrive on a Thursday morning and enjoyed reading them with his morning tea. It was now the end of the term and Harry was coming home for Christmas with Ron and Hermione. Remus had been running around the house, trying to make sure everything was clean and Harry's room was ready, while Sirius picked them up from the station.

The arrived later that evening, Harry dumping his bags at the door and running in to hug Remus. Remus hesitated a little before hugging him back, ruffling his hair up with his hand as he pulled away, "you're hair is going to be longer that Pads at this rate."

Harry blushed and nudged away Remus's hand, "McGonagall said the same thing."

Remus chuckled and turned to greet Ron and Hermione, helping Sirius carry their bags up stairs while Harry gave them a tour of their very small house. When Remus came back down behind Sirius, they were all sat together in a circle in the living room looking through some photos Sirius had given them. Remus peered over their shoulders and saw it was photos of them when they were still in Hogwarts themselves, a few from during the war as well. Remus sat down beside Sirius and wrapped an arm around him, "That was in detention in fifth year, we got caught changing the Slytherin banners red and gold."

Harry looked up at Ron and Hermione, "They made that map the twins gave me last year."

Remus chuckled as Hermione looked up in pure shock and betrayal, Ron in amazement. He shrugged his shoulders and looked at Sirius who was grinning from ear to ear. They all sat together for a while, Remus and Sirius telling stories, Ron and Hermione asking dozens of questions with Harry answering a lot of them himself. It seemed a little surreal nearly to Remus. He had spent so long alone, he never thought he would experience or deserved a life like this. The love of his life in his arms, his godson with them, all safe in their own home. No worries about an attack, money or what damage the wolf would do. He was at peace for the first time in a long time. 

"Uncle Moony use to train some, didn't you?" Remus focused back on the conversation, looking at the photo of of Remus with a young hippogriff. Remus looked at Harry and smiled. Uncle Moony. 

He deserved this.