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'Come on, Harry, you need to stay close,' Sirius scolds, after Harry has again gotten distracted looking at another holiday display. 'We're here for the sales, not the décor! It's too crowded to be messing around.'
'Sorry, Siri,' Harry says, tearing his eyes away from the glittering snowflakes and grabbing his godfather's hand. 'Where are we going next?'
'Well, Mary loves these candles, and they're 50% off today, so we're going to the bath and body section. I know she likes vanilla, and botanicals but not florals, and...'
Harry tunes him out, his eyes scanning the crowd. His friend Ron had told him he might be shopping at Diagon's today, and it would be so nice to say hi to his friend.
He's suddenly jerked to the left by his godfather. 'Ooh, a special on cards! Come on, Harry!'
He follows along dutifully, wondering why he agreed to this outing. His only other option was helping his mother put up more decorations—even though she has already told him three times that they've finished—and each time she was getting more and more manic about it. His dad was working overtime again, so his best option had seemed to be shopping with Sirius.
'Here, hold these bags for a minute,' Sirius tells him as they stop at a rack of Christmas cards. Harry takes the bags, which are honestly a little too heavy for him, as Sirius chooses his packs. Next, he leads him to the in-store wrapping station. 'If we can get the gifts for Marlene and Dorcas, and Reggie, packaged up, then we can stop by the post office and send them off.' Harry is pretty sure Sirius is talking to himself.
Harry sets the bags down when they reach the counter, Sirius handing over some gifts for wrapping and filling out a few of the Christmas cards he's just bought. All the rushing through the crowded store is starting to get to Harry, and he really wants to sit down or at least get some fresh air.
'Alright, Haz, that's it. I think I'm done,' Sirius says without looking at him. 'I never should have left it so long, but the sales were mostly worth waiting for. Phew, I'm beat.' He grabs his bags off the ground, then finally gives Harry his full attention. 'If you're up for it, let's stop at the post office on the way home. Then we can finally relax.'
Harry nods, unconvinced. He'll be heading home to an exhausted overworked father and a mother in an obsessive competition with her sister. Not exactly relaxing. But maybe tonight will be different—Christmas is only a few days away. Surely all of the adults in his life have gotten everything done by now.
The walk outside in the sharp cold air does Harry a lot of good, and when they reach the post office, he's feeling much better. Unfortunately, it's sweltering hot and even more crowded inside. Harry does his best to stay close, but the shoving crowd gets the better of him, and he ends up jostled through a door marked 'employees only.'
Harry sighs, taking a moment to collect himself before trying to exit the room. The sound is at least muffled in here. As his ears adjust, he notices some strange sounds from behind him, like a person making sound effects to themselves.
He turns around carefully, and is met with the sight of a tall, gangly man in a strange hooded coat rifling through the sorted letters in the wall of cubbies that makes up the back of the room. The man seems to be mumbling to himself as he takes them out and switches them around.
'What are you doing?' Harry asks, making the man jump.
He pauses what he's doing and turns around slowly. As he turns, even in the dim light, Harry can make out the green tinge to his skin, his yellow eyes, and the exceptionally hairy face. The man's face twists into a terrible smirk, and Harry knows he's made a mistake.
'Are you—the Grinch?' he whispers. He's head stories of the monster that lives on the mountain, but he wasn't sure if he was real.
'Yes, I am,' he growls at him. 'And what are you going to do about it?'
Harry is too scared to even scream, so he starts to slowly back away. Unable to look away from the monster in front of him, he doesn't notice the opening in the floor behind him, the chute for over-sized packages.
With a yelp, he falls into the chute, but is quickly stuck in between some packages that were already there. The Grinch shrugs and turns around, getting back to what he was doing, seemingly unconcerned.
'Help!' Harry finally says as he finds his voice. 'Help me, please!' He feels himself slowly being sucked down the chute, terrified of what might happen to him if he falls through all the way. If he can shout loudly enough, maybe someone outside the room will be able to hear him. He wonders if Sirius even knows he's gone.
He tries to call for help again, but all that comes out is a sob, as he realizes he's started crying. This isn't at all what he wanted for Christmas.
Just then, he feels a hand wrap around his ankle, and he is unceremoniously yanked out of the chute and plopped onto the floor.
'Oof,' he grunts as he lands on his back. He looks up, and meets the yellow eyes of the Grinch, who looks just as startled by his action as Harry. Harry stares at him for a moment, and takes him in—with a different expression on his face, he looks mostly like a regular man. Except green.
'Hey, thanks,' Harry tells him. 'You saved me.'
The Grinch narrows his eyes at him. 'I don't know what you mean.'
The door to the room opens just then, and Harry turns around to see Sirius rushing into the room. 'Harry! Oh my god, what have I told you about running off? Come on.' He helps him to his feet, and when Harry looks around for the Grinch, he's nowhere to be found.
On the walk back home, Harry debates with himself whether to tell Sirius, or his parents, or anyone, about his encounter with the Grinch. Most of the adults in his life treat the Grinch like a legendary creature, used to scare little children away from the mountain, but not actually real. Or at least, that was the impression Harry had gotten. Most people talk about the Grinch during the Christmas season, so Harry thought he was just part of the Christmas lore, like Frosty the Snowman. But then again, people only talk about Santa around Christmas, too, and he's definitely real.
Before he's made up his mind, he and Sirius have arrived back at his house. His mother is outside again, adding even more lights to their already saturated house. She's perched on a ladder, running a string of lights shaped like icicles from the bottom of the upstairs windows.
'Hi, Lily! We're back!' Sirius calls out.
'Oh, hello. I'll be right with you!' she calls back without turning around.
Harry looks over at his cousin Dudley's house, right next door. Usually when his mother adds decorations to their house, it's because her sister Petunia has added to hers. And sure enough, there are some bauble-shaped light-up bundles in the corner of every window. In one of the windows, his cousin Dudley is peeking out—he gives Harry a mournful wave when he sees him, which Harry returns. He misses playing with him like they did when they were younger, before their mothers declared a war of holiday decorations on each other.
'Ok,' he hears his mother say, drawing his attention back to his own house. She's climbed down from the ladder safely, and is brushing her hands against each other to knock off some accumulated snow. 'Now to see how it looks all together!'
She reaches down into the bushes and pulls out the power cords, connecting them together. The whole house lights up brighter than the sun, and Harry flinches back and squints reflexively.
'Oh my! That's...festive,' Sirius tells her.
'Thanks!' Lily responds, hands on her hips. 'Let's see her top that.'
Just then, Harry hears a car approaching, and turns around to see his father's car pulling into the driveway.
'Wow!' James says, getting out the car. 'It's like a lighthouse guiding me home!' he says good-naturedly to Lily, pulling her in for a hug. 'I don't want to think about what it's doing for our electricity bill, though...' he teases.
Lily playfully smacks his shoulder. 'Oh hush. It's for the holiday spirit!'
James just kisses her on the cheek in response, then turns to Sirius. 'Looks like you got a lot of shopping done. Stay for dinner?'
'Oh, thanks, but maybe another time. I'm beat. This one was a real help, though, weren't you, Harry?' he says, smiling at his godson.
Harry nods. 'See you later, Siri. Thanks for taking me with you.'
'We'll do something more fun next time, yeah? There's a gingerbread house making event in the town hall tomorrow—we can go to that if you like?'
'Can I invite Ron?' he asks.
'Of course! The more, the merrier.' Sirius waves goodbye to everyone, then sets off to walk the few blocks away to his own house. Harry hopes he won't be too lonely there eating dinner by himself.
He follows his parents inside, deep in thought as he takes off his jacket and hat. His parents are chatting idly about their days, but Harry isn't really listening. He sits at the table as his mother dishes up the roast she made, and then an idea takes shape in his mind, and flies out of his mouth before it has fully registered.
'Can we invite the Grinch to the Christmas festival?' he asks. And even though he wasn't actively listening to his parents, the sudden silence is jarring.
'The Grinch?' his mother asks. 'What on earth made you think of him?'
Well, it went like this: Harry worries about Sirius being lonely, in his big house all by himself. But at least he's coming over on Christmas, and Harry and his family spend a lot of time with him at Christmas events all month long, like the Christmas shopping today, where Harry saw the Grinch, who not only is real, but must live somewhere, but nowhere in town surely since nobody ever talks about seeing him, so wherever he is, he must be lonely, too.
'I saw him today, at the post office,' Harry says quietly, losing his confidence halfway through speaking.
'Mailing off his Christmas cards, was he?' his father asks sarcastically, making Lily glare at him.
'No, he—' Harry abruptly cuts himself off, not wanting to get in trouble for falling down the mail chute. 'Well, he seemed nice. And I don't think he has any friends. So I didn't want him to be lonely at Christmas.'
'That's very sweet, Harry,' his mother says. He watches his parents exchange a look, communicating without speaking like they do sometimes. 'If you see him again, you should definitely invite him,' she continues eventually.
'Great!' Harry says with a grin.
Meanwhile, up on Mount Godric, the Grinch is dealing with his own runaway train of thought. He doesn't go into town anymore unless he absolutely has to, to get food for himself and Padfoot, but to make the trip worth it, he always causes some sort of mischief for the citizens of Godric's Hollow. It serves them right, the snobby, selfish lot of them, and it's always worse at Christmas. They come out in great mobs, buying troves of plastic, sparkly junk, hanging it up outside, exchanging it with each other, in some strange ritual of vanity. But Godric forbid someone is a little different, a little green, and he has to live outside in the wilderness, with only his dog for company.
It wasn't always like this—he has some memories from before, of his parents, of friends, of a home and a place to belong. He always knew he was different; his mother told him he was special, and that differences should be celebrated. But one day, when he was still young, something changed, and he still doesn't understand...he was just a child.
He never does anything to bother the children of Godric's Hollow. They are innocent still, and have a chance to grow up into adults uncorrupted by the selfish pride of the town where they live. He hasn't ever seen it happen, but still. He doesn't mess with kids.
That kid at the post office, though. It's not like he pushed him into that chute. It was an accident. The kid probably would've been fine. He doesn't know why he grabbed him and pulled him out. He definitely didn't save him, like the kid had said.
Maybe if it had been a different kid. But he's watched this particular kid more than most, due to the fact that he's often hanging around with Sirius. He's always felt a draw to him, ever since he first saw him a few years ago when he started needing to go down the mountain. It's an un-examined thought. He just can't help it.
So, he's never done anything to actively help anyone in Godric's Hollow. And now he has. And at Christmas, too—terrible timing.
He slumps down in his armchair, giving Padfoot some head scratches when he sidles up next to him.
'I don't know what's gotten into me,' he tells his dog. 'I should probably go back soon, just to cause some more havoc. Maybe light something on fire this time.'
Padfoot whines at him.
'No, no, don't try to talk me out of it. They deserve it, remember? They're all a bunch of jerks.' He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the pack of treats he had gotten for Padfoot and holds one out for him. 'I'll pick you up some new toys while I'm there, alright?'
Padfoot eyes his treat warily, like he's not sure if he wants to accept his bribe. But he ends up taking it, staring into his eyes like he's trying to tell him something.
Harry doesn't waste any time getting on with his plan—he's not sure where on the mountain the Grinch lives, so he has to act quickly.
His parents won't let him wander the town alone, so he asks Sirius if he'll go on a hike with him. He knows he'll say yes, since he always says yes to Harry, especially when he wants to do something like exercise.
Harry leads them through town and towards Mount Godric, distracting Sirius with questions about all sorts of things. But when they reach the outskirts of town and the base of the mountain, and Harry starts heading up a disused trail, Sirius catches on.
'Hey, where do you mean to go now, Haz? We can't go up the mountain,' he says.
'Why not? I thought the incline would be good for our cardiovascular health,' he replies innocently, a response he had planned before they left.
Sirius chuckles. 'I mean, you're right, but I don't know if I can take you up there without asking your parents...it's not really the safest.'
'Oh, please! I really want to go exploring. You're not afraid of the Grinch, are you?' Harry challenges.
Sirius gets an odd, faraway look on his face. 'The Grinch? No, of course not...' he trails off, staring into the distance.
'Well, alright, then, let's go!' Harry declares, grabbing his godfather's hand and having to pull him along at first, until Sirius shakes his head and smiles at him.
'Ok. We can explore for a bit. But we'll have to be back well before it gets dark, ok?'
'Ok!'
The pair of them set off, and the first bit of the trail is pretty easy, with a gentle slope and just the odd overgrown branch and stray rock getting in their way. Pretty soon, though, they come across a massive downed tree, completely blocking the way forward.
'Uh oh,' Harry says. 'How are we meant to get around that?' When he stands on his toes, he can just see the trail continuing on the other side of the tree, so it's the obvious way to go. But when he looks for a way around, all he can see is dense woods on either side.
'Hmm,' Sirius says, peering at a section of branches on the left side. 'Let me just try something here...' As he approaches the jumbled mess of branches, Harry sees what he sees—it's like someone had bundled some sticks together intentionally. And sure enough, when Sirius tries, he's able to move the whole bunch out of the way at the same time, like a makeshift door. And beyond the door, a smaller, less obvious trail is revealed.
'Aha!' Sirius says proudly, turning to Harry. Harry smiles, and wonders if Sirius remembers that he didn't even want to come up here.
They make their way through the small opening and walk down the newly revealed trail for a few minutes, and then a plume of smoke comes into view. And next, a dog barking. And, around a corner, they see a small wooden house.
It reminds Harry of his log building toys—a simple square building with only two windows that he can see. The barking dog is right out front, wagging its tail at them, and occasionally turning in an excited circle.
'Padfoot! Stop that barking!' a voice calls out from inside, and next thing Harry knows, the door opens, and the Grinch walks outside.
'Hiya, Mr Grinch!' he calls out happily. He really found him!
The Grinch is standing in his doorway, dumbfounded at his visitors. He probably doesn't get many visitors, Harry thinks, since his house is kind of hard to get to.
A breathy 'Oh!' leaves Sirius's mouth. 'It's...he's...'
The Grinch gets over his surprise and crosses his arms over his chest defensively. 'What do you want? Can't you see I just want to be left alone?'
Harry studies the Grinch's face, and decides that this is one of those times that a grown-up is saying one thing with his words and another with his face. 'We came to invite you to the Godric's Hollow Christmas celebration!'
As soon as the words leave his mouth, he feels Sirius's hand on his shoulder. When he turns to look at him, Sirius is raising his eyebrows in question. 'So this is why you wanted to come up here? Not just for the cardio?' Harry nods, and Sirius sighs. 'I should've known.'
He squeezes his shoulder, then lets go, turning to face the Grinch, who is watching them warily. The dog has moved to his side, and is brushing up against his legs, almost like he's trying to push him forward.
'You say something now,' Harry whispers.
'Um...' Sirius starts. 'We have a big celebration on Christmas Eve—for the whole town.'
'Do I look like I live in your town?' The Grinch asks.
'Uh, I guess not. But visitors are welcome, of course,' Sirius continues. 'My brother lives out of town, and he comes sometimes. We're always happy to have new faces!'
The Grinch snorts. 'New faces. Sure.'
'Please will you come?' Harry asks. 'There's music and singing and dancing and laughing, and, and food!' This last one must be the most convincing point, based on the way the Grinch's gaze focuses on them after he mentions food.
'Everyone is welcome?' The Grinch asks cautiously.
Harry nods, and Sirius says 'Yes, of course. It's Christmas.'
The Grinch looks down at his dog, who looks up at him and whines. He says something to him, but Harry can't hear what it is.
After he finishes his one-sided conversation with his dog, the Grinch looks back to them and nods. 'Ok. I'll come.'
'Hooray!' Harry cheers, even as the Grinch is turning away to head back into his house.
'Oh, good!' Sirius says, clapping his hands together. 'I hope to see you there!'
And when Harry looks up at his godfather's face, he knows he's telling the truth.
The next few days pass quickly for Harry—he's spent most of December attending festive events and activities with his godfather, sticking even more lights onto the house with his mother, and only seeing his father for about an hour every day. He's promised Harry he'll definitely be off work for Christmas, and the Christmas Eve town festival, but 'threats to public safety never take a break for a holiday!' Or so he says.
The morning of Christmas Eve, Harry has made plans to meet up with Ron after lunch, when the festivities get started. He had told him the Grinch was coming, and even though he's pretty sure Ron doesn't believe him, he's doing a good job of acting excited to meet him.
The only problem is, he has to take a grown-up with him, and none of them are available. His dad got called in to work, his mom went to buy some 'emergency inflatables,' whatever that means, and Sirius wasn't going to come to the festival until later.
He calls Ron's house, but they must have already left, as nobody answers. As a last-ditch effort, he phones his godfather.
'Hello?' he answers after the fourth ring, when Harry was about to give up.
'Siri!' he says, excited and relieved. 'I need you to take me to the festival. My parents aren't home, and I'm supposed to meet Ron, and what if the Grinch can't find me and decides to go back home? I'm his only friend!'
Sirius doesn't answer right away, and Harry is about to express the urgency and time-sensitivity of the situation again when he hears his godfather let out a big breath.
'Ok, Haz. Give me a minute to get ready, and then I'll come get you. I should be there in...twenty minutes or so.'
'Twenty!? That's too long! Just do that shaky thing to your hair—that's what always takes the longest.,' Harry advises.
Sirius laughs. 'Alright, fifteen minutes. I'll walk my very fastest, I promise.'
'Ok. Do your best. I'll wait for you by the window,' he says, hanging up before Sirius can continue negotiating.
While he's waiting, he decides he should make a Christmas card for the Grinch. He fishes some green construction paper, some stickers, and his markers out of the craft cupboard, and sets himself up at the kitchen table. He's not sure what the Grinch's favorite color is, but he is green, so hopefully he likes it. He draws a picture of the Grinch first, then himself, and then the Grinch's dog. He still has some space, so he draws Sirius too, and has him hold the Grinch's hand to show him that they can be friends. Everyone is green now, too, since the paper is green, but that's ok.
He draws the Grinch's house next, then a Christmas tree, and uses some stickers to decorate them both to make it even more Christmas-y. He adds some hearts and smiley faces, too. On the inside, he writes 'Merry Christmas Grinch, and happy new year, love Harry and Sirius,' with a few more hearts for good measure.
He's been concentrating so hard on his card that he forgot to watch out the window for Sirius. He goes to put on his coat, the one with the inside pocket perfect for homemade Christmas cards, and carefully places the card in his pocket. When he looks out the window, he's just in time to see Sirius coming up his front path, having to step over some of the power cables lying every which way that are keeping the decorations running.
Harry runs out to meet him, not even checking to see if the door closes behind him, and grabs his hand as he passes by. Sirius wobbles as he's spun around by the force of his godson, and they start heading into town.
'Whoa, hold on! We have time! The party only started about ten minutes ago,' Sirius tells him. 'And did you leave a note for your mom?'
'There's no time! I told the Grinch I would be there, so I have to be there,' Harry declares.
'Alright, alright. You don't need to pull my arm off!'
'Well stop going so slow! You have longer legs than me.'
'Fair enough,' Sirius replies, resigned to the speed Harry has set.
They make it into town at record speed, and the festival is only just getting started, a sparse crowd beginning to form at the various booths and tables. There's a hot chocolate fountain, a cake walk, a cookie-decorating station, and an ornament-making booth already up and running, and several others being set up.
'See, look, they've only just started,' Sirius reassures him. 'And I don't see the Grinch anywhere yet. Maybe he's going to come later.'
Harry continues looking around, just to check. 'Ok. Well that's good. Siri, you have to help me keep an eye out for him.' Harry stops searching the crowd and focuses a steel gaze on his godfather. 'I want to make sure he has the best Christmas ever.'
'Right, yeah...um, me too,' he agrees.
And Sirius does keep an eye out for the Grinch—he was going to anyway. He's been on his mind since they saw him on the mountain the other day—the tall man with the golden eyes and the wonderful green...fur? Something about the Grinch has set his mind churning, and he can't stop thinking about him.
He takes Harry around the various kids activities, meets up with Ron and some of his siblings, takes a hot chocolate break, finds Harry's frantic mother and apologizes for letting him leave the house without leaving a note...and still no sign of the Grinch. He can tell Harry is worried about him, too, since he keeps getting distracted from whatever he's doing and looking around for him.
As the bell rings to signal that the great feast is starting in an hour, Harry gives Sirius a mournful look. 'I guess he's not coming.' He reaches into his coat and pulls out a handmade card, on green paper.
'What's that, Hazza?' Sirius asks, holding out a hand.
Harry hands over an adorable handmade card, and looks at Sirius with big sad eyes. 'I made it for him.'
Sirius looks up from the card that's already pulling at his heartstrings, and into Harry's face, and he feels like his heart is falling into his shoes. He's about to offer to take him back up the mountain when an out-of-breath James comes running up, still in his work uniform.
'There you guys are! I made it. And Lils, you won't believe what Petunia has done now—wait, what's going on? Harry, why are you sad, bud?'
Harry looks down at the ground and mumbles to his feet something none of the adults can hear, so James crouches down and asks him to repeat himself.
'The Grinch?' James asks after a moment. 'You invited the Grinch?' He looks up to Lily, and when she shrugs and shakes her head, he turns his gaze on Sirius, who is doing his best to put on an innocent face.
'Siri? Do you know anything about this?' James asks.
'Um...well, the thing is...we ran into the Grinch the other day...'
'You ran into him,' Lily states, crossing her arms over her chest.
'Well, Harry said you told him to invite him! He didn't...it doesn't matter. He hasn't come, and Harry is sad, so I'm going to find him,' he rambles on, backing away before anyone can tell him otherwise.
'You are?' Harry asks hopefully.
Sirius nods and waves, turning around to walk as quickly as he can toward Mount Godric. It's already starting to get dark, so he doesn't have much time if he's going to make it up there safely.
Sirius follows the same path as before, going through the hidden doorway next to the fallen tree, and making his way toward the Grinch's house.
On second look, when he knows what to expect, the house looks even more grim. More of a shack, really, and he wonders if the Grinch gets cold there in the winter. He has his dog, he supposes, who might sleep in the bed with him. He wonders if there would be room for another person in the bed, too.
It hardly looks like anyone is home, but Sirius knocks anyway. A frantic barking from inside lets him know that at least Padfoot is home, and then he hears angry stomps approaching before the door is flung open.
'What do you—oh, it's you,' the Grinch says, his harsh tone backing off as he recognizes Sirius. He runs a hand over his hair, averting his eyes. 'What do you want?'
'I came to see if you were still coming to the festival,' he tells him, looking the Grinch up and down and taking in his appearance. He seems to have made more of an effort today, in what looks like a handmade Christmas jumper with a snowman on it, and proper slacks that make his long legs look really nice... 'Um,' Sirius coughs. 'Harry was really hoping to see you,' he continues, handing over the card.
The Grinch grunts, but takes the card anyway, and Sirius sees his scowl soften as he looks at it. 'Is this supposed to be me?' His voice doesn't sound as gruff as he probably means it to.
'Yes—and Harry, and Padfoot, and...me,' he confirms, feeling his heart flutter strangely when he notices Harry had drawn them holding hands.
'Everyone is green,' the Grinch says, looking up at him.
'That's ok,' Sirius says with a shy smile. 'Green is my favorite color.'
The Grinch looks away, then sighs. 'I was going to come,' he mumbles. 'But I don't have anything to wear.'
'What do you mean?' Sirius asks. 'You look great! You look so,' handsome, 'festive.'
'I haven't been to a party in a while. I don't want to look stupid.'
'Stupid? You don't look stupid!' Sirius shakes his head. 'No, really—most people wear Christmas shirts and jumpers. See?' he reassures him, pulling open his own leather jacket to show off his shirt with a pine tree pattern.
'Green,' the Grinch says dumbly, not elaborating.
'My favorite,' Sirius says sincerely, and when the Grinch looks up at him with his golden eyes, Sirius thinks he might actually have two favorite colors.
They stare at each other for a moment, and Sirius can practically hear the gears turning in the Grinch's head. He just keeps looking at him, watching his wary expression, trying to convince him with his mind to come to the festival.
'Ok, fine,' he finally growls out, crossing his arms over his chest and looking a lot like Harry when he throws a tantrum. 'I'll come.'
'Great!' Sirius says. 'We had better get going before it gets too dark.' He holds his arm out for the Grinch to take, but when he looks at him blankly he ends up grabbing onto him to loop their arms together, and they set off down the mountain.
It's already started to get dark, and Sirius keeps stumbling over rocks and tree roots that he doesn't see. The Grinch just sighs at him, taking the lead and holding onto Sirius's hand for him to follow, which Sirius doesn't mind at all. They've almost made it to the hidden doorway when Sirius trips properly, crashes into the Grinch, who tries to help steady him, but ends up being pulled down down with him.
Next thing he knows, he's looking up at the Grinch who has somehow landed on top of him. And despite the sharp rock poking into his back, and the dust he can feel getting into his hair, it's a pretty nice place to be.
The Grinch is looking at him in surprise, and Sirius reflexively wraps his arms around his shoulders, because that's where his arms want to be. He suddenly feels the urge to pull him closer, to...to...
But then the Grinch is shaking his head and pulling himself up. He holds out a hand to Sirius, who takes it, and he pulls him up.
'Are you ok?' the Grinch asks gruffly, like he didn't want to ask.
'Yeah, I'm fine,' he says, brushing some dirt off of his clothes. 'Thanks for helping me up.'
The Grinch scoffs. 'Just be careful,' he says without looking at him. But then he takes Sirius's arm more firmly, and they head the rest of the way down without incident, unless you count the fluttering of Sirius's heart.
As they approach the town square, it gets louder, and brighter, and Sirius feels the Grinch's grip on his arm tighten.
'Nervous?' Sirius asks him gently.
'I just don't know if anyone...wants me here,' he replies.
'I know Harry does! And I do,' he says with a smile, and a squeeze of his arm.
The Grinch looks at him briefly, then says, 'Ok, but if it's terrible I'm leaving.'
'Of course. It's only fair.'
They walk through one of the festive archways into the festival, passing a quartet of musicians playing Christmas songs. Despite Sirius's reassurances to the Grinch, he notices some strange looks from people, some even turning and walking in the opposite direction away from them.
But he pushes on. Contrary to their walk down the mountain, now Sirius is leading, and it's feeling more and more like he's dragging the Grinch reluctantly behind him. When he spots Harry and his parents, he nudges the Grinch and points them out, and he walks a bit more easily behind him.
'Siri!' Harry cries out, running up to them. Sirius has to drop the Grinch's arm to return the big hug Harry gives him, and grins when Harry turns to the Grinch next and gives him a big hug, too. The Grinch looks absolutely shocked, and ends up patting Harry on the head in return.
'You came!' Harry says, beaming up at the Grinch. 'I like your sweater. Did you make it?'
'I...no, I didn't. But—'
'Wow, Haz, you weren't kidding about meeting the Grinch!' James says as he and Lily catch up. 'James Potter, nice to meet you,' he continues, holding his hand out to shake.
The Grinch shakes his hand silently.
'This is my wife, Lily,' James says, and Lily holds her hand out, too. They both look a little surprised, but Sirius is proud of his friends for being nice and welcoming.
A few other people come up and introduce themselves, and it seems like the spell of tension that was cast on the Grinch's arrival is broken.
The five of them wander the festival for a while, playing games, meeting people, drinking hot chocolate. The Grinch gets whipped cream on his nose, and Sirius wipes it off for him, getting a shy smile in return. He's having such a lovely time, he forgets about the holiday speech from the mayor, which is the part of the festival he never likes.
Dumbledore has been the town mayor for Sirius's whole life, and while most people think very highly of him, Sirius has never fully trusted him. He always seems like he's keeping a secret, like he's the only one smart enough or good enough to have all the information, like he's the only one who can make decisions for the town without giving them a say. His Christmas speech is usually half bragging about himself and half condescending admonishments for the townspeople.
The town bells ring out in the pattern that announce the mayor, and when Sirius turns he sees the man himself standing at the dais on the platform where the band had been playing previously.
'Who's that?' the Grinch asks from beside him, both of them resisting the crowd that's trying to sweep them away into the plaza.
'The mayor. Dumbledore,' Sirius tells him in a stage whisper, trying to keep his voice neutral.
He must fail, though, as the Grinch glances toward the old man, then back to Sirius, and states plainly, and too loudly, 'I don't like him.'
Sirius chuckles. 'He gives a Christmas speech every year. We kind of have to listen to it...it's usually only a few minutes. And then it's time for the feast!'
The Grinch perks up at this, and turns obediently, if grumpily, toward the mayor.
'Yes, it's that time again, people of Godric's Hollow! Thank you so much for your warm greeting,' Dumbledore begins with a little bow, waving his arm as if quieting the non-existent applause. 'I know you've all been waiting ever so patiently for my Christmas speech, and here it is. First of all, I'd like to thank each and every one of you for making this Christmas season so profitable for all of our local businesses, and for all of the gifts you have bought for me, especially. I definitely feel your adoration, and it will be repaid in the coming year.'
Sirius scoffs at this. Dumbledore is known for accepting bribes and doing favors for the town's wealthy citizens, and he's always reminding everyone of the opportunity in his speeches.
'This year has been a good one for so many of our citizens, and for our little town. I've helped to put on so many events and celebrations. Who could forget our Easter picnic, our Summer soiree, or the retirement bash for our dear friend Minnie?'
'I thought you said this only takes a few minutes,' the Grinch hisses from beside him as Dumbledore drones on and on about winning the town's golf tournament.
'Well, sometimes it's a little longer...but not a lot. It'll be ok,' Sirius reassures him. He gets distracted by smiling up into the Grinch's handsome face, so it takes him a moment to realize that Dumbledore, and the crowd, have gone quiet, and everyone's attention is on the two of them.
'I said, and who is this green visitor in our midst?' Dumbledore says, sounding like he's repeating himself.
The Grinch looks at Sirius with panic in his eyes. Sirius is still thinking of what to say when Harry's small, clear voice sounds from behind him.
'He's the Grinch, mayor Dumbledore, sir! I invited him!' he says proudly.
A ripple of murmuring makes its way through the crowd. The Grinch looks, to Sirius, like he wants to disappear.
'Oh! What a surprise,' Dumbledore says in his booming voice. 'Well you can be our holiday Cheermeister! Come up here so we can all get a look at you.' And Sirius might be imagining things, but the tone of his voice sounds vaguely sinister.
Harry is beaming up at the Grinch, looking so happy and hopeful that he's performed his own Christmas miracle. Sirius tries to put a reassuring face on, and squeezes the Grinch's hand.
'He'll just talk to you for a minute and put a silly crown on your head. It's all for fun, promise.'
The Grinch glances down at Harry's hopeful face, and gives a dramatic sigh. 'Oh, all right.' He stomps up to the stage and stands next to Dumbledore.
'Mr Grinch. So lovely of you to come and visit us for our Christmas festival! Tell me—have you ever visited us before?' Dumbledore asks.
The Grinch shifts back and forth on his feet. 'I, um, I've...visited before,' he says in a mumble that Sirius can barely make out. And of course that's true—Harry says he saw him in town that time at the post office. But why does he seem like he doesn't want to admit that.
'Do you have many friends here?' Dumbledore continues.
'Many...no. I have...a few,' the Grinch says, making eye contact with Sirius, who gives him an encouraging smile and nod. He sees Harry waving out of the corner of his eye.
'And do any of these friends ever visit you? You live all alone up the big mountain, don't you?'
The Grinch gets a faraway look in his eyes, then shakes his head, mumbling something Sirius can't make out.
'Why do you live up there all alone, anyway?' Dumbledore asks in a tone that suggests he already knows the answer.
The Grinch seems to be stuck—he's staring out at the crowd, the crowd that has started murmuring again the longer the silence goes on. Sirius hears a child ask her parents if the Grinch is scary, and her mother tells her that she doesn't know.
'Forgive me, Grinch, it's just that, as the mayor, it's my responsibility to keep the citizens of Godric's Hollow safe. You would never do anything to compromise their safety, would you? Nothing like, say, pushing a child into a mail chute, perhaps? Nothing like that, surely.' Dumbledore finally holds out the garish plastic crown that is given to the cheermeister every year, but he doesn't place it on his head just yet. He seems to whisper something to the Grinch, who looks down at the ground, nods, and just steps off the stage.
'Oh no! Where is he going, Siri?' Harry asks, pulling on his sleeve.
'Um...I don't know,' he responds, distracted. Since the Grinch has stepped down from the stage, the crowd has gone a little crazy, everyone simultaneously trying to avoid the Grinch but also getting in his way. Dumbledore is shouting something half-heartedly about the Grinch coming back. Somehow, Sirius has lost sight of him, even though he isn't very far away. Everyone suddenly seems to have somewhere to go, and there's a throng of people near the stage, and it's getting louder, and—
Suddenly, what can only be described as a howl rings out in the air. The crowd is silent, for just a moment, and then in full-blown panic mode. People are yelling, screaming, crying, and Sirius still can't see the Grinch.
'There!' Harry says, tugging Sirius's sleeve again. Harry is pointing across the crowd, and there he is, the Grinch, running on all fours like a wolf, toward his mountain home.
Sirius's first thought is to go after him, but he wonders how welcome he would be. He's practically a stranger to him, really, and it seems he has had enough of people. He glances toward the stage, where his eyes find Dumbledore, hand to his chest and an expression of innocent surprise on his face. But when he notices Sirius looking at him, he gives him a grim smirk and shakes his head.
'Alright, everyone, attention here, please!' Dumbledore calls out. 'Calm down everyone—the threat is gone. And I don't think it will be back any time soon. So sorry about that, everyone.' He offers a few more reassurances as everyone quiets down. 'Yes, thank you for your patience, everyone. It was only a little boy's innocent, if naive, Christmas wish. Rather charming, really, that he thought someone like the Grinch would be able to fit in here. But do you see? He's up there for a reason. He's dangerous. But, he's gone for now. We can resume our celebration. As our intended cheermesiter has departed, I am willing to play cheermeister again this year.'
Dumbledore pauses here to put the crown on his own head, as he does most years, and Sirius tunes out the rest of what he says after the brief applause, staring off into nothing in the direction the Grinch went. He can't see him anymore, but he feels stuck in place, waffling between going after him and letting him go.
'Are you going to go after him?' Harry's timid voice is barely audible over Dumbledore's droning speech, but it breaks through Sirius's cycling thoughts.
'Um, I think...maybe now is not the best time,' he tells him.
'But maybe tomorrow?' Harry asks hopefully.
'Yeah, maybe tomorrow,' Sirius says, forcing a smile, which Harry returns, looking relieved.
When Dumbledore finally finishes speaking, Sirius is no longer in the mood for a party. He gives his apologies to the Potters, and while James gives him a funny look, he doesn't object to his leaving once Sirius promises to be over for Christmas morning breakfast.
He makes his way through the crowd, moving in the opposite direction as everyone else, who are making their way toward the massive feast table. He gets some more funny looks and grumbles sent his way as he tries to make it past everyone, and right when he does, he almost crashes into a woman in a wheelchair.
'Ah, excuse me, sir,' says the voice of the woman pushing her chair. 'Are you the one who came here with the Grinch?'
They don't look like trouble, so Sirius answers honestly.
'My name is Poppy. This here is Hope,' she tells him, putting a hand on the older woman's shoulder. 'She'd like to speak to you if you have a moment.'
'Oh, I—you don't need to get to the feast?' Sirius asks warily.
'Oh, no, we have reserved seating,' Hope says, gesturing to her chair and raising her eyebrows.
'Ah. So you do,' Sirius says, holding back a laugh as he's not sure if it would be polite. 'Alright then. How can I help?'
Hope takes a deep breath, then clears her throat. She stares into Sirius's eyes with determination, and asks, 'Are you a friend to my Remus?'
'Your..?'
'She means the Grinch,' Poppy clarifies.
Hope waves her hand over her shoulder at the other woman. 'That's not his name. But yes. My son Remus, who that dastardly man up there has been calling the Grinch?'
'That's not his name?' Sirius asks, his mind wandering to some far corner of his memory at hearing the name Remus. When he notices Hope's eyes still fixed on him, he coughs and says, 'Yes, I would like to think we're friends. Although I haven't been a very good one today.'
'Hmm, yes. Well. How well do you know him? If you mean to go after him, I would like to give you some advice. And some encouragement,' Hope says.
'And he's your...?' Sirius asks.
'Son,' Hope says firmly. Sirius looks to Poppy for confirmation, who just shrugs at him. 'He's adopted,' Hope adds, noticing the exchange.
'Right,' Sirius says.
'He's always had some issues with...emotional regulation. Especially around the full moon, like it is tonight,' Hope says, and Sirius glances up and confirms that it is, in fact, a full moon. 'But he's always done better with friends and family around. Sending him up there was the worst thing Dumbledore could have done for him. But he's the mayor, and my husband was an idiot, so up he went.'
Sirius is caught in the spell of her words, his mind reeling with the amount of new information he was getting. 'So, he hasn't always lived on the mountain?'
Hope scoffs. 'No, of course not. When he was a child, he lived here in town. Of course, back then, he wasn't all green. Just—'
'Just his hair,' Sirius says in sudden recognition. 'I remember him! Oh, Remus! We were friends then, too...' He trails off, memories flashing through his mind of the shy boy with green hair from school.
Hope smiles. 'He had a lot of friends. Children are so innocent—none of them were bothered by his green hair. Thought it was fun and interesting. But the adults—they are always wary of someone different. And lots of children get overwhelmed by their big feelings, but when you're green...well, then people see you differently.'
'I don't remember him being any different from my other friends,' Sirius says, thinking back.
'No, you wouldn't. We kept him home when it got bad, and once we tracked it to the moon it was easy to predict. But the older he got, the harder it was to take care of him. Dumbledore convinced us that everyone would be better off if he lived away from town. I wanted to go with him, but my husband convinced me it wasn't safe...of course I went to visit, as much as I could, but then, about five years ago, my health started to fail. Can't get up the mountain in a chair.'
Sirius is half listening to Hope, half sorting through the memories that have risen to the surface. He remembers Remus being so quiet the first day of school, hiding behind a tree at recess, sitting alone at lunch. He had reminded Sirius of his brother. 'I remember when he stopped coming to school. I thought he had just moved away.'
'Well, he had, in a sense. Just not very far,' Hope tells him.
'So what should I do? I don't like him being all alone up there. But I know he's probably upset...'
'The Remus I used to know probably needs the night to himself. It's best to leave him to it on full moon nights. He might lash out at someone, and that would make it worse. He always did better just having his dog for company.'
'Padfoot? He still has him!' Sirius says.
'Oh, that's great! He must be getting on now...We got him when Remus first moved up there. So he must be...12 or 13 years old by now. I'm glad he's got some company, at least.' Hope looks away and up the mountain, even though it's fully dark now and there's nothing to see. 'Do you think you'll go and see him tomorrow? I'd like to write him a letter...I was never able to tell him why I stopped coming to see him. He must think I don't care for him anymore.'
Sirius nods in agreement, of course, because what else could he do when faced with the tear-filled eyes of the Grinch's mother? So, it seems, he's decided.
'Yes, I will go and see him tomorrow. I have plans in the morning with my godson, but after breakfast and presents, I'll go. Where can I find you to collect your letter?'
Remus had run through the crowd, out of the town square, through the town, and up the mountain—on all fours like the dangerous animal he was. He was green, for goodness sake. Why had he ever thought he would be welcome in a town full of normal people? Just because one child and one man were kind to him...they didn't know what he was like.
Well, now they did, certainly. There was no way around it—Dumbledore's words had brought back the worst of his memories, of being overwhelmed, of losing control. His mother was the only one who had been kind to him about it, but even she didn't understand. She didn't know where he had come from—nobody did. He didn't belong anywhere.
He was panting when he reached the clearing that contained his house. He couldn't summon the energy, or the will, to even open the door. At least not until he heard Padfoot whining and felt his doggie door nudging him in the shoulder where he collapsed in front of it.
'Alright, alright.' he grumbled, getting up and brushing himself off. His festive sweater, the one Sirius had told him looked great, is covered in dirt, so he pulls it off, meaning to fling it into a corner when he gets through the door, but then he pauses.
He looks down at the sweater—it's one of the last things his mother had made for him before she suddenly stopped visiting. So instead, he carefully lays it over the back of a chair, telling himself he'll see to it tomorrow. He fishes Harry's card out of his pocket, too, relieved it's not too banged up.
He drops himself down on his bed with a sigh. His fight or flight response has calmed, now that he's safe back at home and has Padfoot's head on his lap. He's no longer panicked and scared.
No, he's not scared. He's angry. Because, once again, the town of Godric's Hollow has cast him out. They didn't give him a chance when he was just a child, and they didn't give him a chance today. For all of Harry and Sirius's talk about being welcoming, Godric's Hollow is full of prideful hypocrites.
Especially at Christmas, he thinks. All their decorations, their presents—it's not to be festive, it's to show off. Well, he can show them. He can take all the trappings away, and then let them see what's hidden underneath.
His hand finds his dark-colored cloak that he wears into town as his disguise, a plan forming in his mind. He'll steal their Christmas. It's just what they deserve.
Harry wakes up on Christmas morning, and at first he doesn't even remember what day it is. He doesn't feel excited, he just feels tired, and kind of sad. He considers rolling over and going back to sleep, but a glance at the clock tells him it's almost 8, which is when his mom will come wake him up anyway.
He sighs, trudging to the bathroom. He stares at his reflection as he brushes his teeth. Why isn't he excited? It's usually his favorite day of the year; he's about to open all of his presents, spend time with his family, have wonderful food...but where is his Christmas spirit? He just can't find it.
He heads downstairs, his hand finding the banister and sliding down it like he does 11 months out of the year, and then he notices—the garland that had been there for all of December is missing. He looks up, and the red and green seasonal curtains are gone from the windows. The 'Merry Christmas' banner is gone from the entryway.
The stockings are gone from the chimney.
The tree, and all the presents under it, are gone from the foyer.
His parents are sitting on the couch, talking in hushed voices. They don't notice him until he lets out a quiet, 'Mom? Dad?'
His parents turn to him at the same time, his dad with a grim expression, and his mom's face streaked with tears.
'Oh, Harry,' his mother says. 'Something terrible has happened!'
'Don't worry, Harry—I'll get to the bottom of this,' his father says. 'I'll get a whole team together, we can—'
The front door suddenly flies open, and Sirius rushes through. 'Did they get you, too?' he asks, looking around. 'It's the whole town! Christmas is just—gone!'
'I was surely going to win this year!' Lily cries out. 'All that effort I had put into our decorations...just, poof! Gone.'
James rubs her back in sympathy. 'I know, sweetheart, it's terrible. I'm sure you had her beat this year.'
Lily just cries more and buries her face in her husband's shoulder.
Harry looks over to Sirius, who is still slightly out of breath from what must have been his run over to their house. He wasn't due to come til later, but he must've come as soon as he noticed what was going on.
'How are you doing, Haz?' Sirius asks him when he notices him looking.
Harry shrugs. 'I'm ok. Kind of hungry, though.'
Sirius blinks at him. 'Ok, well, let's see if...but, aren't you sad about your presents?'
Harry just shrugs again. 'I was kind of sad already.'
'Oh, but it's Christmas! You shouldn't be sad on Christmas!' Sirius protests.
'I know. I'm sorry,' Harry says, looking down at his feet. 'I just don't feel very Christmas-y this year. But it's not because of the presents. It's because...'
'Of the Grinch?' Sirius guesses.
Harry nods, still looking down. He doesn't see Sirius move toward him, until the other man is kneeling in front of him and grabbing him by the shoulders. Harry looks up at him, and he can tell by the look on his face that Sirius gets it.
'I just...' Harry begins, pausing when he hears his voice wobble. 'It didn't feel like Christmas. Dad was always at work, and mom was fighting with Aunt Tuney, and you were always shopping, and, and...' And he has to stop talking, as he's too overwhelmed, and the words just stop coming.
'You were trying to re-capture the Christmas spirit by doing something nice,' Sirius says, and Harry nods again as his godfather pulls him into a hug.
'Oh, Harry, I'm so sorry you were feeling this way!' his mother says.
'And I'm sorry I've been working so much, bud,' his father adds. 'I think I was focused too much on the day, I forgot about the rest of the Christmas season. But I don't have to go in today—it can wait'
'And I forgot about where the real magic of Christmas comes from,' Lily says. 'It's not about beating someone in a decorations contest.' She trails off, mumbling something about calling her sister.
'And you're right, Harry,' Sirius says. 'Christmas doesn't come from a store. It's supposed to mean more than that. I should've been spending more time with you.'
'And what about the Grinch?' Harry asks.
'Well, actually...' Sirius says, glancing at James and Lily. 'I'm planning to go visit him today. If it's ok with your parents, would you like to come? After breakfast, of course.'
They have a lovely family breakfast, albeit a little earlier than originally planned. Whoever had stolen Christmas, (and Sirius had a theory about that), hadn't stolen Lily's special Christmas cinnamon rolls, and they were just as delicious eaten at a table without the festive tablecloth.
Harry had quickly accepted all of the adults apologies, and listened with increasing excitement as they detailed their plans to be home more (James), reconcile with her sister (Lily), and try to reconnect with Remus (Sirius).
He had explained to them all what he knew about Remus's background, and why he lived up on Mount Godric, and the Potters all agreed that it wasn't right. James declared he would use his connections around town to drum up some understanding for Remus, and try to get people to stop calling him by his not-very-nice nickname. And, of course, they agreed to let Harry go up the mountain to help Sirius in his efforts to bring him back to town.
The two set off as soon as they were done eating, Harry hugging both his parents and telling them he was having a wonderful Christmas so far.
'We have one quick stop to make first, Harry,' Sirius tells him as they leave the house. 'Remus's mom's house.'
Harry looks up at him quizzically.
'I met her yesterday at the festival. She can't visit him because she's too old and frail, but she wants us to deliver a letter to him,' Sirius explains.
As they walk through the town, they see more evidence of the stolen Christmas. But, luckily, most people seem to be handling it as well as the Potters. They see people having snowball fights, singing carols, playing games, or just chatting with their neighbors with steaming mugs in their hands. People seem to have been driven outside, brought together through their shared strange experience.
They get lots of waves, and when they pass the Weasleys' house, Ron runs up to say hello to Harry.
'I can't believe you actually brought the Grinch to the festival! He was so cool,' Ron says.
'I know, right? We're going to try to get him to come back,' Harry tells him.
'Whoa...' Ron says with wide eyes. 'Tell him I really hope he does!' he says before running back to his siblings.
Sirius watches as the boys beam at each other and wave, feeling hopeful they'll be able to fix this.
They arrive at Hope's house on the edge of town, and Poppy answers when they knock, greeting them with a warm smile.
'Thank you so much for coming,' she says, moving to the side to let them in. 'This really means a lot to Hope.' She lowers her voice to a whisper and continues talking, and Sirius has to lean in to hear her. 'I feel quite bad—she was always talking about how sad she was about not being able to visit her son, but I thought he had just moved away or something. I was kind of mad at him for never visiting her!'
Poppy leads them to the back of the house, into a sun room full of windows, where Hope is sitting in her wheelchair and gazing out the window at the snow-covered landscape.
'Hope, your visitors are here!' Poppy tells her, and motions for them to sit on the couch in front of her, sitting herself down in a chair by Hope's side.
'Hi, Hope. Merry Christmas,' Sirius says as he sits down.
'Merry Christmas to you, too, Sirius. And—Harry, was it?'
'Yes that's me!' Harry confirms. 'Are you really the Grinch's mom?'
Hope smiles. 'I am. But his name is really Remus.'
'Oh yeah. I like that better,' Harry says.
'Me too,' Hope agrees. 'Thank you so much for offering to bring him this letter. I hope he isn't feeling too poorly this morning. I know he had a bad day yesterday...'
'I bet we'll be able to cheer him up, though!' Harry says. 'Especially Siri. The Gr—er, Remus really likes him.'
'Is that so?' Hope asks, raising her eyebrows at Sirius, who just coughs into his hand, trying to hide the blush he feels creeping up on his cheeks.
Thankfully, Hope doesn't wait for a response from him, and moves right along. 'Well, I do have my letter here. While I was writing it, I got to reminiscing, and I found some old photo albums, if you'd like to have a look.'
Sirius looks to where she's pointing, and there are two photo albums on the side table next to the sofa he's sitting on. He pulls them into his lap, opening the first one that's labeled 'baby' in gold script on a blue background.
Hope leans forward to narrate some of the photos. 'That was the day we brought him home,' she says about a younger Hope and her husband holding onto a bundled up baby with a small green tuft of hair. 'That was his first time trying food—he wasn't a fan,' about a baby Remus with a scrunched up face covered in what looks like mashed up carrots. 'This was his first birthday...soon after he learned to walk...he just looked so cute in that hat.'
And on it goes, through the first album and onto the second, as Sirius feels a warmth filling up his chest the more he learns about Remus. It doesn't quite fill his whole body, though, as there's a nagging part of the back of his mind that won't let him forget the events of yesterday.
He turns to a page in the middle of the second album, and suddenly sees himself. 'That's Remus with one of his school friends at the end-of-year party. He's always been so tall!' she chuckles. The young Remus in the photo is already a head taller than Sirius. 'We started home-schooling him not long after,' Hope explains.
'This is me!' Sirius exclaims. 'I remember this. My parents never liked me to see my school friends outside of school—they preferred me seeing my cousins and other family members. They were snobby in that way. But we had made plans to try to meet up at the park over the summer...not very good plans, as I never saw him there...oh, Remus!' He looks up into Hope's eyes, and she's giving him a kind, but sad, smile. 'I think—I think perhaps we should get going. I don't want him to think—to feel—I want to make sure he knows he still has friends.'
'Yes, of course. I hope it goes well. I think it will, if you're just a bit patient with him. You should, ah, be prepared for some...grumpiness, at first. He always is after the full moons,' Hope says.
Sirius, and Harry, nod gravely, and Hope hands her letter to Harry. 'Deliver it safely for me, ok?'
'I will!' Harry declares.
The walk up Mount Godric is quiet; even Harry seems to be deep in thought. Before they reach the hidden door, though, Sirius feels he needs to set his expectations.
'So, Harry...' he begins. 'I think we should be prepared for the possibility that Remus is the one responsible for all the Christmas stuff going missing.'
'Ok,' Harry says simply. 'But if he brings it all back and says sorry, it'll be ok.'
'I mean, that would be a good start...but, you know, it's not nice to steal things from people,' Sirius says, immediately out of his depth as Godfather. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything at all.
'No, but it's not nice to bully people and make them live all alone up a mountain, either.'
'True...' Sirius replies, and before he can think of anything else to say, they've reached the hidden entrance. Sirius moves the branches out of the way and they head through.
And right away, Sirius has his theory confirmed. The whole space around Remus's house is littered with large bags filled with Christmas paraphernalia, random gifts, tinsel, lights, and other things spilling out the tops. It must have taken all night for one man to get it all up here.
Sure enough, there is no answer from inside when Sirius knocks on the door. So either Remus is still asleep, or he doesn't want to see them. He tries the handle on a whim, and the door begins to open.
'Um, Harry...maybe you should wait out here. Just for a minute. In case he's not happy to see us.'
'Ok,' Harry says, and leans against the wall. 'Don't take too long, though. I want to talk to him, too.'
Sirius nods, then pushes the door open the rest of the way. The house is a mess, too, but his eyes are immediately drawn to the bed, where the soft thumping of Padfoot's tail attracts his attention. When Padfoot notices him looking, he lets out a soft whine.
There's a lump in the bed, covered by blankets, that must be Remus, still asleep by the look of it. Sirius approaches cautiously, then gently nudges what he's guessing to be his shoulder.
'Remus,' he says quietly. 'Remus, wake up.'
'Hmm...Mom?' is the groggy answer he gets as Remus begins to stir.
'Er, no, it's Sirius,' he corrects, and he can practically feel the tension when Remus wakes up all the way.
He stays frozen—they both do—and Remus keeps his head under the blanket. 'What are you doing here? I'm not planning on going back ever again, if that's what you're worried about.'
'That is what I'm worried about—but not in the way you think,' he says, reaching to pull the blankets down so he can see his face. Remus looks up at him in what is probably meant to be a mean glare, but Sirius can see the hurt underneath it. 'We wanted to apologize for what happened yesterday.'
'We?'
'Yeah. Me, and Harry—Harry!' he calls out over his shoulder, and the boy enters nonchalantly, giving Remus a friendly wave.
'Hi, Remus! Your mom told us your name,' he tells him.
Remus looks speechlessly to Sirius for confirmation, and Sirius takes it as his cue to give him the letter. Sirius reaches over and takes it from Harry, then hands it to Remus, who glances at it, then sits himself up fully with a groan.
He takes the letter and unfolds it, and Sirius watches as his eyes scan the page. Hope had told Sirius he could read it if he wanted, but he didn't. Hopefully it doesn't say anything horrible.
Remus finishes reading, folds the letter back up and places it gently on the end table, right next to what Sirius notices is Harry's Christmas card from yesterday. His expression has remained unreadable the whole time, but Sirius thinks he might see tears welling up in his eyes. Before he can be sure, Remus lays back down, rolls away from him, and covers his head with the blanket again.
'Hey!' Harry says. 'Where are you going?'
'I'm tired,' the lump says. 'Go away.'
'Remus—' Sirius starts.
'And stop calling me that. I'm the Grinch. Get lost,' Remus says with a slight wobble in his voice
Sirius almost wants to laugh at how ridiculous he sounds. But he remembers Hope's warning about Remus's big feelings. Right now, Remus reminds him of a slightly younger Harry having a tantrum. Living away from people has obviously done nothing for his emotional regulation skills.
'If you really want to be left alone, then we'll go. But we—especially Harry—didn't want you to spend Christmas all by yourself,' Sirius says.
'Yeah,' Harry adds. 'This is what I wanted for Christmas. To spend time with my family and friends.'
The lump shifts. 'I'm your friend?'
'Yeah, of course!' Harry says brightly.
'Even after I stole Christmas?' the lump asks, more quietly.
Harry shrugs. 'We all make mistakes. And you didn't steal Christmas, you just stole some stuff. But you can bring it back. And you have to say sorry and really mean it.'
Remus doesn't respond right away, and Harry looks at Sirius for advice. Sirius just smiles grimly and shrugs, trying to communicate we tried our best.
But then Remus stirs, turning over to face them and pulling the blanket down to uncover his face. Sirius smiles at his fluffy bedhead hair and sleepy eyes. He kind of wants to crawl into bed with him.
'There he is,' Sirius says gently.
'Didn't I ruin everything? Surely everyone is mad at me,' Remus asks.
'No! Everyone is having fun,' Harry reassures him.
'He's right. No one seems that upset—it's still Christmas, after all. And if you bring everything back, I'm sure no one will hold a grudge,' Sirius adds.
'Well...ok. But I'll need help. It took me forever to get it all up here,' Remus agrees.
It doesn't actually take that long to pack everything back into the sledge Remus had used to transport the Christmas things, as everything is still basically boxed and bagged up. It seems to defy the laws of physics, but somehow everything fits, and maybe Remus just has a magical sleigh like Santa somehow.
Sirius is ready to help pull the monstrosity, but Remus waves him off and tells him and Harry (and Padfoot) to sit in the front. Remus starts pulling, and Sirius is feeling a little faint at the show of strength. He pulls them over to the side of his house and around a corner Sirius hadn't seen before, and they're suddenly facing a fairly steep hill with a cleared path that reminds Sirius of a ski slope. But surely they're not going to—
'This is going to be so fun!' Harry says excitedly from next to him as Remus gathers his reigns and joins them in the front of the sledge. They're teetering at the edge, and Sirius feels like his heart might beat out of his chest. He looks at Remus in a panic.
'You should hold onto something,' he tells him, and Sirius hasn't processed the words before his world tilts.
One hand pulls Harry closer to him by the waist, and his other slams down next to him and onto Remus's thigh. He holds on for dear life, squeezing his eyes shut, as the sledge races down the hill. Harry is having fun at least, based on the shrieks he's letting out, and Padfoot's barks don't sound too panicked, so maybe it's all ok.
After what feels like forever but was probably less than a minute, the angle evens out and the sledge starts to slow. Sirius opens his eyes and is met with a view of the 'Welcome to Godric's Hollow' sign that he passes every time he comes back from visiting Regulus.
'Oh,' he says. Now he knows what part of the mountain they've come down, he feels a little dizzy. He's passed this stretch of mountain in his car loads of times, and it's very steep—too steep to walk up, for sure, and definitely too steep to sled down. But that's what they've done.
'You ok?' a gentle voice asks from beside him, an equally gentle hand rubbing his back between his shoulders.
'That was awesome!' Harry cries. 'Can we do it again?'
Sirius lets out a startled, slightly panicked laugh.
'Not today, Harry,' Remus replies for him. 'We have some Christmas to deliver.'
'Aw, ok. Well, that will be fun, too.'
As soon as they get started, Sirius and Harry sorting through the thankfully still labeled gifts, and Remus trying to remember where all the decorations came from, the townspeople make it easy on them by coming over to help. Apparently they had seen the sledge approaching, like an incoming meteor, and everyone wanted to investigate.
Between the two of them, Sirius and Harry know most of the people in town, and when James turns up, they've got it down. The gifts are doled out to their rightful owners, and no one seems even a bit put out from having to wait a few hours longer to get them; in fact, some of them even apologize back to Remus for the events of yesterday.
In his head, Sirius had imagined a grand apology speech would be needed, but as he watches Remus interact with everyone from town, giving sheepish apologies as he hands people back their things, he realizes this is more his style. People are very gracious, seemingly finally caught by the spirit of Christmas, and most express hopes that they'll see Remus around town again.
They're nearly finished when Lily turns up with her sister and her family. Lily and Petunia are arm in arm, Petunia's other hand holding Dudley's, her husband Vernon trailing behind somewhat reluctantly. When Harry catches sight of his cousin, he looks to his dad with pleading eyes.
'Go on, Harry,' James tells him. 'You've done enough over here.'
Harry rushes over to his cousin, and Sirius sees them talking happily like they hadn't been kept apart by their feuding parents for years.
'I suppose all of our lights are in there somewhere,' Petunia says to her sister as they approach the massive tangle.
'Suppose so,' Lily agrees. 'It all seems a bit silly now, doesn't it?'
'Yes,' Petunia says. 'Don't really have any interest in sorting through that.'
Lily laughs. 'Me neither. Shall we go and find Molly? She said she had some extra hot chocolate.'
Sirius watches them go, his gaze taking in the whole assembled town. Groups of people having fun, talking to their neighbors, all assembled in a random field on the edge of town without any decorations or fancy stage. He feels like he's inside a happy little bubble, just like how Christmas is supposed to feel.
'Oh, thank Heavens!' a booming voice comes from behind him. A voice he recognizes, that always makes him tense up. Dumbledore. 'Our Christmas thief has been caught! Was this your work, James?'
Sirius turns to see the mayor approaching his best friend, who crosses his arms and raises his chin at him. 'No, it was his own. Remus had a change of heart, brought everything back, and apologized. Most of the town has been apologizing back, and I think you should be next.'
Remus is standing slightly behind James, shoulders hunched and staring at the ground. Sirius comes up next to him and wraps an arm around his waist in support.
'Me?' Dumbledore says with a dramatic gasp. 'I have nothing to apologize for!'
Sirius scoffs. 'Sure you don't. Like it wasn't you who provoked him yesterday. Like it wasn't your idea to send him up the mountain in the first place!'
Dumbledore narrows his eyes. 'I surely don't know what you're talking about. I'm always looking out for the safety of my citizens. If he can't control his temper—'
'You should be looking out for all of your citizens!' Sirius bites back. 'Remus lived here as a boy, and he's going to live here again. And if there's a problem, you'll have to take it up with me.'
'And me!' James chimes in.
'Me too!' calls Harry.
And suddenly the air is full of voices, calling out their support, from all across the field where Sirius hadn't realized awareness of their conversation had reached. Dumbledore looks around, startled, then raises his hands in surrender.
'I see the town has spoken!' he declares. 'It's been decided, then. The Grinch—Remus—can return if he so chooses.'
'Pretty sure we don't need your permission—' Sirius begins, but he's cut off by a noise from Remus himself.
'I don't—' Remus whispers, then slightly louder, 'I don't have anywhere to live.'
Sirius's first impulse is to invite Remus to stay with him, but as he's pondering if that's too forward, Harry says it for him.
'You can stay with Sirius! His house is really big,' he says from where he's suddenly appeared right behind them. 'Plus Mom and Dad are always saying he needs to find himself a boyfriend.'
Sirius blushes, and Remus looks like he is, as well, but it's impossible to see underneath the green. But he looks very pretty all the same.
'You don't—um, that is—well, if you want...' Sirius stops to clear his throat. 'I do have the room.'
Remus gives him a shy smile. 'Ok.'
Some months later
It was Sunday, so Remus and Sirius were going to brunch at Hope's house. But it was also the day after Saturday, which meant Sirius was struggling to get out of bed after staying up too late with James after dinner with the Potters the night before.
'Come on, Siri,' Remus pleads fondly. 'We do this every week. You're the one of us who's a morning person—get it together.'
Sirius groans, but manages to at least roll over, blinking up at his boyfriend sleepily. 'You should just come back to bed,' he suggests. 'You know Hope doesn't mind if we're late.'
'I'm already dressed,' Remus says.
'Boo,' Sirius replies through a yawn.
'Poppy's made her breakfast casserole. The one with the hash browns that you like.'
'Mm...ok. You've convinced me.' Sirius sits up and hugs Remus around his middle, rubbing the side of his face on his fluffy jumper.
Remus laughs and holds him under the arms, helping him stand up. 'Come on. Move it. Don't make me use the Grinch voice.'
'Ok,' Sirius agrees, and gives Remus a peck on the lips. 'Give me like...ten minutes.'
They make it in time, as they always do. Barely. And Hope, as usual, tells them not to worry about being late.
They've settled into a routine, Remus and Sirius. He had ended up staying with Sirius from the get-go, sleeping in a guest room for a week until they went on their first date. After that, all pretense dropped and they've been sharing the master bedroom ever since, Padfoot's doggie bed tucked into a cozy corner.
Remus got a job at the post office. He had a natural talent for mail sorting, and the boss was fine with him having a flexible schedule based on the full moons.
The full moons weren't so much of a problem anymore. Remus and Poppy had bonded quickly, and she was acting as an unofficial therapist for him, the two of them having tea together twice a week and talking through all sorts of things. And having Sirius dote on him when he was at his grumpiest helped, as well.
Godric's Hollow was yet to have another Christmas, but the whole town seemed to have relaxed and mellowed since the events of the last one. People were friendlier, very welcoming to Remus and a few other newcomers who had arrived.
After brunch, Sirius pulls Hope aside while Remus and Poppy are caught up in conversation.
'Hope. I wanted to tell you, er, ask you something,' he says quietly when they move into the next room.
'Oh?' she says with a smile. 'What is it dear?'
'Well...' Sirius pulls a small box from his pocket, then looks down at it as he continues. 'I know you've only just got Remus back, and I already occupy a lot of his time. But he makes me really happy, and I wanted to let you know that—well, I hope it's ok with you—I—'
Hope grabs his hands and meets his eyes when he looks up. 'I'm so happy you brought my Remus back to me. It's more than I ever hoped for. If you're asking for my blessing, you have it.'
Sirius nods with a small smile. 'That's good. I'm still nervous.'
'Don't be. I'm sure he'll say yes. I've never seen him this happy.'
Sirius looks over his shoulder into the kitchen, and Remus looks up and meets his eye. He gives him a smile that fills him up with warmth, and all of his nerves fade into the background.
He'll do it tonight, if he manages to wait that long.