Christmas Morning Surprises

"Would you be mad if I was?" Harry asked, trying to make it sound lightly, but he really feared what Sirius thought.

"Nah, while I hate all that pureblood supremacy rubbish, I know a few people who are decent people and were in Slytherin. Just because you are ambitious and cunning, you aren't evil. The reason I disliked Slytherin in my youth was my family and how they treated me. I mean your grandmother Dorea, a third cousin of my father and a born Black, was a Slytherin and one of the nicest people I ever met. She was more like a mother to me than my own mother. And my cousin Andromeda was also a Slytherin and she married a muggleborn wizard, Ted Tonks. I tend to look at Slytherins more critically, but I know that it's a person who decides what he or she does in life, not a house. After all, Peter Pettigrew was a Gryffindor and went traitor. You can't pin it to one house." Sirius said.

Harry was relieved.

"Why did you ask?" Sirius asked.

"Well, because I normally would have been a Slytherin. I just convinced the sorting hat to put me into Ravenclaw. I didn't want to be branded as the next dark lord in training, just because I want to be the best. And I also didn't think I would be that safe in Slytherin with so many children of Death Eaters there." Harry admitted.

"Don't worry. I'd never hate you, Harry. I loved you from the moment I first held you when James named me your godfather. It doesn't matter which house you're in, even if it is easier for me to accept the idea of another house than Gryffindor with Ravenclaw or Hufflepuff as too much bad in my past is connected to the pureblood mania which was started by Salazar Slytherin himself. When you were a baby, James and I were always planning how we would cheer for you when you played in the Gryffindor house team. I don't mind at all that you play in the Ravenclaw team instead or would've played in Slytherin if the hat had put your there. I'm just really proud that you got on the team in your first year. And from what I heard about your first game against Hufflepuff you're a damn good chaser." Sirius said and was surprised when Harry threw himself into his arms.

Nobody had ever told him he loved him. Nobody. Never. He had wanted to hear those words for all his life. Sirius again was confronted with another emotional wound in his godson's heart. Through the open window Hedwig soared inside, having felt the emotional uproar of her wizard. She looked at the sight before her and decided Sirius had everything well under control. She settled down on her perch and just watched.

.....

On the morning of Christmas Day Harry awoke around eight. He was surprised to see a bunch of Christmas presents at the foot of his bed. It looked like all his classmates and his friendly acquaintances had all given him a little present. He had done the same. For those he wasn't that close to he had got some sweets. For the boys mostly a box with five chocolate frogs and for the girls he got a small box of Honeydukes' finest filled chocolate. For those closer to him, like Rick, Terry, Tony, Lisa, Sylveena, Neville, Hermione, Miranda, Susan and Hannah, he had got a bit more personal presents. He also had sent a bigger box of Honeydukes chocolate to Remus Lupin, having heard that he was a chocoholic from Sirius and he had got Sirius and Hagrid presents. He was busy opening his presents from his acquaintances first, completely awed that he had got so many presents. He never had any proper Christmas presents before.

He got some chocolate frogs, some liquorice wands; some Bertie Bott's every flavour beans, and some self-made biscuits in his collection. The biscuits were really good when he tried one. He looked at the card, the Patil twins had sent them. Just when he was about to open the bigger presents, it knocked at the door.

"Come in." Harry called, assuming that it was probably Sirius. He had said he would come by this morning.

"Hey, Harry. Merry Christmas." Sirius cried happily.

"Merry Christmas, Sirius." Harry replied cheerily.

"I see you already started unpacking your presents. What did you get so far? This looks like a really good haul." Sirius commented.

"Yes. Well until now I only unwrapped the small tokens. You know from people who I'm friendly with, but not close to. I also sent quite a few of those out. Mostly chocolate frogs for the boys and filled chocolate for the girls." Harry answered.

"Nice, it never hurts to be on good terms with people and if a bit of chocolate lets them know you have at least thought of them, all the better." Sirius said. "Come on; let's see what's in the bigger ones."

Sirius seemed as excited as Harry was. Harry nodded and unwrapped the next package. It was a hand-carved wooden flute from Hagrid. Harry tested blowing into it and it sounded like and owl. Remembering an easy Christmas song, he played it on the flute, thinking amused what Hedwig would think about it.

"Nice, I didn't know you could play flute." Sirius said.

"We all had to learn playing flute in music class when I was six. I liked it as it was something nobody minded if I did it well, because they wanted to spare their ears from intentional torture." Harry said. "Sadly I couldn't learn another instrument. That would have required lessons and for those I didn't have the money."

"Do you still want to learn it?" Sirius asked.

"Perhaps later. At the moment with Quidditch and my studies taking so much time, I don't know when I would get it between. Perhaps during the summer. I like music." Harry said.

Sirius nodded. Harry continued to unpack his presents. Hermione had given him a book on famous chasers, Miranda a leather-bound notebook with a fountain pen, Neville a subscription on a potions magazine for a year. From Susan and Hannah he got a combined present of new chaser gloves, Terry and Anthony had also got him a combined present of a broom service kit. Rick had sent an assortment of sweets he knew Harry liked best and Sylveena and Lisa each sent a big box of different homemade biscuits.

Then Harry continued with the biggest presents. He found a three part set of books on the Potter family history from Remus Lupin. He had wanted for some time to find out more about his family so this was a fantastic present. The next one was from Sirius and contained a full set of protective Quidditch gear.

"Thank you, Sirius." Harry said happily.

"You're welcome. I'm glad you like it." Sirius answered.

Now only one present was left. Harry took it and unwrapped it. Inside he found a shimmering piece of cloth.

"I don't believe it, James' invisibility cloak." Sirius exclaimed.

"An invisibility cloak? And it belonged to Dad?" Harry asked shocked.

"Yes. I had wondered where it had gone. Was there a card or something?" Sirius asked.

Harry looked for it. Finally he found it inside the folded cloak.

"Your father left this in my possession. I thought it was about time that it was returned to you, use it well." Harry read out and held the card out to Sirius.

"That's Professor Dumbledore's writing. Curious that James would have lent the cloak to Dumbledore. Especially as he was in hiding." Sirius pondered. "Well, let me tell you, there is as good as nothing in Hogwarts that is out of your reach with this cloak being in your hands. I know we used it quite often to get a midnight snack from the kitchen when we felt like it." Sirius informed Harry.

"Or set up pranks." Harry teased.

"That as well." Sirius confirmed proudly.

"By the way, how did you find the kitchen and how did you get in? I thought that the teachers wouldn't give up that knowledge." Harry asked.

"Ah, what a true marauder is, doesn't know the restriction of rules that are only meant to find ways around them. We wanted to know as much as we could about the castle and so we explored quite a bit. Finding the kitchens was a bit of a coincidence when it happened. We wondered why a still-life type of portrait was hanging in a part of the lower floors, so we tested if there were hidden mechanisms. When Peter sneezed, his hand slipped down the pear, it giggled and tuned into a knob which is the entrance to the kitchen. The house elves were always really helpful. Couldn't be more pleased to give students additional food." Sirius told the story.

"So to get into the kitchen you only have to tickle the pear?" Harry asked.

"Indeed. Why don't you try the cloak on?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded eagerly and disappeared under the cloak. Only his head was still visible until he pulled the hood up.

"Hey this is great." Harry's voice sounded.

"Indeed it is, but you still are tangible. So be careful where you walk with it. And Mrs Norris can smell you under it, so if you want to stay clear of her, learn a scent erasing charm." Sirius advised.

Harry giggled. He felt a bit cheeky and tackled Sirius invisibly and began tickling him. It resulted in Sirius retaliating and both rolling around on the floor in a tickling match. Harry's cloak had slipped off a bit, taking away his advantage that Sirius couldn't see the most tickling places like his bare feet or his sides.

"I yield!" Harry cried out laughing.

....

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