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Chapter 9: Shopping and Shockers

Harry woke up the next morning fully refreshed. He changed into his last outfits and put the rest of the clothes in the hamper. He went and sat on the window seat until sun was all the way up in the sky.

It felt great to be somewhere he didn't have to be afraid.

Remembering last night, he walked over to his end table and opened the drawer. It was a picture of his father. It wasn't moving, but he wondered.

"Hello?" he asked it, feeling slightly stupid.

The man in the photo looked at him and replied, "Hello, Harry." Harry almost dropped the picture in shock and the man laughed. "Harry, it's alright. Would you like me to explain?" Harry nodded and the man started. "Okay, Harry, when a picture is made and the person who made them died their spirit goes into the picture which makes them talk."

"So is there one of my mum that I can talk to?" Harry asked.

The man looked pained, but replied, "Harry, your mother isn't dead. She has several pictures, but every time someone tried to talk to her she didn't talk. She isn't dead, son, I don't know how, but she isn't." Harry nodded, but couldn't help the tear of happiness that slid down his cheek. "Harry, I'm not sure we were ever introduced and when we were, you were too young to remember. I'm James Potter and I'm your father."

"I know who you are," Harry said and then feeling awkward asked. "Did you hear what I called Siri last night?"

James smiled at him sadly and said, "Yeah, I did and it's okay that you call him that, son, he's a great person and he'd be a great dad if he had the chance. He has that chance with you and that's why we left you to him."

Harry nodded and smiled at him.

"I have to go, Siri will get worried if I don't come down to eat breakfast."

"Okay, son, I'll always be here for you," James said and his picture went silent.

Harry put set the picture on the end table and dressed for the day in clothes that needed to be washed, but were still clean. He walked to the kitchen and smiled at Sirius.

"Are you hungry?" he asked. Harry nodded and Sirius called out, "Tinker." A house elf appeared and Sirius asked, "Tinker, do you think you and the other house elves could whip us up some breakfast?"

"It would be a pleasure, Master Sirius, Master Harry," Tinker said before he disappeared with a pop. He reappeared a few minutes later with two platters of food. "There you go, sirs," he said and disappeared again.

"Well, Harry, let me get your medicine and then we'll eat," Sirius said and went to grab his medicine from the kitchen. He gave it to Harry and he groaned.

He took it without a word and started eating. They ate together.

"Are we still going shopping today, daddy?" Harry asked.

"Of course, Harry, I was serious. We both need new clothes and I have a couple of things in Diagon Alley that I'd like to grab."

Harry nodded and Sirius grabbed the plates. He cleaned them with magic and Harry left to the fireplace.

Sirius tossed some powder in and the flames turned green. They stepped in together with Harry smooshed next to Sirius and Sirius called out, "The Burrow."

They appeared in the kitchen of the Burrow and waved to Mr. and Mrs. Weasley.

"Hello, boys, Ron will be down in a few minutes. He just had breakfast and had to get dressed."

"Okay, Molly," Sirius said.

"So, Harry, how do you like Potter Manor?" Mr. Weasley asked, closing his newspaper.

"I love it," Harry replied. "Sirius made my room just the way I would have if I had known it was possible and the food is amazing and there's this huge library with enough books that I'm sure if I tried to read them all I'd still have some left over."

"It sounds amazing," Mr. Weasley said.

"It is," Harry said.

Ginny came down a few seconds later with Ron in tow.

"Sorry, didn't think you'd want to wait a year for this git, he was taking forever to figure out what he needed."

Harry laughed, but Mrs. Weasley looked at her sternly.

"Ginerva Weasley, you do not use that kind of language."

Ginny blushed and nodded.

Ron came over to Harry and said, "I'm ready when you are, mate."

"Great," Harry said.

"We'll bring him back after dinner, Molly," Sirius said as he stood up.

They walked over to the fire and Sirius asked, "Ron, can you travel by yourself?"

"Yes, sir, I've done it now for years," Ron replied.

Sirius nodded and he stepped into the flames after tossing some powder in.

"Diagon Alley!"

They were gone.

Harry and Sirius landed in Diagon Alley and waited for Ron. Ron landed a few seconds later.

"Okay, so we need to get Harry and me some new clothes, so, Ron, do you want to help, Harry? I've got to go to a different store and then, I have to do a little shopping myself."

Ron nodded and Harry went to the same store as last time. They picked out a lot of clothes and outfits for Harry to wear and Harry was glad to have more than the three sets he had.

They left and sat on a bench just outside of the store and waited for Sirius.

Sirius appeared about fifteen minutes after they had sat down and smiled at them. Harry had about five bags.

"Tinker," Sirius called. The house elf appeared and Sirius asked, "Please take Harry's and my bags back to Potter Manor and sort them out please."

Tinker took all of the bags and disappeared.

"Okay, I didn't get to do much shopping yet, so let's go to one of the best shops for jokes and then, there's two more stores before we go home, boys," Sirius said like he was really enjoying himself.

Ron and Harry grinned at each other and followed Sirius to the joke shop. When they got there, Sirius helped them in.

"Hello, hello, ah, Mr. Black, I do believe you used to come in here and cause the most trouble around Hogwarts."

"Glad you remember, Mr. Zonko."

Mr. Zonko laughed and said, "How could I ever forget my prized customer? Please, for today only, take whatever you want. You and your friends, of course. Whatever you want, it's yours."

Ron was grinning ear to ear and was already dragging Harry around the store.

By the time they left, they had to call Tinker to get their stuff again.

"Okay, next stop, the Quidditch shop. If we're going to teach you to play Quidditch, son, you've got to have the best broom there is," Sirius said.

"Really, dad?" Harry asked.

"Of course, son."

Ron was smiling and frowning at the same time.

"And as long as you keep it quiet Ron, you can get a broom too, just not too expensive, okay? Just one to keep at the Manor."

Ron nodded enthusiastically and Sirius led them over to the Quality Quidditch Shop. When they walked inside, Harry found a broom that he thought was good, but he wasn't sure.

"Sirius," he called out. Sirius came over and looked at the broom.

"That's newest broom out, Harry. The Nimbus 2000. Just came out on the market. They weren't going to come out with it until next year, but it's the best broom around."

"Can I get it, Daddy? I really like it. I'll even pay for it if I have to," Harry begged.

"You can get it, son," Sirius said. "But no talk about you paying. This is a present from me to you."

Harry nodded and they went to find Ron. He was looking at a broom called the Cleansweep 5.

"Is that the one you want, Ron?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, it's not the newest, but I really like it," Ron said.

"No problem, Ron," Sirius said. "Are you sure you don't want the Cleansweep 6?"

Ron nodded and said, "Like I said, it's not the best, but it's still good. Better than my brothers' Cleansweep 4's and 3's."

Sirius laughed and they went to check out. They finished and called Tinker to get their stuff.

"Okay, last store and then we'll go get dinner at the Leaky Cauldron or we can go to Hogsmeade and eat the Three Broomsticks."

"The Three Broomsticks," both boys replied at the same time.

Sirius smiled at them and led them to a store that seemed to sell animals.

"Harry, this is my last present from me to you. Well, at least until your birthday or Christmas, I want you to pick any animal, except an owl because I'm going to get you one before you start Hogwarts."

Harry nodded and walked around the store.

"Siri," Harry said as he walked back over to him. "I can't find anything here that I want."

"Do you want to check a muggle shelter?" Sirius asked.

"Can we?"

"Of course, Ron, let's go," Sirius said. They left through the Leaky Cauldron and on the other side, they walked down the road to the muggle shelter. "Okay, let's go pick out your animal, bud."

Harry walked in and immediately went to look around the cages. He went to the dog cages and smiled. He found a puppy with big brown eyes and black and brown and tan fur.

"Daddy, I want this one," Harry called. Sirius came over with the man running the place.

"Sure, son, do you know what you're going to name him?"

"Max," Harry replied. "It's a german shepherd and that's a really good name for a dog like him."

Sirius smiled and the man unlocked the cage. He put the dog on a leash, but not before the dog ran up to Harry and gave him a big lick on the face.

Harry laughed and the man gave Harry the leash. Sirius paid with muggle money and they left.

"Are you happy, son?"

"Very," Harry replied.

Sirius grinned and they went back through to Diagon Alley. Tinker came and picked up Max while Sirius, Ron, and Harry went through the floo to the Three Broomsticks. After they landed, Ron breathed in deeply.

"You guys must be starving, why don't you take a seat?" Madame Rosmerta said. As they went to sit down, she stopped them. "Wait a minute, Sirius Black, what do you think you're doing in my shop?"

Sirius laughed and replied, "Please, Rosmerta, keep it down. Now, I'm here because I was proven innocent. Harry is living with me now and this is one of his friends, Ron."

Rosmerta nodded and they sat down. They had a pleasant dinner after that and when they got ready to leave, they all said good bye to her.

Sirius and Harry took Ron home through the floo and then, Sirius carried Harry through the floo and home.

He took Harry upstairs and tucked him into his bed. He looked at the picture on Harry's bedside table.

"Am I doing good, Jamie?" Sirius asked.

"You're doing great, Siri. He loves you more than anything and I'm glad he has you."

Sirius smiled and James smiled back. Sirius kissed Harry's forehead and went to sleep in his room.

The next morning, Sirius woke up and found Harry lying next to him. He sighed and woke him up gently.

Harry woke and looked at Sirius.

"Are you okay?"

"I had a nightmare," Harry replied.

"What about?"

"That some creepy man came and killed my dad and then he killed mummy right in front of me, but she didn't die."

"What do you mean she didn't die?" Sirius asked.

"Well, I asked my dad when I found his picture if I could talk to my mum's picture too and he said I couldn't because she didn't die."

Sirius was surprised, but Harry was slowly falling back to sleep. He sat up and walked down to the kitchen. He made some breakfast and sat it down on the table. He had almost finished eating when Harry came down and sat next to him.

"So what time is Mrs. Greengrass and her kids coming over, daddy?" Harry asked as he started eating.

"I don't know, I guess she'll show up when she shows up."

Harry nodded and Max showed up at his feet. Harry fed him a bit of sausage. Max licked his hand and Harry smiled. Sirius brought Harry his medicine and Harry took it.

"Do you want to go get some Quidditch practice before they come over?" Sirius asked.

Harry nodded enthusiastically and finished eating quickly. He then ran upstairs with Max on his heels and changed into one of his new outfits. He found his new broom near his bed and ran back downstairs. Sirius was standing near the back door waiting for him with a Nimbus 2000 in his hands too.

"I decided when you got one to get one too."

Harry grinned and they went out to the pitch in the backyard. They stopped just inside the pitch and Sirius looked at him seriously.

"Okay, now, first thing, you need to hold you broom tight, but not too tight because you don't want to pull up or down too fast and fall off." Harry nodded and Sirius showed him how to get on and loosen his grip enough to be relaxed, but safe. "Now, you have to kick off hard, but be careful and steady yourself."

Harry nodded and kicked off. He felt like he was weightless and it felt amazing. He smiled at Sirius and took off like he had been doing it forever. He flew around the pitch again and again and then pulled up new Sirius.

"How was that?" Harry asked.

"Are you sure you've never flown before?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, I've never flown before, Siri, but this is amazing," Harry said breathless.

Sirius smiled at him and a voice from below called, "What were expecting, Siri? He's bound to be as good as Jame."

Harry and Sirius looked down and saw Gabriella and two girls near her. They went down and landed in front of them.

"Hi, Gabby," Sirius greeted. Gabriella blushed and Sirius grinned.

"Hi, Mrs. Greengrass."

"Hello, Harry, have you been having fun today?" Gabriella asked.

"Yes, I have. This was my first time flying and I love it."

Gabriella smiled at him and said, "Your father loved flying too." Harry smiled and Gabriella pointed out, "Okay, Harry, this girl right next to me is my oldest Daphne and this one is Astoria."

"Hi," Harry said.

"Hi," Daphne said. "You're a really good flyer."

"Thanks," Harry said as he blushed.

"Well, I guess, I'm going to hide," Astoria said.

"No, why don't you guys come fly with me? We have extra brooms."

"Sure," Astoria said, but Daphne looked disgusted.

"Um.. I think I'll stay down here. I like my feet on the ground."

"Okay," Harry said as he led Astoria to the broom shed. She picked out the other Nimbus and they headed out to the pitch. They flew around leisurely and then started playing tag.

Sirius watched Harry carefully, but with a smile on his face.

"He's fine, Siri," Gabriella said as they went to sit on the patio. Daphne was watching Astoria and Harry with jealousy, but decided to join them after all. "So, how has it been?"

"He's been fine. He had a nightmare last night, but that was it," Sirius said almost distantly.

Gabriella nodded and said, "Siri, you know I want to stay here more than anything. The kids know I'm not in love with their father. They've known since they were seven and five and Daphne started observing people."

"But, Gabby, you're still married."

"I know, Siri, but if that were to change, would it change anything?" Gabriella asked practically begging him to say yes.

"You know the answer to that, Gabby," Sirius replied. "I've loved you since the first time I laid eyes on you in seventh year and ever since, you are all I can think about."

Gabriella smiled with tears in her eyes and was reaching out to grab Sirius's hand when Astoria ran over.

"Mum, Mr. Black, Harry fell off his broom. I caught him, but it looks like he fainted."

Sirius ran over to Harry and looked him over. When he realized nothing was wrong, he murmured, "Ennervate." Harry blinked and his eyes opened. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, my back started hurting and I fell."

Sirius sighed and picked him up.

"Here, let's get you inside. Gabby, could you grab his salve from the kitchen? It should be on the counter."

Gabriella nodded and ushered her kids inside with comforting words.

Sirius carried Harry upstairs and helped him take his shirt off. Most of the scars on his chest were gone, except a particularly nasty one that didn't look like it was going away and almost all of the scars on his back was gone, except for one along his spine and another near the top of his shoulder blade.

Gabriella came in with Harry's medicine and gasped.

"I left the kids downstairs," she whispered. "Do you need any help?"

"Yeah, I was going to put some on his back. Could you get the one scar on his chest?"

Gabriella nodded and rubbed the salve in. Sirius did the same and after, Sirius tucked Harry in. He kissed his forehead and looked at James.

James was looking from his picture at Harry in horror.

"Who did this to him, Sirius?" James asked.

"The Dursley's. Not so much the wife, but Vernon and the dumb son," Sirius replied. "I had specific plans to deal with them, but Harry convinced me not to because he wouldn't have been able to live with me."

James nodded and said, "Hello, Gabriella, it's nice to see you with Sirius again."

"Oh, I'm not with him, Jamie, but I hope I will be soon," she said.

James grinned and said, "I'm sure it won't take to long." The picture went silent.

Sirius sighed and Gabriella rubbed his arm.

"It'll be alright, Siri, he's going to be fine. He just needs to be careful."

"I know, but the fact that I can't do anything to those people that did this to him, it makes me angry."

Gabriella lifted his chin so he had to look her in the eye and said, "Now, the Sirius I knew would do anything he wanted and could do it in secret if he wanted to, he was a marauder like Jamie and he loved to have fun, where is he?"

"Right here, but.."

"No, 'buts', do want you need to do, Siri, just don't get caught like you used to," she said with a wink.

Sirius grinned at her and the mischievous gleam in his eyes returned and made her smile.

"That's the Siri I knew," she whispered. Sirius was grinning, but was slowly leaning in. He couldn't help it, but she didn't give him the chance to pull away. It was just a peck, but she whispered, "Soon, Siri."

She walked out of the room leaving Sirius thinking mischievous things and wanting something more.

"Don't do it, Sirius," James said. "There's more to the mystery."

"I know, Jamie, but I don't know how much mystery I can take."

James laughed and said, "You never were patient, Siri, but you have to be. So, what are you going to do to my brother-in-law?"

"Now, that's a secret, Jamie, I'm going to do something real good. Something a marauder would do and you would be proud of."

James grinned and Sirius left, while turning out Harry's light. Gabriella had taken the kids home and Sirius was feeling particularly marauder like. Time to put the first part of his plan in motion.

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Chapter 10: Mischief and Quidditch

Sirius walked in front of the Dursley's house looking at Dumbledore's wards. He scoffed at them. He could have done better.

Sirius started the first part of his plan. He used Alohamora to get in to the house and once he was inside, he walked into the sitting room. He laughed silently as he saw an overly used couch and arm chair.

"Glutinum Maximus," Sirius whispered and an adhesive fell over every chair in the living area.

Once the spell was finished, he walked quietly up the stairs and to the son's room. It seemed to have everything the boy valued and he saw some kind of machine that looked overused.

He grinned even wider and whispered, "Invisibilis apparatus." The machine disappeared and he did it to the telly too. After that, he left as quietly as he could. He grinned at the door as he turned to look at the peacefulness of the house. Soon, it wouldn't be as peaceful and he wished he could stay and watch his work play out, but he disapparated so he didn't get caught.

He stood and looked at Potter Manor. It looked amazing in the dim light, but he knew he needed to get inside. Harry would wake soon and would be afraid if he wasn't in the house with him. He was just about inside when someone tackled him.

"Where did you go, daddy?" Harry asked. "I was scared. I woke up from a nightmare and you weren't here." Harry was crying and Sirius picked him.

"Shh," Sirius said as he stroked Harry's hair. "It's alright, pup, I'm here. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere I promise."

Harry soon relaxed, but his tension was still there. Crying had made him tired and seeing as Sirius had gotten little sleep last night, he carried Harry upstairs and into his bedroom. He laid Harry down, already sleeping, and went to take a shower. He was quick because the magic he did and the time it took had physically and mentally exhausted him. He climbed into his bed and fell asleep.

When Sirius woke up, Harry was still sleeping peacefully next to him. He didn't have the heart to wake him up, so he kissed his forehead, dressed for the day, and went to fix breakfast.

Harry came down less than ten minutes after Sirius had and smiled at him.

"Good morning, Siri," Harry said.

"Morning, pup," Sirius said and handed him his medicine.

Harry took the medicine with a groan and started eating breakfast.

"Daddy, can we go flying again today?"

"Yes, we can, but first we have to put some medicine on your back so we don't have an incident like yesterday and while you're taking a shower and getting dressed, I'll floo call Molly and see if Ron and Ginny want to come."

Harry nodded enthusiastically and practically ran upstairs to shower.

Sirius sighed and walked over to the fireplace. He tossed some powder in and stuck his face into the flame after calling out, "The Burrow."

He looked around the kitchen of the Burrow and saw Molly working on breakfast.

"Good morning, Molly," Sirius said and she dropped what she was doing. Sirius snickered before he could stop himself and spent the next minute and a half getting an earful.

"Alright, Sirius, what do you want?"

"Harry and I would like to know if Ginny and Ron would like to come fly. We were going to do two on two if it's okay with you. We aren't doing anything rough, but it's up to you."

"That's fine, Sirius, I'll send them over after breakfast."

"Thanks, Molly," Sirius said and he pulled his head out of the fireplace at Potter Manor.

He walked to the kitchen and grabbed Harry's salve. He then walked upstairs and knocked on Harry's door.

"Come in," Harry called and Sirius opened his door. He was lying on the bed with his shirt off and lying on his stomach.

"Alright, pup, Molly said she'd send Ginny and Ron over after breakfast so we have a a bit of time. Is there anything you want to do?"

Harry thought about it and asked, "After we're done with my medicine, can you go through the photo albums I inherited and help me figure out who some of the people were?"

"Of course, Harry," Sirius replied and started apply the salve to his back. All the tension left Harry's body and he felt amazing. Sirius rubbed a little on the scar on his chest and then went to put it away.

While he was gone, Harry put his shirt on and grabbed the photo albums from the trunk. He sat down on his bed and waited for Sirius.

"Hey, Harry," James said from his picture.

"Yeah, dad," Harry replied.

"Be careful with those pictures, Harry, you may find out some stuff you don't want to know yet."

"Okay, dad," Harry said.

James smiled and went silent. Sirius came through the door and smiled at him.

"Alright, pup, let's see these pictures," Sirius said and Harry opened the first one of his father in Hogwarts up to his 6th year.

Sirius identified the two people he couldn't recognize as Frank Longbottom and Peter Pettigrew. When he said the second ones name, Harry had freaked out and Sirius had to explain how they were friends up until they found out Peter's betrayal.

Harry had calmed a bit to finish looking through the rest of his dad's photos, but had to resist the urge to rip Peter out of every single one of them.

When they finished with that one, Sirius took it and said, "I want some copies of these, pup, if that's alright?"

"Of course, Siri," Harry replied and opened up his mum's from first to sixth year. The first person he saw was Petunia, but the next time he turned it, she was on Hogwarts grounds and was smiling at a boy that wasn't his father, but looked familiar even though he couldn't recognize him. "Who is this?"

Sirius's lip curled in disgust, but he tried to cover as he said, "That's Professor Snape, Harry."

Harry noticed the venom in his voice and decided to not ask. He looked at all the photos in that album quickly so not to make Sirius mad and opened the one from his mum and dad's seventh year. They looked so in love and Harry smiled at the pictures with his mum smiling brightly or his dad grinning at her. The ones he loved the most were the ones when they were together and looking at each other like there was no one else in the world.

Sirius looked ready to cry after that one and Harry decided not to show him the other one though he did let Sirius copy one of the pictures of Sirius and him to be made bigger so that they could have it for each other.

"Alright, pup," Sirius said. "Let's go downstairs and meet our guests."

Harry hadn't heard them arrive and ran downstairs ahead of Sirius with Sirius laughing merrily.

Harry smiled at Ron and gave Ginny a one-armed hug.

"So, you guys ready to play?" Sirius asked.

"Of course," Ron said.

Sirius grinned and said, "Well, let's pick teams now because I don't want it to end up in a war later."

Harry smiled and Ron said, "I wanna be on Harry's team."

Ginny frowned, but then smiled at the prospect of beating Harry and Ron. They walked outside to the broom shed where Harry grabbed his Nimbus 2000 and Sirius grabbed his. Ron grabbed his Cleansweep 5 and Ginny grabbed the extra Cleansweep 6.

They walked out to the pitch with a trunk that seemed to quite heavy the way Ron and Sirius were tugging at it. They stopped in the middle and opened it. There were three balls and a tiny ball in the center.

They released the bludgers, as Ron had called them and flipped a coin to see who got the quaffle first. Harry got it and they released the tiny ball, the snitch.

Ron took the goals and Harry took the quaffle. He was faster and lighter on his broom so he was able to get goals and catch the snitch faster.

Sirius had taken the goal for Ginny and Ginny was on offense. Harry grinned at her and then was gone in a flash. He made the first goal, surprising everyone. Sirius grinned at him proudly and Ginny felt a little bit of pride for him too and was surprised that she felt it.

Ron gave Harry a high-five and they waited for Sirius and Ginny to make their approach.

When they did, Sirius had the quaffle and was repeatedly throwing it to Ginny trying to confuse him. Harry followed the quaffle, but figured out the trick. The next time Sirius went to throw the quaffle to Ginny, Harry flew up and grabbed it. He turned quickly and scored a goal on the other end.

The game took most of the day and when they finished, Harry and Ron won, they walked inside. They were all sweaty and tired and it was dark out.

"Tinker," Sirius called. Tinker appeared and Sirius asked, "Could you make us some dinner? It doesn't matter what, just whatever the other house elves and you would like to fix."

Tinker nodded and disappeared with a pop.

Harry went to take a shower and Ginny and Ron went to two of the many guest rooms to get a shower.

Sirius found some old clothes of Lily's that would fit Ginny, but would be really big and found Ron some of Harry's clothes for him to wear.

Sirius then went to get a shower of his own.

When they were all downstairs, they sat down at the dinner table and Tinker made the food appear.

Everyone ate their fill, but by the time they were all finished, they were all exhausted.

"Here, let me floo call Molly. It's too late and you guys are too tired for you two to do floo travel. Go settle down in the guest rooms and Harry, go upstairs and get ready for bed and I'll meet you up there with your medicine because I saw your face after we finished playing."

Harry smiled weakly at him and walked upstairs with Ron and Ginny in tow. They bid each other good night before they all went into their respective rooms.

Harry dressed in his night outfit, with his shirt off, and waited for Sirius. Sirius put his medicine on and Harry was asleep before he finished.

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Chapter 11: Dream Lead

Harry opened his eyes and looked around. He was somewhere he didn't recognize. He obviously wasn't awake because he remembered falling asleep after Sirius had put his medicine on. He looked around a cottage, he realized, looking for whatever had sent him here.

He walked into what seemed to be a kitchen and found a woman that must have been his mum because he had her eyes.

"Mum," Harry choked out before he ran and hugged her. "I miss you. Is it true? Are you alive? Where are you? When can I see you? Do you need rescued, cause Siri will come. Please, mummy, I need you," Harry practically begged as he cried.

"Oh, my darling boy," Lily whispered as she hugged Harry close. "I'm so sorry what happened to me and your father and you are right I am alive, but where I am, you cannot reach. My body is fine, but my soul is gone. The only reason I am alive is because of you, Harry. My love for you has kept me alive and that is why I needed you to see me so that you knew it was true."

Harry nodded, but still cried silently.

"Mum, I need you too. How can I save you?"

"I don't know, darling," Lily replied as she stroked his hair. "I just know that it has never been done, but if you find that you need to let me go to save someone else, I need you to save the other."

"No, mum," Harry tried to say, but Lily shook her head.

"No, Harry," she said. "You need to know that there are going to be some hard choices out there, but you are going to be able to fight them because you know how to love and love is the greatest thing in the world, Harry."

Harry nodded and whispered, "I love you, mum."

"Oh, I love you too, Harry," she breathed. " I wish I had been there when you were little and needed me the most, but you have Sirius now. I know you need me too, but, Harry, trust me when I say, when we are together again, I will never leave you again."

"I will rescue you, mum, if I have to search for you my whole life I will and I will do whatever it takes to find your soul and bring you back," Harry vowed.

Lily kissed his forehead and looked him in the eye.

"My darling boy, you are so much like James, but you have my fiery personality."

Harry smiled and said, "I know, Siri looks at me sometimes and I know he's thinking of you and dad."

Lily smiled too and said, "I have to go now, Harry and I believe you have given Ginny enough of a fright. She's strong and she reminds me of me when I was younger. I love you, Harry and you know James does too. Be strong."

She disappeared and Harry opened his eyes to find Ginny's chocolate brown ones above his.

"Sorry, Harry, I didn't mean to scare you or come into your room without your permission, but I felt your sadness and was worried you had a nightmare."

Harry smiled at her and shook his head.

"Ginny, I just had the best dream of my life."

"But why were you crying?" she asked.

"Because, my mum is alive and she came to me in my dream. She talked to me and told me to be strong and that she loved me and I cried."

Ginny nodded and said, "Well, Sirius is awake. He made us all breakfast and Ron is waiting downstairs impatiently for us. Plus, Remus is here."

Harry went into his bathroom and dressed for the day. He walked out and followed Ginny down the stairs.

He walked into the kitchen and hugged Remus.

"Hello, Harry," Remus said.

"Hi," Harry said distantly and Sirius looked at him confused.

"You alright, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Yeah, I'll tell you when breakfast is ready."

Sirius nodded and Ron came down smelling the food.

He sat down on the other side of Harry and said, "Morning, mate."

"Morning, Ron," Harry replied still a little distant. He didn't realize how much he was scaring Sirius and Remus.

Sirius served breakfast quicker than usual wondering what was wrong with Harry.

"Alright, now that we're all seated, what's wrong, Harry?" Sirius asked.

"Siri, mum's alive. She came to me and my dream and told me what I needed to do to rescue her, but I didn't really understand. Siri, she hugged me and I felt how much she loved me just like real mummy's do," Harry was talking like he was still in the dream and Sirius was smiling a bit, but Remus looked in total shock.

"Harry, Lily's alive?" Remus asked.

"Yeah, she talked to me and Dad told me she was alive too because when someone, I can't remember the name or how to say it, tried to kill her all he did was take her soul. He didn't kill her. She still breathes, but she can't wake up until she has her soul back."

"Harry, that's impossible," Remus said.

Harry snapped out of his stupor and everyone could see the cold anger in his eyes. His power flowed through him like it was natural and he screamed, "IT ISN'T IMPOSSIBLE! I PROMISED HER I WOULD SAVE HER SO SHE COULD BE WITH ME AGAIN AND I'M GOING TO! SHE'S GOING TO COME BACK!" Stuff around the room started breaking and flying.

Ron and Ginny, against her will, hid beneath the table, but Remus and Sirius were trying to find a way to get to him.

"HARRY!" Remus screamed over top of the things breaking and the sound of glass shattering. "SNAP OUT OF IT, HARRY!"

Harry felt his anger increase and he screamed, "SHE'S GOING TO COME BACK!"

"Harry," Sirius said. "Of course, she's going to come back and we'll help you find her and bring her back, but you have to calm down, son."

Harry felt some his anger disappear and his magic died down a bit. Only a few things were flying now and they were flying slower and slower. Harry felt fear crawl down his spine as he realized the destruction that he had caused.

He fell to his knees and cried. Everything stopped flying at once and dropped to the ground in a heap. Ginny and Ron crawled out and Sirius ran over to Harry.

He pulled him into a hug and stroked his hair.

"It's alright, son, we'll bring her back. She won't die, I promise, I'll help you bring her back," Sirius kept repeating until Harry's crying stopped and he fell asleep.

Sirius carried him upstairs and put him into his bed. He covered him with the covers and walked back downstairs where Remus was calming the kids down.

Sirius sent them home through the floo after making them promise not to tell Molly what happened. They had agreed because they didn't want to scare their mother into never letting them come over again.

Sirius let Remus know that Harry was alright and then they sat down in the living room and waited for Harry to wake up.

"Sirius, was he?" Remus asked still in shock.

"He was, Remus, she's alive. I heard James say it and she needs help, but the only problem, Remmy, is that we don't know where she is."

"We could find her and bring her back, Siri," Remus said. "We could have Lily back."

"I know, but, Remmy, I know what you're thinking. She might be too pained by Jamie to even care about anything else."

Remus nodded, but the look of hope in his eyes made Sirius realize that Remus didn't care if Lily was too pained by James' death. He wanted his best friend back.

Sirius patted Remus on the shoulder and then walked into the kitchen to make some lunch for when Harry woke up.

Sirius finished up lunch and Remus bid him good bye so he could start some research to try and find Lily.

Harry came down about an hour after he left and looked really happy, but guilty too.

"I'm sorry, Daddy, I didn't mean to yell and scream and break things, I promise," Harry said as he hugged Sirius tightly.

Sirius sighed and said, "It's alright, pup, it's not your fault. Let's eat and you need to take your medicine."

Harry nodded and sat down at the table. Sirius brought Harry his medicine and Harry took it without a word and started eating his lunch. They didn't try to talk while they ate and when they finished, Sirius cleaned the dishes.

Harry went outside and sat down on the back porch. Sirius came out there and sat in the chair next to his.

"Harry, I'm not mad, but you need to understand that we want to help you too. It's just that bringing someone back by giving them back their soul is very hard and difficult magic. It could take forever to learn and even longer to master."

"I know, Siri, but she's worth it," Harry said with his eyes shining with determination. "And I'm not going to stop until my mum is there to keep me safe again just like you and Remus do."

Sirius smiled at him and said, "Okay, pup, we'll start doing our research as soon as you start Hogwarts, but until then, you are to be a kid and have fun, okay?"

"Okay, Daddy," Harry said and then less than a second later he asked, "Can we play some Quidditch?"

Sirius laughed and they went out to the field after getting their brooms.

They flew for hours until Harry felt like he was getting ready to fall off his broom and Sirius had to carry him inside. Harry was happier than he had felt in a long time because for just a couple hours, he had finally been a kid.

.

.

.

Chapter 12: Chit Chat

Harry woke up the next morning with a grin on his face. He felt like he had a lot more energy than he'd had in a long time and when he stood up, he stumbled. He fell hard.

Sirius had heard from downstairs and ran up to Harry's room to figure out what was wrong. He found Harry on the floor and tried to help him up. He sat him on the bed and looked him over.

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah, Daddy, I was trying to stand up and I think I moved to fast," Harry said breathless.

Sirius nodded and Harry stood up a little slower this time. It wasn't much of a difference, but Harry had grown an inch and that was what had thrown him off of proportion.

Harry hugged Sirius and they walked downstairs for breakfast.

"Daddy, am I still small enough to be carried?"

Sirius laughed and picked him. He was still light as a feather, but he was getting slightly big to be picked up.

"Yes, Harry, you are still small enough to be picked up, but, son, you aren't going to be much longer."

Harry nodded a little sad, but they carried on downstairs to have breakfast.

The elves had made them breakfast and they ate happily after Harry had taken his medicine.

A few minutes into eating, the floo lit up and someone walked through. It was McGonagall.

She smiled at them as she walked through to the kitchen and Harry smiled at her.

"Hello, Professor," Harry said.

"Hi, Minny," Sirius murmured.

McGonagall grinned and said, "Harry, while outside of school, you may find a name to call me that suits you."

Harry nodded and decided to think about it. He thought of something, but it wasn't something he'd thought of.

"Can I call you what Daddy calls you?"

"Of course, Harry," McGonagall replied.

Harry smiled and finished off his breakfast.

"Siri, can we go flying today?"

"Yeah, but I think we'll do that later, Harry and have lunch with Minny in a bit."

"Okay, could I go to Mrs. Weasley's and come back for lunch?"

Sirius thought about it and said, "Alright, Harry, I'll floo over with you and then you can come back for lunch."

Harry nodded and they flooed over to Mrs. Weasley's and surprised her as she was still finishing breakfast.

"Molly, would you mind if Harry stayed over here for a bit?"

Mrs. Weasley shook her head and Harry sat down in one of the chairs.

Sirius kissed his forehead and went back to Potter Manor.

"So why are you staying over here today, Harry?"

"Oh, I'm just staying till lunch because Daddy had to talk to Minny about something," he replied.

Mrs. Weasley nodded and called the kids down for breakfast. Everyone walked in and greeted Harry as they saw him. Ron and Ginny came in last and Harry looked down. He hadn't talked to them since he'd lost his temper.

Ron saw him first and walked over. He sat in the chair to the left of him and said, "Mornin', mate."

Harry smiled and said, "Morning, Ron."

Ginny came and sat down on the other side of him.

"Hey, Harry."

"Hi, Ginny, " Harry said and smiled a bit more as he realized his two closest friends didn't hate him.

He sighed in relief and even though he had already eaten breakfast, Mrs. Weasley made him eat again.

After his second helping, Mrs. Weasley deemed he had eaten enough and Harry nearly ran out of the house. He walked to the meadow and did it at a leisurely pace. He felt better than he had in his whole life.

He jumped to touch tree limbs and touched flowers along the path. Harry sat down when he reached the meadow and played with a strand of grass.

"Harry, are you alright?" Ginny asked as she finally caught her breath from chasing after him.

Harry laughed, genuinely laughed and it felt amazing.

"Yeah, I'm fine, Gin, but I've never felt this great before. Like I could run and I wouldn't have to stop for a while or I could play and I wouldn't hurt myself after a few minutes."

Ginny sat down next to him and smiled.

"That's amazing, Harry."

Harry smiled and said, "Ginny, thank you. I want to thank Ron too for the same thing, but thank you for not running away in fear because of what happened."

"Harry," Ginny scolded him slightly. "I won't run away from my best friend and neither will Ron. You're like a brother to us and that makes us happy. We want to help you and the fact that you are feeling this much better means that we'll both be happy for you."

Harry grinned and they heard footfalls reach them.

"Hey, Harry!" Ron called as he pushed through the trees. "Sirius is here. He said you guys had some Quidditch to play."

Harry stood up and Ginny followed.

"Thanks, mate," Harry said. "Do you guys wanna come play too?"

Ginny grinned and replied, "That would be awesome."

Ron nodded in agreement and they all ran back to the Burrow. Harry grinned as he ran because he could keep up with them now and he didn't have to stop.

They made it to the Burrow a lot quicker and Molly laughed as Harry stopped inside first screaming, "I won! I won!"

Sirius was laughing too and Ginny and Ron walked inside. Ginny smiled at Harry and Ron just shook his head.

"Come on," Sirius said. "Minny is waiting for us. Ron, Ginny, I already asked and you guys can come over later this afternoon and play Quidditch. A couple of other friends of Harry's are stopping by too."

Ginny and Ron nodded and bid Harry and Sirius good bye.

Sirius led Harry over to the fire and they went through back to Potter Manor.

When they stopped, Harry looked at Sirius.

"Who's stopping by?"

"Oh, Daphne and Astoria."

"Oh, okay," Harry replied. "Where's Minny?"

"She's in the bathroom, but she'll be out in a minute to have sandwiches with us."

Harry nodded and walked into the kitchen.

Minny came out a minute later and said, "Hello, Harry, did you have fun at Molly's?"

"Yes, I beat Ron and Ginny in a race back to the Burrow after a walk and I didn't hurt at all."

Minny ruffled his hair, making it stick up in even more places, and said, "That's great, Harry."

Sirius brough the sandwiches out. They ate in peace with Minny asking questions every now and then.

After lunch, she left and Gabby, Daphne, and Astoria arrived.

Harry hugged everyone, entirely happy, and Gabby smiled. The kids went outside and Sirius sat down on the couch with a sigh.

Gabby looked confused, but joined him.

"What's wrong, Siri?"

"Gabby, she's alive. Lily's alive," Sirius whispered.

Gabby looked shocked and said, "Well, it isn't surprising. I mean, the people who took care of the house after the attack said they couldn't find the body."

Sirius nodded and said, "But, Gabby, we don't know what to do. Minny is lost, Dumbledore is lost, I'm lost, Remus is lost."

Gabby lifted his chin and saw the tears in his eyes.

"Oh, Sirius," she whispered as she hugged him. "We'll figure it out. Like we always do, together."

Sirius cried into her shoulder and felt some of the pain of losing Lily and James disappear. He stopped and realized where he was and more importantly when he was.

"Siri, I love you. You know that? Right? I've always loved you," she whispered.

Sirius wanted to kiss her, but knew the kids could come in at any moment.

"I love you, too, Gabriella. I always have and I always will. You'll always be my Gabby."

She smiled and was leaning in closer when the fire turned green.

They pulled away and watched as Ron and Ginny came through the fire.

"They're outside, guys. We'll be out there in a minute and we'll start the game. You guys go find some brooms and get some practice."

Ron and Ginny nodded and walked outside.

"Is that always going to happen?" Sirius asked, mostly to himself.

Gabby smiled and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"I don't know, Siri, but I have a question." He looked at her and she whispered in his ear, "What would have happened if they hadn't come in?"

She walked outside to where the kids were waiting leaving Sirius to brood over what she said.

"She always had to get the last word in," he muttered. He walked outside to see Gabriella grabbing a broom. Sirius grabbed his from the broom shed. "Are you playing?"

"Nope, I'm the ref because if you and Harry play anything like you and Jamie did, we're going to need one."

Sirius laughed and walked on to the pitch. He called the kids down.

"Okay, who's the team captain's?" Gabby asked.

Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Sirius raised their hands.

Gabby laughed and said, "Alright, Harry and Sirius, seeing as this is their pitch. Pick your team mates."

Harry picked Ron and Astoria and Sirius picked Ginny and Daphne."

"Alright, the first match will be this way and then the second you'll switch. The third, to determine the winner, will be mixed up."

Everyone nodded and flew into the air. Gabby released the bludger and the snitch.

She took out the quaffle and waited for everyone to get set up.

Harry was seeker, Astoria was playing a mix of chaser and beater, and Ron was keeper and beater. Sirius had almost the same play, except Daphne was keeper, he was chaser and beater, and Ginny was seeker and beater.

"Alright, clean game people and no over doing it," Gabby said, glaring at Sirius.

Sirius put his hands up and had an expression like "What, me?"

Gabby threw the quaffle in the air and the game began.

The first game ended quickly with no casualties and Harry's team won.

They switched off and the second game began.

Within the first five minutes, Sirius got hit with a bludger. Once they were sure he was alright, they continued.

The game was a tie and Harry was mad. If they had had ten more points, they would've won.

This time they mixed it up and Harry got Ginny and Astoria, while Sirius had Ron and Daphne.

The game was nearing the end and Harry's team was winning by a long shot. Harry and Sirius were fighting for who was going to reach the snitch first. Harry almost had it when he heard a cracking noise. He turned his head and saw Ginny falling off her broom. He flew down as fast as he could and reached her just before she hit the ground.

"Ginny," he said as soon as he landed. He tried to shake her awake, but it didn't work.

"Harry, step back," Sirius said, but Harry glared at him.

"No, she's hurt," he said and he felt his anger spike, but this time, instead of things flying, his hands started to glow where he was holding Ginny's shoulders. She started to glow too and when the glow disappeared, she opened her eyes.

"What happened?"

Gabby ran over and did a diagnostic test.

"She's fine," she said.

Sirius was looking at Harry in amazement, but Harry didn't notice. He just wanted Ginny to feel better.

"Are you alright now?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, thanks, Harry," Ginny replied, but blushed. She stood up and Ron hugged her.

"I think we've had enough events for the night," Sirius said. "Who's hungry?"

Almost everyone jumped up and Sirius laughed. He went inside and had Tinker and the other house elves prepare a dinner big enough for all of them.

Dinner was ready about a half an hour later and everyone ate happily. The day had been good despite the accident and Harry couldn't have been happier than he was with his friends.

After dinner, Ron and Ginny went home, but Daphne and Astoria begged their mom until they could stay.

"Only if Siri says it's okay," Gabby said reluctantly.

Sirius laughed and said, "Sure, guys, go upstairs and pick one of the guest rooms. We'll see ya in a few if you guys want a snack before bed."

Harry led them upstairs and helped them find a room. It wasn't hard. Daphne picked a pink room and Astoria picked a purple one.

Harry smiled at them and was going to go downstairs, but his dad called him. He walked into his room.

"Yeah, dad."

"Don't go down, let them have a moment."

"Okay," Harry said.

Downstairs, Sirius and Gabby were sitting on the couch again.

"I really gotta go, Siri."

"I know," Sirius said. "You could stay though. Tell your husband that you were too tired to floo."

"And where would I sleep, Sirius?" she asked. Sirius gulped and looked anywhere, but at her. "That's what I thought."

"Please, Gabby, you can go home in the morning if you want, but just let us have this one night."

Gabby looked into his pleading grey eyes and realized she was lost.

"Okay, Siri, but I'm staying in a guest room."

Sirius pouted, but agreed.

"Alright, the kids will be back down in a minute. Do you want a snack before bed?" Sirius flirted.

Gabby scooted a little closer and whispered, "Yes, I do, are you on the menu?"

Sirius blushed and Gabby laughed.

"I hate that you can do that."

"No, you don't, Siri, so don't lie."

He smiled and stood up. He held his hand and helped up off the couch, but didn't let go once she was standing up. He knew it was risky, but he did it anyways. He kissed her gently on the lips.

"That's what I would have done earlier, Gabby," he whispered and walked into the kitchen to make some hot chocolate.

The kids came back down and had some hot chocolate and then went off to bed. Gabby followed and found a guest room near her kids.

Sirius went and tucked Harry in, then he went to bed.