CLANG! CLANK! BANG! CLANK! CLANG! “Oh my god! I am so sorry, Ginny!”

“No, no, let me—”

BANG! CLANK! CLANK! SPLAT! “That was an accident! Shoot!”

“Tonks—”

CLANG! CLANG! BANG!

Sev giggled and bounced in his walker.

Sirius, Remus, and Ron were all collapsed on the sofa, while Harry had taken over one of the leather easy chairs. Before the banging started, all four men were resting with their eyes closed, but now each of them were wide awake, albeit none of them had moved a muscle. They had all now gotten to know Tonks to the point where loud crashing noises in her vicinity no longer startled them.

“Boom, boom, boom!” Sev laughed and bounced. “Boom, boom, boom!”

“Boom, boom, boom…” Harry echoed wearily. Summoning a bib from the bedroom with a wave of a hand, Harry loosely tied it around the infant’s neck before wiping up the spilt drool.

CLANG! CLANK! CLANG! CLANG! BANG! “Sorry…”

Sev squealed and bounced some more. “Boom, boom, boom!” He then sped towards the backdoor.

Harry rubbed a hand across his eyes. “Boom, boom—Hey! Where are you going, young man?!” He called, realizing which direction Sev was running. The baby acted like he didn’t hear him. “Severus, stop!” The thundering of the walker’s wheels suddenly ground to a halt. “The backyard’s off-limits for now, cub. All the junk that used to be upstairs ended up down there and I don’t want anyone near there until everything’s clear.”

“Back-back! Back-back!” Severus whined. He wanted to go outside!

“You were just outside for most of the day. Aren’t you tired of outside?”

“Back-back! Back-back!”

“I said ‘No’.” Harry replied, sitting up straight and adding a stern note to his tone.

Sev immediately began to pout. “Back-back?” He looked at the back door sadly. When he glanced towards Harry, though, he noted with some frustration that the stern look didn’t waver. “Back-back?” He threw in a dose of puppy-dog eyes.

“Are you going to make me repeat myself?”

BANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANK! CLANK! SPLAT! “Dora, for Merlin’s sake!”

“Boom, boom, boom!” Sev squealed in delight and took off towards the dining room door, presumably heading towards the kitchen.

Harry sighed and collapsed back against the leather cushion, burying a face in a hand.

“Well…if anything, his sense of humor has definitely improved.” Ron commented, still not having moved from his position.

“I agree.” Sirius murmured.

BANG! SPLAT! “Bugger!”

“Dora!”

Childish squeals of laughter emanated from the kitchen.

“It’s not that funny, Severus!”

With a sigh of frustration, Harry sat up in his chair once again. The three other men remained as still as statues, but watched him from the corners of their eyes as the teenager waved a hand and a peach-colored rose came flying in through an open window. “Sev, could you come in here for a second, please?” Once again, the thunder of wheels filled the air before the swinging door burst open and a baby in a blue walker came barreling through.

“Uh-huh?”

Harry handed him the thornless rose and whispered something in his ear. The baby giggled, nodded, and barreled right back through the same door before it even stopped swinging from the last impact. All three couch men eyed Harry curiously.

“What?” Giggles, high-pitched female laughter and cooing suddenly emanated from the kitchen, making Remus, Ron, and Sirius increase the intensity of their looks. Still, the teenager chose to play the innocence card. “What?!” He shrugged.

“What was that, pup?” Sirius raised a curious eyebrow.

Harry stood up and ran a hand through his hair. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Turning his back on them, Harry pushed open the swinging door and was gone.

Sirius, Remus, and Ron—all still slumped on the sofa—turned their heads and exchanged looks of perplexity with each other. All of a sudden, what sounded like an oldies song began blaring through the wall.

A boy went back to Napoli
Because he missed the scenery
The native dances and the charming songs
But wait a minute! Something's wrong! Cause…now…it’s…

Tonks and Hermione burst into the living room via the swinging door.

Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano!
Hey, mambo! Mambo italiano
Go, go, go you mixed up sicialiano
All you calabraise-a do the mambo like a crazy with a…

“What’s wrong?” Remus questioned. All three men suddenly sat up on the sofa.

Hey mambo, don't wanna tarantella
Hey mambo, no more a mozzarella
Hey mambo! Mambo italiano!
Try an enchilada with da fish a bac a lab and then a…

“Nothing.” Tonks smirked. “We just felt like…we weren’t really needed anymore.”

“Bloody hell.” Sirius stood up and marched towards the swinging door. “Now I’m curious.”

Hey goombah, I love a how you dance a rhumbah
But take a some advice paisano
Learn how to mambo
If you gonna be a square
You ain't a gonna go nowhere…

“Sirius, no!” Hermione hissed.

Remus merely picked up Teddy and followed Ron and Sirius to the dining room. He noted with some amusement that the girls ‘begrudgingly’ followed him in as well.

Sirius was parked next to the swinging door, peering in through the infinitesimal crack. “Psst! Severus!” The animagus hissed as quietly as he could. “Back up just a little bit. Yeah…lean against the door. Just a tiny bit.”

A corner of Sev’s blue walker came into view and the kitchen door was propped open enough for all five of them (and the baby) to peer through.

Hey mambo! mambo italiano!
Hey mambo! mambo italiano!
Go, go, Joe, shake like a Giovanno
Hello kess-a-deetch-a you getta happy in the feets a
When you mambo italiano!

Harry and Ginny were doing the mambo right in the middle of the busy kitchen! He had a cooking spoon in one hand and Ginny’s hand in the other. She wore the peach rose on her ear, held a small wooden bowl in one hand, and was waving her wand with the other. All around them, dinner was making itself as they danced. Salad was being tossed on the counter as Harry whirled her around. The ingredients were being chopped as Ginny swayed and shimmied. The soup was being stirred, the dishes were being washed, and the pudding was being mixed all the while Harry was swinging Ginny around, encircling her in his arms, laying his chin on her shoulder, and singing into her ear as they swayed to the music.

And a hey ja drool you don't a have to go to school
Just make-a wid da beat bambino
It's a like a vino
Kid you good a lookin' but you don't a-know what's cookin' till you…

With another wave of her wand, Ginny had the final ingredients added to dinner before ordering everything to either present themselves on the kitchen island or pile themselves in the sink.

Hey mambo, Mambo italiano
Hey mambo, Mambo italiano
Ho, ho, ho, you mixed up Siciliano
Hello kess-a-deetch-a you getta happy in the feets a
When you mambo italiano!

Harry dipped Ginny like a pro and gave her a long, sweet kiss.

“Oh my god! Why don’t you ever do that for me, Ronald!” Hermione cuffed her boyfriend lightly on the arm.

“You’re not that romantic!” The redhead scoffed. “Are you?”

“Shhh!” Tonks hissed. “They’re saying something.”

“We should go call them for dinner.” They heard Harry say. “Knowing how tired those three are, it’ll take them forever to get off the couch.”

Several things happened all at once. Harry and Ginny began turning towards the swinging door, Severus moved his walker to close said door, and the five overly-curious adults began hushing themselves and frantically shooed each other back into the living room. Tonks took Teddy from Remus and sat down on Harry’s easy chair. Hermione took the leather easy chair next to it.

When the three men settled on the couch, they realized they had sat themselves in the wrong order. Getting up, they reordered themselves only to realize they had once again sat in the wrong order.

“Guys!” Harry’s voice was coming closer.

“Quick!” Tonks hissed.

Ron jumped over Sirius’ lap to fix their ordering and accidentally crushed a rather sensitive part of his male anatomy, making the animagus squeal under his breath. Tonks burst out laughing just as the three men resumed their previous positions and the swinging door flew open. “Hey guys, dinner’s ready!”

Sirius let out a strangled cough and then a growl.  

Ron blushed.

Remus began chuckling at the ceiling.

Hermione rolled her eyes.

And Tonks began laughing anew.

“O—kay…?” Harry eyed them all with a raised eyebrow. “Well…when you’re ready to eat, come into the dining room, okay? Padfoot, are you alright?”

Sirius cleared his throat several times, forcefully, before letting out a strangled, “Fine.”

Severus burst into the room just as Harry mumbled an, “Okay,” and walked back into the dining room.

“I’m sorry, Sirius! I didn’t mean to crush you in the…down there. I’m sorry!” Ron pleaded.

Severus burst into laughter at hearing Ron’s declaration. Teddy followed suit, making both Tonks and Remus join in as well. Hermione began laughing at the situation in general.

Sirius scowled. “Great! Yeah! Laugh it up. I’m glad you’re amused.” He growled.

As Ron and Remus stared intently at the wizard’s chess board in front of them, and Tonks and Hermione engaged in an animated conversation about something or another, a big black dog sat staring at the closed bathroom door, his tail wagging happily, and his ears perked up at the avid laughter emanating from within.

WOOF!

The booming bark had everyone in the room turning towards the large canine.

“Padfoot, honestly!” Ginny chided as she came down the stairs carrying a bunch of towels. The dog turned towards her, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. WOOF!

Ginny stopped right behind the dog and rolled her eyes. “Excuse me, please.” Padfoot merely stood up and started scratching the bathroom door, whining. “Sirius, no!” Ginny put her leg between the dog and the door and began pushing Padfoot back. “They’re taking a shower, for Merlin’s sake!” Ginny pried open the door and squeezed in through the small opening, making sure to block Padfoot as she did so. When she was finally in, the teenager stuck her head back out and narrowed her eyes at the scruffy canine. “You know…you could do with a proper grooming.”

Padfoot whined and backed a good ten feet away from the door.

Ginny snorted and muttered, “Didn’t think so,” before slamming the door.

WOOF! Whine. WOOF! The dog began scratching at the door once again.

“Sirius, come off of it, will you?” Remus rolled his eyes.

The animagus merely lay down in front of the door, continuing to watch it intently. His ears perked up once again at another squeal of laughter.

“Da…da! Hahahahaha! Ooooooh…BA!”

“You like the shower, don’t you, love?”

“He likes the shower.”

“Smile! Smile! I’m taking your picture, Sev. Smile for me, baby.”

“Show her those gummy reds!”

“Hahahahaha!”

“No! Tell Harry your teeth are coming in. Say ‘Harry’.”

“Haweh!”

“’My teeth are coming in.’”

“Mah beep boo boo. HA!”

Harry and Ginny’s laughter echoed through the door.

Padfoot whined, stood up, and began scratching the door once more.

“Padfoot, they’re not going to let you in.” Remus said, exasperated.

“I don’t even know why Ginny’s in there.” Ron murmured immediately after.

Their words merely made the dog stop his scratching and whining. The door-watching continued relentlessly.

When the bathroom door opened some twenty minutes later, a towel-clad Harry carrying a towel-wrapped Severus looked down to find a big black dog staring up at him intently.

“How long have you been sitting here, Padfoot?”

WOOF!

“The entire time.” Ginny muttered behind her boyfriend.

Severus blew raspberries down at the dog.

“Sev! That’s rude.” Harry rebuked sternly, and the infant burrowed back into his towel. The teenager turned back to the dog. “Come along then, old boy.” Harry gestured towards the staircase.

WOOF! Padfoot barked up at them happily before running up the stairs and opening the master bedroom with his paws. Running over to the side of the bed, the dog grasped the side of the comforter with his teeth and folded it over. He then ran to the other side of the bed and folded it over on that side as well. Hopping up onto the footboard of the bed, Padfoot pulled at the edge of the comforter so that the middle was even with the sides. After climbing back down, Padfoot briefly turned back into Sirius, banished all the dog hair from the furniture with a wave of his wand, and then transformed back into his animagus form.

WOOF!

“Here we are!” Harry said as he entered the room. “Thank you, old boy!” He smiled down at his godfather, who barked in acknowledgement, before setting Sev down onto the bed. “Alright…now where did Ginny put those clothes?”

As Harry searched through the wardrobe in the corner, Sev pushed himself up into a sitting position while Padfoot sat by the edge of the bed and laid his chin on the mattress. Dog and baby locked eyes.

Severus wanted to scowl at the mutt. He wanted to blow raspberries at him, throw something at him, hit him, kick him, do something to the stupid dog that was staring him in the face right now. Yet Sev knew he couldn’t do it. For one, Harry would no doubt discipline him in some way once he found out. Sev had no desire to stare at the corner for any length of time, nor have his bum smacked, nor have any of his privileges taken away. He also had no desire to feel the abnormal amount of guilt associated with the disappointed look Harry deemed fit to grace him with every time he got in trouble. Nope, Severus definitely did not want any of that right now. Secondly, Severus noticed that all the mutt was doing was studying him. He wasn’t doing anything to provoke an argument. He wasn’t even frowning, for Merlin’s sake! For the first time in his life, Sirius Bloody Black was not shooting any looks of hostility or contempt in his direction.

Severus was instantly suspicious. Perhaps I should back away from him just in case. Flopping down on his stomach, Sev pushed himself backwards on the bed. The mutt stood up immediately and disappeared from view. Severus froze. Where did he go?! Where did he go?! Sev felt something moving behind him and shifted to find the mutt dragging a pillow from the head to the side of the bed with his mouth. Sev gasped and rolled away.

Woof! Padfoot immediately dropped and ran to the other side.

Sev rolled and rolled and rolled until he realized—in a panic—that he was dangerously close to the edge of the bed! He tried to stop himself mid-roll but found half of his body meeting empty air. He closed his eyes and braced himself for a fall…

…but the sensation never came.

Instead, Severus opened his eyes to find himself half on top of two black paws, with a cold wet nose pressing into his back. Before he could blink, the wet nose gave him a small shove and Sev found himself on his stomach in the middle of the bed once again. The infant blinked.

Woof! Padfoot took another pillow and moved it from the head of the bed to the side, ensuring that the baby would not fall off on this side either. Then, going around the bed once more, the dog hopped up onto the foot of the mattress and laid himself down, making sure keep at least one eye on the shocked infant.

And Severus was indeed shocked. Had the mutt just…saved him from falling? Had Sirius Bloody Black just prevented him from being dropped onto his head?! Severus was having a hard time believing it. Wide-eyed, the infant studied the dog in front of him. This time, the mutt was lying down and looking at him. Still, Severus could find neither hostility nor contempt in his gaze. Instead, the dog merely looked tired. Curious, Severus pushed himself up and began inching in the dog’s direction. The mutt didn’t move. Sev pushed himself closer. The dog simply blinked. Soon Severus found himself within arm’s-length of Padfoot’s face and all the canine did was stare.

“Ah!” Sev cried.

Padfoot turned away and yawned before going back to staring at Severus. Otherwise, he didn’t react.

“Ah!”

No reaction.

Sev blinked and glanced down. One of Padfoot’s large paws rested near his little hand. Reaching out, Sev briefly laid his hand on the dog’s paw and then turned back to face the animal. To his delight, Padfoot’s head was now up and cocked as he studied Severus. The infant looked down and touched his hand to the paw once again. This time, Padfoot laid his head back down, making Severus frown. But then the paw moved, and Sev watched in fascination as Padfoot gently laid his big black paw on top of his little hand.

Severus stared at the hand and paw for the longest period of time. Then, without realizing what he was doing, Severus turned back to face the animal, and grinned.

“Hey, you two! What’re you up to?” Harry walked back over to the bed, dressed in a pair of boxer shorts and with the towel over his head. Upon seeing the state of the pillows in relation to the baby, Harry reached over and scratched the dog behind the ears. “Much obliged, Padfoot.”

Woof!

“Looks like we’re just going to have to make do with shorts and nappies, cub.” Harry said, laying Severus on his back so that he could put a nappy on him. “I have no idea where Ginny put all the clothes.” Picking the infant up, Harry rounded the bed to lie down on his side of the mattress. “It’s not that big of a deal, though. It’s a bit warm out. Sleeping is much more comfortable in underwear, eh? What do you think?”

As soon as Harry settled down against the pillows, with Severus on his lap, Padfoot stood up and jumped off the bed. Harry waved a hand to get rid of the dog hair just as his canine godfather grasped the edge of the comforter between his teeth and pulled it over his godson and his ward.

“Thank you, Sirius.” Harry smiled at him kindly.

Woof! Padfoot briefly detoured to pull the comforter over Ginny’s side of the bed before hopping back up and resuming his rest at the foot of the mattress.

“You going to sleep here, old boy?”

Woof!

“Alright.” With the wave of a hand, Harry increased the dimensions of the king-sized bed just slightly so that Padfoot would be able to sleep comfortably without any of them kicking him. “Now…which two stories shall we hear tonight, eh?” Harry asked the infant in his arms as he summoned The Tales of Beedle the Bard from the bookshelf.

As Harry flipped through the book, he began to frown. “Uh-oh.”

Padfoot’s ears perked up and Sev looked up at Harry worriedly. “Wha?”

“We’ve finished with this book.” Sev glanced down at the book and then back up at Harry, perplexed. “We’ve read all the stories in this book.”

Sev himself frowned. “Mo…”

“Yes, we have.”

“Mo.”

“Yes.”

“Mo!”

“Then by all means,” Harry turned to the table of contents, “find me a story we have yet to read in this book.” The teenager waited patiently as Sev scanned the each of the titles, his frown deepening by the second.

Finally, the infant looked up at him, his eyes pleading. “Wamp owy.”

“I know you want a story. All I’m saying is that we’re finished reading this book. However,” Harry put the book onto the nightstand and readjusted Severus in his lap, “There are lots of stories left out there, and I know one that will keep you entertained for many, many nights. A thousand and one nights, to be precise.”

Sev’s eyes widened and his hands and feet began to bob up and down. “Wamp owy! Wamp owy!”

Harry chuckled as he laid Severus down next to him and made himself comfortable against the pillows. Padfoot, too, settled himself in a comfier position and then gave his full attention to his godson.

Harry started combing his fingers through Sev’s hair as his story began, “There once was a king—a king of kings—and his name was King Shahryar. Now he had a brother and a wife as well…”

By the time Ginny entered the room half an hour later—at exactly 8:30—both Severus and Sirius were fast asleep and snoring softly. The teenager smiled indulgingly. “That must have been some story.” She commented as she wiped her wet hair with her towel and stepped towards the wardrobe.

Harry snorted. “I didn’t even get halfway through the first story before they were both out cold.” He continued running his fingers through Sev’s hair as he watched his girlfriend change into her nightgown.

“Which one was it? Aladdin?”

“Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.”

Ginny scoffed in false indignation, “I would’ve thought they’d have stayed up for that one.”

“I know, right?” Harry chuckled, “It’s, like, the most exciting one of the bunch!”

Ginny laughed and glanced back at her boyfriend, acknowledging his choice of attire for the first time. “So…couldn’t find your clothes, I see.” The teenager smirked and turned her back to him. Her shoulders then began to shake ever so slightly, making her boyfriend narrow his eyes at her.

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Sure, you don’t…” Harry rolled his eyes.

“What?” Ginny flipped her hair and gazed at him over her shoulder, giving him her most charming smile. “Is it such a crime for me to want to see the goods before purchasing them?”

Harry threw his head back in silent laughter. “You’ve already seen the whole package, sweetheart. If there’s anyone who’s teasing in this room, it’s you.”  

“Oh, you’ve already seen most of this package, I daresay.” Ginny muttered a spell to dry her hair and another to untangle it. “But as for the rest…” She crawled into bed and under the sheets in the most seductive manner Harry had ever seen, “…you will have to wait for now, Mr. Potter.”

“Whatever you say…the future Mrs. Potter.”

“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Ginny laid her hand on Sev’s stomach and began stroking it lightly with her thumb as she grinned up at her boyfriend.

“I like the sound of that as well.”

Ginny snorted. “You would…” She closed her eyes as Harry leaned in for a short, sweet kiss.

“Remus…where’s Sirius?” Tonks asked, looking around the room for the missing animagus.

“I thought he…went upstairs with…Harry.” The werewolf answered distractedly as he moved his rook to take Ron’s knight. “Your move.”

“Check.” The redhead grinned smugly.

“Damn!” Remus quickly moved his bishop to take Ron’s queen. “HA! Check yourself!”

“You speak too soon, my good man.” Ron moved his knight. “Checkmate!”

Remus sighed and offered Ron his hand. “I’ll get you back one day, I promise.” He chuckled at the redhead and then turned to his wife. “What were you saying, sweetheart?”

“Maybe we should start setting up a bedtime routine for Teddy as well.” Tonks replied, veering off her original topic. “Ginny says it’s working well with Severus.”

“Uh…sure.” Remus began helping Ron clean up the chess set. “Hey…where’s Sirius?”

Tonks rolled her eyes as Hermione smirked. “That’s what I was asking you a second ago, Remus.”

“Oh…sorry.”

“What time is it?” Ron spun around, looking for a clock.

“Around nine.”

“Where’re Harry and Ginny?”

“Severus’ bedtime is 8:30, Ronald.” Hermione rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

“I know, but surely they don’t go to sleep that early.”

“I’m pretty sure they’re just upstairs.” Tonks began rocking her son in her arms. “Sweetheart, can you help me with Teddy?” Her husband nodded and followed her up the stairs.

As they reached the upstairs landing, both adults could hear soft murmurs coming from the master bedroom. Tonks grinned to herself and stuck her head around the open door. “Knock, knock!” She whispered.

Remus peered in behind her and smirked upon sighting Padfoot. “Ah! There he is.”

Harry and Ginny both chuckled at them. “Were you looking for Sirius?” She asked.

“Yeah, we were wondering where he went. It was so quiet in the house all of a sudden.” Tonks snickered at her own joke. “Remus said he might’ve come up here with you.”

“He did.” Harry nodded, his eyes twinkling. “Fell asleep at about the same time as this little one, too. Didn’t even stay awake long enough to hear the ending of the story I was telling.”

“The story you were telling doesn’t have an ending, not for a thousand and one nights.”

“You’re going to let him sleep here tonight?” Tonks raised an eyebrow at Ginny.

“As long as he cleans up his own dog hair in the morning, I’m fine with it.”

“Lucky butt! He gets the big, comfy bed.” Tonks pretended to pout but ended up snickering instead.

“Do you guys need anything? Is your bed big enough? Do you have enough room?” Harry made a move to get up.

“No, no! Everything’s just great.” Remus waved him back down.

Woof! …Woof! …Grrr…! The dog on the bed then began kicking in his sleep.

Tonks threw her head back in silent laughter and leaned against Remus’ shoulder. The werewolf himself chuckled noiselessly as he wrapped an arm around his wife’s waist.

“You’re never going to let him live this down, are you?” The looks on their faces made Harry smirk.

“My cousin dreams about hunting rabbits in his sleep.” Tonks’ shoulders shook violently. “Absolutely not!”

After everyone had calmed down, Tonks and Remus bid the other couple goodnight before retreating into their room across the hall. Tonks was busying herself with her nightly routine—changing into her nightgown and preparing Teddy for sleep—when the sight of her husband gave her pause. Remus was leaning against the wall by the door, arms crossed, as he stared into a medium-sized mirror across the room. Tonks’ eyebrows furrowed. “Sweetheart?” Remus’ face was scrunched up, indicating he was deep in thought. “Remus!”

The werewolf jerked in surprise and he blinked at his wife. “I’m sorry. What were you saying, love?”

“Are you alright?”

“Yeah, uh…” Remus glanced at the mirror once again. “Yes, I’m fine…”

Tonks rolled her eyes, “But…?” She raised an eyebrow in expectation.

Remus glanced over his shoulder and lowered his voice significantly. “I’m just…a bit worried about Sirius.”

Tonks shot him a bewildered look as she walked closer to him, unconsciously mirroring his whispering. “Padfoot? Why?!”

“Well, look at him, Dora.” Remus gestured towards the mirror across the room and it was then that Tonks noticed the reflection across its surface. Remus was watching the occupants in the other room.

“Sweetheart, just leave them be—” She tried to tug her husband away, but Remus only jerked his head towards the mirror once more.

“Look at him, Dora.”

Tonks sighed and glanced at the reflection of the dog in the other room. “You know, Sirius really does make a convincing dog. That right there is the most domestic little scene that I ever did see.”

Remus jumped on the comment the first chance he got. “And that’s why I’m worried about him.”

“You’re worried about him becoming a dog permanently?” Tonks raised an eyebrow.

“No, I’m worried that he’s going to do something stupid sometime soon.” The werewolf argued. He glanced in the mirror once again. There were Ginny and Harry, propped up on either side of a sleeping baby Severus, talking and laughing like any normal couple pillow talking. He was running his fingers through the infant’s hair; she had her hand on the baby’s tummy and was stroking it lightly with her thumb. The flickering candles scattered about bathed the room in a soft amber glow, which bounced off the laughter shining in Ginny’s eyes and the love gleaming in Harry’s. Then there was Sirius—sleeping in his dog form at the end of their bed, off away in dreamland along with the sleeping infant. Sirius was having a hard time with Severus’ de-aging and Remus knew it. “Sirius is trying to nab Harry’s attention, Dora. You heard him barking at the bathroom door downstairs!”

Tonks’ eyebrows shot to her hairline. “Are you telling me that Sirius Black is jealous of Severus Snape!”

“A bit!” Remus replied defensively. “Now he doesn’t have as much of Harry’s attention than he used to.”

“Sirius isn’t a child, Remus.”

“He can act like one sometimes and that’s what I’m worried about.” Her husband hissed, pulling Dora away from the door so that the couple in the other room wouldn’t see them arguing.

Tonks sighed and rolled her eyes. “You have to have more faith in your friends, Moony.” She fixed him with one of her rare stern looks and put her hands on her hips. “Just because Sirius is acting a bit jealous right now doesn’t mean he’s going to stay that way. The situation is new for him!” She argued on her cousin’s behalf. “Give him a chance to get used to it. If acting like the family dog is helping him get used to it, then let him.”

Remus glanced towards the door in frustration. “What if it’s not helping him get used to it? What if it’s only encouraging him to do something impulsive, like drink one of those de-aging potions himself?!”

“Sirius knows he has a special place in Harry’s heart, just like you do, sweetheart.” Tonks pulled her husband closer and wrapped her arms around Remus’ waist, bestowing him with a placating look. “Harry has a special bond with you and Sirius knows it. I don’t see him getting jealous of you now, do I?”

“Sirius is Harry’s godfather. That makes him special.”

“Exactly!” Tonks’ eyes lit up as Remus fell into her trap. “Sirius knows that.”

“But I’m Sirius’ friend. I’m sure he doesn’t mind sharing Harry with me. Severus, on the other hand—”

“—wasn’t. I know, I know.” Tonks nodded. “But that’s where it makes sense, Moony! Right now, Sirius is probably just trying to figure out where Severus fits into all of this.” The witch reasoned. “Padfoot’s going to be fine, Remus. Just trust him.”

Remus sighed and finally looked down into his wife’s pleading eyes. Within seconds, he relented. His shoulders sagged and he wrapped his arms around his wife’s shoulders, pulling her closer. “Fine.”

“You’ll see, sweetheart.” Tonks’ eyes shone as she smiled up at her husband. “Sirius is going to surprise you on this one, I guarantee it.”

Remus glanced at the mirror once more over his wife’s shoulder. I hope you’re right. He prayed silently.