Growing Up

Part 31.

A/n: even though it's literally February, i thought it would be fun to have a halloween chapter on my 31 chapter...hehehe....
i've also had some ideas for the next 2-3 chapters, so they might be coming out a little early over the next week.
Happy reading!

Days moved by slowly, then days turned into weeks. It was Halloween, a date no one in 12 Grimmauld place would forget.

That sure was a crazy time of the year. With new jobs, running toddlers, full moons, this new profound "grading" thing. But, nonetheless, it was nothing they couldn't handle.

Marlene, Amelia, and Ivy all stayed around. Playdates were a normal thing, and Harry loved it.

On weekends, days at the park were the best. Remus on Sirius, shoulder, Harry and Ivy chasing each other, telling stories of the past.

Sirius thought it was the best time of his life, but never said it out loud. His mothers voice rang in his ears.

"Nothing is all 'well', it will never be that way in this family."

The painful accuracy turned him pale, and he never spoke of it.

Neither did Remus. Remus was never raised on the optimistic side of life, and preferred to use middle tones in conversations.

That's probably the reason that they got along.

Remus was laying on the couch with Harry,  his arm around him, holding Harry's head.

Sirius grabbed a camera, one that he hadn't used in ages. He blew off the dust and snapped a picture, hoping the camera wasn't loud enough to wake them.

And it wasn't, to his surprise. Harry lie still, the blanket of sleep falling over the both of them.

The picture turned out perfectly. Sirius marked it "ma lune et mon étoile, mon univers." at the bottom in pen. He grinned when it fully developed, putting it in his front pocket.

Remus woke up a few minutes later. He stood up carefully, making sure he didn't wake up the sleeping toddler. He walked away from the couch, flicking his wand behind him. There was a flicker of light; a barrier so Harry wouldn't fall.

The two of them thought they would make Halloween special to Harry, instead of just a day of mourning. And since he was old enough, he could pick out a costume.

***

Sirius grabbed his wand and held it in front of Harry.

"Ready to choose your costume?"

Harry nodded vigorously. I guess they had been putting it off for a while.

"What about... a dog?"

Clear, golden wisps wrapped around Harry in the form of a dog. He had cute little ears, and brown fake fur.

Harry shrugged, not entertained.

Sirius looked up, deep in thought.

"Ooh, what about Achilles! the best warrior of his time!"

The golden whisps froze for a moment, then did as they were told. they formed the red and gold helmet, and a bronze chest plate.

"Achilles was blond..." Remus nudged him.

"Oh, true. How about Patroclus? his loyal and trusty partner!"

A sword appeared at his waist, and the helmet turned a deep silver.

"Boyfriend, they were definitely dating." Remus chimed.

Harry looked down. "Heavy"

"Alright, what about a superhero!"

A halo, a cape, and an "H" on his shirt appeared in front of him.

Once again, he was not amused.

"Okay then, bambi..." Sirius continued to think.

"Wait, padfoot," Remus' grin split ear to ear.

"Bambi. He can be a stag!"

"Like dada!" Harry's grin turned like Remus'.

"Yes! Like dada, Harry!"

Sirius flicked his wand and a stag shot out  of it, walking around the room with its graceful golden wisps fleeing behind.

The stag had turned to Harry, cocked its head, then disappeared.

Harry stayed giggling.

"Hey, i'll get the costumes."

Before Remus could even get a word through, he was gone. But not long after he was gone, he was back again; He was holding Harry's costume.

It was a brown sherpa one-piece, with a headband, a light patch on the stomach, and some spots.

"That is so cute"

"I know, right?" Sirius laughed. "Harry, you're gonna be the cutest fucking stag out there tonight."

Harry laughed and clapped.

"Hey, i know something we can do."

Sirius smiled and walked over to Harry's room, grabbing a brown washable marker.

He put Harry on the counter and started to draw a little snout on his nose. Harry giggled and squirmed.

"You know, i could've gotten face paint."  Remus laughed, arms crossed.

"Oh, please don't be mad at me!" Sirius replied sarcastically. "Look at this."

He pulled out the picture from his front pocket, handing it to Remus

He stared at the picture, his eyes glistening.

"Thank you, Padfoot."

Remus smiled, but was quickly caught off gaurd when his shirt started to be tugged from behind him.

"Candy! Halloween!" Harry insisted.

"Okay, okay, let's go."

And with a crack, they were gone.

Word count: 834

p.s: "ma lune et mon étoile, mon univers" means "my moon and star, my universe."