Raised by Canines {A Harry Potter fanfiction}

24. Of Birthdays and Reunions

Almost Five Years Later -- July 31st, 2004

"Shh!" Harry hissed at his friend as they snuck into his Pa's old bedroom. "Pa and Dad have incredibly good hearing. We have to be silent."

"Sorry!" Ron whispered, constantly checking behind himself to make sure neither of Harry's parents were walking across the hallway. Harry chanced a glance as well before turning around and opening the door slowly so that it wouldn't creak.

"This doesn't look like a room your dad would sleep in." Ron whispered, and Harry figured their vow to be silent meant zilch to Ron. He just hoped he didn't get caught--the one and only time he'd gotten caught taking chocolate from his Pa's stash, he'd been fussed at for a week. An entire week.

"You'd be surprised." Harry sighed, closing the door behind them and quietly making his way over to the bedside table. "If there's even a sock on my floor, he freaks out. It's like I killed a person or something."

"Are we talking about Sirius Black?" Ron shook his head. "Your dad, Sirius Black? Because that sounds more like Remus, to be honest."

"Ron, the only reason this room is clean is because Pa is barely in here." Harry pulled out a couple of chocolate frogs and cauldron cakes before shutting the drawer and handing half of his loot to his partner in crime. "He'll clean up a mess in the kitchen so he doesn't have to deal with it being all moldy and gross later, but laundry and books and what not are completely different stories. I don't know how Dad stands it, being the neat freak that he is."

He silently opened the door once more, and, making sure the coast was clear, motioned for Ron to come out and then closed the door once more, erasing any evidence that they had been in there. They tiptoed back to his room and shut the door behind themselves before they dug into their snacks, and Harry began to wonder how they had gotten away with such a thing. Merlin, were his dads even home?

"So what do you want to do now, birthday boy?" Ron asked, still chewing on his chocolate frog.

"I'd kind of like to go for a fly before everyone comes over." And everyone included the rest of the Weasleys, his dad's Aunt Andy and cousin Tonks, Neville Longbottom and his grandmother, and a few of the other Aurors his dad and Pa worked with. Harry finished his cauldron cake and stood, slipping into his shoes. "Want to join me?"

"Are dragons dangerous?" Ron grinned. "Of course I'll fly with you, dork."

Harry grinned back.

*~*~*

Horrified. Confused. Enraged.

Those were the only words Sirius could use to describe how he felt about this situation. Sirius crossed his arms as his husband, Remus, leaned forward, head in his hands.

"Okay, Albus." He looked up at the man across from them. "Explain this to me one more time."

Currently they were in Sirius and Remus' study, trying to keep their voices down just in case 2 certain little ones wandered too close.

"James and Lily Potter were not the ones that were killed that night, but they have been held captive by Death Eaters for the past 8 years and have finally managed to escape." Albus' voice was low and surprisingly steady. "Lily's mother was the one that threw herself in front of Harry. We don't know for sure, but we think whoever Pettigrew disguised as James was one of the many wizards Voldemort had captured and had been torturing until his death."