Growing up Pureblooded

Christmas Eve Outing

Christmas that year was Sirius's first since he had been freed from Azkaban, and he did everything in his power to make it memorable. He personally oversaw the decorations at Windermere Court and Grimmauld Place, holding nothing back in his desire to create a festive atmosphere. The sound of Christmas carols filled both houses from morning until nightfall, coming from every possible source: enchanted instruments, portraits, suits of armor, busts, statues, even the house elves. Sirius himself could often be heard to join in with his clear baritone, which rather surprised Aries, who had not realized how well his dad could sing.

On Christmas Eve, Sirius took Aries by Side-Along Apparition to Remus's house on the moors, where they exchanged a few small gifts and ate a light supper whilst Sirius and Remus recounted stories of Christmases past. After supper Remus took down a box of photographs from a cupboard and pulled out a small album. The cover was inscribed in a neat, female hand: Aries's First Christmas. Aries stared at the album wide-eyed. "Is that what I think it is?"

Remus nodded. "After your parents died, I went through their house and removed most of the personal items." He chewed his lower lip nervously, as though worried that Aries might think he had been stealing. "I didn't want souvenir-hunters taking them." "You did the right thing, Moony," Sirius said, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. "I'm saving them for you to have when you're older," Remus went on. "I'd give them to you now, but Padfoot said he thought that might arouse suspicion." Aries nodded. "He's right. Best for you to keep them for now." He gave a small smile. "But I should like very much to see them."

They sat down on the sofa - Aries in the middle, Remus and Sirius on either side - and began flipping through the Christmas album. From every page, Lily and Harry laughed whilst all four Marauders performed their wild antics. James and Lily, of course, looked just as they did in their portrait, but it struck Harry how different Sirius and Remus were. Remus looked much younger in the pictures, with no grey hairs and fewer scars. Sirius looked much better-fed and still possessed every bit of his dashing good looks. Aries looked up from the photographs to see the men as they now appeared. Remus was gaunt and tired, looking older than his thirty years, but occasionally his eyes would brighten up at some memory or picture, and at such moments he could seem years younger. Sirius had filled out a good bit since the summer, and was no longer as gaunt as he had been when Aries first met him, but he was still too thin, and his eyes continually bore that desperate, haunted look. Here too, however, a glint of mischief or delight would occasionally appear, and then Aries would be vividly reminded of the devil-may-care young man in the photographs.

The real shock for Aries, however, was seeing himself in the photos. Even as a baby, Harry had looked remarkably like James, except for his eyes, which were all Lily. Harry had been Aries for so long he had almost forgotten what he had looked like before he had been rescued by the Squibs, what he would still look like if only James and Lily hadn't died, or even if Dumbledore had sent Aries to live with Sirius instead of the Muggles. On the one hand, the sheer joy on baby Harry's face in the photographs could easily have belonged to him at any age: when he rode a broomstick for the first time, when he met Sirius, whenever he and Draco played a successful prank. But Aries found he could not look at the tiny boy with messy hair without thinking of the nights he had spent locked in the Dursleys' cupboard without any dinner, praying that someone would come to free him. It was odd, to say the least.

Harry turned the page of the album and was startled to see a large black dog, a stag and a rat chasing each other around the Christmas tree, whilst Lily shook her head in mock disapproval and baby Harry clapped in excitement. Eventually the dog pounced on the stag, and they both crashed into the Christmas tree, sending it toppling to the floor. "Dad, I knew you were an Animagus," he said, "but I didn't realize the others were too." Sirius raised his eyebrows. "Didn't Prongs ever tell you and Draco?" Aries shook his head.

"That makes sense," Remus observed. "If he told one secret, he might need to tell the other." "Good old Prongs," Sirius said with an affectionate smile. "Even from beyond the grave he manages to keep his promises." Something clicked in Aries's mind, and he squealed with delight. "I get it!" he exclaimed. "You're Padfoot because you turn into a big black dog, like the Grim, so the others' nicknames must be connected with their Animagus forms too." He pointed at the stag. "That's James, isn't it? Prongs." Sirius nodded. 'Well done, Aries.' Aries thought for a second and then pointed at the rat, whose long, naked tail was clearly in evidence. "Wormtail. That's Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius and Remus both growled at that, but Sirius nodded. "That only leaves Moony." Aries turned to Remus. "What's your Animagus form, Uncle Remus?" Remus looked a bit peaky. "I don't have one." "Moony can't turn into an Animagus," Sirius explained. Aries frowned pensively as he turned the page, only to be greeted by a picture of baby Harry surrounded by four stuffed animals: a dog, a rat, a stag...and a wolf. Aries traced his finger over the wolf's distinctive snout. Moony. No wonder he couldn't become an Animagus. Aries gulped hard and looked up at Remus questioningly. Remus nodded slowly. Aries looked back at the picture. "How long?" he asked quietly. "Since I was a child," Remus replied calmly. "Have you ever...bitten anyone?" Aries asked. Remus shook his head. "Never."

Sirius put his arm around Harry's shoulder. "We found out when we were in school. You see, once a month Moony has to be locked up so he doesn't hurt anyone. That's why we all became Animagi—to keep him company." Aries nodded. "Because animals are unaffected by the werewolf's bite." He let out a deep breath. "Are you all right, Aries?" Remus asked nervously. Aries nodded. "It just takes some getting used to. My dad's best friend is a Dark creature." He flashed Remus a wry grin. "I can't complain though, can I? I mean, I'm a Parselmouth. I'm supposedly a Dark wizard, right?" He shrugged. "You're still you. You just have...a problem." Remus chuckled. "That's exactly what James used to call it—my furry little problem."

Aries snorted. That did sound like the kind of thing James would say. "You do understand that you can't tell anyone about any of this," Sirius warned Aries, who rolled his eyes. "Yes, of course," he replied. "What's one more secret when one already has so many?" Sirius ruffled Aries's hair. "There's a good lad." He stood up from the sofa and stretched. "Now, I believe we have an outing to be getting on with." "An outing?" Aries was incredulous. "It's nearly eleven on Christmas Eve! We have to go over to Malfoy Manor early tomorrow." Sirius smiled. "Yes, but this is a very special outing. I'm afraid we can't do it at any other time." He took off his robes, revealing a Muggle suit underneath, and held out clothes for Aries and Remus to change into. Once they were dressed, they all put on heavy coats and Apparated to the center of what appeared to be a rather small village. "Where are we?" Aries asked.

"Godric's Hollow," Sirius replied. "Welcome home, Harry Potter." A tiny stone church stood in the center of the plaza. It looked very old and weather-worn. The sound of familiar Christmas carols came from inside. "That's the church where you were christened," Sirius explained. "Shall we go in?"They slipped into the very back of the crowded church and readily joined in a slightly off-key but very spirited rendition of 'Hark the Herald Angels Sing'.