If Sirius lived.

Dinner Before term

A/N: Ignore the cig in the pic. It's fan art of sirius but for this purpose it represents 16 year old Harry.

Summer had gone by quickly and had been surprisingly uneventful. If you counted hundreds of muggles and wizards alike going missing as uneventful that is.

Harry leaned against the door frame of the kitchen, watching Mrs. Weasley cook.

"Are you sure you don't need my help Mrs. Weasley?" He asked in his usual relaxed, kind tone.

"I'm fine dear, thank you." Mrs. Weasley said

Her back was to him. Harry shook his head, his now long hair falling over his shoulder shielding his face from view. He'd been letting it grow out (Sirius had magicked it out of the awkward length staged). 

"Harry!" Ron yelled "Quidditch?"

Harry smiled, throwing his hair into a quick bun and rushing towards the back door. He grabbed his broom from the broom shed and ran towards the open field. Sirius magicked various sized fruits to mimicked the balls. He leaned against a tree, watching the teens play.

"It's nice to see them be just kids." He said to Remus who was behind him.

"Hear me walking?" Remus asked

He'd been trying to be quiet. Sirius shook his head.

"I smelled chocolate and parchment. You've always smelled of chocolate and parchment."

Remus laughed.

"And you've always smelled of cigarette smoke." He teased "and wet dog. The cologne is a welcome change."

Sirius rolled his eyes and continued watching the kids.

"He's starting to look a bit like you." Remus said "with the hair."

Sirius hid a smile. The idea of a child looking like him sounded like heaven compared to the 13 years he'd spent either locked in a cage or running.

"I suppose."

"Lily would be fussing. Saying how he need to cut it, or at least do something with it other than a bun."

"And James would be telling her to leave him be. That he's just a boy experimenting with style."

They both chuckled quietly. Lily and James would've been proud of their son.

"Kids!" Mrs. Weasley called from the back door. "Dinner!"

The children landed and ran for the house. As they gathered around the table and began to eat, Harry felt eyes on him. He looked up.

"Something wrong,Gin?" He asked

She smirked, trying to hide the fascinated look that had been on her face.

"Hair's getting a bit long there isn't it?" She said.

"I like it." He shrugged

"Careful or you'll look like Snape." Fred joked.

Harry and Sirius both looked offended.

"I think it looks nice." Hermione defended "different."

"At least like this he doesn't look like an electrocuted troll." George joked.

Ron snorted, choking on his food.

"Shove off." Harry laughed while Remus pat Ron on the back.

"Breath Ron." Sirius laughed.

Soon the table was filled with laughter. Beautiful, joyous laughter.

After the meal, Hermione and Ginny did the dishes. Then, they retired to their perspective rooms.

"Night Mrs. Weasley. Night dad-foot." Harry said, attempting to save himself from the embarrassment of accidentally calling Sirius dad.

He ran up the stairs as Sirius sat their stunned.

"Dadfoot." Remus snorted

"Moomy." Sirius shot back, recovering quickly.