Seven Seas

James and Lily Potter were not expecting that night to be the night. Lily had banned James from buying copious amounts of candy in “preparation” for the children of Godric’s Hollow. She had sworn that the wizarding children were not going to be like the muggle ones, doing anything for a taste of muggle candy, but she should have known better. Children are children, and sweets are sweets. James smiled when she reached out, putting a hand on his cheek, “Honey, please go get more. There’s more children down the road, you were right.”

No, they were not expecting that night to be the night, when James set the rest of the candy down 30 minutes later. They were not expecting that night to be the night when they were able to hand out all but 4 pieces of candy. Both took 2 pieces and smiled when Harry reached out to play with the wrappers. Lily looked between the other two, she knew that Harry looked so much like James, but she had this feeling that he would end up like her. Her heart felt full, looking at her two boys who she would do anything for.

They were not expecting that night to be the night when James took a 15 month old Harry to his bedroom. James did not expect anything when Harry was placed down into his wooden crib, dark blue sky and golden star covered sheets dipping as Harry adjusted to the oncoming sleep. James could not believe that Harry had already experienced his second Halloween, could not believe that he was able to have this life after the experiences of the first war. Harry’s walls were painted a deep blue to match his sheets, the ceiling mirroring his sheets almost exactly. James hoped that Harry would grow into his room, into the stars, into whoever Harry wanted to be. 

James was not expecting that night to be the night as he sat on the couch in the living room, reading about how to teach youngsters to ride brooms (“can never start too early,” James said to Lily in the bookstore). Lily was not expecting that night to be the night when she kissed his cheek, tucking her hair behind her ear so it wouldn’t block her, and walking to their bedroom. No, both of them were not expecting that night to be the night. 

So when that night became that night, James laid on the floor of the living room with a pained expression and Lily clutching her Harry in her arms, the world froze for the Potter family. Harry was too young to know what had happened, too shocked to make a noise, too little for Voldemort to see whether or not Harry was still alive.

That night, after Voldemort left, a string of people would arrive to their home. That night, the candy wrappers from James and Lily that Harry played with were left blowing off the coffee table and onto the floor and eventually into the other rooms. That night, no one noticed those wrappers. No one noticed the last interaction of the Potter family fly away. 

No, they would not notice. Sirius Black was distraught, screaming, crying, gripping onto the always solid Remus Lupin. Remus was silently howling inside. His pack was now ripped apart. James and Lily were gone, Harry left in their wake, and Peter Pettigrew was nowhere to be found.

How could they notice the wrappers when they watched Severus Snape storm into the house, up the stairs, to the body of Lily. How could they notice, when the moans and cries of a man who lost the only person he had ever loved and the only one who would ever know his true self. Sirius and Remus could not notice the wrappers when Severus stormed back down the stairs, stared at the two who were clutching each other like a lifeline, and left the house like he came in.  

How could the wrappers be noticed, when Dumbledore approached the two men huddled in the dining room holding a silent Harry in between them. Those wrappers would not be noticed when Dumbledore stepped to pat the men on the backs, a crunch of the plastic sounding out. Dumbledore would not notice, the world would not notice. Aurors streamed into the home, healers quickly behind. They would not see the crumpled wrapper that was now stuck to the leg of the dining table because they were searching for the one to have done such a horrible act. Healers scanned James and Lily, then scanned little Harry. Sirius and Remus could not understand, little Harry was deemed fully healthy. How could he be? He just watched his mother die!

No, James and Lily would not know that this was their last day, night, with their son. No, no one would notice the wrappers. Nothing could have predicted this betrayal that had taken place. So, with the help of Sirius and Remus, Dumbledore and the DLME were pointed in the right direction. Pettigrew was the only one listed as a primary secret keeper for the fidelius charm placed on the Potter’s home besides the Potter’s themselves. Any registered fidelius charm placement would have records of the primary secret keepers, the ones that could tell others about the placement of the location. Leave it to Pettigrew to convince James and Lily to put him down, then betray them both. 

Sirius and Remus forgot the wrappers, and grabbed Harry. They ignored the concerned looks, the words coming from Dumbledore’s mouth. No, nothing was more important than Harry at that very moment. He needed to be safe, far away from anyone that could potentially lead him into trouble. James and Lily would come back to kill them if they did not make sure that Harry was safe. So they took him. Took him to a cabin, far in the north woods of Scotland. A cabin that was never registered as an official fidelius charm recipient, a cabin that was untraceable. 

Remus had found the cabin, nicknamed Greenwood for the moss covered outside, on one of the lone trips to transform. He couldn’t blame his friends, all of them were busy. The Potter’s had Harry, an ever growing source of time consumption. Pettigrew had grown distant over the years, even at Hogwarts. There was no reaching out to him. Then there was Sirius. Sirius, who was the bravest - and reckless - man Remus ever knew. Sirius was busy… well Remus didn’t know. He assumed it was something related to bravery. Remus was alone, and searched for a place where he could be truly alone. That’s when he found Greenwood. But the loneliness only lasted 3 months. Sirius found Remus one night after a transformation through constantly casting his patronus and following where the dog would run off to, kneeling down by Remus and saying, “Hey Moony… I finally found you.” Remus was still not quite sure what he had meant by that.

After that night Greenwood was theirs. Now, it was also Harry’s. 

-

Remus was relaxing. Well, as close to relaxing as he could get. His hair was growing long again, now down to his shoulders. It was splayed out on the blanket under him, looking like a crown of gold. His body ached, tired of the constant running around that Harry was forcing him to do. How could one little body cause so much pain in a much larger body? 

The blanket was flat against the grass in the back garden area of Greenwood. Remus decided to take a sunbath after Sirius came home from the shops and was able to take over watching Harry for him, randomly grabbing a blanket and beelining to the garden. It was relaxing with the slight breeze blowing across his body, warm sun shining down on him. Flowers were surrounding him, acting as a barrier between Remus and the woods. 

Relaxing. Yes, that is what Remus was trying to do. 

“Moony!” Fuck, it could never be a full hour of relaxation, could it?

Remus sat up, and turned towards Greenwood. Sirius stood there with a 3 year old Harry on his hip, looking like an explosion of flour had overtaken both of them. Both were smiling.

“Pads, what the-” Remus was cut off, Sirius shaking his finger.

“No! No swearing Moony, how many times do I have to tell you,” A smirk replaced the smile that he was sharing with Harry. Shaking his head, Remus grabbed his blanket and walked towards the pair. No swearing his ass, Sirius swore more than him on a daily basis!

Stepping to the side, Sirius let him in, “Moony baby, come on… Harry attacked me! He just grabbed the flour for your cake and–” He abruptly stopped himself. Shit, he wasn’t supposed to say something about the cake being his.

Harry was taken from his arms, “Sirius. Go clean yourself up. I got our little Harry here,” Remus felt arms snake around his middle before he could step away, “Really? Now I’m all covered in flour!”

He could feel the chuckle, the deep bass, against his back. Sirius could never not include him in any of the shenanigans he was pulling. Still holding onto Remus but standing on his tippy toes, Sirius whispered into his ear, “Now you can take a shower with me, after we put Harry down for a nap,”

He liked the sound of that. Sirius, in the almost 2 years since taking Harry in, had grown into himself. His hair was longer than it ever was in the past, down to the middle of his back. The dark brown curls rivaled James and Harry’s, but was easier to manage. There was whisps of gold tied into it, done by Remus one cold winter night when both of them were bored and Harry was fast asleep. Sirius had embraced his style he was cultivating in Hogwarts, adorning muggle suits with ripped shirts tucked in, pins and buttons placed every which way on his body. His nails were always painted some version of red, ranging from the lightest almost pink, to the darkest almost black versions of red that were available. It was a tribute to their Red, their Lily, who they had lost. James was seen in Sirius’ glasses that were typically perched on top of his head. James was blind as a bat, and his glasses were always with him. Sirius had the prescription changed to something that would fit his eyes better, but he didn’t need them often. They would get slid back into his hair most days. Rings were taking up most of the space on his fingers, necklaces and bracelets doing the same to their respective body part. Each one having a different shine, different color, different stone to them, but still having the constant gold part of them. Yes, Remus thought, Sirius grew into the most handsome man he had ever laid eyes on.

Remus was no different in Sirius’ head. A constant golden halo of hair surrounding his gorgeous face, each small wave perfectly framing him. Sirius liked when Remus wouldn’t cut his hair, it became much easier for him to run his fingers through and possibly, just maybe, pull on it. Of course, Remus was still adorning the “I-am-a-50-year-old-man- who-never-learned-to-not-dress-academically” look, even at 23. Suits that were not perfectly fitted to his tall, lanky body, dress shirts that looked to be from someone’s grandfather, shoes that were worn down. For some reason, Sirius found his academic look hot. Yes, he now wears more jewelry due to Sirius and wears newer clothing more often, but he still looks almost the same as his 17 year old self. 

Remus could feel Sirius still pressed against his back, but his breath was no longer on his neck but on his back, “Moony, come back to me,” Sirius whispered as he slowly stroked his stomach.

“Sorry, I got caught up in your offer,” he could hear, more like feel, a chuckle against his back.

“You dirty old dog, you always fanta-” 

“Ahhh! Pa, bath!” Harry had decided enough was enough. Screaming your godfather’s name, okay - screaming a part of your godfather’s name, seemed like the best way to make sure a bath would come sooner. 

Sirius laughed and pulled away from Remus, letting him lead the way to the bathroom. Harry had taken to calling him “Pa”, as close to “Padfoot” as he could get. There was a minor breakdown about it, but Moony, am I replacing James?, but Sirius was able to realize that he was himself, and James would still forever be Harry’s father. Remus wasn’t so lucky. “Moony” was hard for little Harry, with his solution being “Moo”. Sirius didn’t let the cow jokes go for a good 2 months after the word came out of Harry’s mouth. 

It took them both a while to come to terms of the loss of their best friends, even longer when Harry started talking. How would they go about making sure James and Lily would be remembered? Would they be allowed to be called father, dad, or papa? Would they be taking away from their best friends? Would they be hurting Harry? They decided that Harry could call them whatever he wanted, but they would start with Moony and Padfoot. It was easier that way, the nicknames they used for each other, that his parents used, were common at home and it would be easier for Harry to pick up on them and stick to them. 

Both men walked into the bathroom across the hall from Harry’s room. It was small, but could fit all free - for now.“Bath, bath, bath!” Harry screamed with a giant grin across his face, “Pa, Pa, Pa, bath, bath, Moo!” 

Remus took no time filling up the bath as Sirius undressed Harry. Their little one had taken an affinity to the water. Sometimes Remus was convinced that Harry would do things that would cause him to get dirty on purpose, since the promise of a bath was at the end. 

“Little Pronglet, yes our little Pronglet,” Sirius began to sing.

“Little Pronglet, so strong, so brave, our little Pronglet, ready for the waves!”

Sirius looked over at Remus, both of them created the song they were singing when they realized how much Harry loved the water. He continued, “Little Pronglet searching and swimming, little, little Pronglet ready for the waves.”

“Pronglet, our little Pronglet,” Remus finished as Harry was placed into the water. After 30 minutes of bath time Harry started to calm down. Water was everywhere, Harry having splashed the water so hard that it flung out of the tub. 

His eyes slowly closed, but snapped open when Sirius went to grab him, “No, Pa! Want bath…” Harry trailed on as his body fought back.

“Harry, your eyes say otherwise. I promise, tomorrow we can go back in the bath,” Remus wrapped Harry in a towel and carried him to his bedroom. Sirius always promised more baths, Remus was sure that Harry only loved them because of the constant promise of more Sirius time.

Harry was placed in his bed. The blue sheets mirrored the ones he had at the Potter’s, but this time they were solid dark blue. SIrius made sure his room was as similar as the room he had with his mother and father. The walls were the same dark blue, the ceiling covered in a dark blue sky and golden stars. Remus had charmed them to change to what reflected the night sky outside, a more cartoon-like version of the Great Hall’s ceiling at Hogwarts. All of Harry’s toys were littered about, no real sense of order. 

Once the men were done whispering lullabies to Harry and he was asleep - it wasn’t that long of a process, he was already half out by the time they reached his room - they headed upstairs, making sure to stay quiet. 

“So, you were making me a cake?”

“Oh shut it, you know he just wanted to make chocolate cake. He gets that from you-”

“Pads, I don’t mind. Now let’s get out of these clothes and into the shower.”

Sirius smirked. He wouldn’t tell Remus, but that was his plan all along. He loved Moony, and he especially loved Moony in the shower. 

-

Harry had grown quite a bit. To Sirius, yesterday was the day that Harry took it upon himself to throw flour at him and then cover himself with it so he would get a bath out of it. But no, it was not a random day in the middle of the summer the year Harry was 3, it was 5 years later. They had watched the Pronglet grow into the little boy that they knew he would be. He had the untameable curls of James that had grown down to his ears. The long limbs of Lily, but still remaining relatively short for his age. His skin was lighter than James’ had been, but it was still a deep brown with some of Lily’s freckles spotted around his face and body. Harry’s eyes were an exact replica of Lily’s. Nothing could get past those dark green eyes. They would pull you under, holding you there, just like Lily’s had done. 

Harry stood in front of Remus. Each minute slowly passed as Remus measured from the top of his arm to the tip of his middle finger, from his head to his toes. The measurements would be sent to Madame Malkin’s, and in return for some galleons, Harry would receive his first set of robes. They were willing to pay extra for the extra enchantments that would have the robes grow with him until he reached 11. 

We are so pleased to invite the Black, Lupin, and Potter family to our home for Easter Day. Please arrive at 3pm. Dinner will be served, with both muggle and magical traditions to be followed.

Signed,

Andromeda Black Tonks and Theodore Tonks

(and Dora too!)

When Sirius got the first letter from his estranged cousin 3 months ago, he was weary. Andromeda was his favorite cousin, the only one that did not fully follow what their parents had set forth for them. But, she did not reach out all those years ago when he got removed from the portrait. What could she possibly want from him?

Theodore Tonks had convinced Andromeda to get over the fear of others finding out that she was in contact with Sirius, convinced her that he would have no prejudice against her marrying a muggle. See, she had wanted to reach out the moment she heard he was blasted off. Life had gotten in the way, and on top of that her fears of her family retaliating scared her more. Once the attack on the Potter’s occurred, she was even more afraid to reach out. 

The past 3 months featured Sirius meeting with Andromeda weekly, learning more and more about her family, and her learning about his. Harry wasn’t known to the world, his location and appearance never revealed. He was known in the sense that people knew he was alive, he was with Sirius and Remus somewhere, and that even Dumbledore didn’t know where they resided. There were precautions taken when the cousins started to talk, an unbreakable vow formed that Andromeda would ensure that no information about Harry would be released before he reached Hogwarts. 

Harry needed robes for the festivities that would happen in 2 weeks. It wasn’t expected to show in magical clothing, but Remus would not let Harry show without minimally a robe over his muggle clothing. 

“Harry, stop moving,” Remus huffed as he fiddled with the measuring tape, “It will take longer the more you move.”

“Moony! Please, I really don't want to stand here any longer. My legs are falling asleep!” Harry’s face grew redder as he spoke. Remus was more often than not the one to “punish” him, but he also seemed to be more lax on removing the punishment than Sirius was. 

“No, you have 2 more measurements. Then you can go off and do what you want.”

Sirius looked down at his glass. It was almost empty, the scotch he poured earlier almost gone. He had to make sure that he remained calm for the night, it was the first night they were leaving Harry in the cabin while Remus transformed. All the previous moonlit nights had Harry asleep in bed, Sirius staying awake until the next morning to make sure that nothing would happen, and Remus slinking into the woods as his body morphed. 

His glass rattled as he stood up, the ice hitting the walls, “Moons,” it was barely a whisper. He finished the glass with one large gulp. Sirius looked at the two in the living room. They were his boys, his little Pronglet and his Moony. He could not let anything bad happen to them.

Sirius plopped down next to Remus with a “uff”, his glass coming down onto the couch’s armrest. As he reached to move it to the coffee table, Remus huffed louder than when Harry was continuously moving. 

“Mooooons,” Sirius drew out the o’s as he slurred, “Moony,” his arm went around his lover.

“Alright Harry, you’re done. It wasn’t that hard was it?” 

Harry rolled his eyes and slowly moved away from the couple. His legs really were asleep.

“Remus, it was awful!” was the last thing they heard from Harry as he entered his room and shut the door. Harry could be sassy, sometimes even ridiculous, at times. Sirius chalked it up to being typical boy behavior. Remus claimed it was all Sirius’ fault. 

Remus turned his body and grabbed onto Padfoot. It was a difficult past few days for them both. James’ birthday was only 2 days ago. Harry was taken into Remus’ study on the first floor and showed memories of James from both Remus and Sirius. Sirius broke down late at night then, crying over another birthday lost to them. Compared to his more “rough” exterior as newspapers such as Witch Weekly would claim he had, he was always the crier. 

Remus was the solid rock. Not that he didn’t express emotions, no, most of his outbursts came when he had transformed. The wolf always felt more free to do whatever it wanted, including deal with emotions. On the nights that Remus needed comforting, Sirius would take him into his arms and whisper solid truths to him. Lily and James are so proud of you. Harry could not ask for a better Moony than you. While they may be gone physically, James and Lily are forever with you in your heart.

Snot covered Remus’ shoulder. Tears would stain his sweater along with the snot, but it did not matter. All he could care about at that moment was making sure his mate was taken care of. Solid arms around him. Light touches of his lips to his forehead. Ghosts of touches given to him. 

“My love,” Remus whispered to Sirius, “You need to get some more water in you before we go out to the forest. Come on, up you go,”

Remus managed to get him to drink more water. Then, got him to change his clothes. After 20 minutes on the couch, Remus guided him to Harry’s door.

“Harry,” Sirius called out, “Little Pronglet,”

There were light footsteps heading to the door. A small head poked out, eyes shining, “Pa?”

“I’m okay Har. I just can’t believe I’m not spending this moon with you. Make sure to stay inside your room unless you need food, water or to go to the bathroom,” Sirius’ voice cracked, “I love you so much my little Pronglet, I can’t lose you. Please make sure you stay inside. I’ll patrol back home throughout the night and make sure you are okay, but I will be focusing on Moony.”

Harry stepped out more, “I know Pa. I won’t let you down. I love you both too much,”

Remus was taken into little arms, “I love you too, dad.”

-

Harry awoke with a start. It was the first day of official wizarding for him. Sure, he practiced with his fathers, spent time with his aunt and cousin, and was given trips into the wizarding world via glamours, but this was different. This would be the first time he could truly be Harry Potter in public and embrace the full wizarding world. He couldn’t believe it. In a mere 2 hours, he would be standing on platform 9 ¾ with his fathers - no glamours. 

Grabbing the towel that hung from his desk chair, Harry ran into the shower. The water shot out at its usual speed but somehow felt heavier this morning. He went as fast as he could in the shower. The faster he went, the sooner he would be arriving on the platform. 

The clothes Sirius and Remus helped him pick out the night before laid flat on the end of Harry’s bed. Dress pants that had little dark red and black beads sewn to the side of the leg down the seam. A band tee shirt of Echo and the Bunnymen, a favorite of the 3. A black belt, his fancy dress shoes that Remus bought as a present for getting into Hogwarts (Remus just wanted a reason to give Harry a present), and his black dress robes were the final pieces. 

Harry threw on his outfit and grabbed his trunk. T-minus 1 hour until he was standing on the platform.

“Harry!” Sirius yelled as he heard the footsteps from Harry’s room head towards the kitchen, “Pronglet! Lunch is ready.”

“Lunch” was definitely a term that may have been applied to the food situation. If Sirius didn’t decide to make everything with sugar. Of course, there was a cake with the words “Happy Hogwarts-Day Harry” in red thrown on top, the rest decorated haphazardly to look like it was Griffindor themed. Pancakes were stacked to almost 2 feet tall, each one looking like they were a different flavor. Whipcream and sprinkles sat next to the pancakes, along with syrup. Sirius knew that his Moony would kill him if there wasn’t at least one vegetable, so rhubarb muffins with a sugar coating on top were made. Hey, rhubarb was a vegetable. Fruits of various shapes and sizes, magical and muggle alike, were thrown together into a giant bowl. 

Harry quickly put his trunk next to the door and ran to the dining table, “Pa! There’s so much!”

Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, “Little Pronglet, if you think that is a lot, just wait until you get to Hogwarts,” a kiss landed on the crown of his head.

“Moony is right Har,” SIrius shook his spatula at him.

“The food goes from one end of the table to the other. Each section magically refills with whatever runs out, and there’s always something there that you would like.”

Remus smiled as he piled his and Harry’s plates high with Sirius’ magical lunch. Harry sat at the table with his mouth hanging. It wasn’t like he was going hungry at their home, but he had not seen the amount of food that they were describing ever before. 

Each bite the family took meant another step closer and closer to the train. Harry could not wait.