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December 27th. Sirius leant back with a sigh as he looked at the small clock on the mantle. It was almost nine in the evening and a majority of the household was in bed. Looking to his left, he noted Remus looking out the window of one of the numerous studies in the house. Looking back to the fire in front of him, he sighed and took a sip of his Firewhiskey. He really did enjoy having his family home occupied by people who didn’t hate his guts on sight or constantly seem like they wanted to do him harm. This past Christmas was one of the best ones he’d had yet. He didn’t mind the Weasleys or a number of Order members there. It just made everything seem a little more lively was all. Hermione was always welcome, as was Ron. As far as Sirius was concerned, they were part of his family. Remus and Harry, though, were both his actual family. Oh, he knew he wasn’t related to either of them. He just liked to pretend sometimes. But the sentiment was the same. Tonks and James and Lily and Harry and Remus and Andromeda and her husband and Dumbledore and Hermione and Ron. His own little family. Grey eyes caught on a non-moving picture that was on the mantel in its frame. Sirius, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Remus hadn’t been aware of the camera - or the cameraman - in front of them when they were in a corner of the library a few days before Christmas. Sirius had been going on about one of the Quidditch matches that the Marauders had gone to see one summer and Ron and Harry had been enthralled. Remus had occasionally tossed in a comment or two, but was mostly staying out of it. Hermione was apparently keeping half an ear on the conversation as her nose was buried in a book. Sirius smiled fondly at the picture. Sirius was in the middle, waving a hand at Remus who was standing behind Hermione. Hermione wasn’t being as studious as she wanted them to believe, which was given away by the obviously upside down book in her hands. Ron was eating some ice cream, giving Sirius his undivided attention and Harry was leaned forward in his seat, smiling as he pictured what Sirius was trying to explain. Remus turned from the window and caught his friend’s smile. “You know,” he commented. “I was actually somewhat surprised when I saw that Tony had managed to get a picture of us without any of us being any the wiser.” “Well, of course,” Sirius lifted a shoulder. “He’s an American Auror, right? It’s only fair that he can move around without drawing too much attention to himself.” Tony DiNozzo. Harry, Ron and Hermione’s old mate. Sirius lapsed back into silence as he thought about the Italian. From what Sirius had seen, Tony had a stressful job that was all manners of draining and it was probably a good thing that the man was taking a break from his job. When Tony had got to Number Twelve, the poor man looked to be on the verge of collapse. And then, some days ago, he started to get better. Sirius reckoned it had something to do with the Trio’s hours long disappearance. Mad-Eye Moody had been asked to locate them when it was established that no one knew where the three friends were. Sirius remembered the magical eye swirling around and fixing on a spot upstairs. “Looks like they’re with the American,” he had grumbled, concentrating. Something that he had seen made him look away from the Trio and Tony to focus on Molly, who was getting ready to break whatever was going on up there. “Don’t bother,” he had told her. “Not something an outsider should be privy to. Even Aurors from other countries have their demons. You know what separates the good Aurors from the bad? Having someone listen when the job gets too hard.” Mad-Eye had nodded to himself. “Don’t matter how old that person is or who. Potter, Granger and Weasley are learning what it means to let someone else help them put bad experiences behind them. Being open and honest to one other person can mean the difference between an Auror gone rouge and an Auror coming back to the office with a clear head and fresh energy. DiNozzo might not be considered ‘all there’ to some, but his heart’s in the right place. Potter could do worse.” Which was high praise indeed, coming from one of the Ministry’s most feared Aurors. Sirius didn’t have a problem with Tony. Far from it. Although, it seemed to him that Tony sometimes forgot that he had magic. It was to be expected, of course. Working all the time with Muggles had that affect. Or so he’d heard. “That is a nice picture,” Remus mused, breaking into his oldest friend’s thoughts. “It reminds me of when Lily brought her camera once. Do you remember?” “Of course,” Sirius grinned, placing his drink down and standing. “I still have those pictures somewhere around here.” Sirius left the study and traveled to his room. He spent a sizable amount of time rooting around, but he finally came up with the Muggle shoebox and grinned triumphantly. Racing back out into the hall, he almost collided with Ron. “Hey, mate,” Ron grinned. “What’s all the excitement?” “Follow me,” he answered, not missing a beat. The two went back to the study and found Harry, Hermione, Ginny and the twins waiting with Remus. “You didn’t say it was just going to be the two of us,” Remus grinned. “I thought I’d invite some of the others to join us.” “I was going to do the same,” Sirius grinned back, delighted at the job being done for him. “Harry, I think you’ll want to hear this, too.” “Moony said it was a Marauders story,” he smiled slightly. “So, I couldn’t help it.” “And then we heard about it,” Ginny piped up, pointing between herself and the twins. “It was too good to pass up.” “I just came to see what was going on,” Hermione shrugged. “And Ron’s here because I said so,” Sirius and Ron exchanged grins. Part of the reason that Ron was there was because he was as good a friend to Harry as Sirius was to James. It was a story about best friends, so it only stood to reason that Harry’s own best friends were included. “I see you found them,” Remus nodded at the box still in his friend’s hands. “It took some doing, let me tell you.” Sirius returned to his seat and gestured the others to find their own seats. Once all was settled, he lifted the lid off of the box and smiled slightly at the first picture. It was the one with some of the other Gryffindors. “You know the picture Tony gave me for Christmas?” “Yeah,” Ginny nodded, pointing at the picture in question sitting on the mantle. “Dad was completely enchanted.” They all had to chuckle as they remembered Arthur Weasley cornering Tony and asking him a million and one questions about it. The only reason that Molly let them talk about it was that there was no danger of having Arthur enchant what was already magical anyway. The process was just different, that was all. Though, that didn’t explain why Remus found him in the middle of a fit of hysterics when Tony didn’t come back within fifteen minutes. That right there made Sirius suspicious that Tony wasn’t telling them something. “Yes, well,” Remus found a seat next to Harry on the floor. “You all know that Lily was Muggleborn, correct? One week, during Easter, Lily - and we were all at Diagon Alley at the time - brought her Muggle camera on one of our outings. All of us got to take some pictures with it. And then, at James and Lily’s wedding, we took some more and a few more when Harry was born.” “This is one of my favorites,” Sirius handed one of the top pictures to Hermione. “It was after Seventh Year. James and Remus were doing something or other and Lily was downstairs. Well, I found Lily’s camera and decided to experiment with it.” A younger Remus and James were bent over some book and appeared to be discussing something. It was now Harry’s favorite, too, because it symbolized a quiet time with friends as close as family. A handful of similar pictures followed, all being passed around by the small group. Harry was studying one in particular - this one involving his grandparents and Sirius - when he noticed footsteps coming toward the study they had all gathered in. He turned to the door just in time to see Tony, nose in a book, round the corner and step in. The others paused in studying the pictures they each held to watch Tony take a few steps toward them. Something must have caught his attention, because he stopped and glanced up. Blinking, the Italian took in the scene and frowned. “This isn’t my room,” he muttered, frowning as he turned right back around to leave. “Oh, no, you don’t,” Sirius called out. “You started this. Now, get over here and take responsibility.” Tony turned back to raise an eyebrow at him. “…I’m sorry?” Remus chuckled, “It’s not what it sounds like. Sirius was looking at the picture you took and decided to dust off some memories.” “Yeah, mate,” one of the twins agreed. He patted the spot unoccupied by his twin. “Pull up some floor. There’s plenty to go around.” “Come on, then,” Ron grinned. “Only fair, seeing as you were the one to start this and all.” Sirius smiled welcomingly and watched him cautiously approach, keeping a finger in the book to keep place. Tony carefully sat next to the twin that invited him and looked at him expectantly. “Here,” Hermione passed him the picture she was studying. “That one’s Lily Potter. Doesn’t she have a beautiful dress?” “I like this one,” Ginny added, showing him hers. “That’s Harry’s Grandmother. She’s got a beautiful dress, too. I like the purple flowers on it.” “That’s Moony,” Ron put in. “Looks like they’re having fun, innit?” “I think this one’s my favorite,” Remus mused, showing the group the picture he’d just picked up. “I remember this one well. You see, it had been a few days since we’d all got together and, you know, it was the purest torture for us…” Sirius sat back and let his oldest friend’s words wash over him as he watched the group’s reactions. Ron and Harry exchanged smiles; Hermione and Ginny listened with sparkling eyes; Fred and George exchanged looks that only a seasoned prankster - such as Sirius himself - would understand. But Tony, on the other hand… He was entranced, just like Harry, Ron and the girls. But, looking closer, Sirius could see something resembling longing in his expression. Sirius didn’t know what he would be longing for, but Tony’s expression changed to nostalgia when Remus went on to a particularly interesting part of the story. Sirius just put the ‘longing’ part of Tony’s expression away for the foreseeable future and watched them all as a whole. Somehow, he couldn’t help thinking of being in charge of a group of children waiting for a bedtime story. But he could work with that. It was actually a nice feeling. * All too soon, though, the group was broken up when Molly came to shuffle the young ones off to bed. Harry and his two friends stayed for a few more minutes before they left as well. Sirius, Remus and Tony were soon left alone. “I should turn in, too,” Tony stood from the floor and picked his book up in preparation for his leaving. “Ah, Tony,” Remus looked up from another picture. “Could you stay for a minute? I have to run down to the kitchen for something and I’d rather not leave Sirius alone.” A worry well earned, the Animagus knew. Ever since Harry and Hermione had broken him out of Hogwarts - and he still wasn’t sure how they got away with running about after hours in the first place -, he’d be prone to falling into moods that would last for hours at a time. Well, to be honest, he’d always had moods since he was a kid. A product of his upbringing, perhaps. But it had gotten worse as the years in Azkaban passed. Tony looked from one to the other. “If that’s what you want,” he said uncertainly as Remus beamed. “I’ll be back in a tic,” he rushed out, leaving the pair alone. “I won’t bite, you know,” Sirius grinned in amusement. “Right, sorry,” he shuffled over to sit on the sofa next to him. Tony carefully settled on the edge and fiddled with his book. “Well,” Sirius broke the silence. “It’s nice to see Harry and his friends accepting others into their group.” “He’s a good kid,” Tony nodded. “I see a lot of potential in him. Not just as the Auror he wants to be, but a leader as well.” “Like James,” Sirius grinned. “There have been many a time where he could get just about anyone to follow him against their better judgments.” “Yeah, I can see that,” Tony smiled. “Harry and Ron seem to have been a bad influence on Hermione.” “What makes you say that?” Sirius genuinely wanted to know. Tony just chuckled to himself. “Nothing you’d probably want to know. Their hearts are in the right place. And anyway, I’m pretty sure Harry’s earned the Marauder title. All three of them.” “If I ask you to explain that, I don’t know if I’ll get it.” “You’re right. One day, you’ll have to sit them down and ask. But even then, I don’t know if they’ll give you a straight answer.” They fell into silence, staring into the fire. Sirius picked his tumbler back up and sipped at his neglected drink. “You must have made quite the impression,” Sirius turned to him. “Harry doesn’t just let any adult into his little circle. I’ve long held the impression that he doesn’t really trust adults all that much. But the adults that have managed to get in, Harry trusts them without question. Did you know, Arthur told me that it took almost two years for Harry to actually look them in the eye and speak his mind? Before that, only the kids were able to get him to relax. Well, as relaxed as you could be with those twins around.” “I don’t think it was that impressive,” he modestly shrugged. “But you did something to get him to trust you.” “But I didn’t,” Tony protested. “I don’t know what I did to make you think he trusts me -” “But you did,” Sirius insisted. “And it’s not you who I’m watching, though that I’m also doing, but it’s what Harry, Ron and Hermione have been doing since you all got here.” “What have they been doing, then?” Tony frowned at him, casting his mind back. “Where do I start?” Sirius shook his head. “Like yesterday? Ron looked to you to explain what Ginny was talking about instead of someone else. Hermione sought your opinion on a new outfit she was thinking of buying and she’s constantly watching you eat like the mother hen that she is, always making sure Harry and Ron had enough to eat. And Harry? Just this morning, I overheard him relating to you what Remus had told him once about Lily.” “Ron wanted me to explain, because I’ve got experience with women,” Tony countered. “Hermione knew that and wanted my take on her future outfit. And Harry told me about it because he and the other two were snickering over something and I’m curious enough to ask about it.” “Ron had many adults that he could have turned to,” Sirius returned. “Hermione did, too, but she didn’t go to Ginny or Tonks. She went to you like a young girl looking up to her favorite uncle. Harry would talk to anyone who asked, but you’re probably the only adult I’ve seen so far that he’s talked to like one of his classmates.” “Sirius has a point, Tony,” Remus spoke up from where he leaned against the door. “I’ve noticed that, too. The Trio still has that habit of addressing all the adults they encounter with that respect that all children have. That’s not the case with you, though. You have this odd ability to interact with them on a level they’re comfortable with.” Tony looked from one to the other. “I’m never going to win this argument, am I?” “Let us win, mate,” Remus advised. “Or Sirius would never let you hear the end of it.” Tony looked at him - Sirius nodded vigorously - and sighed. “Okay. So, Lupin, what did you run off to get?” “This,” he revealed a new bottle of Firewhiskey and two glasses. “I thought that Sirius would like some drinking company. I mean, if you like to join us?” Never one to refuse free alcohol, Tony wavered for a minute before shrugging and leaning back in his seat. “I’m game. Set me up.” Once Remus and Tony had their glasses and Sirius had refilled his with the last of the first bottle, the three of them sat in front of the fire and sipped their drinks in silence. Remus glanced at the two of them from where he sat in the armchair next to the sofa. “You know, Tony, something about you reminds me of James.” “If you’re about to insinuate what I think you’re about to insinuate -” “No, no,” he laughed. “Nothing like that. I know James is no longer with us, don’t worry. I’m not so mental yet, that I don’t know the difference between the two of you. It’s just that…” he trailed off, studying green eyes. Sirius watched them. “Or maybe… Something about you reminds me of Harry.” Sirius had caught that too, sometimes. Especially when either Tony or Harry was taken by surprise. Bodies tense, green eyes alert for danger, right hands ready to let loose whatever spells they brought to mind first. “What do you mean?” Tony frowned, not following. Remus sighed. “Maybe the fact that you’re both powerful. Maybe it’s because you and James would sometimes have that same look on your face when I’m not making sense,” he teased. He shook his head. “I don’t know.” Sirius knew what he meant. Arthur, Tonks and quite a few others had commented on the similar behavior of their Italian guest and the Boy Who Lived. None of them had been able to pin it down. Sirius wasn’t sure if they ever would. What Remus hadn’t told him was that there was something in both Tony and Harry that reminded the werewolf of Sirius himself. And he had a pretty good idea of what that something was. Anyway… Tony tilted his head. “Well, let me know if you figure it out. I’d like to know what it could possibly be that I have in common with such a famous celebrity.” Sirius sipped at his drink. Tony didn’t treat Harry like one, that was for sure. To him, Harry was just another person to joke around with. Harry enjoyed it, Sirius could tell. It was that behavior that gained the trust and respect of Harry and the others - more specifically his two best friends. Sirius watched with a smile as Remus started to tell Tony about one of Sirius and James’ antics when they were in school. Tony protested that Harry should be the one listening to it, but Remus steamrolled over him with the fact that Harry had already heard it and Remus was craving a new audience. Remus had always been quite the storyteller. Sirius had a momentary pang of loss as he remembered once that Remus had been volunteered to read young Harry a bedtime story. He shook his head as he remembered coming into the room two hours later to see what the holdup was, only to find Harry asleep and Peter, Lily and James sitting entranced on the floor, hanging onto the werewolf’s every word. Seeing Tony start to get into the story, Sirius chuckled and relaxed further into the soft cushions. He turned to the fire with a small smile. Harry, Ron and Hermione felt at ease with Tony. Oh, the trust and respect given to him still had the potential to grow stronger along with their friendship, but it all ensured that they would follow him to the ends of the earth. And now that Tony was a part of Sirius’ adopted family, so would he. They spent another hour, alternating small talk and silence, when a familiar head of bubblegum pink poked in. “Wotcher, mates!” Tonks greeted. “Would you lads like some company? Don’t worry,” she revealed the full bottle of alcohol with a grin. “You don’t have to share.” “Is there room for me?” another Order member was right behind her. He clutched his own bottle. Tony slowly turned to look at the sheepish brunet next to him. “Lupin, I suspect this is your doing.” “Not intentionally,” Remus smiled weakly. “All I wanted to know was if there was more Firewhiskey in the house.” “Hope you don’t mind,” Tonks airily commented, sprawling on the floor next to Sirius. “Should be a crime to let maudlin blokes drink alone.” “ ‘Maudlin’?” Tony frowned. “Not me.” “Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Ergo, maudlin.” “Let it go, mate,” another Order member joined them. “She’ll just stay here no matter what you say, do or threaten.” More members trickled in, each carrying their own bottle and glass. Unless, of course, they planned to drink straight from the bottle. “I see a party,” Bill and Charlie Weasley were among them. “Hey, Dower, what’s that you got?” The young Order member raised his brandy with pride. “It’s a Muggle drink. Want to try some?” “Are we trying Muggle drinks, too?” Tonks looked over. “I’ve got some Muggle drinks I need to get rid of…” * “Are you okay, Harry?” Hermione asked him that next morning, before going down to the kitchen. “I mean, about last night?” “Yeah, sure,” he shrugged. “Why not?” Ron lifted a shoulder. “It’s your parents, mate.” “Don’t worry about it,” Harry grinned, wrapping an arm around the both of them as they left the bedroom. “You were all there, right? It kind of helped a little. Honest.” “Well, alright,” Hermione wrapped an arm around his waist. “But you do know you can talk to us, right? And Tony, too, I’m sure.” Ron wrapped an arm around Harry’s shoulders. “We can tie him up and make him listen,” he offered. “I don’t think that was the point,” Harry chuckled. “I’d rather not have Tony listen against his will, thanks.” “It would only be fair,” Hermione logically pointed out. “We listened to him, right? Tony doesn’t strike me as the sort of person who wouldn’t return the favor,” she continued as they approached the kitchen. They found themselves on the landing and frowned at the scene below them. “He didn’t strike me as the sort of bloke to poison someone, either,” Ron deadpanned, joining the other two as they rushed down to check on everyone. “What happened?” Hermione fretted, going to the nearest Order member who did not look at all well. The poor man had his head pillowed on his arms and seemed to be in pain. Harry moved next to Sirius, who was in the same position, and looked around. Many of the Order members were in more or less the same position. “Well, it’s certainly not my fault,” Tony piped up from where he was at the counter. “They wouldn’t listen to me.” He was mixing something in a pot on the stove and Ron moved from his eldest brothers to him. “Why are you making porridge?” Ron frowned at him. “The hangover potions should take care of it.” “Yeah, well, Dumbledore’s off to get more and I’m stuck babysitting,” Tony groused, using magic to prepare the bowls and other such breakfast things. “Here, you three want some? I’ll make it with cinnamon,” he tempted. “Oh, could you?” Hermione smiled in relief as she realized that hangovers were all that were ailing the others. “It was something my Mum made when I was feeling down and not myself. And tea with honey after I took my medicine,” she added, lighting up even more as her tea was prepared. “Mum would do that, too,” Ron smiled slightly. “I mean, before I could take the Pepper Up potions and all that. Even after I took the potion, it would still be ages before I got better.” “Oh, yeah?” Tony glanced at him, pausing in ladling the porridge into the bowls hovering in place before him. “How’d she make it?” “With jam,” he sighed dreamily. “And little apple bits on the side. And some extra sweet tea. I don’t know what she put in it, though. I don’t think it was honey…” Harry watched as bowls and other stuff gently floated to a space in front of each of the ailing members of the Order. He felt a little like he didn’t belong in the conversation his friends were having. Fully expecting Tony to start talking about his own mother, Harry was surprised when Tony glanced at him and asked, “Hey, Harry. Is it alright if I try something on you? My boss got me hooked on it a few months after I started NCIS.” “Okay,” he lifted a shoulder, grinning at the stricken look from Hermione as she forgot all about his lack of a maternal figure. A bowl floated over to him and Harry took it, sinking down next to Sirius. “Is this apples and cinnamon?” “Yeah. It’s good,” Tony answered, putting the used cooking equipment to wash itself as he gathered two more bowls and mugs. “I don’t ask what the story behind it was. Not since I found out about - Never mind. Not my story to tell.” Ginny and the twins chose that moment to clatter down the stairs into the kitchen, much to the dismay of most of the room. “What happened here?” Ginny looked around. “Had a little too much fun last night,” Tony answered. “I saved you guys some porridge if you want them.” “Yeah,” Fred grinned. “Thanks, mate,” George added. Tony sat down on the other side of Sirius and grinned at Harry. “Any good?” “Delicious!” Harry enthused. He noticed Tony had the same. Once the living members of the house doctored up breakfast the way they liked it, they couldn’t resist trying what the others had. “I want that next time,” Ginny announced, having tried Tony’s. “And Hermione’s, too, of course.” “Apples are always good,” Fred grinned. He and George may have had similar tastes, but Fred had little apple bits in his and George favored syrup. “If you guys want, I could make a DiNozzo Special: Breakfast Edition,” Tony offered, much to everyone’s interest. “One day. Maybe next year?” “Any good?” Ron wanted to know. “Would I have offered if it wasn’t?” They cheerfully ate their breakfast, ignoring the complaints coming from those around them. “It’s your own fault,” Tony told them. “If you guys had listened to me instead of mixing cocktails, you wouldn’t be in this mess, would you?” “How are you still so… perky?” one of them groaned. “Because I can regulate my alcohol intake and know when to quit.” “So, what exactly happened?” Ginny frowned, taking another look around. “Well, an hour or so after you all went to bed,” Tony took Sirius’ breakfast and offered a spoonful to him. “Me, Black and Lupin were hanging around, you know. And soon, everyone decided to join us - Black, you can’t take the potion on an empty stomach - and things went downhill from there. I had to go after the second mix, but they were all up for some time later.” Tony frowned at Sirius, who was still refusing the food. “And I’m still not quite sure how they got Lupin over there to stay,” he added, nodding across the table to where the man in question looked to be in even more pain than the others. “He’s always struck me as the responsible type.” “But why not drink the potions for hangovers?” Ginny asked. “Well,” Tony sighed. “I woke up this morning and went looking for a batch, but it turns out that there wasn’t a whole lot to begin with. And those few drops had to be thrown out. Dumbledore volunteered to get some more, but he was laughing kind of hard…” “Would you stop talking so loud?” Sirius whined. “My head’s on fire. And why are you talking to me about… that?” he peeked at the bowl and promptly turned a pale green. “Oh, man up, you baby.” George shook his head. “Shouldn’t have let go, mates. You know better than I.” “Now, eat!” Tony ordered. “All of you! You won’t get a drop if you don’t manage at least three whole spoonfuls.” “Torture,” Tonks complained. “Sadistic slavedriver!” “You know better than to mix Firewhiskey, Bourbon and Brandy at the same time,” Tony scowled, unrelenting. “And Vodka shots didn’t help, either.” “And what an example for the impressionable young ones!” Fred tsked. “What ‘impressionable young ones’?” Ron demanded to know. “I’m surprised Tequila didn’t show up,” Tony muttered to Harry. Sighing, he once again took up a spoonful of porridge and offered it to Sirius. “A bite? For Mummy?” “Don’t make me hurt you.”