Christmas With The Potters

Just Remember, There's A Toddler Present

"Honestly, where has your father gone for that turkey?"

"Probably to Turkey, knowing Dad." Ginny grimaced at the terrible pun employed by her daughter and flicked a spoonful of pudding mix at her playfully. Lily retaliated with an airborne Brussel sprout. It was Christmas Eve and everyone was engaged with the preparations for the following day's festivities. Everyone that is, except Sirius. He had been given the job of keeping little Arthur entertained. Sirius and his boyfriend Michael had come home from Hogwarts for the holidays. While Sirius played with his nephew in the living room, Michael was helping Ginny and Lily in the kitchen.

"Thanks again for helping us out Michael," said Ginny warmly.

"It's no problem Mrs. Potter," said Michael as he vigorously stirred a bowl of cranberry sauce. Ginny tilted her head and smiled at him.

"There's really no need to call me 'Mrs. Potter', you can call me Ginny you know."

"I know Mrs. Pot ...Ginny, it's just going to take some time to get used to it." Meanwhile, Arthur and Sirius were playing hide and seek in the living room.

"I'm going to find you," chanted Sirius playfully.

"No you not!" answered Arthur from behind the sofa. Sirius snuck around the other side and grabbed his nephew from behind, making him jump. Arthur turned round to get his own back and started a play fight. Suffice to say Arthur was winning.

"Oh no! He's beating me up!" laughed Sirius as he pretended to fall to the ground under Arthur's 'unstoppable' assault. Now that his uncle was down, Arthur was able to jump straight on him. Sirius let out a cry of mock pain, even though the little tyke had winded him. "You bully!"

"You bully!" retorted Arthur. Their scuffle was interrupted when Harry stepped out of the fireplace with a large turkey under his arm. "Gandad home!" shouted Arthur as he ran up to him. Harry ruffled his grandson's hair lovingly.

"How are you doing young man?"

"I beat up Silly!" explained Arthur, who found it hard to pronounce 'Sirius' so as far as he was concerned it was 'Silly'.

"Well 'Silly', could you take that through to the kitchen for me?" asked Harry as he passed the turkey to his son.

"Sure dad, no problem." Harry took off his coat and scarf and hung it up on a hook by the fireplace. He picked Arthur up and walked into the kitchen.

"Hi honey," said Ginny as she looked up briefly from a recipe book. "Was it busy in Diagon Alley?"

"Oh no, busy would have been bearable. I think hectic is a better word. That turkey was one of the last ones left; I had to dodge five hexes from an old lady to get to the cashier with it."

"Yes dear ...that's nice," said Ginny absently. "How's that cranberry sauce coming Michael?"

"Almost done," stated Mike. Already bored, Arthur began squirming irritably in Harry's arms.

"All right you, let's take you back into the living room where all your precious toys are." That suited Arthur just fine. By the time everyone was finished and Ginny had put Preservation charms on all the food, it had already gone past six o' clock. Tired out from playing, Arthur was cuddled up in Sirius' arms on the sofa. They were all enjoying the moment of peace and tranquillity, after the day they had had it was long overdue.

Harry looked over at how his son held Arthur. He also noticed how close Michael was sitting next to Sirius, the way they looked at each other and at the drowsy Arthur. Harry could recognise the look in Sirius' eyes from a mile away. It was the look of someone eager to have children. He had to concentrate his gaze downwards onto his cup of tea; he didn't want Sirius and Michael to think he was watching them. Harry knew that there was a potion men could take that would allow them to have children, but Sirius and Michael were still so young, way too young to be thinking of children. He shook all these thoughts from his mind, assuring himself that it was just his over-active imagination.

"I think it's time someone was in bed," said Lily as she smiled at her yawning son.

"No bed!" protested Arthur sleepily. He clutched Sirius' jumper, determined to stay where he was. Sirius laughed and looked down at his nephew.

"If you're not in bed when Father Christmas comes, he won't leave any presents." This persuaded Arthur in an instant. He didn't make any fuss when Sirius handed him over to Lily. Everyone said goodnight then Lily carried him upstairs and put him to bed. Ginny pulled several rolls of wrapping paper out from behind her chair. A quick flick of her wand made at least a dozen presents float out of their various hiding places.

"Speaking of presents, who wants to help me with the last minute wrapping?" The only answer she got was one long groan. "Oh come on, it won't take long. Michael, would you mind giving me a hand?"

"Sure Mrs ...uh, I mean Ginny." Harry's ears burned at hearing Michael call Ginny by her first name. There was a definite sense of familiarity here that Harry hadn't picked up on before. He expected it wouldn't be long before Michael started calling her 'mum'. Again, Harry drove these thoughts from his mind. After all, after what he and Ron had done during sixth year, he had no right to criticise Sirius for his choice of partner. It hadn't stopped him before though, back when he first found out. As Ginny and Michael started wrapping presents, Harry went into the kitchen to refill his cup.

A tap of his wand made the teapot levitate and pour tea into Harry's waiting cup. The situation with Sirius and Michael buzzed through Harry's mind. He tried to remind himself that essentially there was no situation, but something still bugged him. His mind was brought sharply back into focus when he felt a burning sensation on his hand; the teapot was still pouring even though the cup was full and had scolded Harry's hand. He let out a short exclamation as he quickly stopped the flow of tea and performed a Cooling charm on his hand.

"You and I are going to fall out, mate!" growled Harry warningly at the teapot.

"Who are you falling out with Dad?" asked Sirius as he walked into the kitchen and placed his own cup in the sink. The soapy water instantly began swirling around the cup, cleaning it thoroughly.

"This teapot, that's who," muttered Harry. Sirius laughed at his dad's joke, even though Harry was seriously considering doing some very bad things to the teapot in question. After taking a sip from his tea, Harry closed the door and turned to his son. "Sirius, can I have a quick word?"

"Sure, is something wrong?"

"Well, it's not that something's ...wrong as such. It's about you and Michael."

"Ah ..." said Sirius finally. He had been expecting this conversation ever since he arrived home from Hogwarts.

"Now I'm not going to have a go at you about anything, son. I realise that you and Michael have very strong feelings for each other, all I'm trying to say is ...just remember that there's a toddler staying in the house."

"You're going to have to be more specific."

"Well, the last thing I or your sister want is for Arthur to wake us up in the middle of the night complaining there are strange noises coming from Uncle Silly's room." They stared at each other for a few moments until neither of them could keep a straight face any longer. Although the message seemed light hearted, Sirius took on board what his father meant.

"You're a good kid, Sirius. You always have been, just like I've always been a grumpy bugger," said Harry as he patted his son on the back. Everyone turned in early that night; it was going to be a busy day tomorrow.

~|~

While Ginny lay fast asleep next to him, Harry was painfully wide-awake. He tried blanking his mind and lying still but it didn't help at all. He was tempted to get up and get a mild Sleeping potion, but he had been advised by his doctor to avoid taking non-prescription potions unless absolutely necessary. That last appointment with his doctor was when Harry really began to feel how old he was getting. Arthur contributed as well though. No matter how hard he tried to relax, all he could think of was the room across the hall and what might be happening in there. He was worried that at any moment he would hear some mighty moan accompanied by groaning bedsprings. Then of course the inevitable two year old complaining of all the noise or even worse, what if Arthur didn't bother complaining about it but went straight into Sirius' room to see what the noise was. How was he supposed to explain that kind of thing to a two year old? Soon all the worrying fatigued him and he fell into an uneasy sleep, occasionally rousing at odd times of the night.

~|~

While his father tossed and turned, Sirius was changing into his pyjamas. He was tugging his pyjama top down over his head when he felt a hand on his arm, stopping him from finishing getting dressed. Another hand smoothly made it's way round to his stomach where it rested. Sirius took the hand in his and turned to face it's owner. Michael was standing just behind him, wearing nothing but a loving smile.

"I don't think we should bother with pyjamas," whispered Michael. "I'll keep you warm." Sirius wanted nothing more than to give himself to Michael, but his dad's words were still fresh in his mind.

"Mike, if my dad catches us ...if we wake Arthur up ..." Michael shut him up with a kiss. Sirius forgot what he was trying to say. After numbing Sirius' mouth sufficiently, Michael spoke,

"We won't do anything to wake anyone up. I just want to be near you." The bed was a single one, so they had no choice but to be close. They draped their arms over each other; the sensational feel of the other's skin ran down their bodies. Feeling Michael so close, Sirius wanted to feel more but knew he couldn't. Michael gave him a knowing look, and then whispered something private into his ear, audible only to Sirius, who took great interest in Michael's idea. For the next hour they tried this exciting new sexual exercise but not once did either of them make a sound. When they stopped to rest, Sirius felt Michael fall asleep against his torso. Sirius had enjoyed his early Christmas present to say the least.

~|~

Lily was woken early the next morning by someone shoving her persistently. She turned over to see her little boy holding a full stocking in one hand and jostling her with the other.

"Happy Christmas sweetheart," she muttered as she gently pulled herself up. Arthur shook the stocking at her.

"Mine!" he chimed happily.

"Yes, that's yours." Picking up her wand she straightened her hair with a quick wave. She smiled when Arthur tipped the stocking out on the floor of the room they shared when staying at her parent's. She slept in her old bed and Arthur slept in a smaller bed next to hers. While he entertained himself with all the novelty toys and sweets, Lily retrieved her slippers from under the bed and picked out Arthur's clothes for the day. After he opened all his presents downstairs, there was no way he would want to stop playing long enough to get dressed. She picked a pair of red trousers and a green Christmas jumper with a snowman on it.

After he was dressed, Arthur and Lily left their room to see who else was awake. Harry was shuffling over to the bathroom, still half asleep. He was sharply brought into the waking world when he saw Arthur head for Sirius' room. In a panic, he intercepted the toddler and scooped him up before he could open the door.

"Silly! See Silly!" complained Arthur.

"Uncle Silly will be up soon, you go on downstairs and see Grandma," muttered Harry as he passed Arthur to Lily, who gave her father a concerned look. Harry went on into the bathroom. For a moment he wondered if all those Divination lessons had actually had any effect, for when he saw Arthur head for Sirius' room, he had a terrible premonition of him walking in on Sirius and Michael lying asleep, completely naked. A worse premonition was the impossible explanation Harry would have had to give.

Harry needn't have worried, for both Sirius and Michael were sitting downstairs, fully dressed and eating breakfast. They were joined by Lily, who was holding a struggling Arthur. He had caught a glimpse of the presents under the tree and was desperate to get at them. She set him down in his high chair and despite his cries and protests; she managed to get some breakfast in him. Harry came down eventually. 'Happy Christmas's' were exchanged all around, Harry muttering his half-heartedly. He would have more festive cheer once he got his morning coffee.

After what seemed an eternity to little Arthur, everyone finally finished breakfast and moved into the living room. While Harry settled into an armchair, Lily, Sirius and Michael perched themselves on the floor. Sirius and Michael sat close together, something Harry noticed all too well. Lily sat closer to the presents to stop Arthur from opening one that wasn't his. Ginny emerged from the kitchen with a camera in her hands.

"Shall we make a start then?" she asked needlessly as Arthur started tearing at the paper on one of the larger presents. As luck would have it, it was one of his anyway. After the long and annoying process of unwrapping, he found himself looking at what was known in the wizarding world as a 'Rocking Dragon'. It was basically the same principle as a rocking horse; only it looked more like a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon. Lily helped him up onto it and started him off. He giggled gleefully as it rocked back and forth. Ginny took several snaps of the happy tot.

"That's from Grandma and Granddad, what do you say?"

"Dagon! Wheeee!" was Arthur's reply. Sirius laughed as he reached for a present and passed it back to his father.

"Here dad, it's from me and Mike." The tension Harry felt over Michael and his son being so close soon ebbed away.

"Oh guys, you didn't have to get me anything." He unwrapped it to find a box of his favourite Honeyduke's chocolates. He hadn't had them in years; in fact he wasn't even sure if they made them anymore. He smiled at Sirius and Michael, perhaps them being together wasn't such a bad thing. "Thanks you two, I'll get fat from them but thank you anyway," he joked.

More presents were exchanged. Arthur acted as a sort of postman, taking the gifts to the right person (with a great deal of direction from his mother). Sirius and Michael loved their Quidditch gear.

"Just what we need to beat Slytherin next term, ay Professor Potter?" asked Michael, who had been working up the courage to speak to him ever since he had stepped off the Hogwarts Express.

"Harry," said Harry quietly.

"Sorry sir?"

"Call me Harry," he repeated sincerely. No one else but Michael had heard him; they were all preoccupied watching Arthur opening another present. "Only while we're here though, once we get back to Hogwarts, it's Professor Potter again, okay?"

"Sure," said Michael as he grinned understandingly. They both turned their attention back to Arthur, who was banging a new toy drum noisily.

"Merlin's beard," sighed Harry. "Who got him that?"

"We did dear," Ginny reminded him. The presents continued to disappear from under the tree until only one was left. Arthur picked it up and carried it over to Lily.

"Who for?" he asked. Lily checked the tag.

"That one's for Grandma, from Granddad." As Arthur waddled over to Ginny, Lily and Harry exchanged a brief knowing look. Ginny planted a kiss on Arthur's head when he placed it in her lap. She untied the ribbon and tore away the paper. As she did, her eyebrows raised several inches while her jaw descended the same amount. She held up the lavender evening robe that Harry had bought her and gazed at it.

"Pretty!" stated Arthur.

"Yes it is pretty, in fact it's gorgeous ...oh thank you Harry!" She rose from her seat and kissed him lovingly on the cheek.

"I'm not the only one you need to thank." Harry motioned his head towards Lily. "That's one of Lily's designs, she made it." Ginny looked at the robe then at her daughter in amazement.

"Honey, you made this? It's beautiful ..."

"Dad came and bought it when you guys were in Diagon Alley." Too astounded for words, Ginny simply hugged her daughter and her husband in turn.

"I think I'll wear it this afternoon. Oh, speaking of which that turkey will need to go in the oven, sharpish!" While Harry cleared away all the wrapping paper, Ginny, Lily and Michael got to work in the kitchen. Sirius, as usual, got the job of playing with Arthur. Although they had done a lot of it the previous day, there was still plenty to do. Harry's next job was to set the table. They had a lot of people coming for Christmas dinner, so Harry had to expand the dining room table magically. After conjuring an extra large tablecloth, he started making all the plates, glasses and cutlery fly from the cupboard and land gently in place. He had just finished when the fireplace turned green and roared loudly, announcing the arrival of the first of many guests.

"Well, now the real madness begins," sighed Harry.