"So, they all know?" she said cuddling on his chest.

"Yep. Harry must be happy."

"Why?"

"He's been trying to marry me since he was five."

"What?"

"I had two ways of being near him. Very complicated spell work there so he wouldn't recognize me. One was I taught at his school, I was just a teacher for him. The other was that whenever Petunia left him with Mrs. Figg, I would go and get him and he would stay with me. When he saw me, if none of the Dursleys were near, he would recognize his Uncle Moony. And when he went back home that memory would be suppressed and he would only remember having a boring time at Mrs. Figg. This way I could tell him about magic and his parents. I avoided performing magic as to not attract unwanted attention, but I told him about everything. I knew he wouldn't remember, especially because once he turned eleven I had to suppress those memories for good until he turned of age. I was doing this against Dumbledore's orders and couldn't risk him finding out through Legillimency. If the memories were suppressed he wouldn't see them. But this way, once Harry turned seventeen he would have fond memories of his childhood, and before that, even if he couldn't remember he would have the feeling that someone loved him," he explained very professor like. "One day he decided I had to get married, so he started asking every women in site if they would marry me, I remember one time-"

"No, wait, Sirius needs to hear this."

"What? No!" Remus said but she had already gotten up from the common room's sofa and went to Sirius' room returning with him.

"Of course I am always up to hearing about Moony's humiliations," he said while the both of them sat themselves around a now very disgruntled Remus.

"Ok, but I won't allow jokes" he said

"Spoilsport," the others chanted.

Start Flashback

A little boy that looked around four years old was watching the young woman of around twenty serving his ice-cream intently.

"Here you go," she said handing him the ice-cream. He took it but kept watching her.

"Something wrong? Do you need something else?" she asked softly.

"Are you married Miss?" he asked, his huge green eyes staring straight at her.

"Excuse me, but that's a little personal" she said taken aback.

"Do you want to marry my uncle?" he asked innocently, "He's very smart and knows everything about everything cause he's a teacher."

"Well, that's very nice for him, but don't you think that he should be the one asking?"

"He is over there," he said pointing at a young man by the register.

"Hum, smart and cute" she said before realizing the boy was still watching her expectantly. The man approached and asked the boy:

"Do you have your ice-cream Harry?"

The boy nodded and said pointing to the lady, "She's single." The man blushed and said awkwardly, "Good for her," and turning to the lady "Sorry about that, he seems to think I need to get married."

"That's ok" she said while writing in a piece of paper, "here's my phone number in case you like the idea."

He took the offered number and thanked her awkwardly while ushering the boy out of the store.

Once outside he crouched to be eye level with the boy and asked; "Harry, why did you ask the lady if she wanted to marry me? Do you think I need to get married?" The boy nodded. "Why? I am fine being single."

"But who's going to take care of you when I am at the Dursleys?" Harry said waving his arms desperately, "I can leave Prongs with you but he doesn't talk back, you'll get bored."

Remus smiled and picking up Harry asked, "So you are afraid no one will take care of me like you do?" Harry nodded, "And here I was thinking that I took care of you."

"We take care of each other," Harry said smiling.

Remus kissed him and with the spoon took a bit of ice-cream. Harry looked shocked and asked; "Uncle Moony! What are you doing?"

"Sorry Harry, the ice-cream looked good."

"That's not how you eat ice-cream!"

"No?"

"No, I've seen Dudley eating ice-cream loads of time. This is what you have to do," and he licked the ice-cream effectively smudging his face. Then he held the ice-cream for Remus who did the same.

"Better now?" Remus asked.

"Better, but not perfect!" Harry answered sighing dramatically.

Chuckling Remus answered "Oh, my! Then we'll need loads of practice." And Harry nodded.

End Flash Back

"So cute" Tonks said.

"So Harry" Sirius said, "Instead of wailing because he has to go back to the Dursleys he tries to get old Moony here a wife."

"Who are you calling old? I am six months younger than you."

"Yeah, but I don't have grey hair."

"I'll let you know that you are responsible for half of my grey hairs, and Harry the other half."

"Really, and here I was thinking that had something to do with the full moon."

"Men! You never grow up!" Tonks said exasperated.

---

The Halloween Ball was approaching fast and with it came the preparations. Harry was excited and nervous. He was afraid he was going to bollix things up. But that didn't keep him from amusing himself with the other's distress. Ron was once again on the date hunt. Harry hoped this time he would get his act together and ask Hermione, but that seemed like a distant dream.

Also entertaining was watching Sirius and his outfit hunt. They had gone to Hogsmead to get dress robes and Harry couldn't stop laughing at Sirius' behavior. He tried out the whole store before deciding on the color that best suited him. Harry never knew his godfather was this vain and Remus told him between laughs that this was nothing compared to the best man's outfit choice.

Preparations for the Ball weren't that easy, Harry had heard Sirius, Tonks and Remus discussing who would be the Order Members on guard duty that night. When he asked Sirius told him that Dumbledore always had at least one Order Member posted in Hogsmead. That the Ministry usually had a few aurors posted for the school's protection, but if none of those aurors were Order Members Dumbledore would call one. He said that since Alastor Moody, who wasn't Mad- Eye yet, was the Head Auror and therefore in charge of the assignment handing and he was also an Order Member, he always made sure that at least one of the aurors on duty for school safety was from the Order. Then Harry asked if he had ever been posted at the school. Sirius said yes, but never alone because he was still in training. He explained to Harry that Auror training consisted in three years. Two at the academy where you had theory and practical lessons in law defense, advanced potions brewing, minor healing, advanced charms, advanced transfiguration. And one year on the field always under a mentor's supervision. Then you graduated. Harry was pleased to be informed that Pettigrew had dropped out in the middle of the first year of training, too much pressure for him. He was also interested in knowing about his parents. He had never known they were Aurors or that his mother had had to interrupt her physical training and would have graduated a year and a half later than the others. He also hadn't known that even though he had graduated top of his class Remus had not been hired. Sirius explained that graduating from Auror School did not guarantee you a job. That when they graduated the ministry had said that they did not have positions for all graduates and that Remus had been ruled out because he hadn't gotten outstanding in potions. Sirius said Moody told him that that was codswallop, that even not being the best in potions Remus was still the top student and that he himself hadn't been great at potions. That what you needed of that subject was to be able to recognize a poison and brew minor healing potions and antidote, and that Remus could do. He also told him that in this time of war they needed all the Aurors they could get, that the head of law enforcement at the time, Barty Crouch, didn't want a classified dark creature in their ranks. Harry was furious at this, once again Crouch's simple mind couldn't see beyond the stereotype. After Sirius had told him about the Most Ancient and Noble house of Black's long affiliation with the Dark Arts he wondered if that hadn't played a major role in Crouch's decision to throw Sirius in Azkaban without a trial.

Telling all this to Harry reminded Sirius of how Peter had exploited that episode, going on hours about how Remus must be furious, how he couldn't possibly just let that slide. And thinking of Peter brought the meeting he, Tonks and Remus had with Dumbledore to mind. Against Sirius better judgment, Dumbledore decided to put Peter among the order members that would be on guard duty on the Ball. Not only that but he told Sirius to apologize for the attack. Sirius couldn't believe his ears but Dumbledore said that this way Peter wouldn't get suspicious and would be more trusting when the time came to use him. Sirius couldn't help but think that Dumbledore had already a plot in mind.

---

Two days left to the Ball and Ron still didn't have a date. Harry was getting frustrated and decided to give his friend a push, so at breakfast he said:

"So, I was thinking. We could all go together you know. The four of us."

Ginny, catching on, "Yes, right. Fred and George have dates and they won't want to hang around us, lowly fifth and fourth years, and it's not like we made friends here, hanging on the staff wing all the time. Harry and me are going together, you two could go together too and then we'll be two couples."

"That's a good idea, what do you think?" Ron asked Hermione.

"Actually, I am flying solo," she said mostly ignoring the others gob smacked expressions. "I mean, it's highly unlikely that I'll get anyone that measures up to Victor."

"Oh, so you think no one is as good as Vicky, do you? Well I didn't want to go with you anyway!" and Ron stormed away but Ginny did not miss Hermione's satisfied expression.

---

Finally the Ball was upon them. Harry checked himself at least ten times on the mirror and tried to flatten his hair unsuccessfully. He was dressed in dark bottle green dress robes very much like the ones he used last year.

"You have to ruffle it up not flatten."

He turned to see his father enter the room dressed on a dark navy blue dress robe, ruffling his own messy hair.

"What are you doing here?"

"Your mum and me are part of the guard. Always a good excuse to have a nice cheek to cheek dance with the misses and who knows, if I get lucky, a good snog."

"Phuleese, I don't want to hear details."

"But I didn't get into the nice juicy details."

"AHHHH!" Harry yelled covering his years. "Who's taking care of mini me?" he asked turning to the mirror.

"Madam Pomphrey. You know, if you keep this up you'll get as bad as Sirius." James said straightening his son's robes. "And here I thought I would have at least fifteen years before I did this."

"Did what?"

"You know, have the talk."

Harry turned to his father in shock. "You're going to what?"

"Well, as your father it's my duty."

"No there's no need for that. Mr. Weasley gave me and Ron the talk summer before fourth year. No need whatsoever." He said blushing furiously. Once had been embarrassing enough, he wasn't about to do it again.

"Ah, ok." James said a little taken aback, not that he was looking forward to this but once again someone else had been the father to Harry. "Well we should go, there are ladies expecting us," and both of them went to meet their dates in the Entrance Hall. James was reminiscing at Harry's nervousness. Not long ago he was in the same situation. They met Lily in the Hall. She was wearing a very nice and simple cream-colored dress robe that seemed to move with her. She gave her son a hug and pulled James with her.

"But I wanna see Ginny," James whined.

"Parents aren't supposed to be a part of the date," she explained to him.

Harry saw his parents enter the Great Hall and waited for Ginny to come down the stairs. She didn't take long and Harry thought he was seeing an angel. Her dress robes too moved with her but they were light blue, and her hair was flowing in curls falling beautifully on her shoulders. Someone closed his mouth and Harry saw Ron standing next to him.

'When did he get here?' he thought, "You look beautiful Ginny," and he kissed her hand like he had seen in a movie. She giggled. Ron suppressed laughter until Harry had to return the favor and close Ron's mouth when Hermione came down the stair. She had her hair in neat curls tied backward instead of her usually bushy hair and was wearing a light green dress robe.

"No date Ronald?" she asked.

"No, I decided to fly solo too, more room to maneuver."

"Let' go dance Ginny," said Harry offering his arm to Ginny and they left the other two to their bickering. He was ready to use all the practice he had on the long hours he badgered his guardians into teaching him how to dance.

The Great Hall was decorated with floating pumpkins with candles inside as the only source of light. Live bats where flying on the ceiling with a charm that prevented them from getting too low and disturbing the people. The ceiling was reflecting the starry night outside. The four house tables were one in each corner of the room with snacks and the head table was nowhere to be seen. James, Lily, Sirius, Remus and Tonks were chatting by one of the tables nearest to the doors when young Sirius and Tess walked in arm in arm. Both Sirius stared at each other in shock. They were wearing the exact same dark grey robe. With the exact same cut. James couldn't help himself and doubled in laughter.

"What are you wearing, people already comment on our likeness, they'll be even more suspicious if we are looking exactly the same," hissed the older Sirius. And he was right, apart from the age difference the only other difference was that the older Sirius had his shoulder length hair tied in a neat ponytail while the younger one had short hair.

"Then go change," said the younger Sirius affronted.

"Love, I think that's his only dress robe, while you have a closet full of them," Tess said soothingly. It wasn't working.

"But then I'll have use something I've already used before," young Sirius said indignantly and Remus lost his fight and joined James in laughter. In the end young Sirius had to concede defeat and went home to change muttering under his breath about old insensitive people.

---

By now Ron was fuming, how could she? She not only had the gall to come alone but now she was all giggly with a sixth year Ravenclaw, telling him how muggles dressed up on Halloween. How irresponsible of her to openly flirt with someone from this time. No this wasn't jealousy, this was sense of responsibility, or so he kept telling himself.

Harry on the other hand was in heaven; he and Ginny were dancing like they were the only ones in the Ball. He had even dared to kiss her once. He had been terribly nervous and afraid she would hate the kiss but after they broke apart she smiled at him and leaned her head on his shoulder.

Lily was smiling while dancing with James, when he asked her why she was smiling she pointed to the kissing teens and said, "I think we just witnessed our son's first kiss." James smiled back; maybe he wouldn't miss all the important moments of his son's life, even if that was a moment a parent usually didn't witness.

But there was another couple that was drawing everyone's attention. They also were dancing mindless of other people and when they kissed a few students wolf whistled and there were exclamations

"Professors, way to go."

The only shocked person was young Remus, who had a butterbeer in his hand and was in danger of dropping it.

"But, but, that was, that wasn't, I wouldn't. She's too young…"

"Don't worry Moony, she likes older men, there's no way she's exchanging him for you." Sirius said patting the younger man's shoulder. At that instant younger Sirius returned and exclaimed, "Way to go Moony." Older Sirius looked at him and asked, "What took you so long, you were gone for hours, a bunch of the six and seventh years asked to dance with Tess."

"I had to chose something that became me." He answered indignantly, "Oh and Dumbledore asked me to tell you that Peter is guarding the gates with Frank and Fabian.

Sirius grumbled, better stop stalling, so he made his way to the gates. On the way out he saw his godson and Ginny sureptuously leaving the Hall toward the yard. Aha! Snogging session! He smiled to himself.

He approached the gates with dread and tried to control his anger. He cleared his throat. The men there watched him.

"May I speak with you Peter?"

Peter trembled. 'Good he remembers me' Sirius thought. "I would like to apologize for the misunderstanding that happened when we met."

"There was no misunderstanding, you attacked me," Peter said more boldly than he felt.

Sirius couldn't help but think that his courage came from Fabian's and Frank's presence.

"Actually, I was disoriented. We had a portkey to get to Arthur's and moments before the portkey activated we were attacked, I was in defense mode when you arrived. I am sorry," he said giving him the version exactly as Dumbledore instructed him and extending his hand.

Peter hesitated but in the end shook the man's hand.