Adult-FanFiction.org : Harry Potter

A Curious Nature	By : CondemnedForLife Category: Harry Potter Crossovers > Slash - Male/Male Views: 28002 -:- Recommendations : 1 -:- Currently Reading : 5
Disclaimer: I do not own the Harry Potter world or its characters, or the Twilight world and its characters, and I make absolutely no profit from writing this story.

Chapter List
- 3
- 4
- 5
Summary: For the Black-Lupin family, Forks is a second chance at life and at love for a group of war-damaged teenagers and their parents. Post-War. Harry/Jacob

Pairings: Jacob/Harry, Remus/Sirius, Seth/Draco, Embry/Theo, Hermione/Blaise, Ron/Neville.

Category: Harry Potter/Twilight

Genre: Romance/Family

Rating: M/NC-17

Warnings: Mature themes, slash, gay (male/male) relationships, some angst, drama, gay sex, crossover, canon for books one to four and AU after that.

Author's note: Hi everybody! Well my plans for updating this went a bit haywire when my mother was admitted into hospital, but here it is. Late, but as long as usual! One thing that I have to point out is that everybody (the Black-Lupin family) will at times refer to each other as their brother, sister or father instead of having the words adopted in front of them. It's merely because I felt that they are so close that being adopted doesn't really matter to any of them. Enjoy!

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�Harry.�

Harry snuggled deeper into the bed covers in an attempt to escape that annoying voice.

�Harry. Wake up.�

Harry felt like crying. What kind of horrible person would disturb another person while they were trying to sleep?

�G�way,� the dark-haired boy mumbled. He turned on his side and after a moment sighed blissfully at the blessed silence. Finally he could get back to sleep.

The teen shrieked as his warm comforter was torn off him and a burst of cold air reached his skin causing dozens of goose bumps to erupt. Shivering Harry squinted into the cold grey light of a typical British morning and was rewarded with a disgustingly wet lick to the face. One which he would recognise anywhere.

�Padfoot,� Harry groaned, wiping the dog drool off his face with the back of his hand.

His godfather turned Grim gave an excited bark and jumped on the bed beside him and pressed his head into his godson�s chest. Harry rolled his eyes but obliging began to pet the furry black head. The soothing motions and the softness of those fluffy ears, quickly had his eyes falling close again. A warm dog wasn�t as good as his comforter, but it was pretty close all the same.

An exasperated voice calling his godfather�s name, woke Harry from his light doze a little while later.

�For the love of Merlin Sirius. You were supposed to wake him up, not go back to sleep with him.�

Sirius/Padfoot rose from his lazy, sprawled out position on the bed, took a large jump off of it and effortlessly resumed his human form. He grinned sheepishly at his lover.

�I�m sorry, Remus. But you know Harry hardly ever gets a goodnight sleep and he looked like he was this morning.�

Remus eyes had softened considerably during his lover�s explanation and Harry rolled his eyes when the two of them began to exchange looks that he would rather not see his adopted parents share. He groaned in annoyance and rolled out of his bed, stumbling and hissing when his feet came in contact with the cold floor. A quick glance to the other bed in the room showed that, surprisingly, Ron was up before him that morning.

�In Sirius defence, he did try to wake me,� Harry told Remus, while he grabbed the clothing and towel he had left out of his trunk to change into today. �He even pulled my duvet off me.�

Harry dove out of his bedroom snickering when Remus� soft look disappeared and he glared at his husband. The young wizard hurried on when he heard the werewolf began his lecture on how Harry could have gotten a cold because of Sirius� irresponsibility.

Glancing into the other rooms as he made his way to the bathroom showed Harry that everyone else was already up which was unexpected. Harry tended to be one of the first awake every morning due to not wanting spend any longer in bed than he had to. Months, years even, of nights full of nightmares had him longing for the daylight to come around again. That he had slept in today and hadn�t heard Ron, who was not exactly the subtlest of people, getting up was a miracle.

Come to think of it, Harry felt surprisingly refreshed today. A glance in the cracked mirror in the tiny bathroom confirmed a lessening in the dark circles that had taken up a nearly permanent residence under his eyes after the war ended. Now that he thought of it he couldn�t remember waking up once last night. Maybe this move really would be good for all of them.

A quick shower later had Harry skidding into the kitchen where everyone was already seated and having breakfast. He slipped into a seat between Theo and Neville. His stomach churned when he looked at the bacon and the eggs on most people�s plates. It appeared a lack of nightmares did not mean a sudden return of appetite, something that he had lacked for most of his life.

The malnutrition he had, a result from his time with the Dursleys had effected him long into his teenage years and Harry often found himself getting full extremely quicker than other people. Heavier foods like hamburgers, certain sweets and even some drinks were much more difficult to digest without harming his stomach, leaving him with cramps for hours. Instead, he tended to stick to fruit and vegetable salads, soups and lighter meats.

After quickly glancing over to make sure Sirius or Remus weren�t looking, Harry waved his hand to summon a few slices of toast from across the table. A soft touch on his arm had him starting guiltily and turning towards Theo nervously. The other boy merely looked amused, but spoke to him in a quiet voice.

�You slept last night.� It was a statement not a question but at Harry�s nod a bright smile spread across Theo�s face.

�I�m glad,� he replied, not wanting to have a private conversation in front of so many people, even if they were family.

Harry gently squeezed the hand on his arm in gratitude and then asked Ron to pass the butter, not chancing summoning another item. Both boys were glad that no one inquired about their discussion despite the fact that the glances thrown their way were obviously curious.

When breakfast was over Remus and Sirius, settled down in their seats with cups of tea steaming in their hands and with bright smiles, insisted that the teenagers clear the table and then wash and dried the dishes.

�What?� Draco protested. �But we have magic!�

�Sure you do,� Sirius agreed, �but how much of it are you going to be able to use when we surrounded by muggles everyday.�

�But you said that the house was isolated and surrounded by a big wall!�

Sirius opened his mouth to reply, before shutting it with an audible snap. �Doesn�t matter. Go on, hop to it!�

Draco snatched up his plate muttering about �illegal� and �child labour�, causing Harry, who was expertly washing the dishes, to chuckle at him and flick bubbles in his direction.

Draco pouted at him. �I fail to see the humour in this situation.�

Harry grinned at him. �Sirius is only teasing you Draco. He doesn�t really expect us to do everything without magic. Merlin knows he himself wouldn�t be able to survive a day in the muggle world without magic. Besides, Remus told us last night that they bought a dishwasher, among other things.�

Instead of reassuring the blond, Harry received several looks of confusion after his statement from not only Draco, but from Blaise and Theo who were awkwardly trying to dry the dishes and from Neville who was putting them away. Refraining himself from sighing, Harry glanced around hopefully for Hermione as well glimpsed her cleaning the table with Ron. Resigning himself to having to explain it himself, Harry began haltingly.

�A dishwasher is a muggle. . .machine. You put the dirty dishes in it and then they it on and they come out clean.�

Draco was perplexed and the others weren�t faring much better. �How? Is there a house-elf in there?�

�What? No! It�s-I don�t know, there�s water and bubbles in there.�

�How does the water get in there?� Neville had paused in his job to ask his question.

�This tube-thingy takes water from a uh- look I don�t know. All I know is you put them in the machine and an about an hour later they come out clean.�

There was a moment of pause as everyone thought about the. . .information they had just received.

�Muggles are weird.� Draco�s statement got nods from Neville and Theo and a grunt of agreement from Blaise who was having his own difficulties with a tea towel for some reason. Somehow he managed to get it tucked into his pants.

�The point is Sirius isn�t really going to prevent us from using magic. From what Remus said he hated having to go without magic for three days and did everything he could to get out of it.�

Draco looked suitably satisfied that he wasn�t going to be subjected to slave labour and they finished their chores relatively quickly to join Sirius and Remus, who were in the living room.

Remus waited from them all before he began to talk. �We have a general idea for how today is going to go and hopefully by sticking to the plan we might get to bed sometime before tomorrow. Well, tomorrow over there. It�s ten �o�clock here so it�s roughly six in the evening over there so if we get in bed by ten tonight-never mind.� The werewolf cut himself when he noticed the puzzled looks he was receiving.

�Anyway, first of all I�m going to clear the living room here to make room and Sirius is going to do the same in Old Willow,� Remus saw his mate shuddering out of the corner of his eye, no doubt thinking about his new, expensive furniture being destroyed by ash for the fireplace when everyone was using the Floo. �You can all bring your belongings down here and we�ll bring everything through one by one. Theo, Harry and Hermione will go first and you�ll stay on the other side with Sirius while the rest of us will be coming back and forward with everything else.�

A quick glance around indicated that everyone was following him so far.

�Everything that isn�t a trunk or suitcase should have a label or your name on it so that when it comes through the fireplace, Hermione, Harry and Theo will know which room to put them into, whether they�re be boxes or otherwise. Any questions?�

�How are we supposed to know which rooms to put what in?� Harry piped up.

�You can all decide which rooms you want the first time you�re over there.�

They all looked excited at this prospect and the older wizards shared indulgent smiles in their wards excitement.

�Any other questions?�

Draco looked reluctant, almost as though he didn�t want the answer to question he was about to ask but he spoke anyway. �Can we use magic to bring everything downstairs?�

Remus rolled his eyes at the apprehension he saw in all their faces. �Yes, you may use magic to transport everything down here.�

Ron whooped and they all exchanged high-fives, including Sirius which had Remus growling in annoyance. His lover was not a good influence on their children. The werewolf rolled his eyes as they all disappeared upstairs.

Harry scrawled his name on the side of the box containing several of the photograph albums and scrap books he has collected over the past few years, as well as the very first one he had ever received from Hagrid. Ron was on the other side of the room attempting to stuff his Chudley Cannons bedcover that he brought from the Burrow into one of the many boxes littering their soon to be empty room.

�Ron.�

�Yeah?� The boy grunted as he kicked at the uncooperative bedcover in annoyance.

�Shrinking Charm.�

�Right.� The sheepish redhead waved his wand over the garish quilt and managed to successfully fit it in, along with his Quidditch player figurines.

Harry thoroughly checked his luggage which consisted of two trunks, a suitcase and four boxes, making sure he had everything before he waved his wand, transporting everything into the living room downstairs apart from his owls� cage and his broomstick. He sincerely doubted that Hedwig would be pleased to find herself suddenly in the living room and he rather valued his fingers intact.

The black-haired boy couldn�t be happier about the fact that they were finally leaving England, but even as he thought this he glanced over at his best friend who was staring around him with a confused expression. Then again Ron looked like this half the time so Harry wasn�t all that surprised.

�Ron,� he called quietly.

His best friend�s head snapped up and he immediately looked concerned. So many people underestimated Ron just because of his lack of interest in school work, but the redhead had a sharp intelligence. One that was focused more on strategy and actions that on learning anything in a classroom. He also had a heart of gold and a bravery that only a true Gryffindor could aspire to have. It certainly explained his animagus from anyway.

�You ok, Harry?�

Having deduced that Harry was alright physically meant that Ron wanted to know why Harry had called him.

�I�m fine, Ron. Really,� the wizard reassured when he received an unsure glance. �I couldn�t be happier to be moving but. . .I don�t have anything left for me here except you guys. You though. . .� Harry trailed off, noticing the stiffening of Ron�s shoulders and unwilling to push him to talk if he didn�t want to.

�It�s. . .hard,� Ron forced out after a minute or two. �I feel like there�s no place left for me at home anymore. But that doesn�t make it-make it easier to just leave. Sometimes it seems like. . .�

�What?� Harry pressed gently when he didn�t continue.

�Like I�m abandoning them,� Ron admitted in a choked voice.

Harry breathed in sharply at the sorrow in the other boy�s voice and felt a matching pain in his own chest. He approached Ron slowly and when he was sure the other boy wasn�t going to pull away, he embraced him.

�Ron, I have no idea how you�re feeling and I can�t say I�ve ever been in you�re position. But despite all that I also know how misplaced you felt when you went to see your family. How you would rage and scream when you came back here because your home wasn�t the same as it used to be,� Harry spoke softly but firmly, knowing that the other boy needed to hear this.

�Maybe one day after the pain of grief, of Percy�s death,� Harry felt his own voice choke on the word �death�, �has passed, your family might be able to bring itself back to how it once was. But they can�t yet Ron and you can�t expect them to. However, that doesn�t meant that you have to stand there and take their treatment of you. It�s isn�t right and it�s not fair!�

Ron chuckled weakly at Harry�s fierce tirade and as hard as it was to hear those words about his own family, he also knew it was the truth and that his best friend only had his best interests at heart. He patted the smaller boy on the back.

�Thanks,� Ron said gruffly, as they let go of each other.

Harry merely smiled and made to leave the room when Ron spoke again.

�Hey, you haven�t seen one of my socks lying around here by any chance, have you?�

A vague recollection made Harry ask. �Is it blue and white with quaffles on them?�

�Uh, yeah.�

�It�s in Theo and Blaise�s room, on the chandelier.�

�What?! How in the fuck did it get there?�

Harry shrugged at his bemused friend. He picked up Hedwig�s cage, placed his Firebolt over his shoulder and left the room to wander downstairs into the living room, where Remus, Sirius and Neville already were along with a whole pile of trunks, suitcases, boxes, the case of Blaise�s guitar and several of Neville�s strange plants.

�Whats that?� Harry asked curiously when he was standing beside Neville and pointed at the glowing purple plant in his hands.

�It�s a Humorous Fungus,� Neville replied, beaming proudly at his blossoming flower.

Harry opened his mouth to ask what exactly it did but quickly snapped it shut again. His previous encounters with Neville�s plants had never gone well. Despite Harry�s knowledge in muggle plants because of his time spent working in his aunt�s gardens, the black-haired boy tended to end up covered in sticky, slimy or glowing substances when he spent too long in the presence of Neville�s plants.

A loud bang indicated the arrival of yet more luggage and a quick glimpse into one of the boxes told Harry he need not even look at the name on the outside as they were full to the brim with books. He made a quick mental note to place a lightening charm on the box before even attempting to pick it up.

In the next ten minutes the rest of the luggage arrived downstairs, with numerous echoing thumps as they hit the floor heavily.

�Everything down?� Remus received several enthusiastic nods in response and he chuckled. �Anything that you may have forgotten can be brought at a later stage anyway. Alright then, Sirius first.�

Harry was glad that he had doubled checked that all his belongings were packed, he hated the idea of every having to come back to Grimmauld Place after being trapped here for so long during the war. From the look on Sirius� face, he clearly felt the same.

A space around the fireplace had been left clear of trunks, suitcases and boxes so that they could move easily through it without falling over everyone�s luggage. Sirius bounded forward happily with a large, black trunk in one hand and grabbed a handful of the Floo powder from the pot in Remus outstretched hand with the other.

A bright flash of green later and Theo was stepping up with his own trunk. He cast a wary look at the fireplace, then sighed resignedly and stepped through with his eyes clasped shut. Harry sympathised. He despised the Floo.

�Harry, you�re next.�

Was it just him or did Remus sound positively gleeful? The werewolf had an innocent look plastered on his face, but Harry wasn�t fooled. The young wizard knew that he had learned that look from Sirius, the master of puppy eyes. It was a known fact that Remus found Harry and Theo�s dislike of floo extremely amusing. Well, they didn�t all have the reflexes of a werewolf.

Harry dragged his trunk behind him, with Hedwig�s cage in his hand and grumbled as he clambered into the fireplace and threw down the green powder. He spluttered out �Old Willows� through a mouthful of ash and almost a minute later full of sickening spinning, he fell out the other side. Winded from the impact with the floor, Harry gasped for breath and gratefully grasped the hand being held out to him.

Theo clapped him on the back sending a cloud of ash into the air. �Know how you feel. I have a big bruise on my thigh, managed to land on my trunk when I fell.�

Harry winced at the thought and after a moment moved out of the way in case one of the others came through. Of course, to Harry and Theo�s annoyance and everyone else�s amusement the rest of them stepped out without more than a small stumble.

They teenagers were practically bouncing on the spot when Remus finally stepped through, all of them having already taken in everything there was to see in the living room. The two older wizards waved their hands in a general �off with you� gesture and they scattered.

Harry grinned as he was dragged along by Ron who was chattering on about the distance their bedroom had to be from the bathroom. He listened absently, eyes darting around, trying to take in everything at once, much as he had that very first time in Diagon Alley. What he saw delighted him. The house was obviously very big and spacious, the colours lit up the house and Harry shrewdly suspected that there was no red or black for a reason. The reminders of the war was still very fresh and there was no need to antagonise old memories.

�What about this one Harry?�

Harry glanced at his red-haired friend startled, not having realised they had stopped after entering a bedroom. The room was large, then again they all seemed to be. Two double beds stood on either side of the room and Harry ran a hand softly over the furnished wooden frame. This bed had never been used before. It had been bought for him and only him. A burst of emotion had Harry blinking back tears and cursing his emotions. There were two wardrobes and a chest of drawers, as well as a bookcase and all were made of the same wood.

Ron was still nattering on about something in the background and Harry vaguely heard the word orange. Glancing around he noticed that the walls were beige. Remus and Sirius had said they could paint their own walls whatever colour they wanted, but over his dead body was he going to be sleeping in an orange room. He never sleep for the rest of his life.

A large window nearly took up an entire wall and through it he could see that it was raining outside, not heavily but enough to be reminded of Britain. He felt surprisingly glad about this. It was comforting in a way, that not everything had to be completely different despite the fact that they were half way across the world. He had always loved the rain.

The young wizard was standing over by the window within a few seconds and he hadn�t even noticed that Ron had stopped talking. The window looked out over what he presumed was the back garden and he could see the border of a forest at the end of it. He jumped at the hand on his shoulder, despite knowing that it was Ron.

�Imagine the Quidditch matches we can have out there.� His voice was awed and Harry found himself laughing even while he nodded in agreement.

�Well, what do you think?� Ron asked when he stopped laughing.

Harry turned to grin at him. �I think this is our room.�

�Great! We have to paint it first though. You know, claim it and stuff.�

Harry stifled a chuckle. That was Ron�s way of saying that they had to mark their territory in case somebody else tried to steal it.

�Ok,� Harry agreed, �but no orange, gold, red, pink, fuchsia, maroon or any other colour red.�

Ron looked rather offended for a moment before nodding, though it was rather reluctantly in Harry�s opinion.

�Fine, but that means no green of any shade or silver.�

�Agreed.�

They shook on it, then turned back to surveying the room critically.

�How about we just go with blue?� The black-haired boy suggested. �It�s kinda neutral and we can always change it later.�

Ron shrugged his acquiesce and when Harry waved his wand a moment later the room was now a midnight blue.

�Too dark?�

The taller teen shook his head. �Nah, it looks good.�

Satisfied, they left their �claimed� room to search for the others. They found that the room down the hall on the left had been occupied by Neville and Draco, who were arguing over what colour it should be.

�I want silver!�

�Of course you do, you�re a Slytherin.�

�What�s that suppose to mean?�

�Only that you�re all so obsessed with house colours you don�t even know that other colours exist!�

Harry heard a gasp and when Draco spoke he sounded highly offended. �I happened to have an entire wardrobe full of different coloured clothes, thank you very much.�

�Well, we�re not painting it silver.�

�Then we�re not painting it gold either.�

�Fine.�

�Fine�

�Good.�

�Great.�

Harry and Ron glanced at each other when silence reigned, wondering if they should break the silence when, finally, Neville spoke up again.

�So green then?�

�Sounds good.�

Harry shook his head in exasperation and he followed Ron further down the hall until they reached the next door. Hesitating slightly, they knocked on the closed door and heard a muffled, �Come in.�

Hermione was examining her purple walls with an analytical air when they came in. She suddenly seemed to come to a decision and nodded her head happily. Ron wandered off towards another door at the other side of her room. They both chuckled at his awed, �Wow, look at the size of that bath!�

�Find your room?� Hermione asked, when Ron returned still looking amazed. It was extremely likely that he would be sneaking into his sister�s room for a long, hot bath in the near future. Harry smiled and nodded.

�Did you convince Ron not to paint it orange?�

They laughed at the affronted �Hey!� from behind them, where Ron had been looking out Hermione�s window.

�Yeah, I did but it was a close one.�

Hermione laughed, her eyes lighting up and Harry felt happy to see her genuinely smile for the first time in what felt like weeks. A plaintive meow had them all turning towards the vibrating wicker basket in the middle of the room.

�Crookshanks!� Hermione cried, rushing towards the basket and quickly opening it.

With a snarl, a large cat sprung out of the basket looking very unhappy. He sniffed his new surroundings, his eyes darting around suspiciously. Slowly, the orange cat began to sneak forwards on his belly, his eyes determined and apparently intent on exploring his new home and making sure it wasn�t threatening. Seeing the cat�s interest in it�s new habitat reminded Harry that he had left Hedwig downstairs in her cage. He silently promised to let her out that night so that she could get used to the forest around the house.

Happy to leave her cat investigating, Hermione began to pull items out of her suitcase. The two boys decided to leave her to it and with a quick good-bye they left to find the rest of their adopted siblings.

The final occupied bedroom was the closest to Sirius and Remus�s room and there they found Theo and Blaise. They seemed to have agreed easily enough on a blue colour, a few shades lighter than Harry and Ron�s own room.

�Is your room orange then?� Theo asked Harry with a look of pity after the ex-saviour commented on it.

�That�s so not fair,� Ron yelled. �I don�t like orange that much.�

A burst of laughter followed his statement and they were all practically in tears as they ignored Ron�s adamant, �What? I don�t!�

�Uh huh.� Theo eyed Ron in amusement mixed with incredulity. �I hate to point his out to you Ron, but your top is bright orange, your jeans are some strange maroon colour that I�ve never seen before and which probably shouldn�t exist. Even your laces are orange.�

�He�s in denial,� Blaise whispered into a giggling Harry�s ear.

Harry, who had begun to calm down, began to laugh again which set off the rest of them apart from an annoyed looking Ron. This was scene Draco and Neville entered upon several minutes later. Three hysterical siblings and one irritated one, who was admittedly beginning to look amused at his laughing brothers.

Draco raised one elegant eyebrow before deciding not to ask, though his lips twitched as Ron jumped on a howling Blaise and began to wrestle with him. A huff from next to him had the blond turning curiously towards Neville, who was glaring at the wrestling figures.

Brows furrowed in confusion, Draco glanced between the boy next to him and the ones on the floor trying to find the reason for that look of hostility and . . . jealousy? Realisation had Draco nearly gaping until he quickly caught himself and noticed Harry grinning at him from the other side of the room.

Draco raised his eyebrows in a silent question and the other boy gave a small nod and a wink. Of course Harry would know. The Slytherin had never seen anyone so observant in all his life. At least where his family and friends were concerned anyway. Merlin, how long had this being going on within him realising it? He groaned when the knowledge of what he had just learned washed over him. Wasn�t it bad enough that he had to deal with Blaise moping on about Hermione every other day?

Sirius voice calling up the stairs and telling them to hurry up interrupted both Draco�s thoughts and the playful wrestling on the ground. As they all made for the door, Draco hung back and yanked Harry back, so that they were walking at the back of the group.

�How long has that been going on?� Draco was nothing if not blunt, Harry mused. Always went completely straight to the point.

Harry shrugged in response and wrinkled his brow in thought. �I�m not sure to be honest. I think it�s still pretty new though.�

�So Neville likes Ron?�

�Yup. Seems so.�

�Where the bloody hell did that come from?� Harry blinked at Draco�s uncharacteristic use of foul language.

�I don�t know. You know yourself how close we all are. It probably crept up on him with him even realising it, just like it did with Blaise and Hermione.�

�Yes, the only trouble is that Hermione likes Blaise back,� Draco hissed quietly, ignoring the puzzled looks he received from the others in front of them. �Does Ron like Neville?�

Harry frowned at that, it was something that had been bothering him as well and he was hesitant to answer. �If I was to answer honestly, then I�d say no but,� he stressed as Draco opened his mouth to speak, �you can never know with Ron. As much as he doesn�t admit it, Ron is better than most of us, even you, at putting on a mask and hiding his true feelings.�

Draco nodded slowly. He didn�t want to judge Ron before he knew his true feelings, however. . .

�I know how you feel,� Harry said softly, �but this isn�t something we can protect them against. This is something that they�ll have to figure out in their own time. By themselves.�

The blond knew that that was a very clear warning not to interfere and though disappointed, he agreed.

Downstairs they enjoyed exploring the living room further, including the large television and PS3 which they were all intrigued by and which Ron had to practically be dragged away from after he learnt what it was. It was after investigating the kitchen, where Ron couldn�t resist sneaking a snack out of the fridge, that they all rejoined Sirius and Remus in the living room.

�Did you all pick out you rooms?� Sirius asked from his lounging position on the couch that reminded Harry distinctly of a sprawled dog.

His question received an influx of chattering and excited shouts and Sirius looked alarmed at the mayhem he had caused. He glanced at his husband for help and received a smirk in return. Growling at the pain the noise was causing his ears, the animagus used a nifty trick he had picked up from Lily several years ago. Putting two fingers in his mouth he blew and an ear piercing whistle sounded through the room causing immediate silence.

�You done?� Sirius inquired nonchantly. Silence. �Good.�

�I think I�m deaf,� mumbled Blaise, shaking his head.

�Does anyone else hear ringing?� Ron shouted, hitting himself on the side of the head.

Rolling her eyes at their exaggeration, Hermione answered from them all that yes they had found their rooms and were very happy with them, thank you very much.

�Yeah, what she said,� Ron agreed.

After asking a few more questions (and doing a large amount of complaining that if he had to paint the muggle way, that the kids did too) Sirius was suitably satisfied that they were all happy.

Soon Remus along with Ron, Blaise, Neville and Draco disappeared back through the fireplace to Grimmauld Place to start the long process of carting everything from their old home in Britain to their new home in Washington.

�There has to be an easier way of doing this,� Harry groaned as he carried yet another box upstairs. His comment was directed towards his godfather who was walking several steps in front of him with a box of his lover�s books.

�There�s not a chance that half of this stuff will come through a Portkey still in one piece and trying to concentrate on apparating yourself as well as luggage raises the chances of splinching considerably. Even the Floo network isn�t full proof, but it�s the best we can do.�

Harry grumbled in annoyance, though he readily accepted his godfather�s word. As fit as he was from training and Quidditch, going up the stairs for what felt like the hundredth time that day was beginning to wear on him. Their boxes and trunks couldn�t be just transported upstairs either because apparently not only were they temperamental from going through the Floo, but the chances of the boxes landing in the right room were very slim.

Therefore Harry, Theo, Hermione and Sirius spent several hours carting stuff upstairs or into the kitchen or some other place in the house depending on what it was.

�Where does this go?�, �That�s not suppose to be there!� and �Why did we have to move again?� became the most common phrases among the younger magic users that morning. Meanwhile Sirius readily took everything in stride, giving orders on where everything should go.

�Do you notice that we tend to be doing the hard work?� Harry huffed, shoving the box labelled as Theo�s higher on his shoulder.

Hermione merely groaned, dragging her box up behind her by one of the flaps.

�We might as well give him a whip. Just so he could say-�

�Hurry up!� Sirius yelled up the stairs. �These boxes aren�t going to move themselves!�

�-that,� Harry finished. He grinned when he heard Hermione giggling behind him.

They took what they felt was a well-deserved break when they reached the top of the stairs. Said break comprised of them both collapsing upon the carpet and lying there panting.

�Just gonna rest for a minute or two,� Harry moaned, covering his eyes with his hand.

�Just a little break,� Hermione agreed, sleepily.

�Ah-hem.�

Harry blinked and removed his hand from his eyes. A sigh of relief escaped him when he saw that it wasn�t Sirius standing above them, but Theo. The brown haired boy looked torn between exasperation and amusement.

�You do realise that lying here will not make the boxes move any faster.� It sounded more like a statement than a question so Harry decided to reserve his energy by not replying. �I expected little else from you Harry-�

�Hey!� Harry protested, deciding that defending his honour and stuff required his energy at the moment. �I only suggested it, Hermione encouraged me.�

�Hermione?�

�Carpet�s soft and fluffy,� was the mumbled reply.

�Mmmhmmm.� He definitely sounded amused now.

�Come on, get up. The sooner this is over, the sooner Sirius can get out of his insane slave driver mode and back to his normal slightly less insane overprotective mode.�

Reluctantly the other two got up on their knees and began to push their boxes along the carpet in small, half-hearted movements while Theo tried not to chuckle as he carried his own box along after them.

They eventually reached the rooms in which the boxes belonged too and deposited them just inside the door.

�Hungry,� Harry groaned, patting his rumbling stomach.

�Do all men become reduced to one syllable words when food is involved?� Hermione inquired curiously.

�Yes.�

�Ah, just wondering.�

�M�kay.�

Less than an hour later, they all gathered back at Grimmauld Place for lunch. Harry couldn�t help thinking how bare the big kitchen looked without anything on the counters and for a brief moment he felt a small pang of loss before shaking it away.

After grabbing a few ham and cheese sandwiches, the dark-haired boy quickly got caught up in a discussion with Theo as to what would happen if they tried to levitate the boxes upstairs. Harry couldn�t prevent a small smirk at the fact that laziness appeared to be contagious.

�It�s nearly three hours since the boxes came through the Floo. All or at least most of the residual magic from the fireplace should be gone by now,� whispered Theo. �The muggle environment should have increased the speed it disappeared by a good deal too.�

Harry grinned. He loved when Theo got involved in his plans. Like Theo, Harry tended to be quiet, shy and often withdrawn, particularly around those he didn�t know. However, if there was one thing he excelled at was being mischievous and cunning. He had received help on the mischievous front from his godfather and Albus. Theo was not one who enjoyed playing pranks and tended to stay away from the rest of his adopted siblings when they engaged in prank wars. On the rare occasions that he did get involved, each side would fight to have him on their side because of his sheer cleverness and cunning.

�Sorry to burst your bubble or lack thereof.� Harry groaned. Hermione. Ever the voice of reason, logic and worst of all: facts. �If magic is used on any object, magic or otherwise, for up to six hours after it�s been through the floo network, then everything in a ten metre radius will be gone.�

Gifted with two equally blank looks, the witch rolled her eyes and elaborated. �It will explode. You know, blow up, go off, detona-�

�We get it,� Theo cut her off, looking annoyed. She threw him a disgruntled look before flouncing off.

�How could you not know that?� Harry hissed, poking him.

�What about you? You didn�t know it ether.� Theo poked him in return.

�You�re the smart one!�

�Just because I read books doesn�t mean I know everything. I�m not Hermione you know.�

They sat in sullen silence for a few minute chomping on their sandwiches, before Harry sighed and clapped Theo on the back. �It was a good idea though, if it was about three hours in the future.�

�Think Hermione still has her Time Turner from third year?�

�I rather doubt it,� Harry chuckled, receiving a grin in return.

An hour later, they had forgotten what happiness meant as they stood staring in abject horror at the scene before them.

�So, we�ll start with one box each-�

�You want us to put every single one of your books in alphabetical order?� Harry gasped, clutching onto Theo�s sleeve. He almost grinned when he felt the other boy grab back frantically.

Hermione looked shocked at his suggestion. �No! We have to separate them by subject first and then alphabetically. Then chronologically of course.�

�Of course,� Theo nodded, looking perfectly serious, but Harry could feel the small shuffling steps he was making towards the door. �That makes perfect sense.�

Harry stifled hysterical laughter with difficulty. He had no idea how many books Hermione had, but knew it was a lot. Nearly every box that had been labelled with the witch�s name had contained books. He briefly considered running for it, but one look at his friend�s eager face had dispelled that notion. This was one of the rare times he had seen her look anything except miserable in days and he wasn�t going to be the one to change that.

Crookshanks, who was still roaming around Hermione�s room much to Theo�s displeasure, had no such sympathies and Harry pouted as he watched the cat scamper out of the room. Fucking lucky cat.

�Alright then,� the young wizard sighed. He heard a faint whimper from the boy beside and rolled his eyes while he dragged the boy forwards. �Which box will I take first?�

------------

Harry and Theo stumbled downstairs nearly two hours later, holding onto each other for support. Hermione followed them with her nose buried in Advanced Muggle Studies. An evil smirk played across her lips every time she glanced up and saw her two exhausted brothers.

�Ron!�

Said red-head looked up from his lounging position across one of the couches. He grinned at the sight of his best friend. �Hey Harry. Mate, you�ll never believe how comfortable this cou-oof!�

The wind was abruptly knocked out of him when the dark-haired wizard collapsed on him with a muffled groan.

�What the hell?� Ron inquired when his lungs filled with air again. He cast a questioning glance at Hermione, who looked frighteningly smug, and Theo, who looked just as wrecked as Harry.

Theo moaned and fell face-first onto another couch. �Hermione. . .books. . .alphabetical order. . .�

�Ah.� Ron nodded wisely. Enough said. He gave Theo a sympathetic look despite the fact that he didn�t see it and patted Harry reassuringly on the back. �There, there,� he mock-comforted.

Harry snorted and batted his arm away. �Thank,� he quipped sarcastically. He half-heartedly attempted to get off of his best friend, before giving up and flopping back down again, ignoring Ron�s grunt of pain.

�Where is everyone?� he wondered. The room was empty accept for the four of them and Crookshanks who was happily clawing at the scratching post in the corner that they had brought with them.

�There all doing something in the kitchen,� Ron replied, yawning. �I didn�t better asking. Neville said he�d get me a soda though.�

Hermione sniffed disdainfully. �What did your last slave die of?�

Ron glared at her when Theo and Harry let out tired chuckles. Then Harry sighed and straightened up. �I�m too tired to even sleep right now.� His statement was met with a muffled protest from Theo who had yet to straighten up from his slumped position.

Harry gazed around the living room and couldn�t help the flush of pleasure he felt at the remembrance that this was now their home. He sunk down onto the soft carpet with a pleased murmur. He had never lain down on a carpet before. It was really soft.

�Alright down there Harry.� An amused voice had him glowering up at Blaise who was standing over him. His glower faded when he saw what Blaise was holding. He vaguely realised that the rest of the Black-Lupin family had joined them in the living room but he had eyes only for the can Blaise was holding.

�Awesome!� he yelped happily, taking the offered coke from his brother�s hand.

�What is this?� Ron�s puzzled question had both Harry, Hermione and surprisingly Remus staring at him aghast.

�This,� Hermione said slowly, �is the best drink in the entire world. Nothing the Wizarding World had will never come even close to this. Not even Butterbeer.�

Those who had grown up in purely wizarding families gave her a sceptical look, but Harry ignored them and gulped down the drink delightedly. The pleasant but fizzy substance brought tears to his eyes and had him grinning. It was only rarely that he had ever been able to indulge in having fizzy drinks when he lived with the Dursleys and it was usually when they had left him alone in the house and he could sneak one out of the fridge. Of course, Aunt Petunia�s sharp eye had always caught it and he always went without any food for the week afterwards.

Seeing the sombre expression that was beginning to creep over Harry�s face, Remus quickly spoke up and gained everyone�s attention. �Everyone did a fantastic job today and I�m really proud of you all.�

Sirius laughed when the kids cheered and began to toast each other with their sodas. He startled a little when an arm crept around his waist, then relaxed when he was pulled closer to his lover�s body and rested his head on the slightly taller shoulder.

When the rambunctious shouts had died down Remus said, �We want you all to have a good first night here so you can all choose to do whatever you want, except going outside which is off limits until Sirius and I put the wards up.�

Harry and Ron pouted a bit at having their planned adventure in the forest taken away but nodded along with everyone else. While Remus wandered off towards the boxes of books in front of one of the bookcases and Hermione returned to her own book, everyone else began to decide what they wanted to do.

Sirius laughed when the boys decided to try out the Playstation 3 and Harry began to try to explain the idea of a games console to Ron, Blaise and Draco from what he remembered of Dudley�s one before the boy chucked it out the window.

The animagus turned to where Theo was lightly dozing on one of the couches. With a soft smile he approached him. The curly-haired boy startled at the gentle touch on his head and blinked blearily up at Sirius who chuckled. Carefully, Sirius picked up Theo�s head, sat down and placed it in his lap.

The young wizard grumbled for a moment and wriggled a bit to get more comfortable. After a few minutes he snuggled into Sirius� thigh and his breath began to even out again. Long fingers carded through the teenager�s brown hair in hopes of soothing him and keeping away nightmares. Sirius only wished that it was that easy.

Over by the television Ron and Draco were busy arguing about whether they should play a car racing game, Grand Theft Auto or something called Medal of Honor while Harry and Blaise attached the game console to the television. Sirius had no idea what they were talking about as he and Remus had just picked up the first games they saw.

�Just pick one already,� Harry growled and picked up one of the remotes tossing Blaise the other one.

Ron rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in defeat, while a smirking Draco passed Harry Grand Theft Auto. The two holding the remotes settled down on the couch directly in front of the television as Ron sprawled across the floor and the blond Malfoy collapsed beside Harry.

�So what exactly is the aim of this game?� Blaise asked, fiddling with the remote. Harry slapped his hands away from the buttons and concentrated on setting up the game instead of answering.

Picking up the cover of the game, Ron flipped it over and read the back of it. �We�re taking the role of a criminal in a muggle city,� he read out, then frowned. �Says something about a gun as well. What�s a gun?�

Harry rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for patience when three curious eyes turned his way. At this rate it was going to take longer to explain the actual game than anything else. They probably wouldn�t end up playing it for an hour.

The last of the Black line laughed at his godson�s frustrated expression despite having a very limited amount of knowledge concerning muggles. Something his lover liked to tease him about whenever he got the chance.

A small movement of the couch had his head turning towards Hermione who had taken the seat beside him. �Everything alright?� he asked quietly so as not to disturb Theo.

The brown-haired girl nodded, then slowly began to shake her head. Her breath hitched and tears began to flood her eyes though she valiantly tried to keep them from spilling. Sirius held out his arm to her and she quickly set down her book and cuddled into his side, tears finally falling when her face was hidden in his shirt.

The animagus made soft, comforting noises. He didn�t try to get her to stop crying because he knew it would be better for her to let it out rather then keeping it all bottled up. He merely remained a steady presence, rubbing soothing circles on her back while simultaneously stroking his son�s hair.

The boys had all ignored their interaction although Sirius had seen them throwing their sister concerned looks, they had not intervened while she cried and gave them both the privacy they needed. They were now preoccupied in breaking into cars, running away from cops and other crude things that the animagus knew his partner would be furious to see in the game.

Soon Hermione�s sobs began to fade away and Sirius conjured a handkerchief for her to clean her face with. �Feel better?� he inquired sympathetically.

The young witch nodded, her face blotchy and eyes red-rimmed from crying. �Thanks.� she whispered hoarsely.

The black-haired man merely shook his head. �You don�t need to thank me. That�s what I�m here for.�

Hermione smiled weakly at him and settled back down with her head pressed against his shoulder. Her eyes fluttered shut, exhausted from the day�s work and her bout of crying. �I miss them,� she mumbled sleepily, just before her breath began to even out.

�I know you do sweetheart,� Sirius murmured, feeling rather emotional himself. �I know.�

Truthfully, Sirius had no idea what it felt like to lose your parents. He had left home completely voluntarily at the age of sixteen and he had never looked back. While he regretted abandoning his only brother the way he did, the animagus had never once missed his parents. They had never been comforting or loving or praised either of their sons they way Sirius and Remus tried to do with their kids everyday. Instead they had been verbally abusive. Mocking one child and pinning all their ambitions on another. Sometimes Sirius was unsure whether he or Regulus had gotten the worst end of the deal.

Hermione, on the other hand, had been forced to leave her parents behind. While her decision had been made willingly, she had essentially sacrificed her happiness for her baby brothers and it was a decision she would have to live with for the rest of her life.

An instinct made Sirius look up and his eyes locked with golden-brown ones. Remus smiled lovingly at his partner and then tilted his head towards Theo and Hermione. The animus looked down at the two sleeping teenagers and grinned. He mouthed �they�re fine� at the werewolf who nodded in relief, then winced when a car blew up on the television and the four boys laughed gleefully.

Sirius�s memories brought up fond times of moments when he, Remus and James would laugh like that after executing another trophy-worthy prank. He turned to meet Remus� eyes again but frowned when he noticed the panicked expression on the werewolf�s face. His lover�s eyes were glowing in fervour and his head was tilted upwards, his nose sniffing, his body tensed.

- - - - - - - - --

Outside in the forest Jacob Black lunged at his pack brother and growled when he missed.

�Missed me,� Jared�s voice sounded inside his head.

Jacob merely snarled at him and went to jump again when he was knocked to the ground by the furball that was Seth Clearwater.

�Hey guys, what�s up?�

With his head tilted to one side and his tongue lolling out, Jake found it impossible to be mad at their youngest pack member. Instead he nudged the sandy-coloured wolf playfully which the younger one seemed to take as incentive to talk.

�You should have seen it Jake! The minute I saw it I knew I had to have it. I tell one thing though, it was fast. I thought I wasn�t going to catch it but then I swerved an-�

�Woah Seth. What the fuck are you talking about?�

Seth gave Jake a �duh� type of look but answered anyway. �A rabbit.�

The other pack member�s snorts of laughter echoed through his head and Jake couldn�t help joining in, his exasperation at the young boy seeping through the link.

�Come on Seth.�

Jake pushed the other shapeshifter with his head and then took off in the direction of the rest of the pack. They were patrolling the area around La Push forest just like they had been doing every night since they turned. Only this time it was with a purpose. Leah and Embry had caught the scent of a vampire when they were patrolling that morning and Sam had decided to take everyone but those two wolves out that night to see if they could pick up the scent again and follow it.

Revelling in the feel of the leaves crumpling under his paws and the cold air against his warm body, Jacob ran with his pack. His eyes scanned the forest for movement and his nose varied between trying to catch scents in the air and on the ground. When a number of unfamiliar scents and one familiar one caught his attention he stiffened and with seconds a series of growls were echoing through the forest.

Sam mad a leap over several of the pack and towards Jacob where the scent was the strongest. His huge, black wolf form was trembling with the growls emitting his body.

�What is that?� Paul�s voice was suspicious when it came through the link.

Sam�s eyes narrowed and he snarled again. �Where are we?�

Quil and Jake were tended to patrol this part of the woods more than the rest so a quick glance around swiftly jolted their memories. �Up past the creek that leads to the cliffs. Near Old Willow,� Jake informed his Alpha.

The vague memory of that familiar scent was nagging at him and with a burst of inspiration a gold-eyes, sandy-haired face popped into his mind. The other shapeshifters who had been there that day recalled Remus� face as well.

�That was the scent Remus gave off,� Quil said, in puzzlement. �I remember how strange it was because it smells nearly exactly-�

�-like us,� Sam finished, his entire body tense.

�What about the other scents?� Seth was bounding around in agitation, not liking the unpleasant vibes that everyone was permitting. Besides those two men, Remus and Sirius had seemed really nice!

�It doesn�t matter how nice they seem you idiot!� Jared snapped.

Seth glared at the brown wolf. �I was only saying. . .�

�Well don�t!�

The rest of the pack ignored the quarrelling duo and positioned their bodies in the direction the scents were coming from. �They mentioned that they had some adopted kids,� Jake pointed out. �That�s probably what the other smells are.�

�Did anyone see them pass through the village today?� Sam directed the question towards the pack at large and received negative responses from everyone.

�What should we do?� Quil asked, pawing nervously at the ground.

Sam remained quiet for a long time and the rest of the pack remained silent when he began to discuss the situation with his bet, Jacob.

�Nothing,� he answered finally. �They�ve caused no harm to us and we have no reason to harm them. They way that man, Remus, smells is peculiar but not dangerous. We have more important things to worry about than this new family.�

�Too right!� Seth yelled. �Lets kick some vampire butt!� His furry behind disappeared into the trees as he gambled off and the other wolves chuckled as they followed him at a slightly slower pace.

Jake made to follow behind Quil when a tantalising scent caught his attention. He had noticed it before mixed it with all the other smells, but it had been subdued. Now, it mesmerised him and without realising it his legs began to move of their own accord towards the private property of Old Willow.

A sharp bark from his Alpha had him shaking off his daze and he sprinted towards the trees. He paused for a moment and glanced backwards before shaking his giant head and hurrying to catch up to the rest of his pack, resisting the urge to turn back. Ignoring the ache in soul that told him he was leaving something very important behind him, he focused his mind on the hunt ahead.

--------------

Inside the Black-Lupin household Remus�s eyes faded from luminous gold back to their ordinary amber colour. Sirius� shoulders slumped and he let out a sigh of relief when his mate�s tense form relaxed and the frown faded from his face. The werewolf smiled reassuringly at his anxious lover and tried to loosen the knots from his back and legs.

The suddenness of the wolf scent had startled him and he had lost control of his inner beast momentarily. It was something that he always kept rigid control over, in fear of hurting someone he loved. The smells had faded quickly though and Remus presumed it was a hungry wolf pack searching for food who had been frightened away by the scent of humans in the area. What else could it be after all?

A whoop of triumph from Draco had him sighing and he winced when Theo woke with a start. Sirius was fast acting though and soon had him settling down again, but not before the curly-haired boy had grabbed one of the cushions and lobbed it in Draco�s direction. The wallop to the side of the head had Draco flying over the edge of the couch and landing with a thump on the ground.

Delighted, Ron reached for the dropped remote only to hit the ground himself when Draco, who had quickly recovered, belted him the same cushion and haughtily demanded the remote back. Remus shook his head in fond exasperation at their behaviour, but smiled none the less. He wouldn�t change a thing.

--------------

Falling into bed that night was a more than welcome retrieve for his aching body. Harry had barely managed to remove his clothes before crawling into bed, sighing as he snuggled into the warm comforter and grateful

�Night Ron,� he called to the other bed. A loud snore was his answer and he chuckled before turning on his other side. He could see out of the huge window that took up one wall because they hadn�t put any curtains up yet. He hoped they never did. Seeing the forest at night from his dorm room during the war had been one of his greatest comforts. There was something soothing and peaceful about the darkness he mused, gazing at the quarter moon that lit up the forest it below. He had thought that being away from Britain the first night would be discomfiting, even frightening but it wasn�t.

The sky and the forest looked so alike to the one at Hogwarts that Harry felt comforted. His last thought before he fell asleep had been whether or not to put up a silencing charm so that nobody would hear his nightmares, therefore getting a goodnight sleep.. He decided against it. Sirius and Remus, as well as all his siblings would be furious if they found out. No need to anger the masses.

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Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed!!! That means you Early Dawn(who�s reviewed every chapter so far!), Angie, worriorbookwyrm(another three times reviewer!), Rainbow 12004(three times as well!), spk, fantasypainter(that song is really beautiful and it seems to fit their situation perfectly!), alwayslove and bloodrayvn. They mean the world to me and you all get Jake-shaped cookies! ^.^
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A Curious Nature