A/N: Actually, the title of this chapter goes more with the last few lines, which should have been a chapter in and of themselves for the title to make any sense. But I thought this arrangement was better than to have the last chapter be REALLLLLLLY long, and this one ridiculously short. Once you read it, you'll understand.

Now, yes, this is the last chapter of The Bonds That Tie. I hope you have enjoyed my try at anguish. My Klennex stock didn't go up as much as I hoped, but then again, neither did any of my other investments.

As promised, since I'm officially starting my vacation with the publication of this chapter, and to keep you guys interested enough to come back for Family Relations, I'm posting the first chapter of that story as a sneak peek at the end of Q&A. I hope you enjoy it, remember it, and come back to read it whenever I actually get around to posting it. But I am working hard on it. And by the way, if you think the end of the first chapter is the reason for why I keep telling you Sirius isn't 'exactly' in Family Relations, just allow me to say, nope!

Tried and Convicted, the sequel to The Bonds That Tie, will be out first though. It's really just my way to tie up some lose ends. It's not very long, folks. A few chapters at best. The next story out will be Enemies, because you need some background on Orion Black before you begin Family Relations. Somewhere in there I'll throw out Siriusly Bored, which is another Sirius/Baby Harry story, but more along the lines of A Dog's Day. Another of P.A.R.'s little attempts at humor. And which, by the way, has NOTHING to do with the AU of The Bonds That Tie, O.K.?

One last thing. I barely had time to proof-read this, so forgive the errors.

Chapter Fourteen: Every Parents Nightmare

After several weeks of staying in the castle, Sirius and Harry finally, happily moved into Remus' small cottage. It wasn't that the castle wasn't a nice place to stay, but Sirius felt it simply wasn't the place he wanted to try and make a home for Harry.

Thankfully, there wasn't a lot, past Harry's toys, to move. Sirius seemed to have adapted their sparse style of living on the streets to his life in general. And despite Remus' attempts to get him to buy things for himself, Sirius seemed focused on buying things solely for Harry.

Several mornings after Sirius and Harry had settled into Remus' cottage, Remus came downstairs and stepped into his cozy little kitchen to find Sirius sitting in one of the chairs at the table with a squirming Harry sitting in a highchair across from him. Sirius was making several attempts to get his godson to take a spoonful of cereal with little success.

"Maybe he doesn't like it, Padfoot." Remus offered up as a reason for Harry's blatant refusal.

"He loved it yesterday." Sirius replied dismally as he tried again, unsuccessfully, to get Harry to take a bite.

"That was yesterday." Remus replied. "This is today. New day. New rules."

Sirius leaned back in his chair with a sigh as Remus came over and lifted Harry out of his highchair. "Let's try some milk instead." Remus suggested.

"He's already had a bottle." Sirius answered.

Remus held Harry up in the air with a pleased smile. "Did you?" He exclaimed. "What a good boy, Harry!"

"He's not a dog, Remus."

"And you would know." Remus replied, sticking his tongue out at Sirius.

Harry laughed happily at the display and clapped his hands several times. Lowering the baby down, Remus started towards the refrigerator when Harry began to squirm about in his arms and turned to Sirius.

Holding his two small hands out towards his godfather, Harry cried, "Da!"

Sirius dropped the spoon he was holding as Remus nearly dropped Harry. Neither of them had ever heard that particular word from the child before.

Turning Harry about to face him, Remus gave the child a proud smile.

"Harry, you learned a new word!" Remus exclaimed happily.

Harry squirmed about until he was facing his godfather again and once more reached out to him.

"Da!" Harry cried again. "Da, da, da, da, da, da."

Remus turned a pleased smile to his friend. But it immediately disappeared when he saw the stricken look on Sirius' face.

"Sirius?"

Sirius nearly knocked the chair over behind him as he got to his feet and left the room as quickly as he could.

As the problem suddenly dawned on Remus, he quickly left after Sirius.

Finding him sitting in the livingroom on the sofa by Harry's playpen, Remus slowly walked over and sat next to him.

"It's just a word to him, Sirius." Remus offered quietly as Harry quickly climbed between the two and into Sirius' lap. "He probably doesn't even understand it yet."

"I'm not the one he should be calling that, Remus." Sirius replied miserably as he stared sadly down at his godson who was playing happily in his lap with a toy he had found sitting on the sofa cushion. "It's.....like a betrayal to James for his son to be calling me that for the first time. He said have said that to James. Not me."

"Life isn't often fair, my friend." Remus answered. "But Sirius, you shouldn't feel any betrayal. James and Lily both picked you for that roll in Harry's life if anything happened to them. It's what they wanted."

"It shouldn't have had to be, Remus." Sirius said quietly. "It just shouldn't have had to be."

Remus did his best over the next few days to brighten Sirius' mood. And to some small degree he succeeded, only to have it shot down each morning when Sirius would appear in the kitchen only to have Harry pipe up with what was rapidly becoming an offensive word in the household. Harry received no praise whatsoever for the word. If anything, he would retreat into himself almost immediately at the dark look he would get from his godfather each time he said the word. But nothing Sirius did or said dissuaded Harry from using the word. Neither man could think for the life of them where he had picked it up, although Sirius had his sights set on the house elves at the castle.

After a week of Remus watching his efforts to cheer Sirius up shot down each morning, Remus started dedicating an exorbitant amount of time to working on Harry's vocabulary. Sirius wasn't sure, nor would Remus tell him, exactly what went on during these daily language lessons. But nor did he interfere, figuring if anyone was the proper language professor for the child, it was the all to well articulated Remus Lupin.

However, a week after the lessons had started, Sirius found himself practically dragged into the livingroom one afternoon by an overly-excited Remus, who sat him in a chair by the fireplace and quickly disappeared out of the room again, telling him to stay put.

"Thinks I'm his bloody dog." Sirius grumbled. His mood hadn't been good all morning. But it turned to curiosity when Remus returned a few moments later carrying Harry in his arms.

Remus sat Harry on the sofa before Sirius and crouched in front of him.

"All right now, Harry," Remus said, barely containing his excitement, "let's show Sirius what we've learned, shall we?"

"Learned?" Sirius questioned cautiously. "What have you been teaching the child, Remus? I mean, I'll eventually be blamed for it. So I want to know what it is."

"Shhhhh!" Remus hissed at him, waving him off at the same time. "You'll make him nervous."

Sirius sighed and sat back in his chair.

"Now," Remus said in the same excited voice as he stared expectantly at the child, "Harry, who am I?"

"Have you gone and lost your memory like Dr. Richards, Remus?" Sirius asked in a bored manner.

Remus sighed loudly, but kept his attention focused on the child sitting in front of him.

"Harry," Remus asked again, "who am I?"

Harry stared up at the man in front of him. He knew the voice. It was familiar enough. But that didn't offer a lot of consolation. Which, with so much attention focused on him, was what Harry was looking for.

Well, Harry had one answer for what to do when he got nervous. Promptly his thumb went into his mouth and the child started sucking like crazy on it.

Sirius stared at Harry for a moment, then back at Remus. "You taught him to suck his thumb?" He asked.

Harry quickly turned his head to the sound.

His voice!

A smile quickly came to Harry's face as he focused on the man sitting behind the one in front of him.

"Harry?"
Harry turned back to the other voice.

"Come on now." Remus nearly pleaded with the child. "Show Sirius how smart you are. Once again now, who am I?"

Harry looked at the man before him. The person patted his chest and stated something rather firmly. Harry started getting a little more nervous and quickly turned his gaze to the other person in the room. The one who always made him feel safe.

"Harry!"

Harry shifted his attention again. The other man was now staring at him in a way that made Harry feel even worse than he already did. Harry began sucking harder on his thumb.

The man wanted something.

From the tip of his memory, Harry could vaguely remember the routine. The man would make the same gesture he was making now. Harry had given a response and he had gotten a treat.

Harry remembered the treats. And he sorely wanted one now.

Harry waved one arm in the air at the man, trying to convey his desire to him.

"Harry." The man said again, making the same gesture with a bit more emphasis, "who am I?"

The voice was a bit harder sounding now, and a little more agitated. Neither of which was making Harry feel very comfortable or safe.

Harry turned back to his voice. He liked his voice better than the other one. It was usually soft and comforting, and always managed to make him feel safe.

"Remus, he's getting upset." Sirius stated calmly. "Maybe we should just do this later."

Harry listened to his voice. It didn't sound upset or angry, so the other voice must not be a danger, even though it was starting to give Harry a feeling he didn't much like.

"No. Now...., he did it just this morning, Sirius. He's just nervous." Remus stated quickly, trying to keep his voice even. "Come on now, Harry." He coaxed the child. "You did it just this morning. I know you can do this."

Harry stared at the man before him. He was starting to get bored. The voice was just making noise. And that didn't much interest him.

Harry turned back to his voice. It was always good at thinking up fun things to do.

Harry promptly held two arms up in the air.

"Paf!" He cried.

Sirius smiled slightly as Remus frowned at the child.

"That's it?" Sirius asked. "Remus, he could already do that."

Remus now looked down right distressed. He quickly knelt in front of Harry.

"Harry," he pleaded, "come on now. For me. For Moony. Show Sirius what you've learned. Who am I?"

Harry's attention suddenly shifted back to the man before him . A word caught his attention and a spark of memory showed in his face. He knew the word.

Harry concentrated very hard. What was the word the other voice liked so well?

"Moony!" Harry suddenly piped up.

To his delight, the other voice suddenly began lavishing praise on him in a happy sounding tone and a biscuit appeared in his hand.

Harry quickly shoved the treat into his mouth. Mission accomplished. Time to go do something that was more fun. Maybe the other voice had some ideas.

Harry stuck two arms up in the air again. "Moony!" He cried again.

All he got this time was patted on the head. But the other voice still sounded happy.

"Very, very good, Harry!" The man praised him. "Now," he continued, sounding a little less pleased, "what about the other word we learned?"

Harry got very quiet.

"Harry?" The voice asked. This time the man moved and pointed to Harry's voice. "Harry, who is that?"

"Remus?" Sirius asked suddenly in a slightly dark sounding tone. "What is this?"

But Remus waved him off quickly. "If you stay quiet, you'll see." Remus instructed him. Turning back to Harry, Remus pointed at Sirius again. "Harry, who is that?"

Harry thought very hard. He was remembering the routine better now. But he still couldn't quite get it. There was something else he was suppose to do, and he would get another biscuit. But he just couldn't remember it.

Remus noted the child's growing look of distress. Waving his hand behind him, he spoke to Sirius. "Transform, will you, Sirius?"
"What?"

"Just do it."

Sirius sighed. But a second later, before the chair sat the large black dog.

"Now, Harry," Remus tried again, "who is that?"

Harry looked at the dog. "Paf!" He cried happily.

"Very good. Now," Remus turned briefly back to Sirius, "if you would be so kind."

The dog gave him an irritated look and transformed back.

"Now," Remus turned back to Harry, pointing to Sirius, "who is that?"

"Pa....." Harry began. But something sparked in his memory suddenly. "Foot!" He cried happily. "Pafoot, Pafoot, Pafoot!"

"Excellent! Tell McGonagall to give Gryffindor a hundred points when you get to Hogwarts!"

Remus turned back to Sirius, who was now sitting in his chair again. But his expression wasn't what Remus had hoped for.

"Pa-foot?" Sirius questioned past a deep frown.

"Pafoot!" Harry happily repeated.

"Shouldn't there be a 'D' in that word somewhere, Moony?"

"Well," Remus said carefully, "Padfoot is a bit more complicated. Moony was a bit easier for him from the start. But he'll get better as he gets use to it."

Sirius paused, then got up from the chair and walked over to the sofa. He picked Harry up from the sofa as Remus stood back up.

"Well, it was a thought." He said almost apologetically. "I thought it was better than, you know......, the 'other' word."

Sirius paused as he played for a moment with Harry. But slowly he turned back to Remus, a small grin creeping across his features which eventually turned into a genuine smile.

"Well," He said finally, "then I guess I'm 'Pafoot' for a while."

"Pafoot!" Harry happily agreed.

Sirius turned back to Remus, grabbing his friend in a one armed hug. "Thank you, Moony." He said sincerely. "I think it's the nicest thing I'll ever hear him say."

Harry suddenly piped up with a different word. One that caused Remus' mouth to drop and a hand to suddenly slap over his face when Sirius repeated the same word with a good deal more emphasis in response to Harry's expletive.

Remus sighed loudly as he shook his head, still resting in his hand. "The child has nowhere to go but up." He replied dismally.

For the next several days, the two men set about trying to teach Harry new words. Ones that generally, didn't involved four letters and, that wouldn't get even a sixth year detention.

Walking into the kitchen one morning, Remus was reading over the front page of the Daily Prophet, barely paying any attention to Sirius where he sat at the table with Harry seated next to him in his highchair.

"So," Remus asked, as he did on most mornings for the past few weeks, "what's the word of the day?"

Every morning began the same way. Remus would walk into the kitchen amid a repetition of a single word as Sirius tried to get Harry to repeat the sound.

But when Sirius didn't answer right away, Remus dropped the corner of the paper to see what was wrong.

His gaze met a very stressed looking Sirius.

"Padfoot? What's wrong?" He asked.

Sirius sighed to himself and turned to his godson. "Go on, Harry." He stated. "Tell Remus your new word."

"No!" Harry piped up quickly.

Remus looked a little startled, but quickly shook it off. "Well, that was a bit....rude." He commented, leaning down to Harry's level. "Why don't you want to tell me what your new word is, Harry?" He asked the child.

But Sirius shook his head. "You don't understand, Moony." He stated forlornly. "That is his new word."

"No!" Harry piped up again.

A sudden look of understanding past over Remus' face, followed by one of dismal comprehension. "Oh." He said softly, staring bleakly at the child before him.

Remus had been wrong about Harry's language acquisition. The child didn't have just up or down for directions. Harry had decided to take off full steam ahead. Right into the direction of every parents worst nightmare.

Q&A

Fever

Cheetah: Ohhhhh, thank you. Awesome, huh? Thank you very much!

Family Life

Voltora: Spare time? Spare time? Spare time? Could you describe what that looks like, Dear? P.A.R. isn't entirely sure she's ever seen that particular thing.

Oh, man! The Thesaurus ran off again?!

As for The Bonds That Tie, I was hoping if they ever did get rid of the word, you could help them out. But seeing as you have that missing Thesaurus thing going on right now.......well, you know.

And sorry, I can only post Sundays.

Sailor Sol: Thank you for your review and kind words about the story. I'm very pleased you enjoyed it and liked the ending. I worked for a long time trying to figure out the best way to end that epic. And despite all that work, here I sit getting ready to go to work on the sequel. Anyway, as always, P.A.R. is seriously impressed with anyone who would devote the time and effort into reading Family Life, and I hope to see you back for the two sequels.

The Bonds That Tie

Whisp! Sorry I missed you last week. But I usually stop answering reviews on Saturday due to my having to work on Sundays for now.

Of course Harry has Sirius wrapped around his finger. That's what babies do.

I'm glad everyone seems to be coming around to liking Aaron. Good for poor old Aaron. I wasn't ever planning a story that involved Aaron as the main character, but from the looks of things, I suppose I'll have to start thinking about one.

Grand plot twists? Me?

A question, Dear. In your second review, end of the first paragraph, you said 'and I could pro.' What is 'pro', Dear?

Ohhhhhhhhh, dang! *P.A.R. grabs Whisp by the sleeve, drags her up on stage.* Here it is, folks! Last gold star of The Bonds That Tie. For catching something that slipped by me who knows how many times by realizing Aaron should have said 'too old' instead of 'too young', *Slaps star on Whisp's forehead.* you, Unicorn Whisperer, have got yourself another gold star! Enjoy! *Shoves Whisp off stage.* Now go polish that MVP aware.

Black Sparkles: Awwww. P.A.R. hopes you are feeling better. No fun being sick.

And I'm sorry I missed you. But reviews have to be cut off Saturday night.

All right. Go crawl back into bed and feel better soon.

Essence of magic: I'd like to give you credit for P.A.R. finishing the story due to your clingy nature, Dear. But P.A.R. would never leave on vacation without finishing a story. It's one of her rules.

Trust me, if P.A.R. didn't have spell check, 'pneumonia' would have been so misspelled, people wouldn't know what was wrong with poor old Sirius.

Elizabeth Bathory: Actually, Dear, I do have some advice for you. Look over the pages of stories, find the day that has the fewest submissions, and post on that day. More to the point though, I have found several things people notoriously do or don't do that I feel are horrible mistakes. (I actually made a list of them and was planning to publish them, but Fanfiction.Net eliminated the 'lists' category and you can't list them in the stories category anymore.) First, they ignore the title completely. This is a very bad thing to do. I can't tell you how many stories I see with titles like 'Can't Think Of A Title' or 'HELP! I Need A Title', or my real favorite, the plain old 'Untitled'. These are almost always skipped by me. Your title is your first opportunity to grab your reader. These don't do that for me. If your not interested enough in your own story to give it a proper title, why should I want to read it?

Next, my absolute personal favorite. Summaries. Take some time on your summary, please! This is your opportunity to tell me why I should read your story. What makes your story so much better than the rest. PLEASE do not beg (Please read my story), threaten (If I don't get 'insert number' of reviews, I won't post the next chapter.), or tell me why I SHOULDN'T read your story (I know this is lame, but read it anyway.). If you don't like your story, or feel I need to be threatened or bribed to read it, chances are, I won't. Oh, and don't cuss at me please (Just read the damn thing.). You have two lines to catch my interest. Use them well.

Also, take time and fix those spelling errors. Nothing in this world turns a reader off like having to wade through a bunch of spelling errors. Grammar errors can be forgiven to a point. We all make them. But please take the time to use that spell checker.

Finally, update regularly. People seem to like that.

Happy writing, Dear.

Lotesse: What can I say? The Prozac finally kicked in.

Well, here Remus sort-of has to be the stick-in-the-mud to balance Sirius' over-indulgence of Harry. If it weren't for Remus, Harry would indeed, as Kim mentioned later in the reviews, be spoiled rotten.

A child's development is tied very closely to his age. In the first few years his developmental skills are going full tilt. Any disruption of that crucial time period can throw a stumbling block into a child's development like you wouldn't believe. Everything that happened to Harry just happened to fall within this time period. Thankfully, he's not out of it yet and can still, as Aaron said, catch up. Which he is doing.

Also, in his time with the Dursley's, keep in mind how he was treated. Or better, how he was 'trained'. 'Sit and be quiet' was the order of the day, every day. Think of that being engrained on that poor child for months. This is the reason Harry was such a 'good' baby for Sirius. He hardly ever cried and he stayed where he was put. (Well, except for that once.)

Yup! One more chapter. The wrap chap. (I like that.). But look! P.A.R. threw in the first chapter of Family Relations for good measure. (And so I can drive you nuts for a few months.)

Indeed, Tried And Convicted. And you have to know I'm not going to answer any of that.

Namarie.

Mayleesa: Of course I mentioned you, Dear. I always answer my reviewers if I can.

Told you it was fluffy. Like little fuzzy slippers.

Thank you for praying for my job. No word yet.

Teigra: You hope who gets past that stage, Dear? Sirius or Harry? Harry might, with Remus' help. I don't think Sirius ever will.

Remus will always be 'good old Uncle Remus'. Sitting on the sidelines, making sure no one has too much fun. But someone has to be there to balance Sirius' spoiling of the child.

Hermione Gulliver: That's all right, Dear. I know people get busy. *Sniff.* Forget poor old P.A.R.. *Sniff.* No, no. You go on. Have fun. I'll just sit here and wait for you to come back.....alone...in the dark.......with only a candle for heat....and no matches. *Sniff.*

Hey! I do a pretty good Jewish grandmother!

Anyway, yes, Aaron Richards is a full-fledged, fur-shedding, bone-chewing, tail-wagging werewolf.

Nicky: Sorry. But yes, this is the last chapter of this story, then P.A.R. is taking a little vacation to work on some other stories so she has something to post so you have something to look forward to on Monday mornings again. And probably Thursday mornings too, since with all the stuff I'm working on, I'll probably go back to posting twice a week for a while. So, you do come out better in the bargain, Dear. I just need a little time off, is all.

Did I mention I don't generally do the 'band-wagon endings?' In other words, the ones everyone jumps on. (Sirius is cleared, Peter is sent to Azkaban, Sirius gets Harry, adopts him, and everyone lives happily ever after.). No, no, Dear. Those are way too easy.

'Opportunity to mention him'? Come on. How much time does it take to add to a letter, 'Have you heard from Remus?' But the poor man is never mentioned once but in passing at the end. Now granted, Dumbledore wouldn't have told Sirius to lay low at Remus' if he didn't think he's be safe there. But still......., not one 'what happened to the werewolf' from anyone? But I do honestly think it was a possible plot point or simple oversight in the story. I would just find it a lot more interesting if the friendship was rebuilt rather than instantaneously revived.

Thank you for thinking of me and my job. We have not heard so far.

Starlight: Appreciate you liking the James and Lily thing. P.A.R. was a bit worried about that chapter.

I thought the title was appropriate. As is this one.

Phoenix: Thank you. Wasn't sure if people would go for cute in an anguishy story.

LauraBlade: I'll try to get my e-mail up and operating this week. Honestly, I don't know if it is or not. If you send something to me and you get no reply in a week or it comes back, give me a week and try again. I'm just no good with e-mail for some reason.

Thnak you for your best wishes. I hope someone is listening to all these prayers.

Me: CANADA! I'm being read in CANADA! *P.A.R. smiles.* That is SO cool! Wow! Canada!

By the way, you guys got stinkin' gypped in the Olympics.

Ohhhhhh, man, that is such a bummer! All night in line? Geez! And only then to end up without tickets?! Bummer!

Family Life is your favorite? Ohhhhhhhhhh, this makes P.A.R. VERY happy!!!!!!! And Fever is third on the list? Well, I got two of the top three places. So I certainly can't complain!

It's not that I don't like it, Dear. It's just that it's sort of.....unusual.

Yeah, I know, the titles are a bit confusing to keep them in line. Forgive me. P.A.R. gets on a kick and runs with it.

O.K., I won't kill the suspense for you. But you might want to skip the opening chapter, as that Sirius is in it.

Oh! Another review!

Thank you for seeing the brighter side of my vacation. It is, unfortunately, a necessary thing. I mean, it's not just got a down side for you guys, you know. P.A.R. will miss you while she's off working and miss logging in every Monday morning to read her reviews. It was indeed the high point of my week many a time. So, you see, I have proper incentive to get things done as quickly as possible.

Thanks for congratulations on the 'hits' thing. I'm very proud of that.

Thanks for thinking of me and for the prayers. No interviews this week. Still praying.

Silverfox: Ministries can not be trusted, true enough. And I could say more, but anything else that I would put down would likely only serve to spoil the plot of Tried And Convicted. And I wouldn't want to do that.

Taracollowen: Yes, indeed. Said it was cute. P.A.R. doesn't lie.

I'm not going to say anything in response to your comments about the ministry, and I'll tell you why, and you can draw you're own conclusions. I thought and thought and thought about something I could say in answer, but anything I put down would make writing Tried And Convicted redundant. In other words, saying anything in response would tie so closely to the plot of that story as to simply tell you the plot of that story. So, go read your own review again and happy reading.

Yah!!!!!! Someone else who agrees babies ain't that interesting! (Just cute.).

Ohhhhhh! Sirius 'has a very good character developed'? P.A.R. is sticking that one in her compliments drawer!
I agree. The old way was easier. But this is suppose to eliminate errors or something.

Maab: Actually, I thought it was too cute for words, myself.

Sailor Sol: You are SO headed for becoming a creative person. Most creative people are the biggest night-owls in the world.

Sirius being cleared of the whole Lily/James thing? Did you miss the title of the sequel, Dear?

A little incentive on the job thing, people. If P.A.R. gets her job, she can write more. Think about it.

Indarea: Indeed. Sweet enough to put a diabetic in a coma.

lilahp: Oh great! Another person trying to figure me out. All right. Bring it on. People have been trying for years.

Now, I don't always do that. Sometimes I'm just in a cute mood. And it may not wear off for several chapters. Not my fault.

Actually, I had to laugh about your discussion scenario. There actually IS a story out there with a very similar plot. The premise was an AU of PoA in which Sirius actually was an insane murderer who actually had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort and was actually after Harry to kill him. But for the life of me I can't recall the name of the story. Anyone?

RavenNat: Everyone wants to see more of Aaron. I swear, the man's following baffles me. First, everyone was absolutely sure he was going to betray Remus and Sirius to the ministry and that was that. The man was simply not to be trusted. Now he's practically got a fan club. And due to that loyal following, yes, you will see the good doctor poking his thermometer into other stories. But not in the near future. But I have considered a story involving how Dr. Richards came to be in Remus' life. But the way you're most likely to see him in a story is actually as the opposing character to Orion Black.

As for the Registry, I tried looking them up and couldn't find them. And I'm not sure how well they'd take to my stories, as that Remus is mostly just a supporting character in them. Not the main role.

Kim: Welcome! I figured you guys needed a break from the anguish thing. And yes, this is the last chapter to The Bonds That Tie. But it is being sequeled in Tried And Convicted, which is the story about Sirius facing the ministry's accusations. Which I promise you hits the ground running. So be prepared.

True, Sirius is out to see just how quickly you can make a child a spoiled brat. But he has one major hurtle to that goal that I don't think he'll be clearing any time soon named Remus Lupin, who is determined to see that Harry learns discipline and restraint.

I'm not sure right now what else I have planned for this AU. I'm not planning on revisiting it any time soon, though, due to the amount of other stories I'm working on. Currently I have one completed, three I'm working on, and four in the planning stages. And several others fluttering around my head as ideas. So I'm kinda busy right now. But I have considered the Snape babysitting story.

Thanks for the prayers. Can't hurt. Might help. No word yet.

Zimmy Russell: O.K.. Jolt update. Not yet, Dear. Still looking.

Work on that math, Dear. It really is as important as they tell you.

Your dog died!? Ohhhhhh, you poor Dear. P.A.R. is sorry. I don't know what I would do if something happened to one of my two girls (cats). It can be very hard to lose a pet. And people never seem to understand how the pet's owner(?) feels because 'it was just a pet'.

P.A.R. is very please Zimmy is proud of her. But I don't know about the straight fluff writing, Dear. And wasn't the 'star systems' line a Star Trek quote? It sounds very familiar.

That was a good Willy Wonka quote. P.A.R. liked that movie, by the way.

Writers block. Depression. Same thing.

Sorry. I like Richard Harris.

As am I sure for many people, the pop-up ads are irritating. But I do understand the necessity of them and for the fact that their revenue buys me hours of entertainment with Fanfiction.Net for free, I bare with it.

If you mean the Sirius/Lupin theory I was last discussing, it was simply that, due to the fact that Sirius never ONCE mentions Lupin in GoF, I sort of wonder just where that relationship stands. I mean, the two are suppose to be best friends. But he doesn't once mention the man. Even in passing. But it is most likely just an oversight due to time on Rowlings part.

Sorry, no. Not a Star Wars fan. P.A.R hasn't even seen the last Star Wars movie yet.

Thanks for praying for me.

Stay good, Zim.

Essence of Magic: P.A.R. would never take vacation without finishing a story. That would not be nice. And P.A.R.'s readers deserve better than that from her.

Grammar errors? Go read the bio page again. But you were probably correct.

The fact that you liked it does count to P.A.R.. A great deal, as a matter of fact.

Thank you for your good wishes on the job.

As that I am taking my vacation to work on my stories, I'm afraid I can't look at anything else right now, Dear. Sorry. I've got some people I promised reviews to, and that's really all I can do for right now.

Karla: No word on the job yet. But thanks for asking.

Actually, no, I don't think I can get any cuter.

When I read that, I realized it was confusing, but I didn't have time to sort it out and re-write it. Sorry. So here's the scoop. This is the last chapter of The Bonds That Tie. What I said about Continuity Errors and the 'next two chapters' was referring to the chapter posted last week and this one. The Bonds That Tie is being sequeled in a story called Tried And Convicted, which should post shortly. It's not very long.

Thrilled or sulk? *P.A.R. shrugges.* Your call, Dear. Depends on how you look at things, really.

Reviews are as of 04212002. Feel free to look up and read Extortion For Fun And Profit, Or How To Fool Your Friends And Irritate Your Enemies by Nedin Munny.

Enjoy the preview.

All Right! Pay attention, folks, this is important.

As you know, I've never previewed a story before, and to some degree, always told myself I wouldn't. But you guys have been great over the past few months and I wanted to find some way to let you know how much your support and reviews have meant to me. That and I want to drive you crazy.

So, just let me say a few things, then I'll let you get on with the story. Or you can ignore me, and skip to the story anyway.

O.K., first off, this is a rough draft. There are bound to be errors. Bare with me. But I have the outline done for this story, so no conceptual changes that I foresee at this time.

Next, you are getting this pretty much the way it will post when I start the story. That means Author's Notes included. Please don't skip them. They are important. Well, maybe not now. But they will be later on.

Finally, I'm really working very hard on Family Relations. But my time just seems to get cut shorter and shorter and shorter as everyone wants some of it until it seems I have very little left for myself. I am shooting to finish this story in three months. I hope to start posting the beginning of August. But several things could delay that, and they're not all bad. The biggest is that my other story, Enemies, may delay it because it has to post first. But I have already cut that story in two and it will post as a story and a sequel as well. But it ties real close into Family Relations and it's sequel may just be tied to the end of Family Relations. Ya' still with me? The long and short of this is, stay tuned. I will let you know what's going on. And I won't just leave you. I have a few stories I'm working on along with Family Relations that as I looked at things as a whole, I realized that while I could post them after Family Relations, it might make for confusion.

What the heck is she talking about? O.K.. I'll cut to the chase. (P.A.R. is tired and realizes she isn't making a lot of sense.) Folks, what I'm trying to say is simply 'bare with me'. Things may change. Family Relations may go up later than I planned. But there is a definite reason some stories have to go up first. It really does all tie together in a weird sort of way. But hang in there. I'll keep you updated.

Fair?

O.K..

On with the next story, starting with the infamous author's notes.

A/N: Folks, we need to talk.

A few things you need to know before starting this story. They're important...and slightly confusing.

One: Family Relations is the sequel to Family Life. If you haven't read that story, boy, are you gonna be one lost little reader.

Two: If you have read Family Life, you might still be lost. Why? Because I have to make some changes. Nothing drastic. Don't get upset. But they are important.

Change one: Do you remember back in Family Life, when they were all in the chamber in the lair of the Deatheaters? You remember when Harry cast the spell? Do you remember Analisa turning and saying something to Lupin? Good! Now, do me a favor? Forget that part. Small change. The person Analisa was talking to was Snape, not Lupin. (Trust me, it's real important.)

Change two: You remember in Fever I told you that story was in no way related to Family Life except in one small area? For those of you who forgot what that area was, here it is. In the end of Fever, Sirius changed Harry's name, making it now Harry James Potter Black. There was something else involved in the court papers. Remember that? Well, it figures in with this story in a rather big way. (Telling you what right now would ruin the story, so if you forgot, go back and review.) So, the fact of the matter is, while Fever and Family Life aren't related, Family Relations does borrow that one concept from Fever.

Three: Remember, Q&A at the end of each chapter. Feel free to ask questions. Give P.A.R. something to read for a change. After all, I'm giving you something to read.

Four: Oh, and could you back up the time line a little for me? I know Family Life ended with the start of the school term like only a week away. But I need a little more time with this story. So could we back Family Life up a little further? How far? I haven't an exact date yet. But it'll figure into Family Life's changes. So just work with me, O.K.?

Good.

Thanks.

O.K., one more thing.

Yes! The first few chapters are short. Why? Well, folks, because P.A.R. learned a new word and you have only yourselves to blame for teaching it to me. (Someone mentioned it in a review.). That word is 'Cliffhanger'.

It's a fun little word, and a really great writing tool. (Let's face it, folks, it's the greatest marketing tool ever invented!).

So bare with P.A.R. while she has her little bit of fun.

Be good. Don't flame. And P.A.R. will make the chapters longer. Deal? O.K..

On with the story.

FAMILY RELATIONS

Chapter One: Meetings

"All right then, Mr. Black. We just have a few more issues that need to be cleared up before we can finalize the adoption of your godson."

Sirius sat in the chair before the caseworker about as stiffly as anyone could, his hand wrapped in a tight grip over the head of his cane. He had lost count of the number of meetings, paper signings, and personal interviews he and Arabella had been through all to try and get to this point. And still they managed to find something to asked him. Of course, Sirius wasn't really that surprised. There was one issue left that they had been skirting about the whole time, but never asked any direct questions about.

Next to him, Arabella was literally on the edge of her chair. She had been the one who had always appeared the most eager each time they had come here. Wondering if each meeting would be the last. If they would finally be handed the adoption papers on that visit.

Sirius had sworn she probably had the whole presentation to Harry planned out. Flying down the hallway screaming for joy quickly came to mind as he envisioned the scene. And he was pretty sure no one had better be between her and her godson on that day. The results could get messy.

"Now, Mr. Black...." The interviewer started.

Sirius' eyes narrowed slightly.

"There is a report we've come across that seems to indicate some sort of a criminal record?"

Sirius quickly produced several papers from his jacket. He had come well prepared for this.

"I was cleared of those charges." Sirius stated simply, leaning forward on his cane as he handed them to the adoption agency worker.

The woman looked over the official documents. When the ministry had finally accepted the parchment given to Harry by Peter Pettigrew as authentic, one of the restitutions they were required to give Sirius was a document stating he was cleared of all charges and was declared free. Of course, two separate documents were required. One signed by the officials of the wizarding community, and one by those of the muggle community, so both would recognize the paper as official.

And a week of articles in the Daily Prophet and the muggle papers, as well as on the muggle news, didn't hurt either. Where had this woman been that week?

The woman behind the desk looked the papers over for a few minutes, which was followed by a few phone calls. She then made a quick copy of the documents before handing them back to Sirius.

"Well, Mr. Black." The woman behind the desk said pleasantly. "That was really the only matter that needed clearing up. But all seems in order in regards to it." She added with a smile. "So....,"

Arabella was barely still sitting on any chair at all as she leaned forward a bit more.

But just then the door to the office opened and a young man hurried in. He hastily placed a note on the woman's desk in front of her, right on top of the adoption papers she was getting ready to sign.

The caseworker quickly read the note over. As she finished she turned to the man standing next to her, her expression somewhere between confusion and irritation.

"They're sure about this?" She asked quietly.

The man nodded.

"They checked the claim?"

The man nodded.

"They're sure?" She emphasized this time.

The man nodded.

"What!?" Arabella nearly shouted. She had been holding onto the edge of the woman's desk at this point. The tension had been building in her all through the interview. That horrible little feeling that she couldn't get rid of that something would go wrong and stop them from being able to adopt her godson.

The woman turned a stoic face back to the couple before her as the man quickly hurried out, closing the door behind him.

"Mr. Black," the woman said calmly, folding her hands on her desk as she gave him a level stare, "I understood that you had custody of your godson."

Sirius' expression shifted ever so slightly to one of confusion. But the grip on his cane tightened enough to turn his knuckles white. "I do." Sirius replied, keeping his voice as even as he could under his growing apprehension. "I gave you the papers. You have your copies of them."

"Yes, sir." She replied, opening the folder on the desk in front of her again.

Laying on top of the folder was the unsigned adoption paper, already made out. Arabella stared fixatedly at it as she begged that this was just a small matter. A few more questions and she would have her son. Her family. Everything she had dreamed about for fourteen long years.

"Mr. Black," the caseworker stated as she closed the file, "I'm must tell you that that does not seem to be the case. And until the matter is resolved, we can't finalize the adoption. I'm sorry."

Arabella drew on every ounce of resolve within her not to break into tears. Slowly she slid back in the chair, the slightest quiver in her lips as she wrestled down her emotions. She felt as though her godson had been snatched right out of her arms along with her dreams. Next to her Sirius' expression had gone very hard, and his voice very cold.

"What?"

"Someone else, sir, has stepped forward claiming to have custody of the minor child, Harry James Potter Black."

Sirius was out of his chair, leaning hard on his cane for balance. "Who!?"

The caseworker stared up at Sirius without so much as flinching.

"Orion Black."

See you in several months!