There was snow outside, making the ground a pure white. It was early Christmas day. Harry had woken due to noises in the kitchen. It had taken him a while to get out of bed, having a difficult time sitting upright so early in the morning, but somehow he managed to do it.

Over the years he didn’t have to wake up this early, with his kids now grown and with kids of their own, but this Christmas was special. Lily, James and Albus were all over for Christmas, with their kids and spouses. It was nice to have a full house again, but the kids were a handful, especially little Sirius, James’ son.

Sure enough when Harry reached the bottom of the stairs and peeked into the kitchen, it was little Sirius, wanting to be up first. Harry had decided to stay up, and sat down. Sirius climbed into his lap immediately, and started talking to his grandfather.

“Grandpa?” little Sirius said in a real quiet voice.

“Yes,” Harry replied, wondering what his grandson wanted to know.

“I was wondering…Do you think you can tell me about the Christmas that you spent with the man I’m named after?”

Harry looked over at his grandson. Sirius had been named after Harry’s godfather by his James’ wife, Isabella. Isabella had chosen it to honour Sirius for all he had done for Harry and so that his memory would live on forever. Even in a true Sirius fashion, little Sirius took to pulling pranks and all of the sorts of things that Sirius would have approved of.

Sirius knew that this topic was a hard one for his grandfather. After many, many years, Harry still hadn’t fully forgiving himself for what had happened to his godfather. Even when he had him with him as he was walking to his death, he never fully accepted that there was nothing he could do. There was always some part of him saying that he was never helpless, and that if he had done something different, that Sirius would have still been with Harry for a long time.

But Harry had this strange urge. He knew that Sirius was asking out of genuine sincerity. There must be a reason why he wanted to know, otherwise he wouldn’t be asking in the first place.

“Are you sure you want to know?” Harry asked Sirius.

Harry’s reply was a shaking of Sirius’s head, up and down. Harry let out a laugh.

“That Christmas season had taken off on a bad note. Your great granddad had been attacked, and I had been the one to notify everyone that it had happened. It was the reason why we came over here, to stay with the Weasleys for Christmas.”

Harry paused for a moment to look over at his grandson. Sirius knew that his great grandfather had been involved in some risky things when he was alive, but Harry and the rest of the family tended to skirt around certain things, just to be on the safe side. Sirius just looked at Harry with a longing to hear the rest, so he went back to the story.

“Molly had decorated the house up a bit, and we were all present for that day. When I first saw Sirius…Well, it was a joy that I can’t explain. It was a relief that he was alive, and it was a reassurance that I hadn’t lost the only other thing that I could really connect to my parents. That night the others and I had to get back to Hogwarts, and as we prepared to leave, Sirius gave me my Christmas present. It was something that my father had given to him as a way to keep in touch with each other. He kept the other end, and told me that whenever I needed him, he would be there for me, always. Would you like to see it?” Harry asked the child who sat in his lap.

“See what, grandpa?” Sirius asked.

“The mirror, of course.”

“Yes!” Sirius said in a very eager voice.

Sirius got off of Harry’s lap, and stood by his side, as he waited for him to get up.

Harry got up slowly, weak in his old age. Though when he made it up, he and Sirius made their way up the staircase.

~*~

When Harry and Sirius made it to the top, Harry opened the door to his godfather’s old room. He hadn’t been in their in ages, and he wasn’t surprised to see that it hadn’t changed much. His house-elf always took good care of the room, even though he never cared much for Sirius.

Harry made his way through the room, not once misplacing a step. He had walked around this room many times, and there wasn’t a single thing in there that could surprise him.

When he made it to the bureau, which was at the end of the bed, he stopped. He hadn’t opened this bureau since the week he came to live in this house. It held a lot of memories for him, as it was the first time that he truly realised that Sirius would never live in this house again.

It was hard for him, as he was overcome with memories of what had been. But he remembered the new years, the years since. He looked over at Sirius who was standing by the door. Harry found that he was suddenly able to look through all of the hard times and see the good ones, and open up that bureau.

Inside, he found the mirror exactly where he left it, with his right next to it. Harry took them both out, and went back over to where Sirius was standing.

“My daddy and my godfather used to communicate with these. If you speak that person’s name that has the other mirror with them, you will be able to talk to each other. They were very handy when I was younger…” Harry said. “When I was in school, the one broke. I wasn’t able to fix the original one in the pair, though...I was able to charm another one, though, with Hermione’s help, so they’re ready for use…just like when…” Harry couldn’t continue his sentence, his voice was breaking.

“I have an idea. Why don’t we test them out? This way we can make sure they work. What do you think?” Harry asked little Sirius.

“I think it’s a good idea,” Sirius exclaimed before running off into another room with the one mirror in his hands.

Harry looked into the mirror as suddenly Sirius’s face appeared.

“Grandpa! This is so cool!” Sirius stated. He was in awe with what this mirror did. “Why didn’t you give this to dad? Or maybe Aunt Lily or Uncle Albus?” Sirius asked, wondering if they knew about them.

“They knew about them, and used them, of course. But I never felt that it was right to give it to them…I think I was still holding onto ancient memories. Maybe one day these will be yours.”

~*~

Harry knew that his life was fading away. His life had been a rich one, one that he would never wish on anyone. He knew pain and suffering along with happiness. He knew what it was like to be called a hero, though he never wanted to be one. He never asked for the life that he was given, it was chosen for him. He had almost no control over what had happened during his early years; things seemed like they were down and horrible then. But now, seeing joy in Sirius eye, he remembered that those his life was going out, others whom he helped raise were still lighting the way for many others; anyone who wanted to make the journey with him.

As Harry laid down to bed next to Ginny one night, he knew it was almost his time. But before he died, he wanted to give his grandson one last thing.

~*~

Sirius stood on the Platform, getting ready to head off to Hogwarts for the first time. Inside the train awaited his best friend, Alex. He longed to be in there, and heading off, but his grandparents and parents didn’t want to let him go.

Sirius gave his parents hugs, insisting that he had to leave. He knew that they didn’t want him to go, and they were sad, but it was his time to get out there.

Dragging himself away from his parents Sirius finally thought he was free; until he heard his name being shouted out, “SIRIUS!”

He turned around slowly and saw his grandfather approaching him, holding something in his hands.

When Harry caught up to young Sirius, Sirius could finally see what he was holding: a mirror. Harry gently handed them over to his grandson. “I want you to have this. Keep one for yourself and give the other to your best friend, whom you would trust with your life. Safeguard them, for you hold memories of your relatives who have been long forgotten.”

Sirius looked up with awe in his eyes.

“Are you sure,Grandpa?”

Harry nodded. “Use them well.”

~*~

Five days later Harry passed away in his sleep, not knowing what took him. His family cried, especially little Sirius. He was certain that his grandpa would never leave him and that he would always be there for him.

It was a hard hit for everyone; the wizarding community mourned the loss of a great hero, one that no one would ever forget. The day of the burial, he was buried next to his parents with the inscription, “A proud father, husband and son who loved with an open heart and learned that love was the key to all.”

Sirius came home from Hogwarts for the burial, feeling as though he needed to be there, that he needed to see it in order for it to be true. But when he got home that day, instead of going back to Hogwarts, where he had friends to comfort him, he went up to Harry’s room that he used to work in. No one had been there since his death, but he went in anyone. He sat upon his grandpa’s chair, thinking of all the times he had been spun on this chair, and the stories he had heard in this room. He wanted the comfort of his grandpa, but he wasn’t there to give it to him.

As Sirius stood up to leave he saw an envelope addressed to him on the desk.

My dearest Sirius,

I know what you must be going through right now. If you’re reading this, then I have passed on. Please don’t feel as though I abandoned you, for whenever you need me I will always be in your heart.

I’ll miss you, your laughter and smile. I have a feeling that there are great things to expect from you; I wish that I could be there with you, to see it all. But, alas, I can’t. It is my time to go, I know that now. It is my time to pass on and to meet my parents and all of the others that I have lost, again.

Oh, Sirius. I really wish that I don’t have to leave this way…I wish I had the time to tell you all goodbye, and that I wasn’t afraid of dying.

So this is goodbye. Remember I’m always with you, and that my love will last with you forever, never fading away.

Your grandpa

As Sirius closed the letter he realised something: even in death his grandpa was always thinking about someone else before him.