#Regulus: we could pull statistics

[kairospy]

Barty: so are you a top or a bottom?

James:

Regulus:

Barty: ….

James: your sex life sounds so boring

[heyitssmiller]

Clandestine: Chapter Fourteen

We’re here. The final chapter. Y’all. I’m gonna cry.

@lumosinlove thanks for these characters!!

@donttouchmycarrots thanks for being my partner in crime during this whole mess of a story <3

And thank you, lovely readers!! For sticking with me for this crazy rollercoaster of a story, for encouraging me when I felt like quitting, and for always being so, so wonderful. I appreciate y’all more than I can say.

CW: prison, food, anxiety

Clandestine Masterlist

.

The drive back was silent, punctuated sharply by the two empty seats in the van. It was something they should’ve seen coming, but yet were completely blindsided by. Sirius had been on their side for so long now, it seemed odd to picture him anywhere else. It was like he’d been there for years already, fitting in seamlessly and making friends fast, filling a gap that hadn’t been obvious before but felt like a chasm now. He belonged in Gryffindor with them. And Regulus, while more reserved and distant than his brother, didn’t seem to deserve the fate he’d found. The main motive that kickstarted this whole mission had been him – all for him – and he still couldn’t avoid being dragged down with the Snakes.

Remus was on the phone with a contact from the FBI – he had been since they’d taken Sirius away – trying his hardest to find any loopholes he could. He was… actually strangely calm. Methodically tackling one idea after the next, his analytic brain working overtime. Logan could understand, though. Being productive was helpful. It was when things settled down and got quiet, when all you could do was sit there and wait…

That was when things got tough.

His leg bounced up and down in anticipation the closer they got to the cabin, his one-track mind stuck on one thing and one thing only – getting a blond safe-cracker into his arms again. Not having Leo with them had been like missing a limb, making everything feel out of balance. And even thought he was safe, he was still too far away. Logan couldn’t stand it.

Finn reached over and placed a hand on Logan’s with a knowing smile. He was ready to be home, too.

Gravel crunching under their tires only fueled the eagerness. There were lights still on in the cabin, a warm, inviting pull. The front door was open before the cars had pulled to a complete stop, revealing Leo and Hope and Lyall. Julian was presumably asleep, given the hour. Logan’s seatbelt was thrown off and the door closest to him was yanked open, Finn hot on his heels.

Leo bounded down the steps of the porch and flung himself at the two of them, finding every inch of space between them and filling it, a soft sound escaping from his lips as he held on tight in a one-armed grip. Logan and Finn both stumbled back a few steps at the impact but quickly returned the embrace, Logan’s face buried in the junction between neck and shoulder and Finn’s forehead pressed against the blond’s. They seemed to take their next breaths in tandem, slow and steady, as they leaned into each other. Time slowed, everything in the periphery faded, and the world, previously off-kilter, evened out in equilibrium.

Finn suddenly realized he felt the coarse, scratchy texture of Leo’s sling pressed up against him and pulled back a little. “Careful, baby.”

That made Leo pull back. “Why?” He glanced over them nervously. “Are you hurt?”

Logan sighed long-sufferingly and cupped Leo’s face in his hands, looking him in the eyes with a fond expression that belied his exasperation. “No, but you are,” he moved his hands to smush Leo’s cheeks, causing Finn to laugh, “so take it easy.”

Leo smiled – a real one this time, not one of the fake ones he’d given them before they left – and relaxed. After a quick kiss from Logan he asked, “So it went well? Mission’s done?”

Logan and Finn both froze at that. Finn looked over to Remus, who was still on the phone (like he had been for the past hour at least) and frowned.

“Not quite.”

“We can talk inside,” Leo said, looking worried again. “there’s lots of food for y’all.”

He wasn’t wrong. Food covered pretty much every open surface of the countertops, ranging from pancakes to grilled cheese to the cinnamon swirl muffins Leo brought to their first briefing all those months ago. Finn smiled at the memories and instantly snagged one on their way to the kitchen table. His eyes landed on Talker, who was explaining something to Hope as she took a look at his leg. Nat, Kasey, and Alex were piled onto one couch, looking tired and each with a grilled cheese sandwich in hand. He could see Remus on the porch every once in a while when he passed by a window as he paced, phone pressed to his ear.

It didn’t bode well.

Logan sat down with a plate of pancakes drenched in syrup and started telling the story, voice a quiet murmur and only interrupted when he shoveled food into his mouth. Finn wondered how none of them had really seen this coming. In hindsight, it made sense that there would need to be a trial – after all, Sirius and his brother weren’t innocent. Finn wasn’t sure what happened next, though. Criminal trials and sentencing weren’t part of the job for them. He hoped they could get the brothers out of this mess, though. If anyone could find a way to do it, it would be Remus.

At least the Snakes were done for. The information on the flash drives was enough to lock them away for a very, very long time.

He took a bite of his muffin, no longer really hungry, and listened to Logan talk.

***

Remus sat down on the porch swing, tired and stressed and not at all ready to quit. He listened to Alice, his only contact in the FBI, rattle off some statistics that he couldn’t even begin to understand. And he wasn’t trying to be rude – that really wasn’t his intent – but he needed to act quickly about this. So he grimaced and cut her off. “Can we get them placed in another prison? Or even in solitary until we can figure something out? If the Snakes can get to them…”

Well. Remus didn’t think they’d show much mercy to the two people mainly responsible for putting them in jail.

Alice sighed, the sound of her rummaging around in her desk filtering through the phone. “We can try. Since they did help you guys, we should be able to swing it. If something jeopardizes their lives, it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

Remus’ heart twisted – a deep, chronic ache under his ribcage that refused to let up. “Do it fast. I’m going to start reaching out to lawyers.”

“Lupin, it’s four in the morning.”

“I know.” He ran a hand through his hair with a frustrated huff. “Thanks for all the help, Alice.”

He hung up, then braced his forearms on his knees, hands gripping his hair, and breathed.

If there was one thing Remus Lupin was good at, it was planning. It was his job, and a big part of the reason he’d switched from field work in the first place. He relied on structure to get through his days, needed the stability in order to function.

There was none of that.

This was being adrift at sea, constantly assaulted by the waves and the current without rescue in sight.

And Remus had no idea what to do.

His phone pinged, catching his attention. A text from Alice flashed across the screen.

I’ve got a friend who’s a lawyer, and she’s a damn good one. I know you’ll want to do your research on her yourself, but I can vouch for her too. Here’s her contact if you want to reach out.

The contact number and email were listed under the name Dorcas Meadowes.

***

Dorcas Meadowes was, to put it simply, awe-inspiring.

Black curls, a dark complexion, and a serious, no-funny-business expression on her face. Her office was neat and organized, a few pictures around the place of her and a blonde girl with a wide grin and freckles. There was a small pride flag on her desk. Without a word, she motioned for Remus to sit, cool and composed and ready to get to work.

That was all it took for Remus to instantly respect her.

“So I’ve heard some of the story from Alice, but I’ll need you to start at the very beginning. Don’t leave out any details, tell me everything.”

Remus did, settling into the chair and getting comfy. It was a long story, after all. When he was done he looked back up at Dorcas, whose face was expressionless except for a single, raised eyebrow.

“That’s…” she trailed off with a low whistle.

“Yeah.”

“Well, the good news is that, if we’ve got enough evidence to back your story up, we can reduce his sentence by a lot, maybe even get him released.”

Remus sagged back into the chair, relief taking over and wiping out the tension radiating through his muscles. “Great.”

He’d known, logically, that they’d be able to reduce his sentence. With all the work he put into taking the Snakes down, there was no way they’d give him a full sentence. But getting him out of there for good…

Remus had never wanted anything so much in his life.

Dorcas leaned forward, powering her laptop on. “We’ll go visit him in the next few days and tell him what’s going on, but first we need a plan. Here’s what I’m thinking…”

***

Sirius hated this.

He was bored, he was tired, and – more than anything – he was lonely.

In Gryffindor, he’d become so accustomed to always having at least someone with him at all times. It was usually Remus, but he’d also grown close to most of the team. And it was nice at the time – god, did he miss it. But it was painful now. He’d witnessed what his life could be like, happy and surrounded by friends and possibly in love, and now he was back to the way his life used to be. Alone and on the wrong side of the law.

He hadn’t seen Reg since they’d been escorted into isolation for their own safety. Which don’t get him wrong – he was grateful for it. Knowing Riddle, they wouldn’t have survived the night if they were all being held together. But it was too quiet now.

The door to his cell rattled and Sirius looked up sharply. A guard was standing there, unlocking his door and opening it.

“Come with me,” the guard said, sounding bored as he opened the door further and held out a pair of handcuffs. Sirius looked at him hesitantly, not moving an inch. The guard rolled his eyes. “You have visitors.”

Sirius perked up at that, the only thought running through his head being Remus. He knew him well enough to know that he wasn’t going to take this sitting down. He’d be fighting to get Sirius free, no doubt about it. He wasn’t sure who else would be visiting him, anyways – if someone was here, it was sure to be Remus.

So Sirius got up and held his wrists out to be cuffed, then watched as the officer pointed down the hall.

“This way.”

It took all the self-control Sirius had to not run, to slowly put one foot in front of the other until he finally reached his destination. The guard moved around him to open the door and then Sirius was moving again.

He spotted caramel curls as soon as the door opened to the visitation room and felt his shoulders sag with relief. “Remus.”

Worried brown eyes followed him as he crossed the room quickly to sit in front of him, separated by a thick wall of glass. The movies weren’t lying, apparently. But it was so good to see him that Sirius didn’t care.

Remus looked tired. Unfortunately, that didn’t surprise Sirius at all. He knew the tendency to overwork all too well at this point. More than anything, it made Sirius want to get out of there, to wrap him up in his arms and let him take a nap there, to make sure he was taking care of himself. He settled for giving him a stern look instead.

“You need to get some sleep.”

Sirius expected a sharp, witty retort. Some sass, a comeback of some kind. Instead, Remus did the unthinkable and just smiled. “I missed you.”

Sirius sighed, softening at the gentle admission. He’d missed Remus too, of course. More than he could really put into words, and it had barely been a day. The smell of his shampoo, the quiet, reassuring presence of him by Sirius’ side, those eyes that just seemed to see right through him and know even the things Sirius tried to keep hidden. He found he didn’t mind it too much - not when it was Remus.

“I missed you,” he echoed in agreement, refusing to look away until someone cleared their throat loudly. Sirius looked over to a woman sitting next to Remus, looking unimpressed. Sirius hadn’t even known she was there, as wrapped up in Remus as he was.

Remus, to Sirius’ endless delight, blushed. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen Remus blush before. It was cuter than it had any right to be. “Um, Sirius this is Dorcas. She’ll be representing you in court.”

Right.

He had to go on trial.

Dorcas took over from there. “We think, with the evidence we have, that we can get the charges reduced, maybe dropped if we’re lucky. If you can think of any evidence we don’t know about, we can use that to strengthen your case, too.”

Sirius nodded, relieved. That sounded better than he thought he’d get, to be honest. “What about Reg?” he asked, looking between the two.

Dorcas was very hard to read, Sirius realized. And Remus looked confident… until he looked over at the lawyer. Then his expression flickered.

And Sirius’ heart sank.

“That’s a bit trickier,” Dorcas stated slowly, treading carefully. “The thing is, he never tried to get out. He stayed with the Snakes. And I know it’s not easy to get out of situations like that,” she rushed to continue when she saw the look on Sirius’ face, “but the fact still stands. And he didn’t do as much to help take the Snakes down, not like you did. We can probably reduce his sentence, but he’ll be in prison longer than you. I don’t think we can fix that.”

Sirius felt himself being torn in two different directions. He wanted to be free, to be able to live his life again. Maybe make a home in Gryffindor (or maybe move in permanently with a certain spy), get a job as a consultant. He’d make sure the poor houseplant in Remus’ apartment survived, the poor thing, and he’d keep Remus’ favorite tea stocked in the cupboard. He’d be able to relax for – well, the first time in a very long time.

But his brother.

He was the main reason Sirius got out in the first place. The reason he ended up in Gryffindor, this entire mission was for him. To get him out, to make sure he was safe.

What was the point, if he was stuck in jail while Sirius got to walk free?

He could practically hear his brother telling him how stupid he was being in that dry voice of his, but he pushed the thought away. He’d made up his mind, and it was practically impossible to sway him when that happened.

Sweet, caramel eyes might test him, though.

Sirius looked up at Remus guiltily, dreading the response he was going to get. But yet again, Remus took him by surprise and smiled sadly.

“I understand.”

Those words hit Sirius like a freight train. He sucked in a deep breath, eyes stinging and throat getting tight. “I’m sorry.”

Remus just shook his head. “Don’t be.”

Sirius loved him.

Remus glanced over at a confused Dorcas. “He can’t leave his brother. Whatever sentence Reg gets, Sirius wants to do the same.”

She was silent for a long time, looking back and forth between the two of them. Then she sighed, seeming resolute. “Well then we’d better get those charges as low as we can.”

***

Four Weeks Later

.

Leo found Remus in the courthouse hallway during the trial recess before they were supposed to reconvene for the sentencing, looking seconds away from pacing from one side of the building to the other. The past few weeks had been hard on all of them. Between coming to terms with everything that had happened in the recent months, to trying to figure out the evidence they needed to bring forward to try and get the charges dropped against both Sirius and Regulus, to the strange feeling in the Agency brought forth by Sirius’ absence, it had been weird for all of them. Remus had been hit the hardest by all of it, though – and understandably so. That didn’t make it any easier to watch, though.

He’d been running himself to the bone the past four weeks, going above and beyond to make sure everything was in order for the trial. He looked ready to drop, if Leo was being honest.

But he understood. If it were Logan or Finn in Sirius’ place… well. He’d already figured out just how far he’d go for them.

He put a hand on Remus’ arm, trying to be as calming as possible. “You’re going to be ok,” he said carefully, choosing his words meticulously. He didn’t want to be cold, but he didn’t want to get Remus’ hopes up only for them to be dashed.

Carmel eyes met his own, and Leo sighed at the stress he saw there. He looked tired – so tired.

“What do you need?” Leo asked quietly, hoping for some sort of guidance on how to help him, how to get that look off of his face.

Remus just laughed under his breath, a sad sound. “There’s a lot of things I need.” He shuffled on his feet, gathering his sleeves in his hands. “But a hug would be a good start.”

Not hesitating, Leo gathered him into a hug, the stretch pulling at the scar tissue in his shoulder that was finally free of a sling. Remus was tense and still for a while, then relaxed into it. Leo wished he could do more, wished he could make any sort of difference in this situation. But everything was so far out of their control now; the only thing left to do was wait.

“Whatever happens, we’re here for both of you. You’re not alone in this.”

Remus stepped away with a fake attempt at a smile. “Yeah.”

There was a visual cue that neither of them seemed to catch and people started filtering back into the courtroom, making Remus’ face grow paler and more pinched. Leo stuck by his side as they walked back inside, trying to ignore the soft sound Remus made when he saw Sirius again – all the way in the front, in a jumpsuit that looked too big for him, hair longer and eyes a little duller than they remembered, fidgeting with something in his cuffed hands. Regulus was next to him, head down and avoiding everyone’s eyes. Leo just stuck to Remus’ side as they squeezed into the row of chairs with the rest of the Agency, making sure Remus was right in the middle, surrounded by so many of the people who cared about him most. Finn and Logan sat down next to him with grim smiles.

Leo reached over to tangle his fingers with Finn’s, feeling him squeeze back gently. The bruises were completely gone from his face, and he was walking limp-free now. He dropped his head onto Logan’s shoulder, having to angle his shoulders down to rest somewhat comfortably against the shorter man.

Leo would never get over the height difference.

“I’m taking a nap when we get home. This is so stressful, oh my god.” Finn sighed, making Leo smile.

Home.

That was still somewhat new for the three of them. After a few days back in their separate apartments in Gryffindor, they’d realized how incredibly codependent they’d become during their mission. Leo would find himself staring up at the ceiling most nights, worrying about the other two, until he’d get a phone call from one of them and they’d end up driving to each other and collapsing in bed together, squished together just like those hotel rooms they’d shared. And it had gotten to the point where there wasn’t any point living in different apartments when they ended up together most nights anyways, so Leo and Logan had packed up their things and moved in with Finn. He had the largest bed, anyways.

So yeah. They lived together now. And Leo was ridiculously pleased about it.

They were taking that vacation in a few weeks, too – the one Finn had first brought up in the back of a getaway car, tears in his eyes and blood on his hands. Somewhere warm, just like he’d promised. He’d get to watch Logan tan and Finn turn red like a lobster, only to go straight back to pale. They’d get some time to relax and not stress about work – just themselves and the vast expanse of beach and water in front of them.

Leo couldn’t wait.

“We’ll take that nap together.” Logan answered Finn quietly, turning his head to meet Leo’s eyes as he pressed an affectionate kiss to Finn’s head. Leo smiled at him, the sense of one chapter ending and the next beginning washing over him.

Whatever came their way, they’d be ok. They’d proven that already.

The crowd hushed as the judge sat back down, face impassive.

“We have reviewed the evidence and testaments brought forward in defense of Sirius and Regulus Black.” He started, looking down at the two in question critically as everyone in the courtroom seemed to hold their breath.

“It still doesn’t change the fact that they committed crimes while with the organization,” the judge stated firmly, then continued, “Regulus and Sirius Black are hereby sentenced to one year in prison.”

The gavel slammed.

Remus sat there in quiet disbelief.

They’d done… everything. They’d worked so hard for the past month in attempts to let Sirius and Regulus’ sentences reduced – and that was technically a reduced sentence – but it was still more than any of them had been expecting.

A year.

They hadn’t done enough.

Remus almost missed all the movement around him, too busy staring at the back of the seat directly in his line of vision, but his gaze snapped up when an achingly familiar voice called his name.

Sirius slowed to a stop as he passed Remus on his way out, eyes wide and frantic. Desperate. It broke Remus’ heart, more than it already was. “Wait for me?” He asked intently, like his sole focus was on Remus and his answer. He shoved his open palms out, revealing what he’d been fidgeting with during the entire trial. Remus looked down to find an origami flower, conveying all of Sirius’ hopes for the future within the delicate folds.

Remus wished more than anything that he could reach for him; to pull him in tight, hold him close, and refuse to let the guards take him away. He also had the half-formed plans of a jail break already in mind, even though he knew Sirius would never agree to it. It was then that his eyes locked with the gray ones he’d come to know better than his own and he knew – he knew that he’d wait, however long it took.

Remus loved him.

It wasn’t a grand revelation, it wasn’t sudden. In all honesty Remus had probably felt that way for a long time now, the truth prodding at the back of his head, nagging at his subconscious. He loved Sirius, plain and simple. Simple except for the fact that one of them was going to jail for a year. And yet, no matter how complicated it got, no matter how much time went by, it was the easiest decision Remus had ever made.

Well. If love made people crazy, Remus was certifiably insane.

He smiled a little tearfully at Sirius and nodded fiercely, picking up the paper flower delicately.

 “You know I will.”

[imaginejamesandsirius]

would you consider writing a fic where they meet as dancers? or like, gymnasts or something :)

It's not that Sirius hated other people, because he didn't. He got annoyed, sometimes, but he didn't hate people the way his parents seemed to. It was more like he was easily annoyed when people said stupid things to him. And they always did, when they learned that he was a professional ballerino.

"Wow, I didn't even know that was a thing."

"Ballerinas, yes, but I didn't know men did that."

"Do you do it to get girls?" some people asked, and it wasn't any better than the other question of the same colour. "Oh so you're bent, then?"

"I thought you just worked out a lot."

"Is that why your hair is so long?"

"Huh. I never would've guessed since you look so masculine." Sirius had replied to that one by saying that they'd clearly never met any professional ballet dancer.

So yes, Sirius was annoyed very often. He didn't bother to tell prospective dates what he did for a living until they were a month or so in. If they made it a month in, which was uncommon. Sirius had a face to draw them in, and a personality to drive them away. Regulus thought it was hilarious, but he was less amused when it happened to him. Andi, of course, was the voice of reason in it all, pointing out that statistically, the majority of a person's relationships had to fail since most people ended up settling with a single person in their lifetime. On the very outside, someone would have four successful relationships, but that was if someone died prematurely or they were polyamorous-- conversations with Andi were either queer history lessons or strangely gruesome to go along with the funeral house she ran. Honestly, it was like living in a bloody storybook, talking about his life and family history.

Sirius and the rest of the main cast in the company came in to start stretching as the class before them finished. Latin ballroom dance, from the sound of their music, but he wasn't paying very much attention.

"How's Regulus?" Lily asked as she put one leg up on the barre and leaned over it.

Sirius did the same, facing her so that their toes were almost touching. They'd done this enough times that they knew how far apart they needed to be. He said "Ugh," in response to her question.

"That good?" she said, amused.

"He's happy, and I'm happy for him, but for fuck's sake, I wish he would be less of a prick about it," Sirius groused.

"He's just following his big brother's lead."

"I hate you. I'm requesting a new partner immediately," Sirius said, a threat he said at least once a week and never in earnest.

"I'm terrified," Lily said flatly.

They both switched legs. "How're things on the romantic partner front for you?"

"Bleh. You?"

"Bleh," he said, and they both laughed. "We should decide to fall in love. It would be a lot easier."

"Assuming we could stand each other, which is a big assumption," Lily said.

"Mm, better not risk it then," he said.

She straightened, looking over at the class as they started packing up their things. "Oi! James, come here!"

"You know people in ballroom dance?" Sirius asked, pulling his toe back towards him to stretch his calf and holding it.

"Just the one. James, this is Sirius, my ballet partner. Sirius, this is my mate from Oxford, James."

"Right, you did tell me about him," Sirius said, straightening. "Hello."

James gave him a smile and a friendly nod. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Finally," Sirius repeated, looking over at Lily and raising an eyebrow. "Since when do you tell people about me?"

"I tell everyone about you, and half of them think I'm lying." Lily glanced at James and pointed to Sirius. "All the stories are true, by the way."

"So you did release a flock of chickens in your dormitory at prep school?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Sirius said, then paused for dramatic effect. "I released them in the Headmaster's office."

James laughed. "That's a good one. Did they make you collect them all?"

"I was not stupid enough to get caught," Sirius said. "Besides, the groundskeeper was more than happy to have more to add to his collection."

"So you bought all of them?"

"What else would I have done?"

"I feel like stealing them might've been easier," James said. "Not that I don't applaud your decision to buy them."

"He has a dozen more stories you're interested in, and no time to share them at the moment," Lily said. "Perhaps we could all get coffee later?"

"Sure," James said, and Sirius shrugged in agreement.

*

"What're you so busy with, anyways?" Sirius asked.

James drained the rest of his cup. "Preparing for a competition. Marlene is convinced that if we can't perform the dance perfectly in our sleep, it means we will fail miserably."

"I don't pretend to know anything about ballroom, but doesn't she have a point? Lily and I do the same thing before a first performance."

Normally after announcing that he had to leave, James jetted away as quickly as possible, but at that, he hesitated. "I think the politics of ballroom are different than ballet. If you stumble in your first performance, what happens?"

Sirius considered that. "Drilling the section until it is perfect, I suppose."

"And that's it?"

He nodded. "Why?"

"If we bugger up too badly in a competition, we could lose our contract. Sometimes you're banned from competitions for the following two years."

"God," Sirius muttered, eyes going wide. "Okay then. Have fun at practice, try not to make your feet bleed."

"Please tell me that's not something you do," James said.

"Not... often," Sirius hedged. His body was shaped for ballet now, not at all like when he'd been a teenager, just starting out. Besides, it wasn't exactly bleeding, even when he did hurt himself. More like bruises and feeling like his feet were going to break in half. "Good luck."

"Thanks, mate," he said with a grin, then left.

Sirius needed to calm his heart. James grinned, and it's like his heart decided to free itself from the confines of his ribcage. James didn't mean anything by it, and Sirius knew that.

*

This is you, James texted him, along with a picture that was standing with only one front leg and one back leg on the ground.

Cute and dextrous?

Cute and stupidly balanced, was his response, followed by a heart emoji. A red one.

Sirius tried not to read too much into it. He didn't bother to reply, since James knew he was busy in the States with their upcoming expo.

*

"Finally home!" Sirius declared, dropping his bag and holding his arms out to the side.

James grinned, running over to him.

Sirius expected a hug. What he got instead was a kiss.

James froze after two seconds, and, blushing furiously, stammered out an apology. "Sorry, it's just one of those things where you think about doing something so often that you completely miss the part where you shouldn't do it."

"James," Sirius interrupted with a laugh. "It's fine."

He swallowed and nodded. "Right, yeah. Yeah, it's fine. Sorry, I didn't mean to make things weird."

"You didn't make anything weird," Sirius said, giving him the hug that he'd been expecting from the start. "I'm really tired-- like, so sodding tired I'm not convinced I won't pass out on you right here-- but we're going to figure out the details later, alright?"

"Details for what?" James asked, blinking at him in innocent confusion.

"Us? I assume that's what the kiss was about."

"It was. Is. Will be? Sorry, the time after a competition is really hectic. I'm not sure my brain is working the way it's supposed to."

Sirius chuckled, kissing his cheek. "You and me both, mate. I'm going to go home and sleep for sixteen hours, and maybe we can get dinner or summat afterwards?"

"Sounds good." He gave him another hug. "I'm glad you're back."

"Me too," he said, smiling.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 31: The Very Secret Diary

Remus felt a deep pull on his core, one he instantly recognized that had nothing to do with once again blinking into new surroundings they had not been in moments ago. Moonlight glinted in through the arched windows of the Gryffindor dormitory, but he cared not what or who he stumbled over as he lurched to the ledge and peered out helplessly beyond. The clouds were wispy, the moon bright and high in the sky, but not full. Two, perhaps one day tops.

He pressed his sweating brow to the glass with gratitude, already sensing the others getting much more slowly to their feet and recognizing Sirius placing his hand on his shoulder before he even looked over to check.

"You have got to be kidding me!" James began loudly causing a distraction. "We get blocked from entering the Slytherin's dorms, but we just get plopped into ours! Who's controlling this mess, I demand a refund!"

"I wasn't aware you were paying for this ride," Peter huffed as he rubbed his forehead against the offending trunk it had crashed against. "Mind if I get my share back?"

"Urgh, I don't know how on Earth we're going to find the book in this mess," Alice scowled about the place as she brushed a sock from her head.

"Charming little place," Frank agreed, having half landed under a bed and getting the joy of a toad leaping away from his face in surprise. Trevor, if he recalled correctly.

"Don't know what you lot are complaining about, we've finally got some beds!" Black cheered, pulling his friend away from the window and collapsing on the nearest one with an exhausted look in place that, to be fair, likely was not faked.

"How long have we been at this?" Potter agreed, flouncing on the floor and yanking the blankets off of the perch his friends had claimed. "I say we don't even bother looking for the next part of this mess until morning and get some shut eye!"

"Well I'm glad you lot can get comfortable," Lily sighed, staying where she'd landed at the foot of the available mattresses, eyeing it as if fearing it was going to consume her in her sleep. Even in the familiarity of being back up in her tower, if not the girls portion, she could not shake the feeling this castle seemed to be clutching even without the mass of students present. There was something going on she'd never had to fear even in her own time.

Regulus watched silently as, to his surprise, Potter actually ignored her and kept chatting up his three friends in their one space. Alice and Frank blushed scarlet at the sudden implications before them and went to separate beds, Regulus stayed where his was nearest the door, and Evans realized after a moment she was going to be ignored and tentatively began trying to organize the blankets into a more suitable position. Regulus found it quite clever. The last thing Potter could have done to force Evans to sleep in a bed was going all chivalrous and making a space for her. Now she was settling into one with orange drapings all along it silently while just as thoroughly ignoring him.

He decided to take the suggestion himself and stretched out on the last one, the canopy of which had shamrocks dancing along the perimeter and a few pictures of a sandy haired bloke and a tall black kid laughing. He didn't know which was the beds owner, and he didn't care as he closed his eyes and rolled over, trying to get comfortable. It took quite some time to fall off to sleep, though he was surprised Sirius still whispering incomprehensibly was helping. It reminded him of home, where he could often hear Kreacher going about the place at all hours, and the portraits whispering, the wind ripping through the old house.

It didn't take that long before Peter decided to risk it, transforming into Wormtail and creeping along to each bed and checking carefully to see all others asleep. He went so far as to give their noses little licks, but the worst reaction was Longbottom tossing violently over in his sleep and muttering, his snores nearly knocking Wormtail off the bed. Then Peter popped back over to his friends, who all had heavy lidded eyes themselves, but were grateful to stop whispering about Quidditch statistics for once upon his nod.

"This is getting too close guys!" Remus managed hoarsely. He couldn't even pretend to not be holding painfully tight to Sirius' arm, he desperately needed some anchor to those around him instead of the death threat hanging just outside this window in the night.

"Relax Moony, I told you I had a plan," James promised, the others having to almost read his lips in the poor light. They wished they'd had this conversation back out in the zoo where no one had been around, but they'd been too afraid of risking their conversation being carried through magic. Regulus hadn't once questioned what all had transpired when they'd been out of sight, so they'd just have to run on the assumption they'd have to watch every word they said no matter the location. They may not get another chance like this for awhile.

"And what, pray tell, would you lot have done in such a confined area if I'd transformed and began trying to kill everything in sight?!" Remus' voice only restrained from screaming by doing the opposite, the words horribly jumbled together and barely intelligible to those around him.

"Easy, we pin you down, Peter would get through the chapter like all our lives depended on it. Then, when we flashed out of here, we'd just have to erase their memories of what happened, reread the chapter they all missed, and poof, problem solved!"

Remus wondered how long his friend had been certifiable without him noticing. Possibly back when they'd decided to keep hanging around after learning his secret and he'd ignored it.

"That is the stupidest thing I've heard in my life." Peter thankfully agreed with him.

"I'm not hearing you two come up with any better ideas," Sirius snipped, but the uneasy frown on his face told enough, he was no more sold on this.

"Prongs, remember when you got electrocuted at the Dursleys?" Remus tried to remind him, straining not to inflect in his voice how idiotic his friend was.

James clearly did as he flexed the digits uncomfortably. His hand still hadn't seemed to fully heal from the event, even if he did seem to have it back in working order. It was mending, slowly.

"The words from the book vanished until you came back around. Merlin knows what would happen to it if one of us died, we'd probably be stuck in that spot forever! I don't think erasing knowledge of the book will help anything!"

"We wouldn't be erasing knowledge from the book, I told you we'd reread the chapter and give it back, just not certain unavoidable events that happened," James insisted with confidence.

Remus licked his lips and again looked nervously out the window.

"Thankfully, time still seems to be on our side and it hasn't been a problem yet," Sirius said with just a touch more confidence. "At least we have a starting point for a plan. Let's get some shut-eye while we can."

Remus slumped against the headboard, knowing even as exhausted as he was he wasn't going to sleep a wink. He felt colder every second, helped nothing by Sirius sliding off the bed and joining the other two in a sort of pile along the floor.

His stomach kept twisting into painful knots, and every single time he managed to unravel just a bit by the reminder his friends wouldn't let anything happen to the innocent people around him, it only went even more taught at the idea he'd kill one of them in the process. He curled into himself and kept looking blearily out the window, the reflective surface tormenting him as it grew brighter every second.

"Moony?"

It had to have been hours later, he'd watched the slow process as it trickled across the sky in his mind's eye, but he couldn't so much as let one finger free of the cramped position he'd set himself in. Sirius slid up on the bed beside him again, wriggling his fingers in until he'd unfastened both his hands and then finally pulled those apart. Remus finally rolled his head around to see the dark silver of his eyes. They were nothing like the bright color he so feared.

"I decided to take Prongs' advice and have a chat with you while we could," Sirius crawled up and laid along his back, so that he was whispering in his ear, one hand still gripping his to make sure he couldn't pull himself back away. "Don't worry, they're both asleep. I'd say I'd know after nearly five years." He added on when Remus didn't respond.

"What did you want to talk about?" He muttered back, his own voice sounding like a strangers it dragged so badly.

"Don't know," he admitted. "Just couldn't sleep."

Well that was a lie, otherwise he wouldn't have 'wanted a chat' when the other two were out. Remus kept himself quiet and let Sirius build up whatever was on his mind. When he finally got it, it wasn't quite what he was expecting.

"I think Peter knows."

"Eh?"

"Hmm," was his only mutter for a moment, before he kept going in a soft whisper right into his ear, "he's been watching us. Course, he watches everything, but still."

"If this is your idea of pillow talk, it's lacking," was all he could think to say.

"Remus, I mean it," Sirius muttered, trying to draw his legs up to him but instead just knocking them into Remus' knees. He kept them there instead, Sirius now entirely along his back as much as he could.

"You want to tell them?" He finally asked. If Sirius had been trying to give him something else to think about, it had worked.

"I don't like keeping things from either of them. I get the feeling they're going to know sooner rather than later, and we should tell them before that."

"We haven't even told each other what we've been doing." He huffed as a get around. He flashed back to the moment he'd started this by kissing Sirius back. He'd justified it to himself at the time as a way to draw Sirius back to him and find some way to stop the fighting, the panicked look across his mates face when he'd first done it clearly meaning he hadn't any more to go on. Now he was worried he'd jumped the gun on the right way to do that, even if he couldn't regret it as he finally started to relax along the warm body. "Can't we at least wait until we get out of this crazy mess?" He asked more quietly still, worried Sirius had nodded off in the silence as he went through his mind for an answer.

"Yeah, yeah that's fair. This has got to stop eventually. As much as I'm not enjoying living through Prongs' sons crazy life and all."

Remus snorted quietly in agreement to that. "Think there's really some monster running around this castle?"

"I'm thinking it more likely with every passing event in this kids life. I just can't put my finger on what."

Remus hadn't let himself think on it himself, so invested in everything else going on. He finally let himself fall into a fit of uneasy sleep as the silvery moon finally faded behind his heavy eyes. Sirius smiled, and slowly as he was capable of, inched himself away from Remus until he slid back between James and Peter on the floor. Remus still slept on.

Alice had suffered quite a few abrupt awakenings. One when her cousin came over for the summer and thrown her things all over Alice's bed in welcoming, another as her dorm-mates cat pissed on her, but none quite so memorable as Frank kissing her good morning. She smiled up at him and curled tighter into her warm bed as he brushed at her hair before some part of conciseness returned and she murmured, "what are you doing in here?"

"I'm pretty sure we've yet been able to fully answer that," Frank reminded her kindly. She blinked the haze away and finally realized she was not in her own dorm, but still up in Gryffindor tower. There was water running somewhere in the background, she realized as she sat up slowly. She found the Marauders all awake and moving about, much quieter than she would have given them credit for, though still being their usual selves and going through all the available school trunks. Pettigrew was at the foot of hers and tossing things around, a football of all things bouncing against the opposite wall.* It was noticeable they all had slightly damp hair, and their clothes looked just a bit less worn.

She looked properly around her own setting for the first time, some glimmers of unease still present she'd slept in a stranger's bed. This boy was either a muggle-born or had a clear love for them, as he had a poster of one of their sports up that wasn't even moving, though a few pictures scattered around of a tall, dark skinned lad and a sandy-haired boy in someone's backyard messing around with the same football that had just been tossed around.

"They claim to be looking for that," Frank stage whispered as he gestured to the book that was sitting clearly on the bedside table of the bed Frank had been sleeping in.

She stretched as she got out from under the covers and went over to it, sitting down there instead as they'd clearly already been through this place, in far too much detail. There was a pair of pants with all the pockets turned inside out right near the foot of the bed. Frank followed and put another easy arm around her, gesturing before she could grab the book, "had you been wondering what Neville looked like?"

She had, admittedly, and was just as pleased as she was shocked when Frank reached into the bedside cabinet and pulled out a moving picture. It was a family portrait. Frank began pointing out people clearly from his side of the family, but she couldn't spare a glance for any of them, even her future mother in law with a vulture for a hat. Her son, the youngest by far, was standing half behind her in the photo, his little face only peaking out every few seconds the brightest spot.

At first she thought her son had inherited all of his fathers looks along with just his family, with that light blond hair and kind brown eyes. It wasn't until he peaked out again she could spot her own face inlaid with her child's, the kindness she felt pouring from him.

Smiling with pride and very carefully keeping the picture in her grasp as she moved to take the book, she vowed to keep this with her as long as she could get away with. First she couldn't help but stop and look around herself once more with an uneasy feeling. This bed then, her sons, was the only one without any sort of defining marker. She locked eyes with Frank, the worry passing between them as real as Potter flinging textbooks about with abound.

"Aren't all diary's very secret?" The elder Black laughed as he strolled by, checking carefully under each bed for something that was beyond both of them.

"Shouldn't you wait for Regulus to get out?" Pettigrew called over.

In answer, the water stopped, and the younger Black stepped out, toweling his hair and straightening his shirt.

Alice and Frank looked relieved, and Lily reluctant, but they all took turns in the second years boys bathroom. It was simple enough, everything done up in silver and gold of course, with lions embroidered into all the linen. Thankfully the plumbing was working just fine, the settings for the taps were the same in their respective bathrooms, and the laundry shoot still magicked their clean clothes back to them by the time they were all freshened up.

"I'm not surprised the school would think Hermione got attacked," Evans said as she came over to sit beside them on the edge of the bed, taking a brush to her long locks, finally. It was amazing how relaxed they all felt after a little hot water, and the schools magic still somehow managed to know what products each of them used.

"I'm just hoping it makes all those kids realize how stupid it is to think Harry's the one doing this, attacking his friend." Potter seemed to agree with her, stopping his shenanigans of tossing bed sheets around to smile winningly over at her.

She turned away, not taking notice of the water dripping upon the bed, but her nose didn't go quite as high in the air as usual when he talked to her.

"I still don't find it a particularly brilliant idea for Harry to be back around that bathroom," Remus muttered as he sorted through the third trunk.

"Hasn't done anyone any harm," Sirius shrugged as he passed by, tapping his chin as he eyed a pair of trainers. He held one up to his foot, then tossed it away without satisfaction.

"It can't be coincidence this place now has two random events like this," Remus insisted, abandoning a magazine over Great Locations of Kenmare.

"Myrtle floods her bathroom a dozen times a year," Sirius continued trying to ignore him. "Just because Harry found a ruddy book in there some broad wanted to flush away shouldn't mean anything- Oi, Wormtail! Stop sniffing the damn Fudge Flies and come here!"

Peter left Ron's bedside and came over with a harassed expression in place. "Whatever you want to try out on me this time Sirius, the answer's no."

"Why do you always assume it's that?" Sirius asked innocently, then kept going before he could retaliate. "Nah, Moony thinks something's up with this book Harry found, and I want someone else over here laughing at him with me. Cause more of an impact."

"You two are horrible to each other," Peter told him pleasantly. "That wouldn't work anyways, because I'm on his side, listen," he insisted when the background noise of Harry's Valentines settled down and he realized something was odd about it.

James was still snickering about the Valentine his poor son had received, while Evans was looking mortified about the same and desperately wishing that book wasn't giving Potter ideas. Regulus had been spending the whole time in the windowsill, admittedly enjoying the high view. Everyone froze as Alice went on to describe the sentient book.

"Do you think it's in here? Now?" Alice hissed as if she feared it would hear her.

"No," Potter said at once with confidence, taking a cautious step away from Harry's part of the room anyways. "No, we've been looking through this stuff all morning, haven't seen a trace of it."

An awkward silence still hung as Smith forced herself to continue, which only grew worse when Harry was sucked right into the pages.

Everyone remained frozen until it became clear Harry was in no immediate danger, as no one in this odd memory from the diary could see him. Potter, clearly trying to act as always as if this were all casual news, went back over to his sons things and began looking around with even more vigor.

The rest of the Marauders seemed to decide this same tactic, while the three still on the bed drew closer to each other. Alice's voice only shook a bit at reading of something like this, and it only grew more confusing as she reached the end and this Riddle seemed on the verge of finding the true culprit.

"Aha!"

Alice looked over in surprise as Potter quickly stowed something out of sight with a sheepish expression, clearly regretting his outburst. He'd been spending an inordinate amount of time at Harry's trunk and around his bed, and she found it almost sweet if a little obnoxious that's how he was trying to learn about his kid instead of paying attention to the book about him.

"What was that?" Frank asked as politely as he could manage.

"I, ah, found one of Lockhart's signature books Harry got! Bet that's going to be worth a fortune, I'm going to nick it!"

She and Frank exchanged a look of how much they believed that, but Alice hoped this creepy memory was almost done with already and ignored them.

Sirius wasn't listening, he'd finally found a pair he was sure would fit.

"Here Reg, put these on," Sirius said while tossing a pair of boots at his head. Regulus caught one, the other landed on top of his bare foot. A pair of socks quickly followed the same pattern.

"I don't need your help," Regulus snapped as he pushed both away. "I could get some on my own if I wanted to."

Sirius scowled down at him. "You want to wind up back in the Forest or some nonsense barefoot, fine."

Peter watched Sirius strut away, as much as he could in such a small space, back over to James. The two started up a whispered conversation while James kept patting his pocket, and Peter rolled his eyes. He instead turned his attention to Regulus with a sympathetic smile. "He means well."

"I'm not going to bother responding to you if you're just going to defend your mate over there," he huffed.

"I'm just saying," Peter put his hands up defensively. "He bosses me around all the time to. Think that's how he shows he cares."

"And he claims he's nothing like our parents," Regulus rolled his eyes and looked back out the window without further comment.

Sirius had watched the whole thing, and blew a frustrated breath when Peter joined them. "Little idiots going to get a toe cut off or something and I'm just going to laugh at him."

"Souvenir?" Remus offered, before all four burst out laughing just as they were transported away again, none having the chance to realize just what exactly Alice had said before it was too late.

[breaniebree]

Flashback Sequence:

Chapter 192 -- Sirius meets Fee and Monty

I fancast Jake Gyllenhall as Fleamont Potter and his wife as Anne Hathaway from Becoming Jane.  I was playing around with the aging app on my phone and had fun.  But I just feel like they embody Fee and Monty to me.

[Excerpt]...

“That’s Clevedon Court, like I said before it’s been the home of the Potters for over seven hundred years.”

Harry nodded, eyes wide as he saw the young boy step off the Knight Bus in front of the house.  He recognized the cocky step and the dark locks as Sirius before he even saw his face.  

Sirius shoved his hands into the pockets of the black jeans he wore.  They had holes in the knees and he was wearing black army boots with the laces untied and a white tee shirt under his open leather jacket with a Gryffindor scarf around his neck.  He had a small knapsack over his shoulder as he stood there in the snow, staring up at the house as if he was unsure.

The Knight Bus left and Sirius stood there a moment longer before he carefully trudged up the long drive and knocked on the front door.  It was only a moment before the small slim woman with dark brown hair hair streaked in silver that Harry recognized as Euphemia Potter, pulled it open.  Her hair was pulled back in a braided bun, but her fringe covered the side of her forehead in tight curls.  She smiled warmly at the sight of him. 

“Hello, dear, Happy Christmas.  Can we help you with something?”

Sirius swallowed slowly.  “Er, is this James Potter’s house?”

The woman’s smile widened.  “It most certainly is and you would be?”

“Um, Sirius Black?  We’re friends at school.”

“Oh!  Sirius, lovely to finally meet you, do come in!”  She tugged him inside the large entranceway.  The big medieval style hall full of old art and tapestries.  “You can put your boots and jacket there.  Rosa!”

A tiny elf appeared and Euphemia smiled warmly.

“Rosa, dear, set him up in Jamie’s room, we have a guest.”

The elf nodded, taking Sirius’ bag as Euphemia smiled warmly at him.

“I’m Euphemia Potter, but everyone calls me Fee.  Come on in, love, Jamie’s in the living room.”

Sirius followed her through the large hall into a large living room with a massive Christmas tree that stood close to twenty feet tall and dancing in fairy lights.  James was  sprawled out across the sofa tossing a Quaffle up into the air and then catching it.

“Jamie, love, your friend Sirius has come by.  You should have told me that he was coming, I would have set a spot for him for dinner,” she scolded.

“Didn’t know,” James said, jumping to his feet.  “Hey mate.”

“Hey.”

Euphemia beamed at the two of them.   “Well, I’ll go let Darby know that we have another for dinner.”

Sirius shoved his hands into his pockets, rocking on the balls of his feet.  “Um, sorry for just showing up.”

“Nah, it’s cool,” James told him, his eyes on his friend.  “Are you staying the rest of the holiday?”

Sirius shook his head.  “No… I don’t want to impose.  I just… I had to get out of that house for a bit.”

James nodded.  “You won’t be imposing.  Mum will be thrilled if you stay the whole holiday.  She loves guests.”

He shrugged.  “Wicked house.”

“Thanks.  Come on and sit.  Mum will bring snacks in a moment.”

Sirius raised an eyebrow.  “But we didn’t ask for anything.”

James chuckled.  “Trust me.”

They settled on the sofa and James urged Sirius to stretch out with him so that their legs were both side by side across from each other the same way that they had first sat on the school train, just as Euphemia came into the living room with a tea tray full of tea and biscuits.

“I brought you boys a little snack,” she said as James smirked at his friend.

“Told you.  Hey, Mum, Sirius is going to stay for the whole holiday, okay?”

“Oh, wonderful!  I love having guests,” she exclaimed brightly.  “You boys eat up and then you can head outside.  The snow looks just perfect for building a large fort.”

James grinned as his mum left the room and he turned to his friend.  “See, it’s fine.”  He reached for a biscuit, eyeing his friend carefully for a moment.  “So, want to talk about it?”

Sirius shook his head as he shoved a biscuit in his mouth.  “Not really.”

“What did your folks say when you told them that you were coming here?”

“Didn’t,” he said simply, lifting the cup of tea to his lips and drinking deeply.  “I told Reg and then I snuck out at dawn this morning.”

James’ eyebrow rose.  “That might have made it worse.”

He shrugged as he helped himself to a second biscuit.  “I couldn’t stay there a moment longer.”

James only nodded.  “Okay.  You’re welcome here as long as you want, Siri.”

Sirius’ eyes met his and he nodded slowly as Euphemia came back into the room with Fleamont, who was polishing his glasses on his sleeve as he walked.

“Sirius, this is Monty, Monty, Sirius Black.  Sirius will be staying the rest of the holiday with us, isn’t that wonderful?” 

Fleamont smiled warmly at his wife.  “Wonderful.  James, why don’t you boys head upstairs and get some warm clothes on.  I think that it’s high time we build a massive snow fort, what do you say?”

James grinned and jumped to his feet.  “I’m in.”

He gestured for Sirius to follow him, raising an eyebrow when Sirius stole another biscuit before he did so.  

“Mum will have lunch ready in about two hours if you’re hungry.”

Sirius nodded as he followed James up the staircase and down the hall to the door that said James F. Potter on a gold plaque.  “What does the F stand for?”

“Er, Franklin.”

“Really?  Then how did your father get the nickname Monty?”

James blushed.  “Okay, fine, it’s Fleamont — and if you tell anyone I will kill you in your sleep.”

Sirius busted into laughter as he followed James into his room and grinned at the sight of it.  His walls were covered in Quidditch posters and statistics, posters of The Beatles, of Elvis Presley, and of guitars along with posters of broom ads.  He was surprised to see photos of himself, Remus, and Peter tacked up as well.  There was a large queen-sized bed in the middle of the room with a desk, two tall dressers, a toy chest, three bookshelves as well as a large closet.  His broom was hanging on the wall over his bed.  A large cot had already been set up next to the bed.

“You can sleep in the bed if you prefer,” James told him.  “It’s big enough for the two of us to share or if you want your own room, we have lots of guest rooms, but knowing Mum she put the cot in here assuming that you’d be more comfortable with me.”  He plopped onto his bed and sighed.  “So, I lied, tell me what happened.”

Sirius let out a slow sigh.  “My parents were just… Mum is furious that I’m still hanging around with you and Rem.  She claims Pete is tolerable, but still not worthy.  She says that Gryffindor has dulled my senses and made me forget right from wrong.  They’ve been praising Reg left and right, which is good, he deserves the praise, but they do it in a way that belittles me and it was just grating my cheese, James.  Like oh, Sirius, Regulus received an Outstanding on his Potions homework, I don’t know how you achieved an Outstanding when your work is clearly inferior.”

“What the bloody hell does that mean?”  James exclaimed, his eyes flashing in anger.  “Obviously it’s outstanding if that’s the grade you achieved!”

Sirius shrugged.  “Also they somehow learned that I’ve spent the last month snogging Em, who is not a pureblood and therefore completely beneath me, and how I’m slumming it.”

“Siri, mate, I’m sorry.”

“Whatever, I just… I couldn’t listen to it anymore and I blew up on my mum last night.  I was so angry that my magic reacted and I blew out all the windows in the upstairs and then I got a letter from the Ministry warning me about using magic outside of school…”

James goggled at him.  “Wow!”

He nodded.  “And well, all hell broke loose after that.”

“Meaning?”

Sirius moved to close James’ bedroom door before he lifted up his shirt.  His ribs were littered in fist sized purple bruises.

James’ eyes darkened.  “They hit you?”

“Oh, no,” Sirius said.  “Simply hitting me is too Muggle.  Mum added a weight charm to Father’s fists first.”  He winced as he put his arms down.  “I think I broke a rib.”

James jumped to his feet.  “My Mum will fix you right up.”

Sirius blanched.  “No!  Fuck!  You can’t tell her!”

James’ eyebrow rose.  “Siri, you need medical attention.”

“No, can’t you just… I mean, isn’t there something that you could do?”

James hesitated a moment before he nodded just as a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

“You boys coming or what?”  Fleamont called out.

“Dad, can we build the fort after lunch?  Sirius is feeling a bit tired,” James called out.

Fleamont pushed the bedroom door open and eyed the two boys for a moment.  “Everything okay in here?”

“Fine,” James said, grinning widely.  “Siri’s just tired.  After lunch we’ll build the fort, Dad.”

Fleamont nodded.  “Sure, whenever you’d like, Jamie.  If you boys need anything, just ask.”

James grinned at him as he closed the door and then he called for Rosa.  The elf appeared in his bedroom a moment later, eyes wide.

“How can I help you, Master James?”

“Hi, Rosa, listen, I need you to get some healing stuff and help me heal my friend Sirius, but you can’t tell Mum or Dad.”

Rosa stared at him.  “Master James, I is not comfortable lying to the Marquess and Marchioness, Sir.”

“Don’t lie, just… don’t tell them is all.”

Rosa hesitated, but she nodded and disappeared with a loud crack.

Sirius stared at him.  “Do you really think that she won’t tell them?”

James nodded.  “We’re fine.”

Rosa came back a few moments later with the first aid kit and Sirius carefully tugged his shirt off.  The elf stared at him for a long moment before she moved forward to help give him some healing salve for the bruises.  James looked in the kit and mixed the potions for Sirius’ ribs, pouring the appropriate dose into a cup and passing it over.

Sirius winced as he drank the potion and James stared at the fresh welts on his friend’s back.

“Siri… how the bloody hell did this…?”

Sirius shrugged.  “It’s fine.  Just pass me some of that salve.”

James’ bedroom door flew open and Euphemia stepped in with a tray of sandwiches and her eyes widened.  James moved to block Sirius from view, but it had been too late.  Euphemia put the tray down on the desk and moved carefully towards Sirius.  She placed her fingers on his chin and tilted his head to look up at her.

“Who hurt you, darling?”

“I’m fine,” Sirius told her, reaching for his shirt.

James took the shirt from his friend’s hand so that Rosa could continue to apply the salve.  “His parents, Mum.”

Euphemia’s eyes darkened in anger for a moment before she masked it.  She took the salve from Rosa and immediately set about taking over the task.  She ordered James which potions to give him and covered the welts in fresh bandages.  Sirius’ cheeks were flushed in embarrassment as he pulled his shirt over his head and murmured a thanks under his breath.

Euphemia reached out and gently brushed his hair behind his ear.  “Your parents are Orion and Walburga, dear?”

Sirius nodded.  “I’m fine, Mrs Potter, honest.”  His eyes widened in surprise when she leaned in and kissed his cheek tenderly. 

“You are always welcome here, Sirius.  I don’t care for how long you stay or what time you show up.  Our home will always be your home.”  She kissed his forehead and tugged James to her to hug him tightly and kiss his cheeks.  “You make Sirius rest and eat those sandwiches I brought up.  I’ll have Monty whip up another healing potion for him to take after dinner.”

Then she was gone and Sirius was staring at James, his eyes wide.

“What just happened?”

James grinned.  “I think Mum just adopted you.  Here, have a bacon sandwich,” he said, tossing one at Sirius.

Sirius caught it, staring at James in wonder.  “Your parents are brilliant.”

James grinned back at him.  “I know.”