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hms-chill · 5 years ago

Note

hi!! I’m absolutely obsessed with you Alex and henry fics, you write them so beautifully!! I was wondering... do you have any interest in writing them as parents or becoming parents?? I can totally see them doing it but I would love to see a fic where that’s represented and you seem like the best person to bring it to life!! it’s totally okay if you’re not up to it though, just thought I would ask!!

Thank you so much for this; it activated my intrinsic gay urge to write found families and then consumed me. So, I present:

Found

Quick trigger warning for referenced child abuse linked to homophobia as well as some internalized ableism. Stay safe y'all.

Also, this is set in the future, because these boys need some time to settle before they bring a child into their family.

Alex and Henry are just starting dessert, a cake Henry saw on Bake Off and just had to try, when Henry takes a deep breath, sets down his fork, and says, "Alex? Would... I have a rather large favor to ask. It's okay if you say no, in fact, I... I don't even know if it's a totally good idea; I haven't really thought it through, but we..." He sighs, staring at his plate and trying to find the words. Alex frowns slightly, reaching over to take his hand. He rubs his thumb along the back of it, fiddling a bit with Henry's wedding ring, which makes them both smile.

After a moment, Henry takes a deep breath and says, "I was at the shelter today, and this boy came in. He was... he was jumpy, but a lot of them are at first. But he was just scared, and he wouldn't interact with any of the other kids or the staff or anything. I think he said he was eleven; his name's Tano. I... I just wondered if maybe we could host him for a few days? The final draft of my anthology's due next week, so I was planning on being home to work on it anyway, and I was... I just thought maybe some time in a more one-on-one environment would help him relax a bit. You don't have to say 'yes' if you don't think it's a good idea or if you don't want to."

"Yeah, well, I want to say yes," Alex says, and Henry smiles. "He sounds great; I'll go make sure the guest room is ready if you want to do the dishes? Then we can pick him up tonight."

"How did I get so lucky as to have a husband like you?"

"You were a dick to me when we were teenagers and I became instantly obsessed with you. Then you started baking incredible cakes to keep me here."

Henry rolls his eyes, bending down for a kiss as he grabs Alex's dishes and takes them to the sink. Alex comes to kiss his neck from behind, then starts upstairs.

"I'm going to call the shelter to let them know what we're thinking," Henry tells his back, and Alex shoots him a thumbs up. Henry dries his hands off and calls the shelter, letting them know that they should give Tano as much time as he needs to decide and call back when he's ready.

He decides he does want to come stay, so after the dishes are washed and the guest bedroom is ready, Alex and Henry drive to the shelter. Alex keeps drumming his fingers on the steering wheel until eventually, Henry reaches over to lace their fingers together, pressing a kiss to the back of Alex's hand.

"It's going to be fine; you don't have to be nervous."

"I know. I just hope we can help him." Henry nods, smiling slightly. Alex just wants to do the most good they possibly can.

"If it doesn't work out, he'll still know that there are people willing to try for him, though. So either way, this... this could be good, right?"

Alex nods, giving Henry's hand a squeeze. They're at the shelter before too long, parking and walking in. They're greeted immediately, not as a prince and a politician, but as Alex and Henry (or, perhaps more accurately, Henry and Henry's husband. Not that Alex minds one bit). The kids are all happy to see them, and Alex catches a few beaming at their clasped hands. He just smiles to himself, remembering how it felt to see Rafael Luna and his boyfriend together in public for the first time. He presses a kiss to Henry's cheek, just to show the kids they can, and he watches a few more smiles break out as kids realize that this is something that's okay; it's something they can have someday.

When they get to the main office, Henry goes to sign some papers while Alex goes to talk to Tano. He's sitting in a chair with a battered Power Rangers backpack beside him, legs swinging. He looks up when Alex comes over, then down again almost immediately.

"Tano? Hi, I'm Alex. Henry and I are really looking forward to having you stay with us for a bit."

"Thank you. You don't have to."

"I know. We want to." He holds out a hand, either to shake or to help Tano off the chair, but Tano flinches back. Alex swears, then slaps his hand over his own mouth. "Tano, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry; I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. I'm so sorry. I'll be more thoughtful next time. I... if you still want to come with us, I swear I'll do better."

"I... I do. It's okay. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm sorry."

"I got paperwork signed," Henry says, coming over to join them. "It's good to see you again, Tano. I think we're all set to go." Tano stands, grabbing his bag.

"I like your backpack," Alex says, trying again.

"Thanks." Tano looks like he might be considering saying something more, but they're out of the office now, and he instead resorts to trying to keep tabs on everything happening around them, wide eyes flitting around the room and from person to person. Alex decides not to push it, and they're quiet until they get to the car. Henry makes sure Tano's seatbelt is buckled, then asks if he wants to tell them anything about himself or where he's from.

"Puerto Rico, until I was five. Then Manhattan. My... my dad moved us after my mom died because his family is from Wisconsin."

Henry only gets a shrug when he asks if Tano likes Manhattan, so he switches topics, asking instead what Tano likes to do. He shrugs again. "I like to read, I guess. My dad said I had to so I'd be smart and do well in school and get a good job. He says it's harder for people like us to get jobs here."

Alex and Henry exchange a look. When Henry asks what kinds of books Tano likes, he doesn't get much of a response, so he lets it drop and they pull up to the house in silence.

"Tano, I don't know if they told you, but we have a dog named David. He's... he's kind of old now, and he's not a big dog, so he shouldn't run or jump on you or anything like that. But we can still put him in our room if that would make you more comfortable," Alex offers, but Tano shakes his head.

"It's okay." Tano climbs out and follows Henry inside, Alex bringing up the rear. David comes to greet them, and Henry bends to rub his ears and distract him for a minute while Alex offers to show Tano to his room. Tano looks a bit surprised, but he follows Alex up to the guest bedroom.

"I'm sorry it's not super personal; it... it's a guest room, but we can make it better for you soon, okay?"

"Thank you. You don't have to."

"It's no problem, and if... if you want to personalize it a bit, Henry or I would both be really happy to help. We'd both do we can to make you more comfortable," Alex says, showing Tano the bathroom. Tano just nods, and Alex leaves him to get unpacked with an invitation to join him and Henry in the living room if he wants to later. He doesn't come down, but when Henry checks on him before they go to bed, he's asleep.

The next morning, Alex leaves for work before Tano gets up. Henry brings his laptop to the kitchen to work, so he's there when Tano comes down, and they get to eat breakfast together. Part way through scrambled eggs, Tano asks, "Could you... sorry, could you move your hand?"

"I'm afraid you'll see me chew."

"That's okay. I just... I need to read your lips."

"You need to... Tano, are you deaf?"

"No! No, I'm... I'm fine. There's nothing wrong with me. I can hear people talking to me, I just... I can't always make out the words, if it's loud especially, and they're doing work outside and that makes it harder. Lip reading makes things easier sometimes, but I... I'm normal, I swear."

"Okay. If... if you want to get your ears checked, we can, but you don't have to."

"But I'm... I'm normal. There's nothing wrong with me."

"I know; there's nothing wrong. But maybe a doctor could make things a bit easier for you.”

“I’m okay. I’m not... not sick or... I don’t need a doctor.”

“Alright. I was saying, maybe we could take David for a W-A-L-K later if you’d like.”

"I'd like that. He's a good dog."

“He is a good dog. He’s getting up there a bit in years though; we were thinking of looking into adopting a younger one soon. Alex wants us to get a lab or a golden retriever, but I’d lean a bit more toward another smaller dog. We travel a lot, since our families don't live in the city, and I can't imagine bringing a golden on a plane or train somewhere.”

"Are... are planes fun? I've never flown. Except when I was five, I guess, but I don't remember much except the peanuts."

They talk about flying, and Henry makes sure to keep his mouth visible. On their walk, he turns toward Tano whenever he has something to say, just in case Tano needs to read his lips. He notices him peeking sometimes, but he doesn't comment.

It's Tuesday, which means it's Bake Off night, which typically means Alex and Henry are cuddled up in front of the TV with hot drinks and a bowl of popcorn. This week, Tano joins them, and Henry casually makes sure they have subtitles available. Tano says he likes the show, though he slips off to bed after it's over, leaving Henry and Alex downstairs together. Henry explains what he's learned about Tano's hearing, and Alex nods, already starting to think of ways they can help.

When they check on Tano before bed this time, he's awake, and he flinches back when they open the door to peek in.

"I'm okay. Don't... don't come in." He sounds like he's been crying.

"Tano? Is everything okay, buddy?" Alex asks.

"I'm fine. I... I don't need anything. I'm fine. Don't... don't come in. I don't need you."

"Okay, well, we... we're just down the hall if you do. We want to help if we can. Goodnight," Henry says, putting a hand on Alex's shoulder and pulling the door closed. Alex looks ready to go into the room anyway to try to rescue Tano from whatever's upset him, but that will only make things worse.

"Hen, I... he needs us," Alex protests softly, but Henry shakes his head.

"He said he doesn't; we have to trust him if we want him to trust us."

Alex sighs, clearly wanting to go help but letting Henry's warning sink in.

"I... I guess. I just want to make things better for him."

"I know. And I love you for it."

They go to bed, and the week goes on. Sometimes Tano has nightmares, sometimes he's asleep when they check on him. Slowly, they start to see the eleven year old boy emerge from behind the layers of fear. When they get in the car about a week after he's come to stay with them, Henry hands him the Spotify app and he finds an album for them to listen to that's not in Henry's saved music. That's reason enough for Henry and Alex to have an excited conversation that night. They go to the library, and when Henry suggests they read a book together, Tano picks one out. Not long after, he's making comments on Bake Off contestants, mentioning which bakes look good. When he agrees that trying to make shortbread together would be fun, Alex feels his heart leap.

Things change a bit when Henry's publisher calls him back to England for a press tour. They'd known this was coming, but somehow, Alex had thought that maybe Tano would be gone by now. Maybe things wouldn't have worked out, or he'd have wanted to go back to the shelter to be with kids his own age. Instead, he's just getting used to the routine, and now it's changing. Alex takes time to work from home, but things still feel off until the night after Henry leaves.

Alex isn't sure what time it is when he hears the office door open, but he knows it’s late. He turns to see Tano in the doorway, shrinking back almost immediately.

“Tano? It’s okay; what’s up, bud?”

“I’m fine. I’m... I... the light was on, so I thought maybe... I... I had a dream you were gone. Both of you. I just... just wanted to make sure. I’m sorry. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“Nothing to be sorry for. I used to just stand in my dad’s kitchen and eat ice cream in my boxers when I couldn’t sleep, so this... I’d much rather this than that.” Alex chuckles a bit, and Tano smiles, glancing up at him for a moment. He still looks a bit scared, so Alex asks, “Want to hang out for a bit? We don’t have to, but we could read or watch something until you’re tired again.”

It takes a minute, but Tano nods. “I... can you... is it okay if we read without Henry?”

“I’m sure he won’t mind. He did this to himself, getting a British publisher. Come on, let’s get you back to bed and I’ll start the next chapter.” Tano smiles again, just a bit, as Alex gets up and comes over. He offers his hand, and Tano takes it slowly, though he holds on tight. He always seems so much older than he is, but as David joins them on their way to his room, Alex realizes all over how young eleven really is.

“You... if you don’t want to read, you don’t have to,” Tano says as they reach his room. Alex shrugs.

“I’d like to, if you want company for a bit. I... honestly, it’ll probably help me sleep, too. I don’t usually... I don’t sleep as well when Henry’s gone.” It feels embarrassing to admit it, but Tano has to hide a smile that spreads automatically across his face.

“Sorry, I’m sorry, I don’t mean... just, you really love him, don’t you?”

“I love him so much. More than... more than I ever thought I could. And I’m so proud of him, too... he’s the most incredible person I know, he really is.” Tano’s smile has grown a bit, and he doesn’t look as worried anymore. Alex smiles, making sure he’s all tucked in. He reaches for their book, but Tano stops him.

“If... if you want, if you’d rather, we... we could save it, and you could tell me some more about Henry. If you want. I... I've never heard about a couple like you before.”

“Alright,” Alex says, smiling. “I always like talking about Henry. Did you know we only got together because of his brother’s wedding?”

Tano shakes his head, so Alex starts on the story of how he and Henry got together. The cake, the turkeys, all of it. Tano falls asleep just before he gets to their first kiss, and Alex takes a moment to just look at him, this tiny boy who’s been through so much and is still here, who’s just starting to get better. It’s five AM in London, so he opts to text on the off chance Henry is sleeping in: “Tano had a nightmare, but he came to find me!!!” “Get him settled again. We (all three of us) miss you.” “I miss you the most. Love you.”

His phone is ringing as soon as he sends the last text, and he grins. Henry.

"Hi."

"Alex, hi. You said Tano had a nightmare? Is he okay?"

"He's fine. He... he dreamed we were gone, but then he came to find me. He didn’t just hide; he came and told me and then we calmed down together. He asked if we could read, but I ended up telling him about how we got together instead. He asked for that; I told him I don’t sleep as well when you’re gone and he asked. I’m just... I’m so proud of him. for asking for help and telling me what was wrong and everything.”

"I'm proud, too. He's come so far. I'm so sorry I missed it; I wish I could be there."

"How's London?"

"It's... you know. Bea's been wonderful; got to get dinner with her and her boyfriend last night. She and mum both say they miss you."

"I miss them, too. And you. You more than them, if I'm honest."

"I miss you, too. You should get some rest; it's late there. I love you. Tell Tano I love him, too, will you?"

"Of course. Love you."

Alex hangs up and gets ready for bed, and even as he misses Henry, he knows he'll be home soon.

They meet Henry at the airport when he comes home, and Alex wraps him in a massive hug the second he's off the plane. Henry hugs him back, laughing as he plants a kiss on Alex's forehead, then turns to Tano and says, "I've got a hug for you if you want it, and I've talked to the pilot. He's agreed to take the three of us up for a quick flight around the city if you want. We don't have to, but you said you don't remember flying, so I thought you might want to give it a shot."

Tano nods, his eyes wide, so they pile into the plane. Tano gets buckled into a window seat, and he spends the whole time with his eyes glued to the window. The pilot invites them up to the cockpit, and Tano gapes at all the buttons and switches, then out at the panoramic view of New York City spreading out below them.

"It's... it's so pretty. And there's so much of it, but it all looks so small."

Alex feels an arm around his shoulders, and he leans against Henry, smiling as they watch Tano talk to the pilot. He's happy, and their little family is together, and right then, Alex makes a decision.

That night, he rolls over in bed to ask, "Hen? I know we said Tano was only going to be here for a bit, but I... I love having him here. I really, really love it. Like... more than anything we've ever done. Do you think he could stay? I don't want the other kids to feel like we're picking favorites or anything, but he... I don't think he'd like it there. He's just started coming out of his shell here; I don't want him to go back and be scared. Plus, he can't hear as well when there's background noise, and that's just a noisier place because there are so many people. And a lot of the kids there are older than he is; he'd be there for a long time and that can't be good. I've got an outline of a powerpoint for reasons he should stay that would put my mom's work to shame, but really, I just... I love him so much. And it feels right to have him here. It feels right to have him as part of our family. I... I want so badly to have him move in with us for real.”

“I want that, too. I know we haven’t really talked about kids, but I...”

“We’re talking about them now, and the answer is yes. Absolutely, we want at least one kid, and his name is Tano.”

Henry laughs at that, burying his face in Alex’s chest for a moment. He can hear Alex’s heart speed up just a bit; Alex loves it when he does this. Henry’s personal theory is that it makes Alex feel tall, but he wouldn’t necessarily say that out loud. Out loud, he says, “What if... I don’t want to spring this on him. Do you think we write a letter? Tell him we’ve loved having him here and ask if he wants to stay?”

"I think that's a great idea."

The next morning, Tano finds a letter outside his room.

“Dear Tano,First off, we love you. We’ve both loved having you stay with us, and we are so, so proud of you. You’re an amazing kid, and it has been a joy to get to know you over these past few weeks.

We’re writing this as a letter to give you time and space to think about it, but we were talking last night, and if you’re willing, we’d like to move toward adopting you officially. We love you so much, and we want you to be part of our family. It’s alright if this isn’t something you want, but we would be honored to adopt you if you’ll let us.

Again, we both completely understand if you’d rather we not move forward with things. We’re honored to have been a part of your life no matter what, and we’re happy if things stay the same or if you’d like to go back to the shelter. Your happiness is what matters the most to us.

We’ll give you time to think this morning, but we’re in the office if you’d like to talk. We love you,Alex & Henry”

He finds them in the office, each with a mug in hand. Alex has his feet draped across Henry's lap, and they're talking easily. It feels strange to knock, but Tano does, and they both turn to him with smiles.

“Hey, Tano. How’d you sleep?” Alex asks.

“Good. I... I got your letter. And... yes. If you’re sure, I... I want to... to do it. Please.”

Alex beams, swinging his legs off Henry’s lap and setting his coffee aside. “Tano, can I... is it okay if we hug you?”

Tano nods, and a second later, Henry’s scooping him into a big hug. Alex joins in after a bit, and someone’s crying. Alex definitely is, but Tano’s surprised to find tears in his eyes, and he looks to see Henry crying, too.

“I’m so proud of you, and I love you so much,” Henry tells him. “I’m so glad we get to bring you into are family.”

“You... you really want to adopt me? You want me?”

“Absolutely. We love you a ton, Tano. I mean, not to expose him, but Alex has your picture as his home screen and carries it in his wallet. He has since that first night we watched Bake Off together."

“We love you so much,” Alex says. “I’m... Henry’s sister said when he was in London, you were all he could talk about. We’re so proud of you, and so happy to know you and be part of your life. Of course we want you to come stay with us and be part of our family.”

Tano smiles up at them. They go down for breakfast, and part way through, Tano says, “I... I think maybe, if it’s okay, I’d like to... to see a doctor about my ear? I... only if it’s not annoying you. But my dad hit me a while ago, and it... my hearing changed. I can still hear; I’m not... not broken or anything, but it’s different, and I just... before you adopt me, maybe we should see what’s wrong with me. Just in case.”

“We... we’d actually talked about that a bit, and we thought it might be easier to get you on our insurance than it would be to get you registered for Medicaid, especially if we're just going to switch you over to ours soon anyway,” Alex says, glancing between Henry and Tano. “It... if you’re sure about adoption, it would mean waiting for that paperwork to go through and everything, but it... ours might be a bit faster and have higher premiums and things.”

“But what... what if they find out I’m broken? Don’t you want to know that before?”

“It won’t change who you are. You’ll still be you, just maybe with a hearing aid or something,” Alex says, shrugging. “We love you for you, not because we think you’re some perfect kid or anything.“

Tano feels tears prickle in the back of his eyes and looks down. He’s hoping Alex won’t notice, but of course he does. “Oh no; did I... it’s okay. I’m... if you don’t want to move so fast that’s okay. We can do it before.”

“No, it’s not... I thought... you still want me if I’m broken?”

“Oh, Tano, of course we do,” Henry says, gently pulling him in for a hug. “Partial deafness doesn’t mean you’re broken, but we love you and want you no matter what.”

“We love you for you, buddy. No matter what,” Alex says, coming to hug him from the other side.

Tano sniffles a bit, then says, “It... it might take me a little while to believe you.”

“Mate, it took Alex like five bloody years to realize I loved him. I can wait,” Henry says, and Tano laughs.

By the next day, they’re sitting down with one of Alex’s lawyer friends to draw up adoption papers. The shelter had reached out to Tano’s dad, and he’d told them he didn’t have a son anymore. Tano doesn’t need to know that. All he needs to know is that he now has two dads who adore him and are already working to get him fully brought into their family.

They both get paternity leave from work to help Tano get settled, so a week later, they’re at the audiologist. Tano gets called into a listening booth, and Alex can barely sit still.

“He’s going to be fine,” Henry says, his hand moving to Alex’s bouncing knee. Alex sighs.

“But what if he’s not? What if he’s scared? Or... or what if they do something mean to him? What if they hurt him?”

“Alex. It’s an audiologist’s hearing test. There’s nothing to hurt him.”

“But what if he’s scared?”

“He’s been through much harder things than this.”

“Yeah, but that was before we could protect him. Now he’s ours; what if something— he’s coming. Oh no, Hen, he’s upset.” Alex holds out his arms, and Tano shuffles into them, but he doesn’t move to hug back. After a second, Alex pulls away to ask, “Tano? What’s wrong, bud?”

“They... I didn’t do well. They didn’t say anything, but they were disappointed. I could tell. I’m sorry. I... I wanted to be normal and whole for you, but I... I’m not.”

“Tano, bud, look at me, please? You are absolutely perfect for us just the way you are.”

“We love you for you,” Henry adds, and a tiny smile appears on Tano’s face as he looks between them.

“Thank you. I... I’m glad I get to be with you.”

This time, when Alex hugs him, Tano hugs back. Tano gets a hearing aid a week later, and the first place he wears it is to the animal shelter, where they’re going to pick a puppy. Alex and Henry have been thinking about it for a while, and it feels right to let Tano pick one out as a reward for his bravery at the audiologist.

They walk into the dog room, and Tano almost immediately makes his way toward a cage. The dog inside, a little jack russel, is sitting still, wagging its tale with a big smile. Tano sticks a hand in carefully, and it licks him, but it doesn’t jump or bark.

“What’s their name?” Tano asks the volunteer, and she smiles.

“That’s Freddie. He was rescued from a bad owner about a month ago; we’re looking for a quieter home for him.”

“Can I play with him?”

“Of course.”

She slips into the kennel to put a leash on Freddie, and then comes out to hand it to Tano. He takes it, then sits on the floor as Freddie comes out of his cage and straight to Tano’s lap. He climbs in, reaching up to lick Tano’s face, and Tano beams. Alex snaps a picture.

A few hours, a few signed forms, and Tano’s approval later, that picture is up on Alex’s Instagram:

“When I said marriage papers were the most important thing I’d ever sign, I didn’t know I’d be lucky enough to get to sign adoption papers. Henry and I are overjoyed to welcome these two into our family.”

That night, part way through the final of Bake Off, he looks over to the end of the couch to see Tano and Freddie curled up together. Henry is leaning against him, David's head in his lap. Alex lets out a quiet, contented sigh, then says, "I love y'all. I'm glad we found each other."

Tano smiles at him from across the couch, and Henry leans up to kiss his cheek, and Alex's heart is so full he thinks it might burst. He knows it'll still be hard; there will be nightmares and insecurities and all sorts of things to sort through. But there will also be new friendships and exciting road trips and quiet nights on the couch, and they can make it through anything as long as they have moments like this to come home to.

On AO3

Notes:

Sorry to have disappeared for a bit; I had a bunch of research to do for Real Life Things. But! In that research, I found a Puerto Rican boy named Tano who lived on the streets of New York's Greenwich Village in the 1960s. We know infuriatingly little about him, but one of the things we know is that he met a bad end with the mafia, so I wanted to sort of... honor him I guess? I don't know; he deserved so much more than he got and I had this prompt sitting in my inbox, and I started thinking about what could have happened to Tano if he was born fifty years later in the good timeline. Also, there's no evidence that the real Tano was deaf/Deaf, but I can't resist the opportunity to add disabled representation to things.-On a more positive note, this fic sparked a whole lot of ideas about what an obnoxious, aggressively loving dad Alex would be. He'd be at every poetry reading/band concert/track meet/soccer game/whatever, cheering the loudest, maybe with a sign. It would be awful but Tano would secretly love it. Also, I like to think they'd learn sign language/get involved in Deaf culture, and Alex would be obnoxiously supportive of that.

#my fic: rwrb #red white and royal blue #red white and royal blue fic #rwrb fic #rwrb #alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor x alex claremont diaz #henry fox mountchristen windsor #found family #fluff #rwrb fluff

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myuntoldstory · 7 years ago

Text

Harry Potter | Samhuinn

AO3 | FF.net

A little thing for my favourite couple for Halloween. This one was interesting for me to write because I learned about some culture and traditions and that’s always a fun thing. Also learned some things about my writing habits. Also have additional author’s notes tacked on this story that’s too long for the post so if you’re interested then just click on the links!

Now, on to the thing!

Enjoy.

Rating: PG-13

Pairing: Sirius Black/Mary Macdonald

Warning: N/A

Word Count: 3, 275

Samhuinn

The Forbidden Forest was peaceful tonight. Overhead, the nearly full moon casted its silver spotlight over the grounds while the stars shined brightly in clusters for anyone who cared to look. Deep within the woods was a lazy melody of noises, adding to its magical ambience. There was no sense of the eerie or the horrifying, as was the forest’s reputation. It was just the sky, the sounds, and the trees. Perfect in its own way.

Sirius pocketed his hands and smiled. The scenic route was a good decision. A shame his mates couldn’t be with him. Their duties called them back to the castle and so, being the only free man, Sirius took the liberty to explore the fringes of the forest before returning. After where he had just been, some fresh air and a renewed appreciation for the living world were a sought after change.

Suddenly, a flash of light caught the corner of his eye. Turning to the source, he saw a faint veil of orange light touching upon some of the trees ahead. He frowned. In a place where students were forbidden to explore and the teachers rarely visited, it was a curious sight.

Tilting his head to one side, he planted his hands on his hips. Should he look? He glanced at the direction of the castle, pursing his lips as he actually considered being good and returning. But then a grin stretched his lips wide. Not today. He already broke the rules anyway. Without hesitation he made his way towards the light. Quietly. Carefully. With every metre he crossed the glow grew brighter. Soon he caught the buzzing of muffled conversation and laughter. There seemed to be a clearing ahead. He moved faster. What would he see? Centaurs? Sirius smirked to himself. Perhaps he’d get lucky and discover of group of Veelas native to the forest.

He was close. Now, he heard snippets of conversation underneath rambunctious laughter. The line of trees thinned; through them he glimpsed embers dancing upwards and dissipating before reaching the sky. Silhouettes blocked the sight of the embers every so often, but he couldn’t discern to whom they belonged to. He found a tree closest to the perimeter of the clearing. He hid behind it, keeping most of his body behind the trunk as he peeked.

In the centre was a tall bonfire. Surrounding it were alternating rings of cushions and food. There were eighty or so people dressed in cloaks; they sat on the cushions, ate the food, and mingled with the others. However, strangely, the first two rows closest to the fire were undisturbed.

Sirius frowned. What’s happening? What were they? Hogsmeade villagers? Strange… forest people of the forest? Death Eaters? He shuddered at the last thought. Voldemort’s most lethal worshippers sneaking into Hogwarts grounds just to gather around some bonfire? Stupid. These people didn’t feel like Death Eaters anyway. In spite of that, though, more than half of the gathering had their hoods down, but he couldn’t recognise any of the exposed faces.

Hang on.

Sirius squinted. Four rows away from the bonfire, laughing with a group, was Benjy Fenwick. It was definitely him. He couldn’t mistake that face nor could he miss the golden boy grin that was Fenwick’s signature. Then just behind Benjy was another student Sirius recognised: Melanie Macmillan. She was staring intensely inside a tea cup in front of Nancy Abbott, another student. All tension now left Sirius. Well, definitely not anything dangerous. Not Veelas either, sadly.

He crossed his arms, watching, trying to understand. Now just begged the question of what in the bloody hell they’re all doing. It seemed like an ordinary gathering… just with unordinary details—like the cloaks and the set up. It resembled a cult. Sirius stewed in his own questions and theories, frustrated that the urgent need to satisfy his curiosity was quelled by the fact that if he barged in and started demanding answers he’d be in trouble… or inducted.

A few minutes passed and nothing interesting happened. Sirius yawned, eyes following Macmillan and contemplating on returning to the castle when he recognised someone else. He straightened, attention captured and heart quickening in excitement. Unbeknownst to him, the corners of his lips were stretched wide in a grin.

It was Mary.

She walked past Macmillan. His gaze followed her now as she said a brief greeting before approaching a group containing two more people he recognised: Professor Ophius, the Astronomy teacher, and Professor McManus, the Muggle Studies teacher. Well, then… it may not be a cult with teachers involved—perhaps just a very strange excursion? As Mary entered the group she was welcomed by exuberant greetings and hugs by the others, the teachers incredibly friendly in talking to her.

A sense of novelty settled over Sirius. In the darkness the fabric of her cloak looked black, but he had a feeling it was actually blue. She had her hood down, hair gathered on either side of her shoulders. She looked the same… but somehow different. Unreachable. This Mary was different to the one he knew. After knowing her for years there were still parts of her he didn’t know. It was disconcerting—for reasons that eluded him. He watched her, discomfort spreading throughout his body as she talked and laughed, especially whenever Ophius said something. He pressed his arms harder against himself.

She stayed with the group for a while. After, she moved on. Every move was with grace, ethereal in the dark of the woods. Was it because of the cloak or has she always moved that way? With every group or person she passed she was greeted with genuine happiness. To Sirius’ detriment, however, she stopped by Fenwick’s group. Sirius scowled when they embraced, Fenwick looking a little too happy to hold her. He took her hand when they separated, facing her palm towards him. He said something and Mary laughed.

He looked away. He tried to watch the rest of the gathering, but every so often his eyes returned to her and each time he found her still talking to Fenwick his mood soured more. Finally, to his relief, McManus gathered the crowd to her. Silence fell as she and Ophius addressed them. After the speech, the professors waved their wands. Jars gathered before them and floated in front of each person in the crowd. Mary and a few others got more than two. With a flick, the professors then took out smaller flames from the bonfire and placed them within the jars. While the crowd closed the lids, the professors portioned the leftover food and handed them out too. After some final words the group dispersed as McManus led out of the clearing while Ophius remained behind.

People were going his way. Sirius hid behind the trunk, the darkness covering him as people started to walk past his tree, their jars of fire illuminating them. He waited for Mary, but didn’t find her. He finally saw her when he dared peek again, walking towards his tree too.

Perfect.

He intercepted her. She yelped at his sudden appearance. He lunged and cut her off by pressing the tips of his fingers against her mouth. Her lips were soft against his skin… but he didn’t get the chance to appreciate that as teeth chomped on a good portion of his palm. Hard. “Ow!” he hissed, yanking back his hand. “What the fuck—”

“Who the bloody hell are you!?” Mary demanded.

“Shhh—Merlin. Macdonald, it’s me.” Sirius held onto her shoulders. “It’s me.”

“Sirius?” she grabbed one of the jars and held it between them. He grinned at her and she gasped. “God, Sirius!” she released the jar. It bobbed in the air as she took his hands and rubbed his recently bitten palm. “Bugger. I am so sorry.”

“You’ve got some jaws on you,” he chuckled. Her hands were warm. Gentle.

“Can’t say you didn’t deserve it,” she said, raising a brow at him. “What are you even doing—”

Suddenly, she leaned towards him and sniffed. He leaned back. “What?”

“Godric.” She recoiled. “You smell like rotten food and dung.”

“Do I?” Sirius took a whiff of his collar and frowned.

She’d stopped rubbing, but still held onto his hands. “What have you been doing?”

“Ah. Just been to Nick’s death day—”

“Mary!”

Fenwick appeared before them with his own floating jar of fire. Sirius looked at him, smirking as Fenwick’s golden boy grin seemed to freeze on his face. He looked at Sirius, then at Mary, and then at their hands. Her fingers twitched in his, but before she could disengage, he held on tight.

“All right, Fenwick?” Sirius asked, smiling innocently at the boy.

“Black,” Fenwick said. “You’re not supposed to be here.”

“Yep,” he agreed.

“Right…” Fenwick drawled hesitantly. Then, slowly he turned to Mary. “I thought I’d walk you back.”

The nerve of this prick. Sirius could just imagine a golden retriever’s tail wagging between Fenwick’s legs. He turned to Mary, raising his brows, suppressing a grin when she squeezed his hands too tightly. She smiled apologetically at Fenwick. “Very kind of you, Benjy, but, uhm, I need to have a chat with Sirius so…”

“I see.” The disappointment was so clear in his voice it was laughable.

“But I’ll catch you tomorrow, yeah?”

Oh, that tail wagged that much faster. “Of course!”

She beamed. “Good. Be careful on your way back.”

“You too.”

Sirius looked at Fenwick at his warning tone and received a steady gaze from him. He winked. “Bye, Benjy.”

“See you.” Fenwick moved on. Sirius scowled as he watched Fenwick’s back disappearing into the darkness. He then turned to Mary, smiling more genuinely.

“Are you completely mad?” Mary said, dropping his hands.

“Not completely,” he quipped.

She sighed and shook her head, moving on. “What are you even doing here?” The fire jars floated around her like some sort of portable lights. She was not the only one; the rest of the crowd were ahead, only identifiable by their gently bobbing fire jars that occasionally illuminated the nearby trees.

“Witnessing a bizarre ritual.” He grinned unapologetically when Mary gave him an unamused glare. “What about you?”

“Taking part in a bizarre ritual, I suppose,” she sighed.

“Seriously,” he said, tapping one of the jars gently. “What was that?”

Mary breathed deeply. “Samhuinn celebrations.”

“Saw—what?”

“Samhuinn.”

“Sah-heen?”

“Merlin—Samhuinn!”

“Sow-ween?”

Mary snorted. “Close enough.”

Sirius beamed. “So… what’s Samhuinn?”

“Seriously?” Mary looked at him in surprise and he nodded. He wasn’t joking; now that there was someone to answer all his questions he was wasting no time. “Well,” she huffed, “it’s a magical holiday. Celtic. We celebrate the dead, the spirits, and the coming winter. There’s a bonfire, as you saw, and… let’s see… divination, food, games, human sacrifices—”

“Human sacrifices!?”

“Yeah,” Mary said, face frighteningly straight. “Hogsmeade provides them, see—criminals, though. We don’t want to set any innocent lives on fire.”

Sirius stared at her, jaw slack and eyes wide. “Please tell me you’re joking.” Mary looked at him and held his gaze. For a few, tense minutes neither of them said anything. Sirius was so close to believing her when her passive mask cracked and a smile shined through. He sighed and pushed her. “Come on, Macdonald, I’m serious.”

“Hello, Sirius, I’m Mary.”

He pushed her again. “Stop.”

She laughed. “All right—sorry.”

“What is it, really?”

“It’s what I said—minus the human sacrifices, of course.”

“Okay.” It sounded… normal. “I’ve never heard of it before, though.”

“No?” Mary smiled. “We learned about it in History of Magic.”

“Really?” Sirius thought back to all the lessons he bothered to attend... none of them ring a bell about Samhuinn. Then again, when he did attend all he ever did was sleep and copy off Remus’ notes after.

“Mhm.”

“I…” why was he feeling embarrassed? “Honestly, though, whoever paid attention to Binns?”

“True,” she laughed. “Generally, not many in the Wizarding World know about it. Same with the Muggles. If you’re Celtic, you’d probably know. If you’re related or know someone who is then you have a good chance.”

“Are you Celtic?”

“Sure—on my father’s side.” She shrugged. “If my nan was to be believed.”

“Huh.” He knew about the Celts and the Druids from Remus’ notes. But he barely remembered what he learned. It’d make sense for some members of the magical community to have other magical blood in them—similar to how some families in France have Veela blood. Pureblood families were never proud to make such claims unless it referred to powerful figures. Godric knew his mother was adamant of their relation to Slytherin or Morgana. He glanced at Mary and the fire jars bobbing around her. “What’s with the fire?”

She caught his gaze. “These?”

He tapped one of the jars. “Yeah. The bonfire too.”

“Sacred fire,” she answered. “Back in the old days the Druids light great bonfires in villages during Samhuinn. Hearths in every home are doused and relit with the embers of the sacred fire. The Druids imbued it with magical protection, see, and it bonded the villagers together.”

“So why bring it back with you?”

“For my mates.” she chuckled. “Protection spells are now easier to cast so this is just normal fire, but bringing it back to my mates and the Gryffindor fireplace is a nice gesture so why not, you know?”

“I see.”

Silence fell between them. They were finally out of the forest. The castle loomed close ahead of them. Sirius looked around and saw the rest of the gathering more clearly. Behind them, the bonfire was no longer visible, save for the faint glow of orange on the tree tops. He looked at Mary and saw that she was nibbling on the leftovers: apples, nuts, cheese, cold meat and pastries. She caught his eyes and smiled, presenting him the food. He smiled back and took a slice of apple. Up ahead, he could already see the doors.

“You mentioned being at Headless Nick’s party?”

“Hmmm?” Sirius saw her looking at him still. “Yeah.”

“Where was it this time?”

He snorted. “One of the empty greenhouses.”

“Ah,” she giggled. “Just you?”

“Nah. I was with James and the others.”

“Why are you alone, then?”

He grinned at her. “Decided to take the scenic route.”

She nudged him. “Stumbled into quite a scene, didn’t you?”

“Yeah,” he laughed, “an interesting one.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely.” Sirius wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pressed her tightly against his side. “Never saw anything like this before. Honestly, I thought I was witnessing a cult at first.”

“Oh…” she looked down at herself and chuckled. “Yeah. It’s all part of tradition, though.”

They reached the entrance. Before them the rest of the crowd had gathered, waiting. The double doors were opened to get as much of the people in as possible. Professor McManus and some others were on either side of the doors, ushering the crowd in. Sirius managed to blend in as he joined the people trickling inside. He waited for Mary to come through and together they set off to Gryffindor Tower.

“You know, it’s too bad,” Mary said.

“What is?”

“That not many people know about traditions like these anymore.”

Sirius looked at her and saw her smiling wistfully. “Why’s that?”

“Oh, just… you know, the opportunity to learn and celebrate our roots.” She shrugged. “Magic is, after all, nuanced in any place.”

He frowned. “What do you mean?”

“You know Ilvermorny, yeah?”

“The American school? Of course.”

“Professor Ophius taught there for a year.” She smiled. “Did you know that though they’ve incorporated Native American magic that their roots were actually Irish?”

“That… I didn’t know,” Sirius admitted.

“Yeah,” she replied excitedly. “He visited the Australian school once too—can’t remember the name. They had their roots from here too. But he says there’s a difference between the innate origins of magic and transferred magic.”

He listened to Mary gush—there was no other word for it—about Ophius’ great knowledge of the magical world. He noticed her eyes sparkling, hands moving animatedly, and the hint of pink on her cheeks. His chest constricted and the words that came out of his mouth were sarcastic. “Ophius sure does go around.”

“He does. He is amazing—his stories, I mean. His stories are amazing.”

“Huh.” He intoned. “Why was he there? Is he Celtic too?”

“Oh, no,” Mary chuckled. “No, he’s supervising. Professor McManus, though, is.”

“I see.”

“But it’s good to see someone non-Celtic joining. Magic is to be shared, after all.” Her expression softened. “He’s appreciative of our differences so it’s nice.”

“Do you fancy him or something?” That… was not something he meant to say. His mind was trying to come to terms with what was happening, but the words escaped him instead. Without his permission. He nearly cringed when she flinched and looked at him in panic. In his own panic, he couldn’t give her anything except a passive expression.

“W-why do you ask?” she squeaked.

Might as well see it through. “The way you talk about him.”

“Well, no, Sirius, I don’t…” she trailed off as he stared at her. He’d never seen anyone’s face go that red before. It was bloody brighter than the flames. “Erm…. Okay. Maybe. A tiny bit. But that’s because for a professor he’s… you know… amazing.”

He smirked. “You called him amazing. Twice.”

“What about it?” She shot back.

“I… am amazing,” he replied. Casually. They finally reached the hallway leading to the portrait. Sirius didn’t even realise they had arrived. It was a little fun poking Macdonald with the proverbial stick and seeing her reactions—though they were at his expense.

“Not really,” she said.

“Not really!?” Sirius gasped, placing a hand over his heart. “My, Macdonald, I am hurt.”

She snorted. “Stop being a prick and you’ll definitely be amazing.”

“When have I ever been a prick?”

“A while ago. With Benjy.”

Sirius nodded, though he did smirk at the memory. “Right.”

They arrived. Mary said the password and the Fat Lady let them through. With a bow, Sirius let her go first. The fire jars trailed behind her as she took his offer. He followed after her, finding her waiting for him as he emerged. As usual, the common room was bustling with people. Sirius wondered if his friends were here and itched to go, but at the same time he didn’t want to leave Mary. He wanted to keep talking to her. “So…”

“I’m sure you want to find your friends,” she said, smiling at him.

He smiled back, sheepishly. “Yeah…”

“Right, hang on.” She reached for one of the fire jars and handed it to him. “Here.”

He held onto the jar. “I thought this was for your friends?”

She winked. “We’re friends, aren’t we?”

That caught him off guard. He blinked, words failing him for a second. “Y-yeah…”

“Then I wish this winter is kind to you.” She held his hand and squeezed.

He stared at her, a little shell shocked at her kindness. “Oh, t-thank you—for the fire and… and everything.”

She beamed. “Have a good night.” With that, she turned and made her way to the fireplace.

“Night…” he mumbled, watching her. A strange warm feeling settled in his chest as he glanced down at the fire she had given to him. Unbeknownst to him, the corners of his lips stretched in a smile; he pulled the jar close to his chest as he turned to make his way to the seventh boys’ dorm.

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