#this is the time travel Regulus one where he followed harry around for all of canon

[childotkw]

Do you have any regulus snippets??

Any tom x regulus , or sirius being an overprotective older brother or any Harry and regulus moments ??

Please I've been craving anything with regulus my little star🥺✨️

Okay so this is less 'overprotective' and more mutually protective, but the brotherly bonding is STRONG in this snippet and I'm actually really happy with how the scene played out!

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

It was an obvious trap, but Regulus still found himself falling for it.

Honestly, he blamed the lack of sleep and the burgeoning headache that stripped his usual levels of perception down to the bare minimum he needed to avoid walking into walls.

He followed Sirius down the ministry hallway and into a room, his thoughts sluggishly parsing through all the potential reasons his brother might need to speak to him. His fingers briefly rubbed against his temple, trying to ease the throbbing under his skull, and then the door shut softly behind him.

Regulus blinked, looking over his shoulder to see James Potter leaning beside the door, one hand braced against it. The man was still wearing his auror trainee uniform, his hair windswept in a way that suggested he had just come from a training session.

Looking at him was too much like looking at Harry - how the boy was after a quidditch match, flushed with joy at another victory - that Regulus had to rip his gaze away and squeeze his eyes shut for a moment.

He missed the glance Sirius and James shared.

Slowly, Regulus turned back to his brother. "Sirius," he started, a warning creeping into his tone. "What is this?"

Sirius' expression was firm. "Sit down, Reggie," he ordered, gesturing to the plush chair in front of him.

They were in an office, he realised with a quick scan of his eyes. Judging by the size and general disorganisation, it likely belonged to some minor official who was either unaware that their office was currently being repurposed, or who owed his brother a favour.

This was too well planned, and already Regulus could feel his headache growing sharper as adrenaline began to pulse through him.

"Why?" he demanded, shifting his weight in preparation.

Sirius let out an explosive sigh, rolling his eyes heavenwards in a way Regulus found mildly offensive. "Because you look like you're two seconds away from falling flat on your face," he griped. "Now, stop looking like we're about to jump you - and sit."

Regulus didn't. He glared at his brother and kept his arms loose at his sides.

"Regulus, we just want to talk. That's all," Potter said from behind him, and Regulus scoffed, skewering the older man with a derisive look.

"We might all be out of Hogwarts but don't think I'm stupid, Potter. Maybe you never targeted me specifically, but I've heard plenty of stories about your group’s exploits that always started off remarkably similar to this," he said, sweeping his hand around the room - at how he was trapped, one of them on either side and with the exit blocked.

Sirius' eyes widened as Potter grimaced, both of them chagrined as they realised their error.

"That...wasn't our intention," Potter said, contrition plain in his voice. The man rubbed at his face, fingers slipping under his glasses to knead at his eyes. His shoulders slumped with a type of exhaustion Regulus was all too familiar with. It was the kind that never really left, the kind that clung to you, nipping at your heels no matter how many nights you slept through peacefully.

It was that, more than the curiosity, more than the pleading way Sirius was looking at him, that had Regulus backing down.

He stepped closer, dropping a hand on the back of the chair and leaning some of his weight there as a form of compromise. "What do you need?" he asked quietly.

Sirius frowned. "We don't need anything, Reggie. We're - I'm worried about you."

It was Regulus' turn to frown, blinking once in bewilderment. "You're...worried?" he echoed, not meaning to sound quite as disbelieving as he did. It was hard though - because even though his relationship with Sirius was better this time around, there was still a yawning gap between them.

One that Regulus couldn't bridge but that rang with all the lies he still kept.

Sirius boggled at him. "Of - of course I am!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up, and there was a trace of hurt in his eyes that Regulus latched onto with interest. "You've been acting weird for a while! Even before you graduated. You've been...distant and quiet -"

"I've always been distant and quiet," Regulus interjected, part in exasperation and part to try and derail this conversation because Sirius had evidently been paying more attention to him than Regulus had suspected.

And that very much wasn't good. Sirius was stubborn at his best and downright tenacious at his worst. If he got it into his head that Regulus was up to something or, gods forbid, in danger, then he'd never let it go.

"Not like this, Reggie," Sirius told him. "I know we haven't been as close as we should have been, and I accept my part in causing that rift. I let our parents pull us around and pit us against each other, and I know..." he stopped, looking down at his feet.

Regulus darted a glance at Potter, but the other man's face was creased with sympathy and aimed entirely at Sirius.

He looked back to his brother, watching with confusion as Sirius stepped up to him and tentatively laid a hand on his shoulder. Regulus stared down at it, stiffening instinctively.

It had been months since he had let someone close enough to touch him.

"I shouldn't have left you there," Sirius admitted, his voice a whispery rasp. Regulus snapped his head up in surprise, eyes widening just a little.

"I should have bundled you up and taken you with me the second I decided to leave. I should have reached out when we got back to Hogwarts. I should have told you to come with me, to get out of that fucking house. I should have done so many things, Regulus. I was...I was supposed to protect you, to look after you, and all I did was leave you behind."

"You needed to do what was best for yourself," Regulus said, awkward but fully believing it. He didn't know what to do with this sudden confession. In his last life, he and Sirius had never talked about that night. They'd never really spoken at all. The bitterness and betrayal on both sides had been too potent, too toxic, for them to ever consider reconciling.

Regulus' death had eliminated any chance of it ever happening.

But the years he had spent as a ghost, following Harry and watching over the boy, seeing how easily he loved and forgave, it had changed something in Regulus. It was why he was now able to let go of the resentment he had felt over what happened to him after Sirius had left.

"I should have taken you with me, I shouldn't have left you with them," Sirius repeated, clutching at him a little tighter, but Regulus shook his head.

"It wasn't your fault, Sirius," he said, reaching up to hold his brother's face in his hands. "Mother and Father, what they did to us, that's on them. They hurt both of us, in different ways and at different times, but I don't begrudge you for leaving. Not anymore. You burn so brightly, brother. I'd rather have you far away and shining than have you close and watch that light be snuffed out."

[angelicamerlinbarnes]

Modern AU: "Lilies"

Severus knows Lily is dead before James comes by to tell him. How, you ask?

Well, because she shows up in his kitchen on Sunday morning, translucent, to yell at him about his life choices.

Severus is living in a rundown old white house that he used to share with his wife Lily. She left him for James, a musician travelling with the other half of his duo act, Sirius. Last Severus heard, the two of them are world famous and Lily and James have had a son named Harry.

As it happened, five years ago James and Sirius had come to town for Sirius to reconnect with his little brother, Regulus. As they had a falling out and a difference of opinion regarding their parentage, their relationship remained just as strained and cold as it had always been despite Sirius’ best efforts. While James spent most of the visit having a smoky and lazy affair with Regulus, he met Lily at the grocery store one day and it was love at first sight. She’d left Severus a month later, choosing to travel the world with James, and had had Harry within the year.

During this visit, Remus, who had been married to Tonks at the time with a child on the way, had fallen deeply in love with Sirius, but had broken Sirius’ heart when he chose to keep his marriage vows rather than run away with him. Sirius tried to keep in touch with Remus after he and James left, but Remus never replied, though Sirius never stopped sending letters. Remus’ wife died two weeks after their son Teddy’s premature birth from complications, and Teddy followed in the hours after. Overwhelmed with grief, Remus shut himself away, only going out for work and to drink. The night he got fired from his job as a teacher, he drank so much he got into an accident on his way home, and is now confined to a wheelchair. That, paired with his self-inflicted scars and depression, led to a suicide attempt that Severus saved him from. Now, Remus is still a recluse, though he now works as a librarian, volunteers at the orphanage, and takes the time to have tea with Severus every day.

Severus grows lilies in his garden in memory of his wife, and nearly dies of a heart attack when her ghost shows up in his kitchen one Sunday morning. She yells at him about throwing away his life for her when she was clearly never worth it and Severus yells back at her for leaving him. But while their new living arrangement is a bit stiff, they remember why they loved each other well enough, so they get on fine, though Lily still cries about missing James and Harry nearly every day.

James shows up in town about a week later with Sirus and Harry in tow, saying he came to deliver a letter Lily left Severus upon her death, since she’d been sick for a long time. Severus invites them in for tea, because he’s British and he’s polite, and Sirius spends most of the time staring at Remus’ house through the window and asking questions about him. James holds Harry on his lap while Lily’s ghost fusses over both of them, though neither of them can see or hear her. Severus still hates James for stealing his wife, but it’s faded into a dull ache by now, especially as seeing James is now a single father, though James does assure him that since Sirius is his partner, Harry will be far from alone.

Though originally only planning to stay long enough to deliver the letter, James decides to stick around for a bit for unspecified reasons. (It’s not because Sirius and Remus both just smiled stupidly at each other for five gay minutes when they were reunited. Of course not.) As he usually leaves Sirius with Remus for the two of them to catch up, James takes to leaving Harry with Severus when he becomes too overwhelmed with grief to take care of him. Severus grows fond of the boy, and often translates Lily’s stories for him since Harry can’t see his mother the same way Severus can.

James tries to patch up his relationship with Regulus, but Regulus is not hearing of it, feeling abandoned and hurt since James left him for Lily. This does however make him more perceptible to Sirius, who is delighted to have his little brother back in his life, though his strained and shy relationship with Remus is wearing on him. Regulus tells James and Sirius that he had a partner, Amir, who died in a home break-in and Regulus, who is trans, suffered a miscarriage of their daughter upon hearing the news. Severus and Remus take care of him, though their own unstable mental states make it difficult some days. Working at the library with Remus helps, he says, but still refuses to speak to James and is tolerating but far from welcoming of Sirius. Only at Severus’ advice that he would be a far happier person if he just allowed Sirius into his life does Regulus begin to open up towards both his brother and his brother’s partner.

James stays at Severus’ house per Lily’s request, and Harry grows quite attached to Severus. Remus begins to spend more and more time with Severus, growing increasingly anxious about his strenuous relationship with Sirius. Lily and Severus begin to slip back into a domestic relationship even though she’s a ghost, and Severus tells Remus about it, believing he’s going crazy. Remus shrugs and says he still hears Teddy crying sometimes.

As times passes, James and Severus slip into a limbo of sorts. As James has become increasingly close to Remus through Sirius, they spend more time together than ever before, and end up falling for each other in their shared grief. Still, despite their unofficial connection, Severus encourages Regulus’ feelings for James, believing them the better match and hoping Regulus can find some sort of happiness after all the shit he’s been through. Unfortunately, this all comes to a head when one day Sirius and Remus break up in an explosive fight, leading James to leave with Sirius and Harry in tow. Severus bids them a bitter goodbye and settles into taking care of Remus and Regulus, both of whom are now far more broken than they were before.

Remus tries to kill himself again. Severus is alerted to this by Lily, who has been doting on Remus since finding out about his and Sirius’ love for each other. Severus races Remus to the hospital, getting him there just in time. Regulus is beside himself, and Severus calls James using the hospital phone, saying he thought he and Sirius should know. James hangs up on him, but shows up in the waiting room with Sirius and Harry three hours later. Severus offers to drive James home, since only family can stay and no one is doubting that Sirius is Remus’ husband even if there are no papers to prove it, and by his rights, Regulus is allowed to stay as well. On the way back to Severus’ house they have a conversation about their feelings for each other, though Severus continues to insist that James choose Regulus instead of him. This evolves into a shouting match until their attention is so far from the road that a semi crashes into them, gravely injuring Severus and hurting James severely, though Harry remains unharmed save a few cuts and bruises. James breaks down over Severus’ body, trying desperately to call 9-1-1, but it’s no use. Severus passes away in Lily’s ghostly arms, James’ screams still echoing in his ears.

Severus wakes up in his house, surrounded by the things Lily destroyed in her anger at him and James over the past few months. Lily is pressing kisses all over his face and crying, explaining that he’s a ghost now too, and stuck with her forever. Severus comments that he doesn’t think that’s too bad, and Lily slaps him but laughs anyway, drawing him into a kiss. They stay wrapped up in each other until James shows up at the house with Harry, sobbing and sagging to the ground in the doorway as both Lily and Severus wrap themselves around him, whispering, “Oh, Jamie…”

Sirius is trying to take care of James and Harry, but he’s pretty much a wreck himself, having been sleeping with a record number of men since his and Remus’ break-up and drinking and smoking his problems away. He’s been writing in manic frenzies, mostly songs about unrequited love, and has spent the rest of his time enduring depressive slumps. Remus is released from the hospital and tries to help him, but is struggling to deal with the loss of Severus, even if he has Sirius back.

Regulus begins to shoulder much of the responsibility of James’ care. He watches over James while Sirius and Remus watch over each other, and comes to care for Harry like a son. Sirius loves him for it, and does his best to pitch in where he can. Though his trust issues and grief are incapacitating, Sirius starts to rebuild his relationship with Remus, this time on a solid foundation of trust and truth, though it takes time. He begins to understand, through their conversations about both of the times they fell in love, why Remus chose to stay with Tonks despite his heart belonging to Sirius, and comes to a new understanding of Lily’s choice of James, as she was already pregnant with Harry by the time she left Severus, and in the minds of parents, children come first. Severus is a bit heartbroken to learn that Lily had cheated on him, but is too tired to truly be angry, and tells Lily it’s in the past now. She smiles at him and kisses his cheek.

James, meanwhile, is working himself into a downward spiral. He’s wondered for years whether Lily ever really loved him like he loved her or if she just chose him because of Harry, and he’s also felt terribly guilty for stealing her from Severus no matter how much he loved her. While he tried to treat Severus right, he knew it was a failed pipe dream from the beginning, as he could never truly keep his heart from Regulus’ delicate hands. Severus and Lily both try to speak with him, but in vain, as he cannot see them.

The ghosts try to take care of Harry, though he can’t see them either. As it comes to be, Sirius and Remus rebuild themselves and each other enough to give Harry and James a stable home. Their partnership with James gives him the strength to keep going, and he begins to make things right with Regulus, who seems happier these days despite all his sadness. As the years pass, Severus and Lily watch their family grow. Sirius and Remus marry, adopting four children from the orphanage where Remus volunteers: Luna, Hermione, Newt, and Draco. They and Harry make friends with the Wealsey children from down the street, and James marries Regulus in a quiet ceremony shortly after tying himself to Sirius and Remus permanently. Lily’s body is moved to their town and buried beside Severus, and the two ghosts settle down in their graves, willingly passing on.

And in case you were wondering… (which I know you’re not)

Remus makes Sirius quit smoking. He and James give up their famous lifestyle for their spouses and children, settling in the town where this all began. Sirius and Regulus build a strong relationship that does not fray or break any longer. Sirius is Harry’s second favorite person after James, and Harry makes Remus take him to visit Severus and Lily’s graves at least three times every year. Sirius loves Remus a lot, but that’s okay, because Remus loves Sirius a lot too.

Sirius is James’ favorite person and he loves him so fucking much - Remus too. He misses Severus and Lily every day, but he’s got their son and the flowers to remember them by. He thinks maybe he could have a Happily Ever After here, maybe. If the world stands still long enough.

Meanwhile, Peter has lived in a homeless shelter since he got dumped by his ex-wife Mary, who is a kindergarten teacher now dating Dorcas the karate teacher and Marlene the bartender. He meets Max and their son Seamus there and falls in love with Max immediately, eventually building a home with them on a generous gift from Sirius that allows him to start up his own bakery. Though Remus offers to put him up every time he visits, Peter always refuses, though he bakes him plenty of thank you muffins once he’s out. James comes to Peter for advice about all of his relationships, and Peter indulges him every time, though really he just wants to bake cookies and sleep. Peter is the happiest person in this story how is that possible

Mcgonogall is the head librarian who listens to hard rock and has her wards (Sirius, Remus, and James) over for tea when she needs to give any of them a swift kick in the rump for their stupid life decisions. Dumbledore and Grindelwald are a married couple who grow petunias in their garden and live next to Mcgonogall, since she and Dumbledore are partners. Grindelwald glares at everyone and everything and Dumbledore hums Beatles songs under his breath off-key and brings an open umbrella on his walks on sunny days, so yeah. The Weasleys are the nutcases who run the orphanage and the homeless shelter, Peggy Schuyler is Newt’s best friend and a schoolmate of the children’s, and life is alright.

Yeah I don’t know what this is either.

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Princess Part 6

Harry Potter Marauders Era 

Link to Part 5 

Parings: Regulus Black. Mentioned Sirius Black x Remus Lupin

Rating: Explicit- smut warning 

________

“It's Christmas Eve tomorrow. I still have to get your mother’s present.”

You said as Regulus pushed a small path through the hordes of people that were out snagging last-minute gifts.

“I figured that you would have had everything done weeks ago.”

Regulus commented, rolling his eyes as the fourth person ran into him. You wrapped your arms together around his to prevent separation.

“Well, I would but she’s been hovering over me since we returned home. It's hard to buy a present with her breathing down my neck, however, I could have turned around and asked her if she liked whatever the item was.”

Regulus smirked.

“Father got her a nice necklace and diamond ring this year. I thought last year’s gift to that self-help seminar was a wonderful gift. Father was right. Mother needs to get out of the house more and network with other basketcases.”

“Regulus.”

You said his name with a sly smile remembering last year’s horrible Christmas disaster when Orion gave Walburga those tickets to that seminar. Walburga didn’t speak to Orion for three weeks. She, instead, insisted upon following Regulus and yourself around questioning everything that the two of you were doing?”

“So, is this what teenagers are doing today?”

“Regulus, do you really have to play quidditch? What if you fall or hurt something?”

“Where is your jumper?”

You could still hear her shrieking in your mind. Both Regulus and yourself had politely dealt with Walburga’ meddling. The two of you were too polite to say anything to her. It wasn’t until Orion came home with jewelry did she start speaking to her husband again.

Even Kreacher was delighted for his mistress and master to be speaking again. The poor elf had taken refuge under Regulus’ bed resulting in sex not happening.

“Master and mistress, just pretend that Kreacher isn’t here.”

Both Regulus and yourself were looking at each other with disturbing expressions and given up on whatever thought of sex that was once had.

“I know what you are thinking about and Kreacher is not living under our bed for three weeks again.”

Regulus whispered, rolling his eyes. The two of you had finally gotten to a place where people weren’t running into you. Regulus pulled you closer to him.

“Yes, we don’t need a house-elf living in our room again. That was awkward.”

Regulus glanced over his shoulder. His eyes had stopped on the candy store that had the one type of chocolate his mother enjoyed.

“I’m going to run in there quickly. Mom needs her chocolate fix. Are you coming?”

You shook your head upon realizing just how many people were in the store.

“Go ahead. There are too many other humans in there. I’ll wait for you here.”

Regulus shrugged and disappeared into the shop. You took a breath and looked down at your watch. 7:30...Walburga was probably wondering where the two of you were. Forget the fact that Regulus and yourself were almost adults. Walburga, after Sirius’ departure, turned up her worrying over Regulus (and yourself too) to new heights.

When Regulus’ dark mark started burning and he had to leave, Walburga turned into a worried child whose blankie was in the wash. She would pace the floor until her son returned home. Her out of character behavior was never mentioned, however. If someone mentioned Walburga acting differently over Regulus now, she would deny it.

“Y/n?”

You looked up the moment that you heard your name being called. The moment that you met the source, you froze seeing Sirius standing in front of you. A few feet behind him stood James and Lily Potter.

It had been ages since you had seen or spoken to Sirius last. After he ran away, Walburga made it crystal clear that she didn’t want Regulus or yourself speaking to him. Regulus was just fine obliging to his mother’s request. Your lover wouldn’t admit it but he was devastated by his brother leaving. Sirius leaving was, in Regulus’ mind, Sirius saying that he didn’t care for him anymore. It was harder for you to stop talking to Sirius cold turkey. The two of you had always been friendly. You were the go-between when he was having issues with his brother or mother.

“Hello, Sirius.”

You said, softly before looking around to make sure that Regulus wasn’t coming back. Regulus would be livid if he saw you speaking to Sirius. Livid or jealous...which one it would be was yet to be determined. Regulus has always been jealous of your friendship with Sirius. Why, you weren’t sure. You had been dedicated to Regulus since day one. He was the one that you played wedding with. Regulus was the one that you followed around like a shadow and vice versa.

“It's good to see you! It's been a long time...I heard that you agreed to marry Regulus.”

You could tell Sirius was struggling with the subject. There had always been a part of Sirius, whether he wanted to admit it or not, was sour that you didn’t “choose him.” After all, you had been meant for Sirius in the beginning. When you took to Regulus that plan was shot to hell.

“Yes, we are getting married after school is over. How have you been?”

You asked, changing the subject. Sirius shrugged.

“You know me...just going about here and there. I’ve been doing some traveling. I have a question and it's a bit awkward to ask but I need to know…is Reggie really a death eater? As the person that knows him the best, I figured that you would know.”

You blinked a few times seeing Regulus step out of the store. His eyes instantly narrowed on his brother as a cold glare set on his face. Sirius noticed it too.

“We don’t have much time. Blink once for yes and twice for no. I won’t tell him a thing.”

You blinked twice. Sirius put his head down, knowing that it was a lie. The moment that he looked back up, you blinked once. Sirius wanted nothing more than to offer to help keep both Regulus and yourself safe. He wanted to get his brother out of that mess but he knew Regulus would never say yes to him or the order.

“Look who it is.”

Regulus said coldly as he finally reached you. His arm went around your waist as Sirius met his eyes.

“Regulus, it's good to see you.”

Regulus only stared at Sirius. He made no move to speak to his brother. It didn’t matter deep down that Regulus wanted to talk to Sirius. He wanted nothing more than to beg his brother to forgive him for being so cold but that wouldn’t happen. Regulus was “the good son” and his parents were counting on him.

“We should go, Y/n.”

Regulus said before wrapping his wrist around your hand and tugging you with him. Sirius held his hands up.

“So you aren’t going to say anything? You’re just going to stand there like some kind of zombie?”

Regulus turned.

“You don’t deserve a moment of my time.”

You couldn’t bring yourself to look at the hurt expression on Sirius' face as Regulus tugged you along with him. There had been many run-ins with Sirius when he was still at Hogwarts that resulted in Regulus hexing his brother. Many MANY times you were pulling Regulus away as he shouted any insult that he could at Sirius. When you couldn’t get him away it was Evan and Snape hauling him off.

“Can we slow down?”

You snapped as you almost lost your balance for the third time. Regulus turned and glared down at you with jealousy in his eyes.

Lovely…

You thought. It was going to be one of those nights. Nothing that you had to say would please Regulus at the moment. It didn’t matter that it was his engagement ring on your finger or that you were chasing after him. All that Regulus could think about was the fact that you were supposed to be Sirius’ betrothed. The insecure side of him questioned in you or Sirius actually cared for each other and was just too good to say it.

“Let’s just go home. We don’t need to talk.”

Regulus replied before turning and starting back in the direction of Grimmauld Place. This time his hand wasn’t around yours making sure that you didn’t get pulled off. Regulus had shoved his hands in his pockets and reminded you of a jealous child.

“Fine.”

You commented before following him. If he wanted to be difficult then you would let him.

Thankfully Walburga and Orion were in bed when the two of you arrived home. You immediately followed Regulus to your shared bedroom. He took off his jacket and tossed it carelessly on the floor.

Shaking your head, you reached down to hang it up.

“Leave it. That’s what Kreacher is for.”

Regulus snapped. You blinked a few times having to bite your tongue. There were a lot of things that you could say to Regulus at the moment but you didn’t want to sleep alone or end up sleeping on the sofa.

Regulus had started the fire in the fireplace before sitting down on the sofa to glare coldly at the flames. He knew that he was being childish but he didn’t care. You didn’t seem to realize how much Sirius still hurt him. Seeing you talking to the jerk with none other than James-Fucking-Potter close by was enough to make the jealous little shit in Regulus come roaring back with a vengeance.

You gave Regulus half an hour to “get over himself” before plopping down on his lap in emerald green lingerie that left little to the imagination. Regulus was still scowling as he looked you over. You sighed.

“Stop acting like a child Regulus Black. I’m your fiance and you know it.”

Regulus sighed.

“If you weren’t my fiance I would be worried about you sitting on my lap dressed like this, princess.”

You smiled. There was your prince charming.

“I was saving this for our wedding night but given our current situation I figured this would be better than me just rolling around naked on your lap.”

Regulus reached up to stroke his hand over your cheek.

“You don’t see how he looks at you.”

You frowned.

“Are we still talking about Sirius?”

Regulus nodded.

“Uh-huh. He looks at you like you’re something to eat. I see how his eyes roam over your body. He doesn’t seem to understand that you are mine.”

You rolled your eyes and leaned into the kiss Regulus’ lips. He didn’t stop you. The kiss was tender for a moment before leaning backward further on his lap. You knew that you would tell him all about Sirius dating Remus Lupin. Why this was so lost on Regulus was still a mystery. You could have picked those two out as lovers without either of them saying anything.

“I assure you that he sees me as nothing more than a friend. Reggie, he knows that I am devoted 100% to you. He’s known it for a long time. Besides, I don’t have what Sirius needs. I’m made for you.”

Regulus had to grin at that though. Hell yes, you were “made for him.” Your bodies fit together perfectly. Everything about the two of you went together.

“Princess, you’re killing me.”

He groaned as you wiggled your ass on his now prominent erection. You giggled before kissing his bottom lip.

“I’m down for some nice jealous sex.”

Regulus raised an eyebrow before harshly pulling your upper body against his.

“Well, then love, you are in luck. All of your slutty self is all mine.”

He growled against your lips before possessively kissing you. You reached up tangling your fingers in his curls. Resisting the urge to start tugging, you instead stroked your hand through his hair earning a moan from your lover.

Regulus’ hand had fallen to your ass and roughly squeezed your plump flesh. He gently pushed you backward on his lap.

“I believe we should take this to our bed.”

You didn't wait to be told twice before getting up and hurrying to your shared bed. Regulus had gone to the door to lock it. The last thing that he wanted was his mother walking in and screaming when she realized what was going on. He turned to look at you as you pulled back the heavy duvet and blankets.

Your foot became stuck in one of the soft blankets resulting in you slipping. Regulus had rushed forward and caught you.

“You’re so clumsy. If I wasn’t around to catch you all of the time, you would forever have broken bones.”

“Yes, lucky for me.”

You said, kissing him and laying back on the bed. Regulus shook his head and began to undress. Your heart began to pound the moment that you heard Regulus’ belt unbuckling then the loud noise it made upon hitting the hardwood floors.

Regulus was on top of you before you were able to formulate another thought. His hand immediately went between your legs and shoved the emerald thong to the side.

“Oh, look at that, you are wet...just as I suspected. You’re so wet and I haven’t even touched you yet.”

His voice was almost mocking as he glared down at you. You knew that game that he wanted to play now and as messed up as it sounded, you were excited.

“Why wouldn’t I be wet for you?”

You squeaked when Regulus shoved his index and middle finger inside of you.

“You could be wet for him too.”

“It's always you, Reggie. I only want you.”

You gasped as he scissored his fingers. Regulus didn’t reply. It wasn’t until you reached out to wrap your hand around his length did he push you away.

“No touching.”

Regulus leaned down and smothered his face in your neck. You swallowed as he bit down. A pornographic moan left your lips as he continued to manipulate your already spasming core. Regulus’ breath on your neck was hot as he sucked love bite after love bite onto your neck. There would be no mistaking on whose woman you were.

You whined the moment that his hand left your body. His grey eyes silenced you with one disapproving look. You fought back as he tugged the emerald thong off and tossed it over his shoulder.

“Now, where were we?”

You wanted to scream to answer the question...Right here! We were right here! Just touch me! Anything!

You knew that, however, would get you nowhere. Regulus would probably get out of bed and leave you moaning for him. He wouldn’t come back to you until he was good and ready.

“You’re such a good girl, princess.”

Regulus praised you as he took his length in his hand. You moaned as the tip rubbed over your clit then down to your entrance multiple times.

“Reggie, don’t be a tease.”

“Who said that I was teasing?”

Regulus replied. His face was dead serious. He had returned to his stoic reserved nature as he continued his game. A loud moan escaped your lips as Regulus shoved in. His hand instantly clasped around your mouth.

“Hush now. Mummy will hear us.”

Regulus whispered before giving you a little grin. He knew exactly what you were thinking about. That little comment alone brought back memories from years past. Regulus would make that comment when the two of you were early teens and started messing around. Gone were the days where Regulus could get off by seeing you naked. You could simply take off your shirt for him and let Regulus put his mouth or hands on you. He would barely touch himself and come. Now things were different. You had to work to make Regulus come.

“You’re a fucking tease.”

You said with a giggle as you took his hand in yours and brought it to your lips. Regulus leaned back on his heels but made sure to remain snuggly inside of you. His eyes winded as your mouth wrapped around his middle and index finger. You sucked the digits like you would if they were his cock.

“Love, you call me a tease.”

“Then fuck me…”

“You asked for it.”

Regulus hissed before pulling out and slamming back into you at a furious pace. You couldn’t help crying out as he ravaged you. Regulus didn’t care that the headboard was slamming into the wall and that you were screaming. Too much blood had already left his head to leave him incapable of thinking of anything other than fucking you. His goal was to leave you so sore that you couldn’t put your legs together the next morning.

The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, leaving you light headed as your body began to spasm around Regulus’ length. As much as you enjoyed sensual lovemaking, you equally enjoyed Regulus using you as his own personal toy.

“I need to come.”

Regulus groaned. You moaned at his words alone. Your body tightening was enough to push Regulus over the edge. His body shivered as he emptied inside of you.

“Come, love.”

He choked out through his own orgasm before teasing your clit with his fingers. It took two or three circles before you were coming screaming his name like a prayer.

Regulus was the first to pull out. His come coated your thighs as he leaned down for a kiss.

“Shall we have round two?”

Before you could respond, someone was pounding on the door. Regulus’ face went scarlet as he looked down at you. Your eyes were wide as Orion’s voice came from the other side of the door.

“Okay, you two...we have heard enough for one evening. Go to sleep!”

_______

@amelie-black

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@wontlookaway

[of-stars-and-moon]

The ghost of the past

Happy Birthday again @holy-shit-its-wolfstar 💛💛 Since you love the black brother so much, here's a fix-it fic for you where Regulus is alive! Hope you like it!

Platonic ship: Regulus and Sirius

Word count: 3k

Summary: Sirius Black had lost everyone he loved in the first war, and now with the second war brimming around them, the last thing he expects is seeing someone from his past again

---

Sirius didn't know how many times he had dreamt or hallucinated about his brother. During the war, when they had heard of his death, it was followed by countless nightmares and on some rare merciful nights, dreams made up of past memories. Then, in Azkaban, it was a never-ending nightmare and the good memories were far and few in between, slowly being sucked away. During those lonely hours though, there would be a trick of light and he would think he saw his brother, faded like a ghost, only to disappear with a blink. With years, the hallucinations became stronger, his deluded mind giving rise to images that would stick for hours; Regulus sitting in a corner, James leaning against the wall, Lily staring out of his tiny window. It was a small mercy at least that those illusions were of them alive; Regulus’ cheeks rosy and not pale like Sirius had seen in nightmares, James grinning his charming smile and his eyes not dead like that miserable night Sirius lost everything, Lily’s hijab perfectly wrapped around her head and not unraveled like that night.

He had never seen Remus. He didn't know if that was another mercy or not.

Since he had left Azkaban, it was easier to remember the good memories again. Most of them were dull, but they weren't being taken away from him now. And being in hiding gave him time to try to think about them. None of them held the same happiness though, and he wondered if it was because of the dementors or because thinking of them reminded him of how much he had lost.

But he wouldn't let them take more. Those fucking idiots had lost their minds organising the triwizard tournament and then letting Harry take part too even though it was obviously a trap. If Sirius found out who put Harry's name, he would kill them with his bare hands.

But for now, all he could do was try to advise Harry and go to Hogsmeade to meet him. It was risky going towards Hogwarts, but he had to do it. He spent the days travelling in his animagus form and the nights in some old huts or caves.

But today, something was wrong.

The whole day, Sirius had felt like someone was watching him and since his senses were heightened as a dog, he could smell a distinct scent that a part of him felt like he should know, but couldn't place. He was getting closer to Hogwarts so he knew that it could be either someone from the Ministry or Death eaters. He didn't know which one would be worse.

"Sirius?" he heard someone say as he was standing outside a hut.

Keep reading

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 150: A Sluggish Memory

It was a square room, the fireplace lit and waiting for James to fall into, the desk sturdy and a dark wood Remus fell on upsetting a bottle of ink, and the view beyond the great double doors that weren't really there showed a dark stormy sea that they all sadly recognized as Azkaban in the distance.

The portraits still lined the wall of the past Ministers, but it was the only resemblance to the office they'd once been in before.

Lily rubbed her head from where it had landed against old Auror trophies, Alice had to untangle herself from some secrecy sensors and other dark detector devices that were currently inactive but on and waiting with high-quality care, and Regulus landed where the hat stand used to be. The portraits didn't even seem to recognize them, Faris "Spout-Hole" Spavin immediately began saying the exact same thing he had to him the last time they'd been in here. He sighed and ignored them more thoroughly than ever as he went over to Peter and the two quietly kept discussing their theories of what all Malfoy could be up to that everyone in Harry’s time kept dismissing.

"Well this is, kind of new," Frank muttered with a shiver of unease. They'd never once forgotten they were traveling through time, but the difference of seeing it live still gave him the creeps.

"As if we didn't get enough of this birk in the last bit," James said in disgust, once again circling around the desk to have a look through while Remus swept away the ink and fixed a picture of Scrimgeour holding a massive dead nogtail up, the magical picture didn't do justice to the grizzled man of age now constantly being described as he walked without a limp and made sure all angles of his prize were visible.

Remus sat at the desk and watched as James began tearing through reports once more, muttering foulties a plenty for how little use each of them were. He found one near the top with Umbridge's signature and ripped it to shreds before offering if Remus would like to eat them. He refused to admit how mildly tempting it was since said woman wasn’t around to be spat in the face and snickered instead.

Frank found the book amongst a display of case files for the wanted prisoners still loose out of Azkaban and sat down on the floor to read, though nobody was any more pleased to hear the news they were just going to be hearing of more memories, even if the title alluded to it being somewhat relevant to their recent turn of bad luck. What did Voldemort have to do with Slughorn?

Evans had perched herself on the edge of the desk, which James absolutely did not notice of course, and was practicing the bird summoning spell again in hopes to give this dreary office a bit of life. Somehow even Fudge's posturing felt better than this dismal view. The book was not offering much of a distraction as Harry made it back to school and caught Hermione up to speed, nor was any of his hands being of any more help right now. Remus was being pensive and clearly still digesting the recent news while fidgeting with his own scrap of paper so clearly not up for a talkative mood, so he finally gave in and just watched her with intrigue.

She had that look of concentration on her face he adored so much, even as she stated the spell firmly around the book a few feathers finally sprouted free and she beamed in delight before trying again. She was really trying to focus despite the fact Apparition lessons were being discussed, something they wouldn't get the privilege of for another year, boy was that still a little odd to realize Harry was now older than his two parents hearing about this.

He'd always been terrible about staying on one topic too long, he had to much energy and bounced around to so many things, and he indulged a fantasy for a few moments of her giving him lessons on how she managed it so well before mentally slapping himself and going off to where Sirius was lounging by the door like he'd tried to get out of here, eyeing the view with great dislike. His Padfoot definitely needed a distraction from that, and the two eagerly began a great and ludicrous game of how to keep both of these idiots out of office, most of their planning's mildly illegal and unworkable of course.

Remus was grateful James had swooped in to chat up Sirius, especially as the memory of Voldemort murdering his Uncle Morfin was read out and the man innocent of that particular crime in killing the Riddles was given in ghastly detail. He worried if he'd gone over there he'd have done something they'd both regret, like try to hold his hand for comfort like Padfoot had done for him, but there was no shielding that from the others in this place. So he just kept fidgeting with that stupid list Sirius had given him, flipping the paper back and forth as his stomach tightened in ever growing painful knots as he imagined them going back to school now.

It helped to have something else to focus on, and he could easily imagine how this came about. Perhaps when he came of age his father would tell him this truth and he'd eagerly jump in with the Order and be inducted as a werewolf spy right under the monster who started it all. He'd do better this time knowing even sooner he was sure, he'd kill Greyback before Dumbledore even had the chance to ask while Sirius stayed with James, their fantasization of killing Voldemort naively being played out as the next memory began, it apparently being Dumbledore's most important one yet.

The memory was strange to the extreme, none of them had a clue what a horcrux could be or even if Longbottom was pronouncing the word right it sounded so odd, but then, all of this had been far above them from the very beginning. He snorted in disgust at himself for his own growing inflation, he'd probably die trying he knew, and reached for the quill. Soon this would all fade into a horrible memory for them if they didn't get killed escaping this future.

HPHPHPHP

So, obviously, I've had to give up on not using repeat places a while ago, but I still stand by this being technically a new 'location.' Even if they've already visited, it's a new kind of environment than they were in before, and they keep getting sent back to the Burrow with a little more space open each time. Hope you're following the pattern and logic of it alright and this isn't too confusing.

[reddeaddamnation]

“Say I love you” - Regulus Black x Reader x Sirius Black [part 1]

A/N: This is a story that I have written like years ago and when I found it awhile back I cringed so hard at the writing style (yes, even worse than my current) that I knew this had to go through massive rewriting because 1. The chapters were like... two passages long with absolutely no context and 2. It was written by a 7th grader. Overall I liked the idea and after some corrections (ahem...deleting the entire thing and starting from a scratch) I decided to post it here.

The night’s veil had descended over the streets of London, bathing the city in a soft darkness, contrasting to the dim street lights, emanating a weak yellow light around themselves. The sky was clear and the moon and stars could be visible, shining with luminescent light. It was a warm, quiet summer night. Not a soul could be seen wandering outside, as the people of the city were long since in bed, sleeping after a long, tiresome and restless day. The lights coming from inside the buildings had died down long ago, allowing the night to seep in through the open windows and the very walls themselves. All except one...

The Black manor was still emitting a hazy glow from a candle, indicating there was life inside, even at such a late hour. Yet, the only sound, coming from inside was the large clock on the wall’s ticking, who’s hands pointed at half past two. Sirius Black, the man thought to be a criminal in hiding, sat at the edge of the long table in the living room, three candles lit in a silver candelabra in the middle of the long, wooden table, contemplating what he has done, as his past haunted him. The fire from the candles danced and swayed gently in their places and cast dim lighting to the man’s features. 

After countless of fruitless attempts to fall asleep, Sirius had given up and instead tried to relieve his mind with a glass of wine from his cellar. Memories of his time jailed in Azkaban preyed upon his conscious. The dementors’ eerie voices echoed still in his ears, making him shudder. He wondered how it was possible that he kept his sanity for so long, locked there like an animal for a crime he was innocent of. Sometimes he felt like he was on the brink of insanity, but there was always something that kept him going. Perhaps his innocence? Or his godson Harry? Maybe even the woman he was in love with. 

His thoughts drifted towards her. Her beautiful smile, her soft [H/C] hair and shining [E/C] eyes. He longed to kiss her, to feel her lips on his. But, alas, he never gained enough courage to do so or tell her how he felt. Because Sirius Black was a man who had many insecurities beneath the cheerful and laid-back shell he constructed to keep people away from seeing his scarred, broken soul. He remembered how he had met her. The fateful winter day that brought him hope and he found himself slowly drifting down a path he hadn’t seen in years. And he didn’t even realize it until it was too late and he fell in love after so long.

Small, white snowflakes were gently falling down on the streets of Hogsmede, covering everything in a thick white mantle of snow. Sirius, or more likely, Padfoot was walking down one, shivering from the cold and weak from the hunger that had befallen him. He was looking for something, anything that could relieve him of the starvation. A dropped piece of bread, a leftover meal, thrown in the trash...anything... And then, as if someone above heard his pleas, he came across a girl, who’s clothes were covered in the snow, holding a bag, radiating a delicious smell. The students from Hogwarts had come on a field trip. “Oh!” she had exclaimed, noticing him, or at least, the black dog he had taken the form of “You poor thing...” She came closer, delving into the bag and retrieving a piece of bread “You must be starving...” In that moment, he had thought she was the purest thing to ever exist in this world. 

His thoughts were suddenly interrupted by footsteps. He turned around sharply, startled by the sound, only to see the very same person he was thinking about. “Hey, hey!” she exclaimed quietly, bringing her arms up to chest level “It’s me.” Sirius sighed quietly, calming down and let a small chuckle leave his lips. He had become very jumpy after his stay in Azkaban to the point he didn’t even trust the safety of his own home, where he was among people he would trust his life with. “Sorry, I...” he spoke quietly, trying to explain his behavior “I was just too deep into thought.” [Y/N] walked closer, now sure that he was calm. “It’s okay.” she smiled, sitting next to him “Why aren’t you asleep?” she asked. “I tried but found out that it’s a more difficult task than I anticipated it to be.” he glanced at her with a seemingly cheerful smirk and a scoff “And you?”

[Y/N] had been living with him ever since she had a terrible fight with her family, resulting in her moving out and asking Sirius if she could stay with him and Harry until the entire ordeal was cleared up. Sirius, of course, accepted. “I’m just here for a midnight snack.” she answered, shrugging her shoulders. Sirius nodded in understanding. The two sat in silence for several long moments. “So, what were you thinking about?” [Y/N] finally spoke, trying to break the silence. “Oh, nothing important.” Sirius waved his hand carelessly with a smile. But his eyes weren’t smiling “Just some things I remembered from back in the day at Hogwarts.” to change the topic, he averted the conversation in her direction “You know, after you graduated last year, I just couldn’t help it. Have a lot of things changed?” She laughed and the mood in the room immediately changed. “Not at all. You know old Dumbledore.” 

Sirius couldn’t help but scoff, himself. “I’m glad I joined Dumbledore’s army, though.” she spoke again “And I hope I can make everyone proud.” Sirius observed her for a minute, before answering. “You already are, [Y/N]. Everyone is happy you joined a good cause. Me, included.” he smiled, sending her a playful wink. 

Suddenly, they were both startled by a loud, strange, frightening sound coming from the door, as if someone was desperately trying to open it. But the door was locked. After the stranger outside realized his attempts to open it were futile, three eerie knocks banged against the wood. By now Sirius and [Y/N] had stood up, tense to their toes, wondering who would be wanting to come in at this late hour. “Stay here.” Sirius instructed, wand at the ready, as he tiptoed over to the door. “I’m not leaving you alone!” She answered in a hushed, but panicked tone, following him close behind, her own wand in an iron grip.

The intruder banged against the door again and didn’t stop until Sirius was at the door. He pressed his index finger to his lips, a sign towards [Y/N] to be quiet, before he swung the front door open quickly in a swift motion and in the next moment the body of a man collapsed through the opening, curling into a ball on the floor. Sirius and [Y/N] stepped back, startled, eyes blown wide. In the darkness, all they could notice about the newcomer was that his clothes were a ripped, filthy mess, stained with a dark substance that was also smudged on his skin where it was visible. 

The two hosts stood frozen in place, shocked and bewildered, wondering what should come next. Sirius was first to react, crouching down next to the stranger. He took a closer look into his face, shifting his position on the ground. The man didn’t protest. Who knows how long he had been traveling... But the moment Sirius looked at his face, he lunged backwards as if his hand was burned and the shock on his face was turned into pure horror and disbelief. “No...” he whispered. “You’re dead...” [Y/N]’s eyes frantically altered between the two men, confusion taking over her “Sirius?” she called “Sirius, what’s wrong? Do you know him?”

The clock on the wall’s bell echoed hauntingly, indicating that it was exactly three in the morning. “Please...” the stranger’s raspy voice sounded quietly “Help me...” Sirius didn’t answer. He was still in disbelief. The minutes felt like hours. [Y/N[ bent down to take a better look at the man in rags and found a striking resemblance to Sirius. “[Y/N] [L/N]... meet my beloved brother Regulus Black...” Sirius finally spoke, voice full of disgust and distrust.

[aidanchaser]

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Table of Contents beta’d by @ageofzero​, @magic713m​, @ccboomer​, @aubsenroute​, @somebodyswatson​

Chapter Thirty The White Tomb

Harry stood in the hallway of the seventh floor corridor, in front of the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy, as he had so many times that year. Except this time, he knew exactly what he needed to say to get into the Room of Requirement.

“I need the place where everything is hidden,” he repeated to himself as he paced the corridor. He did not know what the black cat at his feet was thinking as it followed him back and forth, but the Room of Requirement seemed immune to confusion. The stone parted for a small door, the same door Harry had entered to hide his Potions book.

He opened it, and the cat hurried inside. Harry followed, and as soon as he had closed the door, the cat was gone.

Regulus Black brushed dirt from the sleeve of his robe. “Where to?” he asked.

Harry did not say anything, but he gestured down one of the aisles. He and Regulus passed the large stuffed troll, and he turned, heading towards where the Vanishing Cabinet had once stood. He did not know what McGonagall had done with the Cabinet, but she had had it removed from the grounds as soon as her meeting with the Ministry had ended. Harry searched the aisles nearby for the cupboard that he had used to hide the Half-Blood Prince’s book.

“You really think Voldemort hid a Horcrux in here?” Regulus asked.

“I think he would have wanted to hide it in the Chamber of Secrets, but this is closer to Dumbledore’s office. And I can’t think of any other reason he came to interview for a job he knew he wouldn’t get.”

“Dumbledore thought he wanted the sword.”

Harry swallowed hard. “Well, he has it now.”

He wondered where that left them in the hunt for Horcruxes. Not only was he unsure how to destroy the Horcruxes without the Sword of Godric Gryffindor, he did not know what he would do if Voldemort were to make the sword into another Horcrux.

Harry rounded a corner and at the end of the makeshift aisle he saw the acid-burned cabinet, with a pock-marked wizard’s bust atop it, decorated in a wig and a tiara. It was nearly identical to the circlet that Rowena Ravenclaw’s statue in Ravenclaw Tower wore.

“There,” Harry pointed, and climbed up onto the cabinet to retrieve the diadem.

The silver was tarnished, but the shape of the circlet and the arch of the eagle’s wings were identical to what Harry had seen on Ravenclaw’s statue. If it was not the real diadem, it was an excellent replica. He ran his thumb over the words engraved into the band.

Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure.

Harry climbed down from the cabinet and handed the diadem to Regulus.

“How do we know if it’s real?” Harry asked.

Regulus turned it over in his hands. “I’m not sure. I suppose we could put it on.”

Harry did not have the patience for Regulus’ dry sense of humour, not with Dumbledore’s funeral in just a few hours. “Don’t you have any useful ideas?”

“My excursion into Horcrux hunting should have killed me, and I only survived by chance. I gave Dumbledore the locket because I was at a loss of how to destroy it. So no, I don’t have any useful ideas. I’m afraid we’ll just have to hold onto this diadem and hope we find a way to destroy it.”

Harry set the diadem on the ground and backed away from it. He fired off a series of Blasting Curses, Severing Charms, and even the Fire-Making Spell. The diadem bounced around on the floor, crashing into flagstones and broken furniture, but it did not crack nor bend nor even chip. Harry retrieved it.

“It’s durable enough to be a Horcrux,” he said, and slipped it into his dress robes.

“If it truly is one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes,” said Regulus, “then the cup and the snake are all that’s left.”

“I don’t even know where to start looking…” Harry ran his hand through his hair and gazed at the Room of Requirement. “You don’t suppose we’re lucky enough that he hid both in here?”

“No, I don’t suppose we could get that lucky.”

Harry sighed, and started the walk through the piles of lost objects and back to the corridor. “That’s just as well. I’m not coming back to Hogwarts.”

This information did not surprise Regulus, but nothing seemed to surprise Regulus.

“It would be unwise of you to run off before the Trace is lifted.”

“I know. I’ll wait until then. And after that… I don’t suppose you know where Dumbledore was looking.”

“Last he said to me was Paris, but I think Dumbledore decided that the city was not important enough to the Dark Lord after all. He was convinced that, despite the Dark Lord’s international travels during his rise to power, England was always his beginning, the place he first discovered the world of magic. It would be the most important to him.”

“Glad we’ve narrowed it down to that. Shouldn’t be too hard, then.”

Regulus’ lips twitched in what was probably a smile. “You plan to search alone, then?”

“Yeah. Unless you’re coming with me.”

Regulus hesitated for so long that Harry glanced behind him to make sure Regulus had not shifted back into a cat, but Regulus the human still trailed after him.

Finally, Regulus said, “Dumbledore gave me another task before he died, one I will have to carry out alone. But I thought you might ask Cedric Diggory, or one of your other friends, to join you.”

Harry had no intention of putting Cedric, Ron, Hermione, Neville, or Ginny in any more danger than he already had. “I hadn’t thought about it,” he lied. “What could Dumbledore have asked you to do that’s more important than finding the Horcruxes?”

Regulus did not answer, and this time, when Harry looked back, there was a black cat trailing after him. Harry thought, if nothing else, being an Animagus made it very easy to get out of unwelcome conversations.

Harry walked down to the Great Hall. He had no interest in leaving the diadem unattended in his trunk for the day, and went straight to what would traditionally have been an exuberant end of the year feast. Regulus followed, at least until he reached the doors of the Hall, where he sat down and watched.

Everyone in the Great Hall was wearing dress robes, like Harry. The banners that hung between the windows did not sport house colours; instead, they were solid black. The four house tables, too, had been removed, and in their place, one long table filled the hall. Many students had been taken home by their parents, and so the remaining Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, Slytherin, and Gryffindor students gathered for their final meal together at a single table. Overhead, candles drifted in a gloomy sky, even though bright summmer sunlight streamed through the windows. It was as if the castle itself was grieving.

Harry walked past Crabbe and Goyle, sitting close to each other and muttering. It was strange to see them without Malfoy, but Harry was not surprised that they had been kept in the dark about Malfoy’s plan. They both glared at him as he passed, but Harry was unbothered.

Cho Chang was not much farther down, seated in a cluster of Ravenclaw students. She made eye contact with Harry, the first eye contact they had made all year. Harry knew she was only here after a fight with her parents in which she had insisted on staying for Dumbledore’s funeral, though it had not been quite as loud as the fight Seamus had had with his mother when he had insisted on staying for the funeral.

Seamus and Dean sat together, next to Susan Bones and Hannah Abbot. Neville, fresh from the hospital wing, waved at Harry. His arm was still in a sling, and there was still bruising around his eye from the curse that had knocked him unconscious. Ron and Hermione were nearby, as well as Ginny and Luna. Luna saw Harry coming and got to her feet so Harry could sit by Ginny.

“Luna, you don’t —”

“It’s alright, Harry,” Luna said. She smiled in her usual dreamy sort of way. Somehow, her smile did not feel out of place at this somber event. She patted his arm as she passed him, and slipped into a seat near a group of Ravenclaw girls. Harry sat next to Ginny. She kissed his cheek and put her hand in his.

Harry looked down at their clasped hands, thinking about what he still had to tell her, what he had to make sure she knew before they left Hogwarts…

“Did you get it?” Ron asked.

Harry nodded.

“Do you think it’s really…?” Neville did not need to finish his question; Harry understood.

“Can’t be sure, but I threw a dozen curses at it, and it’s held up.”

Hermione pushed some of her food around on her plate. It did not look like she had eaten any of it. “I wish we could use the diadem. Some wisdom on how to destroy it would be nice.”

“Putting on that ring nearly killed Dumbledore,” Harry said. “And if he hadn’t, then maybe…”

“I know, I know,” Hermione said, “it was just wishful thinking.”

Ginny put her other hand on his wrist, and he realised how tightly he was holding onto her. He loosened his grip, but instead of pulling away, she just laced her fingers between his.

At the staff table, Professor McGonagall — Headmistress McGonagall — had left the centre seat empty. She sat to the right instead. Harry did not see Hagrid, but he did not blame Hagrid for being unable to attend this breakfast. In his place sat Madame Maxime, who had arrived the day before in her Abraxan winged horse-drawn carriage. Snape was of course gone, unable to be found by the Ministry. In his place sat Rufus Scrimgeour, and not far from him was a collection of Ministry delegates. This included Percy Weasley, Cedric Diggory, and a young man with blonde hair that Harry vaguely remembered as a former Gryffindor Prefect. The Longbottoms and Kingsley Shacklebolt stood in the wings, present as both mourners and guards.

McGonagall stood, and the quiet conversations around the Hall ceased as readily as they always had for Dumbledore.

“It is nearly time,” she said. “Please follow your Heads of Houses out into the grounds. Gryffindors, after me.”

The mixed crowd split into their respective houses. Slughorn, wearing emerald green robes with detailed silver embroidery that seemed to dance on the fabric, led the Slytherins out first. Behind him went Professor Sprout, who was wearing the cleanest robes Harry had ever seen her in, with no visible patches. Flitwick was in a black suit and tie, which Harry thought odd. He knew Flitwick supposedly had goblin in his family, but he did not know Flitwick also had Muggle family.

Harry, Ginny, Ron, Hermione, and Neville followed McGonagall. She wore fine black robes, and a ruby broach at her throat. Harry’s parents had sent him similar dress robes: simple, with the only extravagant detail in the black-on-black embroidery along the edges. Ron had the robes Fred and George had bought for him when they had opened their shop, and Hermione had chosen to wear a simple black Muggle dress. She kept her hair pinned away from her face, but she had not worked to Charm it flat as she had for the Yule Ball. Her lip trembled as they stepped out onto the grounds, but like McGonagall, Hermione seemed determined to appear strong. Neville’s dress robes were similar to Harry’s, and Ginny’s black robes were cut untraditionally, so that they flared at the hips and were open in the front, revealing the trousers she wore underneath. It was respectful and disreputable enough that Harry thought it suited her perfectly.

As they passed through the doors leading into the Great Hall, the patient black cat trotted alongside Harry and Ginny.

The procession continued down to the edge of the Black Lake. There were hundreds of chairs set up along its shore, all facing a white marble slab. The sun reflected off of it, and Harry had to shield his eyes and look away. A crowd had gathered at the castle gates. Ministry officials stood on either side, checking every mourner for Dark objects or other dangerous items. Harry recognised a number of the wizards who entered.

There were the Order of the Phoenix members: Mad-Eye Moody, Evangeline Vance, the Longbottoms, Fabian and Gideon Prewett, along with the rest of the Weasleys, from Molly and Arthur to Fred and George; Bill was there, mostly recovered, but supported by Fleur Delacour on one side and Charlie Weasley on the other; Arabella Figg, Dedalus Diggle, Hestia Jones, and even Mundungus Fletcher followed. Tonks and Remus were not far behind. Harry thought Tonks looked much more like herself — her face was round and her hair was once again its usual pink, but her eyes were soft and green. Harry thought they didn’t quite look like her, though there was something familiar about them. He realised why when he saw that she and Remus were holding hands.

Harry searched anxiously for Sirius, and found him only a few paces from Tonks and Remus. He wore a Muggle waistcoat and tie, as did a few of the mourners. The black cat left the crowd of students and hurried to Sirius’ side.

Behind Sirius walked James and Lily. They were whispering furiously to each other, and Harry wasn’t sure why, until he followed his mother’s glare to a cluster of Ministry officials, led by a stout woman with a black velvet bow in her hair. Harry’s stomach lurched in anger and it took all he had to not reach for his wand and curse her from where he stood, but McGonagall ushered him into a chair and he was forced to turn away and take a seat.

But it was not just wizards, earnestly or otherwise, who came to mourn Dumbledore. An eerie music, mournful, but unlike Fawkes’ melody, filled the air. Harry was unsure where it was coming from until Ginny pointed to the Black Lake. Just beneath the surface of the water he could make out the shapes of the merpeople, singing in their language to mourn Dumbledore’s passing. It was eerie and raised the hair on the back of his neck, but Harry trusted that their sorrow, at least, was genuine.

And then he heard a girlish giggle that filled his entire body with anger, not unlike the anger he had felt chasing Snape down the steps of the castle. He turned swiftly to see an embarrassed looking Umbridge attempting to dab her eyes and look sorrowful, but her façade was interrupted by another giggle and a hiccup. She no longer looked mournful — she looked mortified. Another giggle passed her lips, louder than the last, and she seemed unable to control it. When it happened a fourth time, she stood up and excused herself, but it seemed there was another uncontrollable giggle for every mourner she had to pass, until she had left the gathering entirely.

Harry found James and Sirius not far behind where she had been sitting, looking rather pleased with themselves. He caught a glimpse of Sirius slipping his wand up his sleeve, and he had a feeling if he were to use Priori Incantato on Sirius’ wand or his father’s wand, he would find that the last spell they had used had been the Tickling Charm. Lily was doing a very good job of pretending not to notice them, but he saw her hand slide into James’ and squeeze it gently.

Ginny nudged him, and he turned at her direction towards the back of the gathering. Harry’s heart leapt into his throat and tears filled his eyes. Coming up the aisle, now that everyone had been seated, was Hagrid. His face was red and puffy from crying, and in his arms he carried a large bundle, wrapped in purple velvet, spangled in gold. He squeezed Ginny’s hand and she squeezed back. He felt a few of her tears fall onto his hand. Hermione, too, had given in to her tears, and her cheeks were as streaked as Hagrid’s. Neville was crying and sniffling into a handkerchief. Ron sat up very straight, and was incredibly pale as he watched Hagrid place Dumbledore’s body on the white marble table.

Hagrid retreated, blowing his nose loudly into a handkerchief as he did so. He made his way to the back of the gathering to stand beside Grawp, his Giant brother, who had been dressed in an enormous pair of trousers and a jacket. Grawp patted Hagrid on the head as Hagrid sat down.

At the forest’s edge, Harry saw movement in the shade of the trees. He squinted, and was able to make out the centaurs, listening to the eulogy. The edge of the Black Lake rippled as the merpeople, too, lifted their heads above the surface to hear how Dumbledore would be remembered.

A small wizard stood from a chair in the front row and began to speak. He had a gentle voice, musical, vastly different from the dramatic eulogy Slughorn had offered Aragog a few months ago. The sound was pleasant, but Harry could not hear the speech well through the hundreds gathered, many of them crying quietly. He caught a few odd words, “Nobility of spirit” … “intellectual contribution” … “greatness of heart” … All things that spoke to the hero Dumbledore would be remembered as, but none that spoke to the professor that Harry had known. He did not see Dumbledore as the man who had dueled Grindelwald and Voldemort and won; he saw Dumbledore as a soft-spoken teacher, who had listened when Harry was concerned, who had taught Harry the value of love, and who had trusted Harry to finish this war.

Harry touched the diadem hidden in his dress robes. He would have to find a way to destroy it, a way to end this without dying himself, and without letting anyone else die to protect him. He knew that the Wizarding world had lost a great symbol of strength, a pillar in the fight against Darkness, but Harry had lost a teacher and protector. Even his parents, try as they might, could not protect him from this fight. And they had tried so hard. They had shielded him at every turn they could, and it had not been enough. Voldemort had returned, and Dumbledore had died, and Harry was left to face Voldemort. Whether he accepted the title of “The Chosen One” or not, the new symbol of strength in the fight against Voldemort was, for all the people at this funeral, truly him.

The small officiate finished his speech and returned to his seat. Harry looked around, wondering who else would get up and speak. He expected the Minister, but Harry didn’t care what the Minister had to say. He thought it would be nice to hear from McGonagall, but she did not rise. No one did.

And then the table erupted into bright blue flame. A few of the mourners screamed, startled as the fire rose higher and higher, and strange shapes twisted in the smoke. Harry saw, hidden in the flame and smoke, the shape of a phoenix, and then the fire was gone, replaced by a white marble tomb, sealing Dumbledore’s body.

A shower of arrows fired from the treeline, but did not come close to reaching the crowd. As they struck the earth, each one flashed gold, Then the centaurs disappeared into the forest. The merpeople returned to the lake. The mourners began to stand.

Harry turned to Ginny, knowing this was their last moment together, before they each returned home with their parents. He would have to tell her his plan. She pulled her gaze from the white stone coffin and he knew from the hard look in her eyes that she already knew what he was going to say.

“Ginny, I…”

“Don’t,” she said sharply.

“How do you know —”

“You're going to tell me we can't be together because you have to go after Voldemort, and I don't want to hear it.”

“No.” Harry mentally revised what he had been planning to say. “I mean, I want to tell you that, but I won’t.”

“Good.”

“But you know I have to leave, right? I don’t want to put you in danger —”

“It’s a war, Harry. We’re all in danger.”

Harry ran his hand through his hair. “Okay, but I don’t know how long this will take. I can’t ask you to wait for me to be done fighting Voldemort.”

“I’ll only have to wait a year.”

“What?”

“Because then I won’t have the Trace anymore, and I can join you.”

Harry shook his head. “No, I’m doing this alone —”

She laughed. It was not joyous, but it was a bit out of place for a funeral, and a few wrinkled heads turned to glare at her. She did not seem to mind. “Hey, Ron,” she said.

Ron leaned against the chair in front of him and looked back at Ginny. “What?”

“Harry thinks he’s going off to find you-know-whats alone.”

“Fat chance, mate,” said Ron. “Besides, you think you’d last without Hermione? We’re both coming with you.”

Hermione turned to Harry, even as she wiped tears from her cheeks. “You can’t —” She paused to let out sob. “You can’t get rid of us, Harry.”

Harry let out a slow, deep breath and begrudgingly remembered how stubborn and loyal his friends were. He would not stop trying to dissuade them, but he was not sure that his efforts would be especially effective.

“Neville?” Harry said. “You’re being quiet.”

Neville was still staring at Dumbledore’s tomb. Harry imagined that squinting against the bright sunlight had to be painful with his swollen eye, but Neville did not seem bothered. Finally, he said, “No, I don’t think I’ll go.”

“You don’t have to,” Harry said quickly. “No one should go.”

“No,” Neville said again, “I think Ron and Hermione should go. And Ginny and I can join you next year. But I want to stay at Hogwarts. I think… I think with Dumbledore gone, someone’s going to have to be here. You’re the Chosen One, Harry, and you’ve got to fight Voldemort, but I think I want to stay and fight for Hogwarts.”

Harry frowned. “But McGonagall…” but he did not need to finish his thought out loud. McGonagall was not Dumbledore. If Voldemort had asked Malfoy and Snape to kill Dumbledore, then Voldemort must have some faith that he could gain control over both the Ministry and Hogwarts. Neville had just been quicker to figure that out.

Harry reached into the pocket of his dress robes and pulled out the familiar piece of blank, worn parchment that he carried on him at all times. He passed it to Neville. “Then you take the map,” he said. “You’ll need it if you’re going to lead Dumbledore’s Army.”

Fat tears rolled off Neville’s cheeks and barely missed the worn map. He scrubbed at his face quickly. “Th-thanks, Harry. I promise I’ll give it back to you.”

“Sure. Soon as all this is over.”

Hermione began to sob fully, as if Neville’s tears were contagious. Ron pulled her into his arms, and caught the tears from her, too. A few drops fell from his cheeks and into her hair.

Ginny gave Harry a kiss. “I’ll see you for Bill’s wedding, right? Guess I can’t get rid of Fleur now.”

Harry had not expected an invitation, but he supposed that all the Weasleys were rather fond of him, not just Ginny. “Yeah — yeah, of course.”

He kissed her once more, then slipped away to find his parents. He thought that his tall parents would be easy to find in a crowd, but it was hard to pick out anyone in a sea of black-robed mourners. It did not help, either, that many people were interested in talking to him and shaking his hand. Harry shook so many hands that he started to lose track of how many times he had said, “Thank you, you too,” each time they offered condolences. He did not care about any of these people; he only wanted to find his parents and leave.

When a wizened gentleman in a crooked bowtie grabbed Harry’s hand and said, “Young Mr Potter, I was hoping to meet you,” Harry lost his patience and abandoned all pleasantries.

“Sorry, I’m looking for someone.” He pulled his hand away and turned, bumping right into Rufus Scrimgeour.

“Ah, there you are, Harry,” Scrimgeour said. He leaned on his cane. “Might we have a word alone?”

Harry glanced around for his family, but no one nearby looked familiar.

“Prepping another young adventurous soul for a Ministry desk job?” the elderly wizard in the crooked bow tie asked. “Come now, Scrimgeour, let the lad go. I’m sure he has enough on his mind without taking on your cares as well.”

Scrimgeour gave the gentleman a withering glance. “I’ll thank you to mind your own business, for once, Scamander.”

“No, I don’t think I shall. Mr Potter, I believe you said you were looking for someone? I saw a woman with exceptionally red hair walking with her husband down by the shore of the lake. Perhaps start your search there.”

Harry thanked the man, and slipped past Scrimgeour as quickly as he could. He headed down to the shore of the lake and sure enough, saw his parents standing at its edge. Lily had chosen a black dress not unlike Hermione’s, and James’ dress robes were almost identical to Harry’s. It was like staring into a mirror that showed him what he would look like twenty years in the future. Harry swallowed, hoping he would not be attending a funeral like this twenty years from now.

Lily saw him first, and she held her arm out to him. She pulled him close and kissed his forehead. If she was still angry that he was keeping a secret from her, or angry that he had decided to stay at Hogwarts, there was no sign of it.

“I hope you don’t feel like we abandoned you,” Lily said, “but we couldn’t stand in that crowd another minute, and you looked like you needed to be with your friends.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Harry said. “Scrimgeour tried to talk to me.”

“And?” James asked in a guarded tone.

“I dunno, I ran off.”

Lily struggled to suppress a laugh. She squeezed his shoulder. “He’ll try again. He’s determined to have you at his side.”

“He can keep trying. I don’t want to be the Ministry’s weapon.”

There was a pause, then James asked, “But you’ll be Dumbledore’s?”

There was no anger in it, but Harry knew how hurt his parents were. He knew very well what he was betraying by keeping this secret.

“Wouldn’t you?” he said.

His parents did not answer, but Harry did not think that this was the end of the discussion.

Footsteps in the form of boots crunching against the rocky shore approached, and the Potters turned. Harry could feel the tension in Lily’s arm relax when she discovered it was only Sirius, with a slink black cat perched on his shoulders.

James raised an eyebrow at him.

“He doesn’t like being carried,” Sirius said. “You wouldn’t believe the compliments I’ve gotten on my new familiar, though. A couple of people even asked if he got along with your dog familiar.”

Harry could not help but laugh, despite the somber occasion.

“Where’s Remus?” he asked.

“He and Tonks went back to the cottage already,” Sirius said. “Too many Ministry officials for him here. But I think he’s alright.”

“Are you alright?” James asked.

“Hell, I don’t know.” Sirius tugged at the cuff of his shirt sleeve. “I think I will be. I think it’s probably better this way. I think…” He let out a deep breath and turned his eyes to the shore on the other side of the Black Lake. “I dunno, I think we just passed by each other one too many times, and I think starting something new will be good for him.”

“And will it be good for you?” asked Lily.

Sirius shrugged, jostling Regulus. “Maybe I’ll try something new, too. Maybe this time it’ll work out.”

Regulus leapt off of Sirius’ shoulders and into Harry’s arms.

“Oh, sure,” Sirius snorted, “you’ll let him carry you.”

But Harry knew, as the black cat nosed at his dress robes, that Regulus was just checking on the diadem. When he was satisfied that it was still safe, he climbed onto Harry’s shoulders.

“Where are we going now?” Harry asked.

“Home,” James said.

“Is home safe?”

“For now… But Grimmauld Place isn’t. Dumbledore was the Order’s Secret Keeper and now… Well, we’ll go home until we figure out how to ditch the Ministry and find somewhere safe to hide.

Harry looked back at the crowd of mourners. It was only marginally smaller than it had been when the ceremony had begun. No one seemed interested in leaving, in being alone after an event like this. He saw Cedric and the young blonde man who had arrived with the Ministry talking together in hushed tones with serious expressions. It looked like they were arguing.

Lily tried unsuccessfully to flatten Harry’s hair. “Let’s go home,” she said. “Cedric will have a shift at our place soon enough. You can talk to him then.”

“Yeah. Okay. Let’s go home.”

[aggiemae]

Tale Teller’s Daily Writing Challenge

This turned out longer than I thought it would be.  This is for @sdavid09‘s Tale Teller’s Daily Writing Challenge.

Day 2 Prompt:   Sometimes, your character let’s their mind drift away to ‘what ifs’ and ‘if only’. Write your character living in one of those scenarios.

“What if there was no Voldemort?”

Title:  Blessed

There was a rustling in his bed.  Sirius’ eyes darted open, brain already ready for a fight.  Instead he heard a high pitched giggle, and a groan from his wife.  

“Wake up!  We promised Harry we would see him off to Hogwarts.”  

Sirius looked at the alarm clock, and then at his daughter.  “Minnie, it’s only 6 am.  The train doesn’t leave for another 5 hours.”

“But we promised that we would be there.  And Uncle Prongs said that if we get to their house early enough, he would make pancakes.”  Minnie’s lip quivered.  

“Minnie, why don’t you go get dressed while dad and I get ready ourselves.  And you can get the food ready for Snuffles’ breakfast.” Sirius gave his wife a grateful look while their daughter squealed and ran out of the room.

“You’re a lifesaver Morgan.”  He went in for a good morning kiss and she held up a finger, stopping him.  

“Brush your teeth first.  Then you get a kiss.”  Sirius just grinned and went to the small bathroom attached to their bedroom.  Once he was finished, he felt a hug from behind him.  He relaxed into the gentle embrace.

“Now do I get that kiss,”  he whispered.  He then felt Morgan stiffen as she ran to the toilet.  He immediately went into caretaker mode and held her hair back and she held the porcelain bowl.  

Once she was finished, he gave her a washcloth.  She took it from him and wiped her face.  He then gave her some privacy while he got dressed and went to check on Minnie.

He found her in the kitchen, the dog bowl not visible through the pile of kibble falling down the sides.  Snuffles was eating kibble like it wasn’t going to be there when he shut his eyes.  Minnie was giggling as she watched a morning cartoon on the TV.  

“How’s my little pumpkin this morning?”  Sirius grabbed her from behind and started tickling her.

“Excited daddy.  But I’m gonna miss Harry.”  

“Me too pumpkin.  But think, he’ll be back for Christmas, and he’ll still be at Hogwarts when it’s your turn, and you’ll still get to play with Dan and Jasmine.”

“But Harry is nicer than Dan and lets Jasmine and I play with him and Ron.”  Minnie pouted.  Snuffles decided to ignore his food and plodded over and sat at Minnie’s feet.

Both Minnie and Sirius scratched the Dane’s ears.  

“Don’t worry Minnie, your namesake is going to take care of him.  And he’ll write you lots.  And so will the twins.  Just because you’re still here doesn’t mean that he’ll forget about you.  You’ll still be his favorite cousin.”

“Thanks daddy.  Where’s mommy at?”

“She’s still getting ready.  I can go check on her and then I’ll firecall your Uncle Prongs to see if it’s okay to come over.”

Sirius jogged up the stairs to see his wife sitting on the bed staring at a stick.

“Is that what I think it is?” he questioned.

Morgan nodded.  She showed it to him and there were two lines on the stick.  

Sirius let out a whoop and picked up his wife and spun her around in a circle.  “I’m gonna be a dad again!”  Morgan just laughed.  

“I’ll go to the clinic to make sure, but with Minnie I didn’t have morning sickness, so I wasn’t sure until now.”

“I love you,” he kissed her abdomen.  “I love you,” he kissed her heart.  “I love you,” he kissed her lips.  

Morgan kissed him back.  “And we love you.  Now let’s go make sure our daughter isn’t trying to sneak over to James and Lily’s house behind our back.”

Once they were downstairs, Morgan went to pour Minnie some juice while Sirius went straight for the fireplace.

He felt it would be easier to go over in person, so he just said the name of the house and floo’d over to the cottage.

The entrance area was a mess of a trunk and he could hear arguments over the bathroom and Hedwig hooting in her cage.  

“Good girl,” he said, petting her through the bars.

“Prongs, Lily,” Sirius called out.  

James came from the kitchen, flour all over his shirt and pants.  “Good to see you Padfoot.  Harry had us up at the crack of dawn, and I’m just starting on breakfast while Lily is attempting to corral the kids.”

“I was coming to check in before coming over with Morgan and Minnie.  Minnie said something about pancakes.”

“Yeah, I told her that if you guys came over early enough I would make pancakes.  I’m guessing she’s the reason you guys are up so early.”

“One of two reasons,” Sirius said with a grin.

“What’s the second reason?” James asked.

“Not my secret to tell.”  

James scowled.  “Fine.  Bet it was just Snuffles bringing another girl home.”

Sirius just gave his friend a hug, getting flour all over his clothes, but not caring.  He went back through the fireplace and got his daughter and wife and they traveled through the fireplace.

Breakfast was a chaotic mess, but that’s what happens when you have four children with the oldest at 11, and they just made it to King’s Cross at 10:30 am.

“We’re going to be late,” Harry complained.  

“What, you don’t trust your family to get you there on time?” asked James.

“No,” Harry answered.  Sirius barked out a laugh.

Sirius and Morgan were leading the pack with Harry close behind.  Jasmine and Minnie were holding hands and following behind while Dan walked close to James and Lily.

Once they were on the platform, Sirius saw others from his family.  He nodded at Lucius and Narcissa, and when they weren’t looking, he slipped Draco a present for going away.  Draco gave him a giant grin, and immediately hid it as soon as his parents noticed.  

Once Harry’s luggage was on the train, Sirius took him aside to give him some advice.  “Now remember, watch out for Professor McGonagall.  She’s going to expect a lot from you.  Moony is going to be your teacher, so he can’t show favoritism.  And watch out for Snape.  Mainly because he doesn’t like your dad, or me.”  

Harry looked at him with a question.  “I did something stupid.  I absolutely regret it.  But it’s too late for me to say anything.  But I wanted to give you one last thing before you left.”

Sirius brought out a package.  “Don’t open it here, mainly because I don’t want your dad to know that I stole his.  We used this to keep in contact during detentions.  I have one that I keep in the study.  Use this for when you need to talk.  I’ll always answer.”

Harry took it and gave him a big hug.  “Thanks Uncle Sirius.”

“Now you get one last thing that you get to keep a secret and you get to know before your dad and Minnie.”

“What is it?”

“You’re getting another cousin.”  

Harry’s eyes went wide.  “Really?”

“Yep Prongslet.  We found out this morning before coming over.  Now let’s get you back to your parents before your mother murders me for stealing you away so she doesn’t get to say goodbye to you.”

The two walked back to the family, Sirius’ arm around Harry’s shoulders.

Sirius, Morgan, and Minnie watched as the Potter family said goodbye, with tears in Minnie’s eyes.  Harry made sure to give her a hug, and then he boarded the train.  Not long after, it took off, the three kids chasing it to wave goodbye to Harry.  

The two families then went their separate ways.  Morgan had a shift at the local non-magical hospital, and Minnie and Sirius were going to take Snuffles on a long, long walk.  

That changed as soon as they went home and Regulus’ head was in the fire.

“Sirius, can you come to St. Mungo’s please.  Priscilla just got checked in and it’s too early for the baby.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I get Minnie situated.”  When Regulus’ head disappeared, Sirius firecalled James and asked if Minnie could come over as he was going to St. Mungo’s for Regulus.  James agreed, and after Minnie was situated, he floo’d over to the hospital and met his brother in the lobby.

“Thanks for coming Sirius.”  Regulus looked like a wreck.  “The baby isn’t supposed to come for another 8 weeks, and she hasn’t been feeling well.”  

Sirius guided his brother to a chair.  “It’s gonna be okay Reg.  Your wife is strong, and we’re Blacks.  Your nibling is going to make it.  Just breathe before they give you a calming potion.”

“Those never agreed with me,” Regulus tried to laugh.  “Last time mother gave me one, I ended up throwing up on Bellatrix’s shoes at a party.”

The two just sat in the waiting area, waiting for news, reminding each other of the stupid stuff that they did as kids before Hogwarts.  The two fell apart once Sirius had started Hogwarts, but once he got his head settle right again, the brothers fell back into friendship.  It wasn’t the same as it was when they were younger, but it was a bond that wouldn’t be broken by idiocy.  

Hours later, after many cups of tea, a healer finally came into the lobby.  Regulus stood up along with Sirius, with Sirius keeping a hand on his shoulder.

“You can come in now,” the healer said.

Regulus and Sirius went into the room and saw Priscilla holding a baby.  She smiled at Regulus and he started crying.  

“Come meet your son Regulus,” she said.  Sirius hung back while Regulus walked over and held his son for the first time.  

“Hi there baby, it’s me, your dad.”  Regulus had the biggest grin on his face, with tears still falling down from his eyes.  

Regulus then looked at his wife, and she nodded.  “Sirius, come and meet your nephew.”

Sirius went over and held the little baby, making sure to support his head.

“When we were talking about names, for a boy we had decided on Rigel Sirius Black,” Priscilla said.  

Sirius broke his gaze from his nephew to look at her.  “Are you serious?”

Regulus smiled.  “No, that’s the two of you.  But we are serious.  And we were hoping that you and Morgan would be godparents.”

Sirius walked over and gave his brother a hug while making sure not to squish his nephew.  “We’d be honored to be godparents to little Rigel.”

He stayed with the family a little longer before ducking out to go get Minnie from the Potters.  

She was asleep when he got there.  Lily was waiting in the kitchen with a cup of tea already waiting.  

“How did you know?” Sirius asked.

“Had a feeling.  So what happened, is everything okay?”

Sirius slung back the tea as if it was firewhiskey.  “Regulus and Priscilla’s baby came early.”  Lily made to interrupt, but Sirius stopped her.  “Both mom and baby are fine.  We now get to welcome Rigel Sirius Black to the family.”  

Lily smiled.  “I’m happy for them.  Now you better get your daughter home.  Give Morgan my love.”  

Sirius gave her a hug.  “I’ll be sure to.  Thanks for everything Lily.”

“You’re family Sirius.  That’s what family’s supposed to do.”

Sirius then went to Jasmine’s room and picked up Minnie.  She didn’t even stir at being picked up.  He floo’d back to their house and tucked her in.  After letting Snuffles out, Sirius went into the den and waited for Morgan to get home from her shift.

He must have fallen asleep as he woke up to a kiss.  “Sorry, I tried to stay awake, but I was at St. Mungo’s for so long.”

“How’s Priscilla and Regulus?” Morgan asked, hanging up her jacket.

“They welcomed Rigel Sirius Black into the family and want us to be godparents.”

“Did you say yes?”  Sirius went over to Morgan and kissed her.

“Of course.  Now let’s get you up to bed and off your feet.”

“Sandwich first.  I’m starving.”  Sirius chuckled and then went to make Morgan a turkey sandwich while she sat at the kitchen table, propping her feet up on a chair.  While she ate, Sirius rubbed her shoulders, releasing the tension.

They finally went upstairs, where Sirius would get up in a few hours to take Minnie to kindergarten.  He wouldn’t trade anything for this.  His wife up against him in bed, a daughter that he loves more than anything, a good relationship with his brother, and a large extended family.  He was blessed.

[blackkatmagic]

WIP Game

List the things you’re excited to work on this year in as little or as much detail as you like, and then tag some friends!

Tagged by @definitelynotaminion​, because she hates me 💕

1. Bury my heart underneath these trees, which is basically Ashura getting punted back into the world of the living by his uncle to fix things, and then generally weirding everyone out by being not a ninja but having Mokuton, having chakra, referring to Kurama as his big brother, and generally wandering around being a quarter alien and bonding with anything that stands still long enough. And Asuma, who is...reluctantly charmed. Very reluctantly. 

2. inversion, because I swore I wouldn’t write another version of backslide but then Tim smashed an idea into my face and wouldn’t let me whine about how much I wanted to write it without actually telling me to write it. So it’s Obito as a time-traveler but only kind of. Also Obito being a total ruthless bastard and accidentally scooping up Akatsuki members before they’re Akatsuki members. Also at some point he ends up as the Mizukage’s trophy wife, that’s definitely a plot point. 

3. Reckoning Lament, aka the other Obito-marries-the-Mizukage fic, only this one is more of a political/arranged marriage with lots of focus on the butterfly effect caused by Nagato rescuing Obito from Madara before Rin could die. 

4. one raindrop raises the sea, where Shuuhei Hisagi ends up in the Naruto world and proceeds to trip over Han, which then leads to Han ending up in Konoha and standing around awkwardly as Shuuhei flails at all the illogical things and fixes shit from sheer frustration.

5. Long live the king (the king is mine, the king is dead) aka Mei badassery, with her coming to power instead of Zabuza getting banished, because she takes his coup and makes it work. Also featuring her crushing on the really, really pretty blonde medic who wandered into Kiri and just...didn’t leave?? But that’s fine, because Mei wants a spring wedding anyways. 

6. Sold my soul to the calling, the MikoKushi/MinaFuga piece of ridiculousness I’ve been meaning to write for my superhero!AU, featuring Minato as a speedster and a thief, Fugaku as a very Done beat cop, Kushina as a magical princess with a talking familiar (and a thief, but she’s stealing back her own stuff so it doesn’t count) and Mikoto as the superhero who is far too straightlaced to have as big a crush as she does on that one redheaded criminal. 

7. And the brave man with a sword, since I think I can count published WIPs? But yeah. All the plotty things happening in the next few chapters, and Godric gets to deal with the Order while Harry gets to deal with Draco. One of them got the better end of that bargain. 

8. oh Lazarus, how did your debts get paid - Someday soon the plot will advance. Someday soon Starrk will end up in Hogsmeade with his shinigami tagalongs, and eventually some other characters will show up to cause messes. And probably not who you’re thinking of. 

9. Currently untitled beyond a keysmash of frustration, but a HP Jegulus fic where Voldemort wounded James and left him to die when he went for Lily and Harry. Only instead of canon playing out Regulus, following Voldemort, arrives in time to put James in stasis and then hides him away while he looks for the Horcruxes. Except years pass, and then Sirius gets out of Azkaban, and Regulus ends up back at Hogwarts trying to deal with his stupid idiotic brother and his crush’s son and James starting to wake up because life hates him. 

10. deeper than the graves of time, which is purely indulgent and features jinchuuriki!Rin and Child of Prophecy!Konan kind-of sort-of taking over the world and being empresses but also totally ridiculously in love with each other. 

asgdodghjkh I have so many more but these are currently the ones at the top of my list, so. :D

Tagging @endoplasmicpanda, @enchantedtalisman, @puppetmaster55, @raendown, and anyone else who would care to say I tagged them. 

[ourloveisforthelovely]

On the Mend. Part 2

Harry Potter AU

Link to Part 1 

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader. Sirius Black x Remus Lupin 

Rating: M- later chapters

Song in Chapter: The Night We Met by Lord Huron 

______

I am not the only traveler Who has not repaid his debt I've been searching for a trail to follow again Take me back to the night we met

And then I can tell myself What the hell I'm supposed to do And then I can tell myself Not to ride along with you

I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do, haunted by the ghost of you Oh, take me back to the night we met

When the night was full of terrors And your eyes were filled with tears When you had not touched me yet Oh, take me back to the night we met

I had all and then most of you, some and now none of you Take me back to the night we met I don't know what I'm supposed to do, haunted by the ghost of you Take me back to the night we met

Walking into the house, you immediately smelled Regulus’ cologne. You fought the urge to turn and run out of the house. It didn’t matter how much your heart was screaming to run to the man and never let him go. You had to think with your head this time. Renee deserved that much. She didn’t deserve to be torn between two parents. The child also didn’t need to see Regulus hurt you over and over again.

Your mind was also on Ambrosia Parkinson...Black...whatever her last name was now. What if she and Regulus repaired their relationship? Would she be unkind to Renee? What if she wasn’t? The 13-month-old wouldn’t be able to tell you if her stepmother was cruel. Would Regulus even pay enough attention to notice anything strange? Something told you, no.

The better question was how would Ambrosia handle the news that Regulus had a child with another woman? You smirked at the thought of the whole Black family having a major hissy fit because Regulus royally fucked up. Regulus went and knocked up the “Potter girl.” You could see Walburga’s scowl in your mind. The horrible woman would either be on the floor screaming or burning Regulus’ name off of the family tapestry. What a scandal that would be! Sirius was already gone, now her youngest “good” son had sunk to a whole new level of low.

Regulus was lucky that James wasn’t alive right now. Your older brother would have probably tried to kill him by now. James would definitely not sit back and leave it to his best friends to help raise Renee. He would have gone to Grimmauld Place and hexed Regulus until he left Ambrosia to take care of his responsibility.

You had to shake the thoughts of James from your mind. If you wanted to face Regulus and not be sobbing you had to stop thinking of your brother. Regulus didn’t deserve you taking that wrath out on him. He didn’t have anything to do with James or Lily’s deaths.

The hallway to the sitting room was dark. You took a few deep breaths before stepping in. Both Regulus and Remus immediately stood when you walked in. Regulus was paler than you remembered as he opened his mouth to speak a few times but nothing came out. He was still the same handsome boy that you loved so much.

Your attention went to Remus, who was nervously looking between the two of you.

“Remus, we have insurance on this place...right?”

Remus nodded, slightly confused.

“Yes. Why?”

You reached over for the vase that was sitting on the table beside you. Right away you started throwing whatever you could get your hands on at Regulus. Whether it be the shock of you coming after him so violently or something else, Regulus didn’t move quick enough and was pelted by several objects. Finally, he resumed his quick seeker’s reflexes and started smacking stuff away from him as you tossed it.

Remus jumped back, not about to get hit before yelling for Sirius. By the time Sirius put the baby in her playpen and ran into the living room, you had your wand out and was hurling hexes at Regulus. Sirius blinked a few times as Regulus quickly dodged whatever you threw his way.

“A little help here?”

Regulus snapped toward his brother, who shrugged.

“She’s being a lot nicer than I would be.”

Sirius wasn’t about to step in on this one. In his mind, you deserved the right to do whatever you wanted. Remus, meanwhile, quickly wrapped his arms around you from behind.

“Think about Renee. I know that you are hurt and angry but this is her father. Please...this is not you Y/n.”

He whispered in your ear. Remus kept his voice low enough so that only you would hear. You trembled a few times before lowering your wand and putting it in Remus’ outstretched hand. Remus gave you a gentle smile before turning to the wrecked living room.

Regulus meanwhile, looked slightly scared as you turned to face him. He expected you to be hostile but he didn’t expect to get attacked. This behavior wasn’t you. Regulus decided that he had himself to blame for this extreme change in character and he hated it!

You were still the beautiful girl that he had fallen in love with during 6th year. Everything about you was the same. You still had those hazel eyes that could change shades by your mood. There were those full lips that were screaming to be kissed. Everything about you was what Regulus wanted and needed. Only now he was afraid that you would never accept what he had to offer...which wasn’t much.

“What are you doing here?”

You asked, coldly. Regulus regained his calm composure. Moments before he was close to panicking himself. There was no way that he had control of what you had just done to him but maybe if he could just speak...

“I needed to talk to you.”

You narrowed your eyes.

“There are letters and telephones. Both of those work nicely.”

“And you would ignore me.”

Regulus replied. You shrugged.

“Most likely. It would be your own fault. When will you learn foolish boy that if you play stupid games you will win stupid prizes?”

Sirius leaned back and held a hand up.

“She’s got a point.”

Regulus glared at his older brother.

“I didn’t come to talk to you.”

Sirius smirked as you turned back to Regulus.

“You should go home to your wife and be a good husband. I have nothing to offer you.”

You actually had a lot to offer him and both of you knew it. After some time of healing, you could open your heart to him again and love him as you did. There wouldn't have to be any more hiding in the shadows to kiss your lover. You could kiss and hold him as you so desperately wanted to.

He left you! He left you for some pureblood princess who his FAMILY found acceptable. It didn’t matter then that you are a pureblood and it won’t now. Regulus didn’t stand up for your love then why would he now? Don’t let him hurt you again!

Your mind hissed.

It didn’t take Regulus knowing everything about you to know that you were giving yourself some little pep talk that was geared against him. If he could just gain control of this conversation….

“You actually have a lot to offer me. I’m not married to Ambrosia anymore.”

“That’s a pity.”

You muttered before turning and taking the glass of water that Remus was holding out to you.

You actually have a lot to offer me.

You internally snorted at the thought. The only thing that you had to offer him was the heir that sat in the other room happily playing with her blocks. Hell would freeze over before you let the Black family sink their claws into your precious little girl.

Regulus only blinked. He expected your sarcasm to be thrown his way.

“Not really. I didn’t want her anyway.”

You turned.

“Where was that attitude before? I’m sure your mummy is having a fit about her little splendid plan falling apart.”

Regulus frowned.

“I didn’t come to talk about my parents.”

“Well, I don’t know what you want from me, Regulus. You made your feelings quite clear. I loved you. Now you're just a page torn from the story that I’m living.”

Remus, meanwhile, motioned Sirius out of the room. This conversation was becoming a bit more personal than he cared to witness.

Regulus waited until they were out of the room before stepping closer to you.

“I’m sorry that I hurt you. You didn’t deserve to suffer because I didn’t want to upset my parents. If I could go back and do things differently...it would have been you that I married...not her. I love you. I never loved her as I love you. Why the hell do you think that she left me? Ambrosia is a lot of things. Stupid isn’t one of them.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“She knows that you love me...me specifically and not some other girl?”

Regulus nodded. He didn’t let his eyes leave yours.

“Yes. I told her.”

When you started laughing, Regulus felt a bit confused. What was funny about this whole situation? There was nothing funny! Regulus missed the birth of his daughter and broke your heart for no reason yet here you were laughing.

“What’s funny about this?”

He snapped. You had to swallow back another fit of giggles as you turned to see Remus and Sirius watching you looking as baffled as Regulus. Sirius leaned over to Remus and muttered “when a woman starts laughing at you over something stupid that you did that is how you know how fucked you are.” You made a mental note to congratulate him on that comment later before turning back to Regulus.

“What’s funny is all of this bullshit could have been avoided if you would have been a man and stood up to your parents. We wouldn’t have had to go through anything that we would have. Ambrosia wouldn’t be out there wondering what the fuck she did wrong. I must really be crazy because I am sticking up for her ass. By the way, you married a woman named after some kind of fruit salad. At least my name makes sense.”

Regulus crossed his arms over his chest with a scowl.

“Are you done?”

You shook your head. Hell no, you had enough material to make the poor guy listen to for hours. Regulus wasn’t with you when you were going through your own personal hell. He wasn’t there when you had to put your brother and best friend in the ground. When you lost custody of your nephew to a couple of muggle shitheads or when you were in labor for 20+ hours with Regulus’ child. That was Sirius and Remus there. They went through that whole ordeal with you! It was Sirius who did what Regulus was supposed to do when a child was born. Sirius and Remus were the ones walking the floors comforting a colicky Renee at three am when you were so frazzled that you wanted to cry yourself. The keywords here were Sirius and Remus, not Regulus.

“I have a lot of material. You should stick around.”

You replied with a smirk before sitting down on the couch. Regulus was silent for a few moments as he tried to get himself in check. Finally, he couldn’t stand it or remain calm any longer. Expressing his emotions was hard enough but at the moment he wasn’t feeling too shy either.

“Merlin, I fucked up! Fucked up big! What else can I say, Y/n?! I want to be a part of yours and Renee’s life. What about our child? I deserve to be in her life too...if I would have known before I would have been there. As you said, there are telephones and letters. I didn’t get anything that I deserved to get.”

The guilt began to fill your senses again.

“You made it clear that you wanted nothing to do with me. You had your wife and that is where your heart was.”

“I just told you that I didn’t love her. That would have been all the more of a reason for me to walk away.”

Your eyes dropped to his feet.

“You still wouldn’t have left.”

Regulus waited a moment before closing the distance between you. His fingers tilted your face to his.

“I’m here now.”

You stared into his eyes...those beautiful grey-blue eyes that you loved so much.

“Please, love. I’m not going anywhere ever again. You want the lover that you were supposed to have..the father that our daughter should have had from the beginning...I’m right here.”

You put your hand on top of his. Feeling his skin against yours felt more heavenly than you wanted to admit. Regulus’ hand was trembling beneath yours as you pulled away.

“I can’t trust you yet.”

“I’m not a death eater anymore. If that’s what you're scared of too…”

You didn’t turn to face him again.

“I’m not afraid of you being a death eater. I’ve dealt with that since we were 16. I’m afraid of having my heart broken again. That is what I am afraid of.”

You walked out of the room. At the moment, you needed to get some air and fast!

Sirius waited until he heard the front door close before leaning down and scooping Renee up. He smiled down at his little niece.

“Time for you to shine, sweetheart.”

Regulus was still staring at the place where you had been standing when Sirius walked back into the sitting room. The younger brother’s eyes weren’t blinking as he fought the urge to cry. He thought for a brief moment that you would let him kiss you. If he could give you just one kiss...just show you the passion that he still felt...maybe things would be alright? Now he didn’t know where he stood or if you would ever let him back into your life again. As you said, he was just a page torn from the story that you were living.

“You’ll have to give her some time. The last little bit hasn’t been too kind to any of us. We are all afraid to open up to anyone right now.”

Regulus’ head snapped up at his brother’s voice. He froze seeing the little girl in Sirius’ arms. Regulus would have recognized this baby as his from anywhere. She was everything that Regulus could have ever dreamed about.

Sirius smiled down at her.

“She has your eyes and Y/n’s sweet personality...most of the time. You both have dark hair so take that how you want it. Renee, want to say hi to your daddy?”

The little girl looked between her uncle and father before shoving her face in Sirius’ neck. Sirius’ smile faded when Regulus looked down. It didn’t take Sirius being Regulus’ brother to know that the other man was questioning every choice that he had ever made in his life.

“She’s a bit shy at first. Once she warms up to you, you aren’t going to have another quiet moment in your life. She’s finally starting to talk and we are still working on the walking thing. She doesn’t have much desire to learn when someone is always willing to pick her up.”

Renee had slowly turned her attention back to Regulus with a little sly smile.

“See what I mean?”

Sirius said with a smile. He turned his attention to the little stuffed lamb that was laying on the couch.

“Get that toy and bend down.”

Regulus quickly did as he was told as Sirius stepped within arm's length of his brother and knelt down. Sirius gently turned Renee around.

“Sugar, why don’t you go tell your daddy hi and get your little toy?”

Renee focused her attention on Regulus as he held a hand out. She watched him for a few moments before wrapping her hand around his fingers and taking a few shaky steps. Sirius smiled as she made contact with Regulus’ chest. Regulus gently adjusted the baby in his arms before slipping the stuffed lamb into her hands.

“Daddy.”

Renee said with a smile. Regulus leaned down and snuggled his face against her head. Dark curls tickled his nose as the scent of your perfume mixed with baby lotion filled his senses. This was the scent that Regulus didn’t want to forget as long as he lived.

Sirius, meanwhile, sat down with a smile on his face.

“Regulus, I normally wouldn’t say this in front of the baby but if you plan on lea…”

“I’m not leaving.”

Regulus replied, firmly.

“I can’t...not now. I need to talk to Y/n.”

Sirius smiled, sadly. After the last conversation that the two of you shared, it would probably be a good idea for Regulus to wait for you to go to him. Sirius had politely put the sitting room back in order and really didn’t want to risk it being destroyed again. It would only take one good hex or heavy object to really bruise Regulus up.

“Give her some time, Reg. She needs it.”

Regulus nodded before looking back down to his daughter. Her attention was still glued to the stuffed animal that she was now chewing on. He stroked his finger over Renee's cheek with a soft smile. If he had to wait for you it would be worth it. Patience wasn’t something that Regulus didn’t have much of but maybe it was time to develop a new skill.

_____

@fairywriter-oracle

@amelie-black

@swinginsoulbailiffrascal

@velveteencurls

@realgaytrash

@sunles

@brokencasbutt67-writer

@authoressskr

@fandom-trash-worth-it

@summer-novak

@shaylybaby2032

@li0nh34rt

@tas898

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@maggioli-m

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@shitfaceddaniel

[maggiehaha]

Everyone’s a fan of someone... with Will Hill

When I started writing UNCONVENTIONAL, I knew it was going to be set across a series of fan conventions, and it was going to involve a lot of books. A lot. Partly, this is because at least some of the inspiration came from my visit to the very first YALC a few years ago, and partly because it’s a story about the things and the people we love… and I really, really love books.

During one scene in the book, Lexi points out that everyone’s a fan of someone… and that’s absolutely true. When I came up with the idea of asking a couple of UKYA authors whether they’d be willing to appear in a cameo, I wanted them to be people I’m a fan of - and wonderfully, they all said yes (proving beyond a doubt that UKYA people are the best, most generous and most fun people.)

I first met Will Hill - unsurprisingly - at a convention, years ago: at the time (yes, I was there from the beginning...) he was just about to publish his first book, DEPARTMENT 19: the first of a fantastic series about a secret government division dedicated to fighting the fiercest, scariest vampires I’ve ever read. I loved it. I’ve been a fan of his writing ever since, and am incredibly fortunate to be able to call him a friend - because apart from being a brilliant writer, he is one of the smartest, kindest people I know.

This meant I was lucky enough to read an early draft of his next book, which absolutely BLEW MY MIND. It’s gorgeous and touching and heartfelt, and the world it’s set in is so real that you could look up from the page, close your eyes and imagine yourself in the middle of the desert. It’s all there: the heat, the dust, the silence... all of it. I, for one, can’t wait to see it as a finished book, and I cannot WAIT for everyone else to read it.

But the best person to tell you about it is Will himself.

My new novel is called After The Fire and it publishes in summer 2017. It’s very… different to everything else I’ve written. It’s about a seventeen-year-old girl called Moonbeam, who has grown up in an end of the world religious cult in the Texas desert. In the aftermath of the cult’s violent demise, she tells her story to the authorities, while trying to decide if she can ever tell the whole truth to anyone, or whether there are some secrets she is just going to have to carry with her forever…

Seriously. Cannot. Wait.

That’s why I’m a fan of Will’s... but who is he a fan of? Read on and find out!

1. What book is your 'Piecekeepers'? Was there one in particular that you wished you could live in - or that changed everything for you - when you were Lexi's age?

Northern Lights by Philip Pullman. I was fifteen when it came out, and I didn’t read it until a couple of years later – I was deep into the early stages of my lifelong love affair with Stephen King at that point, was discovering the world of adult literature (including Donna Tartt’s The Secret History, which was the other contender for my answer to this question), and wasn’t really reading children’s books. But I kept seeing it in bookshops, and people kept telling me how good it was, so I eventually decided to jump in before The Subtle Knife was published.

 I loved Lyra and Pantalaimon instantly, and I flew through the pages in a few hours, unable to put it down until I knew what happened. But what really struck me, and what has always stuck me with since, is the world that Pullman created. It seemed so effortless and so completely convincing: of course everyone has a daemon, of course the Magisterium run everything, of course it’s possible to travel to parallel worlds through the northern lights, and of course polar bears wear armour and can talk. It all fit together so beautifully, and it’s written with such envy-inducing skill that you never question it and it never gets in the way of the story – it’s the feeling that any question you might have he will know the answer to, that he’s done every bit of the work behind the scenes even though he doesn’t need to show it all to you.

 I think it’s a masterpiece, in the true sense of the word.

 (SEMI-INTERESTING SIDENOTE: I was a bookseller at Waterstones Trafalgar Square for several years during and after university (this would have been the very late 1990s and early 2000s) and I got asked when The Amber Spyglass was coming out so many more times than when the new Harry Potter was publishing. Seems hard to imagine that now, given the world domination that was just around the corner for the Boy Who Lived…)

2. What's your favourite convention memory, and what would your dream convention event be?

I’ve been on great panels at conventions, met some of my heroes, and had people come up to me to tell me they loved something I’ve written, but my favourite con memories tend to be the smaller stuff. It’s usually the point, somewhere around midnight, when everyone is in the bar and everyone is tired (but hopefully happy) after a long day and you’re with your friends (sometimes ones you’ve just met) and everyone is talking and laughing and you see the best of the weird thing called fandom, that is so various and so diverse but is always based on the same central idea: that you want to share the things you love with other people. Conventions have always been the ideal place to do that, and I hope that doesn’t change.

3. Everyone's a fan of someone: who are you a fan of, and why?

Bruce Springsteen. I’ve seen him half a dozen times live, and have listened to every one of his albums more times than I can possibly remember. I’m a bit of an America-phile, and his songs speak to both the romantic, mythical version of the US and the real country full of real people, with all their flaws and failures. He’s a storyteller almost without equal, who does more in four or five minutes than most writers do in four hundred pages. And there is nothing like seeing him live – I’m an atheist, but his gigs are the closest I’ve come to a religious experience. Thousands of joyously happy people, all there for the same reason: to sing and dance and cheer and be part of something bigger than themselves for a few hours.

4. Which Hogwarts house do you belong to... and if you could override the Sorting Hat, would you choose a different one? (And why?)

I’m a Slytherin. I had lost my account details when Pottermore got updated so I had to be sorted again, and out came the green and silver for a second time. I’m OK with it now. I suspect most people want to be a Gryffindor (for all JK may claim that the houses all have their positives, there are an overwhelming number of awesome Gryffindors!) and part of me was hoping that was where I would end up, but if we all got put in the same house there would be no need for houses.

 And hey – we’ve got Merlin. And Snape. And Regulus Black. And… actually, the less said about the rest of the alumni is probably better. Our Quidditch robes are a nice green, though.

5. What's the best thing about the YA book tribe?

 It has to be the supportiveness. Several of my closest friends are YA writers, and we lean on each other whenever we need to. It would be naïve to claim that nobody ever gets jealous when someone signs a big deal or has a book do incredibly well, but on the whole, people stick up for each other and support each other and cheer when good things happen. It’s always reassuring to have people you can talk to when things aren’t going well – when your characters won’t behave or your story has stopped making sense – who’ve been through those same moments themselves.

 That supportiveness extends to the wider community as well, the bloggers and reviewers and booksellers and – most importantly – readers who care about YA. They champion the books that connect with them, and they give authors the kind of tough love that is often needed – they’re not unconditionally positive, because that wouldn’t mean anything, and they won’t hesitate to call things out when they need to. But they love books, and writing, and they shout about both at the top of their voices.

 You can follow Will on Twitter and Instagram, or find him on his website.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 60: The Scar

Heat blazed down on them with such ferocity, it rained sand for a moment as they each rolled to cover their eyes along with the general downpour their landing caused. Most of them sat up spitting it out and ruffling it from their clothes and hair. Sirius got the misfortune of landing in water, and came up coughing through sea spray with a clump of seaweed in his hair.

For a worrying moment as he staggered to his feet back towards shore, he wondered if he'd pissed himself. Then he realized the water was simply that warm, far more than the lake at school had ever been. The view he caught sight of was breathtaking, more exotic than anything he'd ever seen in his life. The deciduous trees seemed to reach through to the heavens, the light mist coating their skin was as warm as the sun still shining powerfully through the clouds to cast down on a makeshift lean-too laid out upon a granite shore. Tropical birds roosted right above it further providing shade and almost making it look completely blended into the shadows if he wasn't looking directly at it.

Then he saw Peter taking off his shoes and stuffing his school robes into his bag, sweat already appearing on him like the others, and he bitterly remembered what would drive him to this place. Harry had no reason to be here, unless the Dursleys had gone mental and taken him on some extravagant vacation. He however had last been mentioned fleeing the country, and his own godson, because of him. This seemed a likely, remote, place he would have landed.

Cursing and muttering the entire time he went splashing through the water, fighting the impulse to go over to him once more and throttle him for being a two-faced cad the whole time they'd known him, by the time he'd waded back to shore the others had all gotten semi-comfortable, but clearly feared stripping too far down even in the glaring sun. Who knew where they'd end up next, Antarctica?

Regulus was shaking his legs through the sand like he'd had the jelly-leg jinx placed upon him as he wandered over to Peter and began trying to talk to him again. Rather wishing he had pissed himself than watch that, he saw Longbottom wiping sweat from his eyes and giving the girls an unhappy look as they went towards the shade of the trees and scratched unhappily at his skin.

Sirius was still wearing his Wimborne Wasp jersey, and the pants of his school robes and didn't feel the need to show off farther, unlike Prongs who had stripped down to his boxers unrepentant and was now running laps in the shore waiting for Sirius to finish approaching.

"I could have bloody drowned out there while you were showing off!" He shouted upon approach.

"Nah, Moony would have saved you," James waved off, keeping his eyes on Evans, who was with Smith heading towards the lean-too in a casual stroll, eyes traveling along for the book he supposed, or taking it all in. He was still doing the latter.

Sirius tried to exchange an exasperated look with said friend, but he had a very strained smile in place it took Sirius a second to process. He wouldn't meet his eyes, and in fact his face looked slightly more than flushed. Sirius was about to start preening as he realized his wet clothes clung to him damn near as much as Prongs showing off, but it also showed off the darkening stains of blood anew trickling down his side and painting the water. He muttered a curse and began reapplying the charms. Prongs was only fairing slightly better, the marks slashed across him were newly scabbed as well, and a fresh stain only a few paces away showed Peter had likely gone through much the same upon their new landing again.

All three of them nearly jumped out of their new skin when they heard the startled yelps of the girls.

James was fastest again, even never having run on sand before didn't seem to deter him, but before the others could scramble over to see what monster was on this island with them, they could also hear him laughing. By the time they jogged into the thrown together shelter, it was to see him in a spectacular bow to Buckbeak, the girls fighting back the sweat running into their eyes as they did the same.

The Hippogriff graciously did so in return, even if he did click his beak in agitation upon the new arrivals. James merely came forward and patted his beak for comfort. "Looks like you kept along a buddy Padfoot."

"And he's kept our ride safe," Alice noted the book in the piled leaves clearly meant for a nest.

Remus winced upon hearing the chapter title, he'd had enough Scars to last his lifetime, and elbowed his way back out of the suddenly crowded space. Peter stumbled over his feet and nearly crashed to the ground as he tried to get out of his way. Remus stopped on instinct, even reached out to help catch him without thinking twice, then he saw the nick in his ear that would never regrow. Shoving blindly past everything else, he made his way back to the unforgiving sun.

He felt James and Sirius following him, but did not want to turn around and face them. Their comforting words, their promise they didn't blame him. None of that erased the harm he'd done to them, and would inevitably do again. How could he blame Peter for some future deeds of his when his actions still held garish marks on them all?

Surprisingly short on breath, he stopped only a few paces into the shaded trees and leaned against the nearest one, soaking in the warmth while he could. It wasn't just their casual dismissal of him nearly being a murderer. It was also his intended victims, how none of them had even so much as looked at him since it happened. It was the numb shock he still couldn't get out of his brain that Peter had it in him to someday be the cause of this future they were living through. Maybe not now, but the fact that he hadn't been able to deny it to James' face left his mind spinning so fast he thought he was going to be sick again.

"Ynoom ecalp siht evol d'uoy."

Remus kept his eyes closed, even as he scowled in confusion. That was Sirius' voice, but unless he was trying to make him laugh from sheer randomness, that hadn't made a lick of sense.

"Suolaej os eb dluow sgnorp."

Then he did open his eyes, only to see Sirius and James right next to him, looking as baffled as he felt and glancing around wearily, wands drawn. Remus didn't blame them, but something about what he was hearing tugged at his memory. It didn't sound like any language he knew, but-

"Rats live on no evil star."

He looked up, to see a bright-eyed bird staring very intently at him. "Oh," he gasped in surprise, finally cluing the other two in. "Looks like an emordnilap found us."

"A what?" James asked in surprise.

"I remember Kettleburn mentioning these," Sirius agreed as he smiled at the beast. "They speak backward for you. Though I don't recall ever having said any of that."

The bird clicked its beak upon Sirius speaking, turning attention directly to him, and then recited, "Taht fo yna dias gnivah reve llacer t'nod I hguoht .Uoy rof drawkcab kaeps yeht."

"Fascinating," James muttered at once. "Looks like Sirius, err, the Sirius on the run here and not mine," he needlessly gave him a playful shove, nearly overbalancing him as he grinned at the bird, "a friend."

"I like him," Sirius agreed at once.

"Mih ekil I."

His grin only grew. "Can I keep her Prongs? I want to name her Ava."

"Ava mih eman ot tnaw I, sgnorp mih peek I nac."

James merely went cross eyed as the bird continued to jabber away, he wasn't particularly impressed. It was massive for one, even as she fluttered down to land on Padfoot's head it was nearly double the size of any owl he'd seen, with a beak the size of his face in a rainbow of colors. The sleek black feathers were large enough he wouldn't be surprised if there were some fancy emordnilap quills out there, and the claws were giving him nervous ticks even as gently as they were clearly being on his best friends head.

Sirius lifted his arm, and Ava obligingly stepped onto that instead, still staring at him intently.

"I wouldn't recommend it Pads," James decided. "Maybe when we get out of this mess we can come back and get you your own, but this one might get hurt along for now."

Sirius pouted but seemed to agree, even before Remus added, "Besides, you've already got Buggle. I hardly see you needing two birds."

"I could cross-breed them!" Sirius suddenly said in excitement, cocking his head to the side and hearing the book already flesh out his idea. "You see, I'll bet this is the one I've been sending letters to Harry, mix the two birds together and who knows what would happen."

"You're turning into Hagrid," James grumbled, but was over shouted by the bird saying in one long speech, "Neppah dluow tahw swonk ohw dna rehtegot sdrib owt eht xim ,yrrah ot srettel gnidnes neeb ev'I eno eht si siht teb ll'I ,ees uoy! Meht deerb-ssorc dluoc I."

Remus shook his head slowly, fighting back a smile now at Sirius' far too pleased expression. "Well, it's certainly as noisy as you. I always said if you weren't a dog you'd be some sort of bird, though I always imagine you more of a peacock."

Sirius sniffed, and now with an impish grin in place said perfectly clearly right next to the bird, "and I always said I wanted to be a duck! They're awesome creatures, can fly, swim, and walk, not to mention-"

James reached over and smothered his mouth before he could go on a whole rants worth. The bird blinked for only a moment before saying back what Sirius had managed to get out.

"Noitnem ot ton ,klaw dna ,miws ,ylf nac ,serutaerc emosewa er'yeht !Kcud a eb ot detnaw I dias syawla I dna-"

Remus was pleasantly surprised to find that once he'd stopped snickering at the pair, his head wasn't spinning so much. The two had done it again, but it didn't completely erase the empty gap he was sure the other two felt about this newest experience. Guilt was already pouring in he hadn't said anything to Peter since it happened, but he didn't even know what to say. It should be nothing to forgive what he hadn't even done yet, but now he was afraid. If he ever looked him in the eye again, would he always see this future lingering over his head?

Jerking his head sharply from side to side, rather than letting his stomach plunge farther into despair, he instead held his arm out hopefully. Ava appraised him for a moment before hopping over, and Remus nearly buckled under the weight. He hadn't been expecting the bird to be so heavy, for as casually as Sirius was holding her. Then he thought for a moment, and grinned as he told the bird, "Step on no pets."

Her large black eyes seemed to appraise him for some time, before repeating back now in his voice, "Step on no pets."

James and Sirius burst in surprised laughter. "How'd you come up with that so quickly!" James protested slightly. The chapter was winding down now, and his mind was scrambling frantically to see if he could try the same rather than dwell on everything Harry was.

"Just something I realized a while back, never thought it would have any practical use," Remus shrugged with a smug grin. "I'm wondering how long it took Sirius to come up with that rats live on no evil star thing," he finished with an uneasy wince, he hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Sirius turned away, but not before Remus had seen the boiling anger once more. He used his wand to blast bark away from a tree, startling Ava who flapped her wings in protest and nearly bit Remus' neck off.

"Oh, wait, I've got something," James said quickly and peaceably. He held his arm out and bounced hopefully on his heels for the bird. She didn't seem particularly happy about it, but finally, after some coaxing from Sirius who had slowly turned back around and smiled at the bird, Ava did indeed move onto Prongs' jiggling arm.

James looked very intently at the bird, and then pointed at the mouth of the tent. "Pretty please, tell that redhead, Snave thgirla?"

The emordnilap clicked her beak in response, and then took off.

"That wasn't a sentence," Remus frowned in confusion as he tried to work out what James had said. He didn't get much time to think about it, as he heard Alice call a warning she was on the last sentence. They all scrambled to get their things back on, he wasn't even sure if Evans had gotten the message before they were gone.

HPHPHPHP

My favorite palindrome is Go Hang A Salami, I’m A Lasagna Hog. Let me know yours!

Fun fact about this chapter, I tried to figure out which tropical bird JK was imagining when writing this so I could say Sirius was there, but the largest species of owl can be up to ten pounds. The largest tropical birds are only five pounds. So what she was imagining I've no clue, as even the smallest tropical bird should fit through any window an owl can. Hell, Hedwig is comparatively larger than toucans, if we're talking wing size and body mass.

Personally, I always thought she meant a toucan and just grossly overestimated how big they were, so I just went with that and magically enlarged them. After all, if this world has one of the 'stupidest' species of birds delivering messages, who's to say they don't have other modified versions of our animals.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 46: The Marauder's Map

Warmth! The sensation after such harsh conditions was quite literally the best experience they'd had through all these trying times. Eyes still watering and adjusting to these new surroundings, none of them felt the need to stay so close and huddled together anymore as the rest of this place came into focus.

It was still too eerily quiet, save the wind howling outside which helped some. The place was so heavenly though, for once they didn't care about the outside world.

"Padfoot, I think we actually may have died during that last one," Remus stated as he spun slowly on the spot.

Sirius inhaled deeply, mouth already watering a bit, and feared answering for getting spittle on every surface. Not in Honeydukes of all places.

Shivers already slowing in such a homey environment, James quickly ruffled his hair back to normal. He swallowed, but not for their surroundings. As mad as he was at her, those last few moments had left him legitimately concerned about Evans, and spotting her now he realized he'd been right.

She was still crouched down on the floor in the far corner, her dark red hair plastered to her face but not quite hiding her red tinted eyes and sniffling noises that had nothing to do with being next to a barrel of All Icing For All Occasions, Flavors Include Strawberry, Dragon Breath, Chocolate and More! Frank and Alice had landed behind the register a bit away from her, so he still managed to get there first.

"All right Evans?" He couldn't help but ask, even as his innards clenched and he still felt like snapping at her for all she'd thrown at Sirius lately. It was the angriest he'd ever been at her, and still he couldn't think to do anything else but offer her a box he'd swiped on his way over. "Bean?"

Anyone hearing their last words could not be the most pleasant of things, let alone what she must have been suffering through. Maybe that was why she looked at him and said with the calmest, most indifferent expression ever, "no thanks."

Ignoring his outstretched hand still, she got herself shakily to her feet and murmured something about checking for the book upstairs, all the while James couldn't help but notice such an alteration in her personality. Somehow seeing her so subdued was even worse than her usual anger at him. He bit down on his lip and looked around with intent, there had to be something he could do.

The upstairs flat very quickly showed there was no book in sight, though that had been the least of her worries. Alice and Frank truly were very good friends, one look exchanged between them before she'd gone up these stairs had explained she hadn't wanted to be followed, she'd just wanted a moment alone.

Around her was a one bedroom, tightly packed but clearly very loved and lived in space. A small kitchenette sat in the far corner looking out into the alley way, a comfortable bed was all made up, and a door cracked open showed a closet charmed to hold the rest of their belongings. The only door closed she quickly rectified to find a bathroom.

The smell of the candies still managed to waft up here, but that wasn't why she took an uneasy breath. All her reservations were screaming at her for the invasion of privacy she was considering, but her hair was still dripping slightly on the floor, and she needed some way to chase away this cold that was still settled around her. The last time she'd had the privilege of a shower had been in the Gryffindor dormitory ages ago...

This was finally a decision she made for herself, no outside voices telling her what she should and shouldn't do, and she needed this for herself. Decided, she quickly set to work.

The tap was easy enough, and she set the spray as hot as it would go while she pursued the linen available. There weren't enough spares, so she gently took a rather threadbare butter yellow towel, and duplicated it eight times before putting the original back and leaving the rest on the sinks edge, shucked her wet clothes into the basin and finally managed to relax.

After she was done, a quick charm left her attire still grungy with use, but warm and dry once more as she made her way back downstairs, amazed to find no one had started the next part yet. Her answer came in the form of the Marauders, as usual.

If she hadn't known better, despite Harry's loss in the last chapter, Gryffindor would have just won another game. Potter and Pettigrew were juggling various sweets between them, while occasionally still managing to swipe a parcel into their mouth and continue their exuberant game. The elder Black was busy stacking various boxes of every candy available onto his younger brothers head, and it didn't even look like it was under duress. She couldn't imagine how he'd talked him into it, but he was smiling as much as the others. The only thing missing was the cheering crowd and the butterbeer for their usual antics. She found herself smiling and relaxing even more than the steaming hot water had provided.

"I've found it!" A voice cheered, from below her feet? Lily looked around and finally spotted a door behind the register she hadn't noticed before, and Lupin came charging out holding nothing apparently but he had a pleased enough smile on his face. He looked surprised to see her back and quickly went over to Potter and Pettigrew, sidling up like he was going to join the game.

The others seemed so busy they either didn't notice, or didn't care. She cleared her throat and polity informed, "err, I've found a shower up top, I'm sure they wouldn't mind, I mean I've tried to keep it as put together as I found it. So long as we all do-"

The older Black, Sirius she forced herself to distinguish, looked around at her, and before she was even done was sprinting towards the stairs.

"Oi!" His little brother spluttered, but too late, there was already a door slamming shut upstairs and the sound of running water again.

Potter fell to the floor laughing at the display, a pile of sweets quickly covering him. The others were all snickering as well, but Pettigrew came over and waved his wand to begin unpiling the makeshift, edible hat. The younger- err, Regulus finally took the base off his head, a whole box of licorice wands, and cracked it open to begin unwrapping one, offering Pettigrew another in thanks. "Black, red, green, brown, purple, blue, or the one that's all mixed together?"

"The rainbow one," he asked. He took a huge bite of the mixture, and his skin quickly took on the same tie-dye effect. Regulus snickered as he took a bite of the green one, his skin taking on a sickly hue but clearly enjoying the flavor anyways.

"Oi, Evans," Potter had suddenly popped up right beside her again, somehow unburying himself from his pile of sweets, but unsurprisingly still clutching some. "I found a chocolate ganache flavored pack of All-In-Rolls. Padfoot already ate the turkey one, and I may or may not have nibbled on the hash one. Had to pry this away from Remus and Peter nearly killing themselves for it, so I hope you enjoy such a sacrifice." He flashed her a winning smile and offered it to her with a slight bow even.

She couldn't help it, she snorted out a laugh. Through all of this madness and mayhem, something was finally normal again. She quickly regained herself back though, ignoring the bright twinkle in his eye, and told him sternly, "I'll not have it, and you shouldn't either! You can not tell me you've brought enough money to repay this shop all the madness you've already caused."

"Evans, you wound me!" He flashed her that smile again, clearly pleased as ever at the proceedings. "I've been keeping this business afloat for as long as we've been here, of course I'd never run them out without proper compensation now." He pulled a money bag, which she swore he hadn't had in their Potions class when all this started, and jangled it purposefully.

She let out a resigned sigh, but finally took the dinner bred flavored in her favorite dessert.

James smiled to himself as she turned away, towards Alice and Frank already levitating a few feet off the ground as they enjoyed their sherbet balls. Bless Moony for having the quick hands to pass him the gold without anyone noticing. He was patting his past self on the back for keeping a stash of galleons in the basement below right under the secret trap for just such occasions, it was quite lucky he had still managed to get in, even if he was sure had he traveled all the way back to the school that one would have been blocked.

There were alternately seven of them all enjoying themselves as one excused themselves to the bathroom, Remus going last because he just hadn't been able to bear putting down his salt water taffy until he'd finished it. The water was still as warm as ever, thank Merlin for magic.

In all the hubbub, Frank finally found the book behind a stack of Shock-O-Choc. They were all in such a relaxed and comfortable mood, everyone having savored a few chocolates first, that at first he almost glossed right over the chapter title.

"What map?" Alice asked in confusion, looking from the book to the suddenly shifty Marauders.

"No idea," Potter said with a completely straight face.

"Yeah, beyond us," his best friend nodded along.

"We're not the only Marauders on Earth," Lupin casually studied his fingers, picking fudge out from under his nails.

"Why would you assume otherwise?" Peter asked back innocently. He kept his hand in his pocket where said item currently was. They'd only finished it over Christmas break of this year, no way were they willing to show it to anyone else in this school! Not to mention, it wasn't really working anyways, the place would be more deserted than it ever had in its life. Even during holidays you could find some teachers who lived there about the school, now there wasn't even that.

The three exchanged a look of exasperation, but really they couldn't force another answer out of them, considering none believed this, so Frank just got started hoping for more answers from the book.

Regulus just kept eyeing Sirius, though he wasn't sure what for. He wasn't expecting some special treatment and an explanation, but he'd been well aware for ages his brother and friends got up to something around school. Even without Snape going on about it to anyone who would listen it was obvious enough, there just wasn't enough care from the general student populace to find out. Now here was an honest clue to it all, but what did a map help? By second year most students didn't need such a thing.

A kid voluntarily staying in the hospital wing for the weekend was quite the depressing way to get things started. It was nice his friends all came to visit him, Frank actually got a chuckle out of the fact that he didn't share his recent Grim sighting because he could accurately predict his friends reactions. There was irony abound in there.

Sirius didn't seem to find it as funny, blanching in unease and taking a step closer to Prongs at the reminder Harry had nearly died both times he'd caught sight of him. Was he really some omen? Twelve people had all died around him for some reason... "Oi Padfoot!" Remus cut in loudly. "Come here and play Exploding Bonbons with me."

"You two are so lame," Peter rolled his eyes as Sirius at once darted over. "Only couples do that sort of shite."

"Just because you caught Bertha Jorkins and Florence Jr. playing that last month doesn't change the fact that they've been doing this since third year," James rolled his eyes at him. "Now come here, I want a witness to see how many Pepper Imps I can fit in my mouth at once." Peter frowned in confusion at him why he hadn't instead made some joke towards Evans about trying the same, but willingly followed him over to the shelf where he could grab arm fulls of the little candies.

Alice was filling her pockets with plenty of Drooble's Best Blowing Gum, while Frank was popping Crystallized Pineapple into his mouth every few sentences. Evans was now ignoring everything as much as she could as she dug into some No-Melt Ice-Cream Every Flavor, but she seemed to have a hard time swallowing it. He sighed and wished more than anything he could skip ahead, but the blasted book only let a few lines appear at a time. No one should have to listen to their final moments being lived through by their child. There wasn't any comfort they could give her for this.

Sirius nearly choked on his next bonbon when Ron threw a crocodile heart in Malfoy's face, spraying Dynamite Coconut all over Remus and neither of them caring as they knew they'd do just the same.

"I won that one," Moony smirked, wiping the crumbs free from his scruff, he needed a shave soon.

"Blast," he grumbled as he snatched up the next one blindly, and then scowled when it came up black.

Remus did so next, coming up with a red one. The two held each others gaze as they popped them in, but Sirius lost again this time because the little concoction exploded in his mouth faster, forcing him to quickly and visibly swallow. "How do you win at this every time?" He demanded as the prick still sat there smirking with his jaw firmly held around the candy even as Sirius blindly began choosing another. Luckily he came up with a white one this time, while the book turned to Professor Lupin's class.

"I've always been better at handling my sweets," he muttered for Sirius alone, nearly causing him to drop his candy. He grumbled and eyed the staircase, but didn't think the two of them could skip off without their friends noticing and coming along this time. Blast Wormtail putting the idea in his head, he'd been fighting back the urge to snog Remus for a whole minute now, the candies would have made such an experience even better.

They were interrupted anyways by the two joining them, smoke still pouring out of Prongs' nose and a very satisfied look on his face. "New record!" He crowed, collapsing on the ground beside Sirius and offering him a Jelly Slug.

"You really must make quite the good teacher Moony," Peter snickered. "All those kids complaining to you, and you taking it in stride like that."

"Least I managed to take your advice and keep my cool," he sighed, knowing full well he wouldn't be having any words with Snape. If he wasn't already avoiding him before, he would be now, even though the question of that mysterious potion was still on all their minds, Harry didn't seem to be picking up any more clues about it.

Lupin did call Harry back, and that following conversation was wrenching for them all. More talk of Azkaban and those dementors wasn't helping anyone's mood in here despite the warmth surrounding this room. No amount of Chocolate Flavored Pumpkin Pasties was going to make hearing of this better, but it was quite interesting to hear he promised Harry dementor lessons soon! The four exchanged almost excited looks for that promise, finally someone who was going out of there way to help Harry.

"Thanks, err, Remus."

Moony nearly startled to his feet, the only one who didn't seem surprised by Evans coming over was Prongs. He seemed determined to be unfazed by this, shifting through some Treacle Fudge with an absent expression.

"Oh, ah, you're welcome," he quickly smiled at her, meeting her expression openly. "I'd ah, do it for any student of course, but, well, I don't need to tell you I'd do anything for James' kid."

"Right," she said quietly, turning back away now that she'd said her peace, unable to shake the dark thought her friend had certainly never bothered to do the same. She held the two beside each other in her head, trying to age them up nineteen years, it was almost unfathomable. Her best friend had turned into some bitter tyrant of the school and here Potter's friend was, going out of his way to help Harry.

Of course this didn't explain Black on the loose, and Lupin just so happening to be at the school the same year. There was just no way that could be a coincidence, but would another of Potter's friends really be out to kill Harry?

Alice distracted her by offering her a Sugar Quill, gazing around at Honeydukes with a new eye and asking, "you know, I've just thought. Why would this place have any significance to Harry? He's not getting in here, and I wouldn't think his friends bringing him more sweets from this place would be so big a deal."

"Who cares," Frank managed around a mouth full of toffee. How he'd been getting the words from the book out with any semblance of intelligence was the real mystery today.

Regulus stopped sorting his beans into different colors and looked up with interest as the twins pulled Harry aside right before a Hogsmeade visit, instantly guessing what all this was about. He'd heard rumors from some of the older students the school had dozens of secret passages, and he'd certainly put money down those twins knew some of them. Then his eyes widened further as he turned to look at his brother, the four of them looking as if they were holding their breath in anticipation, all sweets forgotten and expressions locked in on Frank. A map of those secrets of the school would come in handy, and the Marauders were certainly more than capable of making such a thing; and then it somehow got even more fantastical!

The four of them had to scramble desperately to hide their sudden euphoria of Prongs kid of all people just stumbling across this! Instead they were forced to fix confused expressions in place, trying to make themselves look as intrigued and curious as anyone else should. It was like staring down Dumbledore!

"Wow, ah, what a marvel that thing is!" James began earnestly.

"My, my, we must be geniuses to figure this out, by our seventh year surely!" Sirius quickly agreed.

"If it's even ours," Peter quickly tacked in.

"Oh yes of course, how silly of us, or anyone to think we alone could engineer such a thing and-"

"Sign it with your bloody stupid nicknames you keep calling each other," Frank interrupted with an eye roll.

"You lot are the worst liars, really pathetic considering how often you try practicing at it," Alice snickered.

"Can't we see it," Regulus asked with such an excited little squeal to his voice, Sirius swore he was that ten year old again asking to see his big brothers wand.

Then James made the mistake of looking at Evans, five years of habit unbroken, and found her looking nothing but curious for this.

The two caved. Remus knew they'd lost. Peter pulled it out.

Sirius snatched it away, cleared his throat with far more importance than anyone really thought was necessary, and stated clearly, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Little ink lines began spreading about at once, and the other four crowded forward eagerly.

"Well I don't know what you were expecting," Remus couldn't help but say defensively into the silence. "You knew as well as us there's no one in the castle for it to be properly working right now!"

"Mrs. Norris is still there," Regulus noticed, prodding a corner that housed Filch's office.

"Huh, none of the other animals are," Alice said curiously.

"Or that basilisk," Frank shivered.

"We had to put a special charm in to track that cat," James shrugged, "doesn't work on all animals."

"And we don't have the Chamber on here, we never found it," Sirius sighed.

"I'm not particularly fond of the idea of adding it in," Remus agreed.

"How did you manage such a thing?" Evans asked, a wide-eyed student in class again. She held her hand out curiously, Sirius reluctantly let it go.

"Some modifications to the Homenum Revelio spell, had to transfigure a textbook on revealing charms," James quickly said with bursting pride. He was more than happy to brag about this to her now that it was out in the open, but Peter was still frowning at the four suspiciously.

"It's not exactly something we made overnight, took us ages to get it all-"

"Isn't Hogwarts unplottable though!" Frank interrupted. "How did you actually manage this?"

"Drew the whole thing myself," James crossed his arms with a smirk. "The magic didn't stop us from animating our own map, we just couldn't con one up from the school. Padfoot and Moony managed all the fancy wand-work, then Wormtail went around and marked all the details."

"I can't imagine this thing when the school's, well, normal," Alice giggled as she scanned every corridor. Even having lived there the past six years, she hadn't found half the places marked on this thing. "How can you make out anything with so many people about?"

"Practice," all four said at once.

"I want to know how the twins got a hold of it," Regulus took his turn holding it, Evans offering it without a second thought. He held it up to the light, then flipped it all around to get every angle, before finally folding it up again. "I can't imagine you lot letting this out of your sight much, let alone how it fell into the Weasley's possession."

"They said they swiped it from Filch," Peter recalled. "It wouldn't be too far fetched for him to confiscate it from us and for them to figure out how to get it working from there." Then he shifted uncomfortably and again tried to caution, "of course, the more people who know about it, the more likely-"

"You think Harry's going to get into Hogsmeade with this!" James suddenly shouted above everyone, snatching it away and quickly tracing his finger to the corridor Harry would be in.

Regulus gave Peter a sympathetic smile and whispered, "don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks," Peter sighed back while Frank scrambled back to the book curiously. "I just hope those three will keep their mouths shut."

"It's hard to imagine Evans doing it," Regulus agreed. "She might lord this over you lot, threaten to turn it into a teacher once the novelty wears off."

"That might put Prongs off her once and for all," Peter couldn't help an ironic laugh.

James' prediction came true of course, and Harry was soon on his way to this very building. The other four of course went traipsing down the stairs as if to meet him, all of them crowding around the basement now looking for the secret hatch.

The Marauders stayed on the stairs with smirks in place, their eyes knowing just where to fall.

Frank tried to keep reading and get a clue, but despite Harry coming up and then above into the shop, he still couldn't spot it. Alice cast a few spells to reveal any such thing but nothing happened, while Lily was walking purposefully on the floor, clearly listening for something. Regulus was watching, and finally managed to follow Sirius' eyes, right to a square spot on the floor that had slightly less dust then everywhere else.

Alice yelped in excitement when he pulled it up, jumping down the hole with abandon.

"Bit of a squeeze down here, hard to imagine you four all scampering around in here," she called back.

"We manage," Sirius snorted.

It took a while for them to finally stop badgering questions, but the Marauders couldn't find it in them to be very upset at these four learning one of their secrets. Well, two, but plenty of students knew of the secret passages existences. They still had one secret that was just for them after all, and still no one had thought to ask them about their nicknames.

Harry was now able to explore Honeydukes, and eerily running right into his friends. They'd all had their fill of candy already and were more than happy to hear of Harry getting to explore even more of the village. James expected the chapter to be winding down soon so went wandering back upstairs to make sure and drop enough money in their till, Remus going with him to see if he couldn't stuff a few more sweets into his pockets for the continuing trip, who knew when they'd get food again. Regulus thought up a few more questions and managed a decent conversation with Peter and Sirius for a time, while Lily and Alice were discussing the merits of that kind of magic. Their thoughts of those boys being layabouts felt laughable now, how much research must have gone into that map?

Frank was as surprised as anyone when the kids reached the Three Broomsticks, got comfortable, and then choked on the words as teachers appeared.

"Blast it all, Harry can't have one decent thing!" Sirius scowled.

There was a thunk from upstairs, and they didn't have long to wonder what had been dropped in surprise as a cascade of Tooth-Splintering Strongmints came tumbling downstairs, James and Remus close behind.

"This is madness," Potter protested, skittering on the last few steps and nearly sliding into the entrance that had been left open.

"He didn't even bring the Invisibility Cloak," Remus sighed.

Hermione did some quick thinking and hid the kids from sight, but the relaxed tone couldn't quite come back.

"Has anyone tracked how long Hagrid's been in this place before?" Peter sighed. "I feel like Harry's going to miss curfew before he can slip past him."

"Have a bit more faith in the lad," Sirius tried to laugh off. "He's on the smaller side," sending a superior smirk at James, who in turn flipped him off. "He'll sneak out in no time."

Frank hoped they were right, he didn't particularly want to be the one to read about Harry's adventure getting ruined so thoroughly when he wasn't really doing anything that wrong. He'd expected the conversation wasn't much to listen to, but was quickly proven wrong when once again Black and the dementors were the topic. In all the excitement of this news he'd almost forgotten about Black's future misdeeds.

Judging from the mingled horror and resignation on his face, he might have as well. He shrunk back into the shadows with ease, nearly vanishing from sight and murmuring something for his friends ears alone.

"It's alright Pads," Remus caught him up in a reassuring embrace before he could slink too far away.

"Yeah, we still don't believe a word of it, no matter who says what," James stated in no uncertain terms.

"Even McGonagall of all people," Peter laughed awkwardly as their head of house even managed to share light on the tail. The four managed a pleasant smile for a moment as she reminisced about James and Sirius being as close as brothers, it was a wonder she didn't mention the other two, even a little offensive considering she now worked with one of them! Sirius' teeth sunk uncomfortably into his lower lip as he wondered at that, if he'd really done something to make her not associate Remus with him anymore.

Things weren't going that badly for a moment, James even perking up with interest at Sirius being his best man at his wedding to Evans. He glanced over and saw her scoffing, as usual, but even now he couldn't help but grin at the idea. She would look lovely in white. He turned away much quicker than usual though with an uneasy sigh, he wasn't sure how to look past her attitude towards his best friend. He'd named Sirius Harry's godfather for crying out loud, the news unsurprising to him. Shouldn't that be enough for anyone to know what kind of person Sirius was?

He missed Lily watching him out of the corner of her eye, her own mind a tumultuous mess of wondering at her future. A marriage to Potter of all people sounded ridiculous of course, but what would it have been like? His best friend had been there, had hers? Her sister? For just a moment, she could imagine it. Tired of feeling so alone, and the one person still trying to fight for her attention, she'd cave and possibly say something civil to him-

She'd missed some of it in her musings, Black being a Secret Keeper or something and the Marauders vehement protests something must have gone wrong with Dumbledore's spell before their mate had done anything against Potter. She wanted to scoff and laugh at their naivety in such a reckless friend, but stopped cold before she could even start, forcing herself to remember this time she once would have said the same about Sev- still would! Right?

Frank was growing increasingly uncomfortable the longer he had to keep going. Hagrid's shame at not stopping Black but instead accepting a gift from him like that bike was only making things worse. When he'd dismissed the Marauders as naive for thinking their friend couldn't do what the rest of the world said he'd done, they all must have been some level of crazy. It just kept getting worse, Black managed to kill Peter in that explosion?! It didn't seem real.

That arrogant pureblood stepping off and taking out a dozen muggles to prove himself had been perfectly in line with the character he knew, but taking out one of his own friends with it? After having just stabbed another in the back? It was hard to imagine any human with half the loyalty he'd witnessed in the past few days conceiving of such a thing.

Regulus had started to back away from his brother at the gore in this story, feeling like he was interrupting something private between the four even as he was forced to listen to the grisly tale. He stopped though when he realized what he wasn't seeing. The four just seemed frozen in place, expressions stuck on shock and nothing else. Regulus drew his wand and flexed his fingers, scenarios running through his mind of six of them turning on his brother. He didn't care what mother said, what anyone said, Sirius hadn't done anything yet to deserve this fate. Regulus still wasn't convinced this was the whole story, he wouldn't trust anything second hand now if details were already admitted to being covered up.

James unfroze first, stuffing his hands casually into his pockets, eyes flashing with fire about the room as he snarled what a horrible story that had been. Remus crossed his arms and put a calculating expression onto his pasty face, whispering to no one all the inconsistencies that could be had from this. Then Peter moved, Regulus raised his wand with a curse on his lips, but the guy merely launched himself into his friend, half shrieking, "glory Pads, to think what was going through your head finally wasn't your insanity! It's alright, whatever the hell that was, I know you'd never really!"

"I, wouldn't," he managed in half a sob, fingers trying to shake right out of socket as he patted him on the back, before crushing him in a life threatening hug. "Course I wouldn't," he repeated with a conviction no one would have believed moments ago. "I'd never."

Frank and Alice exchanged another of their unspoken looks. After such tenderness, watching their friendship in action, he found himself trying to guess what story in this future was missing a few holes, while watching those in front of him band around each other. Frank read the last few lines, Harry's shock at hearing all this as fresh as theirs, and begged of the new chapter to give some relief.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 47: The Firebolt

Sounds of jubilation rang in Alice's ears before the rest of her senses had even caught up with her. The place smelt strongly of wood polish and she flinched in surprise when something bright red looked like it was fixing to sock her in the face. She stumbled back in surprise and managed to tip over a whole casket of something that went spinning across the floor in every direction.

"Alice?" Frank called in concern as she muscled her way around what she finally recognized as Quaffles, the projectile charmed to be spinning in place showing off its new apparent aerodynamics on display.

"Over here," she called from the corner and following the loud noise around the mess of balls she made to find herself in the store proper, Quality Quidditch Supplies.

Frank sprinted over to her in relief, still shaking wood shavings out of his hair. "Sorry love, I landed in a pile of Make-Your-Brooms, I think some little kid was in the process of carving something into the handle when I interrupted." He caught her hand as he continued to look about. "Do you know where we are? I think that's Diagon Alley past that window, but-"

"You've never been in Quality Quidditch Supplies?" Alice asked in surprise.

"Me mum never brought me in here," he shrugged. "Thought the sport was a bloody waist."

"It's no wonder you wouldn't help me practice for the Beater tryouts next year," she laughed in surprise as his chagrin grew. "Don't worry love, I'll help you learn how to ride a broom over the summer, if you want," she quickly finished.

"I, ah, could give it a try," he uneasily agreed, clearly putting more enthusiasm into his voice than he meant. "Can't be worse than Neville's first try, eh?"

The two exchanged a look of pure love and excitement, their future spanning before them in that moment as Alice's mind corrected the instance, of teaching her son all about a sport she'd loved for ages.

Lily came over to them then with a deeply annoyed expression seemingly frozen in place. "Well, no use in expecting any of them to help us find the book soon. They seem to have reconsolidated their friendship by acting like even bigger loons than usual, if you can believe it."

Alice saw a beach-ball sized Snitch now being tossed into the air at the front of the store and believed her without question. She tugged her boyfriends hand and began waving Lily off to the side, "there's a collection of Quidditch manuals and how-to's on the far wall over there, we should start there."

They found Regulus there flipping enthusiastically threw Brooms to Buy. He began jabbering without even looking up, "these designs are fantastic! I can't believe how sleek the models become in a few short years! Do you think they worked out the design flaw of-"

He did look up then and flushed in surprise to see who it was.

Alice smiled politely and encouraged him to finish, "you mean the tailwind on the Cleensweep models? I sure hope so. I've been angling to save up for a new Silver Arrow because of it."

Regulus blinked several times in confusion, before a smile slowly lit his face. "You follow Quidditch?"

"It's a thing me and my mum love," she agreed. "I was going to try out for the house-team next year."

"We might be playing against each other then," he stated, and to her surprise she saw some excitement beginning to light his usual dower expression.

"You already on then?" Frank asked, eyeing the third year, who seemed almost miniscule to them sometimes being two years older.

"Yep, though I've only been a reserve player so far. The usual Seeker has actually been in the Hospital Wing all week though, so if he didn't make it out by classes today, I got to play in the match next week!" He exclaimed in pure child-like delight, then his face clouded over as he muttered in confusion what day of the week it was supposed to be exactly.

"I hope things work out for you then," Alice told him sincerely as Lily had long since lost interest in the conversation and perused every spine along here, but between the cover of Witch Weekly being dominated by some person with a surly face and heavy dark eyebrows, and a copy of Quidditch through the ages, not finding the book they needed.

Regulus nodded, blinked again in surprise as if just realizing who he'd been talking to, and managed the most friendly smile any of them had seen as he waved them off and began flipping through the magazine again.

"He's a weird kid," Frank muttered as they went traveling aimlessly down the isles of the store now with no clue where to look next, and not in any big hurry to be done and put in a more unpleasant place to use magic to find it. "Sometimes he's so hostile I feel like I can't take my eyes off him, then other's, he's..." he struggled to put into words what they'd just seen.

"A normal kid," she offered politely. "I'm still trying to figure that out as well. Seems he really only gets defensive when his big brother starts pushing his buttons and the pureblood issues come up. Makes you wonder what his home life's like," she finished with a sigh, eyes on Lily as she watched a Bludger go sailing over their head without interest. They heard it crash somewhere in the back of the store, and they all steered clear and went to the front instead.

The Marauders were beside themselves with pure energy, clearly all that candy they'd inhaled had taken hold. Black and Pettigrew were responsible for the majority of the objects being thrown around, unable to handle one for any length of time before daring the other to throw it, and the other complying. Lupin was sitting on the counter with an indulgent smile in place, occasionally waving his wand to fix something right only so his friends could go at it again. Potter was conspicuously missing.

"You lot have no restraint!" Evans snapped as a pile of Puddlemere United towels crashed into the floor from their wild antics. "Would you have some bloody respect for one place?"

"Live a little Evans!" Pettigrew called back, before he burst into a mad fit of laughter that almost sounded like a shriek. He jumped onto the space beside his friend and began hanging from the rafters in the ceiling, scrambling madly to lift the rest of himself up there.

Alice felt a bit of pity for him, it couldn't be easy to learn of this kind of future and the lad seemed to be taking his words to heart and enjoying himself to the fullest now. His friends were clearly indulging this. She turned away, and finally spotted the book. Potter was unintentionally drooling on it and didn't even seem to realize it, as it was propped on the display next to the Firebolt.

She darted over there as well, eyeing the beautiful, sleek design with relish. It looked fast just simply sitting there in the sun, she couldn't imagine the feel of one beneath her. She was surprised Potter wasn't crashing around the store on it yet.

As if reading her mind, he groaned in pain, "it's a display model only, not the bloody real thing."

"That's almost fair," she sighed with longing. "I can't imagine any security charms in the world would stop someone from trying to steal it." Her mind was already putting together Potter discovering this by trying to take one along with him now.

He looked to her in surprise, it looked almost painful for him to drag his eyes away, but clearly hearing her tone. "You like Quidditch?"

"Why does everyone seem so surprised by this?" She pouted.

"You've barely said a thing when Harry's games were going on," he shrugged.

"I like to play it, don't have much enjoyment for listening to it," she said back, while finally and reluctantly grabbing the book.

"Enjoy the chapter then, seems we'll be getting skipped forward to one of Harry's matches," Potter gave her a genial wave and went back to panting over the broom.

Alice wasn't so sure, the timeline didn't seem right for it at all as she'd thought Harry was just starting his winter break, but opened the book curiously to read the chapter title, which gave things a little more context.

Pettigrew fell from the ceiling in surprise, and didn't even seem to notice. "Harry's going to get a Firebolt!"

Alice gazed fondly at the picture, which didn't at all do justice to the lovely bit of wood in the window.

"I guess losing his Nimbus model changed his mind about getting a new broom like that," Frank laughed at the kids indulgence. "Poor lad needs a pick me up I'm sure," he finished more quietly, eyes still on Black who looked like he was trying to do a cart wheel for reasons beyond both of them.

The excitement of this news made everything feel like there was a new energy around it, even the dampening opening reminding them all how Harry was taking this news. It was clear the Marauders were trying very hard not to even listen, the three even abandoning the front counter to join their friend at the window and talking painfully loudly about anything they could think of.

Alice couldn't do the same, and not just because she was the one telling of poor Harry's suffering turned to hatred towards Black. She watched the teen flinch and edge even closer to his best friend, throwing an arm around Lupin like he was trying to hold himself upright at his soon to be godsons feelings. She'd been wondering about her own future ever since she'd learned about Neville, worried why her son never mentioned his parents and was raised by Frank's mother. If her son hated his parents even a fraction of what Harry was feeling for someone he should have been so close with, she didn't know how she'd be able to live with that. She honestly wished she had a better answer for him rather than more accusations.

Lily listened as Harry's friends tried to cheer him up, and Harry wouldn't let them as he reminded Malfoy may have been aware of this news. She vividly remembered the brats words to Harry about the elder Black, Sirius, and how she'd wondered if somehow he and Lupin were in on that horrible murder together. Now with this new information of learning their friend was involved, she wasn't so sure, but then how had the child of a Death Eater been so informed of the event? Was it really possible they'd both turn on their friend in a few years? What of Potter? The longer she thought of this the less sense it made.

Frank hoped that Harry going to visit Hagrid would help him. He needed someone to vent at, an adult in his life who would be a solid presence in this troubled time. He'd never known his dad, but thought he'd be a lot like Hagrid if he hadn't been killed by Death Eaters.

James turned to actually watch Alice with concern and surprise of what was wrong with Hagrid, then they all muttered, "I'd forgotten about that hippogriff."

"I say we start a Quidditch team for him!" Peter said at once, breaking off and making a run for the isles. "The Hogwarts Hippogriffs!"

"I don't think they'll give a school an international team," James snorted as he followed after him.

"If they did, we'd have to form one giant team, and the body count would never end," Remus snickered as he trailed after them.

Sirius hesitated to follow, eyes still lingering on the book. His friends refused to treat him any differently no matter what came to light, but he'd noticed these three with something new on their faces from that last chapter. It had not passed his notice Regulus had been about to draw his wand on someone either, for him. He felt like he owed all of them, something. A peace offering, a thanks, an apology, he wasn't sure, but some way to show he really wasn't this mad man of the future. He'd never really cared what anyone thought of him in school before, but this was different, he didn't want anyone to think he was capable of this! Now it was clear they were reconsidering and even agreeing with the Marauders something was going on about this story, now how to reinforce this when Harry's opinion of him was lower than ever?

Harry helping his friend to save the hippogriff was too sweet, almost sickly so, Regulus wanted to laugh. Hagrid was certainly one strange person, crying over a beast. He wondered idly, as he found a nice chair to sit in and continue flipping through his magazine, how Hagrid had survived Azkaban for as long as he'd been there. Regulus froze when he even realized Hagrid and Sirius would have been in there at the same time. He shivered and was happy for the change of topic to Harry getting Christmas gifts, especially that new broom he'd already snuck a peek at.

The boys ideas of who had sent it to him all had merit, he could even hear echoes throughout the store of varying people's ideas, most of them thinking it was McGonagall or Dumbledore again. Regulus wondered if they were really missing a rather obvious person, Sirius. He was certain he cared enough about Harry to use money he claimed no right to.

There was some scattered sympathy again for Scabbers once again being chased by that cat, and quite a few mutters when Hermione only made her position worse by worrying over who sent the broom instead of just enjoying the gift! He rolled his eyes even harder when he in fact heard the other Muggleborn present voicing this same worry Harry should not just be accepting this gift without question. He'd probably agree, if he thought there was anyone out to hurt Harry that wasn't around the last two years. He'd finally had to admit to himself there was no doubt Sirius was innocent of these crimes, and there was just no reason he'd be 'going after,' Harry.

Once again nobody seemed to give much of a passing notice to Lupin being absent for his health. It was a common enough thing for him in school, seemed he never grew out of that.

Remus flushed at this being pointed out anyways, then paused in confusion as the potion Snape was apparently making for him was again mentioned with no real understanding of it all. There was just no chance it was a coincidence. Snape knew he was a werewolf, and was giving him something for it?

James and Peter froze in front of him with weary expressions as well, but dared not speak of this in such a compact store where anyone could hear. Instead they gladly took the distraction of McGonagall coming to confiscate Harry's broom, and very loudly spoke of how infuriated they were with Hermione going behind Harry's back like that.

"She was looking out for her friend!" Evans shot back from five isles over. "I'd hardly think you would complain about that Potter, considering that's what you've been doing for your friend since the beginning!"

"It's different!" James thundered back, but with that light back in his eyes of finally getting the chance to spare with her again openly. "I'm defending Sirius from false accusations, not tattling to a teacher so they can nick his stuff!"

There was no response, and James preened with satisfaction, seeming to think he'd finally gotten through to her. He even went jogging back over to them, Peter hurrying to keep up.

Remus was all for standing around and watching the show of Prongs and Evans again, but got distracted. "Oi, Padfoot, I found you a Whimborn Wasp Jersey with Bagman's numbers!"

"Moony, you're the best mate ever!" He'd spoken without thinking, all but apparating to the isle he was in, but froze when he reached for it and their hands brushed together.

There was a pause as the two just stood there for a moment gaping at each other.

It's stupid to flush like some school girl, Sirius quickly corrected himself, he knew what you meant! Their fingers were still overlapped over the bright yellow stripes.

The two hadn't found an alone moment in quite some time now, and the more this kept happening the more charged the air became between them. They'd agreed to hold off the awkward conversation of whatever this was and include James and Peter in it, but that had been when they'd thought they were just traveling through Harry's first year. Now all of this horrible new information kept coming up between them all, the two honestly just wanted an escape.

Remus cleared his throat and finally stepped back, effectively putting the conversation off again like it had never been turned back on. "Well, put it on before Smith finishes!"

Neither gave a single care to the exclaims of surprise that Sirius could have sent Harry that broom, it felt obvious to them, and it's not as if this news would change anyone's opinion of him in either way.

Sirius shucked his bag, slipped out of his school robes and threw them off without care, grinning as he exposed his top half and Remus cleared his throat again. It wasn't anything the other hadn't seen over the past five years of sharing a room in the morning, he told himself, but he still found himself preening a bit and hesitating longer than he should have before pulling it on.

Moony caught his eyes and smiled again, whispering, "perfect fit," as they were teleported away.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 149: A Very Frosty Christmas

It looked like a paper chain explosion in here, there was a garden gnome painted solid gold with a tu-tu on top of the tree, and a very annoying song was blasting from a radio, but they all fought back a sob of relief to find themselves in the Burrow's living room. Nothing had nearly tried to kill Harry here!

Most of them landed on the many available couches and chairs, Regulus had smacked against the frost covered window, Remus had nearly landed in the lit fire. Lily was misfortunate enough to nearly have said tree wobble dangerously and nearly crash down on her until Potter was there, supporting its massive weight and getting many decorations in his face as she fell the rest of the way to the floor in exhaustion.

Madam Pomfrey would normally have them all on half a dozen potions to revitalize their energy and doing hourly check ups to make sure there were no ill side effects as well as feeding three square meals a day and making absolutely sure they were getting their rest with zero strenuous activity; getting flung around the universe was the opposite of what all of them needed right now.

Alice rushed over and helped Lily back to her feet as James finished straightening up the tree, trying to guide her towards the kitchen and up the stairs for the rooms, but Lily stubbornly dug in her heels and looked up. The book was resting near the top, it hadn't fallen out of the branches.

"We need to take a break hun," Alice pleaded just as much for her own sanity as her friends.

"I know," she promised, "I don't want to finish, I do not want to leave here yet. Just down to the last few paragraphs...just in case." She visibly exhaled, breathing really was a luxury she didn't indulge in enough.

"Ah," James nodded in understanding, and no one was going to deny her paranoia right now. He jumped without further ado, snatching the silver spine where the little green six was almost invisible amongst the fir needles, but wobbled as he landed and leaned against the tree for support now.

She watched with a heavy heart, had she not managed to heal the rest of his leg?

Shaking it off like nothing had happened, he flipped over the couch and landed next to Sirius, who was still sprawled from his original landing half off as he watched his little brother shake his hair back into place like looking at a photo of himself doing it, one mum and dad would never dream of taking after what he'd just done...Merlin he'd never respected that kid more than right now.

"A Very Frosty Christmas!" Prongs said with all the cheerfulness in the world for the dreary title.

Alice whispered for anyone, "would someone at least like something to eat then? Helps not to sleep on an empty stomach."

"Darling come sit down," Frank pleaded, especially when Lily visibly grimaced and rubbed at her stomach. She still waited until Lily curled up in the warmest chair by the fire and watched maternally as Regulus stumbled to the nearest couch, barely sitting on the edge before going to Frank's arms and listening as Harry recanted to Ron what he'd heard.

At least nothing too memorable in the following bit happened, just some normal Christmas cheer, the Marauders were even too exhausted to react to the fun idea of throwing knives at each other! Even Lupin making another friendly appearance felt like a pleasant thing, at first.

It didn't remain that way when Remus began defending Snape!

James looked up wearily from the book to his Moony sitting on the hearth, his somber look as he gazed into the flickering embers and twiddling with his wand to lower the music from moments ago replaced with one of pure loathing at all Snivilus had done to Harry and Sirius in this future, even Remus himself to some degree. The explanation, that all it had taken was Dumbledore's word and some potion would have sounded pathetic to him if it came from anyone else in the world but one of his best friends, who no longer had anyone in this future.

"Was that all it took to win you over?" Sirius asked, trying very hard not to frown at Moony but instead put in another joke. "All those Animagus years for nothing, just had to get you a bloody potion!"

"Don't say that Padfoot," was all Remus had in him to whisper, clamping his hands so tight in front of him he looked as if he were trying to stop from strangling something, like himself. Sirius and James had always been there for him when it mattered, he must have gone barmy without them!

Sirius finally sat up proper from his wonky position on the couch and kept watching in greater concern as Harry changed the subject by asking what he'd been out doing this whole time.

The answer made said werewolf jump to his feet and watch the book like his pants had been set on fire. "I'm what!" He'd never even met another of his kind, and he was out there living with them! He'd infiltrated and been living with other werewolves?! For how long!? This entire time, away from Sirius and Harry and everyone, all because Dumbledore had told him to?!

Sirius got up uneasily and went to his side, but Remus' angry words from before stopped him from doing anything. 'Privacy' he reminded himself, but it killed him to just stand here and do nothing as Moony watched Prongs read like it was his eulogy in the following deadly silence.

The story proceeded like he was being drowned and set on fire all at once, there was no air in here. He felt more immensely hot and uncomfortable in his skin than any transformation he'd yet suffered. His father had offended the worst of them all and Remus had paid the price. Now he was working under Greyback to try and convince others they had a chance at a decent life when he clearly wasn't even living that.

James couldn't take it anymore, he'd apologize to Evans later. He slammed the book shut and threw it with deadly accuracy, watching it sail out the window into the snow beyond like that would somehow dispel what he was watching his friend go through once more.

"You didn't know?" Alice easily deduced, watching the child in that photo scream as a monster made its minion in real life on his face.

He shook his head slowly in answer and then went outside into the cold December night, slamming the door behind him, the rest of the loose glass fell from the window.

Sirius bolted after him before the first snowflake had even fluttered in, dogging his path and assuring himself when Remus didn't turn around and yell at him to leave he'd done alright this time, he hadn't said or done anything in front of the others so this should be okay, even if it had been just as awful to see Moony like that as it had been Evans. He knew exactly how useless Prongs felt now. It didn't feel right to have done so though, not when Remus had so clearly needed...

He'd barely rounded the low garden wall before he finally whirled around and watched Sirius approach him. The weary look on Padfoot's face peaked his anger at himself, he really was destined to screw up every part of his life from the moment he'd been bitten. He just wanted the noise in his head to stop!

Remus' fingers were already like ice as he reached out and cupped his face, tears of anger or fear Sirius didn't know were frozen in place as he leaned in. He kissed him back with all the warmth in him even as he was pressed into a frozen branch and felt the icicles in his hair.

Moony pulled back still breathing in his face, the wild look only just abated as he spat, "Greyback! I have spent half my life pitying sodding Fenrir Greyback! I'm, what, supposed to be some sort of- no wonder my dad never lets me around anyone! Dumbledore's always kept an eye on me, it's a miracle that mutt hasn't come for me yet! Merlin Sirius, I don't know what to do, I don't want to- I can't-"

It wasn't just a nameless, faceless other like him to feel sorrow for on some accident. He was a pawn in a game he didn't even know was being played!

"You're not going anywhere Remus," Sirius stated, holding his hands in place, despite the fact they still seemed to be getting colder. He was trembling so hard it wouldn't surprise Sirius if he did transform.

"It was bad enough before!" His hot breath on his face was the only alive part of him, the rest of him was still glacially reacting, even he didn't seem to know if he was more afraid of this sudden development or angry at it. "I don't even want to go back anymore Sirius! I know we keep almost dying and shit, but I don't okay! Back there it'll, it'll be-" and he leaned in and kissed him again like he thought it would be his last.

His hands were in that long dark hair he loved so much, if he was hurting Sirius with as feverishly as he pressed into him Padfoot never tried to stop him, only pulled him in closer.

He'd stormed out here with a mad idea of being able to get far enough away he'd travel back in time enough to transform, wishing for it for the first time in his life just to get out of the screams of his youth that echoed in his head. The curse Greyback had set upon him would be the downfall of that monstrosity, he'd never change back until he returned the favor in kind and ripped his throat out!

Not with Sirius along though, he'd never risk having Padfoot in that fight, he would get himself killed. It was a simple fact in his mind then, to keep him pinned like this instead.

Nothing lasts forever.

When the anger was spent and the two watched each other to see what would happen next, Remus begged of him the only thing he could ask in this mess. "Sirius, please- please don't tell James about this," his voice was stuttering, but not from cold. If Padfoot told James, then the dream would be shattered, he couldn't just go back to pretending this would all be okay anymore. If James knew, if anyone else knew, Remus would have to wake up to the reality of this horrible future pressing him from all sides. A secret only worked so long as you didn't have to look at what was being hidden.

Sirius watched him for a long time with such sorrow in his eyes, for him he knew. He just wanted to help. He reached up and touched his neck, but Remus took it in both of his hands.

"I don't understand. Privacy, I know, I really am trying to get it, but- " Sirius sighed, watching Remus crush his hand in both of his and still not pulling away even as miserable as it was clearly making him when he agreed. "I won't tell, but I wish you would Remus, I really do."

The fright stayed at bay, only frozen for now, but he had no delusions that would last this time. Winter came and went like everything, and he'd melt into a puddle without them. He didn't know what to do though, he felt trapped. He never should have indulged this, but it was too late for that! He probably would have exploded long ago if he hadn't had this now.

If he tried pulling back, Sirius noticed and only started asking questions. If he admitted his crush now and Sirius didn't reciprocate in any meaningful way, who knew how awkward and distant he'd get. They'd still be friends, he knew they'd never abandon him for full moons at the very minimum, but like Sirius was only half-heartedly trying with Peter now, and he couldn't live with that!

It might even be better when they got back to school, Sirius would get distracted and maybe Remus could just go back to pretending like this never happened...if he was very, very non observant about where Sirius went with others ever again, and maybe tried seeing other people a bit more...or even kept himself busy hunting down Greyback...the distance would just become natural then. Like all unreciprocated feelings...

Instead he said nothing and just nodded, like he was conveying as much as he could right now he'd get there. He just didn't know where 'there' was. He released Sirius' hand, but Sirius just pulled him back into a hug, not saying a word as Remus buried his face in his neck like he could hide in his hair forever.

Eventually though Moony's shaking got so bad Sirius pleaded in his ear for them to go back inside, which Remus mercifully nodded to. The book had not resumed thankfully, and as Sirius peeked out first he even still saw it sitting right there in the snow. Holding his breath in hope, they crossed back over the threshold in relief to see the others asleep.

There were only three in front of the warm fire. Alice and Frank had gone off to Arthur and Molly's room, Lily to sleep in Percy's, and the other boys to pile around on the many available couches and chairs in here.

James watched Peter and Regulus curl up with many available throw blankets on the couches, but watched Sirius' little brother flip his hair around as he got comfortable and pat down the fluffy arm into a comfortable sort of pillow in mild fascination. It was the opposite of Sirius, who could fall asleep in any position on any surface. James whispered something he knew he'd owed the kid back in the other room. "Thanks, for Evans."

Regulus watched him for a few moments before actually shrugging, like he hadn't started this whole thing wishing them all dead. James couldn't even make the joke he'd done it for his own survival of getting out of here, that had been no self preservation, there had been no mistaking the look on his face. "It's what anyone would have done," he said simply enough as he laid out, like he was pretending he wouldn't be booted from his home for saying such a thing. Was he really that far in denial of how the rest of his lineage was? He was asleep before Peter's soft, self deprecating little noise even registered.

"I know Wormtail," James promised. "I hate myself for not reacting better that time too. What would we have done if we all thought of that though, huh? Started wrestling over the bezoar, maybe accidentally swallowed it ourselves?"

Peter gave a soft little laugh just like he always did, but James could hear how forced it was.

"You ever tell anyone it was you who saved us from the basilisk?" James asked curiously, which was a fat lot more good than he'd ever done.

"Like that's some great thing, being bait," Peter shot back quietly. "About as useful as keeping Moony distracted while you get him off. No, Prongs, I don't think anyone's wanted to remember that giant snake long enough to know or care that detail."

"Don't sell yourself so short mate," he scolded as he kept his eyes on the door but stayed in his own chair upright. "We all need to stay on our toes, and you can get us out of a few scrums the rest of us can't."

Peter didn't entirely agree, getting out wasn't the same as being useful, why Regulus was asking him instead of Sirius about that animagus stuff still boggled his mind. Even as on the outs with his brother as he was, it was unbearably obvious who was still the better at magic, even James had unconsciously known the same even if he was nicer about it. He whispered his thanks to Prongs anyways and fell asleep too.

James removed his glasses but only fought off his itching eyes long enough to see them heading back through the repaired window and slip inside. Sirius grabbed the last few available blankets and whispered something in Remus' ear.

Remus couldn't have protested the offer, not now, as Padfoot cocooned the blanket around them both, while Sirius sat against the warm hearth. His head rested on the inside of Sirius' thigh as he shivered and didn't fight back a sob anymore. Sirius just ran his hand gently up and down his back all night while the snow piled into the repaired windows.

He'd kept telling daddy all week there was a monster looking down through his window, but Lyall would just sleepily give his son a kiss and turn another light on for him as he went back to bed. There were three now plus the one in the hall, but there were still shadowy corners in his room. The darkness moved and crept slowly into a shape. Not quite human, and not quite animal, naked in the bare light of the full moon, skin twitching in anticipation and pleasure as the monster licked his lips, the sores and blood caked into every crease of his hairy face. Remus screamed but the cracking bones drowned him out-

He groaned softly as the arms held him and whispered in his ear before easing off. He didn't know what was said, but he believed it.

The bite did not come, two distinct shapes fought the animal off, back away from him... but there was something wet, dripping on him, blood?

Drip. Drip.

Cracking one blurry eye open, he found himself hugging a pillow on the floor in a cocoon of blankets that still felt warm, but James' smug expression was hovering over him, and his heart thudded in confusion as another warm plop fell on his nose.

"Up and attem Moony! You know I'll sit on you if you don't."

"Why do I put up with you?" He groaned, rolling over and burying his face into the pillow. The next drip hit the back of his neck and he moaned, moving one hand sluggishly to brush at the slightly sticky feeling.

"You mean besides my charms, good looks, and masterful Quidditch skills?" He asked, before continuing said threat and sitting on his back.

Remus groaned louder and muffled a cry for help that went ignored, there was only a slight lull in voices not too far off in the background and a barking laugh. "You're awful at Charms, your hair is a laughing stock, and your humbleness could topple mountains!" He shot back as he tried to wiggle out.

"At least you know not to diss the important details," James nodded in approval as he got up, now offering him a hand.

Remus took it with still scrunched up eyes, finally seeing in his other hand a warm glass of eggnog he was no longer trying to torture him with. His eyes blinked fuzzily for a moment in confusion though as he saw what he had on.

"Got you a present!" James crowed, throwing a partially wrapped gift his face caught.

"Stealing Weasley sweaters now? Have you no shame?" He asked warmly as he unwrapped the maroon one and shrugged it on, it even fit rather well.

"None whatsoever. I told Sirius that would fit," James grinned, "bean pool you two are."

"Unlike yours," he chuckled. The bright pink material was stretched tightly over his shoulders, his arms looked like he'd tapped bits of wood on they were so stiff and wouldn't bend right, the edge would not quite reach his waist as it should. The golden G was stretched comically into something closer to a Q.

"Evans won't be able to keep her eyes off of me!" He said grandly, before wincing a bit and finally dropping some of the enthusiasm. He'd done this as planned, Moony was smiling at the sight of the absurdity. Sirius had certainly been all for it when he'd woken up and seen him still hovering over Remus like he hadn't slept at all. What had come out of his mouth had been pure autopilot and hadn't even occurred to him until now.

"She's alright Prongs," Remus said at once. "I know she'd never hold it against you, nobody saw that coming."

"Yeah," he muttered, watching the door to the noisy kitchen still for several moments before swallowing and making a very painful smile, "first time that woman's ever flirted with me and I get her poisoned. Think that's the cosmic universe telling me to drop it?"

"You did no such thing," Remus said firmly now, sighing in relief when James dragged his eyes back to him. "If Sirius and I had drank that in Slughorn's room, we'd have been dead before anyone even knew what happened. You probably saved all of our lives by being a nosy git Prongs."

He'd winced for the blunt statement, but gave himself a firm shake and a real smile again. "Stop distracting me Moony!" He scolded with a fond clap on the shoulder that made a tear appear under his armpit and steering him towards the others now. "Alice is making a feast in there, and she's threatened if we don't all help, we starve."

"That woman wouldn't let Snape go hungry," he scoffed.

"I wouldn't test her," James chuckled, "she's already at her limit trying to convince Sirius to lift a wand."

"Poor thing has no idea what she's getting herself into," Remus said in genuine pity. Padfoot would eat a meal of grubs before he admitted he had no idea how to do any house-hold spells.

They entered to see she'd found a compromise though. He looked exhausted, but he was utterly delighted to be smashing parsnips the Muggle way and trying not to get any on his blue sweater, also with a golden G imprinted on it that was far too large around the shoulders and bagged under his arms, leaving him having to concentrate with effort. He was doing a remarkably poor job of that and making a great mess.

Peter and Regulus were sitting across from him casually enough with no clear tension in the air as Regulus guided his wand carefully to knead some dough and Peter was cutting up vegetables the Muggle way, stopping occasionally to use a silver sweater as a dishrag, the glint of the golden P on it flashing in and out of focus. Remus' heart twinged why Molly had still bothered for the prat before eagerly jumping in to help, offering to make dessert.

They ate in alternating comfortable quiet and soft mutters. The shock of 'yesterday' still felt heavy in the room, and Sirius cleaned his third plate in record time and could not take any more silence right now. He looked up with every intention of making a joke at Prongs, only for his eyes to land on Evans.

She was running her finger over the rim of her still full drink, a mountain of uneaten food on her plate with barely a bite touched. Alice kept shooting her worried looks and even reached over past Frank at one point to teasingly steal a bit of turkey. Lily had laughed and tried to keep eating, but it was clear her stomach nor heart was really in it.

Sirius slugged back the rest of his own drink, refilled it, and then set it in front of her with a very teasing, "don't worry, I didn't spike it."

She grimaced and felt herself turn a little green around the edges, but sighed when she saw him wince. She knew he'd been trying to make her laugh, but she still felt tender on the inside even looking at the food, let alone anything liquid again.

Frank glowered at him and opened his mouth to say something at her side, even taking his arm off the back of Alice's chair to straighten up, but his girlfriend brushed her nails along his spine in a silent urge to wait. Sirius was trying to help, in his way, and she really hoped it worked as their patient silence hadn't.

Sirius reached over and plucked it away again with a cheerful, "oh I know! You're the Queen of the Slug Club, so you need a royal tester first! How could I forget?" He took a noisy slurp, making sure to let some run down his chin so there's no way he could fake it before setting down the now half empty glass in front of her, and smiled. It softened his features so much it was remarkable.

"As if I want to drink your backwash," she half-heartedly scolded, but Sirius smiled wider to see she'd lost the nauseous look at least as she stared back.

He tipped his feet up on the table and rocked for a few moments as he kept eyeing her, before grinning with that mischievous look she used to loath so much. He let himself fall back to all fours then and leaned in conspiratorially now, "bet you a shot of it I can make Peter laugh with just one word."

Evans pursed up her lips, but he'd guessed right. She could not resist a challenge. Guess she was a bit like Prongs. "Alright," she finally agreed.

Sirius was grinning in triumph already as he turned with maddening timing, Wormtail had just started taking a sip of his own drink as Sirius shouted, "Spoons!"

The poor guy coughed and spluttered half his drink out his nose and down his front, the rest of the glass ruined the sweater. Even as Regulus thumped him on the back and offered him napkins with a disgruntled look, it was clear to all Peter was laughing mirthlessly.

"Padfoot!" He moaned while rubbing at his face. "You swore you'd stop doing that!"

"Eggnog was not in the terms of our agreement!" He happily barked back.

"Add it to the list you arse!" He snickered.

Lily cursed softly, she should have known better, but turned back to him very curiously, "you swear that's not some old hex on him?"

"On my wand," he said at once, crossing his heart. "Marauders swear!"

"Then what's the joke?" She finally asked with a bit of a giggle.

"Uh uh, pay up first," he tapped the drink. "The story's worth another shot."

She sighed, swallowed her sense of disgust for the feeling of anything going down her throat again, and picked up the glass while meeting his eyes. Fighting back a gag, she threw it in her mouth, forced the rich flavor to sit on her tongue for a visible moment, and down the hatch it went. She exhaled and tried not to look at anybody as the tension began easing out of the room, she really hadn't thought the others noticed.

"Atta girl," he beamed. "Round two?"

"Yes, alright," she agreed at once this time.

Sirius threw his shoulders back with pride as he took off, "okay, so Christmas time last year right? We were still working on our Animagus bits, and Prongs here got his antlers stuck on his head, happened all the time, but we had Quidditch practice and he was trying really hard to get them back away. Wormtail though got the bright idea to dare challenge me to try decorating them in the meantime! I couldn't let that stand!"

"He's being literal," James nodded with a resigned sigh. "I think he'd explode otherwise." He paused with an odd look on his face, but Sirius grinned at him as always for the add in, nothing like extra details to make a story!

"So we start running around the room grabbing everything we could to put on him, socks and shit, Pete starts jabbing old homework assignments on him like mock papier-mâché while James is cursing us blue in the face, but I grabbed up," he paused for dramatic effect. They were all smiling in anticipation now. "A spoon! So, couldn't just chuck it, that wouldn't be any fun-"

"Oh the horrors," James interrupted lightly, crossing his arms and making a visible tear line on both sleeves which he didn't even seem to notice.

"And I couldn't magic it on, that would be cheating!"

"Something he's never done on his life," James smirked.

"So I licked it, and it actually stuck to the fuzzy bits!"

He preened in delight as the seven of them all got a laugh at that mental image. Lily obligingly sipped her drink once more, but Sirius wasn't quite done. "Peter laughed hysterically, I can't even describe it right, he pissed himself and it was glorious!"

"Did you have to add that bit," he protested back. "Two shots says I can get them all to laugh at the time you got fleas!"

Sirius spluttered in protest, but Lily shushed him and watched with delight. The game escalated, they started piling the last of the food into one bowl to make a huge mess of turkey and pudding and daring others to eat it if they laughed at the next story. James was so enthusiastic while telling about Moony meeting a centaur he ripped Ginny's sweater entirely and had to shrug on Fred's before they'd let him finish. It fit him even worse than Sirius and seemed to swallow him whole and he did not care. They all failed miserably and ate the concoction, which wasn't arguably that bad.

All full and laughing now, Remus finally gave Sirius a soft kick to get him to stop that and volunteered to go back to the book with only the barest hint of unease still in his voice. Sirius still didn't get up until after he and James did and fought the urge to put his hand on Moony's back as he went after them.

They lounged semi-comfortably once more under blankets in front of the fire, and Remus still made no real protest as he sat under the same blanket with him, backs on the wall right next to the fire while James went outside to fetch the book. Sirius had resisted the urge to throw his arm over the back of the chair half the meal as they got comfortable and been discreet with his hand on his knee, petting gently with only his finger tips. James had noticed no such thing on his other side, eyes still on Evans even as he tried to actively pretend otherwise now.

He let his hand creep gently, the thick blanket made it non-obvious he was sure, aware of every movement, but nobody was purposely looking at them. It was a miracle none of them had asked any further questions, and whether it was lingering awkwardness or pity neither of them were going to ask as Sirius put his hand gently back on his leg.

Remus made a huffy little noise, but it was that indulgent sigh he always used right before he added into their prank as he grabbed Sirius' hand, but held it this time so Sirius couldn't start up again. It had been soothing at first, but then putting ungentlemanly thoughts in his head the longer it went on, and he didn't really buy the others would let them just casually go snog out in the snow again.

Sirius gave a remorseless grin and happily interwove their fingers. Then he saw Alice and Frank doing the same thing and pulled his hand back with a quick apology, earning a bizarre look. Shit, he still had no idea what boundaries Remus was after, and he'd never spent this much time around someone after so much repeated physical intimacy. Remus bunched up the blanket around them and stretched uncomfortably, they only had moments left as Prongs came back in dusting snow off the book and himself as he leaned in and whispered, "alright?" Touching his hand to be clear, though he'd crossed his arms with an aggrieved look so he was probably an idiot for asking. It was the only comfort he could still think to offer him though.

He received a spectacular snort for his efforts and Remus actually smiling as James flipped to the chapter while he said, "yes Padfoot," perfectly normally, turning his palm to meet him with his own curious amusement.

"Just checking," he muttered as Remus shifted again, the blanket barely moving with him as he dropped his arms and held his hand under it again with a delighted smile.

He hadn't protested when Sirius did this at Hermione's place, but he'd been so annoyed back in the apothecary when he'd casually touched him then, and he was starting to get a headache keeping track of when this was and wasn't allowed. Did a door have to be closed? That's when he was most comfortable. He had not liked the way Moony had talked out in that garden, a distance he kept trying to intermittently instill between them or something else altogether, but he couldn't ask now.

Sirius burned to ask if Remus was ashamed to be with him in that way, but feared asking would only make Remus fluently deny it and pull away further, something that felt intolerable to him now.

James had reacted right before his son had spoken up, so the very first thing he read was Harry unintentionally and almost repeating one of their very many werewolf jokes, his son practically saying Moony's furry little problem, and then Professor Lupin getting a good laugh out of it. The Marauders got a particularly cheerfully snicker for that one at least.

"And nobody really questions that?" Frank finally asked in amusement. He admittedly hadn't before everything as well, but they'd been dealing with a lot.

"I know I never thought about them long enough to do so," Lily shrugged. "Far as I know, nobody in the common room thinks twice about it."

"You're not exactly the social butterfly though Evans," Sirius cheerfully reminded. She flipped him the bird, and he laughed so hard the blanket started to fall from his shoulders and he didn't even twitch to put it back up.

"Peter keeps an ear out if anyone does look twice," Remus half heartedly explained the rest.

It still wasn't comfortable to any of the four of them to be explaining this, it had been their secret for too long to feel natural, but sharing so many of their stories had helped ease that away, and nobody asked for more. Thankfully the subject was changed to a horrible dream being the last of the real unpleasantness. Then Harry woke up to presents, with Ron getting a remarkable necklace from Lavender, and what should have been a nice meal before Percy and the Minister showed up.

That did not go well, and they all shifted and grumbled unpleasantly for the Ministry still trying to use Harry as some sort of poster boy after all he'd been through last year. James finished with an ugly twist of his lips even as he cheered for his son getting the final word in.

[halothenthehorns]

All in the Family

Chapter 118: Christmas on the Closed Ward

The walls were the same shade of amber as her eyes. The duvet on the bed was a faded unicorn pattern from her childhood she should have been embarrassed at everyone seeing.

Potter was admiring her poster of The Three Toads he'd landed in front of, grinning in surprise they had at least similar taste in music it seemed.

Regulus was prodding a lava lamp her dad had gifted her, but she couldn't even watch the blue and yellow goo go up and down.

The bedroom was opulent, none of them even landed within arm's reach of each other, Remus noticed gratefully as he quickly brushed at his eyes and was grateful he'd gotten himself together.

The carpet was solid gold, and very fluffy, as Padfoot landed on it with only a huff.

Instead she was gasping, shuddering, and generally falling to pieces as it caught up to her where they'd been trapped. 'You're being ridiculous,' her mind coolly informed her. 'You didn't even flinch when you found this out, why are you crying now?'

Because being told she was insane in this future and not having contact with her son was different than being trapped in that ward like they'd just been! They were out now, she kept telling herself, but it didn't feel like it. They were still trapped in this mess. They couldn't go to their next class and keep whispering or passing notes like there was no world outside the school, or go hunt down Barty Crouch Jr., Bellatrix, Rabastan, and Rodolphus Lestrange right now to cease this from ever being a possibility. Stuck in this limbo, it really hit her she didn't want to be strong anymore. She just wanted to cry.

Had Frank's mother refused to bring Neville there, or brought him every other weekend to people who didn't even recognize him? Which was worse? What of her mother and father? Every detail of that place felt burned into her brain as she once again found herself stuck on the fact it had been Frank's family photos about, had she any family left that hadn't all been killed in some gruesome way, or in the bed next to her?

"Alice, darling, what-" Frank tripped over himself trying to get to her, pulling her tight to his chest as his mind floundered why she'd be having such a severe reaction to Harry Potter's dilemma. Yeah, being possessed by You-Know-Who was awful in its own right, but she'd been the most vehement since the beginning this wasn't a future set in stone for any of them.

He pulled gently until they were sitting on the bed which Lily quickly vacated, having landed on it and studying pictures on the ceiling in surprise before she realized what she was seeing. Alice and a woman who must be her mother, the two in matching dark pigtails and laughing. Alice and a man with her amber eyes trying to lick ice cream from their own noses.

Now she was forced to watch as tears kept falling from her eyes with no clue what had caused it any more than Frank's wild look around for some sort of cause.

"Guess it wouldn't help her to feel better if I said I think her room looks cool," Potter offered, rubbing the back of his neck.

Lily wanted to hex him, making a joke at a time like this, but instead she ignored him and went on her other side, trying desperately to think of anything to comfort her like Alice had done for her countless times since this had started.

To her utter surprise though, Alice tried to laugh. She was nuzzling into Frank's side and holding Lily's hand, but actually trying to sniffle back the sobs and look around like she was just noticing it all for the first time like them.

"What happened darling?" He begged, brushing at her short hair desperately as she tried to get herself under control. They'd been stuck in that room the whole time, she'd even been trying to get him to come look at something before they were vanished away. Had there been a cursed object in there that had hurt her?

"I," she hardly wanted to say the words, like leaving him ignorant would be some saving grace. She wouldn't hide this away though, she'd never hid anything from him and she wasn't going to start now. The words caught in her throat regardless of her intentions, she didn't know how to say it. "That room," she tried again, but then she just kept seeing that baby picture of Neville in Augusta Longbottom's arms, like it was the last thing she'd ever seen before she lost her mind, and she couldn't say it.

Frank felt like a miserable friend, let alone boyfriend, he still wasn't getting it.

"Did you want us to leave?" Peter offered quietly. He was by her door, which he'd cracked open to find the rest of her house available.

"If you'd like," she tried to hide the fact she was wiping snot off on her shoulder by passing it off as a shrug. "There's three bathrooms, one down the hall in mum and dad's room, the other across the hall, and the last down under the stairs. You can help yourself to anything you like in the kitchen."

They all trailed out slowly, each wishing they could say something, but though she'd been kind and gentle to all of their troubles, they couldn't think of a word to say back at the moment either. Lily hesitated going last, giving her hand a questioning squeeze, but Alice just held tight back, she could stay of course, she really wasn't trying to hide this.

The lack of the others didn't really help Alice order her thoughts any better, she hadn't a problem speaking this to any of them, but she was still trying to put how to say it in her head in the least brash way possible for several moments as James started reading.

That same chill lodged back into place when she heard the chapter title. Arthur was still in that hospital. Somehow, someway, Harry was going to find her and her husband in there. "Oh Frank," she finally forced it out, she wanted him to hear it from her before then. "I, think- no. We were just on the closed ward, that's why it wouldn't open."

It only took another moment for it to click in him, and he went rigid in shock.

Lily gasped and tried to pull her into a hug, but Frank pulled her to him entirely and whispered, "glory, I, didn't even notice, how, what-"

"I saw, our, I mean, the, things around those beds," her voice died by the end, and she was grateful he didn't ask her to elaborate. She didn't want to keep trying to refer to that place, it would only make it more real.

"Oh Alice," Lily's hands were flitting desperately for any kind of comfort, and settled for patting her on the back. It was always Sev comforting her, he didn't like talking about his problems much at all. "It's not our future, you told me that. This will not be happening to you, either of you!"

"I'm not so sure anymore," she whispered, explaining Percy's room to her.

"That, that doesn't mean," Frank stopped and started as if in physical pain. "What, you think when we're done with Harry's seven years we'll travel through his whole life and be stuck in here forever? Or that we'll go back to school and lose all memory of this? I, no, I cannot believe, this has to mean something!"

"I'm so sorry," Lily whispered in horror. "This is all my fault, I've never forgotten that fact, but I'll, I'll do anything to fix this. We have to end up back in that Potions room eventually, and I'll, I'll fix this, I swear!"

"Lily no," Alice said at once, finally almost wriggling free of Frank as she turned to face her, though he still had his hands on her hips. "I don't blame you, nobody does! It was a stupid accident, it happens in a magical school."

At least Alice finally seemed to feel a smidge better as she smiled at the two, hugging them both firmly before getting up and heading towards her closet and determinedly brushing the last of the tears from her eyes. She certainly was going to take this time to get out of her days-old clothes.

Frank watched her go with a fire lodged in his chest. He would stop this from happening to her, no matter what.

Lily sighed and brushed at her hair as she thought it all over again anyways. She knew she could remake her half of the potion without a problem, it was Lupin's part that would be the experimental phase. It's what her and Sev had spent so much of their free time doing, but these past two months it was practically all they could stand to do together without arguing. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably as she wondered if she'd just make it worse by trying something again, she seemed to have that effect on everything.

Padfoot went limping out of the room last, and had to crane his neck all the way up to see Remus and James thanking Peter for something, both things a spectacle in themselves. Remus held his hand out and took whatever from him, and the other two went down the stairs while Moony tapped him on the nose. Regulus hesitated at the top of the landing, but didn't follow them in as Remus closed the door.

"Come in here you," he whispered gently, going to the door across. The bathroom was apparently under some kind of remodeling. The floor was solid concrete, but the double sink was marble white and had shiny new taps in place that must not have ever been used and more counter space than really should have been necessary. The multipurpose shower bath steam cubicle was sectioned off by a tempered glass door and looked big enough all eight of them could have fit in there as another squashed space.

Remus closed the toilet lid and patted it expectantly, but when Padfoot just looked at him, he quietly asked, "like some help?"

Every last dignity in him wanted to snap no, but really he'd only hesitated because he had no idea what Moony was up to. Lingering worry for him back at the hospital had been the only thing getting him this far in rather than going downstairs for food. He looked perfectly normal, but there was still an aura of guilt surrounding him. He played along if Remus wanted to finally put all that Madam Pomfrey fussing to his own use and check his wounds, which he assumed was going on here. He didn't like his chances much under the fur.

He went over, and made the small hop up, rather glad he wasn't human for how badly that burned his muscles like new and clenching his jaw instead to hide a whimper. Remus's gentle fingers went carding through his fur, but he'd guessed right, he was barely getting down to the skin, let alone getting a good look at the new scars he'd have.

He sighed in defeat and pocketed a little jar, but before he could jump down, Remus got down on his knees so they were on eye level, and held his head carefully like he was made of spun glass. "I'm so sorry," he whispered, and Padfoot was stunned to see tears in his eyes.

Sirius almost broke his promise to James. He would not let Remus beat himself up over this, it had been his decision! Remus would hate himself though, possibly even dangerously so, if he killed them any more than he'd almost done to Longbottom or even Snape. Comforting Remus like this was also the most perfect answer, so he instead leaned forward and used the side of his long snout to nudge against the back of Remus's head, pressing him into his chest. He couldn't actually hold him, but it should have been all that was needed regardless. They'd known full well what they were getting into when they became Animagi, and he didn't regret a single second of it.

Moony's arms came up and circled him tight, and Padfoot hummed in pleasure and let his tail wag just for show, getting the slightest chuckle out of him.

James reading the book didn't even make them spring guiltily apart this time, Remus's hands stayed in tight fists in his thick fur until his breaths finally evened back out to normal, but as Harry's fear ramped up to paranoid levels and he started taking advice from Phineas Nigellus of all paintings, the two finally eased off of each other and went to go check on him, Sirius didn't even lick his neck just to gross him out.

They went down the stairs to see their friend being plenty distracted though, Peter was trying in vain to stop the two dark haired boys lopping bits of their own skin off as they investigated a potato peeler.

"-I'm impressed they've even got this here," Peter was saying as he showed them properly again.

"We'll have to ask her," James agreed, alternatively reading a sentence and attempting this, and scraping against his thumb again. He cursed and dropped the whole spud in the trashcan amongst his half-peeled, now blood flecked flesh.

"I swear you and Padfoot share a brain cell," Remus sighed as he went over to show him again. "You're going to be out of fingers before we're done with this."

The injured digits from his long-ago electrical burn were not as faded as they would have liked, though everyone else's injuries had mostly gone with time. He wondered if it was the electrical component to the injury that stopped it healing amongst the several healing charms they'd used on themselves by now.

Padfoot barked in protest while James shared a sad grin with him. He was already missing his idiot brother's stupid commentary, though perhaps it was best he couldn't show his face during the bit where Harry had to be pulled out of his depression by his friends rather than his godfather even noticing, that stung all of them quite a lot. This future version of Sirius seemed so cold in comparison to his brother, he'd only ever seen Sirius that distant when they'd been arguing, he couldn't imagine why he was acting this way towards Harry. He turned quickly back towards the book, they had no answer except this one regardless.

By the time the other three came down the stairs, detailed Christmas presents were being given, and Peter had finished prepping enough sandwiches for several more stops.

"Alright Prongs, I'm done, stop trying to lacerate yourself already," he called, but when he didn't come over to place the preservation charms on them to keep them good while he wrapped up the last one, he glanced up to see Evans had once again caught his eye.

She must be wearing some of Alice's things, the redhead was much taller than her so her midriff showed in the silver top she wore and the billowing green skirt still showed a bit of her ankles.

"Hey Alice, why do you have a potato peeler?" Remus asked. She had on new clothes too, a wooly beige jumper and sweatpants.

"My dad works in the Muggle-Worthy Excuse committee," she shrugged, "he can't say it's a foolproof excuse if he doesn't test out a few theories himself. He remodels the house all the time for different scenarios, and we've a bunch of Muggle stuff hanging around, though not as much as Arthur I'm sure."

"How'd giving Sirius that stuff go?" Regulus directed at Lupin. Peter had told him that's what they were still upstairs doing, but he'd been so fascinated by the little whirly device he hadn't even seen them come in.

"Fur's too thick, just like his head, can't get the stuff on," Remus sighed.

Padfoot huffed in indignation, and they all looked down as they wondered just how much of an earful they were going to get from him when he finally changed back.

Remus just smiled in anticipation of that and turned to smack Prongs. He reluctantly dragged his eyes away as Evans went over to Peter and offered to do the Charm, it really was his weakest class so he let her without protest.

When Hermione announced who her last present was for, they were all very familiar with that rumbling growl from the grim-looking dog, and when they got down to Kreacher's room, and his shrine, there was a nasty silence even he couldn't drown out.

Regulus winced, wishing he could hide his house-elf behind him. Kreacher didn't know any better, just like he hadn't when all this started. His servant had been his only friend in that place these last three years while Sirius had been at school and ignoring him at home, surely if he just explained to his elf things had to change he'd go along with it, and burn those particular artifacts.

He took an uneasy breath, and stopped Potter as he shook himself and tried to keep going.

"I'm sorry for him, I won't let him keep those," he told them both sincerely.

Frank didn't seem sure how to respond to that other than smiling awkwardly and trying to wave Potter on, the less they dwelled on it the better, but he went to go sit at the table with the lot of them to prove there were no hard feelings. Alice sat on his lap and reached over to give the kid's arm a squeeze in thanks, quickly drawing her hand back so he wouldn't notice it shaking as the lot made another trip up to the hospital.

She swallowed painfully and sat back against Frank's chest as it all started not a page later. Arthur tried some Muggle experimental way to heal himself, and the kids all bolted from Molly's shouting. They got turned around, and ran into Lockhart.

Even Lily burst out in surprised, and a tad righteous laughter as they all thought this was great fun and payback, but Frank's skin was already turning sallow and Alice was half-tempted to excuse them back up to her room so they wouldn't have to see the others' faces when they realized.

They were delayed as James sat gazing at her long after her laughter had subsided and she rolled her eyes at him, she'd been hoping the Slytherin colors would at least minorly deter him. Then she shot Alice a stern look, trying to tell her he was always like this and it didn't mean anything, but really caught sight of them.

Alice denied herself the getaway as she glanced at them, and the fear that flashed in her green eyes said she'd already put it together. They couldn't leave now, the last thing either of them wanted was this group whispering pitifully about them and dragging this out further.

She couldn't bring herself to offer to take the book though as the trio and Ginny reluctantly followed their old DADA teacher in, and the recant of a much more lively version of the place they'd waste away in was described. A part of her wanted to do it to make this go faster, pretend she couldn't feel any pitying gazes she knew would be coming, but again the words jammed up in here before she had the chance.

Frank wasn't doing much better as the truth slowly sunk into the rest of them. To Potter's credit, he only hesitated a moment before glancing at them and putting together what must have been going on when they'd been alone. When both just nodded, he plowed on in the same diligent way he had been reading through his own son's life that he cared for so much, a soft, but steady determination.

This was not the future any of them would have chosen, but James still wanted it all to be true on just the smallest level, that he and Lily were destined to have Harry at the same time as Alice and Frank would have Neville. They'd go forward remembering every heinous detail, and fix every one of them. Their boys would grow up happy and never knowing what had almost been.