Chapter 4: The Reunion

Sirius paced anxiously in front of the fire where he hadn't moved since Minerva had told him Snape was going to get his precious baby boy from the Dursleys two hours ago. Just as Sirius was about to snap about what was taking so long, again there was a bright flash of light that caused the occupants of the room to shield their eyes. When the light cleared Severus Snape was standing in the middle of the room with a tiny little boy in his arms who was coveted in all sorts of cuts and bruises that should not be seen on a child. There was a moment of silence as everyone just stated at each other Orion looking around the room in fear as he appeared not to recognise it or the people within the room, when the silence seemed to be getting too much for the little boy who had started squirming in pain and anxiety in Severus's arms Remus stood up and slowly made his way to the man holding his precious baby.

"Ori." Remus breathed quietly but everyone heard with the silence in the room. Orion looked over at Remus his eyes widening slightly in fear or recognition they did not know but they prayed to Merlin that it was the latter rather than the former. "Ori, baby it's Mama Do you remember me?" Remus asked with some slight trepidation as his son just kept staring at him with his wide eyes. Sirius would have laughed and cooed over how cute his son's puppy dog look was if the tension in the room wasn't so high.

After what seemed an age with Orion looking cautiously around the room that no two nearly three year old child should do (and Remus and Sirius promised themselves that they would do their damnedest to get their son back to the excitable little boy he used to be, but for now they were just happy to have him home) Orion slowly but surely reached his arms out to Remus with a tiny smile on his face as he muttered the words Remus and Sirius thought they would never get to hear again. "Mama." Remus could have cried in that moment but instead he took his little boy from Severus with a grateful smile to the man as he held his baby tight to his chest, being mindful of the cuts, bruises and Godric knows what else that coveted his little boy. "That's right baby Mama is here and so is your Dada. We have missed you so much baby and your safe away from the bad people and I promise we'll never let you go." Remus swore as he felt little tears fall against his neck. "Dada?" Orion asked in a nasally voice but he refused to remove his head from Remus's neck or his shirt even when Remus sat down on the sofa.

"Dada's here little man." Sirius said as he sat next to his husband and son in what felt like a lifetime he knew he could never repay Severus for what he's done for them but he had made a start by apologising for what he'd done to him in school while Remus held their baby. He smiled as Orion moved his head slightly so one eye was peaking out at him he couldn't get over that his son was back with them being held tightly as Remus could without hurting him. They had noticed the cuts caused to Orion but they were waiting for Orion to fall asleep before healing him as it would likely be painful and they refused to hurt their son anymore than he was less he associated them with pain and became afraid of them, which is what they didn't want as Sirius knew that if that happened both he and Remus would die if their little boy was scared of them it was a miracle that he even remembered them even with him being a born werewolf as he'd only been a little over a year when he'd been taken from them.

"Dada." Orion smiled slightly as he tentatively held his hand out to his father who happily held his hand kissing the back of his hand, ignoring the dirt and grime that covered his son in favour of listening to his giggles and watching his happy smiles as he and Remus kissed and held him telling him how much they loved him and how much they missed him and promising that he'd never be hurt again. Orion smiled happily at his parents feeling safe for the first time in nearly two years. "Wuv you Mama, Dada." Orion said softly as he snuggled into Remus's chest more to get comfy as his eyes slowly drifted close as if he was scared that they'd disappear if he closed his eyes, pulling at something deep in all the adults in the room. "It's ok Ori you can go to sleep Mama and I will still be here when you wake up because we love you too pup." Sirius said kissing his sons forehead as his breathing evened out as he drifted off to sleep.

"Severus thank you so much for rescuing our baby boy." Remus said after a while of watching their son sleep in his lap. Severus just waved away their thanks as he started taking potions out of his robe pocket. "Lupin you need to move back a bit so I can run a diagnostic charm on him so we know what we're dealing with." Severus stated a look in his eye that no one recognised as he looked at the beaten and starved little boy. Remus looked at his little boy hugging him tightly before leaning back, Orion whined in his sleep as he felt his mother move back from him. "Shhh baby Mama's still here go back to sleep." Remus whispered kissing Orion's head as he settled back down to sleep. Sirius looked back to Severus from looking at his son sadly and nodded his head they needed to treat him and clean him before putting him to bed in his and Remus's bed as he knew Orion didn't want to part with them and neither did they.

Severus waved his wand over Orion a couple of times as a scroll appeared. Severus stopped the spell and read the contents of the scroll and growled. "What is it Severus?" Minerva asked coming to stand next to her ex-student now colleague. "Those heartless bastards have been starving and beating him since Dumbledore had left him there. When I picked him up he was stuffed into a cupboard under the stairs and it smelt like he'd had an accident as it was evident they hardly let him out. He has several lacerations to his back from a belt, burns on his hands that look like it's come from a hot stove and he has several broken bones in his left arm and right leg from falling down the stairs." Severus read off the parchment apprehensively as Remus's eyes had become a golden Amber colour as his wolf made an appearance as he heard what happened to his Cub. "Where are they I'll rip them to pieces for what they've done to my precious baby boy?" Remus growled his face more wolf than man.

"Wolf do you want your son to be taken from you again to be experimented on for being a born werewolf because they will if you kill them, they'll kill you as well do you want him to grow up not knowing his...mother or perhaps you want your son to be tormented over the fact that his mother his a cold blooded killer. No? Well think before you act we will go through the proper channels to bring them to justice, but I don't think it would work as how can you explain to the Muggle Authorities how the Dursleys ended up with him. As we can't use the DMLE as Dumbledore will over rule us and get Orion away from you again perhaps for good this time." Severus sneered at the enraged parents he just hoped that Orion didn't turn out to be a hot head like his father.

"What do you suppose we do then Severus?" Minerva asked as the two parents started cleaning up their son, healing the cuts, the bruises and the broken bones and giving him child nutrient potions (that Severus had placed on the coffee table before he started his rant) before sponge cleaning him and transfiguring him some clean pyjamas. Minerva smiled tenderly at her ex-students as even though they looked like they hadn't listened to a word Severus had said as they tentatively took care of their son she knew different, she knew they were thinking about what Severus had said but also how to keep their son safe.

"I suppose we just move on from this and put Orion first instead of righteous anger and anyway I have already dealt with the Dursleys by cursing them so that everything they have ever done to Orion they feel it tenth fold I also erased their memories so they remember nothing. Now there is nothing I can do about that scar on his forehead except give you a strong scar salve to put on the scar and the normal one on the other scars, I have checked the scar there is nothing foreign in his scar I did this scan as we don't really know what happened that night so it is better to be safe than sorry but there is nothing in there. Make sure you apply all the salves at night after his bath as well as a small amount of Skelegrow and pain potion for any pain. Now his nutrition potions needed to be given to him before every meal so he can get the full nutrition from them. I will come back and check on him in a month's time to make sure he's growing like he should, but if there are any problems just owl or Floo call me." Severus said as he handed the potion bag to Sirius.

"Thank you Severus for all you've done for us we can never repay you and I really am sorry for how I treated you when we were in school." Sirius said seriously. He stood up from the sofa and held his hand out to the man he owed everything to for bringing back and treating his precious boy. Severus looked at the man in front of him suspiciously he seemed to have grown up since school (which he was glad about) but he could never to be too careful where Black was concerned. After awhile of Severus just staring at Sirius who did nothing but hold his hand out to him Severus finally took Sirius's hand and shook it, once he let go Severus nodded to Remus and Minerva before exiting the house via the Floo.

"I'm so proud of you boys for putting the past behind you and I wish you all the luck with little Ori. I'll be taking my leave now. Oh, and Remus don't let Sirius teach Ori pranks he's such a sweet little boy I'd hate for that to be ruined." Minerva and Remus laughed at Sirius's affronted look before she too exited the house by the Floo. There was silence in the house as Remus and Sirius soaked up the feel of their baby safely back in their arms. "I can't believe we got him back Siri after all this time and we were giving up hope, giving up on our baby how could we have done that. Look at him Siri he needed us and we were giving up on ever getting him back. What sort of parents does that make us huh? Giving up on our baby." Remus ranted as he slowly rocked Orion in his arms wearing light blue pyjamas with dark blue stripes on them. Sirius wrapped his arms around his husband much like he did when Orion was a tiny baby, when everything seemed so perfect and he was going to try everything he could to get it back to how it was and to make up for lost time with his puppy. "I know Remmy I know. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it but we had tried everything I know that's not an excuse but we hadn't really given up on getting him back just we thought we wouldn't get him back for years when it would be too late to make up for lost time as he might not have remembered us at least we got him before he could be told lies about how Lily and James were his parents and not us. I just wish I had put my hate for Snape behind be sooner and we might've gotten him back sooner." Sirius said with self loathing in his voice.

"Oh Siri. Don't hate yourself we have both made mistakes I could have contacted Severus sooner but what's done is done we have Ori back and at the moment that's all I care about. We just need to get him better and back to the happy go lucky boy he was by showing that he is loved and that what those...monsters said to him were not true. We can start afresh now Siri make his future a happy one for him do that he'll forget about what happened at the Dursleys but even if he doesn't we can make sure he has some happy memories to look back on." Remus said in full teacher mode. Sirius let out his bark like laugh it was so like Remus to act like a teacher after all this. Orion shifted in his sleep disturbed by his father's booming laughter Remus glared at his husband his eyes conveying what he wanted to say, 'You wake him and it'll be the sofa for you for a year.' Sirius raised his hands in a placating manner "I'm sorry love I didn't mean to disturb him, but your right you always are let's get him to bed and we can take a nap with him cause I don't know about you but this has drained me and at least we'll be there for him when he wakes up." with that said Sirius and Remus went into their bedroom with Orion asleep between them.