Chapter 7: Coming to Terms
Prosecco, Trieste, Italy
December 26, 1986
"Your son?" Sirius Black asked. His tone was full of surprise and curiosity. Orion didn't hesitate to meet his birth father's gaze as the man stared at him. For all of his courage, it was a relief when his Papa's voice broke through the silence.
"You have probably noticed that I am not his biological father," Remus said even as he motioned for Orion to come to him.
Orion complied, scrambling off of the bed and all too happily moving over to his Papa. He smiled as Remus pulled him close and then pulled him to sit in his lap. They didn't sit like this as often as they used to, but they still did so on occasion and Orion felt himself be comforted by the familiarity of the action.
Orion's attention was drawn again to Sirius when the man cleared his throat. "He looks just like me," Sirius said. "Well, the way I looked as a child," he admitted in a bewildered tone. Orion felt his Papa nod even as he cuddled Orion closer to him.
Silence descended upon them and it was unnerving to watch Sirius look from him to his Papa and back again. Finally, Sirius broke the silence and asked the question. "Is he mine?"
Orion felt his Papa tense at the question and he clutched at the man's arm. This was frightening. Papa was frightened, had been frightened all along that Sirius Black would one day find out that Orion was his son and then he'd take him away from Papa. Orion didn't want to go. He didn't want to leave his Papa!
"Yes," was the sharp reply from his Papa. "You are his biological father."
It was silent for a few moments as Sirius Black seemed to register the words. "How?" was the only thing that the man asked.
The question seemed to spark his Papa to anger. "How? I should think that would be obvious," Remus spat. Orion wriggled then in his lap, uncomfortable with his Papa's anger. Remus took a few deep breaths forcing himself to calm down. He gently rubbed Orion's arm to comfort him. "Look, Sirius, we really need to talk about this, but we shouldn't do this in front of Orion and Leonis," Remus declared.
Sirius swiftly nodded in agreement. "I think that we both need to spend time together to mend this rift between us," Sirius stated firmly. Then he spoke with a voice of authority, unconsciously showing that despite how he had turned away from his family years before, he was every bit the scion of noble upbringing. "Pack your bags. You won't be staying here another night. You'll stay as my guests at Belvedere."
"Sirius," Remus started to argue only to be cut off by Sirius.
"I will swear an oath on my magic if you wish. One that will promise that I will not keep you and Orion against your will. I just want us to have time to sort this out, Remus," he sounded sincere.
Orion couldn't see his Papa's face, but he could feel the tenseness in his father's frame. Remus was clearly unsure of whether or not this was a good idea. Orion didn't doubt that Papa's inner wolf was snarling at the idea of going to Sirius's den. It was Leonis that tipped the scales into Sirius's favor in the end.
"Mr. Lupin, could you and Orion please come to spend the rest of your holiday with us at Belvedere?" Leonis asked very politely.
Orion's eagerness to comply, to spend more time with his half-brother must have shown on his face because it took his Papa only looking from an eager Leonis to Orion's own face before he gave him, some of the fight leaving his frame.
"Very well," he agreed and then with a flick of his wand their belongings began to sail around the room back into their luggage.
'Oh! How did I not notice that he had his wand drawn?' Orion wondered. He was usually very good about noticing when his Papa had chosen to draw his wand. Ascella would be disappointed in him for not having noticed it. Well, perhaps he shouldn't tell her. Or maybe she'd forgive him for not noticing just this once?
Orion stayed close to his father as the four of them departed from the room and they went to return the room key to the Inn Keeper and make sure that their bill was paid in full. Sirius and Leonis awaited them outside.
"Orion, all you shall have to do is say the word and we'll leave," Remus promised him. There was a worried crease in his brow and a pinched look around his eyes. He wasn't used to seeing his father look like this, hadn't been since they opened their store in Wixen Lyon.
"I promise, Papa," he assured him. "I won't let him take me away from you," he vowed. It wasn't what his Papa had asked of him, but it was what Remus dearly wanted. It was easy to promise since it was what Orion wanted too.
"I really wish it were that simple, pup," Remus murmured even as he placed a kiss to his brow. Then Orion was led outside to where Sirius and Leonis awaited them.
Orion found himself holding his Papa's hand and walking beside Leonis. His half-brother was likewise holding hands with Sirius. Both of the adults had decided that the children should walk in the middle, subtly protected. Orion had no idea if this was good parenting at work or the natural inclination of most Wizards to protect children. Either way, it allowed him to walk beside his new-found half-brother so, he wouldn't complain.
The boys exchanged looks and small smiles but neither spoke. It was clear that each understood that there was a tension between their fathers and they didn't want to say anything to set either of the adults off into an argument. Orion knew his Papa was made at Sirius though he didn't know why. Some of it was probably the fear that Sirius would take him away. Well, Sirius would have a hard time doing that. If Leonis could run off then so could Orion! There'd be no way Orion could be kept if he didn't want to be kept.
His first glance at Belvedere stole his breath. It was like one of those pretty big Mansions that his Papa's clients lived in. It was made of stone that looked white gold in the late afternoon sun. He had read about stone like this, it changed color slightly as it was warmed by the sun or it reflected the sky, something like that. Either way, it was a very pretty effect.
"Leonis, why don't you and Orion go into the house and alert cook to the fact that we have returned? Tell her that I am showing Orin's father around the grounds and that we'll be in shortly," Sirius said to Leonis.
Leonis nodded his head and then turned to Orion. "Come on, Orion. Cook makes great treats. She has a hurt ankle right now, so we can offer to help her."
Orion was happy at the prospect. He wanted to escape the tension between his two fathers, if only for a little while. He glanced at Remus for permission.
"Stay with Leonis and be a good boy," Remus said, affection lacing his voice.
"I will, Papa," Orion promised and then he began to leave with Leonis. A moment later he turned back and looked sternly from one man to the other. "You two be good too."
This startled a laugh from Sirius. Remus merely smiled, a truly genuine smile full of exasperated affection. "Of course, we will," He reassured Orion.
Orion tried not to stare in awe as he followed Leonis into the house and through the hallway toward what would presumably be the kitchens. The walls looked to be made of marble with golden veins inlaid into the white marble. His fingers itched to reach out and touch it, to see if he could feel the texture, but that was silly. He knew better than to reach out and touch things that didn't belong to him. Belvedere certainly didn't belong to him.
Entering the kitchen was another moment that inspired awe within him. It was a large room with many gleaming worktop counters. It made him realize that Belvedere was equipped to have several House-Elves. There would be plenty of room for them in this kitchen to prepare great dinners for many people. Belvedere was either meant to host many people or for it to be a family home that would hold a large family. It was a far cry from his and Papa's simple but cozy kitchen back in Rennes.
He paused as he took in the woman wearing an apron and stirring batter in a big bowl. She was a far cry from what he had envisioned when Leonis had mentioned their cook. The blonde-haired woman looked far too elegant for spending most of her time on culinary delights. She wore an expensive looking chain of gold with a pretty charm that bore some sort of family crest on the end. Was it common for most cooks to wear their pretty jewelry while they cooked? Wouldn't they save that for when they were not working? Like how Ascella didn't wear all of her pretty jewels while working at the bookstore but he had seen her wear pretty rings and necklaces on other occasions?
"Grandma!" Leonis's voice showed his surprise. "What are you doing here?"
"Your grandfather and I received a call from a very distressed Healer Amiel and decided to pop in for a little visit," the woman replied as she set down the bowl and came around the counter to look at Leonis. She gently touched his cheek and smiled with what looked like relief. "You don't look any worse for wear for your little adventure," she pronounced. "Now, introduce me to your friend and then you both can help me make chocolate chip cookies."
"Yes, of course," Leonis said and at that moment he sounded just like a nobleman. It was a reminder to Orion that his half-brother was a nobleman. In fact, Leonis was the Heir of the Noble House of Black. "Grandmother, I have the pleasure of presenting unto you, my half-brother, Orion Lupin. Orion, this is our Grandmother, Lady Melania Black."
The woman looked started by Leonis's introduction and she didn't bother to hide it. "Brother?" she asked in surprise.
"It is my pleasure to meet you Lady Black," Orion said, and he offered her a bow. He hoped he did that right. He had been practicing with Thierry and Ascella. There were many nobles now who sought out his father. Orion had wanted to learn the proper ways to interact with them so as not to offend them. If he offended them then they might not want to do business with his father. His father enjoyed fixing their hurt books, so Orion didn't want to chase away the nobles by having bad manners.
Melania Black took a step closer to him and she gently took hold of his face and stared into his eyes. Orion was startled to realize that his eyes were the exact same shade of blue as her own. "You look just like Sirius did when he was a boy," she said softly.
He didn't know what to say to that revelation. He knew he resembled Sirius Black. He resembled him too much for there to be any real doubt as to his true parentage. For all that Remus Lupin was his papa who had loved him and raised him, it was Sirius Black who had sired him.
"Remarkable," Melania murmured thoughtfully as she continued to examine him. "Another great-grandson," she said, and her voice suggested that she was quite delighted by the prospect of having another great-grandson. It eased something inside of Orion who longed to be liked by this woman. She was his Great-Grandmother after all, and he and his Papa had been alone without any other family for so long. They had slowly been making their own with the people that his papa employed but this was a true blood relative. He hoped he could make her like him.
She gently released her hold on his chin and then she took hold of his arm and gently steered him to a preparation table and helped him to settle upon a stool. Leonis climbed up onto the stool directly to his left. She once more took up the bowl of cookie batter and she handed a bag of chocolate chips to Orion. "Here, pour in as many of these as you like," she urged.
Grinning, Orion complied. In the end, he dumped the whole bag of cholate chips into the batter and then he watched with a smile on his face as Melania began to stir them into the batter. "Good choice, I do so enjoy chocolate chip cookies," she praised.
"She makes the best cookies," Leonis murmured with a grin as Melania went to the already prepared cookie sheet and began to spoon out dough onto the sheet.
"Orion, I wish for you to tell me about your life," she addressed him as she continued her task.
Orion ducked his head and glanced to his left at Leonis who also looked curiously at him. "I don't know what you really wish to hear," he said suddenly feeling quite shy.
"When were you born, sweetheart?" His Great-Grandmother asked.
Orion blinked. Oh. Basics. He could tell her basics. Yes, that was a good place to start. "Oh umm… well, I was born on July 29, 1980. Papa says that I was born premature because my Mama was in very poor health throughout the pregnancy and so I had to be born early in order to try to save us both," he said, and he felt the bittersweet sadness that he always felt when he spoke of his mother. He wished that he could have known Sylvia de Rais as someone other than a woman in the beautiful wistful stories that his Papa told him. Sometimes she seemed too wonderful to have been real in those stories. Orion wished that he could have known his mother.
"I see, and where is your mother?" she asked of him.
"She's with the angels," Orion said simply because that is how his father had always described it. Sylvia de Rais had died, and she was now with the angels far from their reach.
"Oh, my dear, I am so sorry," Melania said after taking a moment to digest his words and their inherent meaning.
"Was it just after you were born?" Leonis asked gently.
Orion nodded but didn't verbalize a response.
They were silent a few moments while Melania placed the cookie sheets into the oven. Then she turned back to them. "Who has been raising you?"
"Papa," he said. "That is to say, Mr. Remus Lupin," he clarified. "He was mother's beloved when she died, and she left instructions in her Last Will and Testament that I was his to raise and care for and that he was to manage the business that she had built and give it to me when I was an adult," he added.
"Lupin," Melania mused. "I think that Sirius had a friend by that name when he was in his school years," she said.
"He did, Remus Lupin," Leonis informed her.
Melania's blue eyes sparkled with interest, but she didn't give voice to her thoughts. "What is this business that Mr. Lupin governs for you?"
"DeRais Books," Orion answered. "We have a store in Muggle Rennes, one in Muggle London, and one in the Coeur de Lion in Lyon," he said proudly.
"I have been into the DeRais Books in the Coeur de Lion," she remarked. "It is a very fine establishment, well-staffed," she added.
Orion puffed out his chest in pride at her compliments. "Thank you, Papa was able to hire some really wonderful people to work there."
She hummed in agreement. "But why the stores in Muggle Rennes and Muggle London?" she asked, clearly confused by why Wizards would have stores in the Muggle world.
"They were mother's stores," Orion said. "Her first store was opened in Rennes and then a few years later she had enough capital to open up a store in London."
"Yes, but why in the Muggle world?" she asked still clearly confused.
Orion stared at her in confusion for a moment and then he realized why she was confused. "Oh, well Mama was a Muggle," he said it simply. "So, she wouldn't have known about the magical world, let alone be able to open any stores in Wizarding shopping centers."
"A muggle?" She gasped at that. Then she gave a little shake of her head and amusement crossed her pretty features. There were laughter lines around her eyes and her mouth and Orion thought that they made her look even more beautiful. "Of course, Sirius would take a Muggle as a lover," she said.
Orion frowned at that. Was Melania one of those people who thought that Wizards and Witches should not befriend Muggles? If so he wasn't sure he wanted to become that close to her after all.
"Melania," a masculine voice came from the doorway. "Why didn't you see fit to tell me that the Heir Black had returned?" There was censure in the man's voice.
"Arcturus," his Great-Grandmother greeted the man. "I'm sorry darling, I was distracted by Orion here," she said motioning toward him. "It would seem that our Sirius has yet another son that we didn't know about."
Orion fought hard not to fidget as he came under the stare of the man. Instead, he met the man's gray-eyed gaze and tried to remember everything that Thierry had told him. He shouldn't avert his gaze because it would be taken as a sign of weakness. Stay still, do not allow your body to give away what you are really feeling. It was hard to do. His foot tapped against the stool because he still couldn't keep completely still. He figured that Thierry and Ascella would have to work on him more to get him used to remain still for any length of time.
The man, Arcturus, came further into the room and Orion was relieved since the lighting made it easier to study him. He was dressed in business robes made of a black material that Orion couldn't hope to name. He didn't pay much attention to clothing materials. Pretty silver embroidery lined the collar and cuffs of his robes. Ascella had many pretty robes that had that exact embroidered design along the collar and cuffs. He looked to be as tall as Sirius and his hair was black with silver laced throughout. He was an attractive man with a handsome face, but his piercing gray eyes were his most compelling feature.
"You look like Sirius," Arcturus said then addressing Orion.
Orion nodded then because of course, he knew he looked like Sirius. Then he blushed in embarrassment. He had forgotten his manners. Ascella really didn't need to know how much of his etiquette lessons he had been forgetting on this trip, did she? Yes, she didn't need to know. He managed to climb down from his stool a moment later and he moved to stand before Arcturus Black. He bowed a moment later, remembering how from the many ways that Ascella had drilled him in this exercise.
"It is my honor to meet you, Lord Black," he stated. "I am Orion Lupin."
He really hoped he did that right. He slowly arose and looked up at one of the most influential Lords in Europe. He was proud of himself when he noticed the smile curving the man's lips.
"Well met, Orion Lupin," Lord Black said approvingly. "You are studying etiquette then, young man?"
Orion nodded his head. "Yes, Ascella and Thierry are teaching me," he said proudly.
"Ascella? Thierry?" Arcturus asked of him.
"Ascella Blasine and Thierry Bazire," Orion said.
"Ah," Arcturus said after a moment of contemplation. "Ascella is a good girl. Youngest of three girls," he said. "She's from a fine noble house," he said with a smile that could only be called smug curving his lips. "The Bazire family is a lesser branch of the Belizaire's, is it not my love?" he said the last addressing Melania.
"It is," Melania said. "Not the Belizaire's have done much for the Bazire's," she said with a sniff. "Thierry is the youngest of six siblings."
"Why would the Belizaire's not take care of this branch of their family?" Leonis asked, his tone curious.
"The Bazire's are Veela and the Belizaire's are one of the few French Wizarding families who does not like Veela," Arcturus explained.
Leonis frowned at that. "But almost everyone knows that Veela practically runs the French Ministry. It's nearly impossible to find a Noble family in France that doesn't have Veela blood somewhere in the line."
Orion nodded. "That's true. Papa and I don't pay much attention to politics and even we know that."
Arcturus chuckled at his exasperation. "You are quite correct, boys," he said. "The Belizaire's are a dying breed. Most of the noble families of France embrace those with creature blood. As you said Leonis, the French Ministry is practically run by them."
"I'm not fond of the Belizaire's," Melania declared then with a sniff. "They don't take care of their kin, but they expect them to hop to and do their bidding. They treat them like slaves, not family. It's despicable."
Arcturus nodded his agreement. "Perhaps I'll reach out to the Bazire's. See what we can do for them."
Melania smiled at him. "Thank you, darling. It would ease my mind."
"Anything for you, my love," he promised. It made Orion giggle to see these two showing affection.
"Now, I think I would like to hear all about Orion. I would like to know how Sirius hid his son from us," Arcturus pronounced.
Orion giggled again. "I wasn't in hiding," he said. "Well, Sirius didn't know about me. He was in Azkaban and then he wasn't anymore," he tried to explain.
There was a loud sound then, like the jingling of bells. "Cookies should be ready to come out of the oven now," Melania said as the sound faded away. She immediately grabbed oven mitts and went to fetch the cookies from the oven.
"Perfect," Arcturus pronounced. "Dredd," he called out and a moment later there was a pop and a House-Elf appeared. Orion had slowly gotten used to seeing House-Elves since many attended to the noble clientele that had begun to frequent his father's shop. "Please get two glasses," he paused when Melania cleared her throat. "Yes, forgive me, dearest," the man said to Melania before turning back to the House-Elf. "Make that three glasses of milk and take them to the office."
"Very good, Lord Black," the House-Elf muttered.
"Come, boys," Arcturus invited them. "This sounds like it will be a long and interesting tale. Such things are always better with milk and cookies."
Orion smiled at that and he looked to Leonis who returned his smile. He waited for Leonis to climb down from the stool and then the two boys followed Arcturus from the room with Melania following a moment later with a platter filled with chocolate chip cookies.
The two men watched the children leave them and slowly they began strolling toward a far part of the property. Remus was grateful for that. He was pretty sure he was going to lose his temper with Sirius and he didn't want Orion or Leonis to hear or be able to see him when it happened.
"He's a cheeky little thing, isn't he?" Sirius said.
Remus smirked then. "Yes," he agreed. He looked at Sirius then and sighed. "Sometimes he has reminded me of you so much it ached inside."
Sirius blinked in clearly surprised by that. "I owe you an apology, Remus," he said softly.
Whatever for?" Remus asked him.
"The traitor," Sirius said. "I didn't want to at first, but eventually I did let myself believe that you could be the traitor in The Order. It was why James and I set things up the way we did. Instead of asking you to be the Secret Keeper with me as the Decoy, we asked Peter. I never should have doubted you. I knew what kind of man you were and yet I let myself,"
"Sirius," Remus said cutting him off and the two men came to a halt on an edge of the property that had a wall of stone keeping them from a long drop to the shore. They both looked out over the private beach and to the beautiful blue choppy waves of the Adriatic Sea below. "I forgave you for that a long time ago. Those were awful and frightening days. Besides, if I couldn't forgive you for that, then how could I ever ask you to forgive me for believing that you could have turned on James like that?"
Sirius cracked a sad smile then. "Forgiven of course," he said. They continued to watch the choppy waters lap at the shore. It was easier somehow to talk to each other this way, without looking at one another. They remained this way for several moments, just watching the water, gathering their thoughts for the hard conversation that they needed to have. Sirius turned at last to face him. Remus turned his attention to him as well and the two stared at one another for several long minutes.
At last Sirius broke the silence. "How is Orion mine?" he asked of him.
Remus's eyes filled with disgust once more and his hands clenched at his sides. "You always were the playboy, Sirius," he reminded his old friend. "Surely you can figure it out."
Sirius frowned at that. "I slept around, I won't deny that. I also don't think there is anything wrong with it. I never led a woman to believe she'd get more of me than a casual relationship," Sirius replied.
"You didn't initially know about Leonis and you didn't know about Orion either," Remus said with venom in his voice. "Tell me, Sirius, do you have any other unknown children running around?"
Sirius scowled at that. "Olivia didn't tell me about Leonis and apparently neither did Orion's mother. If they had then I would have done right by them both," Sirius seethed as he glared at Remus. "Family is important to me."
"Is it?" Remus asked in a raised voice venting his anger. "Is it really? Because I remember you turning your little brother away each time he approached you at school. I remember you ridiculing him. I also remember how you ran away from your parents at sixteen and vowed you wanted nothing more to do with your family."
Sirius looked as though Remus had struck him and in that moment, Remus felt a savage sort of pleasure in that. Sirius' hands clenched into fists at his sides and he said in a voice that had gone cold and lethal, "Never mention Regulus to me again."
Remus paused then and stared hard at Sirius. For a moment he wanted to push him about Regulus. He wanted to push because he could sense the wound was still as fresh for Sirius as the day he had learned that Regulus was dead. He wanted to give voice to all of those thoughts that he had kept quiet during their Hogwarts days. How often had he thought that Sirius was being too cruel to his younger brother, but he said nothing, too afraid that voicing disagreement with James and Sirius would lead to the loss of their friendship? In those early years he had feared the loss of the only friends he had ever made so he remained quiet. Then, by the time Remus did feel truly secure in his friendship with James and Sirius, Regulus had stopped coming near Sirius. The boy had been rejected so many times that he had finally stopped seeking Sirius's affection. Since he didn't come around anymore, Remus remained silent. Had he been a better friend to Sirius all those years ago, he wouldn't have remained silent. He would have spoken up when Sirius was pushing his baby brother away. He had been cowardly then and remained silent. He didn't have the right to say anything about it now. At last, he nodded his acceptance.
Sirius slowly seemed to calm down after Remus's acceptance that Regulus was a topic that was off limits. "My mother was abusive Remus, I had to get away. My failing, in the end, was that I blinded myself to certain truths. I told myself that Slytherin equaled evil and so all of them were evil. When Reg," he paused because it was hard to talk about Regulus even now. "When Regulus sorted into Slytherin it broke my heart because I believed Slytherin's were evil. I turned on my brother because of that stupid belief."
Remus felt a moment of remorse as Sirius explained and he shook his head as compassion arose within him for his old friend. "All of us thought that back then. Lily even stopped being friends with Snape over that belief. Oh, his calling her that name was just the final straw. You really didn't think Lily was so shallow that she would stop being friends with someone over that, did you?"
Sirius slowly shook his head in the negative. He sighed and looked at Remus. "You are angry with me about Orion. I want to know why. Please, Remus, just tell me why you are angry."
Remus felt the anger return with full force. The wolf inside clamoring to come out and attack. If Remus hadn't learned more control over the years it would be too dangerous for him to be standing there with Sirius, even now in broad daylight, so vicious was his anger at Sirius. He stared at him for several long moments and the blue of his eyes was slowly taken over by amber. "I'm angry at you yes," he admitted. "I don't want to be but I am. I am so angry at you Sirius."
Sirius frowned in confusion. "Why?" he asked again.
"Because you don't even remember her, do you?" Remus shouted at him suddenly. "You don't remember Ori's mother. You cannot recall her face or the sound of her voice. I bet you don't remember her name. I bet you didn't even bother to find out her name before you took her to your bed," Remus continued to shout. It felt so good to shout. It felt so very good to unleash his anger. "You don't remember her at all, do you? Do you?!"
Sirius slowly shook his head in the negative.
"That is why I am so angry at you, Sirius!" Remus shouted. "Because you don't even remember her, and I will never forget her," he declared, his voice shaking slightly. "I'll always remember the way she smiled and there was that dimple in her right cheek. I will always remember the way her eyes lit up when she was happy. The way the sunlight could shine on her hair and the scent of her. I'll always remember how she looked the day she died, too frail from the pregnancy," Remus shuddered then, and his eyes glazed over with tears. "But no matter how angry I am at you for not remembering her, I am angrier at myself because I didn't save her."
Sirius reached for him then and pulled Remus into his arms. Remus let him because as much as he felt anger toward Sirius, this was still his friend, still his brother in spirit. He collapsed against Sirius, crying against him. "I'm here, Remus," Sirius said softly. "I know it's a bit late and you'd rather have her back, but I'm here for you."
He had loved her. Oh Merlin! How he had loved Sylvia de Rais. His greatest regret in his life was that he had not done enough for her. Had she known he loved her? Had she really known? She deserved love and happiness. She had deserved to live, and watch Orion grow into a man she could be proud of. She was everything good and beautiful in the world. She was…she was just everything. His everything.
Slowly Remus began to calm and Sirius, at last, let him pull away. Remus wouldn't look at him at first but at last, he spoke a few simple words. "Thank you," he said, and Sirius nodded.
At last Sirius asked of him, "What was the name of the woman you loved?"
"Sylvia," Remus's voice broke as he said her name. It took him a few moments to regain his composure. "Her name was Sylvia de Rais. She split her time between Rennes and London. When in London she lived in the flat down the hall from your old flat. She was beautiful, delicate, and kind. I met her one day when I went to see you. She was moving into her flat and I helped her. She took me out for dinner as a thank you after that. We became friends. When I was in London I would visit her. I thought of her when I was away on missions for the Order. Sometimes I think that just thinking of her while I was away on those missions kept me alive. I would think of her and long to go home to her. Then one time I came back to give news of my mission to Dumbledore. Once he dismissed me I rushed to Sylvia. She was distressed because she was pregnant. She told me that she had engaged in a one-night stand with the handsome man that lived down the hall from her," at this, he glared at Sirius. "She knew she would need help raising the child and didn't know what she would do. I offered my help, little as it might be." Remus explained and then a wistful smile curved his lips. "She taught me my current trade."
"What is it that you do now?" Sirius asked curiously.
"I own deRais Books. It was left for me by Sylvia with the condition that I one day give the chain to Orion. It's a small chain but growing. Sylvia owned the store in Rennes and the one she had set up in London before her death. Now both stores are prosperous, though the Rennes store is more so because that is where my workshop is. I recently opened a deRais Books in the Magical center of Lyon. So far it is doing quite well," Remus explained to him. "She taught me how to repair old manuscripts and I have made a good deal of business from that."
"I am sorry that you lost her, Remus," he said gently. "I am thankful that you had her for that little time though, and I am glad that it was you that she confided in and not me," he admitted.
Remus was startled by Sirius's confession. "Why?"
Sirius shook his head and sighed. "I would have stood by her and offered her support, but it would have been the support of a stranger. We had only shared one night of passion and a few bits of conversation here and there over the course of a few weeks. If she had not pushed it that night, it wouldn't have happened and then there would be no Orion," Sirius explained. "You gave her what she really needed. She needed love and care and you were there."
Remus slowly nodded in understanding. "I wish I could have saved her," he admitted. "I never even told her that I," he trailed off, unable to say the words.
Sirius gave him a look of understanding. Remus supposed maybe he did. Both of them had loved and lost, hadn't they?
"I promised myself that I wouldn't keep Orion from you Sirius," Remus finally broached the topic that he had long feared. "Once I read about your exoneration and innocence, I knew that I would have to eventually tell you about Ori; I should have written to you. I should have, but I thought of you struggling to overcome what Azkaban must have done to you and I decided to wait. I really just waited because I wanted more time. I was scared you would take Orion from me," Remus admitted his cowardice.
Sirius winced at that last bit. "I might have thought to if you had written to me so I'm glad that you didn't," Sirius admitted to him. "When I was released from Azkaban, I wanted to take immediate custody of Harry and of Leonis, but I knew I'd have to get healthier first. Now," he paused for a moment and ran a hand through his black curls. "Now, I wouldn't part Harry from Petunia. She has taken good care of him while I was unable to do so, and it would hurt him to be parted from her. The same goes for Leonis. I still want him with me but whether I like it or not my Great-Aunt Cassiopeia has done a good job raising him thus far. I think you have done a great job with Orion, from what little I have seen of him. What I'm trying to say is," he looked deep into Remus's eyes and stated clearly "I don't want to take him away from you. He's your son, but he's my son too. I want to be able to get to know him. I want to be able to visit him and for him to visit me."
This was so far beyond any of Remus's imaginings. He had always thought that Sirius would snatch Orion away from him all while yelling at Remus for keeping him from him. Instead, Sirius was offering to let Remus remain as Orion's primary caretaker while Sirius would have the right to visit and get to know Orion. There was really only one way for him to respond to Sirius's proposal of how they would handle things with Orion. Remus nodded his agreement. "He wants to get to know you, but he said not if you were going to take him away from me," he admitted the last almost afraid that it would anger Sirius.
Sirius only nodded in perfect understanding. "We need to put things into writing," Sirius said. "I think we'll both feel better if things are legally ironed out to protect your rights to custody of Orion and my own to visitation."
Remus was relieved. "Thank you, Sirius," he said.
Sirius nodded. "We'll need to alert Lord Black of this as well," Sirius admitted with a grimace even as he motioned for him and Remus to walk back toward the house. "He'll need to know that there is another child of the House of Black, even if he is fostered by one Remus Lupin."
"Fostered?" Remus inquired, recognizing the old Wizarding Tradition. Sometimes children of the noble houses would be handed over to a worthy friend of the family to be raised. It was deemed a sign of great honor and respect to the friend, a sign that they and their skills were valued. That they were as dear as family. In another life perhaps, it would have been James who would have been granted a chance to foster one of Sirius's sons. "Isn't that a bit archaic?"
Sirius nodded agreement. "Yes, but if I pitch it that way then he might just decide to involve himself as little as possible in this matter."
"You don't sound very hopeful that he will," Remus observed as they entered the gardens.
Sirius started up the stairs with a sigh. "I'm not," he admitted. "I expect us to have to fight for this, but I know it is the right decision. Orion should not be uprooted, and you are in agreement that he should be allowed to know his other family so surely we can convince Lord Black," he said at last as he entered the study. He froze at the sight before him. Remus paused behind him and looked over his shoulder. He blanched at what he saw.
Sitting in one of the luxurious high-backed chairs near the fireplace was Sirius's grandfather, Arcturus Black. Seated on the sofa was his Grandmother, Melania Black and beside her was seated the two boys, Orion and Leonis. Melania seemed to be listening to the boys regale her with the tale of how they had met. Remus caught snippets of their conversation, but he couldn't really follow the flow because their presence in Sirius's home frightened him.
'Please, please don't let them take Orion away,' Remus thought. He had to remind himself that he had legal rights to Orion, as per the wishes of his dead mother. That thought was swiftly followed by the reminder of just how influential the Black family was. Lord Black could probably pay the right people to have his rights to Orion revoked.
"Grandfather, Grandmother," Sirius began but was interrupted by Lord Black.
"Sirius, Mr. Lupin, do come in. It seems we have a great deal to discuss," Arcturus Black III pronounced as he looked upon the two men.
Remus glanced at Sirius and noticed that Sirius had the same look of apprehension. Suddenly it felt as though both were back in Hogwarts and in trouble for a prank. Slowly both men entered the room and made themselves comfortable. Sirius took the high-backed chair across from Arcturus while Remus sat himself in a chair off to the side of the sofa.
"I am delighted to have another grandson, Sirius," Lady Black said in a voice full of pleasure. Then she surprised the grown men in the room by turning her blue-eyed gaze to Remus. "Mr. Lupin, will you please allow me to visit with my grandson and he with me? I will, of course, owl you or floo call you to confer schedules."
Lord Black blinked once as though in confusion before her words truly dawned on him. "Melania, my love, you are acting as though Mr. Lupin shall be keeping custody of Orion."
She looked away from a now tense Remus and smiled charmingly at her husband. "Well of course he is. Orion has obviously flourished under the care and attention of Mr. Lupin," she said, and Orion blushed with the praise.
Remus watched in confusion Lady Black seemed quite determined to champion him. It was the last thing he had expected. He was so sure that Sirius and his relatives would be eager to remove Orion from his care. He didn't really know how to handle this now that Sirius wanted to come to some sort of agreement of Fosterage and Lady Black seemed to agree that he was a good father for Orion.
"He has taken very good care of our little Orion," Melania continued. "It would only ruin things to remove Orion from Mr. Lupin's care," when it seemed that Arcturus would object she continued on. "Furthermore, I would think that Orion's mother must have left documentation to give Mr. Lupin custody of the child. No, darling, Orion must remain with Mr. Lupin, so long as Mr. Lupin is content with such an arrangement that is."
Remus slowly smiled at Melania. She was a goddess, he decided. She was a beautiful goddess. It was the only explanation for why she was able to look a man as powerful as Lord Black in the eye and champion Remus's cause. He was tempted to build the woman an altar. "Yes, My Lady Black, please, nothing would give me greater pleasure than to continue to raise Orion. And of course, you may visit him and he you," he told her.
"Splendid," Melania said with a bright smile and she looked to both boys who were smiling at her. "We'll have to have Leonis and Orion visit each other as well. I think they are already growing quite close," she said conversationally. "Arcturus my love, I am sure you can draw up the appropriate documents that will protect Mr. Lupin's rights to Orion while also protecting those of the House of Black."
Remus stole a glance at Lord Black and felt a moment of fear. It was clear that the man had initially had a very different idea in mind, but it seemed that for whatever reason, he didn't wish to upset his wife.
'She's definitely a goddess,' Remus thought feeling a little bit giddy as he realized that Lord Black was going to let his wife have her way in this matter.
"Once Mr. Lupin and Sirius have worked out an arrangement they deem suitable, then we'll take it to Marius to draw up," Lord Black proclaimed. "Will, that satisfy?"
Sirius nodded his agreement as did Remus. "Thank you, my love," Melania said with warmth in her voice. It was clear that she knew that her husband had capitulated to make her happy.
"Thank you, Lord Black," Remus said then to Arcturus. "I know that you probably have a great many reservations about leaving Orion in my care without fighting me for him, but I promise you that I love him very much and I would never willingly harm him."
Arcturus looked at Remus for a moment and nodded in acknowledgment of his words. "I am aware that you most likely have legal custody of the boy and it would take me more time and money than I want to spend to rip him from you, particularly as it would harm Orion in the process," Lord Black admitted. "Make no mistake though, some things shall change. For example, I know what you are. We will be discussing what you do with Orion during your full moon nights and whether that is suitable or not. I will not have Orion harmed by you unwillingly."
"Agreed," Remus said swiftly. "Believe me, Lord Black, I would end my own life if I hurt Orion unintentionally," Remus assured him. "He is precious to me."
Arcturus nodded. "Very well," he said then turned to his wife. "Melania love, perhaps you and the boys should return to the kitchen and see about the cookies you started baking.
Melania merely smiled and motioned for the children to follow her. At the door, Leonis looked back at Sirius and then he rushed back to him and put his arms around him in a hug. Sirius barely had the time to respond before Leonis had pulled back and returned to Melania and Orion. Sirius watched bemused as the three left the room. Remus smiled. It seemed that everything would be alright between Sirius and Leonis.
"Alright gentlemen," Arcturus said without preamble. "Let's begin sorting this out."
With those words, Sirius grimaced and Remus smiled. Sirius fetched parchment, ink, and quills from the escritoire in the corner of the room and he returned to the sofa with them. He sat upon the now vacated sofa and spread them out onto the coffee table. The next four hours were spent in debates, hammering out the details of the agreement that would allow Mr. Remus Lupin to keep custody of Orion Black without the Black family challenging him for said custody. The agreement also named Remus as a Vassal to Sirius Black, thus giving Remus the right to Foster Sirius's son by birth, Orion Remus deRais Black.
Remus didn't think for a second that Lord Black didn't understand why he had so easily capitulated to his terms. The terror over the thought of losing Orion had lingered over him for some time now. The chance to have it in writing that House Black would not just decide one day to rip his son out of his arms, out of their home, was too good to pass up on. He didn't care what fiery hoops Lord Black might put him through. So long as he got to keep his son, it would all be worth it. Orion was worth it.
Orion was worth everything.
He was grateful that the Vassalage was to Sirius and not to Lord Black. If it had been to Lord Black it could have transferred to the next Lord and the one after that. It being to Sirius meant that it would never transfer. It was good for Remus and Orion. Now with Remus as Sirius's Vassal, Remus would be protected from further potential harm from the House of Black. The Black family had never killed a Vassal of their own House and he felt confident that Arcturus Black wouldn't be the one to break that perfect record for anything less than the deepest of betrayals. Remus would never betray Sirius, so he knew he would be safe as his old friend's vassal.
Now Remus and Orion were safe under the banner of House Black, Remus would remain the primary custodian of Orion, and Sirius along with Arcturus and Melania would have access to Orion whenever they wished.
Remus couldn't quite believe how well everything had turned out. And to think, he owed it all to his son's chance meeting with Leonis Black outside of an antique shop.
Happy Holidays!
