A Moment in Time

7

When Tuesday morning loomed Sirius found himself feeling more than a little sad as he put his standard brown Auror robes on and dragged himself down the stairs with a sleepy Harry. On autopilot he placed the boy in his high chair and gave him his spoon to let him demolish his cereal. Sirius yawned as he drank his coffee and ate his toast.

It was 7am and Sirius was going back to work today which meant that he wouldn't be seeing as much of Harry as he would have liked. He had mixed feelings about going back, he needed to because now that Lily and James were gone he was the person who needed to support Harry. Regulus physically couldn't get a job at the moment and Sirius knew that Remus would help if he could, but due to his condition he couldn't find work.

Sirius sighed, he was going to miss the boy more than he would admit.

"Morning," Remus said with a yawn as he walked into the dining room and sat down, he looked awful but Sirius knew it was because of the full moon tomorrow.

"You look terrible," Sirius said, a hint of concern making its way into his voice.

"Thanks," Remus joked with a weak chuckle, "I'm more worried than usual about this it this month, I don't want to hurt Harry."

"I'm sure you won't," Sirius said, "I'll be with you, like I always am."

"First moon without James and Peter though," Remus said, looking sadly at Sirius, "It's just the two of us now."

Pain flashed through Sirius's eyes, "You will be fine. Reg said he would watch Harry so you and I can go into the woods behind the Quidditch pitch and have a run around, like we always do."

"But what if I hurt someone?" Remus asked anxiously.

"You won't," Sirius assured him, "The Manor is in the middle of nowhere and I'll be there like I always am. It will be fine Remus, I promise."

"Alright," Remus reasoned gently as he tried to hide the small smile of fondness that had slipped onto his face.

Sirius looked away from his other half to glance at the time. He sighed, "I'm going to have to leave."

"He'll still be here when you come home Sirius," Remus assured him.

Sirius glanced to the boy who had now finished his breakfast, "I know," he said as he cleaned Harry and vanished the dishes to the kitchen.

He lifted Harry out of the high chair and managed to smile at him, "Goodbye Harry," he said, "You be good for Remus and Uncle Regulus, I'll see you really soon."

Sirius then kissed Harry on the cheek and handed him to Remus. The moment Remus took Harry he began to cry which broke Sirius's heart a little but he needed to go to work, he sighed and walked out of the door.

"NO! SIRI!" Harry shouted and Sirius continued to walk but Harry's continuous shouts upset him more and more. Eventually he got to the front door and left, he had never felt so guilty. As he walked down the path and apparated to the Ministry he embarrassedly wiped his eyes, what was wrong with him? Sirius Black did not cry!

He clocked in, had his wand checked and got into an elevator. It was about to close when someone pushed their way in and frowned at him, "You alright, Sirius?"

Sirius frowned, "Fine," he lied.

"You've always been a terrible liar," Frank said, raising an eyebrow at him, "And you know you can't lie to me, I'm your Auror partner."

Sirius sighed, "It was just Harry…he didn't cope well with me leaving this morning. He kept crying and shouting my name."

Frank looked at him sympathetically, "I guess it makes sense. The last people who left him were his parents and they…."

"Never came back," Sirius finished, clearing his throat.

"Yeah," Frank said quietly, "But I'm sure he'll settle when he realises that you're going to come back in the evenings. Neville was a little terror for his Gran when Alice and I went back to work."

Sirius nodded, "I hope so, I can't deal with that every morning."

Frank smiled, "Having kids softens you Sirius, but I must say that I never thought I'd see the day that a child brought you to your knees."

Sirius smiled weakly, "He's a special kid though Frank."

"I know," Frank agreed, "But take your mind off of him for the moment, yeah? You're back at work and oh boy, you have so much catching up to do here. I think we've caught about 24 Death Eaters, we're chasing down another 10 at the moment and trying to lure the rest out of hiding."

That cheered Sirius up. He did as Frank said as they stepped out of the elevator and walked towards the Auror cubicles, "Come on then, let's get to work."


"No, no Harry, stop crying," Remus was saying as he handed Harry a cuddly toy, he had tried everything he could think of, he had tried to rock him and lift him up and put him down to run around but Harry still screamed. Regulus had come down to help but he hadn't been able to calm the baby either. Harry was red in the face and would only stop screaming to take a breath and prepare for the next scream. Remus knew that if Sirius had been in this situation he would have put earplugs in and waited for it to stop but Remus was far too motherly for that, he was worried Harry would hurt himself or make himself sick screaming.

Harry accepted the toy that Regulus had given him only to throw it at Remus and hit him in the face with it. He had briefly stopped crying but he began to scream holy murder again and Remus groaned, he really needed Sirius right now, he couldn't cope with the full moon tomorrow and a screaming, distraught child on top of that.

Eventually Remus and Regulus could no longer take any more of it, "Right!" Remus shouted, "That's it!" He picked Harry up and stormed up the stairs, he dressed himself and then forced clothes onto a screaming, wriggling Harry and then appeared back in the living room, "You better stay here Regulus."

Regulus nodded glumly and Remus left the house as fast as he could, apparating to the first place he thought of.

When Remus knocked on the door of The Burrow he was met with a security question, "State who you are with proof."

"It's Remus John Lupin," Remus called over Harry's screams, "I am otherwise known as Moony because I'm a werewolf."

There was a pause and the door opened. Molly looked suspiciously at him and Remus sighed, "It was weak I know but I am worked off my feet with Harry right now."

Molly looked from the screaming child to the exhausted Remus and stood back to let him in, "I'm sorry Remus, I'm still paranoid even though they say he's dead," She admitted.

"I understand," Remus said, looking desperately at Molly "Is there anything you can do to make him stop crying. I've tried everything."

Molly smiled as she took the boy from Remus, "Why and when did he start?" she asked.

"About 7.30 this morning when Sirius left for his first day back at work," Remus said.

"So you really are raising Harry together?" She asked as she held Harry in a certain way and patted his back. He continued to scream but it got quieter and quieter until he was finally calm.

"That's amazing," Remus said in awe, "And yes, we're living at Potter Manor with Harry. Regulus is staying with us too."

"I had heard that he was alive," Molly said, "And he handed a lot of Death Eaters over to the Ministry."

"He is trying really hard to make amends," Remus admitted, "But Sirius is struggling to forgive him. He's on house arrest under Sirius's supervision and…well it hasn't been easy."

"I can imagine," Molly said softly, "This poor thing has been screaming himself sick. I can understand why he got attached to Sirius so quickly though…after what he must have gone through already in his young life."

Remus nodded and glanced around, the house was relatively quiet, "Where are your bunch?" He asked.

Molly smiled, "It's quiet for a change now that Bill is at Hogwarts."

She led Remus into the living room which was empty, "Charlie and Percy are upstairs entertaining Fred and George, and Ron and Ginny are sleeping."

"You look marvellous for someone who has just given birth by the way." Remus said to Molly who beamed and blushed, "Oh thank you Remus."

"What age is Ron now?" Remus asked as he watched Molly gently rock Harry, she had far too much experience with this.

"He's 1 and half." Molly said, "Around Harry's age I imagine."

Remus nodded, "About 4 months apart, I suspect they'll be in the same year at Hogwarts."

Molly nodded again, "Who knows, they might be friends."

Remus opened his mouth to tell Molly about Harry's new friends when a baby started to cry in a nearby room. The cry set off another cry and it was clear both Ginny and Ron had woken up. Molly sighed as she handed Harry back to Remus, "I'm going to have to run Remus," she apologised.

"No problem Molly," Remus said and he thanked her for what she had done for Harry then left The Burrow and apparated back to Potter Manor.

Harry had fallen asleep in Molly's arms and Remus was being very careful as he walked up the path and into the Manor so as not to wake him. Remus got to the entrance hall and breathed a sigh of relief that Harry was still asleep; finally he would get some rest.

A loud crack sounded and Velda appeared. Harry started to scream again as he woke up.

Remus growled in frustration, "I'd just gotten him to sleep, he's been screaming all morning!"

"Velda is very sorry Master Remus!"

Remus groaned and put Harry down in his cot, closing the door and placing a muffliato charm on the room so he didn't have to listen to Harry's screaming anymore. He sighed as he sat in the library with his head in his hands, he couldn't raise a baby, he didn't even know how to make Harry stop crying. Sirius and Regulus had this covered, they didn't need him here.

Remus felt sick and his head was killing him, he needed to get away, far away, he didn't want to hurt Harry.


Regulus was concerned after Remus's breakdown. He stepped into the nursery and picked Harry up. He glanced down at the boy, "Stop crying. It will not get you any sympathy from me."

Harry stopped crying for a moment then started again. Regulus just looked at him and said, "No."

Harry seemed to think about it for a few minutes and then decided to stop crying. Regulus breathed a sigh of relief and gave Harry his morning snack. He ended up with spat out crackers covering his face and robes. After that Harry began to roar and scream once more and nothing Regulus did would stop him. He rolled his eyes and took Harry out of the Manor, he apparated to Malfoy Manor and hoped against all hope that Narcissa was in.

When he knocked on the door and Narcissa answered he was extremely grateful, "Oh Narcissa, thank Merlin you're in. I can't get Harry to stop crying, Sirius is the only one who can stop him and he's working."

Narcissa chuckled, "Come in Regulus," she said.

He followed Narcissa into the living room and the moment that Harry saw Draco he stopped crying and his eyes lit up, "DWACO!" He shouted, trying to wriggle out of Regulus's arms.

"HAWWY!" Draco called back making Narcissa smile.

Regulus put Harry down and let him toddle over to Draco where he seemed back to himself again. Regulus practically collapsed onto Narcissa's sofa, "That's better," he sighed.

"They seem at ease with each other," Narcissa commented as she watched the two boys.

Regulus couldn't help but agree, "I'm glad Harry has a friend," he said.

"As I am that Draco has Harry," Narcissa said, "Why was he so upset? Because Sirius left?"

Regulus nodded, "From what Remus said he hadn't stopped screaming since Sirius left for work this morning. Remus seems stressed out of his mind, he just left Harry in his room and put a silencing charm up. I was worried so I tried to calm him down."

"Harry is clearly attached to his Godfather," Narcissa reasoned, "But when he realises that Sirius will come home at the end of the day, he won't cry all day long."

"I hope so," Regulus said, rubbing his eyes, "I think Sirius is struggling with the separation too. I have never really seen a fatherly side of my brother until now. He has floo-ed 3 times to ask how Harry is. I lied of course, I didn't want him worrying when he should be working."

Narcissa nodded, "I think that is the right thing to do but don't worry, Harry will settle eventually."

"I hope so," Regulus yawned.

Narcissa reached across and took his hand, "I am glad you visited Regulus. I wanted to talk to you about my divorce to Lucius. I need a witness to sign the papers at the Ministry and I was hoping you would fulfil the role for me."

"Don't you need the Husband to sign before it can be legalised?" Regulus asked keeping a close eye on Harry.

"Usually," Narcissa replied, "But if you have exceptional circumstances and can provide proof, it can be legalised without the signature."

"Well, you certainly have exceptional circumstances," Regulus said softly, "Of course I will be your witness. Just let me know when you need me, I'll probably need Sirius to supervise me."

"Of course," Narcissa smiled, "Thank you Regulus."


"Letter for you Auror Black!"

Sirius accepted the letter from the Junior Auror, "Cheers Rhona."

"Who's writing to you?" Frank asked noisily from the cubicle next to his.

"Looks like Remus's writing," Sirius said, opening the letter and glancing down at it.

Dear Sirius,

I'm sorry to run off without saying goodbye but I can't be around Harry, the full moon is coming up and it's just too difficult. I'm sure you and Regulus will cope fine, just take care of Harry and don't come looking for me, it's too dangerous.

Yours,

Remus.

"Shit!" Sirius cursed.

"What is it?" Frank asked.

"Remus has decided to run away," Sirius said, the fear flashing through his eyes clear to Frank. Very few people knew about Sirius and Remus's relationship, Frank and his wife Alice were included in that few.

"Why would he run away?" Frank asked with a frown.

"He's worried that he isn't good enough for Harry," Sirius said, throwing on his robes, "I need to go and find him Frank, will you cover for me?"

"Of course I will, you idiot," Frank said, patting Sirius on the back, "Go find him."


Narcissa Malfoy spent her day having a good time with her son and his new best friend. She had offered to look after Harry for the rest of the day to let Regulus have a bit of a break. He had gone back to Potter Manor before he went over the hour limit of his house arrest and she had been left alone with the two children.

Narcissa was starting to view Harry as a second son, goodness knew that he needed a mother figure in his life; he couldn't grow up under the influence of 3 men. Narcissa magically expanded Draco's pushchair so the boys could sit next to each other in it, she sat both the boys inside and put a hat on Harry to cover his scar so that he didn't get any unwanted attention. Narcissa had then taken the boys to Diagon Alley, she'd bought both of the boys a small ice-cream and had let them get messy. Then she had taken them to the soft play area in Diagon Alley before buying them both toy wands that shot harmless sparks.

When it came to 6pm Narcissa apparated to a muggle park with a pushchair in her magically extended bag. Once she had apparated, she took the pushchair out and put the two boys inside. It was cosy but they both fitted into it quite nicely.

"Good evening, Narcissa."

Narcissa smiled at her companion, "Good evening, Alice."

"How are you feeling about life today?" Alice asked, falling into step with the woman.

"Very good," Narcissa replied, "With Lucius gone, things are starting to slot into place again. I do appear to have gained a second son though."

Alice smiled, "I think he needs a Motherly figure in his life. It wouldn't be good for him, growing up with three men."

"I was thinking something similar," Narcissa admitted.

"Have the nightmares stopped?" Alice asked, this was an informal care meeting after all. Narcissa was grateful that it was also the last of these meetings, although she had come to view Alice as a friend.

"Not entirely," Narcissa replied, "But I have been sleeping far better lately."

"Good," Alice said cheerfully, "And are your feelings towards Draco healthy enough?"

Narcissa sighed, "You always ask that question Alice. How many times do I have to say that I don't resent him for what his Father did?"

"I know that it is always your reply," Alice said, "But I can understand if you find it difficult to love him at times due to the nature of his conception."

"Lucius caused me a lot of pain," Narcissa said, looking down at the boys in the pushchair, "But I don't resent him for giving me the one little ray of joy in my life. Maybe I should, maybe it would be healthy of me to do so but I don't."

"That's a very mature outlook," Alice noted.

Narcissa nodded thoughtfully. The two boys began to pretend to duel each other in the pushchair.

Alice chuckled, "You bought them toy wands?"

Narcissa smiled, "I've had Harry all day. I took the two boys to Diagon Alley this afternoon for a bit of a change of scenery. I gather Regulus and Remus needed a break, Harry and Sirius have been having separation issues."

"That explains why Sirius has looked so glum all day," Alice laughed.

Narcissa chuckled, "Speaking of Sirius, I ought to get Harry back to him. Are we finished here?"

"We're finished," Alice promised, "I'm going to sign you off because I think you're perfectly healthy. I have no further concerns for follow up meetings but-"

"If I ever need you, I will get in contact," Narcissa promised before Alice could finish.

Alice smiled, "That is very good to hear."

Narcissa smiled back at her, "Thank you for everything that you have done, Alice."

"Don't thank me Narcissa," Alice said, "It has been my pleasure."


Sirius Black was more than a little bit of a mess as he tried to find Remus Lupin, for all he knew the man's letter could have meant anything, he didn't know where Remus was or how long he was going to be gone for and the thought of raising Harry without Remus was horrible.

Sirius felt like he was running around like a headless chicken trying to find the man, he'd had no success at the shrieking shack, The Leaky Cauldron, The Hogs Head or The Three Broomsticks. Sirius then checked the flat that he and Remus had shared before Lily and James's death, going back there felt strange, it felt like a lifetime ago they have lived here, a different lifetime, a lifetime when Lily and James had been alive and happy and everything had been normal. Sirius sighed as he looked around the place; it was exactly as he'd left it on that fateful Saturday night. Sirius found some small comfort at the flat; he found some of Remus's things which had previously been at Potter Manor which meant that he'd been here recently.

With some hope Sirius checked all the bars in the area but couldn't find Remus anywhere, he began to give up again until he had a brainwave. The graveyard. He apparated to Godric's Hollow and ran through the kissing gate into the quiet little graveyard.

Just as he got his breath back it began to snow. Sirius jogged up the little hill and saw Remus, kneeling on the hard ground in front of James and Lily's graves.

"I've been looking for you for hours," Sirius said quietly causing Remus to jump.

He stood up to look at Sirius, "I'm sorry, I'm just so scared of hurting Harry when I transform."

"When you..." Sirius trailed off, "Wait...You were only planning on being gone a few days?"

Remus frowned, "Yes, I was going to come back on Thursday, what did you think I meant?"

Sirius laughed with relief, "Merlin Remus I'm relieved," he sighed as he pulled the man into a tight hug, "When I read that letter I thought you meant you were leaving indefinitely."

Remus realised why he had been so worried now and his eyes widened. He hugged Sirius back and murmured, "Oh. I'm sorry; I probably should have worded that letter better."

The two men began to walk out of the graveyard together, subconsciously joining hands as they did so.

"Yeah, that might have helped," Sirius said, "But on the bright side, I've had a hell of a work out today."

Remus chuckled at the comment, "I'm sorry, I bet I was in the last place you looked too."

"Tell me about it," Sirius said as the couple reached the square where the church stood, the church Lily and James's wedding and funeral had been in.

"Have you seen the monument for Lily and James?" Remus asked quietly as the snow began to come down faster, Sirius shook his head and turned to where Remus was pointing. He felt a lump in his throat when he saw the statue of Lily and James holding a baby Harry, it was incredibly sad.

"Do you want to go home for the night?" Sirius asked.

"Yes," Remus confessed, but neither of them took their eyes off of the statue as they apparated out of the square.


"Uh hi. It's me, Regulus, from the funeral," Regulus said into the flames. He had finally gotten up the courage to floo Marlene but she hadn't been in so he was now left to leave this incredibly awkward message.

"I know we agreed to meet up but I forgot to tell you that I'm…well I'm kind of under house arrest. Well, not kind of, I actually am, under house arrest that is," Regulus ran his hand through his hair, "So I can't leave without Sirius which means he would have to come with us and I got the impression you think he's an arsehole and I definitely think he's an arsehole so that's…. well, it's a bad idea."

He exhaled a breath and finished, "So the only other option I have is to invite you here, because you know…I can't leave here. Sirius would be here but I think Remus would maybe be able to control him and keep him out of the way so that would be beneficial. Oh and you would have to be okay with babies because Harry lives here, obviously."

The front door clicked open, signifying the return of Sirius and Remus. Regulus rushed to finish the floo call before they could find out what he had been doing, "Um…anyway, I hope that sounds okay to you so…um…floo me back and let me know if you do want to come over with the time – oh and the day too, of course. Anytime is okay for me obviously because I'm stuck here…all day, every day. Right, well I'll be going now, bye."

The floo cut out and Regulus let his head fall into his hands, that had been terrible.

"Smooth," Sirius said, smirking in the doorway of the kitchen.

"Yeah, we need to help you before your date," Remus agreed.

"What date?" Regulus asked irritably, "She isn't going to want to go on one with me after that."

"She'll probably find you bumbling but endearing," Sirius said, an amused smile playing on his lips, "Like I did with Remus."

"Bumbling but endearing," Remus mused, "Thanks, Sirius."

"Anyway, there's no point in hanging around here waiting for a reply," Remus said, "Marlene is probably out and-"

The fire behind them roared and turned green. A voice said, "Marlene McKinnon."

"Get out," Regulus said, shoving them towards the door.

"But we want to hear how it goes!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Out!" Regulus said, slamming the door on their faces and returning to the fire. He took a breath to steady himself and accepted the floo call.

Marlene's smiling face appeared in the flames, "Nice message, I nearly got to the floo in time but I was gardening, sorry."

Regulus's cheeks flushed, "So you were sitting listening to that whole thing?"

Marlene grinned, "Yes, I was. You really know how to express yourself," she said sarcastically.

Regulus ran his hands through his hair again, "It has never exactly been my strong point and as I told you, I did spend the last 2 years with only a house elf for company."

"I was just teasing," Marlene said with a kind smile, "That whole house arrest thing is a bummer though, isn't it?"

"It isn't too bad," Regulus lied, "I can leave for an hour unsupervised but after that I need to have Sirius with me."

"Yeah, you are so not bringing him on our date by the way," Marlene said matter of factly.

Regulus's eyes lit up, "So you're coming here?"

"Yep, 7.30pm on Saturday," Marlene decided.

Regulus smiled, "Sounds great."

Marlene opened her mouth to say something else but then spotted something over Regulus's shoulder. She glared and said, "And just because you're under house arrest doesn't mean people are allowed to listen in on your conversations. Bugger off Black."

Regulus spun around and saw Sirius sheepishly emerge from a nook in the wall.

"Seriously Sirius?" Regulus asked irritably.

"Well I just had to see how my old flame was getting on," Sirius joked.

Marlene rolled her eyes, "Black, we were never even a spark. Has it crossed your mind that some women prefer a man she can talk to, to an arrogant pig who spends his days staring at her chest?"

Sirius grinned, "Well Marlene, you did have a wonderful-"

"Shut up!" Marlene and Regulus chorused.

Sirius rolled his eyes and slunk out of the room. Marlene shook her head and looked at Regulus, "How could Hogwarts most womanising fool go from that to being completely in love with our resident werewolf?"

Regulus laughed, "The phrase Alice and Frank use is Remus-sexual."

Marlene snorted, "That's accurate, see you on Saturday Regulus."

"See you on Saturday," Regulus agreed, beaming from ear to ear as the floo disconnected.


"How was Harry today?" Sirius asked in a whisper as he looked into the nursery.

Remus sighed, "Not great, honestly."

Sirius frowned at his other half, "What do you mean?"

"He cried, all day," Remus admitted, "I took him to Molly's but the moment I got back here, Velda appeared and it woke him up. He started crying again and I put him down to sleep, hoping eventually he would just cry himself out. After that Regulus took him to Narcissa's and she offered to keep him for the rest of the day. She brought him home just before you and I got home, according to Regulus."

Sirius sighed, "Maybe I should quit…"

"You can't," Remus reminded him, "I can't find a job and Regulus isn't allowed to work. How would we support Harry if you quit?"

"I have a meeting at the bank tomorrow," Sirius admitted, "About James and Lily's accounts. As Harry's Godfather, I'm in charge of the finances until he turns 17. There is a lot of money in those accounts Remus."

"And it's Harry money," Remus reminded him.

"I don't want to spend it on extravagant things for myself," Sirius said, "I want to spend it on Harry, I don't earn that much as an Auror anyway. My wages aren't enough to cover everything."

"I'm sorry," Remus sighed.

"It isn't a jibe," Sirius promised him, "It's not your fault our government is a corrupt heap of shit that views werewolves in the same light as they view muggles and squibs."

"I wish I could help though," Remus frowned, "I can't even help with Harry…he's a baby and it's hard work, Sirius. That's why I've been thinking…"

Sirius frowned at him and stepped into their bedroom across the hall. Remus followed him and shut the door so that they could talk freely without waking Harry from his sleep, "You better not say you've been thinking of sending him away."

"No," Remus said, aghast at the thought, "I've been wondering if we should invite Narcissa and Draco to live in Potter Manor with us. Narcissa is selling Malfoy Manor and she has nowhere to go, and we need her to help us with Harry. Apart from you, she's the only one who can stop him crying, get him to eat and put him to sleep."

Sirius sighed, "That's a big ask Remus. I'm only just beginning to have a relationship with her after so many years…I'm not sure I trust her."

"Think of how many times she's helped us out when we've been in a tough spot," Remus pointed out, "Every single time, Harry has come back happy and healthy. Look at how much she loves her own little boy, look at how close Harry and Draco are becoming. I think it would be good, for all of us."

Sirius still looked unsure as he walked to the window and looked out at the sunset.

"Think about everything Lucius put her through," Remus said quietly, "Why would she feel any sense of love or loyalty to him? She was never a Death Eater, she was just forced into that life by her parents. Surely you understand that? If you hadn't run away you would have been married off too, to someone you could never love."

"I know, Remus," Sirius said in a quiet voice, "It's just that…I trust you completely and as much as I say I can't forgive Regulus…he's my baby brother."

"I know," Remus said softly, moving towards the window and wrapping his arms around Sirius.

The dark haired man sighed, "I don't know Narcissa that well and…we were just betrayed by someone we thought we could trust. It's going to take me a while to learn to trust again Remus, I can't handle the thought of being betrayed again…of someone taking you away from me."

Remus tightened his grip on Sirius and murmured, "That's never going to happen, I promise."

Sirius closed his eyes and sighed contently, praying that Remus was right.

TBC.