A Moment in Time
9
It was Friday the 13th and things were not going well for Sirius Black. His new contracted hours were Monday to Thursday to accommodate looking after Harry. It meant he worked long days but he got to spend every weekend with his Godson and that made it worthwhile.
On this particular Friday, Remus was milling around the library reading books and Regulus was working hard on restoring the west wing. It had been a few days since Narcissa's visit to the Ministry and she was spending all of her time trying to find someone who wanted to buy Malfoy Manor.
Sirius made his way downstairs with Harry whistling a tune he had heard Remus sing sometimes. His morning started out quite like any other morning, he put Harry in his chair, got him his cereal and then, with his toast and coffee at the table, he made to sit down in his usual chair.
The moment his bottom touched the chair Sirius yelped in shock as the chair collapsed underneath him, "Shit!" he cursed loudly.
He then swore under his breath when Harry shouted, "Shit!" and clapped his hands, giggling at his Godfather, "Again!" he shouted.
Sirius got up, rubbing his back and said, "No Harry, not again."
Harry objected to his Godfathers refusal to entertain him and sulked, deciding to rebel by not eating any of his breakfast. Sirius didn't pander to this; he seemed to be the only one who could be strict when he needed to be.
Next Sirius dressed Harry in his mini Quidditch robes and made sure he was covered in padding. Once they were downstairs he put him down to let the little boy run outside to the Quidditch pitch with Sirius jogging behind him to keep up.
Once at the pitch Sirius grabbed Harry's junior broom from the shed and popped the little boy on it, transforming the ground into a large padded pillow as Harry started to zoom around and laugh like crazy.
Sirius grinned, "Wait for me Harry," he called as he jumped onto his own broomstick which sped right up into the air and started to do loops of its own accord.
Sirius shrieked like a girl as Harry laughed and shouted, "Funny Siri!"
"Not funny Harry!" Sirius shouted as the broom began to dive bomb towards the ground, Sirius decided his best option was to abort the mission. So when the broom neared the ground he let go of the handle and let himself fall onto the soft landing of the giant pillow.
"Again! Again!" Harry was shouting as Remus rushed out to the pitch, "What happened?" he asked, looking at Sirius lying on the pillow with his broom twitching next to him.
"I'm cursed!" Sirius exclaimed, jumping to his feet.
"What?" Remus asked, frowning at the man.
"It's Friday the 13th Remus!" Sirius said, "And this morning when I sat on my chair it collapsed, then my broom threw me off!"
Remus gave Sirius a small smile, "Don't be silly Sirius, curses don't exist."
"The ancient Egyptian ones do! I've seen the pyramids!" Sirius said, glancing up at Harry who was still flying in circles, now he had taken both hands off of the broom and was just using his legs.
"You think the ancient Egyptians have cursed you?" Remus asked in amusement, his eyes also on the cheeky little boy flying circles around them.
"It's a possibility!" Sirius said indignantly.
Remus laughed, "I highly doubt it, do you want me to watch Harry for a while so you can go have a nap?"
"I'm not going insane Remus," Sirius insisted with a glare.
Remus nodded sympathetically, tapping Sirius on the shoulder, "I know Sirius, but you were up with Harry last night, I think you might be a little paranoid."
"Remus I'm not paranoid!" Sirius said huffily, "Harry, come down here!" he called and a second later Harry was lying on the pillow.
"He hasn't mastered the art of flying down the way yet," Sirius explained as he picked Harry up and put the brooms away in the shed, "So he lands by letting go of the broom, he thinks it's fun."
Remus rolled his eyes in amusement as the 3 of them made their way back to the house, "Definitely a Gryffindor trait, it's scary how alike he is to James, isn't it?"
The melancholy mood that took over them when James or Lily was mentioned fell at once upon Remus's words. Sirius nodded, "Yeah, he reminds me of him a lot."
"Just remember, he isn't James," Remus said firmly, "You haven't got James back, Harry isn't him."
"I know," Sirius said darkly, "It doesn't mean I like it, but I know."
"Good," Remus said with a smile, "Are you sure you're okay to look after Harry?"
"I'm fine," Sirius insisted.
Remus nodded, "Well in that case I'm off to Hogwarts."
"Why?" Sirius asked suspiciously.
"To sleep with that old flame of mine clearly, I mean I haven't seen Severus in years," Remus said sarcastically but Sirius didn't laugh. He let out a low growl which sent shivers down Remus's spine, "It was a joke, Sirius."
"It wasn't a funny one," Sirius said irritably, "Is Snivellus still working up there?"
"So I hear," Remus replied, "Do you still despise him?"
"Yes," Sirius said firmly, "Do you still feel sorry for him?"
"No," Remus admitted, "He's an adult now but he was just a kid when you and James bullied him senseless during school."
Sirius looked irritated about the subject so Remus said, "I am going up to Hogwarts to talk to Severus though. I'm helping him with a potion that could make my transformations less painful."
"Right," Sirius frowned, "Just make sure you keep a close eye on what he puts in it. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to poison you."
"I will be on my guard," Remus promised with a fond smile, "But your concern is touching."
Sirius smiled slightly, "Well, good luck," he said, putting Harry down briefly on the ground to give Remus a quick kiss goodbye.
"EW! YUCK! KISSING, YUCK!" Harry shouted causing Sirius to grin in amusement.
"His speaking is really coming on," Remus chuckled as they headed into the Manor together.
"That's a dangerous thought," Sirius said, eyeing Harry carefully, "I really need to be careful what I say around him now."
"Yes," Remus said, narrowing his eyes at him, "You do. I'll see you tonight for dinner."
"See you tonight," Sirius said, waving at Remus as he headed out of the front door.
Sirius then looked down at Harry and said, "Come on you, time for a swim."
The day didn't continue as planned for Sirius who fell into the pool after transfiguring a float to hold Harry, then he spilled tea down his front as he fed Harry lunch, then he tripped on his way up the stairs to change Harry's nappy.
The final straw for Sirius came just after he had fed Harry dinner and was waiting for Remus to return from Hogwarts. While making his way to the door to open it after the bell rang Sirius had 3 accidents. First he fell over something invisible and landed flat on his face on the floor, second he skidded across the floor, and 3rd he hit his head against the hard wooden door with a loud curse.
Rubbing the spot on his head where he had hit it Sirius opened the door and was surprised to see Narcissa standing there looking lovely and holding a smartly dressed Draco. Sirius took in her floor length black dress and heavy black winter cloak with a fur trim and frowned, "Are we entertaining tonight?"
Narcissa blushed deeply, "Oh! I'm sorry...Regulus invited Draco and I for dinner tonight...he didn't tell you?"
Sirius shook his head, "No, he didn't but it isn't a problem, come in," he smiled warmly at his cousin and opened the door wider for her to enter the house.
Luckily Sirius was a pretty good all-round wizard and in 5 minutes he had the table ready and the dining room fit for entertaining. Draco looked incredibly adorable in little green dress robes and Sirius excused himself to change Harry into his black and red ones, while he too flung on a set of black dress robes with a pale purple trim.
After Sirius had gotten Narcissa a glass of wine and they were sitting at the table with the two boys playing in front of them, he felt a lot more relaxed.
"How was your day?" Narcissa asked, hiding a smile behind her wine glass.
"Not one of my best," Sirius said with a sigh, "I sat on my chair this morning and it collapsed, then my broom threw me off, I fell into the swimming pool, spilled tea all down myself, fell up the stairs and as I was answering the door to let you in tripped, skidded across the floor and hit my head off of the door."
Narcissa laughed, "I wondered what the thud was."
Sirius shook his head, still not believing the amount of bad luck he'd gotten today, "It's Friday the 13th, I'm sure I'm cursed."
Narcissa smirked and Sirius narrowed his eyes at her, "Do you know something?" he asked.
"No," Narcissa said honestly, still smiling, "But you are a Marauder and do the Marauders not delight in pranking one another?"
"Yes, but..." Sirius began, trailing off as he realised what Narcissa was suggesting, "They planned this! Remus and Reg, they've been planning this together!"
Narcissa laughed once more, "On the bright side, at least you aren't cursed," she said cheerily.
"True," Sirius admitted, "But those two will pay for this one…"
At his words the door to the house opened and Remus met Regulus in the entrance hall. The two wizards stepped into the dining room, Regulus wearing black dress robes and Remus wearing black dress robes with a light blue trim.
"Thank you for telling me that we were entertaining tonight," Sirius said to Regulus.
Regulus had the grace to look sheepish, "I may have forgotten to mention that in my haste to get the west wing ready for Narcissa and Draco."
"Clearly," Sirius mumbled as the doorbell rang once more.
"Ah, that will be Frank and Alice," Remus said with a smile as he made his way out of the room to answer the door.
"I know it was you and Remus who pranked me to think that I was cursed by the way," Sirius said to Regulus with a glare, "Mark my words I'll get you back."
"I am sure you will," Regulus said smoothly, pouring himself a glass of wine as Frank and Alice walked into the room with little Neville running in front of them. The moment he saw Draco he ran over to him. Harry clearly felt left out because he struggled to get out of Sirius's arms so he wouldn't miss out on any of the fun.
"You look lovely tonight Alice," Sirius said as he kissed Alice on the cheek.
"Thank you Sirius," Alice said with a smile as she accepted the glass of wine he handed her.
"Oi Black, stop flirting with my wife," Frank joked.
Alice chuckled, "I don't think I'm his type," she said as she glanced at Remus.
The werewolf smiled to himself, "Yes you're probably right."
The only people who knew about Sirius and Remus's relationship were the current company, the McKinnon's, Dumbledore and Peter which meant that Voldemort had probably known too, or did know if he really was still alive out there. It was the 1980's, but the wizarding world was behind the Muggle world and in wizarding society their relationship would have been highly frowned upon.
"Are we waiting for anymore mystery guests?" Sirius asked, glancing around the table and spotting two more place settings.
Seconds after he had spoken the doorbell rang for the third time. Remus smiled to himself, "That will be Marls and Matt, I'll grab the door."
Regulus's eyes widened, "Marlene is coming? You didn't tell me that Remus!"
Remus smirked and slipped out of the room. Sirius snorted in amusement as Alice started on his little brother, "Why would Marlene being here be a problem?"
"Haven't you heard about Marlene and Reg's big date tomorrow night?" Sirius asked with a grin.
Alice rose an eyebrow, "Really?"
Regulus looked highly embarrassed, "As far as I know she is coming here for dinner tomorrow night."
Frank smiled broadly, "Good on you Regulus!"
Regulus was unsure if Frank was being serious or sarcastic. Either way, they dropped the subject when Marlene and her twin brother stepped into the dining room. Matthew was wearing deep purple dress robes and Marlene looked beautiful in a navy blue dress. She smiled at Regulus the moment she walked into the room and his cheeks burned brightly.
"Okay, what is with the spontaneous dinner party?" Sirius asked, looking around the dining room.
"Well," Remus said, "Because of…what happened at Halloween… we never celebrated your birthday, Sirius. You turned 22 last week."
"Happy late birthday!" The group chorused.
Sirius smiled around at them all, admittedly a little bit teary, "You all came over for my birthday? Thanks guys."
There was a general murmur of, "Don't sweat it," as the group all took their seats at the marble table in the formal dining room while the 3 boys played on a mat that Remus had transfigured onto the floor next to them.
"So to those of you who don't know," Sirius said, clearing his throat, "This is my brother Regulus and this is my cousin Narcissa. She's our new governess."
Marlene raised an eyebrow, "Ever heard of raising your kids the old fashioned way, Black?"
"I work, he's a werewolf and he's a recovering criminal under house arrest," Sirius said with a wave of his hand, "What am I meant to do?"
Remus rolled his eyes, the entire company of the room were now aware of his furry little problem. Sirius had quietly informed Narcissa once she had agreed to live in Potter Manor and she had taken it very well, all things considered.
"When you put it that way," Matthew chuckled, "You do have very little choice."
"Thank you Matt!" Sirius said.
"So are you actually moving in with these idiots then?" Alice asked Narcissa.
Narcissa laughed, "I will be relatively shortly. I managed to procure a buyer for Malfoy Manor today."
"I know," Frank chuckled, "I was the one who put the bid in for it."
"What?" Alice asked in surprise.
Frank then elaborated, "Not me personally, I didn't just buy us a Manor without consulting you Alice."
"I should hope not," Alice said.
Frank laughed, "I put in the bid on behalf of the Ministry. Bagnold thinks it's an opportunity to create a new Auror training campus."
Narcissa smiled, "Well, I am glad some use will come of the place. Frankly, I will just be glad to leave it."
"They have a big plan for it," Frank said, mainly to Sirius, "As of Monday, you and I are on the case. We're in charge of clearing the Manor and making it safe for the general public. We're working in co-operation with the Department of Health and Safety of course."
Sirius scoffed and Remus grinned, "Oh, Sirius, you get to work with your favourite person!"
Sirius glared at his boyfriend, "Please tell me that doesn't mean Bertha Jorkins."
"I'm afraid it does," Frank laughed, sharing grins of amusement with all the others. They all knew about Sirius's history with Bertha, well almost all of them.
"Would anyone care to explain this to Regulus and I?" Narcissa asked politely.
Marlene grinned, "I will gladly explain!"
Sirius glared at her, "I hate you McKinnon."
"The feeling is mutual Black," Marlene said cheerfully as she began her story, "Bertha was a few years above us at school, I think she might have been in your year actually."
Narcissa nodded, "Yes I remember her, she was in Hufflepuff, a very irritating girl as I recall."
Marlene laughed loudly as Sirius nodded his agreement, "Yes, she still is. She has a bit of a crush on Sirius and tends to chase him around the Ministry, she has no idea about him and Remus, of course."
"Ah," Narcissa realised with a chuckle, "And you are now subjected to working with her for a period of time."
"I'm so not looking forward to this," Sirius whined, "Is this Kingsley's way of asserting his authority as the new Head Auror?"
Frank grinned, "Who knows, he just said he reckoned you'd had it too easy under Mad-Eyes regime."
"Why was Mad-Eye replaced anyway?" Matthew asked curiously, "I know I only see you guys for the odd crossover job but I always thought he was a good Auror, if a bit paranoid."
"He's a fantastic Auror," Frank admitted, "But he's much better in a time of war than a time of peace."
Sirius nodded his agreement, "He's paranoid and on his guard which makes him an excellent strategist during a war, I think a lot more Aurors would have died without him really. But the trouble is, he sees evil where there isn't any during peacetime."
"So Kingsley Shacklebolt was promoted in his place," Alice added, "From everything I've seen, I'm optimistic that he's going to be a good leader. He's cleansing the DMLE of all of its spies which it totally needed."
"He's a very interesting guy," Frank said honestly.
"And he's likeable enough," Sirius mused, "We worked with him in the order too."
Those who had been members, Remus, Marlene and Matthew, all nodded and commented that he had seemed like a nice enough man.
"It's a changing department," Frank said with a sad sigh, "A lot of people died and a lot of people are leaving after the horrors they saw in the war, Ali included."
"You're leaving the department, Alice?" Sirius asked in surprise.
Alice shook her head, "Not exactly, I worked in the field throughout the war because, as you know, they needed every able body. Now that the war is over I'm stepping back a little, for Neville."
"Alice has just had her transfer accepted," Frank elaborated, "She's working in the Protection of Vulnerable Persons unit now."
Alice nodded and smiled at Narcissa, "I think I finally found my calling."
Narcissa smiled to herself at this but remained silent. After that the conversation turned away from the DMLE to a different sort of work.
"So Remus," Marlene said, "Are you going to find a job or are you staying at home to help out with Harry?"
"If I could find a job, I would," Remus said, "But the restrictions don't seem to be changing anytime soon. I can't get a job because of what I am."
"Well, not in the wizarding world," Marlene said, "Have you thought about working in the muggle world? You would make a great teacher, I think."
"I don't think that's a good idea, because of my condition," Remus admitted.
"But if that potion you and old Snivellus are working on works then you would be able to," Sirius said.
"What potion is that?" Narcissa asked curiously.
"It's provisionally called wolfsbane," Remus replied, "But it's still in the early stages of development. In theory, I would transform but keep my human mind."
"That would be a huge step forward," Narcissa said, "When I was training as a Medi-Witch, there was no cure for lycanthropy and no potion could help either."
"See Remus," Sirius said with an encouraging smile, "The world is changing, quite quickly too."
"We'll be a progressive society one day," Marlene said with a firm nod, "We just need to take over the Ministry and show those old gits that they don't know anything."
Regulus smiled to himself at her words, she was full of fire and he liked that about her.
"I'll toast to that Marls!" Matthew said, raising his wine glass.
"Here's to overthrowing the Ministry!" The others cheered as they clinked their wine glasses together and laughed.
Regulus was fairly quiet as the others made small talk throughout the meal. He was just grateful to be surrounded by his family and the people he hoped were becoming his friends.
Once they had finished their steak pie and polished off the delicious treacle tart that had been supplied for them by Velda (because steak pie and treacle tart were Sirius's favourite foods), the group decanted into the sitting room across the hall.
"What is it you do for a living, Matthew?" Narcissa asked as she sat down next to the man on a sofa.
"Oh nothing interesting," Matthew said with a wave of his hand, "I just work in the Department of International Magical Co-operation which is a nightmare right now. A lot of our allies gave us money to help in our fight against Voldemort but the trouble is, they want that money back now and we don't have it."
Narcissa turned her nose up, "I admire you, politics is an area I have never had much interest in."
"Neither does Matt but he does alright," Frank joked.
Matthew laughed, "Cheers for that Frankie."
The teasing continued for much of the night, and the conversation flowed easily. At one point they got to talking about children and families.
"So is Neville getting a sibling?" Remus had joked.
Alice laughed and replied, "Of course he is, just not right now. I have just transferred and Frank is rushed off of his feet at work, it's not exactly the opportune time."
"That's understandable," Remus smiled, glancing down at the exhausted Harry who was falling asleep in his lap, "For obvious reasons, Harry is all we will ever have."
"It's good that you at least have him though," Marlene said, stroking Harry's hair.
"What about you Narcissa?" Matthew asked curiously, "Do you think you will ever remarry and have more children?"
Narcissa shook her head, "Oh no, I am more than happy with Draco and the adopted son I seem to have acquired in Harry."
Regulus smiled at that, "We all seem to be acquiring adoptive children at the moment."
"Regulus is Draco's Godfather," Sirius elaborated for those looking confused.
"You'll want your own someday though, won't you?" Frank asked Regulus, "A pretty wife and all?"
Regulus smiled and tried his best not to look at Marlene as he replied, "Of course I do."
"Someone has to keep the Black family line going after all," Sirius said with a barking laugh as he patted his brother on the back.
Regulus cringed inwardly and smiled sheepishly. He was grateful when the subject moved away from him to the McKinnon's.
"So it's just you two singletons to harass now," Frank said, "And we all know Matt is going to be an eternal bachelor."
"Hey, you never know!" Matt objected, "If I meet the woman of my dreams, I'll marry her."
"Matty, the woman of your dreams doesn't exist," Sirius said, eliciting laughs from the rest of the group.
Matthew laughed along with them, "Well maybe I am holding out for something a little too perfect but Marls doesn't have an excuse, have you seen some of the pigs she's dated?"
Marlene glared at her brother, "Why do you always have to comment on who I date? I never bother with who you're dating!"
"That's because I don't date," Matthew grinned.
"Yeah you just sleep with people like the womanising arsehole that you are," Marlene said, flying off into a temper, "Sorry if I actually attempt meaningful, lasting relationships with people who don't meet your high standards in the looks department!"
"Come on Marls," Frank joined in, "You have to admit that the last guy you dated was a total douchebag."
"Yeah, he was," Marlene said somewhat irritably, "But the guy I'm dating now isn't!"
This peaked everyone's attention, Regulus's included.
"Wait, who are you dating?" Matthew asked.
"Yeah who are you dating?" Alice asked, narrowing her eyes at her friend.
"None of your business!" Marlene said, making it clear that she would say no more on the subject.
After her little outburst people started to leave because it was getting late. Alice kissed everyone goodnight, even Regulus much to his surprise.
Frank smirked at Sirius, "See you Monday."
Sirius rolled his eyes and muttered, "Bloody Bertha Jorkins."
Frank laughed loudly as the family headed home to Godric's Hollow. After that Marlene and Matthew got ready to leave and as she grabbed her coat in the entrance hall, Regulus nabbed a moment alone with Marlene.
"So we're dating then?" Regulus asked, raising an eyebrow at her.
Marlene smiled, "I was just saying that to piss Matty off but would you like to?"
Regulus smiled broadly, "Of course I would."
Marlene, who was a little bit shorter than Regulus, reached up and kissed him on the cheek, "Then we're dating. See you tomorrow Reg!"
"See you tomorrow," Regulus said, feeling more content than he ever had as he watched Marlene and Matthew leave, bickering in undertones as they did so.
Narcissa smiled and got to her feet, "I should probably go too."
"When are you moving out of the Manor?" Regulus asked.
"On Monday," Narcissa replied, "Will the house be ready in time?"
"Of course it will," Remus said, "Regulus has been working on it all week."
"Thank you Regulus," Narcissa said, kissing him on the cheek, "I really appreciate it."
"Don't worry about it," Regulus assured her, "It's going to look great when you move in. I made sure there wasn't too much red and gold."
"I really cannot tell you all how grateful I am," Narcissa said truthfully.
"You were right Narcissa, family is important," Sirius said, "Especially in times like these when so many people have lost theirs."
In a rare show of emotion Narcissa hugged Sirius, forgetting she was holding Draco and crushing the boy a little. He yelled, "Ow!"
Narcissa gasped, "Oh sorry darling," she said, putting Draco on the floor where he toddled over to Harry.
Sirius was slightly embarrassed by this display of affection and didn't know how to deal with it. Thankfully he didn't have to as Remus hugged Narcissa and said goodnight. She said goodnight to Regulus as well then she and Draco left.
Everyone else was tired, including Harry who had begun to gurn and moan. They made the decision to put the little boy down to bed and then they all headed off to bed themselves for the evening.
At 7.25pm on Saturday evening, Regulus was anxiously pacing the entrance hall.
"Regulus, relax," Sirius called from the sitting room, "It's a date not your wedding day!"
"Sirius!" Remus's voice scolded.
"Ouch! Did you just poke the goods?"
Regulus rolled his eyes and called, "If that's what you're up to in there, could you at least use a silencing charm?"
There was some sniggering and then Sirius appeared in the doorway, "You're really nervous, aren't you?"
Regulus nodded, a little embarrassed of the fact, "I don't really do dating Sirius and I don't understand why someone like her would want someone like me."
Sirius smiled at his brother, "I know you're finding it hard to believe Reg, but someone like you is a pretty great person to be."
Regulus looked up in surprise, "Really?"
"Really," Sirius said sincerely, "You betrayed Voldemort, for a house elf. You single headedly gave the Ministry the information they needed to arrest all of Voldemort's followers, you saved Harry's life."
"I thought you hadn't forgiven me yet," Regulus said quietly.
Sirius caught his brother's eye, "I hadn't when I said that, but I have now."
Regulus smiled brightly at his brother and Sirius was reminded of the boy he had known so many years ago. The thought made him glad that he had kept trying to fix things with Regulus over the past few weeks.
Before either brother could say anything more on the subject, the doorbell rang. Regulus swallowed and Sirius chuckled, "Relax Reg, you'll be great."
Regulus nodded and walked to the door. He took a breath and yanked it open, he was prepared to smile and welcome Marlene into the house like a gentleman. However, he hadn't anticipated Marlene looking so beautiful.
His breath caught in his throat as he looked at her standing there in a deep red dress with her wavy hair falling down over her shoulders.
Marlene smiled at him, "Hi? Can I come in?"
Regulus cleared his throat and his cheeks turned red as he nodded, "Yes, sorry."
Sirius shook his head in disbelief from the door of the sitting room. Marlene stepped into the entrance hall and caught sight of Sirius, "Spying again, Black?"
"Just looking out for my little bro-ugh!"
Sirius was cut off when a hand, that looked suspiciously like Remus's, emerged from the sitting room and yanked Sirius inside. The door shut with a snap and Regulus laughed weakly, "Uh…do you want to eat?"
Marlene nodded and walked towards the room that they had eaten in the night before.
"Oh, not that one," Regulus said, "That's the big one, there's a much nicer place. Come on."
Regulus held his hand out to her and she took it with a smile. He led her through the house into a small conservatory with large doors leading out into the darkened garden. The room was big enough for a little circular table for two to be set up in the centre. Fairies danced in jars dotted around on the window sills and the stars twinkled extremely brightly.
"False weather charm," Marlene said thoughtfully as she looked up, "So that it's always a clear night."
Regulus nodded, "Well spotted."
"This is beautiful," Marlene said, looking away from the roof to assess the small room.
Regulus breathed a quiet sigh of relief and pulled her chair out for her. She took her seat and he sat down across from her, "Wine?"
"Yes, please," Marlene said.
Regulus poured her a glass of wine and tried not to jump as Kreacher appeared with a loud crack. He served their starter out and bowed, disappearing from view.
"Are the fairies singing?" Marlene asked as the room fell silent for the first time.
Regulus nodded, "They are a rare form of wood fairy, they sing when they're happy."
"What makes them happy?" Marlene asked curiously.
Regulus's cheeks flushed with colour, "Uh…nothing."
"Oh no," Marlene said, "Not the nothing game again. You should know that it doesn't work on me."
Regulus cleared his throat and looked down at his salad, "They sing when they sense a connection between two people. That's where the muggle tales of fairies singing in rose gardens come from."
Marlene smiled and placed her hand on his across the table, "You don't have to be embarrassed about telling me that. I can feel that there's a connection between us, I don't just go out on dates with anyone you know, regardless of what Matthew says."
"Do you two get on well?" Regulus asked curiously.
Marlene shrugged and sipped her wine, "Kind of. I mean Matt is my brother and I love him but having an over-protective twin brother can get a bit tiring. We were both in Gryffindor so I literally couldn't escape him, he scared away a lot of the more decent guys that I might have dated."
"He won't scare me off," Regulus promised, "I'm used to overbearing Gryffindor brothers."
Marlene grinned, "I bet. Were you and Sirius close as kids?"
Regulus frowned and picked up his wine glass, "When we were very young we got on great. Sirius used to always protect me and stick up for me against our parents. We would run around in the big house we grew up in playing hide and seek every time our cousins came over so we could avoid being kissed and hugged by our aunts."
Marlene laughed, "Sounds about right."
Regulus was smiling at the memories, "We started to drift apart when I was sorted into Slytherin…we never actually talked at school but then in the summer holidays things went back to normal between us, as much as they could at least, until…he ran away from home."
Marlene nodded sincerely, "That must have been hard on you."
Regulus shrugged, "It was what it was. We didn't speak for 6 years after that."
"Really?" Marlene gasped, "Not even at school?"
Regulus shook his head, "He never liked the company I kept, for good reason. The majority of my school friends became Death Eaters."
"Is that why you did it?" Marlene asked as their dishes were cleared away, "Peer pressure?"
Regulus stiffened up at the subject, "Peer pressure from my friends and also from my family."
"Your family wanted you to join up?" Marlene asked, sounding horrified at the thought.
Regulus nodded, unable to meet her eye, "They believed in Voldemort's cause and since Sirius was such a failure in their eyes, they told me that at least one of their sons had to represent them."
"They sound hideous," Marlene said.
"I couldn't see them the same way Sirius did," Regulus admitted as he topped up Marlene's wine glass, "He always knew that they were monsters but I didn't see that until Sirius left…he was right though, as older siblings tend to be."
Marlene nodded thoughtfully, "My older brother was always right, or he thought he was at least. He was sure that he could beat Voldemort in a fight…that was why he never left the family home."
"I am sorry about what happened to him," Regulus said quietly.
Marlene shook her head, "Don't be sorry, you did all that you could. It was his stubbornness that got him killed in the end, the same story goes for my parents…"
"Did you like your parents?" Regulus asked.
Marlene shook her head, "No, I spent my entire time at Hogwarts rebelling against them. My parents were both in Ravenclaw and they expected all of their children to be intellectuals but I didn't want to write books and discover the cure to bloody dragonpox like my great ancestor did."
Regulus watched her with fascination as she spoke. She waved her hands around a lot and he found it rather sweet.
"So when I got sorted into Gryffindor they were horrified. They said that if I had been in Slytherin it would have at least showed that I had some ambition. Gryffindor was a lowly house in their eyes because it signified acting on impulse, Matty took their anger about the subject a lot worse than I did," Marlene mused, "But it basically started a divide between me and Matty and our parents and Malcolm, our older brother."
Regulus nodded, "Trust me, I understand family divides."
Marlene smiled slightly, "I know you do. It's funny though…isn't it? You hate your family until something happens to them and then all of these regrets pop up out of nowhere. When Mum, Dad and Malc were murdered…I suddenly wished that I had done things differently."
"I had a similar situation with my Father," Regulus admitted, he was spilling his heart out to Marlene in a way he had never done before. For some reason he just felt like he could talk to her, she made him feel totally at ease, "He died just after I defected from Voldemort. I used to get my house elf to scavenge old papers for me and when he came home with that one…they said that he died of heartbreak after the disappearance of his son. They never even mentioned my name because I was a Death Eater, therefore my death wasn't worthy of being reported."
Marlene's hand was still on Regulus's. He hadn't realised until she gently squeezed it just then, "Any death is worthy of being reported."
Regulus swallowed and looked at her, "Knowing my Father died because of me…it still haunts me but I know if I had told him the truth he would have hated me for it. Telling him I had defected from Voldemort would probably have triggered the heart attack too."
"That's true," Marlene said with a comforting smile, "So you know that either way, he was weak and nothing you could have done would have made any difference."
Regulus thought about that for a moment. He supposed that she was right, but he had never really been able to see it that way before. A crack pulled him out of his thoughts, he smiled at Kreacher as the elf served their main courses and disappeared with another bow.
"Well," Marlene said as she looked at the plate, "Caesar salad followed by fillet steak, you are trying to impress me. What's for dessert, crème brulee?"
Regulus bit his lip at that comment. Marlene laughed loudly, "Is it really?"
"Do you like crème brulee?" He asked nervously.
"I like food," Marlene replied, "So I'm easy to please, don't look so worried."
Regulus breathed a sigh of relief and it made Marlene smile. The subject of broken families and Death Eaters was thankfully forgotten after that. Instead, they got to comparing their Hogwarts days.
"So what was your favourite class at school?" Marlene asked, "No wait, let me see if I can guess it! Potions?"
Regulus shook his head, "Why does everyone assume that Slytherins love Potions?"
"It wasn't a sweeping generalisation actually," Marlene admitted, "You just seem to have quite an analytical mind which comes in handy for Potions."
"I do," Regulus agreed, "And I was good at Potions but it wasn't my favourite subject."
"It was my worst," Marlene said with a shake of her head, "I could follow the instructions and make the potion but I used to get bored while it was brewing. I'd read a book or have a nap and it would always over brew or explode, there were a lot of explosions actually. It was a miracle that I got an E in my N.E.W.T, Lily helped a lot."
Regulus chuckled, somehow he wasn't surprised that Marlene had a short attention span, "What's your 2nd guess?"
Marlene surveyed him for a moment, "Transfiguration."
Regulus shook his head, "Wrong again, what did you base that one on?"
"You seem to have an eye for detail," Marlene said, motioning around her, "I mean this is cool and very romantic."
Regulus's smile widened, "Thank you, final guess?"
Marlene bit her lip and cocked her head at him. Regulus found it hard to keep a straight face as he watched her blue eyes sparkling mischievously.
"History of Magic."
"Correct," Regulus said, "How did you get it?"
"Thirst for knowledge," Marlene said, leaning back to look at him, "Combined with an eye for detail and an analytical mind. I mean, it's your perfect subject isn't it?"
"I did love it," Regulus said honestly, "I found it fascinating, everyone else fell asleep and I listened intently to everything that Binns said."
"Anyone who can listen intently to Binns has the opposite problem that I have," Marlene joked.
"An over-active attention span?" Regulus asked.
Marlene laughed, "Exactly that."
They lapsed into a comfortable silence after that as they finished off their main course. While they were waiting for their dessert, Regulus leant back so that he could look at Marlene properly, "So Potions was your worst subject but what was your least favourite?"
"Probably Divination," Marlene said, wrinkling her nose, "I nearly got thrown out of our first class when I called the Professor a fraud. He was a total charlatan; I can't believe Dumbledore actually hired him."
"I never took Divination," Regulus admitted, "I can't say that I believe it's possible to tell the future."
"Neither do I and I'm an Unspeakable," Marlene said, raising an eyebrow, "If it was possible, I reckon I'd be the one to know about it."
"Are you allowed to talk about anything within your work?" Regulus asked.
Marlene shook her head, "Not to just anybody. When you sign up you are told you have one person."
Regulus frowned, "One person?"
Marlene nodded, "Your one. It's the one person who you can share information with, they have to sign the statute of secrecy and that is the only person you can talk to about your work."
"Who's your one?" Regulus asked.
"Nobody," Marlene replied, "You can't just change it. It is literally just one person, for your entire life. I'm waiting to make it my Husband."
"That must be lonely," Regulus said, "Not being able to tell anyone."
"It gets hard sometimes," Marlene admitted, "But I love my job so it's worth it and if anyone understands lonely, it's you. You spent 2 years being unable to talk to anyone, you had to let everyone believe you were dead."
Regulus nodded, "But if I had been able to talk to Sirius for example and had been unable to tell him that I was Death Eater or talk about what I had done…I wouldn't have had the strength for it."
"That's why I'm a Gryffindor and you're not," Marlene smiled, "It's why Gryffindor and Slytherin partnerships actually work really well, despite people saying that they would never work. A Gryffindor wants to rush in on impulse and the Slytherin will hold them back and make sure they are making the right decision. Where a Slytherin is too afraid to do or say as they feel, the Gryffindor will help them put their decision into action. A Gryffindor will protect a Slytherin and in return, the Slytherin will watch the Gryffindors back."
Regulus was silent after her little explanation. As he was contemplating her words, Kreacher appeared with a final crack and served their dessert.
Marlene was watching Regulus curiously as she poured cream onto her crème brulee.
"I can't say I have ever thought about it like that," Regulus admitted, "But it makes perfect sense. I think you have just proven that Gryffindors and Slytherins are more compatible than anyone realises."
Marlene smiled, "I might not have followed in my parent's footsteps by becoming a Ravenclaw, but unfortunately I did get something from them. I am very perceptive and far more intelligent than anyone gives me credit for."
"I knew you were intelligent the moment I met you," Regulus said.
"I know you did," Marlene said with a fond smile, "You are the first guy I've met who has seen the intelligence and the humour before the looks and that's why I like you so much."
Regulus smiled to himself at that. He glanced down at his dessert and ate what he could. They had fallen into another comfortable silence that ended when they had polished off their final course.
"Do you want to go for a walk?" Regulus asked, standing up and offering her his hand.
Marlene took it instantly and they stepped out into the chilly garden together. Regulus saw Marlene pull her shawl tightly against her body and he slipped his cloak off, "Here," he said, placing it over her shoulders.
Marlene smiled gratefully at him and let Regulus lead her into what he thought was a secluded part of the garden, "This is the winter garden, it's where the flowers never die."
"It's beautiful," Marlene said, looking around at the magical roses. She smiled to herself as she heard the soft hum of fairies singing, "They're singing again."
Regulus hummed thoughtfully, "Yes, they are," he agreed, looking up to catch Marlene's eye.
"I suppose that connection is really strong then," Marlene said, her eyes never leaving Regulus's.
Regulus just nodded. He knew what he wanted to do but he had no idea if he had the courage to actually do it. As it so happened, he didn't need to muster up the courage to kiss Marlene. As the Gryffindor in the relationship, she just laughed and leaned in, closing the distance between them.
"She kissed him!"
"Sirius, stop spying!" Remus exclaimed, pulling his boyfriend away from the window.
"But she kissed him!" Sirius said proudly.
Remus looked up from his book and smiled, "And you're happy for him."
"Of course I am, he's my brother," Sirius said, "He deserves to be happy, don't you think?"
"I think we all deserve to be happy after everything that's happened, Regulus included," Remus replied.
Sirius peered up to look out the window again but Remus shoved him out of the way and got to his feet. He glanced out and saw Regulus and Marlene talking in hushed tones and kissing, "Ah how sweet, young love."
Sirius made a face, "I was being a proud brother and now you've just gone and made it cheesy, well done Remus."
Remus grinned at his other half as Sirius stalked irritably from the room.
TBC.
