NOTE: This story is primarily focused on SiriusOC and is only written for fun.
Disclaimer: I own nothing of Harry Potter and the world JK Rowling created. I only own the characters you do not recognize from Harry Potter.
Hey guys! Hope you had a great holiday, no matter what you celebrate. I'm on break from school, but I'm still pretty busy. But I'm trying to write whenever I can. Hope you enjoy the chapter!
I just want to say thanks to those that left reviews last chapter. I usually reply, but I had a lot going on and just couldn't find the time. But I appreciate each and every one of them!
Happenstance
Chapter Ten
"Are you sure you're ready for this?"
Sirius shrugged. They stood outside of the Leaky Cauldron hand-in-hand. He was staring at the pub he had entered countless times before without a thought. Now he hesitated and she could tell by his clenched jaw that he was having second thoughts.
"We can come back later," she told him gently.
He shook his head, a determined glint in his eye.
"Might as well get it over with. And your brother wants me at headquarters in two days. I'll need a wand. News has had plenty of time to spread."
They had not seen the article announcing his innocence until Dumbledore showed it to them the afternoon before. The Prophet detailed why Peter Pettigrew was the guilty one instead of Sirius. Fudge didn't seem to have much to say on the subject. When questioned, he refused to comment other than to say that Peter was in custody.
An agreement about Harry had been reached that afternoon as well. Dumbledore believed as long as he went back to the Dursley's for just two weeks straight from Hogwarts, it could still be considered his home and he would still be protected. Sirius, suddenly worried he would be putting his godson in danger, had agreed that three weeks would be the safer option. Samantha knew he would have rather had Harry come straight to them, but if Voldemort did somehow return, Harry would need Lily's protection. They were unwilling to risk him losing it.
Taking a deep breath, Sirius stepped forward and led her into the pub. It was lunch time and the pub was crowded. Sirius didn't pause as he made his way through the room towards the courtyard that was the entrance to Diagon Alley. She noticed conversations becoming quiet the further in they went. The barkeep looked their way and looked as if he were about to greet her until he saw who stood beside her. By the time they were halfway through, the room was silent. Sirius's jaw clenched tightly, but he did not stop moving. His hand tightened around hers uncomfortably. When they finally stepped into the courtyard and away from the stares, he gave her a weak smile.
"That wasn't so bad."
She shook her head. "It's not going to stop when we go in."
"I know."
Before he could decide against it, he slipped her wand out of her pocket and counted out the bricks before tapping the right one. As the archway opened up, he returned her wand. The streets were fairly crowded, but not as crowded as in the summer when the students were home from school. They still had stares, but out in the open, they didn't seem as crushing and Sirius quickly relaxed. He was used to staring. He could handle the staring. It was the quiet of the pub that had gotten to him. Out here, whispers followed them, but there were so many people that not everyone took notice.
Their first stop was Ollivander's. The wand-maker did not seem surprised in the slightest to find Sirius Black in his shop and he greeted them warmly. It took some searching, but a twelve inch wand made of oak and dragon heartstring finally chose him. A fitting wand, according to Ollivander.
"Where to next?" Sirius asked, a spring in his step now that he had a wand in his pocket.
"Madam Malkin's," Samantha replied instantly, already leading the way towards the shop.
Sirius wrinkled his nose. "I hate robe shopping."
She glanced at him. "But you need robes."
"What's wrong with the ones I have?"
She glanced at the robes he wore. While they still fit him well-though they hung off of him a bit since he was underweight-the color was faded, giving them a dull, dated look.
"They're too old. It's a wonder they're not falling to pieces."
He frowned as the shop came into sight. She sighed at the look on his face and shook her head, coming to a halt.
"Why don't you go to Gringotts like you wanted," she told him. He'd mentioned that morning about wanting to check his vault since he had not been to it in twelve years. "And I'll go to Madame Malkin's. When you're done, come get me and we'll go somewhere else."
She already knew 'somewhere else' was going to be Quality Quidditch Supplies. Or maybe even Gambol & Japes.
He grinned at her suggestion and so when they reached the robe shop, they parted ways, Sirius continuing on to the bank as she ducked inside. She'd been buying her robes from Madame Malkin for as long as she could remember and the witch gave her a warm smile when she saw her.
"Miss Dawson," she greeted, stepping up to the counter. "What a surprise. I read about you in The Prophet yesterday. It was a big surprise, that's for sure. But I'm glad they realized before he lost his soul."
Samantha returned her smile. "So are we. That's why I'm here, actually. He needs new robes."
"Is he waiting it out until things calm down a bit?"
She rolled her eyes. "If he were smart he would be. But he was insistent upon getting a wand. He just hates robe shopping."
"He was always that way," Madame Malkin replied. "I remember when he was a boy. He'd argue with his mother the entire time they were in the shop."
Samantha wasn't sure if that had anything to do with robe shopping, but she nodded.
"Do you still have his measurements? He's got a bit of weight to gain back, but they should fit him well once he does."
"I believe I do," the robe maker replied, ducking under the counter. A moment later, she resurfaced with a card that held Sirius's name and robe measurements. "What would you like?"
"A few regular pairs. And a few pairs of auror's robes. He's to report to work on Monday."
"That's wonderful. I'll get to work on them right away and you can come get them before you leave. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Samantha glanced around the shop. It was empty save for herself and Madame Malkin. A quick peek out the window showed that Sirius had yet to return-not that she'd expected him to for a little while longer-and no one else seemed to be about to enter the shop. When she turned back to Madame Malkin, she was watching her with a curious expression.
"What can you do as far as something for a wedding?"
Excitement lit Madame Malkin's eyes and with a squeal, she grabbed Samantha's hand and pulled her behind the counter to her workspace. They spent the next several minutes discussing what would be best. Samantha didn't want anything extravagant, a simple, elegant dress would suffice. She wasn't entirely sure where they would be having the wedding-there simply hadn't been enough time to discuss it past confirming that they both still wanted to be married-but she still wanted it outside.
Within fifteen minutes, Madame Malkin had a drawing of a dress that seemed perfect. She wouldn't know for sure until she tried it on, but alterations would be possible and since she had absolutely no idea when they were to be married, she felt she had plenty of time to settle on the perfect dress. They'd agreed on a strapless dress with a fitted bodice that opened up at the waist into a skirt made of tulle. The skirt would fall straight to the ground and trail a little at the back. She didn't want anything too flashy and wanted a dress easy to move in. Madame Malkin told her that she would make the initial dress and then see what she could do to improve upon it. Having bought dress robes from her plenty of times, Samantha trusted the robe maker knew what she liked and did not like. They made plans for Samantha to come back in two weeks' time to try on the dress and make any changes she wanted to.
The bell rang, signaling someone entering the shop. Assuming it was Sirius, Samantha flipped the drawing over just in case. But the voice that spoke was not Sirius's.
"I'm in need of a new pair of dress robes. Oh."
Samantha stiffened at the voice and turned to find Lucius Malfoy standing at the counter, his eyes regarding her coldly.
"Miss Dawson," he said by way of greeting. "What a pleasure."
"Lucius," she murmured, inclining her head slightly.
"Are you working here now?" he questioned, glancing around the shop. "A bit of a downgrade from Healer, but I imagine less stressful."
"We were just discussing a design for a dress," Samantha replied coolly. "But we've finished."
"A dress," Malfoy repeated thoughtfully. "This wouldn't have anything to do with Black being released, would it?"
"I don't believe that's any of your business."
A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips.
"You remind me so much of your mother. She always had so much fight in her. Up until the end at least."
"That's enough."
Samantha jumped at the sudden sharp voice. She hadn't even heard Sirius enter the shop. Malfoy turned his back to her stiffly. She peered around him. Sirius stood just inside the door, a dangerous look on his face. She suddenly found herself wishing he hadn't yet purchased his wand. She didn't need him to get himself into trouble so soon after his release.
"Sirius," Malfoy said in a falsely pleasant voice. "How very nice to see you."
"I'm afraid I can't return the sentiment," Sirius replied lowly. "Though that was the one good thing about Azkaban. I didn't have to see your face there. Even though you're far more deserving of being there than me."
Lucius's lips tilted up into a smirk. "You seem to be the only one to think so. And I'm afraid your opinion doesn't matter when it comes to such things."
Sirius took a step closer, his new wand suddenly in his hand. "You can pretend all you want, but we both know where your loyalties were."
"There will be no wands drawn in my shop," Madame Malkin cried.
Lucius raised an eyebrow at Sirius until he hesitantly slipped his wand back into his robes.
"My loyalties were only with the stronger opponent," Lucius murmured so lowly that Samantha could hardly hear. "As they will be again."
Sirius glared at the other man for a long moment before he stepped forward, moving around Lucius. Reaching out, he took Samantha's arm and pulled her from behind the counter.
"We'll be leaving now," he said, a bite to his voice. "And if you speak to my fiancé like that ever again, I'll do more than just draw my wand."
"Fiancé," Lucius echoed, a trace of humor in his voice. "Your mother is rolling her in grave. And here I was convinced that you were only with a Dawson to cross your mother. I suppose it can no longer be the case if she's dead."
"It never was the case," Sirius replied shortly, pulling Samantha from the shop. She shot an apologetic look to Madame Malkin over her shoulder, but the seamstress waved it off. She'd likely dealt with Lucius Malfoy enough to know how he was.
"Miss Dawson," Lucius's voice rang out just as they reached the door. Sirius tried to keep her moving, but she firmly planted her feet to the ground as she turned her head. "I'd be careful if I were you. It's not safe, being a Dawson. No matter if you hide behind the name of Black. It will do you no good." He inclined his head ever so slightly. "Good day."
Sirius finally managed to get her outside. He was muttering to himself as he pulled her further from the shop at a brisk pace. The grip he had on her arm was much tighter than she was sure he intended.
"Why did you have to stop?" he asked suddenly, coming to halt in a less crowded part of the alley. He released her arm, but then his fingers were brushing her chin as he searched her face. "He threatened you. Why don't you look worried?"
She shook her head. "Sirius, Lucius Malfoy has been saying things for years. He's all talk."
"He was all talk. Now, Voldemort," his voice dropped to a whisper. He stepped closer to speak into her ear. "Is on the verge of coming back. His threats are no longer idle."
"Do you think he knows? That Voldemort could return?"
"It doesn't matter if he knows," Sirius burst out, pulling away, but not before the sudden loudness sent pain through her ear. "What matters is that soon, he's going to have the power to act upon his threats."
"You worry too much."
"And you don't worry enough."
She shook her head and took his hand in hers.
"I worry when I need to worry," she said softly. "And not a moment sooner because it can drive you crazy worrying all the time. You know that as well as I do."
He sighed and gave her a strained smile.
"I don't like how he speaks to you. I should have cursed him on the spot."
"And then you would have gotten yourself into trouble after just two days of freedom."
"It would have been worth it." He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "This has been a lousy date, hasn't it?"
She gave him a small smile. "It's not really had a chance to get started yet. So there's plenty of time to make up."
He relaxed and returned her smile. "Well, how about some ice cream?"
They headed down the alley to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor, where they sat at one of the outside tables and shared a large ice cream sundae. Sirius seemed more at ease, but she noticed how he seemed to watch around them. Keeping an eye out for Lucius Malfoy, she was sure. Luckily, they did not see him again. After ice cream, Sirius could no longer resist the temptation of Quality Quidditch Supplies and he spent a good half hour fawning over the newest broom models. She thought he would leave with a new broom, but he seemed to decide against it. When she questioned him about it, he simply said that flying wouldn't be the same without James. That comment was enough to subdue the both of them for the remainder of their time in the shop.
They went to Gambol & Japes next. Sirius quickly stocked up on supplies, earning a threat from Samantha should he decide to use any of them on her. He claimed it was all meant for Remus, but she didn't quite believe him. After the joke shop, he allowed her to pull him into Flourish & Blotts. They split up once in the shop. Sirius used to just follow Samantha around whenever they visited the book store, but since he'd spent so much time in her library while in hiding, he found himself looking for more books that may interest him. He didn't plan on returning to reading as much as he had then, but he wouldn't mind spending a quiet evening in front of the fire with Samantha, a book in both of their laps. He wouldn't mind spending an evening doing anything with Samantha. They had years to make up for.
When he sought her out to see if she was ready to go, he had three books in his arms. Nothing compared to the eight she had, but it was three more than he usually left with. She smiled when she saw the books, but made no comment as they went to check out. When they left the book shop, they went back to the robe store to pick up Sirius's new robes. He made a face when Samantha told Madame Malkin he would try them on soon to make sure they would fit.
They went home after that, having spent nearly four hours in the alley. The remainder of their day was spent debating over what to have for dinner, Sirius winning simply for the fact that he would be the one actually cooking it. Samantha wanted to protest when she caught him cooking with the assistance of his wand, but she kept quiet. He'd been toying with his new wand all day, floating things around the house, summoning things from different rooms. It was a game Samantha quickly grew less than fond of when the third book whipped down the upstairs hall just past her head.
After dinner, they wandered upstairs to bed, though it was far too early to go to sleep. They found other ways to occupy their time and by the time they did fall asleep, it was well past midnight.
Sirius sighed and shifted on the bed, making no effort to get out of bed or even to open his eyes. The lack of effort became even more easy when he took notice of the rain that was pounding against the roof. His arms sought Samantha out and when his fingers brushed against her skin, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her back against him. She murmured something before rolling towards him, pressing her face against his shoulder.
"Good morning," he said softly, leaning down and pressing a kiss to her shoulder, finally prying his eyes opened. The sun was up, but because of the rain clouds, the room was very dimly lit. "It's our last day of freedom. How should we spend it?"
"Stay in bed," she mumbled against his skin.
"Good plan," he said, relaxing back against the pillows and closing his eyes.
He was fairly certain he fell asleep again. If not, he came awfully close. By the time he opened his eyes again, Samantha was asleep against him and the rain was still pouring down. He still didn't want to get out of bed, so he contented himself with watching her sleep and listening to the sound of the rain. There was a meow and then he felt a weight settle on his feet. He fought the urge to kick and instead began shifting his feet until Basil grew uncomfortable and moved to a spot on the bed that was not occupied by Sirius's feet. Samantha sighed and shifted against him and then her eyes opened. She smiled when her gaze met his.
"I think I forget," she whispered, bringing her hand to the side of his face. "And then I wake up and see you and remember all over again."
He gave her a lazy smile. "You're not going to tell me how creepy I am for watching you sleep?"
"Why bother?" she murmured. "It's been falling on deaf ears for years."
"Mm…that's true."
His eyes closed because keeping them opened was far too much of an effort. A moment later, he felt her warmth disappear, the bed shifting as she got up. He groaned.
"What happened to staying in bed all day?"
"I need to use the loo."
By the time he opened his eyes, she'd slipped her knickers on. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the dim morning light as she slid on the button up shirt he'd worn beneath his robes the day before. Her disheveled hair stuck out in all directions and he stared at her as she buttoned up the shirt. He had no idea what he'd done to deserve her. She looked up to find him staring and smiled before she moved toward the bathroom, the door closing behind her.
He sighed and rolled over on his stomach to look out the window. The rain was falling in sheets, making it near impossible to see much. It was only a few minutes before he heard the bathroom door open. A moment later, the bed sunk under her weight and then she was lying on her stomach beside him. Her bare leg pressed against his and he turned to find her watching him. In an attempt to tame her hair, she'd put it into a braid that draped over her shoulder and he reached out to tug on it. She smiled and leaned towards him to give him a kiss. When her soft lips pressed against his, he inhaled deeply and closed his eyes. No matter how many times they kissed, the spark he always felt when their lips touched never faded. He felt it now as he kissed her back. She slid across the small distance between them to press against him. He felt his body ignite in every spot she touched him and by the time they pulled apart, he couldn't catch his breath.
"Marry me," he gasped out.
She smiled. "I thought we already had this discussion."
"Now."
Her smiled turned amused. "Right now? In the bed?"
He shook his head, giving her a frustrated look. "Not now. But soon. You always wanted a wedding outside. So why don't we get married this summer? Maybe July?"
July. It was the very beginning of June. She could be married to him in less than two months.
When she did not answer right away, his excited look faded and he shook his head. "Never mind. It's too fast. We can wait and do it next year."
It sounded like the last thing he wanted to do.
She let out a soft laugh. "Sirius. Madame Malkin is already working on a wedding dress for me." Sirius lifted his gaze to hers, a hint of excitement in his eyes. "We've waited long enough, don't you think? July sounds perfect."
His lips were suddenly against hers in a crushing kiss and she laughed against his lips, wrapping her arms around his neck.
"You know what this means, don't you?" she asked when he pulled away briefly for a breath.
"That we're going to finally be married," he murmured before kissing her again, his hands moving to her waist, pushing the shirt she wore up so that he could run his fingers across her skin.
"It means you have to buy dress robes," she told him breathlessly when he gave her the chance.
He pulled away immediately, giving her a sour look. "You know how to ruin the moment, don't you?"
"We won't have a lot of time to pull things together. I just wanted to point it out."
"Well, I'm not going today either way. So you could have waited."
"But I wanted to irritate you."
He let out a frustrated noise, giving her a quick kiss before dropping back to the pillows. His hand remained on her waist as she shifted to rest her head against his shoulder.
"We want a small wedding, right?" he asked, glancing at her. She nodded. "And outside…somewhere."
"How about the back yard? Beside my mother's garden."
A smile lit his face. "Sounds perfect."
"And Remus will be your best man-"
"Naturally."
"-and Ciara my maid of honor. They'll enjoy that considering they're…"
Sirius's head whipped towards her. "Considering they're what?"
She shrugged. "I wouldn't call them a couple. They haven't said they are. But I think it's just a matter of time."
"When in the world did this happen? And why didn't I know about it immediately?"
"I hadn't thought about it to tell you," she replied with a smile. "It happened a few weeks after you left." A shadow fell across his eyes at the reminder that he'd left. She found his hand and squeezed it before launching into the story. By the time she'd finished, the shadow was gone and his smile was back.
"Atta boy Moony."
A comfortable silence fell between them. The rain outside continued to pour down. Sirius's arms snaked around her waist, pulling her against him. She curled into his side, her eyes closing.
"We really should get out of bed," she murmured.
"We should."
"I've been thinking…"
"Uh oh."
She opened her eyes to glare up at him. "Shut up. I've been thinking that since we're going to be living here together…perhaps we ought to move into the master bedroom."
She felt his fingers brush against her shoulder. "Are you sure?"
She shrugged. "It feels like the right thing to do. And it's something I should have done a long time ago, but I didn't think I could handle going through all their things."
"We'll do it together," he said, leaning down and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
She smiled gratefully. "We ought to get out of bed."
"Our conversation has been here before."
She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, his lips were against hers. She made a noise in the back of her throat as she felt one of his hands ghost down her bare thigh. They did eventually make it out of bed, but it was not until the afternoon when their hunger finally drove them to find food. It was only a brief respite before they found themselves back in the bed. It rained all day long and since they felt like they had all the time in the world, there was no hurry to go about doing much of anything.
"Peter is safely in a cell in Azkaban. The Minister has declared he's to stay there for life with no chance at getting out. He's been deemed dangerous."
Sirius snorted. There were many words he would use to describe Peter Pettigrew, but 'dangerous' was not one of them. Even so, he was glad to hear he would be locked away for the rest of his life. If he ever saw him again, he was like to kill him, which could likely end with him being carted off to Azkaban again.
"Since we know he's an Animagus, special spells have been placed around his cell to prevent him from transforming. A spell we're considering placing around all of the cells since illegal Animagi seem to be popping up left and right."
Adrien shot Sirius a pointed look, to which he just shrugged. There was no telling where he would be if he hadn't been able to transform into a dog to alleviate the worse of the dementor's effects. It was how he'd escaped, how he'd remained hidden. He would never give up that side of himself.
It was Sirius's first day back at work. As soon as he'd arrived at headquarters, with plenty of eyes staring at him, Adrien had ushered him into his office. The office was familiar to him. It had once been Moody's, his mentor and the previous Head Auror. He'd been in it countless times, usually to be yelled at over something or another. He suspected the same would happen now.
"I'm surprised you showed up," Adrien had said as soon as they'd been behind a closed door, away from the curious, and a few unwelcoming, stares. "You've just been reunited with my sister. I expected you to not want to leave her side so soon."
Sirius gave him a crooked grin. "Don't think so highly of me. I suggested skipping work this morning. But your sister quickly shot down that idea. She's always been big on responsibility."
Adrien had laughed and only shook his head. He knew as well as his sister had earlier that morning that there was no way Sirius would miss his first day of work. Aside from the stress, Sirius had always loved his job as an Auror, even though he hadn't had much time to work outside of training. But he'd had promise, one that Moody had seen in him back when he'd first gone for an interview, and that promise still remained in him today, years later.
"What about Malfoy?" Sirius asked now. "He threatened your sister. He's still a Death Eater, even if their leader is currently MIA. I have no doubts he's going to run to Voldemort's side the instant he returns."
Adrien's face darkened. "There's nothing we can do. He's been pardoned by Fudge on claims that he was brainwashed or whatever half arsed excuse he fed the Minister. Until he's an active Death Eater again, there's nothing we can do but keep a close eye on him."
Sirius let out a frustrated noise and leaned back in his chair. He'd known that would be Adrien's response, but he hated being reminded of how Malfoy had Fudge twisted around his little finger. He would laugh at the absurdness of it, at the naivety of the Minister, if the situation did not make him so nervous. Samantha would berate him if she knew he was still worrying about Malfoy, but he could not help it. Malfoy had always been a threat and Sirius would always see him as such until the threat was no longer there.
"Now, I suppose we should talk about how things work around here now. Not much has changed, but I think you'll find it quite a bit slower than it was back in the days of war. We have occasional attacks. There's still a few Death Eaters we're trying to locate. But most of our time is spent hunting down those who are abusing the dark arts, usually through tips and observation. I still haven't told them that we think there's a possibility that Voldemort could come back. We'll keep that between me and you, Dawlish and Shacklebolt for now."
Sirius inclined his head in agreement.
"But I'm starting to get them ready. Everyone is required to spend ten hours a week training. We've pushed training new recruits back to three years, but we're starting to think about cutting it back like it was when you and I went through. But not until we have to. I don't want to take away from training."
"So where do you want me?" Sirius asked, not quite hiding the eagerness from his voice. "I'll be happy with anything. As long as it's not working with the new recruits. I'll probably murder them before the day's out."
"I know better than that," Adrien replied. He picked up a folder full of paper and set it on the edge of his desk in front of Sirius. "You can start with this."
"Paperwork," Sirius said flatly.
"What, did you think I was going to send you straight out into the field? When you haven't held a wand in twelve years?"
Sirius shrugged. "I wouldn't have complained if you did."
"You'll be working with Shacklebolt," Adrien told him. "He's going to be training with you until you're deemed ready to be back in the field. When he can't train you, such as now, you'll help us with paperwork. When you're ready to go back into the field, you'll stick to Shacklebolt's side until we're sure you're ready."
"So I'm like a trainee again."
"Temporarily. Hopefully training will only take a few weeks. You'll likely stay with Shacklebolt for a few months after that. The harder you work, the quicker you're on your own."
"Fantastic," Sirius muttered, picking up the folder as he stood from his chair. "Then I suppose I should get started."
"If you want," Adrien spoke up just as Sirius reached the door, "I can come by tomorrow evening and help you put up stronger protection charms. Like what my dad used to have. I know you're worried, and it'll make me feel better as well."
Sirius turned and gave him a tight smile. "I would appreciate it."
He spent the morning at his new desk doing the stack of paperwork Adrien had given him. By the time lunch arrived, he'd finished and was worried he'd be given more, but Kingsley returned from whatever he'd been doing, so his afternoon was spent training. He quickly realized Adrien was right; he was rusty from his years without a wand. By the time he went home in the late afternoon, he was sore and exhausted. But there was a buzz around him from finally being back at work doing what he did best and by the time he strode through the front door of Samantha's home – his home – he was grinning, all thoughts of how exhausted he was gone. Her shoes were sitting outside of the cloak closet, so she had beaten him home.
He made his way towards the kitchen, aware that when she came home, she liked to relax at the table with a cup of tea. But the kitchen was empty with no signs that tea had been had recently. With a frown, he made his way up the narrow kitchen stairs. Perhaps she was in the library. But no, that was deserted as well. When he turned away from the library, the doorway across the hall caught his eye. In all the time he'd spent living in this house recently, he had never seen it opened. But now, it had the slightest crack in it, so he stepped across the hall, gently nudged it opened, and peered inside.
She stood in the middle of the room, at the foot of the bed. Her back was to him and he could see how stiff it was. He looked around. The bed was unmade. A pair of robes lay on the floor. A door to the right was partly opened and he could just make out what appeared to be a spacious bathroom on the other side. A fine layer of dust coated everything. With a start, he realized that no one had been in here, not even once, in sixteen years. It looked exactly as it had that fateful morning, minus all of the dust.
"Sam," he murmured, pushing the door all of the way opened and stepping into the room.
"I thought I was ready," she whispered.
"You are ready," he assured her gently, placing a hand on her back. "But I don't think you're ready to do it alone."
She drew in a shaky breath. "We were slow today, so I came home early. I thought perhaps I could use the time to start going through things, but once I stepped inside…"
"There's no rush," he told her, turning her around and leading her from the room. "This weekend, we'll start working on it together. In the meantime, why don't you use your free time to work on planning the wedding."
This earned him a small smile. "I was going to talk to you about that, actually. Lily was keeping a book of suggestions for the wedding we were planning before. She kept it at our flat in case I wanted to add to it, which I never did. She had a bigger wedding in mind than what I wanted. And of course, now this one will be even smaller, but I thought there might be something in there I could use. Some part of what Lily wanted for us. I could have gone and gotten it, but I thought you might want to go with me, so I waited."
Their old flat. Just the thought of it brought on bittersweet memories. He couldn't imagine how he would feel actually stepping into it. But there were likely things there both of them wanted. He knew all of their old photographs were there, as were many of their books and other belongings. When Samantha had left, she'd gone in a hurry and had only taken the essentials. And left behind most of the things that reminded her of him. She hadn't been able to go back to retrieve them without looking suspicious, but now that he was innocent, they were free to do what they wanted.
"Well, why don't we go Wednesday evening?" he suggested as they made their way down the stairs and into the kitchen. "Your brother is coming over tomorrow to help me put up some protective charms."
She shot him a look over his shoulder. "The two of you are the biggest worriers I know."
"For good reason."
She couldn't argue with that. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, she turned towards him and with a sigh, wrapped her arms around his waist.
"How was your first day back?"
"Hm," he said with a smile. "Well. After being shut in an office alone with your brother, I got to do paperwork. And then I got to eat. And then I got to train with Kingsley for the entirety of the afternoon. Kingsley, who I will remind you, joined the Aurors three years after I did. And in the morning, I hear I get to do more paperwork."
"So my brother's making you go through training," she said with a smile.
"With Kingsley," Sirius said, just in case she'd missed it.
"Yes, yes. With Kingsley. Who even though joined after you, has had a wand in his hands for the past twelve years as he actively worked as an Auror."
Sirius gave her a sour look. "Thank you for reminding me."
And then he was kissing her in the slow, savory way he'd taken to in the past few days as if he couldn't get enough of her. As if he still expected the worst and was committing her to his memory just in case. They'd kissed so many times in the past few days, she wasn't sure how he could ever forget how it felt. She knew she wouldn't.
Sirius rapped his knuckles against the door, making sure the knock was obnoxiously loud. He could have used the doorbell, but he was sure the knocking would infuriate them more. Sure enough, when Vernon Dursley opened the door, his round face was red. Sirius had gone through the trouble to dress in muggle clothing in order to blend in. It seemed to fool Vernon Dursley, because while his face was red from annoyance, he didn't seem particularly hostile.
"Can I help you?" he asked, confirming to Sirius that he had no idea. He wasn't sure if Harry had even warned them that he was coming. He'd exchanged constant letters with his godson, and they'd settled on a date for Sirius to come retrieve him. But that didn't mean Harry had shared the information with his aunt and uncle.
"I've come for Harry," Sirius replied, watching as Vernon's face instantly dropped into a disgusted scowl.
"You're one of them," the man spluttered, the red of his face deepening. "I should have known with the way you were hammering upon the door."
Vernon turned his head and bellowed for Harry to get downstairs. He began to shut the door in Sirius's face, intending for him to just wait outside, but Sirius quickly moved his foot into the doorway, stopping the door from closing. Vernon's eyes blazed, but there was a sudden uncertainty there as well.
"Harry will continue to stay here for the first few weeks after school has let out," Sirius said lowly. "As per Dumbledore's orders. He's my godson and I care about him very much. If I ever hear of you mistreating him, I will gladly return the favor onto you. Understood?"
Vernon gave him an uneasy look and managed to nod his head. A loud thudding noise came from the house and he instantly looked relieved, stepping away from the door. Sirius caught his first glimpse of Harry as he reached the bottom of the stairs with his trunk in one hand and empty owl cage in the other. Without waiting for an invitation, Sirius stepped into the house and pulled his godson into his arms.
"Ready to go?" he asked when he pulled away, a grin on his face.
Harry nodded with a grin of his own.
"Is this everything?"
"Yeah, I've got everything."
"Then let's go."
They left the Dursley home without a word of parting. Sirius took the trunk, leaving Harry with just the empty owl cage. Hedwig would be happier, the boy explained, finding him on her own and not having to travel in the cage. Sirius agreed as he found a quiet spot where they could disapperate without being seen. Making sure he had a firm hold on his godson's arm, he took them home.
They appeared on the dirt lane. Up ahead was the start of the wall that surrounded their home. "It's going to be a bit of a walk," Sirius said, using his wand to levitate the trunk. "Because of the protective charms."
Harry nodded, not seeming to mind in the least as he looked around, taking in the countryside around them. They began their trek up the dirt path.
"She's going to try to feed you a lot," Sirius warned at one point as they walked alongside the wall. "She's been doing that to me for weeks now because she thinks I'm too skinny. But be careful. She's not much of a cook."
Harry laughed. "I'll make sure to let her know you've said that."
"It's something she's very well aware of."
It had been six weeks since Sirius had been found innocent. In that time, Sirius and Harry had traded letters almost daily. Sirius had told Harry all about Samantha, partly because he felt Harry should know a little about her before he came to live with them and partly because he just loved to talk about her. They still hadn't told Harry that she was his godmother. They'd already argued over it several times. Sirius wanted to tell him, but she was afraid of how he'd react. They'd decided to leave it alone for now, but Sirius didn't intend to let it rest for forever.
When they ducked through the wall, Harry's eyes widened when he caught sight of the house.
"You live here?"
Sirius laughed. "It's Samantha's family home."
"Is this where you were for most of the time you were on the run? You sure had it made."
"It's a pretty nice hiding spot, isn't it?"
"'Pretty nice' is one way to describe it."
"Do you have any dress robes?" Sirius asked.
Harry seemed caught off guard by the change in topic and shook his head slowly. "Uh…no."
Sirius looked relieved by his answer. "Good, good. I've been hearing it for weeks about how long I've been putting off going to get any. Since you need some too, we can go get some together. Maybe tomorrow."
"Your wedding is in less than two weeks and you still don't have anything to wear to it?"
Sirius cut him a sharp glance. "Let me explain to you how this is going to work. We outnumber her two to one. It's only going to work if you take my side and not hers."
"And if I take her side on something?"
"Then you'll have outlived your usefulness," Sirius said as he unlocked the door and swung it opened. "And you'll go back to your aunt and uncle."
Harry laughed as they stepped inside. Sirius set the trunk down at the foot of the stairs, taking the cage from Harry and setting it on top of the trunk.
"Well, Sam's going to be at work for a few more hours. How about a tour? Then you can start settling in."
Sirius showed him the sitting room first, and then the kitchen. He pointed out the direction of the two guest bedrooms, telling him that his friends were welcome to come visit at any time. Since Sirius and Samantha worked full time, Harry would be home alone a lot during the day. If his friends wanted to come visit and keep him company, Sirius didn't want to stop them. He also pointed out that if Harry wanted to go to the Weasley's at any time, Sirius would escort him over there.
Sirius took him upstairs next. When he saw the library, Harry said his friend Hermione would love it, and that they would never be able to get her to leave. Sirius pointed out the master bedroom, which he and Samantha had only just moved into the week before. He also pointed out Adrien's old room, which was where Aiden stayed whenever he came to visit, and Samantha's old room. Last on the tour was the room Sirius used to stay in, which would now be Harry's room. Sirius had removed the few belongings he'd had in there and that morning Samantha had put on fresh sheets. The white walls were bare, but Sirius told Harry he could do whatever he wanted to decorate it.
"We'll ease you in gently," Sirius said as they made their way down the main staircase to get Harry's things. "Only Remus will be joining us for dinner tonight. This weekend, Samantha's brother and his family will probably come over for dinner."
"Adrien Dawson, right? The Head Auror? Ron seemed pretty excited that I was going to be living with his sister. Said I should get him Adrien's autograph."
Sirius shot him a grin over his shoulder. "He's not all that special. Of course, I'm just saying that because we've been butting heads over me dating his sister for years. He's just now finally warming up to me, but if you ask Sam, she says it's nonsense and that Adrien always liked me."
"Which isn't true?" Harry asked.
"Now you're catching on."
"Ron said the Dawsons are a well-known family in our world. That they've been openly opposing Voldemort since back when he first began to surface. He said…he said they died here. In this house."
Sirius paused and turned back to Harry. The boy looked uncertain, as if he thought he shouldn't have asked. Sirius didn't mind the question, but he was glad Harry had been smart enough to ask when Samantha was not around.
"They did," he replied softly. "Her mother and father. And her aunt and uncle. But it was a long time ago. It happened during our seventh year at Hogwarts."
"That must have been hard."
"It was."
Sirius pulled out his wand and levitated Harry's trunk of the stairs. Harry followed him back to his new room, lugging the empty owl cage in his arms. Sirius deposited the trunk at the foot of the bed before glancing around. The room really was bare and in need of something to brighten it up.
"We'll get you some decorations," Sirius decided. "Make it your room."
"Sounds brilliant."
"Well, feel free to unpack, make yourself at home. I'm going to go downstairs and see what we have to cook for dinner. Come down whenever you want," Sirius said, reaching out to ruffle Harry's hair. James would have scowled, but Harry just grinned before turning his attention to his trunk.
Sirius barely made it into the kitchen before Remus showed up. They decided upon chicken, boiled potatoes, green beans, and a salad. Sirius thought it was a lot of food for just four people, but Remus had been as bad as Samantha about telling Sirius he needed to put on some weight. Their efforts had not been in vain; he'd already begun to fill back out. And he couldn't really complain because he'd gotten to eat some pretty good food out of the deal. Tonight was not going to be an exception. Harry wandered downstairs eventually and offered to help but Remus, who had taken over cooking the meal, would hear none of it and had him sit at the table instead.
As Remus cooked, they discussed plans for the summer. The wedding of course was fast approaching, and Sirius and Harry needed to find something to wear. Harry asked if there was a place he could fly his broom and Sirius brightened instantly. He hadn't been on a broom in years. Remus offered to keep Harry company some since Sirius and Samantha both worked all week. And Harry mentioned going to Ron's house during the day instead of staying at the house alone. Sirius liked that plan very much because it meant Harry wouldn't be home alone. His paranoia had grown in the past few weeks, much to Samantha's displeasure. But he'd learned long ago to never let his guard down and he wasn't about to stop doing it now.
By the time Sirius heard the front door open, the aroma of dinner filled the house. Remus was just placing the pieces of cooked chicken onto a plate. The green beans were already in a bowl and the potatoes were just about done. Harry had finally convinced Remus to allow him to help and was currently putting the final touches on the salad.
Sirius rose from his seat at the table and made his way out of the kitchen and to the foyer. He reached the front door as Samantha was pulling the lime-green robes St. Mungo's healers wore over her head, revealing the clothing she wore beneath. He didn't even give her a chance to deposit the robes on the bannister-as she did every evening when she returned home-before he wrapped his arms around her and leaned down to give her a kiss.
"How was your day?" he asked when he pulled away.
"Long," she replied with a sigh. "Long and busy and I spent the better part of my day wishing I was with you instead."
"I know. But it was easier to go alone. And I didn't want you to be around his uncle. A foul man, he is."
"Did you speak with him?"
"Briefly. But long enough to give him a bit of a warning. Harry should be left alone next summer."
"Good. And Harry? How's he settling in?'
"He seems right at home. And he likes his room."
Her face broke out into a grin. She'd been fretting for days over whether or not Harry would like the room they decided should be his. He knew it really had nothing to do with the room. This was James's and Lily's son. The last time she'd seen him, he'd barely been a year old. She'd fought-and failed-for custody of him after their deaths, despite the fact that she'd been specifically chosen by them should anything happen. She blamed herself for his having to live with his aunt and uncle. She'd never said it aloud, but he knew her well enough to know she did. He couldn't blame her. He blamed himself too. If he hadn't handled finding out about Peter so badly…if he'd gone to Dumbledore or Moody instead of chasing him down himself, he could have avoided everything. Countless times he'd wondered if things would have been different then, if Harry would have been allowed to live with them.
"He's going to love you," he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and shoving such thoughts aside. There was no changing what had already passed. "Come on."
One arm still around her waist, Sirius led her down the hall and into the kitchen. Remus was carefully spooning the boiled potatoes into a bowl. Harry was setting the table. When Samantha caught sight of him, her steps faltered. Sirius glanced down and caught the shocked look upon her face. He'd warned her, but he supposed nothing could have prepared her for how much Harry looked like James. His arm tightened around her. He'd felt the same way when he'd seen Harry two years ago.
Harry looked up from the silverware he was setting beside the plates, and Samantha's surprised look instantly melted into an easy smile. Harry moved around the table, a smile of his own upon his face.
"Hello, Harry," Samantha said. "I don't suppose you remember me, but it's nice to see you again."
"I've heard a lot about you," Harry replied.
Samantha shot Sirius a look. "I hope not bad things."
Sirius grinned. "Never."
"I was told you could tell me stories about my father," Harry said.
Samantha's smile grew. "I can tell you stories about your father that even these two don't even know."
"Brilliant."
They sat down to eat not long after. Samantha and Harry were able to talk to each other easily, pleasing Sirius. He hadn't expected anything different, but it made him happy to finally see the two of them together. It made him happy to have Harry there with him, where they belonged. It wasn't how it was supposed to be, not really, but at least for the moment, Sirius felt as if they were finally honoring Lily and James's wishes of looking after their son.
End Chapter