Chapter 9 - Black Family Tragedies
For a few months there had been little that disturbed the families who were still living at Hogwarts. They worked from out of there, either for the Ministry or the Order and they took care of their little children, which occupied them for a good part of the day.
Harry felt himself horribly limited now that he only got information second hand, but his parents took him to wherever they felt it safe enough to take him. Harry couldn't speak, and sometimes he was happy that he physically couldn't speak, but he did have a good repertoire of defined signs he could give his parents and godfathers, proposed and defined by Lily, who had studied a bit of sign language. The four adults were always attentive and never failed to listen - or better watch - to his communications.
In the prior months they had found and destroyed all the Horcruxes they could reach without a problem: the Slytherin ring in the derelict Little Hangleton house had been destroyed with Fiendfyre - Sirius and Remus had no problem controlling and stopping the fire at the end of its work – they had burned down the whole ramshackle hut with it including the Horcrux. The second Horcrux they were able to find easily was Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem. It was a shame they had to destroy it, but there was no way they could have the Horcrux separated from it before destroying it.
Peter and Sabina now joined the ranks of those among the Marauders who were already parents. Sabina was pregnant and would have her baby sometime in August 1981. She was very happy about it and beamed when the Marauders met for one of their already traditional Friday evening meals together. They had decided to hold these loose meals every Friday for all the friends who could manage to come. Every few weeks they decided on the turns where they would take place and everyone would simply announce themselves up to Wednesday for their possible presence. There was a hard core of the Marauders and their partners, Dari and Hope always turned up for these meals as well, and a few of their friends from Hogwarts, like Frank and Alice Longbottom and the Prewett twins, Fabian and Gideon.
Dari and Hope had become a very happy couple, but it also saddened them a bit, because the lifestyle they had chosen would never give them children of their own.
Sirius noted the sadness in their eyes, so after the meal he took them to a corner and said:
"I noticed that you were a bit melancholic because we're all parents now..."
"Sure. It's the only thing that makes us a bit sad, because the two of us could not exactly do what you and Remus did."
"Well, we can always donate sperm..." Sirius offered.
The two young women stared at him at first, but then Dari started to grin and said:
"You would do that? Really? Because that would be brilliant. We both would like to experience motherhood, though preferably not at the same time..."
"I'll discuss it with James, Remus and Poppy, Peter is usually a bit too conservative to participate in something like this and as much as we all love him, you'd surely rather have someone with a bit more brains, wouldn't you?"
"That would mean Remus," Hope retorted dryly.
Sirius grinned, but said:
"I thought to put it all together to make it random..."
"Not a bad idea that," Hope admitted.
"So you'd like that? You would make great mums! You're doing great as babysitters as it is!"
"Thanks, Siri, that's really sweet of you!" Dari said and hugged him.
"Anything for good friends. Anything for fellow Marauders!"
"Hey, we've made it, Hope, he calls us fellow Marauders!" Dari exclaimed and laughed.
"I think that all of the friends who come to the Friday dinners are Marauders now. We have built up a very good network of friends, don't you agree?" Sirius asked.
"Serious Sirius! We better watch out, Dari. Yes, I do agree, Sirius, but we're all really just associated Marauders and we know it. You four really are the best of friends."
"It wouldn't be impossible to join fully. All it would take you would be to become an Animagus, like James, Peter and I are…" Sirius remarked with a smirk.
"Jolly good idea - and that takes how long?" Hope inquired.
"'Bout half a year if you don't have to research it anymore," the reply came with a now wide grin.
"We might think about it."
"And listen, why don't you just go ahead and try the bonding ritual anyway? It did come out of these memories of a werewolf, but magic is great and willing it sometimes makes for good results. It did say that it mattered not whether the couple to bond was male/female, all male or all female, so who says that being a werewolf is a must element? Love is very powerful on its own."
The glint in Dari's eyes told Sirius that she was determined to give it a try at least. She kissed her mate and said:
"One week of vacation and we could do it - if nothing else works we'd have a fine week of sex, togetherness and love, sweetheart. What do you think?"
Hope, always a little more Ravenclaw and a bit more careful, thought that it would certainly do them no harm, so she agreed after a minute or two extra to think about it.
"I think we are ready to experiment with that ritual, aren't we? Just remember - if it does work it's for life. You won't ever be able to leave the other."
"I don't think that's an issue, Siri, but thanks for reminding us…" said Hope and moved forward to give her friend a hug.
Dari told Sirius a month later that they had been able to take the vacation and replicate the ritual. She told him:
"It was just like heaven - we took the time to have much more sex than we've ever done before, but even after a day we were at it all the time! We enjoyed it a lot. But the end was very strange! We kind of fell asleep, but at the same time and a while later we both sat up straight, again at the same time, and then it was like we could see what the other experienced in the years before the ritual! Up to when we started it. I saw all of Hope's childhood and she saw mine. When we looked at the time it was exactly seven days after we started the ritual."
Sirius beamed!
"That's what it was like for us! Did you notice any boosts in your magical power?"
"No, that we didn't. But do you think the bonding still worked?"
"Maybe the power part is really what it does for the werewolf then. You'll know in about a year. That's how long it took for our bodies to change. If it has worked like our bond - and your description of the end makes me think it has, then you'll turn out like Remus and I: fully functioning hermaphrodites. And you should be able to procreate after that without outside help!"
Both of his friends beamed, too!
It was now February 1981 and Sirius sat on the sofa in his sitting room with Alya on his lap. She suckled lazily on his breast. It was right after her nap and as usual she was hard to wake up, but she really enjoyed that afternoon breast meal, so Sirius kept it up for a little while. Alya had turned out to be the cuddliest of his children. She loved to sleep and slept a lot. Now she suckled and took her time for it, but Sirius didn't mind, because it gave him lots of time to cuddle with her. There was a knock on the door and Sirius opened it with a slight gesture of his hand. In strode Regulus Black. Sirius raised his eyebrows.
"What are you doing here, Reg?" he asked.
"Hi Sirius. Can I talk to you?"
Regulus sounded very different from his usual snotty style, rather like he had sounded when Sirius was still friends with his brother. Sirius looked up and gestured to one of the armchairs around him. He adjusted Alya back on his lap and apologised for the abrupt movement before:
"Sorry, sweetheart, just a little surprise is all. Now are we back in business?"
He blew a little kiss on the ten months old girl and she resumed suckling. Regulus stared at his brother. He knew of course that Sirius had given birth to a second daughter. But to see him sitting there with the child suckling on his breast really looked very strange.
"You could always talk to me, Reg! I'm sorry we fell so far apart…"
Regulus pulled the sleeve on his left arm back and turned the forearm up. Sirius only shrugged and said:
"No surprise there. So Mum and Dad finally got their Death Eater in the family. After all, Dad was too clever to commit himself to life-long slavery..."
"I think you're right about him being too clever. He supports them financially though. Not too much, but quite a bit."
"And why do you show up here and show me this? You don't even sound proud of it either."
Remus came into the room with Vega and Polaris, who were now quite lively toddlers of two years. He had Antares on his arm. And he was quite astonished to see his brother-in-law sitting in his quarters.
"I... it was a mistake, Sirius! I shouldn't have done it; it's the worst error I've ever made!" Regulus suddenly broke out.
"A bit late to notice what everyone could have told you beforehand..."
"You don't understand! Mum... she nagged and nagged and nagged until I gave in, I couldn't tell her off, I'm not like you, Sirius! I couldn't have turned my back on her. Then..."
"When did you commit yourself, Regulus?" Sirius asked with a much softer voice.
"Three weeks ago..." Regulus sobbed.
Sirius was quite surprised. He had thought that it happened much longer ago.
"And now you want out again?"
"I do, but you know I can't! He'd kill me! What can I do now, Sirius? Mum and Dad will certainly not help me in any way!"
"Talk to Dumbledore, Regulus. He can help you, I'm quite sure. Can you just try to remain inconspicuous among the other new Death Eaters? If you're sent on a raid you might just act like you're killing anyone and help saving some lives instead."
Regulus nodded to all of that. Then he looked up at Sirius and asked:
"Can you forgive me, Sirius? For being so mean to you? They were treating you so awful! I... I never understood why you wouldn't do what they wanted... how did you know that what they wanted and said was wrong?"
Sirius sighed.
"I felt it, Regulus. A child needs love, they never gave me any. I learned early on not to ask for love from them either. Not that they really gave it to you, but they acted it to you, that's why you probably won't understand the difference. But would you think that Mum ever held me like I'm holding Alya now? That would have been way below her. The only one who gave warmth to me was Uncle Alphard. He did to me what our parents should have done. He cuddled me and when he came to the house he visited me every time and made sure I was okay. He talked to me, Regulus! And do you know what that meant to me? It certainly was enough to recognise how cruel our parents really were, not only to me! He was forbidden to see me once I went to primary school, but that's when I met James. Without him I would have been as lost a cause as you were. And from the moment I've known James I knew I would never become what my parents wanted me to become. He simply continued what Uncle Alphard had started.
"And yes, of course I forgive you. You were exposed to all that rubbish and apart from Uncle Alphard; you never had anyone tell you otherwise. Once they noticed what he was doing for me they of course stopped him from doing the same for you."
It was Regulus' turn to sigh now. He watched how the four children cuddled with their fathers and how natural it looked that all four of them crawled over them and were kissed and caressed and talked to. They weren't ordered around and told to sit stiff and still like he had been.
"You let them do what they want..." he remarked.
"Right now, because it's playing and cuddling time, Regulus, but no, they aren't allowed to do as they please, they also have to learn a minimum of discipline. Enough to learn how to live together with others and play by the rules of society. We just don't want to make puppets out of them, hanging on our threads. They will learn to make decisions. They will learn the situations when we have to make decisions for them and accept it until they are old enough and experienced enough to leave us. But by that time they will have knowledge enough to actually choose the right things."
"They're lucky..."
Sirius smiled and said:
"You can still have that, too! Get yourself to safety and come back when that blasted war is over. Don't tell anyone where you're going, just go, but don't forget to come back! Oh, just one thing - did Voldemort ask you to help with something? A locket…"
"How do you know that? He wants Kreacher more than myself, but from what he said I thought it might be a Horcrux!"
"It is a Horcrux. If you can get your hands on it - take it away…"
"I promise, brother! I'll do it."
"I'm sorry that I can't tell you how I know it, but you will have to vanish as soon as you can once you removed it or they will really kill you."
"HE will. Or he'll order one of the others…" Regulus acknowledged morosely.
Regulus spent a few hours with his brother and brother-in-law and seemed to be a little encouraged. He went to see Dumbledore in the evening and came back in the morning to tell Sirius he would be leaving the Death Eaters and probably leave the country for a while. Sirius was relieved that his brother had found the courage to get away from Voldemort on his own. He hoped to find a way back to his brother. That night he clung to Remus very tightly. Remus caressed him tenderly and whispered:
"He'll be okay. I'm sure he can get away if he leaves the country. So far the Death Eaters have not gone beyond the British Isles..."
"You always know how I feel, Remus. You're amazing, you know!" Sirius sighed.
"I know because you're my mate. You know how I feel as well. For once I am glad to be a werewolf, because it made me experience something so exceptional..."
"How are those researchers doing with the potion?"
"Final testing in the next few full moons according to Mum. Would you allow me to participate?"
"Only if they're beyond the stage of killing test subjects, Remus. I can't lose you!"
"Would you believe that in the whole procedure only two werewolves died? The potion is supposed to suppress the rage. It can't suppress the transformation, but it makes the wolf harmless. If the same mixture proves okay for three consecutive full moons it can be handed out. Of course the more werewolves take part in the testing the more ascertaining the result will be."
"Then take part in it, Remus. We cannot lose you. I can't lose you for obvious reasons, because I love you more than anything or anyone, and the wizarding world can't lose you because we still have a job to do together. But I don't want you to suffer more than cannot be avoided."
"Being such a danger for anyone around me is the worst thing I'm carrying around, Sirius. If there is a way that can make me safe when I'm a wolf then I want that, because I so love all of you guys. Dumbledore may have been the one to allow me the education, but it was my oldest brother who boosted my courage to make friends in spite of my lycanthropy. It's really thanks to Richard that I didn't crawl back into my usual habit of hiding behind my books. And that's what led me to Gryffindor rather than Ravenclaw."
"I want that for you, too, love! I hate it that we have to leave our children on those nights. If you'd be safe enough to stay with us that would be so good!"
"First I have to know that I can take the stuff and how it works. And for that I will have to be locked away behind glass doors where everyone can see me, love."
"That's alright, but Padfoot will be right there with you. I don't think they'll deny you the dog..."
"I don't think so either. I'll tell Mum that she can put me on the list of the final test subjects. I would have participated a while ago, but having the children meant I was out for that."
"Right now you're between children in any case and that means you should do it."
They went to sleep after that, entangled in each other's limbs, Remus' head pressed firmly to Sirius' shoulder, arms around each other.
Their quarters were a bit tight now, but the four children didn't seem to mind to share the room they had. It was quite large anyway, so there were two four posters now, one held Polaris and Vega; the other was for the little ones. Both beds were warded, so that none of the children could fall out of them. As long as they were still toddlers this would do well, but of course Sirius and Remus were well aware that they would have to look for a house to live in soon.
The decision would have to be made soon, because Lily was close to finishing her job at Hogwarts and so she and James started to think about finding a place of their own. They talked to Remus and Sirius about it.
"Wouldn't it be great if we found some really big place and all moved in together? We could baby-sit for each other much easier and who knows, maybe Sabina and Peter would like to join us? They're still living in that tiny apartment in Diagon Alley after all, and that won't do anymore once the baby arrives," James said.
Sirius and Remus looked happy about the suggestion.
"Getting all the Marauders together sounds like a great idea, James. But then let's take time and really look for a good place. I'm thinking some kind of an old castle? We could afford that..." Sirius suggested.
"Yes, that's a jolly good idea! I agree with you! What do you think, Remus?"
"I'd be happy to move in with you. Not that I can contribute much beyond wards and children..." he replied in his usual dry way.
"That's quite a lovely contribution though, don't you think?" James asked, grinning. "Harry has expressed his wish for loads of siblings! Lily and I would like to comply and having your bunch around will make for a few extra."
"Well, if that's what you want... yes, I think it would be great to be together. Do we include Hope and Dari?"
"That'd be great! And would make for an even spread. Four women and four men!" Lily was all for it.
"Not a bad idea if they're interested. Did you know they went through our bonding ritual and it seemed to have worked for them?" Sirius asked.
The others were flabbergasted.
"Really? When did they… oh, when they were in vacation in March? Is that it?" Lily asked, excited.
"Yes, that's it!"
"Why would you think it worked between them? None of them is a werewolf…" James asked.
"They had the same experience at the end of it as Remus and I had. It was so exactly the same we took it as a sign that it worked. But of course we'll only know if their bodies change next year."
James and Lily looked at each other with a glance that the Marauders had perfected. It meant: What a great idea! But James turned back to the others and said:
"I'll look around and ask some wizarding housing agent. I know one in Hogsmeade," James offered.
"Then all we have to do is to put our assets together and look at the options," Sirius replied.
"If need be we'll take the necessary funds from the Potter vaults and all who take part will pay their part back as they can into the Potter vaults. Dad will in any case help," James explained.
A week after his visit to Sirius Regulus Black was found dead on his parents' doorstep. Snape came back with the news of what had happened:
"Voldemort had found out that your little brother was trying to flee, Black. He was caught by the Lestrange brothers. I'm sorry, but there was nothing I could do, I wasn't there when they brought him in. But I don't think those two treated him especially kindly. I have yet to hear that Rodolphus kills anyone with a simple Avada Kedavra. They told me that they killed him with Cruciatus and that he took a few hours to die. He was hardly recognisable anymore, someone told me. I'm really sorry - I liked him…"
Sirius was devastated. For a moment he had believed that Regulus would be able to leave all that darkness behind and start a new life. He cried the whole night through, but then he pulled himself together and apparated to London and stood on the doorstep of Nr 12, Grimmauld Place for the first time since he had left it years ago.
The door opened to his hand without resistance. He went inside and prepared himself to meet with his parents who would be beside themselves. He found them in the drawing room. Both wore deepest black, but of course they didn't show a sign of real mourning. They looked up and saw him.
"Blood-traitor!" his mother screamed immediately, but a simple movement from Sirius' hand silenced her effectively.
He threw a glance at his father who stood motionless with a frozen expression on his face. Sirius had always been thankful to have inherited his father's good looks and his mother's intelligence. He looked them up and down without saying a word for a few minutes. Then he asked coldly:
"Do you have anything to do with Regulus' murder? Did you let them know that he planned to flee?"
"Of course not! Why would we have anything to do with the death of our chosen heir?" his father replied just as coldly, but Sirius knew it was an act of false bravado.
"Possibly because you wouldn't care, Father. You would call him a blood-traitor, like you call me, but you would be angrier with him than you ever were with me. Because he tried so hard to become what you wanted him to be. And he did what you wanted him to do, only he then quickly noticed that this was not what he wanted to become. He has not committed a murder before he was killed himself and for that I am utterly glad. So was he, by the way. I've seen him a week ago when he sought my help and Dumbledore was kind enough to give him the help he needed. Only it was too late. You wanted him to become a professional killer, Father. But Regulus decided he didn't want to kill randomly. He paid for that decision to do what is right with his life and doing that he was so incredibly brave. Did you know that Voldemort left him to Rodolphus and Rabastan Lestrange? His best 'friends', father! His best friends killed him, slowly, casting Cruciatus until he died. They dragged it out, Father, they stopped the curse, let him take a few breaths and hope that it was all just a punishment, but then they cast the curse again. And again. And again until he died, but it took him hours to die. Is that what you wanted for your sons, Father? Is that how you loved your son to want something like that?"
"We wanted what was best for the House of Black, Sirius, as you know very well."
"That's a lie! You already know that the House of Black will go on as I want it to go on, Father. You always knew that you couldn't disinherit me unless you killed me. It's your own fault that your preferred son died. The way I see it you are responsible that your son has died, not even twenty years old. I bet you were cowardly enough to give Lucius or Bella a hint that Reg was on his way out. I hope you're proud of yourself."
"I'd rather leave everything to Narcissa's son than to you!"
"Bad luck, Father and an empty threat. You can't, unless you murder me and you know it. But your dear Voldemort won't last very long any more, we'll make sure of that. Now go on and tell them to come after me to get rid of me. Try all you like, Father. Only you won't get farther than Voldemort did when he found himself at my wandpoint."
Sirius looked at his mother with contempt, waved his hand and released the silencing charm, then he left the room. He went down to the kitchen and called for Kreacher. The house-elf came and was his old horrid self, but Sirius talked to him with kindness:
"Kreacher, Regulus told me that Voldemort had need of your services. He talked to me before he tried to leave, and he informed me about the locket you were to put into the cave… is it true that he gave you the order to destroy this locket?"
Kreacher was shocked hearing this, but he nodded and said:
"Yes, but I was being told not to tell family…"
"Since my brother told me about it you are effectively relieved from this command where I am concerned, even though you should not let my parents know."
"Kreacher is not able to destroy it yet, young Master… it is evil!"
"Yes, it is. Would you allow me to do it for you? I know that you can't do it; it demands very difficult procedures to destroy it. Only Fiendfyre or the venom of a Basilisk can destroy this type of thing. I have Fiendfyre in my arsenal. You can even come and watch how we destroy it."
"Yes, Master, I is wanting that. I is getting the jewel for you now."
A minute later Sirius held the locket of Slytherin in his hands. How anyone could make such a vile thing out of such a valuable relic was a mystery to him, but then Voldemort had given up rational thinking so long ago he wasn't too astonished.
"Thank you, Kreacher. Be on alert for my call, will you? I want you to see how we destroy the very thing that has cost your favourite master's life."
"Master is too kind to Kreacher."
"You wouldn't be half bad if you didn't listen to my slightly crazy mother as much, Kreacher. Well done in helping Regulus."
"Kreacher is sorry for being mean to little Master…" the old elf mumbled.
Sirius actually crouched down to be on an even level with the elf. He took the small old hands and said:
"Thank you, Kreacher. You were doing what your Mistress asked you to do, I'm not angry at you anymore."
Sirius couldn't attend his brother's funeral as there was none. The young man had been magically cremated and the urn was added to the others in the family crypt very quietly. His parents made sure he didn't know when it took place.
Kreacher was called and watched with rapt elation how the Fiendfyre destroyed the locket, which had cost the life of his favourite master. Sirius told him that the true reason for Voldemort's brutal killing of his young servant was not so much Regulus' intention to leave the fold, but much rather that the young man obviously had his suspicions to the use of the locket. Sirius was certain that Voldemort would not even let his inner circle know about such an artefact. Harry had told him that he was convinced not even Lucius knew what the diary was, which he planted in little Ginny Weasley's school cauldron.
Regulus' was not the only death in the Black family to occur. Regulus had not been buried for more than two weeks when Sirius received the news through the family lawyers to come to Grimmauld Place immediately, as his father was dying. Sirius organised babysitters and took Remus with him to go to London. Never before had Remus set a foot into the House of Black. Sirius opened the door, and Remus could easily see how much and why he hated it.
"I have to take the inheritance, Remus. If I don't take it, it will all go to Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. I absolutely want to prevent that. My mother has a life-long right to live in a Black house of her choice, but she gets an allowance - the amount of which I can set, by the way. How's that for sweet justice? They should have been thinking of the family by-laws and should have been at least responsible parents, but they weren't and now Mother will pay the price. Far better than revenge, Remus, believe me!"
Remus smiled. He would have understood if his lover had taken revenge out on his mother as she had made his life a pure hell when he was a child. Nevertheless, he was certainly glad that Sirius put justice over revenge. At the same time, it seemed that the justice in this case was just as good as revenge and made them feel much better than taking actual revenge would have.
"The family lawyers are pretty much alright. Since the family traditionally looked down on them they didn't really care what kind of lawyers they had, but the lawyers saw to it that the family statutes and laws were kept up. And those prohibit disinheritance. There was a time when that was so common that the family nearly died out, so some more intelligent ancestors set that law up to prevent this. Moreover, it can't be revoked unless a full generation of core Black siblings decide on it. Black family siblings rarely agree on anything and there were always several of them so the law still stands," Sirius said with a great big grin on his face.
"So with Regulus now dead you couldn't change any of the by-laws?"
"Exactly! Not that I'd want to, they're just about the only good thing about the family!"
They entered the endless entrance hall and the gaslights sprang to life. Kreacher, the house-elf came up the stairs to the kitchen to see who had entered the house. He greeted Sirius with a newly found respect and Sirius replied:
"I will be your master soon, Kreacher and you will be able to choose if you want to stay here or join my staff at Hogwarts."
As they started up the stairs Remus saw to his horror that the wall was adorned with the heads of beheaded house-elves.
"Siri!"
"Looks nice, doesn't it? Regulus used to be scared to death of them. So was I but I didn't show it."
"How very Gryffindor of you, love..." Remus said with a smile.
"I already gave it away back then, didn't I? Kreacher, will you take our cloaks, please? - Thank you!"
The house-elf followed the command immediately, then Sirius led Remus to the drawing room. He found Lucius Malfoy there, watching over his baby son Draco. Bellatrix of course was in Azkaban and Narcissa was probably up with his father.
"Now that it's about inheriting you're back, Black! Wouldn't have thought you'd do that..."
"They can't disinherit me, Lucy dear, and I will claim what's mine. And then I'll give that family the turn back to a nobility it sorely lacked for the last two or three generations. - Are they up with my father?"
"I suppose so. You know 'Cissa. I was told to watch Draco, and being the good husband I am that's what I'm doing."
Sirius snorted.
"Good husband, my foot... but of course you would know all about doing a master's bidding, wouldn't you? After all you bow to the halfblood most every day… Come along, Remus, we'll have to make an appearance, even if I will have to silence my mother again..."
They went up to the master bedroom. Sirius knocked on the door and opened it. He found his mother sitting at his father's bed and Narcissa, standing next to her aunt and turning around to see who had entered the room. On the other side of the bed was a healer. Except for a few floating candles it was as dark as night in the room so that one could hardly see to the far end of it.
"Didn't I tell you to stay with Draco, Lucius? ... Sirius?"
"Yes, my dear cousin. The lawyers saw fit to call me here, since neither you nor mother would have. You will have to bear with me, I'm afraid."
For once his mother didn't screech. She knew she'd lost the right since her husband was barely alive anymore. Remus stood still next to the door. He didn't want to intrude, but he knew that his mate needed his support. He knew that just being there would be enough for that. Sirius approached the bed. His father seemed to be unconscious.
"What happened, Mother?" Sirius asked without a formal greeting.
"The healers were here and said he had a cerebral apoplexy and that there was no magical cure of that once the energising methods had no effect. He is completely paralysed. Can't even say a word. That's all your fault, you know? If you hadn't turned up the other day and said all those awful things he wouldn't have collapsed!"
"Oh, so you make this my fault now? I'm sorry, Mother, but what I said was only the truth. If that kills him then it's his own fault and more so his guilty conscious, not my fault. After all he probably sent his son to meet his death. The son you wanted to have as your heir, even if you couldn't change the legal situation."
"Shut it, Sirius! You've done enough damage."
"So sorry, Mother, but you and Father have done the damage. I will only clear it up. - How long will he have?" Sirius asked the healer.
"Not long. Maybe until tonight or tomorrow night. His heart is very weak," the healer said.
Mrs Black began to wail and Narcissa put up a false sob. Sirius rolled his eyes and looked down on his unconscious father. He felt nothing. Neither rage nor sadness, just indifference.
"Remus and I will stay here for the next few nights," Sirius announced and left the room with his mate.
They were both aware of the furious glances Narcissa sent after them. Of course she had tried to get the inheritance secured for her son, but he would show her that if she so much as tried she'd soon find out that he had rights and the means to fight the battle on the legal parquet. He led Remus up a flight of stairs and called for Kreacher.
"Kreacher, would you kindly clean my room? My husband and I will stay here for a few days. Prepare for our baby children to arrive as well – we'll have two cots for them."
"As you wish, Master," Kreacher answered and vanished up the stairs.
"Come, love, we'll wait it out in the library. There is a small sitting area which is about the only bearable space in this bloody house. And you can sneak around the books. I want them listed in a catalogue. We'll seal the library and Father's study to anyone but us and the lawyers."
Remus chuckled. They had not brought anything to change, so they would have to go and get their babies anyway, since they were still nursed. Remus would take care of that. Vega and Polaris would be fine with Lily and James for a few nights. Harry loved to be with them in any case. He'd already started to crawl and talk, but the physics of talking was still difficult for him to master.
For the next two hours they sat in the library, noting down titles of books on long rolls of parchment. Sirius had to take off hexes from several of the books, which were protected, so that only someone with the blood of a Black was able to even touch the books. In a corner Sirius dropped over a smallish, but thick book and lifted it up.
"Black family birth records... that looks quite interesting, Remus, I didn't know there was something like this."
Remus came close and they looked inside of the book. They found all records of births of immediate Blacks, from the first of the dynasty to the last - Antares Black, whose birth was shown on the first page of the book. It represented the proof that Sirius would inherit the head of house title not from his maternal, but his paternal ancestors, as his paternal grandfather Arcturus had been the one to hold it before his father. Sirius grinned and read:
"Here: Vega Black, born 5.12.1978, to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin-Black. Polaris Black, born 12.12.1978, to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin-Black, heir to the family headship. Alya Black, born 7.5.1980, to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin-Black. And finally: Antares Black, born 28.6.1980, to Sirius Black and Remus Lupin-Black. This book will be good for safe-keeping."
"Seems like this records the Black births magically..."
"Looks very much like it. And can you see this? My mother obviously tried to tear out the pages containing our bonding and our children. But the book just supplied new ones. That's quite hilarious, you know! This book is proof that the family wasn't always as horrible as in the last few generations. I wonder what happened that they went bad like that…"
Sirius grinned. They looked through some of the books they had noted down, but Sirius sighed and said:
"It'd be better to go through it systematically in the next days. We might be here for a couple of days anyway, so we might as well note all the titles with an enchanted quill."
"Good idea. I'll bring your Dictaquill. This should be an interesting find for Dumbledore."
"You bet. He regretted that I was on such bad terms with my family. He wants to learn what he can from this stuff here."
"Well, then I should probably leave and get our stuff. What do you want me to bring along for you?"
"Just the children, some robes and toiletry."
"Okay."
"Let me accompany you downstairs, love."
"Sure. I'll be back in an hour or two."
"You can Floo in. Grimmauld Place will do, there's no one else under this address. I'll wait in front of the Floo fire for you."
"Very good."
Sirius didn't have to wait long. Just over an hour later the fire glowed green and Remus brought the bags and Antares, then he returned to bring in Alya. They picked up the children and levitated their bags up to the room which was now presentable. Sirius thanked Kreacher and enlarged the two cots that Remus had brought along.
Half an hour later they turned up in the drawing room, where Lucius still sat with a whiny Draco. The child was about the same age as Alya, but while his daughter was a very content child the little Malfoy heir did everything to bring his father close to madness.
Alya was the oldest of the three, Draco was about a month younger and Antares was the smallest. Alya, being used to her three siblings and Harry, crawled over to Draco and motioned him to play with her, but Draco sat on his little bum and started bawling. Lucius looked stressed and angry, and obviously didn't know what to do with his son, but Sirius stood up, went over and crouched down in front of the children. He turned to Draco.
"Hey, little man! There's nothing to cry about! Alya just wants to play with you."
When Lucius didn't make a move, Sirius lifted Draco up and soothed the baby.
"Come on now, young man, you're not afraid of your cousin, now are you? See? That's much better. Why don't you two crawl around and see who's faster? Now you're smiling, Draco. You look so much nicer when you smile..."
Lucius stared furiously at Sirius, who set the boy back down on the floor and watched from further away how Draco started to crawl around with Alya. Antares, not yet so sure of himself in that department, sat next to Remus and looked after his sister and his cousin. Sirius took his seat on Remus' side again. Half an hour later Narcissa came in and found her son dusty, but happily playing with his cousin Alya who looked just as dusty. Meanwhile, Sirius had conjured some wooden building blocks for the two and they were trying to build a tower.
"Draco! What the heck did you do? You're all dirty! How could you have let him crawl on the dirty floor, Lucius? These silk clothes are brand new, now they're ruined!" Narcissa cried.
Sirius rolled his eyes and cleaned both children with a simple wave of his hand.
"He played with his cousin, Narcissa. That's what babies do, you know, playing. So they were crawling around and got a bit dusty. Complain to the house-elves that the floor is dirty. And it's not like we couldn't clean them magically, now is it? Leave poor Lucy alone. Poor man's already got enough to take in from his half-blood master to which he so stupidly enslaved himself."
Remus looked at Sirius warningly, but his barbs weren't picked up by Narcissa. She picked up Draco and looked down at Alya, like she wanted to tread on the girl. Alya sat down and looked up to her with those huge brown eyes of hers. Then the baby smiled.
"Dada!" she called.
"I'm right here, love," Sirius replied.
Alya turned and crawled to him. He picked her up and took her on his lap.
"There's my sweetheart. You're a big one, Alya, yes, you've done well. Did you have fun? Well done, Alya."
"Dinner will be served in five minutes," Narcissa declared coldly and left the room.
Lucius got up and followed her. He had not even reacted to Sirius' taunts. Remus picked up Antares and cleaned his son, too, then they followed the Malfoys. Sirius grinned. He'd clearly won a round.
"Don't you think it's rather strange that Lucius is so subdued?" Remus asked, before they left the room.
"In a way only. He's always been firmly under Narcissa's command. She's the one holding the reins in this marriage, believe me. I think that's why he compensates with extreme cruelty to others. She's the Ice Queen among my cousins. I always used to call Bella the Fire Queen and Narcissa the Ice Queen. My mother and my aunt hated me for that. Of course I also called Andy the Queen of Hearts; that made them even madder."
Remus grinned, plenty amused.
"He didn't even answer you on your taunt of having to take in much from Voldemort nor that he's a halfblood. Too good, that one. I think, I'm going to enjoy my stay here," he said and placed Antares on his hip.
Sirius laughed.
"Unless Moldy Voldy decides to make a personal appearance. Then we'd have to pelt him with another dose of our flying knives."
"Don't think he'd bother - he'd send some of his other cronies."
Grinning, the two made their way to the dining room, where the table was set for five adults and three children. Sirius transfigured two high chairs and changed Remus' cutlery to non-lethal chrome. He and Remus set Alya and Antares in their chairs and sat down between the two children, opposite of Narcissa and Lucius. They didn't have to wait long and Mrs Black made her appearance. She swept to her place at the head of the table and a sharp clap of her hand made Kreacher deliver the food to the table. Walburga Black threw a curious glance over her two youngest grandchildren and her great-nephew, it was the first time she saw two of her son's four children. Alya looked content and like Remus, she was dismissed immediately, as she was a girl. Antares, on the other hand, was entirely his father. A lively little boy with alert blue-grey eyes, his daddy's black hair and the same cute nose Sirius had. Not the heir though. She didn't know how Polaris looked who would be the heir.
To avoid a big drama Remus and Sirius fed their children and didn't allow them to hold the spoon themselves. Alya was hungry after all that crawling she'd done. Antares didn't want the solid food at all. Remus took him on his lap and held him there for a while until he had eaten. Then he stood up and excused himself:
"I have to feed him; he's not fully ready to eat solid foods yet."
"Nothing wrong to give him the bottle here..." Lucius said, puzzled.
"No, but since *I* am his bottle, some people might be slightly offended."
He lifted Antares up and took him back to the drawing room, where he nursed his son. Walburga looked sullenly at Sirius and asked:
"What's that half-human saying?"
"Mother, his name is Remus and he looks a lot more human to me than you do. Whether you like it or not he is your son-in-law. He and I became hermaphrodites when we got mated. That means that we have a full set of male and female reproductive organs and we can sire as well as have children, ergo our four little ones, that's all. It also means we can nurse them."
The three adults in the room stared at him. Even in the wizarding world things like that sounded rather fantastic. Sirius sighed and explained:
"I know it sounds strange. It hasn't happened in the wizarding world since the werewolf segregation laws have come to pass. Rarely would a human get close with a werewolf and if someone got bitten who was already married or sexually experienced it couldn't happen the way it happened to us. Two people, at least one of them a werewolf, have to consciously make the decision to become mated and they have to be virgins at the start of the ritual. That's a bond that holds for life and needs the basis of love and respect for each other. Not something you guys would understand."
Alya looked up to her daddy and smiled at him. Sirius finished eating and set his knife and fork on the plate. His mother still stared at him and his daughter. Alya was still eating. Sirius fed her small bites and she chewed them, slowly and with apparent gusto. She didn't get any meat yet, he just fed her the potatoes and the veggies.
"That's the good girl, Alya. Are you going to get big and strong like who?" Sirius asked.
"Polly?" she asked back.
Sirius laughed. She couldn't say Polaris yet, but her brother definitely was her favourite, so when asked for someone she usually said 'Polly'. With Harry speaking a few words already, Antares and Alya tried their best to keep up.
"Is Polaris big and strong?" Sirius asked.
Alya nodded. He fed her another little spoonful of potatoes and said:
"Well, if you say so, then yes, like Polaris. He'll always be a little ahead of you for quite some time."
"Who is Polaris?" Lucius dumbly asked his wife.
"Alya's older brother, Lucius, and potentially the heir," Narcissa hissed.
"Oh. You have an older child still?"
"Stayed with James and Lily Potter. Vega and Polaris. They were the big surprise gift, because we didn't know about that we were able to have children until Remus didn't transform one full moon. When Pomfrey checked him up she found out he was pregnant. Checking me, we found out that I was, too. That was in our seventh year. Vega was born first, beginning of December and Polaris just a week later. Then we used contraceptive spells, but they seemingly didn't work on us for very long, so along came Alya and Antares. Now we're on the potion and that seems to be better," Sirius explained casually.
'He acts like he was on the best of terms with us,' Narcissa suddenly thought.
But Sirius didn't act. He just couldn't be anyone else but himself. And he was determined not to show his daughter a different person than the kind of father she was used to just because she was forced to stay in a house where the family culture was a completely different one. After the meal he let Alya out of her chair and on the floor, which she started to explore. Until she bumped her head on one of the sideboards. Sirius got up immediately and picked her up and soothed her again. It took two minutes and the inquisitive air on her face returned. She grinned again happily and he let her back down on the floor. When he sat again he pushed the chair a little bit back from the table. Alya came crawling and pulled herself up on his leg.
"A big girl?" he asked her.
She nodded.
"That big girl is going to bed soon," he said, tickling her nose.
She shook her head and grinned.
"You think not? I think you do..."
Narcissa had watched his interaction with his daughter with a disgusted face and Sirius discovered the same expression on his mother's face. He almost felt sorry for them. Before his cousin was able to open her mouth and scold him for cuddling his children, he said:
"Stuff whatever you were going to say, 'Cissa. MY children are being brought up with love. I love them and I want them to know that I do. And in the end I'm getting all the love back. Ever since Alya and Draco have been playing together I haven't seen your son smile even once, except for the time I picked him up and soothed him when he cried and when he played with Alya. Do you even have an idea how much I feel pity for your son, for not receiving love from his own parents? I now know what it means to be a mother and I can only say: shame on you two, you are the most unnatural mothers I will ever have had the displeasure to know. Because a real mother would die for her children. A real mother would be ready to push everything to the back to be there for her children. A real mother loves her children and even if she has to discipline them she still does it in a way that the children know she means only their best. Look at the difference between these two children? Your son is just a mobile puppet, 'Cissa. You show him off in silk clothes and when you go home you probably just push him into the hands of your house-elves and stalk off to your own entertainment. Because that's what your mother did, 'Cissa, she's your role model and I pity you for it. You'd have been better off to look at Andy and Dora. Did you ever meet your niece at all? She's the cutest button of a child you can imagine. And she's allowed to be cute and happy while she laughs and sings all day long. That's what my children will do; all of them and nothing, and no one will make them unhappy if I can prevent it. Look at this place! What adjectives come to mind to describe it, hm? Dark. Dank. Dull. Depressing. Dingy. Dreary. And dreadful. You guys are all a reflection of that wonderfully depressing style. Do think about it. Oh, and the same actually goes for fathers, too, just to remind you."
Sirius stood up from his chair and lifted Alya up.
"Say goodnight to grandmother, darling. Give her a nice wink," he whispered and turned her to face her relatives.
Alya waved her little hand to her grandmother.
"And who do you wish goodnight now? Cousin Draco?"
"Daco!" she squealed and waved at the boy.
"And aunt 'Cissa and uncle Lucius, love!"
"Goo' nigh'!" Alya said and leaned her head on her daddy's shoulder.
"Good night, Alya!" Mrs Black said stiffly and was astonished as the little girl gave her a big smile.
Sirius wished everyone a nice evening and went to join Remus, who had taken Antares up to their room.
"Hey, love!" he said quietly and met Remus for a kiss.
"Hi. Did you fight with your relatives?"
"No. Just held them a speech about what real mothers and fathers are. And then I made Alya say good night to everyone. She gave my mother a wave with her hand and would you believe it, mother actually wished her a good night. And got a smile from Alya. But then, everyone and their brother gets a smile from Alya. She's really the sunniest child you could imagine."
"She doesn't know what it means to have any prejudices yet, love."
"Exactly. I hope she never develops too many of them either."
Once he had changed his little girl and dressed her for the night Sirius sat down and gave Alya a while to suckle on his breast and get some milk. She fell asleep promptly and he could take her away and put her into her cot. He covered her up well, as it was rather cold in the room. As soon as both children were sleeping he cast silencing charms over the little beds, so the children could not hear their fathers, but Sirius and Remus could still hear their children. They got up again and first went to seal the study, after that they returned to the library, dictating the titles into their Dictaquill. At nine they heard the door opening and Sirius' mother came in. They were sitting together and reading.
"Sirius, don't you want to put your children into a room of their own?" she asked.
"No, mother, they're fine. Sometimes we have to get up at night for them, so it's easier to have them closer. Thank you."
"Very well. Good night. I'll be with father."
She left the room and closed the door. Remus looked at Sirius, surprised.
"Wow. Softening her?" he asked.
"No idea. Maybe this is all too much for her. It's very well possible that my row with father the other day was the cause of his breakdown, you know."
"Even if that is the case, I believe you were right when you said the real cause was his guilty conscience. What if he did give Lucius or another Death Eater a hint? Then it's his own fault that he lost Regulus. Even on someone of the calibre of your father that must weigh heavily. He must have avoided becoming a Death Eater himself, because he must have known what it meant."
"But Voldemort, and even more so the other Slytherin pureblood families must have asked a 'contribution' to the cause. Father couldn't buy himself out all the time. And then I told him that his favourite son was killed over hours with Cruciatus."
"Could he be in financial trouble?"
"I doubt it. The vaults always looked bottomless. Father had a lot of mental weaknesses, but he was always a very good economist. No, he's just a bloody coward himself, so he saved his own skin by sacrificing Regulus. He just didn't know that Regulus actually had a heart and noticed that everything the Death Eaters did was wrong. How brave my brother was, Remus! He really was, going against Voldemort personally when he went and got that Horcrux. I'm more than glad that Regulus and I actually seem to have come after our paternal grandparents who are both very much okay."
They returned to their inventorying of the library's content. Sirius added a little sign for all the books that had been protected so only a Black could touch them. He could easily feel them with his magic. Going through the shelves he pulled them out and Remus then knew which books not to touch.
Before midnight they looked over the growing roll of parchment. They picked it up and took it up to their room, where they went to the bathroom and then undressed. It seemed that Sirius' mother had sent up Kreacher again to tidy things up better and so the bed was nicely done up and the room was spotless. Sirius was almost scared seeing his mother so subdued.
"Maybe she actually does care for your father, Sirius."
"Maybe. But maybe she is just aware of my turning off the money supply. Which I will, at least a good bit. I don't want one Knut to go to Voldemort from this day on. That family is going to change to the Light side even if most of them only do it kicking and screaming; I won't tolerate any Dark activity anymore. For that reason alone I will take up the mantle of head of house Black."
Remus smiled. He had never seen Sirius that determined and self-assured before. He knew that his encouragement and their being together so happy had a large part in this development in his mate. He liked to see his husband that way. He had grown up.
"I love you," he said.
"I love YOU, Moony. You're my strength."
They slept very soon and were able to sleep through until Antares woke them in the morning. Remus went to pick up his son and brought him back to the bed.
"Good morning, my love," Sirius said and kissed his son.
Antares stroked his daddy's face and got a big smile. He pushed his fingers into Sirius' mouth. Pulled them out again and grabbed his little feet. Remus laid down again and watched Antares for a moment, then he sat leaning back to the headboard and pulled Antares on his lap. The baby sat and snapped the nipple and started to suckle. Remus stroked him over the head and smiled. He loved the feeling of nursing. It gave him such a deep connection to his children. Sirius and he had swapped considerably less with Alya and Antares than they had with Vega and Polaris, because the children were two months apart. But they made that up with picking the children up, holding and comforting them frequently. Thus both men were deeply connected with their four little children. Even though they had spent most of their time since the children's birth at Hogwarts, their role models for bringing up their children were certainly Remus' parents.
Alya didn't stir until Sirius, Remus and Antares were already dressed. Their little screening sleeper made them smile so often. Even at home where she shared her bed with Antares she slept on peacefully while he was already calling for his fathers.
"I'm sure that this girl would be able to sleep through absolutely everything," Sirius argued.
When the two returned from the bath they found Alya on her feet and smiling at them. Sirius pulled her out of the cot and changed her on the bed. Then he dressed her into some Muggle baby-jeans and a t-shirt and jumper. He brushed her hair and took her to the bath, where he quickly washed her face and brushed her teeth.
"Ready to take on the day, love?" he asked.
She clapped her hands together and gave him a big smile. He kissed her and said:
"You know, if your Daddy was that adorable as a baby I'm amazed that Richard and Venetia haven't simply eaten him up because he was so cute."
Alya gurgled something and pressed herself on her daddy's chest on his arm. Sirius just smiled and the two of them joined Remus and Antares on the landing to go down the stairs and check on the news on Sirius' father.
He was still alive, but barely. Mrs Black seemed to have sat with him most of the night, she looked haggard and tired. The healer was also still there. Sirius looked at the healer and beckoned her aside for a moment.
"He's been unchanged since last night. Barely hanging on. Mrs Black ought to have some breakfast and some sleep."
"I see what I can do. I don't think, she'll come down, but I send Kreacher up with some breakfast for her and maybe she could be convinced to sleep a little."
"Thank you, sir."
Sirius wished his mother a good morning. She barely responded.
"I'll have Kreacher up with some breakfast for you, Mother," he said.
He did so and sat down to breakfast with Remus and the children alone. The Malfoys had left. Sirius first let Alya suckle for a while and then ate his own breakfast and gave her some bread to chew on and a bit of warm chocolate milk. They took their time for that. At the end Remus took over Alya and Antares went with Sirius. Sirius returned to his father's room, while Remus went up to continue noting down the books in the library.
Sirius saw that his mother had at least nibbled on the food. He looked at the healer, who nodded.
"Mother, please take a nap, I'll stay here," he said.
After all was said and done these two people had still given him his life and he wasn't able to forget that and just shove them aside. And the 'mother' inside of him didn't allow him to mistreat his parents as they had mistreated him. He could finally get his mother to lie down on the chaise-longue for a while. She even accepted a light sleeping potion from the healer and Sirius covered her lightly with a plaid. Then he sat down at his father's deathbed.
It was a long wait. Sirius' mother had slept for most of the morning. Sirius held Antares on his lap for a while, then let him on the floor a bit and finally lifted him up again so Antares could take his late morning nap on Sirius' chest. Sirius transfigured the chair to an armchair and made himself comfortable on it to offer his son a nice area to sleep. He wouldn't sleep very long anyway.
'I do wish you could see your grandchildren just once, so you'd see what you denied Regulus and I, Father," Sirius thought.
Even with his son in his arms it was still a lonely morning. His father held on still, maybe tried to fight, but it was a lost cause.
Antares was still sleeping, when Mrs Black rose from her nap. She looked at the time and then around to see Sirius still sitting at his father's bed with a sleeping baby on his chest. He held Antares in his arms, his head inclined soothingly to the baby and both of them looked adorable. She thought her son might be asleep, too, but he looked up immediately.
"Oh, you're up. Let me give you your chair back," he said quietly.
He returned the armchair to what it was before. Sirius chose another seat in the back of the room. He felt that it wouldn't be long anymore now. And he knew that his mother needed to be there. Finally, after another three hours the breaths his father took became farther and farther in between, hitched and came to a stop with a few shuddering breaths a few minutes after four o'clock in the afternoon. Sirius closed his eyes and sighed in relief. This part of his life was over. His father was only 50 years old, for a wizard this was barely a third of a normal life span, but Orion Black had never lived a very healthy life. His mother was sixteen years older and not much better off than her husband.
Antares was holding his afternoon nap on the chaise-longue. Sirius looked back at him to see that he was still safe, stood up and went to his mother. She sat there, quite stiff, knowing that her husband had passed on. Sirius put his hand on her shoulder and quietly said:
"I'm sorry, Mother. Please accept my condolences."
"Thank you, Sirius."
Sirius picked up his sleeping son and left her alone. The healer confirmed the death of Orion Black, and filled and signed the necessary papers, which she wisely gave Sirius. He copied them and sent the copy to the lawyers.
Sirius found Remus in the library, where Alya was asleep on a blanket. Remus looked up and asked:
"Died?"
Sirius nodded.
"Just now. I'm glad it's over. I got Mother to sleep and eat a little something this morning, but she was there when he died."
"And now?"
"Have to call in the lawyers. He has made a will, which is in their hands. They will have to assemble the remaining family. Of which I'm the head now, however little my parents may like that. Family by-laws make it impossible to change that."
He sat down to write the letter, which he sent with the family owl, adding the copy of the death certificate. Then the two of them went down to the drawing room to face whichever family members had shown up to wait for news. He was sure that in the meantime word must have gotten out his father was dying. They weren't surprised that Narcissa was there again, this time with her mother instead of Lucius. Then there were several more remote, but no less sinister relatives of minor importance.
"My father died ten minutes ago," Sirius announced quietly, before he greeted any of them.
If any of them except for Sirius' aunt were surprised to see him there, they didn't show it. Sirius turned to Narcissa and her mother and asked them:
"Would you kindly go up and look after Mother? She took it quite calmly, but I think she will need you now."
"Yes, I will. You certainly only riled her up, Sirius!" his aunt said.
"I'm not going to lower my standards to fight with you, Aunt Druella. You will have to concede to the fact that I am the new head of the family now and you might have to put up with some different decisions," Sirius shot back.
She rushed out of the room. No answer from her confirmed for him that she conceded to the facts. Sirius turned to the others.
"If you lot want to see him you might go up and have a look and then I suggest you leave and only come back for the funeral and when you'll be summoned by the lawyers."
Remus had to hold back a snicker. That was typically Sirius; he summarily dismissed all of his relatives and sent them packing. Once the four people, some third degree cousins or something, Sirius said, had left, they sat down on a sofa and let their children on the floor. They could hear the visitors leaving straight out without seeing them again later on. Sirius only checked who was left to tell Kreacher how many people would be there for the dinner if any beyond themselves.
The next days were endless in their dreariness and only once the funeral was over did Remus and Sirius get some rest. They had asked James to bring Vega and Polaris down to London. The two children were set up in a room next to Sirius' and Remus'. They had never been separated for so long before and James said he was quite glad that they were allowed to re-join their fathers.
"They were getting cranky and missed you terribly," he added.
"Well, we missed them even more! Thanks for looking after them though; we really appreciate it, James."
"Well, we are their godparents, aren't we? We loved to have them, only after three days it got more difficult, because they just missed you so badly."
Sirius and Remus were actually quite happy to hear that. They had embraced their little ones happily and the children had not been any less enthusiastic. James had to move on though, so he left almost on the spot.
Sirius and Remus took the children to the drawing room and presented them to their grandmother.
"Mother, I'd like you to meet Vega and Polaris. They're almost two and a half years old. Children, this is your grandmother. That is how you will call her."
Both of the children threw quite dark looks at their grandmother. She looked rather frightening they thought, but they held out their little hands. Mrs Black looked shortly at Vega, then at Polaris. He was the Black heir. And he looked like the Blacks usually did. All of his blond hair had changed to black now and he had the family typical steely blue eyes. His temperament corresponded his daddy's, he was lively, inquisitive and loved to laugh. He had a lot of Remus, too, but it was rather well hidden inside.
His sister was another carbon copy of Sirius. She showed a lot of promise. She was the self-confident one, always the first at everything: crawling, walking, talking, her motor skills were always a short tick ahead of Harry and ahead of the rest of the children.
"Well, at least you've done your duty to the family," Mrs Black said.
"That's not the reason why we have them, mother, but we'll let that one go…"
She was back to her old cold self. Sirius refused to fight with her, but he had given her the facts these past days and she had to face them. He had talked with the lawyers behind the closed doors of his father's study, had set up the trust from which his mother would be supported and had given her the order that not one Knut of the family's money would be spent on the Death Eaters and their cause anymore. He was not going to tell her who she would be allowed to see, but she was cut off from any but her new trust vault at Gringotts, so she would be unable to access the other family vaults. For the moment and until the last will had been read and the legates divided the family vaults were sealed.
Sirius' beliefs and his understanding of partnership would have guided him to set down the rules together with his mother, but he had found her so uncooperative early on, that he had excluded her almost from the start.
The reading took place two weeks after the death of Orion Black. About eighteen people were present in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place. Remus took over the children for the afternoon and kept them playing up in the library. Once the reading would be over and the executors of the will would get going they would return to Hogwarts.
The will of Sirius' father Orion Black was no surprise to anyone. He had to write it up in the form that the family by-laws allowed, therefore there were a few personal legates, mostly artefacts or books, but the body of the inheritance went to Sirius according to the family statutes. The statutes granted Mrs Black the life-long right to live in the house and she was to be given an apanage.
Sirius learned that two of the lawyers were the executors of the will. They needed a few signatures from him which he gave them right there. All of the people who received personal legates were asked to get them on the spot; those who were to receive money would be getting it in the next days. A week after the reading of the will these few problems were solved and Sirius had to go to Gringotts to pick up his new keys and get an overview over the assets.
"Oh my. Won't have to work ever with all that's there..." he said to the goblin.
"Good for you, sir," said the goblin and grinned.
"Much of it will be used in a better way now," Sirius said with a wink.
He made sure that for the time being he and Remus were the only ones who would have access to the family vaults. Everything that was meant to go to someone else was transferred to the respective vaults. Mrs Black's trust vault received regular transfers of a nicely sized amount, but not enough to spend any on Voldemort's cause. Sirius gave his mother her new key and told her, that she would have to do with what she received for the household and her personal spending money. It was a good sum for her alone. The house didn't take much of her money, most of it she could spend on her own, but if she still wanted to give money to Voldemort she would have to take it from her own. Four small trust vaults were installed for each of his children. They would gradually be filled to a maximum of 1000 Galleons from the family vault. It was the money that was put aside for each of their children to help them on their feet once they were coming of age. Remus and Sirius, mindful of their responsibilities, immediately set up new wills to provide for the children in the possible case of their premature deaths. They also set up reminders that the Goblins would send them every ten years to review the wills' contents.
Sirius had looked over his father's expenses in the past five years and had found that about eight thousand Galleons per year had been handed over to Voldemort. That was an awful lot of money. Richard Lupin, as the head of his department, made about four thousand Galleons per year and that was a very high salary, only topped by what the Minister of Magic earned. Regular wizards in middle to lower charges of the Ministry rarely earned more than a few hundred Galleons. People in the free trade often made less than a thousand and could live well off that amount.
"Voldemort will certainly feel that loss!" Remus said and sounded content.
"I hope so. I was even able to stop the last planned payment of four thousand Galleons. That seemed to be the instalment for the first half of the year. We were lucky that my father died when he did, because that made them freeze all movements on our accounts immediately. Half a day later and the money would have been sent."
When they both returned to pick up their children and their notes about the content of the library, which Remus sealed and warded off, so Lucius or someone else wouldn't come and raid it, they met a fuming Lucius Malfoy in the drawing room. The children were up in the library with one of the newer house-elves who looked well after them. No one would be able to harm them there, because Remus had used the "Sanguis familia" spell to cover them. Together with his usual wards they were secure in this room.
"How dare you stop your father's money transfers?" Lucius raged.
Sirius smirked.
"You know, that wasn't even me, that was my father himself. When he died the accounts and transfers were all frozen. When I took over, I was asked which of the transfers I would allow and you can bet your ass, Lucius, that I was NOT going to shove any of MY money into your halfblood master's dirty ass. Are we clear on that? If my mother wants to donate money she will have to do it from her allowance, which I have made comfortable for her, but which would leave her quite in trouble if she were to give it away to some lowlife like Voldemort. If YOU want to throw away your inheritance on the scum, then that's your business. But out of THIS house not a single Knut, not even one single one of these ugly silver candleholders will go to that pig you call master. Do I make myself clear enough for your pea brain to understand?"
"You haven't heard the last of us, Black!"
"Oh, I'm sure about that, Lucius. But let me warn you! Once we're done with your 'master' you will not get off the hook! You will go to where you belong, Malfoy, and that's Azkaban!"
"I'm not afraid of you!"
"You aren't? Well, let's see... how many times have we brought you down, even though you were so much older than we are? Must have been at least a dozen. And you saw what we did to your master, Lucius. You saw how he trembled and fled! You saw how little it took us for him to fear for his precious life, which he wants to preserve because he's afraid of dying, the bloody coward. Yes, Lucius, you ARE afraid of me. You are even more afraid of us and let me tell you that you do well to be afraid of us. Remus may not say much, but you know he's a force to reckon with. And together, Lucius... together we are unstoppable!" Sirius said all of this in a menacingly low voice.
Malfoy paled and moved slightly backwards, but still couldn't keep his mouth shut, so Sirius cut him off:
"And don't forget that you've now given me proof of your true colours twice. You may have the Minister in your pocket, or you may think you do, but you do not have Barty Crouch in your pocket. He would love to have some proof that you're Voldemort's servant, Lucy. Not only do I know that you are his willing henchman, you have not contradicted me on any occasion and this nasty little tattoo on your wrist proves it anyway. You have now the choice to leave my house on your own or to leave it in chains!"
Sirius went over to the door, opened it and nodded out. Lucius didn't dare to try and prove Sirius wrong.
"How dare you throw out my visitors?" Mrs Black screeched.
"He was hardly here to see you this time; he was here to complain to me that I have stopped the money transfers to his half-blood master! I warned you, Mother. I told you that things would change here. The first thing that will change is that when I am in here I will not allow any of that scum entrance. I don't mind who you see when I'm away, but as soon as I set my foot in my house I will not see any of them anymore. Is that clear?"
She backed down.
"Yes, Sirius."
"Very well. This way we will get along, Mother. I will not be getting on your nerves very often. The library and the study are off limits to you from now on. If you need anything out of the study you can call me any time. The library we'll take care of and clear out in the next days and the books will be shut away in the near future. I don't want any of them to fall into the wrong hands. We have already made a list of them. You had better not let anyone try and breach Remus' wards, which would have a pretty nasty outcome. Now we'll fetch the children and our stuff and we'll be on our way back to Hogwarts."