CW: house elves, proposals, discussion of divorce, discussion of relationships

:SEVENTY:

It turned out that filling out Muggle forms to change one's last name was more bothersome than Remus and Sirius had expected. They were sat at the kitchen table, Remus sighing resignedly while Sirius looked about ready to light the paperwork on fire.

"Maybe we should ask Petunia for help?" Remus suggested. "She had to fill these forms out when she got divorced."

Sirius sighed, putting his head in his hands. "This whole adult business is really not what they said it would be, Remus."

Remus laughed. "Who said?"

"I dunno." Sirius mumbled. "People. Adult people."

"Well," Remus got up from the table. "Would my adult partner like some food?"

"Yes, please!" Sirius perked up immediately.

"Mr. Sirius is so predictable." Kreacher rolled his eyes.

The house elf, who had set up his own table in a corner so he wouldn't have to climb up onto their chairs, was working on a puzzle Remus had brought for him. It was a thousand-piece landscape of the village Hogsmeade, which moved when put together properly. Kreacher said when he finished the puzzle, he would like to go there, but not before. Remus was hoping it coincided with the second task, so they could all go together.

Kreacher put another piece together, then stood up to help Remus cook. This was the compromise they had made about a week prior. Kreacher was getting too old and too frustrated when cooking all by himself, but he simply couldn't stand to not at least help. So, Remus left Kreacher the task of baking things and helping prep ingredients, while Remus cooked and cleaned. This way, Kreacher didn't have to struggle trying to reach as many things. He simply got up onto the counter and prepared everything there, levitating things to him if he needed them.

"Have you heard anything from Winky, Kreacher?" Remus asked, taking the cut-up carrots from Kreacher's cutting board and putting them into a pot.

"No," Kreacher brought over a potato and began peeling it. "Dobby has come by, says Winky is not feeling well. They both work at Hogwarts now, Dobby says, but Winky is not adapting."

"You know," Sirius said from the table. "I wonder if maybe Hermione is onto something with the idea of house elf rights."

Kreacher shook his bat-like ears. "Miss Hermione is bold, but she is having her work cut out. House elves is sharing the same feeling, excepting Dobby. We like serving."

"I understand that." Remus nodded. "Serving others can be very fulfilling. But house elves can't possibly like punishing themselves, or being treated horribly by wizardkind, or being fired without just cause."

Kreacher looked thoughtful, peeling his third potato. "Sirs is making a point."

"But I is a changed and old house elf." Kreacher continued. "I is learning from Mr. Remus and Sirius. Other house elves is learning from their masters. You see?"

Remus looked down at the food, considering all Kreacher had said. He was right, of course. If house elf rights were to improve, it had to start with the wizards and witches involved. House elves had been put through so much for so long that they probably didn't even have any records of life before their enslavement. And Dobby was the exception, not the rule, when it came to how house elves felt about their situation.

"I'll pass that information on to Hermione, alright?" He said to Kreacher quietly.

The elf nodded, returning to his work.

There was silence for a few moments, but it was broken by Petunia's steps up to the flat. She came in soon after that, humming tunelessly as she put down her shopping.

"It smells good in here," She said approvingly. "And I picked up a few things you asked for, they're in the bag."

"Much obliged." Sirius smirked, taking out a bag of biscuits from the shopping.

"So," Petunia took a seat by Sirius at the kitchen table. "What's going on around here?"

"We've been trying to fill out these bloody forms." Sirius showed her the paperwork.

"Oh," She leaned forward, looking over the documents. "I can help you with these. I have, well, some experience with them."

She took the pen Sirius offered, then began filling it out. Sirius sighed happily, relaxing into his chair.

"Honestly, Petunia," Sirius said admiringly. "You're just lovely - bringing me biscuits and filling out those horrible forms for me."

"Oi!" Remus yelled from the stove. "You're taken, both of you."

Petunia giggled, smiling at the pair of them.

"Actually," She said, setting the pen back down and looking at them excitedly. "I have some news about that."

"Don't tell me you're breaking up with Noah!" Remus said in mock-horror. "I can't compete with biscuits and paperwork-filing."

She laughed again, shaking her head.

"I was cleaning the other day in our bedroom." She started. "And I found a ring box!"

Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "Did you open it!"

"No!" Petunia couldn't stop the smile on her face though. "I don't want to completely ruin the surprise! But, he is taking me out to dinner tonight, so…"

Remus' jaw dropped, but Sirius instantly sprang into action.

"Well," He stood up. "We've got to get you cleaned up then, darling. You can't get proposed to looking like that."

He practically dragged her to their bedroom, where he proceeded to give her a Christmas present early. It was a gorgeous dress he'd had specially made, just for her.

"Now," He looked appraisingly at her. "Off you hop - go take a shower and if you want I can help with your hair and makeup, alright?"

Petunia beamed, holding the dress up to herself in the mirror. It was perfect for her, modest and flattering and right up her alley.

"Thank you, Sirius." She hugged him, then quickly left the flat to go get ready.

Sirius came back out to the kitchen, smirking smugly. "She loved it!"

"I do hope Noah proposes tonight," Remus smiled. "They're good for each other, and Dudley just loves him too."

"I do like Mr. Noah." Kreacher nodded, putting the last peeled potato in the pot.

Petunia came back a few minutes later, letting Sirius curl her hair and help her choose what kind of makeup she wanted to wear. When she'd been married to Mr. Dursley, her overall appearance had been very feminine and overdone. She had wanted to appear young and desirable to Vernon.

But now, her routine had simplified a great deal. Instead of trying to use makeup to cover up, Petunia now used it to accentuate her features. A little blush, brown eyeliner and mascara, and a nude lip were about all she did now. And, with a bit of Sirius' help, Petunia looked absolutely radiant when Noah came home that evening.

They had sent her down to her own flat so she'd be there when Noah got home, but that didn't stop all three of them from obsessively looking out the window.

"They're leaving!" Sirius yelled, catching Petunia and Noah as they walked out to the car. "And... they're gone now."

"I've come to a decision." Remus declared from the coffee table, where he and Kreacher were playing a card game. "Harry cannot date. Petunia relationship is stressful enough."

Kreacher nodded authoritatively, picking up a card from the deck.

"Nonsense, he practically is already!" Sirius laughed, joining them at the table.

"He said Luna was just a friend, love." Remus replied airily.

"Yeah, and I'm just a beetle."

"Sirius!"

"I'm just saying," Sirius leaned back on the couch. "If those two don't at least go to the Yule Ball together, I'm going to be shocked."

"What if he just goes with his friends though? Like with Ron or the twins?"

"Oh!" Remus grinned. "He could even go with Hermione as friends!"

"You sure have a thing about 'friends' tonight. But no, Remus, the Yule Ball is not a friend dance."

"Sure it is." Remus said defensively. "Besides, Harry isn't old enough for any of that anyway."

Sirius laughed heartily at Remus. "We'll just see then, now won't we?"

"Are we going to the second task then? I haven't heard anything about it."

"Right, well." Sirius explained. "It turns out that the reason Percy was at the first task is because Mr. Crouch has taken a leave of absence. So, I scored tickets off of him!"

"That was very kind of him. I wonder why Crouch isn't in the office though?"

Sirius shrugged. "I'm not a big fan of his to begin with, so I say good riddance."

Notes:

Just a fluff chapter really, while we also develop more on the house elf front. Next chapter we're going back to Hogwarts!

Happy Reading!