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Sirius could hear something, something was happening just beyond his rooms, just out of reach of his ears to hear what was being said and yet could still hear that something was being said. Sirius couldn't help but wonder if they had simply stopped near his rooms or that someone had come to see him.

So far he had only seen a handful of people his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa, as well as Lucius, Severus, and of course Voldemort who he had now willingly called Tom after learning the truth that had always been shielded from his view, mostly by his own doing. It was strange to hear something outside his rooms for he had been told by Tom that his room was hidden, and for that reason it was odd for anyone to stop outside his rooms that didn't know he was there. Despite the lack of constant company it was more than he had gotten in the last decade and his living situation was a million times better than Azkaban. For starters it wasn't ice cold and gloomy, it was well lit, warm, and even had enchanted windows that showed forests, mountains, and even animals and they made him feel much better. He also loved the fact that he had several rooms. Unlike the others who just had private beds and bathrooms, he wasn't allowed to roam the house and use it's many rooms and was in fact confined to just his rooms. The one good thing about his confinement was that he didn't have to share or have anyone bother him. He had a bedroom, ensuite bathroom with a shower and bath, a small kitchenette and dining table and a rather large living room that had several pieces of furniture, a fireplace, and a good selection of books on a built in wall shelf.

A part of him hoped that it was Harry, that Tom was bringing the boy he had loved like his own to see him. He had always wanted to be Harry's godfather but Lily and James had said they were putting it off until the war was over, now he knew that they had named a godfather for Harry, it just wasn't him, but Severus. Severus Snape who in their younger years the four of them had tormented, but who James had grown to love more than he loved Sirius. Looking back at their time at Hogwarts Sirius now saw that James had changed before his very eyes and he hadn't noticed. That James had shied away from tormenting Severus in the end as he grew more closer to Lily, and in turn to Severus as they had been and remained best friends.

Now Sirius understood though, that they would have made him Harry's godfather except that it was himself that was the problem, that his hatred of the dark had unknowingly pushed him away from the two people he loved as family. Now he had the chance to redeem himself not only in their eyes but his and everyone else's, and to be someone in Harry's- no Nathiar's life, Harry's new name was Nathiar. The name was unfamiliar to Sirius's mind even though Tom had called Harry Nathiar except for when he was explaining his adoption of Harry and the subsequent changing of his name. Even the few other visitors he had all called Harry Nathiar. Despite everyone else Sirius had called Harry nothing else but Harry for thirteen years and was still getting used to the change of name.

The whispers of talking stopped and silence hung in the air, heavy and disconcerting in its uncertainty.

Sirius couldn't help but wonder who it had been and why they were close, as the quietness started to suffocate him in the questions it brought, trying not to get his hopes up and wishes that Tom was bringing Nathiar to see him. That for the first time since he had been sent to Azkaban he would see Nathiar almost all grown up, nearly a man.

Soon after the silence had filled the air, sooner than he thought, Sirius heard a sharp knock on his door, and it rang through the air louder than any one single knock had the right to be. Shuffling closer to the door Sirius opened it and was greeted by the sight of Tom, standing tall and proud as ever, and even so he looked uncomfortable.

Even after the two years of protection, treatments, and intensive care Sirius still had trouble with what to call Tom, habits made him want to call Tom the Dark Lord, and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and such. While revelations and the truth made Sirius want to call him Tom and on bad days Riddle. Settling for calling the man Tom, Sirius greeted his visitor and asked him to come in.

"This is an unusual call, today is Yule and I've brought someone to see you... Nathair," Tom said softly as he moved slightly to the side and revealed Nathair to Sirius.

"Ha - Nathair,"breathed Sirius as he looked at the young man through his tattered hair. As a baby Harry had been the spitting image of James and showed to be nothing else as he grew the only thing he seemed to have gotten from Lily was her startling green eyes. Now years later and having been blood adopted, he looked nothing like James and Lily's eyes were gone, though not all traces were gone. His eyes were still green and hair still dark, but darker than James', he looked so much like Tom that Sirius could hardly believe that the boy in front of him had once been Harry Potter.

"Sirius Black," said Nathair as calmly as he could, unsure what he should be feeling at meeting James' supposed best friend. Even though his godfather Severus was really James' best friend, enough so to be his godfather, whereas the man before him wasn't even on either of his father's side of the war.

"We talked... they had said you looked... I had hoped," said Sirius softly, so softly that he normally wouldn't have been heard but Nathair was used to listening closely.

"You hoped I would look like James Potter?" Questioned Nathair as he looked less than impressed with the Black Lord, the unimpressed look he gave Sirius was one he had picked up from years of watching his godfather Severus. "Well you would have been disappointed, even before the adoption potion the only thing I had from my father was his dark messy hair and eye sight. I looked like Lily more than James before my adoption and now I look like my father more than either of my other parents."

Sirius seemed to deflate even more than once he had gotten a look at Nathair and seen that he didn't look like James, and wilted under Nathan's unimpressed look and coolly frosted words. He might have looked like a mix of Lily, James, and Tom Riddle, Tom's features being the most predominant of the three, but Nathan's tone and expressions were heavily influenced by Severus and Tom. the two older men's looks being very similar in sneers, glares, and over all looks of displeasure and irritation.

"Either way... you are still the son of my best friend and it doesn't matter what you look like or what your name is, and that because of my pig headedness I wasn't able to be your godfather. I do want to get to know you and hopefully you can find a way to know me. Soon enough I should be a free person once more once Tom takes over and the wizarding world is righted. I've been talking a lot with my cousin's, Lucius, Severus, and Tom of course and I've been able to see through the lies the light and Dumbledore have been spreading throughout our world," said Sirius with a hopeful expression lurking in his eyes as he voiced his new found realizations.

Nathair didn't look all that convinced that Sirius didn't just want to hang on to his last link to James and was actually prepared to have a relationship with Nathair, and not just in the hopes of keeping James alive, and not just in his memory. If Nathair was to be honest he had wanted to meet the man, but not because he wanted to know him, but because of how close he was to James. Nathair left with a weak promise to send letters through his father while he was at school before he left, Tom trailing behind.

As he walked after his son Tom wondered if it had been such a good idea to let the former marauder meet his son, the animagus was high strung much like the animal he turned into but he was often more like a puppy then the old dog he should have been at his age. Nathair had little patience for people on the light side of the war and even less for nonsensical and frivolous people like Sirius. Not that Sirius couldn't be like his name's sake and be serious but he had never grown up and the bond he had with James had all but ensured he never felt the need to.

"Will you be going to the ball tonight?" Nathair asked Tom as they were about to go back through the floo to their manor.

"I was planning on it, but if Dumbledore decides to show up I'll have to leave as soon as possible, even with my old looks back I know he will recognize me. I may be older but I still look so similar to what I did as a student. Though the Yule ball is tonight and he has to be there to watch over everyone," said Tom as he grabbed a handful of the shimmery powder and stepped through the floo Nathair following behind him.

"Will you be joining me for lunch," Tom asked as Nathair wiped the ash from his robes.

"Sure, I'll finish unpacking after," said Nathair as the uneasy pair walked to their informal dining room.

"Powder?" Tom called as they entered the room and sat in their usual places at the table.

"Master bes calling Powder?"

"Yes, is lunch going to be ready soon?"

"Yes Master, lunch is being shepards pie. Is there something Master's would like to bes drinking?"

"Tea for both of us," said Tom as he looked at Nathair. "Also if you could prepare an afternoon tea for tomorrow for the two of us."

"Yes, Master. Powder be making sure you will be having a full afternoon tea for tomorrow," she said as she popped away and returned with a light tea tray and a pot of tea before Mitty popped in with two plates full of hot steaming shepards pie and sauteed vegetables on the side.

Like their other interactions of late the meal was strained to say the least, the pair barely saying more than a word to the other, the only noise being the clink of the china and silverware as they ate their meal.

About halfway through the meal Tom had grown irritated by the silence and decided a strained conversation was better than no conversation at all and took a sip of tea to clear his palate before speaking," have you decided which robes you are going to wear tonight to the ball?"

"I was thinking the deep blue robes with the silver trimmings," said Nathair as he busied himself with making another cup of tea, always lots of sugar and never any milk or cream.

"That's one of my favorite robes of yours, it seems like a good choice for the formality that is required at the ball. Are you disappointed at not getting the chance to go to the Yule ball at Hogwarts, it would have been a good opportunity to mess with those meddling Gryffindors and Igor."

"Yes it would have been a good opportunity but I had been looking forward to coming home. Now compared to when I first started at Hogwarts, Hogwarts felt like home, it just feels suffocating now. Between the liars and traitors that walk freely through the halls and the role I am forced to play, the only thing that is good there anymore are my true friends and Severus."

"Will you be inviting the friends we discussed before you returned to Hogwarts to our manor this summer for what you've told me of them they would be welcome here. Not to mention think of what those twins could get up to with the knowledge in our library," said Tom as he inwardly cringed at the thought of how he would hate to be their enemy when the twins could really cause the mayhem they were born for.

"I have been thinking of inviting them and a few others to stay the summer, I know Neville, Fred and George would jump at the chance, they wouldn't miss their homes. I don't know who is more suffocating Molly and her other children or Lady Longbottom," said Nathair as he finished his lunch and started on the tea he had left. "Molly is probably worse, at least with Lady Longbottom there's only one and she is getting rather on in age. Bill and Charlie have it easy, both are old enough they don't have to live there anymore. It's good about Bill though, as long as he works for Gringotts he is legally bound not to get involved in any war or war like activities. That is unless Gringotts and the whole Goblin nation decide to get involved and even then he has to side with them and the side of the war they chose to back. Which is good for us seeing as if he wants to keep his job, which he was lucky too after we found out he was stealing from me, he has no choice but to fight on our side. Hopefully that won't be an issue according to the twins the goblins have been re-educating him and he has been spying on his family for the goblins not that I really trust him after knowing that he was stealing from me without batting an eye."

"We don't have too, if he betrays the goblin's his life won't be worth living," said Tom with a glint in his eye that said the goblins wouldn't even need to do their worst to make him regret crossing them if Bill chose to, and Bill would know it.