Chapter 16: Wolfie
Sirius Black had woken up uncomfortable every single day for all the years he spent in Azkaban. He was no stranger to the aches and pains of sleeping on cold, moist stone. He felt completely spoiled at the Grangers, and he was only sleeping on a sofa bed. Sirius had gotten used to sleeping on his own. Thus, he was keenly aware of any movement around him. He was resting on his back when he heard his door open and felt a bit of weight move the mattress next to his left side. He could smell Harry. The boy touched his shoulder. Sirius opened his eyes and looked at the boy.
"Hi," Harry said with a timid smile.
"Hey," Sirius replied.
"Mrs. Granger s-says breakfast is r-ready," the boy looked like he was going to ask a question, but he stopped himself.
"What is it, Harry?"
"I… C-can you t-tell me about my m-mom and dad?"
"Of course, I've been wanting to tell you about them for a while. Do you remember your uncle, Moony?"
"Yes…"
"I think it would be better if we both tell you about them. We were all very close. Would you like that?" Sirius offered, sitting up. Harry nodded so fast that his hair fell over his eyes. Sirius pushed his hair back, and his hand froze. The scar was becoming blurred. It had been an angry dark reddish and swollen lightning bolt. Now, you could still tell its shape, but it was flatter, and instead of red, it was closer to a pinkish tint on the boy's skin color. Sirius made a mental note to ask the Grangers and to have the goblin healers take a good look at Harry. He got up, grabbed Harry's hand, and started walking downstairs. Whatever happened that fateful night at Godric's Hollow, must have had consequences. While he was absolutely confident that the Grangers had done as much as was possible without magic, he knew that goblin healers would look beyond what regular healers in St. Mungos' would.
After a wonderful family breakfast, Sirius requested to talk to Dan and Emma alone. Hermione took Harry to his room so he could practice his writing and reading.
"What a day!" Dan exclaimed nervously, after a few minutes of awkward silence.
"You must be very worried," Sirius said. He wanted to be realistic. The Grangers lived a calm life. One that didn't involve kings of other species, deadly rays of light, brooms that flew, wands that could cause explosions, maniac racists and supremacists, and just the insanity of one of the world's most secure buildings being attacked in such a manner.
"There must be a goblin that is on Dumbledore's side," Emma said with a frown.
"For sure, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to get in there like that."
"This King Nagkrat… is a big deal, right?" asked Emma while pouring some more coffee on her mug.
"Yes, he hasn't been seen in public for years. The wizards and witches of England had a horrible war against the goblins that lasted five years. By the end of it, magical people had been decimated in this country. The Ministry of Magic even enacted a marriage law that forced people to pair up and have at least two children. Do you remember Augusta?" Sirius asked. When Dan and Emma nodded, he continued, "She must have been a teenager when the war ended. Nagkrat had been made monarch about two years before that-"
"What?! How old is she? Or he for that matter," Daniel asked with an incredulous look.
"Well, Augusta must be around 80, and Nagkrat… I don't think anyone –at least any human– knows how old he is."
"Really? Even with her cane, she looks much younger…"
"Well, magic slows down aging…" Sirius tried to explain. He felt ill-equipped to do so. Remus would be much better at this.
"Huh?" Dan's fork fell with a clang.
"Yeah, but the aging only slows after the core reaches maturity which happens at age 16."
"And can they drink at that age?" Emma said with worry.
"Like alcohol?" Sirius asked with a confused expression. The Grangers nodded.
"Um, well there is something called butterbeer which has very little to no alcohol that teens can buy. For anything stronger, they do need to prove they are over 18."
"Butterbeer? Does it have butter?" Emma grimaced. That sounded gross.
"Not exactly, the recipe is sort of a secret, but I know it does have butterscotch… I'll buy you one next time we are in Diagon Alley, that way you can try it" Sirius smiled. It would be better for them to experience some things themselves.
"That would be great. Um, listen, we don't even know what questions to ask…"
"I imagine. Remus would be much better at explaining this. He's a lot smarter…more knowledgeable-"
Sirius stopped talking when the bell rang. He instinctively took out his wand.
"I'll get that," said Dan loudly when he realized the kids could want to get the door.
Sirius was next to Dan in a defensive stance. Emma was ready to run upstairs if necessary. After what had happened, they were a bit paranoid.
"Mr. and Mrs. Granger?" knock, knock, knock. Daniel was about to open the door because he recognized Remus through the peephole. Sirius stopped him and motioned for him to be quiet.
"What was Harry's first word?"
"Wolfie," Remus said with a shy smile.
Sirius opened the door.
Mr. Granger looked at his wife, who was just as confused and had come to stand behind him when she heard Remus.
"Good morning," Remus offered with a small smile. He looked much better. The rest had done wonders for him.
"Good morning, come on in," Emma motioned. "I'll go get Harry."
"Mrs. Granger, wait," Remus asked. "I would prefer to talk to you and your husband first. You may not want me around the children once you know…"
"Remus," Sirius began.
"No, Sirius. I will not lie to them. They have a right to know." Remus' expression as he said this gave no room for arguing. Everyone walked into the living room. Remus waited for everyone to sit down and told his story.
Lupin took a deep breath. The Grangers looked baffled. Not only were werewolves real, but this kind man who looked like he wouldn't hurt a fly was one. Not entirely, but still. Lupin was used to this. He was actually surprised that they hadn't screamed at him or thrown something at him. His secret was now out. He would await their judgment, "I understand if I am no longer welcome in your home."
Sirius had his face in his hands. This talk was completely unnecessary. Moony was never out during the full moon. He posed no danger to anyone.
Emma saw how sad Remus looked. From what she had seen in Wizarding Society, she could gather he wasn't used to being accepted with his condition. She thought he was acting like people who were HIV positive. There was a lot of stigma on the condition. However, when treated, it was manageable, and people could live long lives.
"Mr. Lupin, this condition is manageable, right?" Emma asked, keeping her tone as neutral as possible.
Lupin was frozen. He was not expecting any semblance of a positive response. Sirius replied instead, "Yes, Emma. He has to take a potion, which counteracts the symptoms of lycanthropy. It is an extremely difficult potion to brew, and as such, it is very expensive. However, Lily and James left him as much of it as he can need. He has to take one every day of the full moon before dark."
"So, as long as you take your potion you don't transform?"
"In theory. But I have never wanted to try that theory. In any case, I stay locked up during the full moon," Remus said, looking down.
"This is so interesting…" Emma said with a thoughtful expression. Remus looked back up with shock on his face.
"Interesting?" he asked, his mouth agape.
"Well, yes. Forgive me, I don't mean to make light of this. It's just that this just sounds like HIV," Emma replied with a small smile.
"Do you know what that is?" Daniel asked. Remus and Sirius looked at each other and blushed.
"Dan!" Emma reprimanded.
"What?!" he asked, confused.
"Of course they do!"
"How am I supposed to know? They have no electricity Em!"
"Oh my God! Daniel!" Emma was blushing furiously. "Ignore my VERY unobservant husband."
The men looked at her and chuckled. Remus was a bit shocked that she knew. He looked at Sirius curiously.
"Did I miss a memo or something?" Daniel was even more puzzled now.
"Daniel, um… we are together," said Sirius. Then his eyes went wide and looked at Remus questioningly "Because we are together, right?" Lupin nodded. Sirius put his arm around Remus' back and smiled brightly.
"Wait, together as in frolicking in the meadows holding hands together?"** Dan asked with wide eyes.
"Daniel Francis Granger! You did not just say that!" Emma was thoroughly mortified. Fortunately, both Remus and Sirius found his question amusing and burst out laughing.
"What? I am just trying to get some clarity, but you keep censoring me, love…"
"Yes. That together. Although I think we have never frolicked in a meadow," Sirius said looking thoughtful for a second. "Have we?"
"No, Sirius. We haven't," Remus chuckled. "We do know about HIV. Lily gave us a crash course in our seventh year. Contraceptives and protection are different for wizards and witches, though. Usually, when someone has HIV, it is because they slept with someone outside the Wizarding World."
"Wait, why?"
"Well, magic contraceptives and protection only work on magical people. Therefore, if I slept with someone who is not a wizard, the method I use would be rendered useless."
"Well, that is very inconvenient. How about the other way around?" Dan asked, raising an eyebrow to Sirius.
"Well, Dan. I am flattered really. I think you are a very good looking man, but Remus just gave me a chance to work things out and well… I wouldn't want to anger Emma or her gun…"
Daniel sputtered in shock. Emma laughed. "Oh, he would only be so lucky!"
"Lucky!?" Dan asked his skin pale.
"Well, of course! They are a great looking pair. You have my heart sweetheart, but if I was single and they swung both ways…"
"Emma!" Daniel admonished.
"Well, actually I kind of do swing both ways. Or at least I used to. However, this one right here made me a monogamous dog."
"You do realize that 'monogamous dog' is an oxymoron, right?" Lupin looked at Sirius lifting one eyebrow.
"Yes, Moony! Talk dirty to me," Sirius said, lifting an eyebrow back. They had a staredown contest until Sirius couldn't contain his laughter. The Grangers soon joined in. "For what is worth, you two are a great looking couple too," Sirius winked at a slightly less confused Dan.
"To answer your question, your barrier methods do work regardless, and so do pills… I have been told," Remus explained.
"Good to know."
"Emma…"
"For the kids, Dan! They will eventually need to get the hybrid talk."
"Hybrid?"
"Well, these two are going to have to help us with the magic part," Emma replied with crossed arms. Daring either man to refuse her.
"Help you?" Remus asked, feeling alarmed.
"Yup. We are doing something called co-parenting," Sirius explained.
"Oh… alright then. Are there any rules to this co-parenting thing?" Remus asked.
"So far it's more of playing it by ear type of thing," Dan said.
"Playing it by ear, Mr. Granger?" Lupin had never heard that expression before.
"We are winging it," Sirius clarified. Lupin nodded.
"Call us Daniel or Dan and Emma, I mean… since your partner here just propositioned me for sex… I guess it's only fair," Daniel said, shaking Lupin's hand with a smirk.
"Excuse you, you propositioned me!" Sirius threw his hands up in a giving up gesture while he laughed.
Emma suggested giving Remus and Sirius some time alone with Harry. She wanted to go visit her parents, and they had called her to ask her to bring Hermione. It had been a while, but with all the craziness happening, they hadn't had a chance to make the three-hour drive. Soon enough, after a few minutes of convincing Hermione that they would bring Harry along next time, she acquiesced. Emma gave Sirius a set of keys to the house. This made his heart constrict. They trusted him enough to grant him permanent access to the house at any hour. Harry was sad that he wouldn't be going with the Grangers, but he promptly felt better when he realized why he wasn't going.
By the end of the day, Harry was a happy boy. He had another uncle. His godfather and uncle Moony loved him. Harry quickly realized they also loved each other like Mr. Granger loved Mrs. Granger. Harry had heard Vernon Dursley say that men who loved men were going to hell. Harry didn't understand why. Now that he had actually seen people loving each other, he thought that love was great regardless of who loved who and how. He made a mental note to ask Father Martin if his uncle and godfather were really in trouble with God for loving each other. Perhaps, if that was the case, they could be in trouble for loving him too. He wasn't a man yet, but he would be a man one day too. He really didn't want to get anyone in trouble. Hermione had told them bad people went to hell. For Harry, people who just loved other people really should not go to hell at all. God was really confusing.
The Grangers came back after dinner, and Harry excitedly told them everything they had done. Daniel and Emma were really happy that Harry was starting to sound a bit more his age and that his stutter was receding slowly. Feeling the love and support of a family does wonders for a child's self-esteem. Harry realized he wasn't with them temporarily. He was now sure that they would not make him go back to the Dursleys. He had a family and families stayed together. A very tired Harry went to sleep with a smile on his face.
In the next couple of weeks, the Grangers realized they needed to enroll Harry in Hermione's school for the following school year. They also began to use their time off and their weekends to figure out magic with the help of Sirius and Remus (who was coming to the house almost every day). Harry had more family members now, and it was only fair that he began to spend time with them. Daniel also decided they would repurpose the TV room into Sirius' bedroom for the time being. They rarely watched the telly in any case. Emma and Dan agreed that he would take the kids over to watch a movie so all the potential magical guardians named in the will could come to the Grangers' home create a semblance of a routine and discuss future plans.
Sirius explained that he requested the Grangers' fireplace to be connected to something called the Floo Network which apparently allowed wizards and witches to travel from one chimney to another. Emma was flabbergasted. So… they didn't get electricity or technology, but they could teleport from one chimney to another? Wizardkind had strange priorities. Luckily, Sirius had explained how it all worked. Otherwise, she would have had a heart attack when the fire in the fireplace turned green, and Lady Longbottom came out dusting her hat off. She loved her vultures. Soon enough, every person named in the will as a potential guardian was in the Grangers' living room.
Emma had spent the morning in the kitchen. Sirius insisted it wasn't necessary to throw a feast. The reply he received was an apron thrown to his chest and orders to start helping which he did right away. Emma was a very loving woman, but her kitchen was run in a bit of a military-style. Sirus wasn't really into cooking, but he could follow instructions. By the time everyone had arrived, they had tea, sandwiches, salty and sweet pastries, lemonade, and wine.
"Welcome, everyone," Emma motioned for them to sit down.
"Thank you for having us," Lady Longbottom said, looking around with a smile. "Lovely home."
"Thank you. Please have a drink and something to eat," Emma smiled.
Each of them helped themselves to some of the delicious treats laid in front of them.
"Alright, since I asked Sirius to bring you all here, I guess I'll start. We didn't have much chance to talk when we were at the bank. My name is Emma Granger, I am not magical. My husband Daniel, my daughter Hermione, myself, and the local priest found Harry and Padfoot here in pretty bad shape," Emma said. She went on to recount what happened that night and the following months. Everyone was different levels of shocked, infuriated, and disgusted. They found it hard to believe that the child who had saved Magical Britan had been treated in such a way. Guilt was eating them up. Had one of them been able to resist the potions, the compulsion, and memory charms, perhaps Harry wouldn't have suffered for so long. Augusta was upset that she couldn't see Emma's memory in a pensieve because she was a muggle. But Emma had something better. She had a copy of Harry's file.
She handed the folder to Professor McGonagall who opened it on her lap so Augusta and Andy could read with her. Remus and Ted stood behind them so they could see the contents as well. Once Minerva read the extensive injuries, notes, and treatments out loud, she turned the third page and gasped. The pictures were ghastly. Harry had been little more than skin and bone. His skin all covered in different colored bruises. There were so many crisscross scars on the boy's back and around the same amount of cigarette burn scars on the inside of his skinny arms. The magical energy quickly turned into rage, and the windows began shaking. Emma was afraid the windows would explode. Sirius did a sonorus charm to amplify his voice and asked everyone to cool off.
Sharptooth's face changed color to an angry brick red as he saw the file. Goblins weren't by any means cuddly creatures. They believed in hard discipline. Their young were trained in combat from the moment they could stand upright and hold a weapon. It was part of who they were as a race. But not even the meanest of their trainers would abuse a defenseless youngling in this way. He would teach Harry and his friend Hermione how to defend themselves the goblin way as soon as they were old enough.
Ted walked away to sit on the piano bench. He was pale. There were very few things that made him lose control. However, if there was something he hated was child abusers. He wanted 10 minutes alone with those filthy excuses for human beings who had done all that to Harry. It was like a universe's sick joke. The boy had his parents murdered before he could even properly walk. The same monster tried to kill him, and then a different monster placed him with even worse people. The kid deserved a huge break, and all the love they could all give him. Andi sat on his lap and hugged him. She was shaken as well.
"We have already sent this to the goblins. I sent a copy of my memories, as well. I don't need to tell you this. I am sure you can imagine that Harry's psyche has taken a literal and figurative beating. Emma and Daniel think -and I agree- that we need to give Harry a family. That's what James and Lils would have wanted, and I think that is what Prongslet has needed all along. We were all people and creatures that the Potters thought would do a good job raising their son."
"My husband and I were named as Harry's legal guardians in the nonmagical world. We want Harry and Hermione to be taught about magic. However, it is clear to us that many people have ulterior motives when it comes to Harry. If the Potters and Sirius trust all of you, then we do too," Emma said with a smile. Neesy, who hadn't stopped sobbing since she saw the pictures of her charge so abused, cried louder. "Neesy, what's wrong?"
"Missy Grangy is trusting Neesy! But Neesy is a bad elf!" the distraught elf wailed.
"Neesy, you are not a bad elf. You could not do anything until now," Sirius offered.
"How can we make you feel better, Neesy?" Emma asked, completely at a loss of what to do.
"Neesy is needing to serve her master, Missy Grangy" Neesy said touching a handkerchief that Remus had given her to the corners of her eyes to dry them.
"What does serving imply?" asked Emma. The whole thing was stinking of slavery.
"Emma, if I may," Remus interrupted. She nodded. "House-elves do whatever their masters want or need them to do. They do the cleaning, the laundry, the cooking, the shopping, and even bank transactions."
"They are slaves?" Emma said gaining the amused look of Ted, the horrified look of Neesy, and the confused look of everyone else
"No, Missy Grangy. We is not slaves. We is needing to serve to survive. We get stronger magic from our masters. Theys magic is making us sturdier, taller, younger, and more powerful. If we's not having a master, our magic starts to fades away, and we is dying," Neesy explained withholding more tears.
"Mrs. Granger," McGonagall said, "I understand that this may seem barbaric from your point of view. Some witches and wizards have agreed. However, it would do Neesy more harm than good to be a free elf. She has been fortunate because she was a Potter elf. Lily Potter considered her a dear friend. So much so that she was named as a guardian."
"I suppose I get it, but I do not like it. Neesy, did you get paid or had any time off?" Emma pressed with a gentle tone. McGonagall quite literally face-palmed and sighed.
"Lady Potter was trying to give me those. I be not wanting it."
Emma sighed. She knew when to give up. "Alright, then."
"Neesy can comes and cares for littlest master Harry?"
Emma's eyes widened. "What? Here? Um, let me think about it, Neesy. I have to talk to my husband and to Sirius…"
The little elf looked a bit disheartened, but as her mistress Lily used to say: it is not a no until you actually hear a no. "Thank you, Missy Grangy!" the elf wrapped her arms around Emma's legs and squeezed her. The woman awkwardly patted Neesy's head.
"Okay, so… Pardon me, but my old bones need to rest. Let's settle a schedule and go home. Shall we?"
"Well, I have a draft here," Mrs. Granger passed some folders around.
Minerva McGonagall was not a witch that was easy to impress. Emma Granger had impressed her. Her 'draft' was a magnificent color coordinated chart with symbols, dates, logistics, and information about Harry.
"Emma thought that since we don't really know everyone's schedules, she would block times in different colors. You can pick the color that works best for you in the timetable," Sirius explained.
"This is wonderful! I can take the green slots. However, I can only do so two times a week. With Dumbledore in goblin prison, I am acting as Headmistress at Hogwarts and my time off is more limited."
"Oh, that is wonderful! I was thinking of sending Neville to Ilvermony or even Durmstrang! But if you are headmistress, I will send him to Hogwarts of course!" Augusta said with a smile. Turning to Emma, she continued, "In any case Mrs. Granger, I can take the day Minerva cannot. My daughter in law, Alice was to be the godmother, and Lily and James were Neville's godparents. My Neville is pretty lonely, and it would do great for him to have Harry and your lovely Hermione as friends."
Emma smiled brightly. She wasn't sure if they would welcome her daughter. The doctor was sure that if Hermione couldn't come, there would be arguing and resentment. "Thank you so much, Lady Longbottom. I know my daughter will love to make a new friend and to learn from you."
"Call me Augusta, dearie. Lady Longbottom makes me feel old. I only use it when I am at official public functions. I think I could teach the kids about wizarding customs. If you and your husband would like to learn too, we could make it a once a month get together. I know both of you work and are busy."
"Yes! We would love that. Daniel and I want to learn as much as we can about the Wizarding World, and we can't think of better teachers than all of you," Emma replied. "Once a month would be perfect."
"Alright then, I will take the blue slots and the green slot that Minerva can't do," Augusta said. "Dearie, what sort of parchment is this. It is so… flimsy"
"It isn't parchment, Augusta. It's paper. Paper is a more modern version of parchment. Here," Emma said, handing Augusta a pen so she could make the changes.
"What is this?"
"A pen?" An uncertain Emma replied. Sirius chuckled. "Oh! Right. You use feather pens. Um… This is kind of like that," Emma removed the cap and drew a little star on Augusta's paper.
"But where do you get the ink?"
"It is um… self-inking" Sirius explained holding back laughter.
"Oh, and it writes so thinly and smoothly…" Augusta was doodling with fascination on the corner of the page. "This is so clever! Where do I get one of this?"
"Well, in our world you can get them pretty easy. You can keep that one," Emma replied.
"Thank you, dear."
"I would like to take the purple slots," said Andi. "I can take all of them. But I would like to bring the kids along for more days when my Nymphadora is home from Hogwarts."
"We could plan a holiday trip together!" said Edward with a broad smile.
"That would be lovely," Emma replied. She felt a hand pull on her skirt to get her attention.
"I cans be doing the red spotsies, Miss Grangy," Neesy said with hopeful eyes.
"Then they're yours," Emma replied with an encouraging smile.
"I would like the yellow ones," Sharptooth replied. Emma was expecting this. There were very few yellow spots. Something told her that the goblin didn't have much time to spare. Sirius was chuckling about how the yellow spots were the goblin's favorite because they looked like gold bars.
"Sharptooth?" Remus asked.
"Yes?"
"How is Snape?"
"He's still in stasis. We moved him to St. Mungos. They say the battle he's fighting is a long one. Our healers can't really help him much more than they already did," Sharptooth replied.
"We wanted to consult with a nonmagical mind healer. But since we are not family, we doubt there is anything we can do," Emma said shrugging. "Doesn't he have any relatives?"
"No, not that we know of. His mother passed away when he was in Hogwarts. His father, if I recall correctly, is in prison for killing his mother," Remus replied with a pensive frown.
"That's horrible!" Emma gasped.
"Yes, he had a dark upbringing. Lily mentioned some things, but she was never explicit. They were really close friends for many years, and she wouldn't have betrayed his confidences. All we know is that he was abused. I believe the only real connection he ever had was his love for Lily and for his mother." Remus sighed.
"It was a huge blow for him… losing Lily. He was the one who got to Godric's Hollow first. He found their bodies. I thought he would never overcome his grief," Minerva said with a sad tone.
"I should have been there first," Sirius whispered.
"I know you weren't friends, but his pain was real. His heartbreak was genuine. He really loved her, and losing her changed him forever. They had just gotten back to be on good terms. I don't know if you were aware of this, but Lily knew that Severus was acting as a double agent. She was not okay with it. She knew Dumbledore was manipulating Snape telling him he could keep Lily safe in return. She never believed the old manipulative bastard," Minerva sniffed and wiped a lonely tear. "There are too many what-ifs that are too painful and pointless right now, Sirius," she whispered with a sad smile.
"You're right, Minnie," he said, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She pursed her lips at the diminutive. "We can't really change the past. But we are absolutely going to change the present and the future. We are all Harry's family now. The Grangers are like family now too."
Everyone assented with smiles.
Around half an hour later, everyone had set visits for the next six months. Sharptooth had to leave because 'time is gold.' He took Augusta, Neesy, the Tonks, and Minerva with him. They needed to do some paperwork to receive their inheritances at Gringotts. Remus, however, lingered behind.
"Emma, there are no more slots…" Remus began.
Emma looked like she wanted to tell herself off. She left the living room for a bit and came back with another folder. She had decided that the man deserved to feel accepted and part of their small family. For some reason she found difficult to explain, she felt like she could trust the werewolf with her family's and her own life. He had tried to save the children, but it was more than that. He just gave her that vibe. Mrs. Granger believed in energy. He had a good energy. She wanted him to feel like he belonged. Seeing how Hermione and Harry had changed now that they felt like they truly belonged, she could only think that the man would be positively changed by being shown respect, dignity, and inclusion. She grabbed the folder and went back out smiling to herself.
"I am so sorry, Remus! I printed yours last because it was different," she explained, handing him the file.
Remus took the folder apprehensively. He expected one visit a month at the most. The Grangers were really open and nice to him, but they were also doctors. When he opened it, he was confused. Inside, there was a plain calendar was for the next six months as that included the moon phases. The days of the full moon were colored in black. There wasn't anything else. He sighed sadly. Sirius looked at Emma questioningly. Remus blushed. He felt stupid for thinking things would be different with the Grangers.
"So… you don't want me to visit at all. But you especially don't want me here during the full moon?"
"What?" a thoroughly puzzled Sirius took the folder from Remus' hands and went through it quickly.
"No, Remus," she chuckled. "It means you are always welcome. The last page has everyone else's schedule, but that is just so you know when Harry and Hermione won't be here, but other than that, you are always welcome in our home."
Remus' mouth hung open. His eyes filled with tears, rapidly. He pulled her in for a tight hug. "Thank you, Emma. This means everything to me… You have no idea."
"I know, wolfie," she smiled and rubbed his back in comforting circles, just like she would do with a distressed child. Remus laughed. Sirius wiped his own tears behind Remus' back and mouthed a thank you to Emma who nodded imperceptively.
"Anyways, would you like to stay for dinner?"
"I would love to."
"Then come on, I'll get you an apron."
Sirius' eyebrows shot up. "But aprons don't do my gorgeous physique any favors!"
"What gorgeous physique?!" Emma replied laughing with Remus all the way to the kitchen while a stammering Sirius looking for a comeback.
When Mr. Granger got home, he could smell his wife's chicken and veggie noodle soup. His stomach grumbled. He went in to find a sweet homely scene. Remus and Sirius were in the kitchen with Emma. Remus was doing great on veggie chopping duty while Sirius was trying to follow the recipe to his chocolate chip cookies. The kids ran inside to hug their uncles. Dan chuckled to himself. His small family was growing way too fast. Usually, you get new additions as babies… not as grown men. He couldn't make himself care. His daughter was happier than he could remember her being. Harry was coming out of his shell.
His wife came towards him and gave him a very enthusiastic kiss.
"It went well?" Dan asked, hugging her to him for a few seconds.
"Fwas farvelous!" his wife replied. Her voice muffled against his chest by his tight hug.
"I'm glad to hear that. The kids had fun."
"I'm sure they did," Emma could see it in the kids' rosy cheeks. They were both talking fast to Remus, who was struggling to keep up.
"Sirius, Remus," Dan shook their hands. "I am glad to see you didn't burn the house…"
"Hey! I resent that!" Sirius said with a guffaw. "I'll have you know this is the second time your beautiful wife here has asked for my expert touch in the kitchen today."
"Sirius!" Emma hit the back of his head with the wooden spoon on her hand. He complained. She turned to the kids and told them to go wash their hands before dinner. "You may be a lot of things… but an expert in the kitchen is NOT one of those. How did you feed yourself before prison?"
"I fed him…" Remus interjected with a smirk. Sirius winked. Both men laughed.
"Remus!" Emma admonished, biting the inside of her cheeks not to laugh. "No dirty comments like that in front of the kids please."
Remus laughed. "The kids won't get them as dirty comments for a while."
"Yes, but Father Martin comes often, and he would disapprove…"
Remus sobered. Catholic Priests had put silver bullets in hundreds of werewolves. "I would rather not anger a priest."
The Grangers looked confused. Father Martin was very difficult to anger. Perhaps it was a matter of their sexual orientation. Sirius said, "I'll explain some other time." They decided not to press the issue.
Dinner was an animated affair with the kids telling their uncles and Emma all they did. While eating dessert, Emma explained the visiting schedule to the kids. Hermione seemed conflicted until she realized she could go with Harry. The boy jumped in Emma's arms.
"So I c-can see everyone again?"
"Yes, sweetie, you can."
"And Hermione can c-come with me?"
"Yes, why do you ask, honey?"
"Because I w-wasn't going if she w-wasn't going," he replied immediately like it was a no-brainer. "She's m-my best friend!"
Emma smiled at the boy and kissed his forehead. Daniel noticed his daughter beamed at Harry. His heart constricted a bit. She had a true friend at last. Sirius and Remus squeezed each other's hands under the table. They felt with absolute certainty that Harry was going to be alright.
**This line was taken and adapted from an episode of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. If you haven't seen that series, I highly encourage you to do so. The specific reference comes from "Bing Lee and His 500 Teenage Prostitutes." The entire show is available on YouTube.
A/N: Life has been hectic. Sorry. Will probably update again in two or three weeks. Grading papers, translations, and quizzes for the foreseeable future. Thanks for reading! -Lux.
