Chapter 5.
Sirius decided that while his worries about Narcissa teaching Hermione some customs were excusable, considering who she was, the child was the same even after two years of going regularly to Malfoy Manor. Besides Narcissa kept her part of the deal, Sirius didn't understand what she had done exactly but ever since then Fudge avoided Sirius like the plague, it was funny and weird in its own way.
Hermione was seven now and there were some obvious changes of course, she walked a little more graceful, she had better table manners, she was using bigger words now and she walked with her chin up as if an imaginary crown were to fall off her head if she were to look down. Remus found it amusing and Lily agreed with him, James had his doubts but since Hermione's behavior was the same he refrained for saying out loud how Narcissa Malfoy was once a blood purist.
Besides the only ones who knew that Hermione was a muggleborn, beside Remus and Sirius, were the Potters.
The people from the Order assumed that Sirius had found her in a magical orphanage and it wasn't a secret how some pureblood families lost their children in the war, so everyone believed that Hermione was as pureblood as Sirius. The Malfoys believed it too and "The Prophet" was full of racist writers and reporters so perhaps they couldn't even imagine Sirius Black adopting a muggle.
Lily believed it was for the best, she loved Hermione so she didn't want her to through the same discrimination she had to endure at Hogwarts.
"You look annoyed" James told him while offering him a muggle soda.
Sirius took it gratefully.
"Remind me why are we here" he said while looking around.
They were sitting on a bench at a muggle park, of all places, Harry and Hermione were playing not so far away and Sirius couldn't ignore how a group of four muggle boys kept looking at Hermione with curiosity. It was a good thing, for them, that they were around her age otherwise he would've already given them a murderous glare.
"Because the society pages of "The Prophet" keep harassing our children" James said calmly "and because this is like the safest place on earth, we didn't choose this neighborhood for nothing."
Sirius sighed.
"I never imagined that you would feel comfortable living near Vernon Dursley" he said and chuckled when James shuddered.
"Don't remind me" he said "we're several streets away, but I swear I can almost feel him looking through his window complaining about freaks living near him."
Sirius nodded and observed how the boys had now approached Hermione. She smiled at them and three of them blushed.
"That girl will make me pay for all my sins" he said dramatically and James laughed.
"Definitely," James agreed smiling "I can't exactly remember how many hearts you broke at Hogwarts but she might break your record."
Sirius covered his face with hands and groaned.
"Perhaps my straight phase was a mistake," he said "I'm not ready to pay for that."
James seemed to think about it for a second.
"Well" he said while taking a sip of his soda "I seriously thought that you would marry young and that our children would marry each other but then you fell in love with Moony."
"Those damn brown eyes" Sirius cursed and James smirked.
"Well" the Lord Potter said "it was for the best, you ended up adopting your godson's soulmate."
"Can you believe that?!" Sirius asked bewildered "I mean, where would she be if I hadn't found her?!"
"I ask myself that quite often" James admitted frowning "they would've met at Hogwarts but she would be different, the orphanage looked awful."
"It was" Sirius confirmed "the first nights she would wake up scared because she had several nightmares about that place."
James winced.
"Perhaps it was already destiny, we're really lucky to have her" he said finally.
Sirius nodded and took a sip of his soda, he spit it almost instantly.
"What in Merlin's name is this?!" he asked disgusted and James laughed.
It was then when Hermione approached him and James noticed how Harry was still playing with the other boys.
"Hey, Princess" Sirius said "having fun?"
Hermione nodded and smiled at him.
"I just came to inform you" she said playfully "I'm engaged to the blonde boy" she pointed at the boy in question and Sirius paled.
"Do you even know what being engaged means?" he asked her with panic written all over his face.
"Of course I do!" she said crossing her arms stubbornly "it means we'll get married in some years."
James sighed.
"Hermione" he said "why did you agree to marry him?"
She shrugged.
"He's cute" she said simply and Sirius closed his eyes and took a deep breath "besides, he's the first blonde one to ask, I don't count Draco because he's platinum blonde which is different."
"Draco has asked you?" Sirius said with horror straining his voice.
"Yeah" she said "but I rejected him because he is family and you're not supposed to marry your family, that's why I rejected Neville too."
James's eyes widened.
"Neville asked you to marry him?!" he asked surprised.
Hermione nodded.
"Yes" she said "he was quite sad after I told him no."
"How many boys have asked you?" Sirius said "why this is the first time I've heard about this?!"
"Because I rejected all of them" Hermione said as if it was the most logical thing in the world "Aunt Cissa says that witches have the right to be picky about this sort of thing and four boys have asked me, this one is the first one I accept."
Sirius frowned.
"Okay" he said cautiously "who is the other one?"
"Harry" she answered blushing and averted James's gaze.
"Did you reject him because you consider him a brother like Neville?" James asked amused and she shook her head.
"I told him that I wanted to marry him but not yet" she explained "I told him to ask me again in a few years."
James laughed and Sirius gaped.
"You are seven years old!" Sirius said exasperated "why the fuck are seven year olds talking about marriage?! Why are you accepting and rejecting boys?!"
Hermione shrugged.
"I don't know why they are talking about it" she said and James found her innocence endearing, he was starting to pity Sirius a little "but I find funny how they are asking me."
"I need a bloody drink" Sirius said "stop accepting marriage offers from strangers, you need my permission to get married and I'm not allowing it."
Hermione pouted at him.
"Okay" she said and then the blonde boy approached them nervously, she turned around and smiled at him "I cannot marry you until you ask for my dad's approval" she pointed at Sirius and the boy gulped nervously.
It took him five seconds to run away crying.
Hermione sighed and Sirius smirked.
"You should find someone who is not scared of me" he said smiling at her "I'll approve him then."
Hermione nodded and James couldn't wait for her to grow up to tease her about her little "I want to get married" phase.
While Sirius half-joked about telling Hermione to look for someone who wouldn't be scared of him to be her husband he couldn't help but wonder if there would come a time when he would have to reject marriage contracts. The magical society was almost archaic with these sorts of customs but he didn't believe in loveless marriages, hell, he could remember his mother mentioning once or twice the names of suitable witches for him. Luckily, he ran away from home before she could do something crazy like engage him in that sort of relationship.
"Do you think she got that for me?" Sirius asked Remus who was arranging some potions in the kitchen.
"She has your hair" Remus said casually "I understand the magical adoption changed her a little bit physically, but I don't know enough about it to confirm if she could inherit some of your personality."
Sirius ran a hand through his hair.
"I mean, I know I used to go around asking witches to snog in broom closets, mind you most of the time they were the ones asking" he said while leaning on the door frame "but she's going around accepting marriage offers."
"Sirius" Remus said tiredly "this isn't your karma for being a womanizer if that's what you're suggesting."
"Really?" Sirius asked dumbfounded "then why is she doing it?"
Remus looked at him as if he was an idiot.
"Because lately she's being reading love stories" the werewolf explained while picking a book that Hermione left forgotten in the kitchen and throwing it at Sirius who caught it easily "she's a six year old girl, she probably finds the whole thing romantic, but she will grow up therefore she'll forget about this."
Sirius looked at the book cover, it had a Princess wearing a white dress while smiling dreamily.
"Great" Sirius said a little bit relieved "since I'm not paying my sins yet is safe to assure that I won't…"
"Oh, you'll pay" Remus said interrupting him "she's still a little girl but once she reaches Hogwarts she'll discover broom closets."
Sirius paled.
"Why the fuck aren't you worrying?!" he asked.
Remus fought the urge to slap him.
"Sirius" he said "Hermione is not like that and on the other hand she's Harry's soulmate, I've been reading, those two will end up dating and even if it takes them a little bit of time it's not like Harry will let anyone get too close. The bond they share will be profound, and if Harry ends up being like James I'm pretty sure that he'll confess by the beginning of their sixth year."
"Well" Sirius said "let's thank James and Lily for the pup's existence."
Remus closed his eyes and counted to five.
"Don't take Hermione's comments about marriage seriously" he advised him finally "God knows you're not ready for parenthood if you're worried about that now."
"I will never be ready" Sirius agreed "so let's pray her childhood lasts forever."
Luckily, the marriage topic was replaced quickly just as Remus predicted. Hermione found other books and started to play with Sirius's wand around the house, practicing charms and some simple spells, Remus couldn't believe how talented she was.
"So" Sirius said while taking a sip of tea "we have an appointment at St. Mungo's today and then we'll go to the Ministry, I have to pick some papers."
Hermione frowned.
"I thought you weren't allowed to bring paperwork home" she said.
"I'm not" he said "but I haven't done any of it so I'll bring it secretly and deliver it tomorrow morning."
Hermione nodded.
"We should skip the appointment at the hospital" she suggested smiling "I'm fine."
Remus shook his head.
"That's not an option" he said and Hermione pouted.
James was arranging some paperwork around the office when Sirius stepped inside carrying a sleepy Hermione.
"Hey" James said "is something wrong?"
Sirius sighed.
"They gave her a new medicine" he explained "it makes her sleepy so I have to be quick, if Shacklebolt finds out that I'm here with my child he'll accuse me of…"
"Breaking the rules" a deep voice said behind him and Sirius cursed his luck.
"Shacklebolt" he greeted with a smile while turning around.
"I just came to ask if you've finished the paperwork already" the head Auror said casually while looking around "but apparently you're both playing babysitters today."
James sighed while looking at Harry who was asleep on his chair, he couldn't blame him, the office work was always boring but he couldn't leave his child at home alone.
"I can explain" James said quickly "you'll see, Lily has a meeting and…"
"I don't need explanations from you, Lord Potter" Shacklebolt said "your paperwork was delivered on time so you're free to leave."
Sirius gulped when the Head Auror turned to look at him.
"On the other side you cannot leave until you fill every single form."
"Oh, come on!" Sirius said "I need to take my daughter home."
Shacklebolt didn't pay too much attention to the little girl who was fast asleep on Sirius's arms.
"Lord Potter can take care of her while you're at this" he suggested calmly and Sirius knew by that the he wouldn't be able to run away from work.
Five minutes later James was walking with Hermione on his arms while a drowsy Harry was walking next to him, he tried to ignore all the looks that he was receiving but it was difficult, it didn't help at all that a group of witches giggled when he passed by. When he finally reached the apparition point he thanked the gods and went home without missing a beat.
Sirius appeared the next day, looking as if he was going to lose his mind. The kids were having breakfast with James.
"If I fill another form…" Sirius said while taking a seat on the dining room "I'm killing myself."
James chuckled.
"It could've been worse" he suggested and Sirius glared at him.
It was then when an owl flew through the dining room and dropped a newspaper on Hermione's head. Harry laughed and took it, he spread it on the dining room table and read along with Hermione.
"We're on the front page!" Harry said excitedly and then frowned "I look sleepy."
Hermione scowled.
"You look sleepy and I'm asleep on this picture" she said and then pouted "I don't like it."
James looked at the picture and sighed. Someone had taken a picture as he was leaving the Ministry of Magic yesterday, he was carrying Hermione and Harry was following him drowsily, any other time he would've laughed and put the picture on the wall but he was getting tired of "The Prophet" printing both, Hermione and Harry, and exposing them like that. He wondered if he could do anything to stop the harassment…
"What does it say?" Harry asked and Hermione decided to read aloud.
Parenthood had never looked so good.
We were really surprised when we caught Lord James Potter leaving the Ministry, why? You may ask, well he was with The Boy Who Lived and someone else! As you can see in the picture Hermione Black was fast asleep on his arms, isn't that cute?
You should also notice how little Harry looked sleepy too!
That made us wonder, do Ministry employees are allowed to take their children to their workplace? And more importantly, are Lord Potter and Lord Black raising their children together?
Now, don't get that last question wrong.
It is not a secret how the House of Potter and the House of Black have a deep friendship, but could it be that Sirius Black adopted cute Hermione with hidden intentions? Like, an arranged marriage?
It wouldn't be surprising, after all the Noble House of Black is known for keeping the wizarding traditions alive through the centuries.
Besides, look how comfortable Hermione Black looks around the Potters, and it is also known how James and Lily Potter already adore Hermione Black like a daughter, could it be that all of this was planned?
Well, we'll keep you informed!
It's such a shame that the press has no access to the private documents of pureblood families, but we won't give up!
"This is bullshit" Sirius said while grabbing the newspaper after Hermione finished reading.
"Language" Hermione admonished him frowning "but yes, it's quite infuriating."
Harry frowned.
"I don't understand" he said.
Hermione looked at him.
"The press is suggesting that dad adopted me so I could get married to you" she said and then rolled her eyes, James noticed how she was blushing slightly "we both know it's impossible."
"Totally" Harry said crossing his arms "every single time Uncle Padfoot hears the word "marriage" he makes a funny face, like if he's about to have an attack."
Both children looked at Sirius who was looking at the newspaper with widened eyes and a pale face.
"Told you" Harry smugly and Hermione chuckled.
James laughed.
"Why don't you two go and watch telly for a while?" he asked them "I'll make sure Padfoot eats something."
"Thank you, Uncle James" Hermione said politely and grabbed Harry's hand to take him to the living room.
Once James made sure the kids were out of earshot he casted a privacy spell and looked at Sirius.
"Okay, what are you thinking?" he asked in all seriousness.
"What do you mean?" Sirius asked him without letting go off the newspaper.
"I've seen that face before" James said casually "something's bothering you."
Sirius ran a hand through his already messy hair.
"I'm getting tired of this" he said angrily "had I known how many problems my last name would bring I would've stopped using it a long time ago."
James nodded.
"It's quite late for that" he reasoned "is there anything else?"
Sirius nodded and looked at him.
"Listen" he said "we both come from very traditional houses, we both know how history goes and all of that."
James frowned.
"The thing is" Sirius continued "that while Hermione was going through her "I want to get married" phase I wondered if there would come a time where I would have to reject actual and genuine marriage offers."
"It's a possibility" James said pensively "considering how archaic the magical society behaves when it comes to that."
Sirius nodded.
"Exactly" he said "the same could happen to you, one day some crazy family might come and suggest a union with the House of Potter."
James chuckled.
"I would like to see them try" he said humorous "Lily would go crazy."
Sirius smiled at that.
"Well," he said proudly "is not a secret how fierce the Lady Potter is when it comes to protect the pup."
"But what are you trying to say?" James asked "if it comes to that we simply reject them all, we agreed that our children would be free to choose anything they want, that includes their couples."
Sirius sighed heavily.
"They will end up dating" he said without hesitation "even if it takes them a while, Moony told me apparently he's been reading about soulmates."
James crossed his arms.
Ever since Healer Jefferson told them about the true nature behind Harry and Hermione's bond they appointed him as the main Healer of both families, and Lily alongside with Moony had been tracking the children's behavior whenever they were together. It was fascinating for everyone to see them growing together.
One time, Harry grabbed James's broom without telling anyone and by the time everyone found out he was already on the backyard. He fell and before anyone could react Hermione accidentally put a cushion charm all over the backyard. Another time Hermione cut her own hand while doing a homework and she panicked, because while the wound wasn't that bad, it bleed profusely. But once Harry grabbed Hermione's hand the bleeding stopped and the cut was completely healed.
Whenever they were together their magic was amazing. James had never believed in soulmates but he couldn't ignored how powerful Harry and Hermione were, he was curious at how this would develop as they grew older.
"But" Sirius continued "it might take them years, several years before getting together."
"We might receive several marriage offers during that time" James said.
"And unless we have a valid reason to reject them" Sirius said "they won't stop insisting."
"We do not owe explanations to anyone" James said frowning "but go on."
Sirius laughed and grabbed James's hands.
"I know I'm handsome, Padfoot" James said "but if Moony finds out about this you might get in trouble."
Sirius smirked.
"Dear Lord Potter also known as Prongs, Lily's husband and the Pup's father" he said dramatically "would you do me the honor of signing a marriage contract between our Houses?"
At first James laughed hard, for a second he thought that he wouldn't be able to breathe due to his own laughter but after a minute, when he realized that Sirius wasn't laughing alongside him, his laughter stopped.
"You're kidding" James said and Sirius face didn't changed "Merlin, you're not kidding. Are you drunk? Lily would never allow it, Moony would hex you on the spot! Did Shacklebolt torture that much? How many paperwork did you do?"
Sirius sighed and let go off James's hands.
"Hear me out" he said.
James nodded.
"We just have to establish the contract and send copies to our respective vaults" he explained and stood up, he started to pace around the dining room "the Goblins would send the original one to the Ministry where no one can access to it."
James frowned.
"What for?" he asked confused.
"In case of emergency" Sirius said seriously "if someone comes and starts insisting, the contract will be there as proof of the agreement between our Houses."
"But…"
"It will also work in the worst case scenario" Sirius said interrupting James "what if someone kidnaps the pup? Or Hermione? It could happen and if by any chance it happens when they're older…"
"The contract would make it impossible for the kidnapper to celebrate a forced marriage" James said with widened eyes "but you're talking as if we're in imminent danger, did someone threaten you?"
Sirius shook his head.
"No, I'm just getting ahead of every scenario" he explained "having a child makes you think this kind of stuff, and besides look at this."
Sirius pointed angrily at the newspaper.
"They keep exposing them as if they're celebrities!" he exploded "I want to go to their fucking offices and hex every single one of those bloody reporters!"
James sighed.
Everything Sirius said was true. Due to the nature of their Houses the possibilities of someone wanting to take advantage of the children was high, not to mention that the Society pages kept exposing their family life and some families, some dark families, might not like the friendship between two noble and powerful houses. A marriage contract would protect Harry and Hermione against several circumstances.
"We wouldn't sign it" James said letting the information sink in "it would be just an established alliance."
Sirius nodded.
"Just to use it in case of emergency" he added "and if they end up together we won't even have the need to tell anyone about it, it'll be a secret."
James frowned.
"Lily would never approve" he said.
"Moony would castrate me on my sleep" Sirius said.
James and Sirius exchanged a smirk.
"A secret between patriarchs?" James asked "I never imagine this day would come."
Sirius extended his hand.
"I cannot imagine doing this with anyone else" he said solemnly.
James stood up and took his hand.
"If this blow up in our faces I'm killing you" he said smiling and an oath settled between them.
James removed the privacy charm and they both heard the children laughing in the living room.
It's going to be okay James thought they will end up together when they're older.
He just never imagined how much time would it take or all the drama they would have to endure before getting to that.
I'm back, I hope you liked this chapter! It took longer than I expected, I hope you enjoyed it!
To thank everyone who reviewed the last one:
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Pd. I apologize for my grammar mistakes.