Title: Baby Boom! 5/18
Author: Mariann
Rating: R
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Category: Between Fluff, Fun and Fighting
Summary: Sirius and Remus grow up, find love, start a family and fight the Dark Lord
Disclaimer: Belongs to JKR - no money's made from my poor attempts at writing
A/N: AU - The Willow Incident does not happen in this story. Peter is loyal and a spy for Dumbledore. Remus and Sirius are destined to fight Voldemort - will they succeed? A fair amount of children are born in this story - to spite the Death Eaters of course!
5. Christmas break
Venetia was a good mother. As such she decided that the happiness of her son was a lot more important than his sexual orientation. As a former Ravenclaw she went into the books immediately to learn about homosexuality to be there if her son entrusted her with questions. And within two days after the boys had been with the family they already talked. Remus helped Venetia in the kitchen, while Sirius entertained Rupert and Rowland by playing Exploding Snap with them.
"I can see you and Sirius are very happy together, Remus," Venetia remarked.
He looked over at her, cutting up carrots the Muggle way. Then he admitted:
"We are, mum. It's amazing to be with him."
"I'm glad for that, love. And I'm okay with it."
"I'm glad for that, too, mum. It would have been hard to both be estranged from our families. He really needs some kind of a family now, you know."
"I know. I'm glad he's already found it with the Potters, too. - Did you two become intimate already?"
Remus blushed. Venetia saw it and smiled.
"You're cute when you blush, sweetheart."
"I'm not cute!" he protested.
"Your blushing says a lot though. Did you?"
"Not all the way..." he admitted.
"Will you?"
"Yes, I think so. I want to in any case. It feels so good to feel him. I know he loves it, too."
"It's part of being in love, Remus. I'm still not past that with your dad, and honestly, I hope I never will..."
"Mum! I didn't need to know that, really!" Remus cried.
She laughed out loud and said:
"Maybe not, love, but don't forget that all seven of you are the products of our love. So, yes, I think you do need to know that your dad and I are also still lovers. It helps us to understand what you're feeling right now. It would be great if what you felt for each other would hold..."
"It's not that I'm entirely free to choose who I want, mum. I think, that the wolf has a bit of something to say to that. It doesn't torment me when I'm with Sirius. It's just quietly there in the background. At least that's how it feels."
"And would it make itself known if you were with someone it didn't accept, do you think?" Venetia was genuinely interested.
"I think so. I haven't tried. It's been Sirius for me for at least the past two or three years. Just didn't know that he was after me, too... so it's quite okay. I'm calm and can remain quiet."
"That's very good then..."
"This is done. Do you need something else cut up?" he asked and pointed at his neat pile of carrot cubes.
"Looks lovely. Could you treat the celery in the same manner?"
"Sure."
It had been a while since Remus and Venetia had cooked together. They both liked to do that, and if they did it together they usually did it the Muggle way to have some time for a chat. Venetia was probably the only person who could talk with Remus about the wolf inside of him without making him uncomfortable. He knew she really was interested in what was going on inside of him and she was not the least bit afraid of him. He never felt fear from her in any case.
"Do you think there's something in the claim that werewolves are mated for their whole life to only one partner?" she asked.
"I've no idea. I only know that I'm really not interested in anyone else but Sirius, but I think I wouldn't be even if I wasn't a werewolf. Question is only how long it lasts. I do believe though that it's got nothing to do with sex. I mean, the books say that the first intercourse would do the mating thing, I'm not sure I want to believe that. I rather think that the wolf supported my decision and did treat me a bit less bad for it. So for that I've already mated."
"There is something of the wolf inside of you, even when you're human, Remus. Wolves don't like to be alone and I know you like some solitude now and then, but you need to be included in a family or your group of friends."
"That's true. But humans are no different there..."
"You're right about that."
Sirius turned up in the door after finishing a last round of Exploding Snap with Remus' younger brothers. He had heard the last few exchanges between mother and son from the entrance to the kitchen. They hadn't noticed him yet. He smiled, watched them quietly for a while and finally came into the kitchen. He walked up to Remus and kissed him on the neck.
"Ouch!" Remus had jumped and promptly cut himself lightly into a finger.
He brought the finger to his mouth to suck the blood away. Then he turned to Sirius and scolded him:
"Just for that you can continue the cutting here, Sirius! You've startled me!"
"Sorry, love. Pass the knife..."
Sirius wiped the knife clean and continued where Remus left off. Venetia just grinned and looked at Remus' finger.
"Doesn't need a healing charm, love, it's a tiny bit... your wolf takes care of that in five minutes."
"Yes, but I'll bleed until then..." Remus mumbled.
But within five minutes he gently started to play with Sirius' hair while he watched his boyfriend cut up the celery. In the meantime Venetia had taken care of the roast, which she fried in a pan and now set into a bowl to put it into the oven once the vegetables were cut up. She had cut the onions and garlic, added some broth and waited for the carrots and celery cubes. Sirius brought them.
"Just spread them around the roast. Great. That'll go into the oven for a while."
The boys both helped her with the rest of the dishes and talked all the while. They were glad to be able to talk to someone about their love who wasn't only understanding, but genuinely interested.
When they closed the door to Remus' room to go to sleep that night, Sirius said:
"I love your mum, Remus! I really like Mrs Potter, but your mum manages to be motherly housewife, intellectual researcher and witty comedian all together. She's great!"
Remus smiled.
"Good. I hear it's always good if one gets a nice mother-in-law."
"In that respect you're definitely drawing a lousy lot. You don't even want to get closer to my mother than ten kilometres if you've half a mind. Since you have a full one..." Sirius said, bitterness dripping from his mouth.
"I know. The way you described her she must really be horrible."
They undressed and slipped under the covers until they were cosy and warm. Both cuddled for a while and started to caress each other. Whenever he got close to Sirius Remus felt fire course through his body, his heart was beating fast and he loved to breathe in and pick up the scent of his lover. Remus was happy. He had always felt comfortable in the warmth of his family, but this was a completely different sort of happiness. He felt it deep inside of his stomach, from where it spread into the very last fibre of his body. He snuggled up to Sirius and turned in his arms and pressed his back against his lover's front.
"Mm," he purred.
Sirius pulled him close. Being so close to Remus didn't really come naturally to him. His upbringing had not included any form of affectionate closeness. His parents had strongly discouraged Sirius and Regulus becoming close friends and had hardly ever touched their children. On the contrary, Sirius had been exposed to quite a lot of domestic violence. Being wizards the Blacks didn't even need to touch their children to achieve that. While Regulus was broken to their wishes Sirius never stopped to rebel against their views.
It was Remus who taught him to love. He had been smitten with his friend for a while before he even realised what it was that he felt. Having never known love he had an even harder time to accept that he was, in fact, in love with Remus. It had taken him at least a year to even realise it. Now they had been together for six months and they had learned a lot about being close. Sirius loved the feeling of having Remus in his arms. It gave him strength, confidence and of course it made him quite randy. Remus wasn't all that shy since they were together. On the contrary, he had learned to be quite manipulative if he wanted Sirius to become more physical. Remus was ready for the last step, he wanted to make love to Sirius.
Both nearly jumped off the bed when all of a sudden a flame sprang up in the middle of the room and out of it they recognised Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Remus put his hand on his chest to still his heart beating. Sirius looked at the bird and started to grin.
"Hello Fawkes," he said.
His rather frequent visits at the headmaster's office had given him ample opportunities to meet the phoenix. Fawkes flew down on the bed. They both noticed he had a letter in his beak.
"Is that for us?" Remus asked.
Fawkes only dropped the letter. He looked up at them and Sirius petted his fiery red head tenderly. Fawkes trilled happily and flew up again before settling down on the cross beam of Remus' four poster.
"Looks very much like it, love. D'you think it's from Dumbledore?" Sirius whispered.
"Most probably."
The letter was addressed to them both. Remus picked it up and started to open it. Sirius looked at Fawkes and remarked:
"Bet he's waiting for an answer..."
Remus pulled the single sheet from the envelope. Reading it his eyes got round. Sirius looked worriedly at him, but then Remus just passed him the letter wordlessly.
"Dear Remus and Sirius
I am aware that you young people have started a relationship. I have gone through some old literature about werewolves and their spouses and have come across some interesting facts that I would like to discuss with the both of you. If you would kindly grip Fawkes' tail feathers you will be brought to my office.
I allow myself to remind you that it would be a good idea to inform your parents about your short visit here before you leave.
Fondly
AD"
Sirius and Remus looked at each other and jumped off the bed to get dressed again. They went to find Venetia and Richard to show them the letter. Fawkes followed them out of their room and sat on Remus' shoulder. Richard read the letter and passed it on to his wife.
"Well, I think you might better do what he asks you to do," he suggested to the boys.
"Yes, we will. Just wanted to let you know, dad. I suppose we'll get back the same way we go there."
They put their cloaks on and both boys turned up to grip Fawkes' tail feathers as instructed. The bird took off and apparated them directly into Dumbledore's office.
"That's really cool!" Sirius beamed, looking around.
"Wow, Fawkes! You're one hell of a powerful little fellow," Remus whispered, caressing the bird who butted his head against his hand for more.
"Ah, my letter has worked! Good evening, gentlemen," Dumbledore said with a smile, entering the office from his private chambers. "I trust your voyage with Fawkes has been short and easy?"
"Good evening, Professor! It was amazing!" Sirius grinned.
"Very good. Now if you would like to take a seat here on this sofa, then I could explain to you what I have learned. I need to ask you a private question first though."
They both sat down and watched as Dumbledore conjured a tea table with a complete tea on top of it and poured cups for all of them. Remus added sugar and milk, Sirius drank it black.
"Just ask, Professor, if it should be too private we can still choose not to reply..." Remus said.
"Absolutely. What I have learned only works if both of you are still a virgin. In other words I need to know if you have already taken your relationship to the more intimate stage and if not, if you are planning on doing so."
"Oh..." Remus blushed.
"No, we haven't and yes, we want to," Sirius replied, unfazed.
"And neither of you have had previous sexual experiences of any kind?" Dumbledore asked on.
"Well, we've done some things..." Sirius admitted, "just not gone all the way..."
Dumbledore smiled and said:
"That should not be a problem, then I can tell you what I have found. You have certainly heard over and over again that werewolves are supposed to mate for life and that the bond would be established through the first intercourse, have you not?"
"I've read that in more books than I care to count, Professor. Even my mum asked me what I thought about this. I said I couldn't imagine, but what do I know? I've been in love with Sirius for the past two years and before I wasn't even interested in anything like a relationship," Remus explained.
"I would have thought so. Now it isn't a myth for no reason. You know that one says that there is no smoke without a fire, however tiny. This book here..." he summoned a thin old volume, "tells of life-bonded werewolves. It talks about them becoming very powerful through their bond, no matter whether they were bonded with another werewolf or with a human partner. No matter whether it is a member of their own or the other gender. It talks about the rites to activate the bond, which are indeed of a sexual nature. The only condition is that both partners want to be bonded and are virgins. I have dug a bit deeper and have found that since the days when the prejudices against werewolves started to bloom there were no bonded werewolves registered anymore, but upon inquiry the Registry did not say that these bonds were banned. In other words if the two of you would like to bond, which would be for life, mind you, then you could follow the rites and become a life-bonded couple."
Sirius looked at Remus who sat white-faced and still. He knew that he would never love anyone the way he loved his Moony and he waited with baited breath for what Remus would have to say to this proposition. Remus stared straight ahead and swallowed.
"I know I will love Sirius for as long as I live. But would it be fair to him?" Remus asked with a small voice.
"You should read this book together, Remus, and then you would soon realise that the bond serves both parties. The powers you will gain, Sirius will gain as well. Read this and when you return from your break, tell me what you think of it. Will that be fine with you?"
Remus nodded and took the proffered book. They talked briefly about their vacation so far and that they were doing fine, then Dumbledore led them to the fireplace and said:
"You can both floo back home from here."
They both took a pinch of floo powder and wished Dumbledore a good night before speeding off through the network. Landing safely in the Lupins' living room fireplace they informed Remus' waiting parents of the conversation with the headmaster. Richard looked astounded.
"So there really is something in the myth, but not what is commonly perceived?" he asked.
"According to Dumbledore it takes quite a while to become bonded. He told us to read about the rites in here," Remus said and showed the book.
"Would you let me read that when you're done with it, love?" Venetia asked.
Richard smiled, Remus grinned and said:
"Sure. It's not going to take long."
"Great. Now off to bed with you two! It's time! James and Peter will be here tomorrow!"
"Yes, we're off! Goodnight!" Sirius said.
Back in Remus' room they stripped their clothes and crawled into the bed. Remus picked up the book again and sighed.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" he asked.
"I do want to stay with you, love, you know that?" Sirius asked softly.
"I know. Well, there's nothing for it, I want to know what this means."
He turned on his stomach, shoved the pillow underneath his chest and opened the book. Sirius turned and read along. There were only something more than a hundred pages, so they read it through in one go. And when they were through they looked at each other. Remus sat up again.
"Let's go through this more slowly, now that we know what it's about. It says here that werewolves can be bonded for life. Both partners have to be virgins. Well, technically we are, because we haven't gone all the way... we have to seclude ourselves for seven days and make love for the first time, then keep skin contact for seven times twenty-four hours and within that time frame have to make love at least once every twelve hours and then we'd be bonded?"
"Sounds pretty nice to me..." Sirius said with a grin.
Remus grinned, too.
"Fucking at least once every twelve hours. And never once lose skin contact. We'd have to practically stick together for that time."
"We'd not leave the bed anyway. We could use a shawl and wrap it around our hands when we sleep."
"That's a whole week of fucking, Sirius!"
"What's wrong with that? Are you afraid of not holding up? If even I am not afraid of that then you shouldn't be either... you can get it up in half the time I can..."
"No, that's not it... just - when would we do it? Because I don't want to wait until the next longer break!"
"Well, I'm quite sure Dumbledore will come up with ideas when we speak to him and tell him we'd be interested."
Remus looked thoughtful. Sirius felt a pang of disappointment at his hesitance, even though it was typical for his Moony to first think everything through. Remus read over the passage that talked of the consequences.
"High awareness of the partner's needs and feelings. Magical power surge by a factor of up to ten! Well that's a big plus. What with that Voldemort person and his followers around we'd make some difference to the Light side, that's for sure. Sexual performance raised in both partners. That's all on the plus side. Actually the only thing that speaks against it is your usual rashness, love..."
"My usual rashness tells me that this will be good for both of us so why not do it? I love you, Remus. You know I do."
Remus turned to Sirius and kissed him.
"Yes, Sirius, I know you do. I love you, too. But you're aware of the fact that once again I'd be one of Dumbledore's study objects? Only that this time you'd be a part of it. I already feel like I'm his laboratory rat sometimes."
"Even if... let him have his fun and study us, we'll just be happily mated."
Remus laughed.
"Okay. Let's give this to mum in the morning and see what she makes of it."
They did that the next morning. Both allowed themselves to sleep in and turned up in the living room shortly before lunch.
"I suppose you are ready to skip breakfast and dig right into lunch," Richard said, looking amused.
"We've read the book last night and discussed it..." Remus admitted.
"I expected that you would. So what does it say?" Richard asked.
Remus outlined the contents. His father listened with interest and said:
"I'll check into the legal side of this, Remus. It feels like fully blown marriage to me."
"It did to me, too," Remus confirmed.
"That would have a few legal consequences. But those are certainly beneficial for both of you. You are both of age now, so no consent of a guardian will be necessary. I can see why Dumbledore suggested it for you two, he'd be keen on having two exceptionally powerful wizards firmly on the Light side and in his ranks."
"That's what makes me pondering over it. I feel a bit manipulated to be quite honest."
"I can see where you're coming from, I think I would, too, if I were in your position, Remus. But if you discuss this with Albus, tell him. Tell him that you feel this way, if you don't tell him and go through with this under his supervision then you'd be in his hands, both of you."
"Okay, that's what I'll do then."
Venetia sat down with the book after lunch, rolled up in her favourite armchair next to the fire. She thought of Remus through reading the book, tried to apply the facts to him and think about them fitting her son or not. At the end she turned to Richard, passed him the text and said:
"Read it for yourself, Richard. Personally I think it would be precisely what is needed to bind Remus into our society, to give him a home with someone who doesn't cast him out. And to give him security."
Richard was still reading when the fire turned green and Peter stepped out of it, carrying his trunk and grinning at the Lupins.
"Hello, Peter! It's nice to see you here!" Venetia welcomed him.
"Hello, Mrs Lupin! I'm happy to be here. It wasn't easy to convince my parents to let me come. Christmas break is something almost sacro-family-sanct to them, you know."
Venetia laughed.
"Well, it is a family time alright. But friends are just as important as families, as it's with your friends you're planning your lives after leaving your parents' home to build up a new home of your own. Let's find Sirius and Remus, I think they went upstairs after lunch."
She led Peter up the stairs and to Remus' bedroom, where they found the two boys actually busying themselves with homework for Potions.
"Yay! Hi Peter! Good to see you, mate!" Sirius called out and jumped up from the bed where he had been reading over the book text to prepare his essay.
"Hi Sirius! Hi Remus! It's great to be here! Ten days left of the break and we're all together, that's great!"
"Shall I show Peter where he and James sleep, mum?" Remus asked, getting up to slap Peter's shoulder in greeting.
"If you would do so, love, that would be just fine. Dinner at six thirty, okay? Anyone offering me help?"
Sirius offered. He was only learning to cook with Remus and Venetia, but he enjoyed their time together in the kitchen and he could easily see why Remus liked it so much to cook with his mother.
"Thank you, Sirius. Come down in about an hour, okay?"
"I will, Mrs Lupin!"
"Hey, it's about time you started calling me Venetia. If I read that book right, you're going to become something like my son-in-law, don't you think it would sound rather idiotic to call your mother-in-law by her title and surname?"
Remus grinned. He pulled Peter from the room to show him the guestroom. Peter asked him:
"What was that all about?"
"Well, Siri and I want to stay together, no? So she's becoming like his mother-in-law..."
"Ah! I see. Oh, this is a nice room."
"You like it? Good. You can choose the bed."
"Looks like a state room to me," Peter mumbled.
"Dad is head of his department, he's got visitors to entertain sometimes. It has to be looking a bit stately for those, you know."
"Oh yes, I forgot."
"Come back to my room when you're settled, okay?"
"I will. Thanks, Remus!"
Ten minutes later Peter was joined by James, who dropped his stuff and came back to Remus' room just before Sirius left them to go and help in the kitchen. Like Peter and Sirius, James had never been to the Lupins' home before, they had always met at the Potters', when they were able to meet outside of school.
"This is quite a posh place!" he remarked.
"Just wait until you meet the whole family, James! Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and Venetia has invited all of her children for a party, that will be a lot of guests and then some," Sirius said.
"Wow. What does that mean? I know you have a sister and two younger brothers, Remus, do you have more siblings?" James asked.
"Three older sisters, one older brother and the two younger brothers. I came twelve years after my next older sister."
"Oh! And how are they?"
"Don't worry, they're great. Pampered me to no end. Mum said it was good that there wasn't much to spoil in me, because I'm so innately good, otherwise my older siblings would have done it..."
James laughed.
"She must know you well."
"She does, believe me. No one knows me as well as she does. Well, except maybe Sirius."
Richard had read the book. Remus' outline was quite accurate he thought, then he got up and went to the kitchen.
"Finished?" Venetia asked.
"Yes. Remus summed it up well. - What do you think about it, Sirius?" he wanted to know.
"I think, it's a good thing. I think, it would give Remus some security, which he'll need badly once he's out on his own. He'll have a base in our relationship to rest and get new energy for the everyday battle he'll surely have to fight. He'll need reassurance all over the place. Remus is very strong, but people can hurt him easily and many do," Sirius said.
"You're thinking of Remus so much, Sirius," Richard said softly, "But what would you gain?"
Sirius smiled and looked Richard directly in the eyes.
"The love of one of the most wonderful people I had the chance to meet until now. Peace. Togetherness in a way I never knew before. Security, too. Someone who understands me. Who can guide me. And sex."
Richard laughed, but he put the book down on a pile of other books that were already on the end of the kitchen counter, then he pulled Sirius into a hug.
"Welcome to the family, son," he said softly.
He ruffled Sirius' black tresses and added to his wife and with a twinkle in his eyes:
"And that's the final touch of testosterone for you, my love!"
Sirius looked from Richard to Venetia trying to understand, but noticed it was a private joke between them.
"Well, if the level of active brain cells would rise in the same proportion as the level of testosterone in this house I'd concede..." Venetia countered.
Richard laughed and released Sirius.
"You could call me Richard now, Sirius."
"Thank you, Richard, I will..."
Dinner was a pleasant affair. They had to eat in the dining room, because there were eight people at the table. Richard offered the older boys some wine to their meal and told Venetia:
"But you're not going to cook yourself tomorrow, love? That would be a bit much... there are too many guests..."
"Tishy will cook. I'll just enjoy what she produces. It IS a bit much for me."
The boys were more than willing to help with the decoration of the living and dining room for the party. There would be quite a lot of guests from the Ministry as well. At five Venetia looked around and decided:
"Good job, everyone! Now, off to get showered and dressed with all of you!"
They all vanished in their bathrooms, to wash up and get dressed into their formal dress robes, which would be required for such a dinner party. The older Lupin children came in until shortly before half past six, then the invited guests arrived. They were received at the door by one of the Ministry house-elves who took their cloaks and hats. The formal living room filled up with guests for the socialising before the dinner, then they were led to the dining room where the large table was set up beautifully. Someone complimented Venetia on the decorations.
"I've had the help of my lovely boys for that. They did a nice job, didn't they?"
The evening went by quite nicely, but soon after the New Year had been welcomed, the guests started to leave the house again. The boys had drunk a bit too much and went to sleep in. They didn't turn up before lunch the next morning.
In the next days Remus became moodier, paler and clung more to Sirius than ever, knowing that the dreaded cellar awaited him on the fifth. They still hadn't told Richard and Venetia about their Animagi and when the evening came Remus had to go down to the cellar. James, Peter and Sirius all wanted to go along, but Remus said:
"No, there's not enough space in there! You can't come with me."
"I can and I will," Sirius insisted.
After half an hour of discussion Remus finally conceded and accepted Sirius. James and Peter thought that was okay, just as long as Remus wasn't alone. Remus went to get his usual hug from his mother and Richard pointed to the watch to remind Remus that it was time to go down. Sirius went along and slipped inside of the room just as Richard wanted to close the door.
"Sirius! Are you crazy? Come out here this instant!" Richard shouted.
"No. He'll not attack me, I promise. I've been with him for a few full moons now and since I'm not a werewolf you can rest assured that he will not hurt me," Sirius said stubbornly and pushed the door closed from the other side.
Richard was speechless, but one look at the watch told him it was too late to fight this out. He locked and secured the door to the transformation room and went back up to find James and Peter, but for some reason they were nowhere to be found.
"Now that's strange..." he thought.
And he worried for the whole night about Sirius and about his son. What if Remus killed his lover? He usually slept little on full moon nights, but this night he didn't find sleep at all. It was Venetia who went down to retrieve Remus in the morning, but Richard accompanied her on this day.
"Why are you coming along, love?" she asked him.
"Because Remus wasn't alone in there last night. I can't believe what Sirius did, but it was too late to discuss last night. I'm full of horror images of what could have happened, Venetia!"
She was shocked and hurried up to open the door to the cellar, where she found nothing unusual apart from the fact that the room didn't smell of blood. She turned on the light and found no traces of blood whatsoever. Richard gaped. The two boys were lying on the mattress, covered with a blanket, both asleep. Remus didn't even have a scratch. Venetia closed her eyes and opened them again, but there was still nothing to be seen. She looked at Richard.
"I don't know what to say. You'd think he didn't even transform..." he mumbled.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you didn't tell me about this last night," she said.
"I thought you would be. Let's get them upstairs..."
Both of them levitated one of the boys and brought them upstairs into their bed. As soon as Venetia straightened the duvet over them they turned to each other and slept on in each others' arms. Venetia smiled.
"They're so cute," she said.
Richard just smiled, put his arm around her shoulder and closed the door.
"They still owe me an explanation for that terrible night they've caused me to have," he said.
"Absolutely. Could have said something before. I really wonder how Sirius would survive this, too."
Richard had an idea: "Could it be that a werewolf doesn't attack a mate?"
"But I can't imagine that. The whole thing is a mystery to me."
They had to wait until the afternoon when Remus and Sirius finally woke up shortly after lunch. Sirius stretched and immediately turned to Remus, who was waking up, too. Sirius leaned in and kissed his lover.
"Morning, love."
"Morning, Siri."
"How are you?"
"Sore, but okay."
Sirius looked Remus over and kissed him again. He left the bed and got dressed quickly, to go down to the kitchen and fetch something to eat for Remus. He met Richard and Venetia there, who were quietly talking with James and Peter. Venetia looked up when she saw him coming.
"Oh, there you are, Sirius. Is Remus awake, too?" she asked.
"Hi. Yes, and he says he's sore but okay."
"Good. Then go ahead, Sirius, I believe, you have something to tell me..." Richard said.
Sirius grinned and transformed. He stretched out his front paws and looked up with big doggy eyes and the ears flopped to the front. Venetia started laughing out loud. She pointed at the dog, giggled and finally said:
"Wouldn't that just be fitting Sirius to be a DOG!!!"
James and Peter snickered.
"Remus thought so, too, Mrs Lupin."
"No wonder the two of you go together so well!"
Venetia petted the dog in front of her. Then she looked up to James and said:
"Well, now I'm also getting the point of Remus calling Sirius Padfoot. Come back, Sirius..."
Sirius transformed back, sat on the carpet and crossed his legs. He grinned boyishly and looked up.
"We desperately wanted to find something to help Remus. Knowing how he suffered out there was so hard to take. We saw how he looked after his transformations. So we decided to do this. Werewolves can bite animals all they like they won't change them to werewolves. Now he isn't alone anymore."
Richard still didn't know what to say.
"That's... I don't know what to say, really. This is incredible. You're an Animagus? How on earth did you manage that?"
"Worked on it for more than two years. James and Peter are Animagi, too."
"What? So what's your animal forms?"
James showed off his stag and Peter transformed into the rat. Sirius picked the little rat up and scratched it on the head. The Lupins just shook their heads and sat there, looking at the animals in their house in awe.
"You boys are absolutely amazing. Does anyone know about this?"
"Only Poppy Pomfrey. We're going to tell Dumbledore one of these days though," Sirius replied, while James and Peter transformed back.
"We thought of keeping it a secret until we leave Hogwarts, but we had to tell someone, so we thought we'd entrust Madam Pomfrey with it, she promised to keep it a secret," James said, "but we'll register when we leave school."
Sirius got up again and asked:
"I think I should do what I wanted to do when I came down... get something to eat for Remus..."
Venetia stood up as well and led the way to the kitchen.
"I've got a broth on the stove for Remus. He usually likes to eat lightly. Here, would you take that bowl up for him?"
"Yep."
Venetia quickly put a tray on the table with a fairly well sized bowl of soup and two slices of bread. She added a big goblet of orange juice.
"There you go. And what would you like?"
"Something left from lunch?"
"Sure! Take that to Remus, then come down and get yours, okay?"
"Just fine!" Sirius beamed, took the tray and levitated it upstairs to take it to Remus.
James and Peter had arrived there already and talked with Remus.
"Hey, sweetie, here's your lunch!" Sirius called.
He set up the tray in front of Remus who smiled and started to eat.
"I'm going back down to get mine now!"
Sirius returned with another tray five minutes later and sat down next to Remus to eat his lunch. They chatted while the two boys ate. Somehow neither Sirius nor Remus brought up the topic of their plan to get life-bonded in the near future. Both seemed to think it was something too private to talk about, even otherwise outgoing Sirius never even started to hint something about it.
The rest of their break was spent with lots of playing, laughing and some talking about what was going on at the school. They returned to Hogwarts in high spirits.
Author: Mariann
Rating: R
Pairing: Sirius/Remus
Category: Between Fluff, Fun and Fighting
Summary: Sirius and Remus grow up, find love, start a family and fight the Dark Lord
Disclaimer: Belongs to JKR - no money's made from my poor attempts at writing
A/N: AU - The Willow Incident does not happen in this story. Peter is loyal and a spy for Dumbledore. Remus and Sirius are destined to fight Voldemort - will they succeed? A fair amount of children are born in this story - to spite the Death Eaters of course!
5. Christmas break
Venetia was a good mother. As such she decided that the happiness of her son was a lot more important than his sexual orientation. As a former Ravenclaw she went into the books immediately to learn about homosexuality to be there if her son entrusted her with questions. And within two days after the boys had been with the family they already talked. Remus helped Venetia in the kitchen, while Sirius entertained Rupert and Rowland by playing Exploding Snap with them.
"I can see you and Sirius are very happy together, Remus," Venetia remarked.
He looked over at her, cutting up carrots the Muggle way. Then he admitted:
"We are, mum. It's amazing to be with him."
"I'm glad for that, love. And I'm okay with it."
"I'm glad for that, too, mum. It would have been hard to both be estranged from our families. He really needs some kind of a family now, you know."
"I know. I'm glad he's already found it with the Potters, too. - Did you two become intimate already?"
Remus blushed. Venetia saw it and smiled.
"You're cute when you blush, sweetheart."
"I'm not cute!" he protested.
"Your blushing says a lot though. Did you?"
"Not all the way..." he admitted.
"Will you?"
"Yes, I think so. I want to in any case. It feels so good to feel him. I know he loves it, too."
"It's part of being in love, Remus. I'm still not past that with your dad, and honestly, I hope I never will..."
"Mum! I didn't need to know that, really!" Remus cried.
She laughed out loud and said:
"Maybe not, love, but don't forget that all seven of you are the products of our love. So, yes, I think you do need to know that your dad and I are also still lovers. It helps us to understand what you're feeling right now. It would be great if what you felt for each other would hold..."
"It's not that I'm entirely free to choose who I want, mum. I think, that the wolf has a bit of something to say to that. It doesn't torment me when I'm with Sirius. It's just quietly there in the background. At least that's how it feels."
"And would it make itself known if you were with someone it didn't accept, do you think?" Venetia was genuinely interested.
"I think so. I haven't tried. It's been Sirius for me for at least the past two or three years. Just didn't know that he was after me, too... so it's quite okay. I'm calm and can remain quiet."
"That's very good then..."
"This is done. Do you need something else cut up?" he asked and pointed at his neat pile of carrot cubes.
"Looks lovely. Could you treat the celery in the same manner?"
"Sure."
It had been a while since Remus and Venetia had cooked together. They both liked to do that, and if they did it together they usually did it the Muggle way to have some time for a chat. Venetia was probably the only person who could talk with Remus about the wolf inside of him without making him uncomfortable. He knew she really was interested in what was going on inside of him and she was not the least bit afraid of him. He never felt fear from her in any case.
"Do you think there's something in the claim that werewolves are mated for their whole life to only one partner?" she asked.
"I've no idea. I only know that I'm really not interested in anyone else but Sirius, but I think I wouldn't be even if I wasn't a werewolf. Question is only how long it lasts. I do believe though that it's got nothing to do with sex. I mean, the books say that the first intercourse would do the mating thing, I'm not sure I want to believe that. I rather think that the wolf supported my decision and did treat me a bit less bad for it. So for that I've already mated."
"There is something of the wolf inside of you, even when you're human, Remus. Wolves don't like to be alone and I know you like some solitude now and then, but you need to be included in a family or your group of friends."
"That's true. But humans are no different there..."
"You're right about that."
Sirius turned up in the door after finishing a last round of Exploding Snap with Remus' younger brothers. He had heard the last few exchanges between mother and son from the entrance to the kitchen. They hadn't noticed him yet. He smiled, watched them quietly for a while and finally came into the kitchen. He walked up to Remus and kissed him on the neck.
"Ouch!" Remus had jumped and promptly cut himself lightly into a finger.
He brought the finger to his mouth to suck the blood away. Then he turned to Sirius and scolded him:
"Just for that you can continue the cutting here, Sirius! You've startled me!"
"Sorry, love. Pass the knife..."
Sirius wiped the knife clean and continued where Remus left off. Venetia just grinned and looked at Remus' finger.
"Doesn't need a healing charm, love, it's a tiny bit... your wolf takes care of that in five minutes."
"Yes, but I'll bleed until then..." Remus mumbled.
But within five minutes he gently started to play with Sirius' hair while he watched his boyfriend cut up the celery. In the meantime Venetia had taken care of the roast, which she fried in a pan and now set into a bowl to put it into the oven once the vegetables were cut up. She had cut the onions and garlic, added some broth and waited for the carrots and celery cubes. Sirius brought them.
"Just spread them around the roast. Great. That'll go into the oven for a while."
The boys both helped her with the rest of the dishes and talked all the while. They were glad to be able to talk to someone about their love who wasn't only understanding, but genuinely interested.
When they closed the door to Remus' room to go to sleep that night, Sirius said:
"I love your mum, Remus! I really like Mrs Potter, but your mum manages to be motherly housewife, intellectual researcher and witty comedian all together. She's great!"
Remus smiled.
"Good. I hear it's always good if one gets a nice mother-in-law."
"In that respect you're definitely drawing a lousy lot. You don't even want to get closer to my mother than ten kilometres if you've half a mind. Since you have a full one..." Sirius said, bitterness dripping from his mouth.
"I know. The way you described her she must really be horrible."
They undressed and slipped under the covers until they were cosy and warm. Both cuddled for a while and started to caress each other. Whenever he got close to Sirius Remus felt fire course through his body, his heart was beating fast and he loved to breathe in and pick up the scent of his lover. Remus was happy. He had always felt comfortable in the warmth of his family, but this was a completely different sort of happiness. He felt it deep inside of his stomach, from where it spread into the very last fibre of his body. He snuggled up to Sirius and turned in his arms and pressed his back against his lover's front.
"Mm," he purred.
Sirius pulled him close. Being so close to Remus didn't really come naturally to him. His upbringing had not included any form of affectionate closeness. His parents had strongly discouraged Sirius and Regulus becoming close friends and had hardly ever touched their children. On the contrary, Sirius had been exposed to quite a lot of domestic violence. Being wizards the Blacks didn't even need to touch their children to achieve that. While Regulus was broken to their wishes Sirius never stopped to rebel against their views.
It was Remus who taught him to love. He had been smitten with his friend for a while before he even realised what it was that he felt. Having never known love he had an even harder time to accept that he was, in fact, in love with Remus. It had taken him at least a year to even realise it. Now they had been together for six months and they had learned a lot about being close. Sirius loved the feeling of having Remus in his arms. It gave him strength, confidence and of course it made him quite randy. Remus wasn't all that shy since they were together. On the contrary, he had learned to be quite manipulative if he wanted Sirius to become more physical. Remus was ready for the last step, he wanted to make love to Sirius.
Both nearly jumped off the bed when all of a sudden a flame sprang up in the middle of the room and out of it they recognised Fawkes, Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Remus put his hand on his chest to still his heart beating. Sirius looked at the bird and started to grin.
"Hello Fawkes," he said.
His rather frequent visits at the headmaster's office had given him ample opportunities to meet the phoenix. Fawkes flew down on the bed. They both noticed he had a letter in his beak.
"Is that for us?" Remus asked.
Fawkes only dropped the letter. He looked up at them and Sirius petted his fiery red head tenderly. Fawkes trilled happily and flew up again before settling down on the cross beam of Remus' four poster.
"Looks very much like it, love. D'you think it's from Dumbledore?" Sirius whispered.
"Most probably."
The letter was addressed to them both. Remus picked it up and started to open it. Sirius looked at Fawkes and remarked:
"Bet he's waiting for an answer..."
Remus pulled the single sheet from the envelope. Reading it his eyes got round. Sirius looked worriedly at him, but then Remus just passed him the letter wordlessly.
"Dear Remus and Sirius
I am aware that you young people have started a relationship. I have gone through some old literature about werewolves and their spouses and have come across some interesting facts that I would like to discuss with the both of you. If you would kindly grip Fawkes' tail feathers you will be brought to my office.
I allow myself to remind you that it would be a good idea to inform your parents about your short visit here before you leave.
Fondly
AD"
Sirius and Remus looked at each other and jumped off the bed to get dressed again. They went to find Venetia and Richard to show them the letter. Fawkes followed them out of their room and sat on Remus' shoulder. Richard read the letter and passed it on to his wife.
"Well, I think you might better do what he asks you to do," he suggested to the boys.
"Yes, we will. Just wanted to let you know, dad. I suppose we'll get back the same way we go there."
They put their cloaks on and both boys turned up to grip Fawkes' tail feathers as instructed. The bird took off and apparated them directly into Dumbledore's office.
"That's really cool!" Sirius beamed, looking around.
"Wow, Fawkes! You're one hell of a powerful little fellow," Remus whispered, caressing the bird who butted his head against his hand for more.
"Ah, my letter has worked! Good evening, gentlemen," Dumbledore said with a smile, entering the office from his private chambers. "I trust your voyage with Fawkes has been short and easy?"
"Good evening, Professor! It was amazing!" Sirius grinned.
"Very good. Now if you would like to take a seat here on this sofa, then I could explain to you what I have learned. I need to ask you a private question first though."
They both sat down and watched as Dumbledore conjured a tea table with a complete tea on top of it and poured cups for all of them. Remus added sugar and milk, Sirius drank it black.
"Just ask, Professor, if it should be too private we can still choose not to reply..." Remus said.
"Absolutely. What I have learned only works if both of you are still a virgin. In other words I need to know if you have already taken your relationship to the more intimate stage and if not, if you are planning on doing so."
"Oh..." Remus blushed.
"No, we haven't and yes, we want to," Sirius replied, unfazed.
"And neither of you have had previous sexual experiences of any kind?" Dumbledore asked on.
"Well, we've done some things..." Sirius admitted, "just not gone all the way..."
Dumbledore smiled and said:
"That should not be a problem, then I can tell you what I have found. You have certainly heard over and over again that werewolves are supposed to mate for life and that the bond would be established through the first intercourse, have you not?"
"I've read that in more books than I care to count, Professor. Even my mum asked me what I thought about this. I said I couldn't imagine, but what do I know? I've been in love with Sirius for the past two years and before I wasn't even interested in anything like a relationship," Remus explained.
"I would have thought so. Now it isn't a myth for no reason. You know that one says that there is no smoke without a fire, however tiny. This book here..." he summoned a thin old volume, "tells of life-bonded werewolves. It talks about them becoming very powerful through their bond, no matter whether they were bonded with another werewolf or with a human partner. No matter whether it is a member of their own or the other gender. It talks about the rites to activate the bond, which are indeed of a sexual nature. The only condition is that both partners want to be bonded and are virgins. I have dug a bit deeper and have found that since the days when the prejudices against werewolves started to bloom there were no bonded werewolves registered anymore, but upon inquiry the Registry did not say that these bonds were banned. In other words if the two of you would like to bond, which would be for life, mind you, then you could follow the rites and become a life-bonded couple."
Sirius looked at Remus who sat white-faced and still. He knew that he would never love anyone the way he loved his Moony and he waited with baited breath for what Remus would have to say to this proposition. Remus stared straight ahead and swallowed.
"I know I will love Sirius for as long as I live. But would it be fair to him?" Remus asked with a small voice.
"You should read this book together, Remus, and then you would soon realise that the bond serves both parties. The powers you will gain, Sirius will gain as well. Read this and when you return from your break, tell me what you think of it. Will that be fine with you?"
Remus nodded and took the proffered book. They talked briefly about their vacation so far and that they were doing fine, then Dumbledore led them to the fireplace and said:
"You can both floo back home from here."
They both took a pinch of floo powder and wished Dumbledore a good night before speeding off through the network. Landing safely in the Lupins' living room fireplace they informed Remus' waiting parents of the conversation with the headmaster. Richard looked astounded.
"So there really is something in the myth, but not what is commonly perceived?" he asked.
"According to Dumbledore it takes quite a while to become bonded. He told us to read about the rites in here," Remus said and showed the book.
"Would you let me read that when you're done with it, love?" Venetia asked.
Richard smiled, Remus grinned and said:
"Sure. It's not going to take long."
"Great. Now off to bed with you two! It's time! James and Peter will be here tomorrow!"
"Yes, we're off! Goodnight!" Sirius said.
Back in Remus' room they stripped their clothes and crawled into the bed. Remus picked up the book again and sighed.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" he asked.
"I do want to stay with you, love, you know that?" Sirius asked softly.
"I know. Well, there's nothing for it, I want to know what this means."
He turned on his stomach, shoved the pillow underneath his chest and opened the book. Sirius turned and read along. There were only something more than a hundred pages, so they read it through in one go. And when they were through they looked at each other. Remus sat up again.
"Let's go through this more slowly, now that we know what it's about. It says here that werewolves can be bonded for life. Both partners have to be virgins. Well, technically we are, because we haven't gone all the way... we have to seclude ourselves for seven days and make love for the first time, then keep skin contact for seven times twenty-four hours and within that time frame have to make love at least once every twelve hours and then we'd be bonded?"
"Sounds pretty nice to me..." Sirius said with a grin.
Remus grinned, too.
"Fucking at least once every twelve hours. And never once lose skin contact. We'd have to practically stick together for that time."
"We'd not leave the bed anyway. We could use a shawl and wrap it around our hands when we sleep."
"That's a whole week of fucking, Sirius!"
"What's wrong with that? Are you afraid of not holding up? If even I am not afraid of that then you shouldn't be either... you can get it up in half the time I can..."
"No, that's not it... just - when would we do it? Because I don't want to wait until the next longer break!"
"Well, I'm quite sure Dumbledore will come up with ideas when we speak to him and tell him we'd be interested."
Remus looked thoughtful. Sirius felt a pang of disappointment at his hesitance, even though it was typical for his Moony to first think everything through. Remus read over the passage that talked of the consequences.
"High awareness of the partner's needs and feelings. Magical power surge by a factor of up to ten! Well that's a big plus. What with that Voldemort person and his followers around we'd make some difference to the Light side, that's for sure. Sexual performance raised in both partners. That's all on the plus side. Actually the only thing that speaks against it is your usual rashness, love..."
"My usual rashness tells me that this will be good for both of us so why not do it? I love you, Remus. You know I do."
Remus turned to Sirius and kissed him.
"Yes, Sirius, I know you do. I love you, too. But you're aware of the fact that once again I'd be one of Dumbledore's study objects? Only that this time you'd be a part of it. I already feel like I'm his laboratory rat sometimes."
"Even if... let him have his fun and study us, we'll just be happily mated."
Remus laughed.
"Okay. Let's give this to mum in the morning and see what she makes of it."
They did that the next morning. Both allowed themselves to sleep in and turned up in the living room shortly before lunch.
"I suppose you are ready to skip breakfast and dig right into lunch," Richard said, looking amused.
"We've read the book last night and discussed it..." Remus admitted.
"I expected that you would. So what does it say?" Richard asked.
Remus outlined the contents. His father listened with interest and said:
"I'll check into the legal side of this, Remus. It feels like fully blown marriage to me."
"It did to me, too," Remus confirmed.
"That would have a few legal consequences. But those are certainly beneficial for both of you. You are both of age now, so no consent of a guardian will be necessary. I can see why Dumbledore suggested it for you two, he'd be keen on having two exceptionally powerful wizards firmly on the Light side and in his ranks."
"That's what makes me pondering over it. I feel a bit manipulated to be quite honest."
"I can see where you're coming from, I think I would, too, if I were in your position, Remus. But if you discuss this with Albus, tell him. Tell him that you feel this way, if you don't tell him and go through with this under his supervision then you'd be in his hands, both of you."
"Okay, that's what I'll do then."
Venetia sat down with the book after lunch, rolled up in her favourite armchair next to the fire. She thought of Remus through reading the book, tried to apply the facts to him and think about them fitting her son or not. At the end she turned to Richard, passed him the text and said:
"Read it for yourself, Richard. Personally I think it would be precisely what is needed to bind Remus into our society, to give him a home with someone who doesn't cast him out. And to give him security."
Richard was still reading when the fire turned green and Peter stepped out of it, carrying his trunk and grinning at the Lupins.
"Hello, Peter! It's nice to see you here!" Venetia welcomed him.
"Hello, Mrs Lupin! I'm happy to be here. It wasn't easy to convince my parents to let me come. Christmas break is something almost sacro-family-sanct to them, you know."
Venetia laughed.
"Well, it is a family time alright. But friends are just as important as families, as it's with your friends you're planning your lives after leaving your parents' home to build up a new home of your own. Let's find Sirius and Remus, I think they went upstairs after lunch."
She led Peter up the stairs and to Remus' bedroom, where they found the two boys actually busying themselves with homework for Potions.
"Yay! Hi Peter! Good to see you, mate!" Sirius called out and jumped up from the bed where he had been reading over the book text to prepare his essay.
"Hi Sirius! Hi Remus! It's great to be here! Ten days left of the break and we're all together, that's great!"
"Shall I show Peter where he and James sleep, mum?" Remus asked, getting up to slap Peter's shoulder in greeting.
"If you would do so, love, that would be just fine. Dinner at six thirty, okay? Anyone offering me help?"
Sirius offered. He was only learning to cook with Remus and Venetia, but he enjoyed their time together in the kitchen and he could easily see why Remus liked it so much to cook with his mother.
"Thank you, Sirius. Come down in about an hour, okay?"
"I will, Mrs Lupin!"
"Hey, it's about time you started calling me Venetia. If I read that book right, you're going to become something like my son-in-law, don't you think it would sound rather idiotic to call your mother-in-law by her title and surname?"
Remus grinned. He pulled Peter from the room to show him the guestroom. Peter asked him:
"What was that all about?"
"Well, Siri and I want to stay together, no? So she's becoming like his mother-in-law..."
"Ah! I see. Oh, this is a nice room."
"You like it? Good. You can choose the bed."
"Looks like a state room to me," Peter mumbled.
"Dad is head of his department, he's got visitors to entertain sometimes. It has to be looking a bit stately for those, you know."
"Oh yes, I forgot."
"Come back to my room when you're settled, okay?"
"I will. Thanks, Remus!"
Ten minutes later Peter was joined by James, who dropped his stuff and came back to Remus' room just before Sirius left them to go and help in the kitchen. Like Peter and Sirius, James had never been to the Lupins' home before, they had always met at the Potters', when they were able to meet outside of school.
"This is quite a posh place!" he remarked.
"Just wait until you meet the whole family, James! Tomorrow is New Year's Eve and Venetia has invited all of her children for a party, that will be a lot of guests and then some," Sirius said.
"Wow. What does that mean? I know you have a sister and two younger brothers, Remus, do you have more siblings?" James asked.
"Three older sisters, one older brother and the two younger brothers. I came twelve years after my next older sister."
"Oh! And how are they?"
"Don't worry, they're great. Pampered me to no end. Mum said it was good that there wasn't much to spoil in me, because I'm so innately good, otherwise my older siblings would have done it..."
James laughed.
"She must know you well."
"She does, believe me. No one knows me as well as she does. Well, except maybe Sirius."
Richard had read the book. Remus' outline was quite accurate he thought, then he got up and went to the kitchen.
"Finished?" Venetia asked.
"Yes. Remus summed it up well. - What do you think about it, Sirius?" he wanted to know.
"I think, it's a good thing. I think, it would give Remus some security, which he'll need badly once he's out on his own. He'll have a base in our relationship to rest and get new energy for the everyday battle he'll surely have to fight. He'll need reassurance all over the place. Remus is very strong, but people can hurt him easily and many do," Sirius said.
"You're thinking of Remus so much, Sirius," Richard said softly, "But what would you gain?"
Sirius smiled and looked Richard directly in the eyes.
"The love of one of the most wonderful people I had the chance to meet until now. Peace. Togetherness in a way I never knew before. Security, too. Someone who understands me. Who can guide me. And sex."
Richard laughed, but he put the book down on a pile of other books that were already on the end of the kitchen counter, then he pulled Sirius into a hug.
"Welcome to the family, son," he said softly.
He ruffled Sirius' black tresses and added to his wife and with a twinkle in his eyes:
"And that's the final touch of testosterone for you, my love!"
Sirius looked from Richard to Venetia trying to understand, but noticed it was a private joke between them.
"Well, if the level of active brain cells would rise in the same proportion as the level of testosterone in this house I'd concede..." Venetia countered.
Richard laughed and released Sirius.
"You could call me Richard now, Sirius."
"Thank you, Richard, I will..."
Dinner was a pleasant affair. They had to eat in the dining room, because there were eight people at the table. Richard offered the older boys some wine to their meal and told Venetia:
"But you're not going to cook yourself tomorrow, love? That would be a bit much... there are too many guests..."
"Tishy will cook. I'll just enjoy what she produces. It IS a bit much for me."
The boys were more than willing to help with the decoration of the living and dining room for the party. There would be quite a lot of guests from the Ministry as well. At five Venetia looked around and decided:
"Good job, everyone! Now, off to get showered and dressed with all of you!"
They all vanished in their bathrooms, to wash up and get dressed into their formal dress robes, which would be required for such a dinner party. The older Lupin children came in until shortly before half past six, then the invited guests arrived. They were received at the door by one of the Ministry house-elves who took their cloaks and hats. The formal living room filled up with guests for the socialising before the dinner, then they were led to the dining room where the large table was set up beautifully. Someone complimented Venetia on the decorations.
"I've had the help of my lovely boys for that. They did a nice job, didn't they?"
The evening went by quite nicely, but soon after the New Year had been welcomed, the guests started to leave the house again. The boys had drunk a bit too much and went to sleep in. They didn't turn up before lunch the next morning.
In the next days Remus became moodier, paler and clung more to Sirius than ever, knowing that the dreaded cellar awaited him on the fifth. They still hadn't told Richard and Venetia about their Animagi and when the evening came Remus had to go down to the cellar. James, Peter and Sirius all wanted to go along, but Remus said:
"No, there's not enough space in there! You can't come with me."
"I can and I will," Sirius insisted.
After half an hour of discussion Remus finally conceded and accepted Sirius. James and Peter thought that was okay, just as long as Remus wasn't alone. Remus went to get his usual hug from his mother and Richard pointed to the watch to remind Remus that it was time to go down. Sirius went along and slipped inside of the room just as Richard wanted to close the door.
"Sirius! Are you crazy? Come out here this instant!" Richard shouted.
"No. He'll not attack me, I promise. I've been with him for a few full moons now and since I'm not a werewolf you can rest assured that he will not hurt me," Sirius said stubbornly and pushed the door closed from the other side.
Richard was speechless, but one look at the watch told him it was too late to fight this out. He locked and secured the door to the transformation room and went back up to find James and Peter, but for some reason they were nowhere to be found.
"Now that's strange..." he thought.
And he worried for the whole night about Sirius and about his son. What if Remus killed his lover? He usually slept little on full moon nights, but this night he didn't find sleep at all. It was Venetia who went down to retrieve Remus in the morning, but Richard accompanied her on this day.
"Why are you coming along, love?" she asked him.
"Because Remus wasn't alone in there last night. I can't believe what Sirius did, but it was too late to discuss last night. I'm full of horror images of what could have happened, Venetia!"
She was shocked and hurried up to open the door to the cellar, where she found nothing unusual apart from the fact that the room didn't smell of blood. She turned on the light and found no traces of blood whatsoever. Richard gaped. The two boys were lying on the mattress, covered with a blanket, both asleep. Remus didn't even have a scratch. Venetia closed her eyes and opened them again, but there was still nothing to be seen. She looked at Richard.
"I don't know what to say. You'd think he didn't even transform..." he mumbled.
"You have no idea how glad I am that you didn't tell me about this last night," she said.
"I thought you would be. Let's get them upstairs..."
Both of them levitated one of the boys and brought them upstairs into their bed. As soon as Venetia straightened the duvet over them they turned to each other and slept on in each others' arms. Venetia smiled.
"They're so cute," she said.
Richard just smiled, put his arm around her shoulder and closed the door.
"They still owe me an explanation for that terrible night they've caused me to have," he said.
"Absolutely. Could have said something before. I really wonder how Sirius would survive this, too."
Richard had an idea: "Could it be that a werewolf doesn't attack a mate?"
"But I can't imagine that. The whole thing is a mystery to me."
They had to wait until the afternoon when Remus and Sirius finally woke up shortly after lunch. Sirius stretched and immediately turned to Remus, who was waking up, too. Sirius leaned in and kissed his lover.
"Morning, love."
"Morning, Siri."
"How are you?"
"Sore, but okay."
Sirius looked Remus over and kissed him again. He left the bed and got dressed quickly, to go down to the kitchen and fetch something to eat for Remus. He met Richard and Venetia there, who were quietly talking with James and Peter. Venetia looked up when she saw him coming.
"Oh, there you are, Sirius. Is Remus awake, too?" she asked.
"Hi. Yes, and he says he's sore but okay."
"Good. Then go ahead, Sirius, I believe, you have something to tell me..." Richard said.
Sirius grinned and transformed. He stretched out his front paws and looked up with big doggy eyes and the ears flopped to the front. Venetia started laughing out loud. She pointed at the dog, giggled and finally said:
"Wouldn't that just be fitting Sirius to be a DOG!!!"
James and Peter snickered.
"Remus thought so, too, Mrs Lupin."
"No wonder the two of you go together so well!"
Venetia petted the dog in front of her. Then she looked up to James and said:
"Well, now I'm also getting the point of Remus calling Sirius Padfoot. Come back, Sirius..."
Sirius transformed back, sat on the carpet and crossed his legs. He grinned boyishly and looked up.
"We desperately wanted to find something to help Remus. Knowing how he suffered out there was so hard to take. We saw how he looked after his transformations. So we decided to do this. Werewolves can bite animals all they like they won't change them to werewolves. Now he isn't alone anymore."
Richard still didn't know what to say.
"That's... I don't know what to say, really. This is incredible. You're an Animagus? How on earth did you manage that?"
"Worked on it for more than two years. James and Peter are Animagi, too."
"What? So what's your animal forms?"
James showed off his stag and Peter transformed into the rat. Sirius picked the little rat up and scratched it on the head. The Lupins just shook their heads and sat there, looking at the animals in their house in awe.
"You boys are absolutely amazing. Does anyone know about this?"
"Only Poppy Pomfrey. We're going to tell Dumbledore one of these days though," Sirius replied, while James and Peter transformed back.
"We thought of keeping it a secret until we leave Hogwarts, but we had to tell someone, so we thought we'd entrust Madam Pomfrey with it, she promised to keep it a secret," James said, "but we'll register when we leave school."
Sirius got up again and asked:
"I think I should do what I wanted to do when I came down... get something to eat for Remus..."
Venetia stood up as well and led the way to the kitchen.
"I've got a broth on the stove for Remus. He usually likes to eat lightly. Here, would you take that bowl up for him?"
"Yep."
Venetia quickly put a tray on the table with a fairly well sized bowl of soup and two slices of bread. She added a big goblet of orange juice.
"There you go. And what would you like?"
"Something left from lunch?"
"Sure! Take that to Remus, then come down and get yours, okay?"
"Just fine!" Sirius beamed, took the tray and levitated it upstairs to take it to Remus.
James and Peter had arrived there already and talked with Remus.
"Hey, sweetie, here's your lunch!" Sirius called.
He set up the tray in front of Remus who smiled and started to eat.
"I'm going back down to get mine now!"
Sirius returned with another tray five minutes later and sat down next to Remus to eat his lunch. They chatted while the two boys ate. Somehow neither Sirius nor Remus brought up the topic of their plan to get life-bonded in the near future. Both seemed to think it was something too private to talk about, even otherwise outgoing Sirius never even started to hint something about it.
The rest of their break was spent with lots of playing, laughing and some talking about what was going on at the school. They returned to Hogwarts in high spirits.