Chapter Nineteen

AN: I'm so sorry I left you all like that! It's been a busy, busy couple of weeks and I'm not very well again. But never mind eh? Back now. Where did we leave my boys and Lily..?

Sirius stepped out into the bright sun ahead of her, stretching his arms and rolling his neck. He spun on the spot, letting his arms drop and shoving his hands deep into his trouser pockets. He cocked his head at her, waiting.

Lily followed him, linking her arm with his and letting him steer them down the road. Sirius allowed the physical contact, squeezing her arm against his ribs once gently, and reached into his robes with his other hand for his tobacco. Normally Lily might consider complaining, but after the morning in the Three Broomsticks she almost felt like asking him for one – something she hadn't done since before Harry was born.

It was strange how much Sirius looked like his father, and yet Arcturus didn't. Though she couldn't see overly much of Pollux in Sirius either, he was shorter and slighter – more like Regulus – but of the two had been the more difficult. Every word, every line of argument that he could make, he had done.

Tucked up against Sirius she could feel the tiny tremors in his tense form. He didn't bother with a match, snapping his fingers to light the roll-up and sending a stream of smoke into the golden afternoon light. He looked down at his hand, turning it this way and that.

'You did a good job with the Vow, there's barely any scarring.'

Lily turned her face up to him, smiling, 'You are welcome, but I wouldn't have agreed so fast if I knew you might be scarred.'

His lips twitched in what might have been a smirk, his eyes were dark today, swirling coils of silver and steel, rimmed with thick black lashes and grazing the ground ahead of them, 'Only if the Bonder is lacking in skill, or conviction.'

He stared at his hand again, before bringing his cigarette to his lips.

'Are you alright Padfoot?'

He smiled down at her, 'I'm Sirius Black, heir of House Black again, I have no fucking idea how I am. But I know that Hagrid has my motorbike, and we are going to go get her.'

'You are expecting me to get on the bike?'

'Yep,' He chuckled, 'And I won't tell James how much you enjoy it.'

Lily leant her head against his shoulder, 'You had better not.'

James had taken Harry up to bed, and Remus curled into the cushioned window seat, watching the sun set across the steep Downs, its fire kissing the ancient beech trees was idyllic. Except that there was no sign of Sirius or Lily.

It was a week still until the full moon, which was how Remus was managing not to pace. Rationally, he knew that they were both in a public place and would take care of each other. But it was like anything else, years of war had worn his ability to think calmly about it away to dust. Dusk poured over the grounds, eating up the lawns between the ancient house and the trees, swallowing the Quidditch hoops and the patio, until all was in shadow.

The lounge lamps flared into life, and blinking, Remus saw James' reflection in the glass walking towards him. As he turned, James held out a glass of red wine.

'Here.'

Remus smiled and let go of the cord tied around his left wrist he had been fidgeting with to take the glass, 'Ta Jim.'

James leant against the nearest arm of the settee and sipped his wine, 'So, how are you feeling?'

Remus frowned, 'I haven't quite reached the point of Apparating to Grimmauld Place yet.'

James shook his head, 'No, not that. They'll be fine. I mean about him maybe taking it back?'

'Oh. That.' Remus looked down at his glass, and his eyes lingered on the woven strands of red, gold and silver poking out of his sleeve, 'He's my world, James. If he wants to do this, I'll support him.'

'But?'

He smiled, James knew them all far too well, 'They were monstrous, and as well as he seems now, I'm worried what this will do to him. What the pressure will do, even without them, or suddenly being "The Black Heir" again. And…' He let his voice trail off.

'And what will happen to you both.' James supplied.

'Mmm,' Remus made an uncommitted sound, unaware of fidgeting with the woven cord again.

James' eyes caught the movement. He cocked his head, 'Remus, what is that? You've been playing with it all day.'

Remus felt immediately guilty.

'Now you are blushing. Literally blushing, Moony. What's going on?'

He pushed up his sleeve to show the long rope knotted loosely around his wrist. They had doubled it back on itself a few times since it was long enough to tie Sirius and Remus' hands together. The conjured fabric caught the light, bright silver and gold entangled in Gryffindor scarlet.

'Sirius wanted me to keep it on, while he was… away. But I know he would have wanted to tell you himself.'

James was staring at it, he dragged his eyes up to Remus, 'I think I'm going to need to hear you actually say it.'

'He asked me to marry him this morning, and I said yes.'

They stuck to the roads for most of the ride, even though it was long, and dark had fallen by the time Sirius revved the bike down the drive to the Potter Manor. Lily's arms were tight around his waist and when she laughed with joy on the corners he grinned and went faster.

It had given him time to think, to decide what would happen next. They would tell the others the deal, he and Lily could cook dinner. Everything would be fine. Everything would have to be fine. It just had to be.

The gravel crunched under the tires as he pulled up by the door, and he held the bike still while Lily jumped off. He kicked the stand as a shadow passed across the drive, and he turned so see her dart across the stones to fling herself into James' arms. Their laughter filled the night, as Sirius looked passed James to Remus, leaning in the doorway, glass of wine dangling from one hand. His beautiful amber eyes raked Sirius' face, and Sirius let his feet march him forward.

He sidestepped the Potters, striding directly to him. Remus seemed to see what he wanted to find in Sirius' face, because his lips twitched in the tiniest smile. He was barely aware of making the decision to move, lacing his fingers through Remus' while his other hand curled around his neck, pulling him down the inch or two difference between them to kiss him.

'Mon cheri,' Sirius muttered the words against Remus' lips, feeling the world right itself as Remus squeezed his hand.

'Are you alright?'

Sirius nodded mutely.

'We picked up steak.' Lily said brightly from behind them, 'Sirius and I.'

'You did?'

Sirius turned, grinning, 'We did. From that good butcher in Edinburgh. It's in the bike.'

Lily ran back to grab it as they went in, and Sirius swiped Remus' wine glass. Remus gave him a significant look over James' head and Sirius felt the smile freeze on his face. It took less than a heartbeat, less time that it would have taken to blink. Legilimency had never come as easily to him as Occlumency, but with Remus it could be like breathing. So he saw, he heard.

James knew.

Sirius nodded and cleared his throat, 'Lily, can you come and sit down?'

She frowned at him but sat on the settee anyway. He nodded to James to join her.

'We have something to tell you both.' Sirius smiled, 'Remus, mon bel amour…'

Remus reached out his left hand and took Sirius' right. He felt the warm glow of their combined magic, the petrol and starlight buzz and the comforting glow of wood fire and old books. The cord he had conjured that morning coiled up, interweaving itself to knot their hands together, the ancient magic he had cast still strong.

'I asked Remus to marry me this morning, and he agreed.'

Lily's hands flew to her mouth, her bright green eyes sparkling, 'Oh you monster Sirius!'

He threw his head back and barked a laugh, 'We performed a handfasting, it's completely binding.'

Lily grabbed a cushion and threw it them both, Remus tried to dodge and succeeded only in pulling Sirius into the line of fire. This was quickly followed by James colliding with his chest. His hands bunched hard in the back of Sirius' shirt under his robes and jacket, holding him tight. Sirius wrapped his free arm around him too, and for a moment thought he might never be able to let go.

'Congratulations Padfoot.' James said a little hoarsely in his ear, and Sirius felt a lump form in his throat.

'Ta Jamie.'

'I'm so fucking proud of you.'

Sirius laughed again and gave him a small shove, 'You might not be saying that when you find out how the rest of today went.'

Lily tackled him next, 'How dare you not tell me all day. You were so cryptic and difficult every time they talked about marriage, this is why?'

He gave her a squeeze, 'Yes.'

The smack to his arm made him laugh, 'And how dare you get married without us!'

Remus tugged lightly at their conjoined wrists, 'We apologise. But it was important that it happened before Sirius went to the meeting. Sirius, why won't it come undone again?'

'Um…'

Everyone looked at him.

'It's supposed to stay joined for the full day after the spell. I jerry rigged it a bit, so you didn't have to come with me but… um…' He bit his lip as Remus groaned, 'Hang on, I can probably do something.'

Sirius held his left hand over the intricate Celtic knot binding them to each other, muttering the words under his breath. The glow that filled them was rosy gold and warm, like candlelight. When it faded, they were left with matching cords half the width the one he conjured to bind them had been. They wrapped and twisted around their wrists, flowing through a never-ending knot. The same knot that the magic had made in the hand fasting, only now in miniature and duplicated. One for each.

'It's the same conjuration, just spread out.'

Remus smiled and kissed him lightly, 'I love it. And Lily, we are still planning on a wedding, have no fear.'

She laughed, 'Good, because otherwise I would have had to kill you.'

A loud bang made them all jump, and spin to see James looking sheepish with a bottle of champagne.

'Let's celebrate, for once.'

By the time dinner was over and they sprawled out in the parlour they were all a bit tipsy. Even Remus was looking pink, something Sirius had pointed out twice from where he sat on the floor beneath Remus' chair, cheerfully wedged between Remus' knees.

James couldn't be happier for the man he called brother. Sirius was so brave, so protective, he deserved something good. When Remus had left him, James though Sirius would break, shatter in to a million pieces like the stars across the sky. Instead it was like the stars went out.

There was a strain under their family's happy babble tonight though. A chord slightly too sharp, a note minutely out of tune. It was in the way Lily leaned slightly more heavily against his ribs, and the possessive way Sirius wrapped his fingers around Remus' ankle or glanced at Remus before letting James top up his wine.

It wasn't bad yet, the sky wasn't falling. Sirius wasn't pacing, or downing whisky, or chain smoking. Remus wasn't hiding in the kitchen, or behind a newspaper. But James could feel the ice fire of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black drawing in close.

It was time to draw the poison.

'So, what happened?'

He pitched his voice low, and gentle, but it didn't change the way Lily turned to stare at Sirius. Or the way Sirius froze, silver eyes locked on his.

'It was fine.'

The room held its breath.

Sirius sipped the wine, whetting his lips.

'It's done.' His voice had taken on a strange, sharp quality, like a cat scratch. Like frost, 'I am the heir again. Upon such time as I am married and provide an appropriate heir of my own, I inherit … everything.'