Disclaimer: HP and Co. belong to J.K. Rowling, not myself.
A/N: Sorry for the wait guys =] Not a ton of Orion and Draco in this chapter, but some very interesting developments. On a side note, Blood Matters has hit just over 400! reviews. YOU GUYS ROCK! Thank you so much =]
Also, thank you to my beta cocobyrd87
R/R
Chapter 14: Romance in the Air?
Sirius grinned as he and Remus walked confidently down Diagon Alley ignoring the speculative glances from the shopping patrons. He was free, he knew that and they knew that but of course witches and wizards were a suspicious lot and despite his name being cleared and everything being splashed across the late night, special and early editions of the Daily Prophet, people were still going to be scared of him or at the very least hesitant.
But Sirius didn't care, he was free! He resisted the urge to begin dancing madly again, since the last time he has started Remus had smacked him in the back of the head rather hard and it still smarted slightly. He grinned at his old friend, unable to hide his jubilation for long. Moony offered him a long suffering smile, though his eyes were twinkling lightly, belying his own happiness at this amazing turn of events.
Remus smiled as he watched Sirius walked towards Gringotts; he could see how happy his friend was. The stress wrinkles that had been around his eyes and mouth seemed to have faded with the news, and he was finally clean with a decent haircut. Of course he had been clean before, but being locked up in Grimmauld or Malfoy Manor made it a bit difficult for him to indulge in new clothes or a proper haircut.
Lucius and Narcissa had been great, but his cousins were very opinionated on appearances and most of the clothing Narcissa had managed to procure for him fit her standards and were about as far away from his own personal, more muggle-based preferences then he was willing to admit, especially to her face.
Stepping into Gringotts, Sirius made his way to the first available teller, a grin on his face despite the unimpressed look the goblin graced him with.
"Lord Black, your account manager has been waiting to speak with you since the news first broke, if you would please follow me," the goblin stated, sliding off of his stool and leading Remus and Sirius down a long, marble hallway towards the offices of the higher up goblins and account managers of the Diagon Alley branch of Gringotts.
The goblin bowed slightly as he pushed open a door, allowing Sirius and Remus to enter the room before he allowed the door to shut behind them, leaving them alone with a rather distinguished looking goblin (if one could call a goblin distinguished).
"Ah Lord Black, I have been expecting you. I am Bloodfang, head of the Black accounts" The goblin introduced himself, gesturing politely for Remus and Sirius to seat themselves.
"Pleased to meet you Bloodfang," Sirius said, his tone formal, "this is my friend and associate Remus Lupin."
As soon as introductions had been made the two men and one goblin settled down and began the arduous task of hashing out the Black accounts as well as managing properties.
-Blood-
Orion grinned as Archimedes dropped a letter in front of him before landing next to Draco's plate and stole a piece of bacon before taking off again.
"Bloody bird," Draco grumbled, though his eyes held an affectionate gleam for the bird. Orion ignored his brother as he opened his letter, smiling once he realized it was from Sirius.
"Look," he said with a grin, shoving the letter at Draco once he had finished reading it. Draco sighed theatrically, though he took the letter and scanned it curiously.
"Oh wow," Draco said, surprised yet pleased, "he made you his heir." That was rare, though not unheard of. When the head of a family was a bachelor or incapable of having children, they would often appoint a favored nephew, cousin or godchild to be the next heir of the family. It wasn't really a surprise that Sirius Black had made Orion the Black heir, especially since Orion had been Black's godson and they still thought of one another in that sense.
"Is that bad?" Orion asked his brother worriedly, his teeth immediately beginning to worry his bottom lip.
"Hm? No of course not, it's a very good thing actually." Draco hastily reassured his little brother.
"You know how I'm the Malfoy heir?" he asked, looking intently at Orion. They had slowly been educating the young Malfoy on pureblood etiquette and traditions.
"Mhm," Orion mumbled, still looking a bit worried.
"So being named Sirius' heir means that when Sirius passes away or chooses to step down, you will take over responsibility for the Black Family, just like I will for the Malfoy family," Draco explained. "You don't have to worry about it yet, and I'm sure Father, Sirius and our Uncles will help you when we return home for the summer. There really isn't anything to worry about Ori," Draco said, using his affectionate nickname for his brother.
"Oh...okay," Orion responded, returning to his breakfast as he scanned the letter once again.
Draco sighed, he'd have to get his father to sit down and explain the situation to Orion a bit better then he had.
"It really is a good thing Orion," he said again, smirking as his brother rolled his eyes and huffed at him in obvious annoyance.
"I know Draco," Orion said. "I was just startled when I read the letter; I didn't think Siri would do something like that."
"Why not?" Draco asked, arching an eyebrow at his younger brother.
"Just didn't think he would. I mean why would he make me his heir? I'm sure they're better options," Orion admitted, his voice low to keep his housemates from overhearing.
"Sirius loves you Orion. Hell the man broke out of Azkaban for you, he left the side of the light for you; anyone with half a brain knows that that man sees you as his own child. Of course he would make you his heir, it would have been surprising if he didn't," Draco said, his voice quiet yet passionate.
Orion looked rather startled before a pleased flush took over his cheeks, reddening them slightly. Draco sighed, relieved that he had managed to cheer up his younger sibling. He occasionally forgot that Orion had been so emotionally damaged by those damn muggles. Of course Orion wouldn't have thought that he was worth the gesture Sirius had bestowed on him-he still didn't think he was worth it.
He needed to be reassured that he was loved and cared for, and Draco was damn well going to make sure he knew he was loved. Orion smiled at Draco, feeling more relaxed now that his brother had reassured him of Sirius' love and that this heir thing was a justified decision on his godfather's part, because yes he still saw Sirius and even Remus as his godfathers, Tom as well now.
-Blood-
Sirius flooed into Malfoy Manor, having parted ways with Remus when his old friend had entered the bookstore. Sirius wasn't a big fan of bookstores and he knew how much time the studious marauder could spend in Flourish and Blotts when given the opportunity.
Trotting happily into the Manor, he whistled contently, a file in his hand with papers he had to show Lucius, along with informing him and Narcissa that he had made Orion his heir. He doubted they'd care, though he suspected Tom also had the same idea though making Orion heir of Slytherin would be a more drawn out, secretive processes, due to the war.
"Sirius," Lucius greeted, slightly surprised at seeing the Black Lord bursting into his office while whistling of all things.
"Lucius," Sirius said, sitting down opposite Lucius, the man's large, mahogany desk between them.
"Can I help you?" The Malfoy asked, his tone bemused. Since the Holidays, Lucius had become used to the marauders antics and everyone was adjusting to the boisterous pair.
"I just came to inform you of how my visit with Gringotts went," Sirius said, placing his fold of papers down on the table between them.
"Oh?" Lucius inquired, picking up the folder and leafing through the different reports. He was pleased to see that despite Sirius' incarceration and the death of his parents, the goblins had kept the accounts in order and everything seemed to be running according to plan. Pausing on the last page, he allowed a small smile to grace his aristocratic features.
"You made Orion your heir?" Lucius inquired curiously. He was honored the man thought so highly of his son.
"Of course, I've loved him since the minute James placed him in my arms and named me godfather. He may not be Harry James Potter, but that love remains the same and he'll always be my godson," Sirius said, his 'serious' tone belying his honesty.
"I know Sirius when you accepted him during the Holidays and took his side, we knew that you loved him. You and Remus both."
Sirius flashed the man a brilliant grin and gave him his copy of the paperwork as the floo came to life.
"Lucius?" Cornelius Fudge's voice sounded. "Could you possibly come through? I have some things I wish to discuss with you." The pompous voice sounded from the flames. Sirius rolled his eyes and rose, gather his papers.
"On that note, I shall see you later Lucius. I shall hopefully be moving Moony and me from Grimmauld to some place better, nicer perhaps," the Black Lord said, slipping from the room his whistling picking up again before the door shut. Lucius rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Fudge, allowing himself a frustrated sigh before stepping through the floo.
He still wasn't exactly feeling charitable towards the Ministry, however he knew they were a necessary evil especially since he and the Ministry had been working (secretly) to uncover the truth about what had happened all those years previous with Orion, the Potters and Dumbledore. He needed to be sure of everything, have the proof that Dumbledore and the light side had taken his son (something of which he was sure of) before he went after them and destroyed them.
-Blood-
Sirius continued on his way through the Manor, his whistling echoing off the walls while he headed towards floo room.
"Will you shut up!" A voice sounded from behind him, causing the dog animagus to whirl around, wand drawn.
"Vol-Tom-Sir?" Sirius exclaimed, sucking in a startled breath and lowering his wand. The Dark Lord rolled his eyes and scowled.
"Your inane whistling was distracting me from my work. I could hear you, quite loudly might I add, all the way down the hall!" the man snapped in annoyance.
"Heh, sorry Sir. I didn't even realize I was doing it, habit I suppose." The man shrugged with a wry grin. Tom pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a suffering sigh.
"In the future Black, please try and refrain from making such a racket," Tom grumbled, dropping his hands to his side. Sirius began to chuckle, drawing the Dark Lord's blood red glare.
"Something funny Black?" Tom growled out, eyes narrowing intently.
"Y-you have ink on your face," Sirius giggled, when Tom had pinched his nose, some wet ink that had been on his hand, had smudged on his face. Tom's eyes widened slightly and his face reddened slightly, right in front of Sirius' shocked eyes. He had never seen, nor even suspected, that the Dark Lord, Lord Voldemort, He who must not be named himself could blush.
"Here," Sirius mumbled, reaching up unthinkingly and rubbing the ink off of Tom's cheek and nose. Part way through the motion, Sirius' eyes had widened in abject horror and his hand dropped nervously to his side.
"Oh shit!" he gasped out, "your darkness, lord, whatever I am so sorry..." Sirius began to stammer, "I would never touch you, I mean I would never presume to touch you, to assume you'd want my touch," he stammered in a horrified tone.
Tom watched in amusement. Sirius' touch hadn't been displeasing, not in the least and the Black Lord was fairly attractive. Resisting the urge to laugh, Tom leaned forward slightly, bringing his hand up and pressing his fingers to the shorter man's stammering lips.
"It is fine Lord Black," he said, watching some color begin to return to Sirius' face before he bonelessly fell to the floor, relief rolling off of the prone man in waves.
"T-thank you," Sirius stammered, shocked that he was still alive and breathing. He had, at the very least, expected the Cruciatus curse.
Tom watched, bemused, as Sirius finally regained his footing, his face still slightly pale from his scare.
"For? Not killing you?" Tom asked, once again resisting the urge to chuckle. The dog animagus was proving to be very amusing.
"Well y-yes I suppose." Sirius stammered nervously, looking up at Tom and unconsciously touching his lips where the man had touched him. Looking at the Dark Lord, Sirius couldn't help but notice how attractive the man was. Of course he was a Dark Lord which didn't lessen the man's sexual appeal, just made Sirius a lot more nervous.
Tom laughed softly, startling Sirius even more.
"I don't generally kill people who are trying to help me, or people whom share a very close relationship with my godson," Tom stated. "Plus, despite your annoying whistling and habit of turning into a giant, drooling, flea bitten mess, I find you amusing Lord Black."
"Sirius," Sirius corrected absentmindedly. He hated being called Lord Black; it made him think of his father and subsequently his mother.
"Tom then, since you can't seem to decide on a name for me anyway," Tom chuckled. "Besides, you aren't one of my death eaters nor are you of the light persuasion anymore, and since we are practically family due to our mutual connection to Orion, I believe you can call me Tom."
Sirius grinned happily. At least he didn't have to fear for his life now; perhaps a pain spell or two, but he didn't have to worry about dying.
"Now Sirius, may I ask what you are doing at the Manor?" Tom asked, gesturing for the man to join him in his office, the one Lucius allowed him to use whenever he was staying at the Manor.
Sirius followed the man inside, settling himself on a comfortable chair and smiling at the Dark Lord.
"I came to drop of some Gringotts papers, I made Orion the Black heir." Sirius explained, showing Tom his copy of the paperwork.
"Ah," Tom said, reading the document curiously. "Very noble of you Sirius and I believe a very good decision. I've been considering doing the same thing, making Orion my heir," he admitted to the other man. Sirius smiled softly, nodding his head lightly.
"I thought you would be, though it would be a far more drawn out process due to the fact it would need to remain secret," Sirius mused, "if the light or Albus were to find out..." He trailed off, shuddering. Dumbledore and the Weasleys were already harassing Orion. If they found out about Tom being his godfather and Orion becoming the Slytherin heir, it would be disastrous for the young man.
Tom nodded in agreement. He knew he'd have to use very Slytherin tactics to make Orion his heir, but he also knew that he'd do it in a second.
"So now that you've delivered your papers Sirius, where are you off to?" The man asked curiously.
"I'm off to inspect my nearby properties. I despise Grimmauld place, and now that I'm free, the seized Black Properties that weren't under the Fidelius charm were returned to me and I can find an appropriate one to move myself and Moony into," Sirius responded with a massive grin.
"Oh?" Tom inquired. "I thought Grimmauld was the ancestral Black Home."
"It is, but I can't stand the place. I never got along with my mother and my memories of Grimmauld aren't exactly pleasant." Sirius explained. "Plus both Remus and I would be far more comfortable in a more isolated area. Perhaps with some forest or fields around us."
"Ah yes Remus, your lover..?" Tom asked curiously.
"Wh-No!" Sirius stammered. "Remy is a friend, my brother if anything, but we are not lovers. Remus isn't even gay or at least, I don't think he is," he said, brow furrowing.
"And you Sirius, are you gay?" Tom asked, rather bluntly for a Slytherin.
"Me?" Sirius squeaked, face flushing a deep red color. "Yes, yes I am." He finally responded, fighting to keep his voice steady. Tom smiled wickedly at that small bit of information.
"Good," Tom said, ignoring Sirius' incredulous expression. Grinning wickedly at the man, Tom observed the Black lord over steepled fingers.
"I have enjoyed our conversation this afternoon Sirius, however I shall let you get to your task. Perhaps you could join me for dinner sometime this week? I know a lovely restaurant in France that should be low key enough to keep us both out of the papers.
Sirius gaped; had the Dark Lord just asked him out on a date? Goggling at the man for a minute, he was finally able to find his voice and squeaked out a meager yes before rising and practically running from the room.
Chuckling, Tom grinned. He knew that this would be an interesting hunt with such frantic prey, however Sirius Black would soon be his regardless of what the Black Lord actually wanted.
-Blood
"MOONY!" the shriek sounded through the house, startling the werewolf whom was reading on the couch, rather badly.
"Padfoot?" The man asked as his friend tore into the living room and practically grabbed him.
"He-the...he...date!" Sirius stammered out, hands grabbing the collar of his best friend.
"Calm down Padfoot," Remus said, eyes wide, trying to grasp what the hell the crazed dog animagus was raving about. "Calm down." He carefully dragged his friend to the couch and forced him to sit, summoning an irate Kreacher to bring them tea for Sirius and hot chocolate for himself.
Ignoring the elf, who was grumbling under his breath once he returned with the drinks, he forced Sirius to drink the tea, finally getting the man calmed down enough to hear the story from start to finish. By the end of Sirius' explanation, Remus was tempted to call Kreacher back for some fire whiskey.
"The Dark Lord? As in Lord Voldemort asked you on a date?" Remus finally managed to stutter, looking at his friend in shock.
"Uh huh," Sirius mumbled numbly, staring into the dregs of his tea cup in a manner reminiscent of Trelawney, though Sirius wasn't nearly as comical.
"Well shit." Remus mumbled, finally summoning Kreacher to bring the alcohol. He poured himself a generous amount before doing the same for Sirius.
"What did you say?" He asked once they were both calm and slightly intoxicated.
"Yes," Sirius murmured, his face still slightly pale. "I said yes. I agreed to go on a date with the Dark Lord Moony!" Sirius groaned.
"Do you not want to go out with him?" Remus asked curiously.
"I-I yes I do want to go out with him," Sirius stammered suddenly. "I wouldn't have said yes if I didn't want to. It's just.." he sighed, raking his fingers through his hair. "I don't know why he would even ask me. I'm sure they're are so many others, those more dedicated to his cause that he could go out with," he continued, looking at his friend uncertainly.
"I'm sure they are Sirius, but that's not the point. He chose you and I get the feeling he isn't the type to make a decision lightly. So, I suggest you go on this date and get to know him as a person, as Orion's godfather and as someone you may, potentially start a relationship with. If it works out, go for it, if it doesn't, then end it politely." The levelheaded werewolf said softly.
"I-" Sirius sighed, flashing his friend a thankful smile. "I will Remy, thank you." Remus grinned and poured them each another measure of the whiskey, tossing it back with a sigh.
"You don't do anything by halves, do you," he teased his friend lightly. Sirius chuckled, shrugging as he did so.
"You know me Rem, go big or go home," he said, tossing back his own shot before sinking down tiredly on the couch. He'd go house hunting tomorrow, when he felt better and was more or less sober.
-Blood-
Orion flopped tiredly on his bed in his and Draco's shared room. It had been a long, frustrating day. After the relaxation of the Holidays, despite Bellatrix's behaviour, coming back to Hogwarts and dealing with the Weasleys had been pretty stressful. Even Hermione, whom he hoped would come to her senses had yet to approach him or even look at him with anything less then disgust in her eyes. Despite that, he was happy to be back among friends though he had seen most of them over Christmas and New Years.
"Did you have a good day?" Draco asked as he entered the room, smiling as he saw his brother laying face down on his bed.
"Of course not1" Orion mumbled, glancing up at Draco and snorting. "It was awful." Draco chuckled, nodding in agreement as he sat down next to his brother.
"First day back is always awful, makes you miss how calm being at home," Draco said with a sigh.
"Mhm," Orion agreed. It had been his first time leaving Hogwarts for a holiday other then summer and he now understood what others complained about when coming back to school.
Draco just smiled, continuing to rub Orion's back in an attempt to comfort his younger brother.
He knew Orion would feel the separation from being home much more acutely then he would, since this was his fifth year of coming home after the Holidays and he was used to spending holidays with family, whereas this was Orion's first real Christmas with his family and his second time having to leave them. Plus with all the fears and drama at Hogwarts, coming back wasn't an easy decision.
"It'll get better and soon it'll be summer and we can go home and relax," Draco said with a grin.
"I know Mother and Father want to take us on a vacation this year, since you've never gotten to travel and I'm sure it will be awesome." He added, watching his brother prop himself up slightly, eyes shining excitedly.
"Really? A trip?" he asked as if he couldn't believe it.
"Of course, we usually go on one during the holidays," Draco said with a grin. He knew Orion would enjoy the news and it would give his little brother something to look forward to for the rest of the year.
"Yay!" Orion cheered quietly, a trip would be amazing, especially since he had never been on one before since the Dursleys had never taken him on any of the many trips that they took Dudley.
He had always been required to stay with the odd, cat obsessed neighbour Mrs. Figg. Draco sighed, knowing why his brother was so pleased which made him sort of sad. The Dursleys deserved to pay for what they had done, though he knew that the Ministry had already gotten to and sentenced them to Azkaban with the son being given to his Aunt since he was underage.
In his opinion, the low security part of the prison wasn't punishment enough for the despicable muggles, but he couldn't very well argue with the ministry. His father had learned that after Fudge had revoked the Dursleys guardianship of Harry Potter, they had been taken into Auror custody and tried almost immediately for child abuse.
Of course, this had all been done before it had been discovered who Harry Potter exactly was, and the Dursleys may be dragged back into court when Lucius went after Dumbledore since they may be accessories to kidnapping, though Draco doubted it. There was no way the muggles would have kept Orion if they had known that he wasn't actually blood related to them.
A soft noise drew his attention downward and he realized his little brother had fallen asleep while he had been thinking. Chuckling, he rose and carefully stripped his little brother of his outer clothing, magicking a pair of sleep pants on him before tucking him into bed. Dousing the lights, Draco snuck out of the room to join his friends in the Common Room and to write a letter to his parents, requesting that they take a trip for the summer.
He already knew they would, but he wanted to make sure that everything went perfectly for Orion's first vacation. He knew if he asked that Uncle Sev and Uncle Tom would come, along with Sirius and Remus and he was positive that between them, his parents and he his little brother would have the best first vacation ever.
A/N: Hey guys, I do have a twitter if you're interested in my stories and when I'm going to update. I've also been playing with the idea of making a FB page, let me know what you guys think =] Twitter: BloodyRed_Queen =]