Second Family Portrait

The fire warmed Sirius's hands as he passed a glass of whiskey over to Remus. His mate offered a smile of thanks as he accepted the drink in both hands. Once it was in his grasp, Remus cradled the glass above his lap and stared into its shallow depths.

Sirius took a sip of his own drink as he eyed his friend. "Four girls?" he said. "Snape?"

Remus lifted his gaze and nodded. "One is his sister," he replied before sipping at his whiskey. "There used to be five."

Sirius's eyebrows raised at this new tidbit. "What, did the fifth not cut it?" he asked with a snort.

His friend's gaze clouded over. "There was a broom riding accident," he explained, his voice a touch rough. "She, a little girl named Lottie, died."

"…Ah," Sirius murmured at last. What else was there to say to such a thing? Sirius only had contempt for Snape but even he felt no joy or righteousness at the news. Snape's daughter or not this Lottie was a child who'd had her life ended far too soon. The only way Sirius could feel about it was sad.

Remus rolled back his shoulders and sat a little straighter in his armchair. "Don't ever mention her," he warned Sirius with a taut jaw. "I'm not sure what would happen but I am confident it would be deeply unpleasant."

Sirius pursed his lips. "Yeah," he agreed after reigning in his initial feeling of irritation. He didn't like being told what to do. Especially being told not to do something but Remus was right. This girl's death was something he should never speak of to Snape. "Yeah, I'm sure of that too," he said while scrubbing a hand through his beard. He cocked his head and considered his tense mate. "Why are you telling me about these kids at all?"

Remus sighed. "The oldest, his sister, is of age," Remus began. His eyes skittered to the flames flickering and popping in the fireplace as he went somewhere else in his mind. "She – Darla – is likely to join the Order. Darla did not… care… for me but I do know her. She's going to want to help the cause to support her mates if for no other reason."

Sirius absorbed this. It made sense why Remus was bringing up Snape's girls now. He wanted Sirius to be ready. He cocked his head. It also raised more questions. "Her mates?"

"She's friends with the oldest Bones boy," explained Remus before finishing off his drink.

He sputtered. "What? No. Clarence allowed that?"

Remus pressed his fingers into his eyes and groaned. "Snape's a part of the Order, Sirius," he chided.

"Sure, but—"

His mate's hand fell from his face and he leveled Sirius with a sharp stare as he cut him off. "How well did it go for your parents when they tried to stop you from being mine and Peter's mate?"

Sirius's mouth stayed gaping for a beat. When he closed it, he looked to his glass and grumbled, "Hmph. Still."

A brief and awkward silence befell them. "Harry too," whispered Remus breaking it before Sirius could begin jogging his knee.

He snapped his head back up at the words. Surely he misheard Remus. There was no way another Snape had gone and tangled their life with that of a Potter's. Surely the git Snape himself would have discouraged that. "Sorry, what's this about Harry," he demanded, mouth quirking in a displeased frown.

Remus didn't break his gaze with Sirius. It strengthened instead and he lifted his chin as he told him, "Darla wants a part in this for Harry too."

"Harry?" he echoed, incredulous. How did this happen? Why had anyone allowed it? Didn't they remember how things ended between Lily and Snape? The rivalry that James carried on with the other wizard? Surely everyone had to realize whatever sprouted between the kids would not be healthy. "She's mates with Harry?"

Remus winced at his tone, at the anger burgeoning on his face. "All of the girls count him as a friend I think," he mumbled.

He exhaled. Somehow that was worse. There were going to be four heartbreaks in his godson's future. "Merlin, this is Lily all over again, isn't it?" he grumbled while running an agitated hand through his hair.

"I wouldn't say that," argued Remus, leaning in; eyes a glinting amber in the light of the flames. "As I said, Darla will be joining the Order. I reckon the younger girls will follow her lead."

He eyed Remus. His words felt so sure. He felt certain. "You sound pretty confident about that."

Remus's mouth curved into a smirk. "Darla wants to be an Order member and that's after seven years of being a Slytherin. It should be much easier for the other two as a Gryffindor and Ravenclaw to take the same path."

Sirius's drink sloshed in his glass as he drew closer to Remus out of surprise and fascination. "One's a Gryffindor?"

He dipped his chin; his smirk was a broad grin. "Yes, Essie, the second youngest. She's two years behind Harry."

"Merlin!" exclaimed Sirius. He slapped his thigh and downed the rest of his drink and put aside his glass. "Wonder how Snape took that."

The grin on his mate's face weakened and his voice turned a tad reproachful. "I understand you have a low opinion of him, Sirius, and I certainly don't care much for Severus either but you shouldn't be so shocked. You can still recall it didn't matter when Lily was sorted to Gryffindor, can't you?"

He shrugged. "Sure. I bet he didn't like it, though. Then and now," countered Sirius. He was sure of that. Snape had made sure to let them know how much better he thought Slytherin was. Sirius believed he had also impressed those thoughts upon his girls.

Remus's disapproving frown lightened slightly. "Perhaps," he relented. He shook his head slightly and took another sip of his drink. "It doesn't matter. It didn't change how he treated Lily and I doubt it changed much for his and Essie's relationship either."

Sirius couldn't help but smile. "Think he'll have a blowout row with her when she gets older?" he asked, curious. A brave Gryffindor daughter wasn't likely going to hold her opinions back once she was full swing into teenagedom with hormones flooding her body.

Remus furrowed his brows and settled back in his armchair. "She's not like Lily," he told Sirius, eyes elsewhere. He was probably lost in his memories of teaching the girl. Sirius didn't let it bother him because it ended with the reveal of new and possibly unsettling information. "Essie is a bit of an anxious child. I think it's very unlikely she'll have a full-on row with Severus about anything."

"I'd be a nervous kid too if Snape were my father," Sirius muttered with a snort. He considered Remus."Are the other ones also shy?" He was sure Snape was an exacting parent. Likely short with his daughters too. Quite possibly not all that different from Walburga and Orion in his methods to shape them into respectable witches.

Remus picked up on the undertones of his question easily. His shoulders shifted into a defensive position as he looked down his nose at Sirius. "Not at all," he said with finality. "Sirius, he's a good father and brother."

"No," denied Sirius, wrinkling his nose. "I can't believe that." How could he be? A nasty, spiteful man like Snape? He had to be fucking up his girls every second he spent in breathing distance of them.

Remus bared his teeth. "He is," asserted Remus. "He's protective. Reassuring. He spends time with the girls and teaches them outside of his classroom too."

Sirius searched his mate for signs that he was lying. That he was not totally convinced of the words he spoke. There was no doubt to be spied. The set of Remus's brows were fixed in sure lines and his feet planted firmly on the rug between them. Sirius scrubbed his hand through his hair anew. It had to look a right mess by now. "Bloody Hell," he whispered.

The other wizard relaxed a fraction. "I know," he said with a great sigh. "It surprised me as well." Remus finished his whiskey before he admitted, "In a way, I'm relieved. We don't need more twisted people in this world."

"That we don't," agreed Sirius with a fervent bob of his head.

Remus watched him for a moment before he reached for the bottle of whiskey by the side of Sirius's dark leather chair. He poured himself a new glass and when Sirius held out his cup, filled his too. When done, he placed the alcohol beside his foot and asked, "Would you like me to tell you more about them?"

Sirius took a sip of his new drink. He smacked his lips once before he said, "A bit. How do his daughters get on with Harry? You said they're mates, right?"

Remus hummed and drank from his glass. "They are," answered the wizard. "Harry gets on well with them. I think you might even say he treats them like little sisters."

Sirius considered this news. He still had many reservations. Perhaps more now that he knew they weren't just mates but close to each other. To not scare his friend into muteness, Sirius purposefully kept his voice neutral while muttering, "Does he now?"

"Yes," affirmed Remus. His eyes softened. "Harry has an actual sister, by the way."

Sirius blinked. "What?"

"The family who adopted him, Lily's cousins, they have a girl. She's called Gail I believe. Harry calls her his sister," Remus explained now smiling at him.

Sirius's chest ached with pain and expanded with joy at the same time. He wished it was him who'd gotten to raise Harry. He wished he could have been the one to give him a sibling, maybe a mother figure. Sirius was happy Harry got those things in his absence, however. "They must be a good sort," he remarked.

"I agree," said Remus as he swirled his drink in lieu of anything else to do with himself.

"I'm happy he ended up with them," he added and was relieved to find it rang true to his ears.

Remus looked at him. "You should mention that when you get the chance to talk," he advised. "I'm sure Harry will be pleased to hear you say that. It's my understanding people don't always approve of him having been raised by Muggles."

Sirius nodded. "I will." Drinking down half of his whiskey, Sirius leaned in, an elbow on a knee, and narrowed his eyes at his mate. "Now, tell me about the rest of the girls, Remus. What's the name of the Ravenclaw one?"

"Eileen. She's a year younger than Harry. Bit of a loner, that one," he replied, tone musing and gaze settling on the flames of the fire.

"That so?"

He hummed. "Yes," continued Remus. "It has to be by choice. Her housemates seem to like her just fine. Eileen is an excellent, confident student too. I think she's a good fit for Ravenclaw."

Sirius wondered if the younger one, Essie, wasn't such a nervous mess because her sister was apparently so clever. He remembered Regulus often tried to compensate for Sirius's lacking behavior growing up. Perhaps the opposite was happening between Snape's oldest two.

"What about the last daughter?" he asked. If the others were about thirteen and twelve that likely meant the other wasn't even yet a student. "You meet her? She mustn't be Hogwarts age yet, right?"

"Calliope," said Remus. His face twisted slightly as he remarked, "She's actually very young compared to her sisters. I don't think she will be eleven until after Harry graduates. She only sees Harry on occasion with her sisters or Darla."

Sirius found that information interesting in spite of himself. Was it possible she'd been an accident? He was still having trouble wrapping his head around the fact Snape at one point apparently had five girls. Whose idea had been that one? His wife's? He couldn't say he knew the workings of Snape's mind well but he certainly got the impression the other wizard wasn't the child-loving sort.

He probably hadn't wanted any of them.

Sirius doubted Remus could help him parse that one out. He also thought goading him into speculation was likely going to end in a row instead of revelation. So, pushing those musing aside, he decided to latch onto the new name Remus just mentioned.

"Darla, that's Snape's sister, yeah?" he asked. "Is she a lot like her brother?"

Remus grew taut. Sirius was sure there was a story there. He wondered how much poking it would take to get it out of him. "She's not unlike Severus," Remus said at last. Voice dropping, he muttered, "Darla's not one to hide her distaste for someone."

"Yeah, that's like Snape all right," proclaimed Sirius as he finished off his glass. His head felt a bit airy. He was going to stumble on the stairs and break his neck if he didn't watch himself when it came time to lumber to his room.

"It is," agreed Remus. The other wizard tore his stare from the flames and with an upset air, all but snapped at Sirius, "She's her own person, though, Sirius! I didn't get to see her better side often or for very long but it does seem among mates and family she's a playful sort."

He gaped. "You're shitting me. Who taught her to be like that?" he demanded. A mischievous Snape? Who'd have thought such a thing possible? Not Sirius. "Certainly not Snape!"

Remus shrugged in a rough, jerky motion. "I don't know," he said. "Maybe her levity is innate."

Sirius snorted. "Too bad that trait skipped Snape. The wanker never knew how to have a laugh at himself."

"Hm," grunted Remus, not looking at him.

Sirius frowned but let it be. "Hey, what's she like with Harry?" he asked after a moment. If the daughters were like sisters to Harry was this Darla as well?

Remus squinted at his whiskey. "From what I saw of Darla and Harry together… She's not overly involved in his day-to-day going ons. She drops in to check on him and makes herself available when he wants her attention.

"I… I would say Darla treats Harry much like she treats her nieces. She likes them, she likes to bother them, likes to spend an afternoon with them here and there, but mostly she just keeps an ear out for the lot."

He tapped his fingers on his knee. "So she plays at being his big sister?"

"In all the ways that count, she is a big sister," said Remus with a reproving frown. "I gather that Snape's been raising her most of her life. She was there to see at least the youngest born and help bring them all up." He finished his glass of whiskey. "Being a big sister to Harry too must come quite naturally."

Sirius nodded. He supposed it would. Especially since she had been a part of her nieces' lives since they were little. Apparently, anyway. "How does Harry take it?" he pressed, curious. He didn't know if Harry's sister was younger or older but either way, he might not be keen on the treatment. Whether it was because he had an older sister or he didn't.

James probably wouldn't have liked having some older student take on a sibling role with him. He would have thought it stifling and irritating. Perhaps Harry was alike his father in this way.

"As far as I can tell?" Remus began with a half-smile that told Sirius quite a lot (such as the two got on swimmingly). "He responds well. I imagine he likes having someone he can turn to who is close in age for help and advice. Much less intimidating than approaching a professor, you know?"

Sirius didn't get it. He was used to relying on himself. James would have chafed. Lily, though? She would have (did) like having someone to guide her. She'd been a younger sister, though. Maybe Harry was a younger brother then. "I can understand that," he said at last in spite of his true feelings. "Remus?" he croaked as a new thought crested in his fuzzy mind.

"What?"

He smirked. "Did you meet Snape's wife?"

Remus's expression grew pensive. "Once," he replied.

Sirius pursed his lips. "Just once?"

"Not by my choice. Nor hers. Snape warned them all to keep their distance from me," explained Remus, grim.

He felt the heat of anger rise over his chest and neck. "What do you mean he warned them to keep their distance?"

"He told them I was your mate, and I suspect he told his sister and wife more than that, but he used it as a reason they should stay away from me outside the classroom," Remus elaborated before rubbing the back of his neck and sighing.

"Arsehole," he hissed. Then, because he was still curious, he asked, "Hey, what did you think of his wife that one time you met her?"

Remus's voice was soft as he said, "I got the impression she's a kind witch and very loyal to Snape."

Sirius twisted a lock of hair as he contemplated Remus's description of Snape's wife. "How do you think they happened?" he questioned. "Did anyone tell you?"

"No one told me," answered Remus with a shake of his head. He furrowed his brows and a hand drifted to his cheek. "I'm not sure either. She… She has this scar. It covers a good portion of her face. It looks quite old too. I've wondered a time or two if it played a role in their meeting, her loyalty."

Sirius cocked his head. "You think he saved her?" he asked, trying to imagine a scenario that would force Snape to be a hero for somebody.

"Possibly," answered Remus.

He scratched his cheek. Even if there was a situation where Snape could be heroic, why would he? What did he gain from it? "Why would he do that?"

Remus groaned. "Who knows."

Sirius let it go. If Remus was stumped it was just going to have to be a mystery for the time being. Perhaps he'd get the chance to ask some others at a later time. Finally, he mused, "You know, I never could have imagined the bastard would become a family man."

His friend huffed. "No, I didn't either," he said.

Thoughts?

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