Chapter 5

"Hmm, you know, this is actually really good" Harry hummed appreciatively, digging into his dinner, and Sirius nodded enthusiastically, "Seriously, guys, it really is. Alex. You. Can. Cook!"

Remus smirked at the blonde, "And speaking of, who actually taught you?"

Alex frowned, "What do you mean?"

"Well, you sure as hell know your way around a kitchen" He explained, "And you were doing some real restaurant-worthy stuff with those carrots... Also, you know the difference between a fillet knife and a carving knife".

"For the last time, Remus, there is no difference!" Sirius exclaimed, and the wolf sighed, nodding towards his husband, "See what I mean?"

Alex smiled at the married wizard's antics, "My, uh... My uncle taught me. I knew the difference between blanching and boiling when I was seven".

"Was he a chef or something?" Harry asked.

Alex paused, "... No".

The older wizard blinked, put off by the sudden tone, "Oh... Alright, then... What did he do?"

The blonde chewed his food very carefully before answering, "... He was an overseas bank manager".

Remus's head immediately snapped up, and Alex calmly met his gaze, as if daring him to make a comment.

Harry shared a look with Sirius.

There was obviously something more to the 'overseas bank manager' uncle.

Remus slowly swallowed, before quickly changing the subject, "So, uh, Harry, do anything... exciting... today?"

He groaned, "Oh sweet Merlin, are you guys ever going to let this go?!"

"Probably not" Sirius replied, grinning despite his mouthful of food, "The fact that you managed to get into a Death-Eater duel while off-duty, having lunch, and in a completely calm and peaceful setting... Yea, I'm not going to let you forget this. Were you cursed as a baby or what?"

Harry rolled his eyes at him, "Haha, very funny, good one Black".

"I thought so" He replied smugly, "But seriously, what actually happened? It'd be nice to know the true story before Skeeter gets her claws in".

"Well..." Harry began slowly, "I guess... I mean, I was there... and then... then they-"

"It was like this" Alex interrupted, surprising all three at the table, "We were in the Leaky Cauldron. Seven Death Eaters walked in. Harry paralysed one of them. I knocked out one of them. Harry slowed down a guy, before leg-locking him. And then I…"

"Knocked out every single one of them with a flick of your wrist" Harry finished, "You seriously got to teach me that someday".

"Okay, okay, but how, exactly, did you two get into the fight?" Sirius asked again, and his godson sighed, "Well, being the part-time Auror who defeated Voldemort kinda made me their number one target, so I was automatically forced to duel".

"Of course you were" Remus replied dryly, not believing his godson for one minute, "So you just, what, attacked a group of highly powerful and highly vengeful Death Eaters? By yourself?"

"He sure could handle them, though" Alex chimed in, "I mean, six against one? Those weren't very good odds".

Sirius frowned, "Six? I thought you said there were seven?"

Alex paused and Harry grinned, "Yea. He did. That's because blondie over here took one out".

"... Took out a good fighter or a bad fighter?"

"Oh, good fighter, definitely good... Just not against Alex" He finished.

The younger wizard flushed and ducked down his head, "Oh shut up. It's not like he had time to fight back".

"Exactly" Harry replied, staring at him, "That's my point. You didn't duel him, you obliterated him".

"Okay, see, now I'm curious" Sirius announced, "Who, exactly, did you obliterate?"

He muttered something unintelligible, and the man frowned, "Who did you say?"

Alex remained silent, stabbing his dinner with more force than necessary.

The two adults turned to Harry for answers.

He grinned.

"He pinned Rhodopholus Lestrange to a wall without even touching him".

"... I'm sorry, what?" Remus eventually asked.

Alex sighed, shrugging as he looked back up, "What? The bastard annoyed me".

"He knocked over your cup of tea" Harry shot back, and the teen paused, "… As I said, he annoyed me".

Lupin stared at him, "… How?"

"… Like I told you, he knocked over my-"

"No, not that 'how'. How did you hold him against a wall without laying a finger on him?"

Alex shifted uncomfortably, and Remus knew that he was straying into dangerous territory.

"I just... snapped, I guess? I don't know. I didn't think about it!" He rushed, "He annoyed me, and so..."

"You obliterated him" Harry finished smugly.

"Will you stop staying I obliterated him!" Alex exclaimed, "The guy's fine!"

They all stared at him.

"The guy's... mostly fine".

"He's got a few broken bones" Harry summarised, still grinning, "We're not giving out to you for it! You should be proud! It was one less Death Eater I had to deal with".

"Which means it's one less wizard that could have seriously injured him" Remus finished, glaring at his now-sheepish godson.

He transferred his scowl to the blonde boy sitting next to him, "Not that you knocking him out was any better, of course. I don't want you duelling any Death Eaters either, got it?"

"Yes, mother" He teased, and the other two wizards laughed at Remus's affronted look, but the wolf couldn't hold back a small smile at the term of endearment.

Standing up, Sirius stretched and yawned, "Right, well, I don't know about you lot, but I am exhausted. And after your little adventure today", He continued, pointing at the two youngest in the room, "I expect that you are as well".

He turned to Alex, "You got a place to stay?"

"Yea... About that..." Harry began awkwardly, "Alex here kinda needs a place to stay, and I was hoping that place could be here?"

The blonde sighed, "Okay. First of all, I don't need a place to stay. I'm perfectly happy in Knockturn Alley. And secondly, what happened to 'you can stay at my place'. Cause this ain't exactly yours, now, is it?"

"Staying at that monstrosity instead of here? Where there's good company? And most certainly enough room? Nonsense" Sirius growled, " As of now, you are staying here. Understood?"

Alex gave a mock salute, "Yes sir".

He gave a cheeky grin, "Good".

Harry stood up with the blonde, "What room?"

Sirius studied him for a minute, "... The one across from yours should do fine" He replied.

The younger wizard blinked at him, as did his husband, "... You sure?"

He slowly nodded, "Yea... Yea, I'm sure. It needs to be used eventually, right?"

Harry gave him a small smile, "Right... Well, it's this way".

He quickly led Alex from the kitchen and upstairs.

"There's not an angry boggart waiting for me, is there?"

Harry turned to the blonde, confused, "An angry boggart?"

"Yea. Sirius didn't really... ah... seem too fond of this room".

He blinked, "Oh... Oh, right, yea, that... No, no, there isn't any boggart waiting for you, angry or otherwise".

"Then...?"

Harry sighed, "... It was his brother's room".

"I didn't know Sirius had a brother".

"He doesn't... Not anymore".

"Ah".

"Yea".

Alex slowly nodded, "... I could stay somewhere else, you know. I don't want to impose on you guys or make Sirius sad or uncomfortable-"

"Or just be quiet and accept the fact you're staying here now" Harry interrupted, smirking at him, "We don't mind, honestly. And this will be... good... for Siri. His brother... Regulus... he, uh... he's been gone a while now. About twenty years, I guess... It'll do him good to have someone else in there".

He shot a sideways grin at the blonde, "And besides, none of the other room have been used in quite literally decades. If you want an angry boggart, I'd suggest staying in one of those".

Alex laughed, "No thanks. I think I'll take my chances with a vengeful ghost over one of those".

"Well, it's a good thing you're just across the hall from me, then" Harry said, stopping outside a black wooden door, "You can call for help if you get attacked by a vengeful ghost and/or an angry boggart".

"I think I can handle one pissed off creature" He replied, and Harry smirked, reaching out and pushing open the door to his new room, "Don't come crying to me when you get attacked by a leprechaun then".

"Duly noted" Alex replied, stepping into the room and turning around.

The walls were a pale grey and draped with emerald and silver banners. The floor was a dark black wood, and Alex could just about make out the hastily painted over Black Family Crest on the wall above the bed, along with... French? He couldn't make out the words properly. The room was surprisingly dust-free, however, and Alex warmed to it immediately.

"Right, well... goodnight, then" Harry said, awkwardly hovering at the door.

"Goodnight" He echoed, "... See you in the morning, yea?"

"Yea" He smiled, and Alex couldn't help but smile back.

This wasn't turning out so bad after all.