Chapter 3
I was seated in the armchair in the living room. The fire was crackling before me and I was staring into the flames. Two men was standing next to it and the silence was tense and awkward. One of them had light hair styled to the side, bringing out his hazeleyes. He was wearing a brown knitted cardigan and dark trousers. The other man had dark brown hair that almost reached his shoulders in a curly mess. The dark haired man was wearing a dark purple and white striped shirt with the shirtsleeves rolled up a bit towards his elbows.
They had left their jackets when Molly had come to the door and invited them in. Apparently we were expecting the two men. Remus and Sirius, the light haired man, Remus, had introduced them as.
"We knew your parents. I'm Remus and this is Sirius, your Godfather."
I had a Godfather.
Molly must have seen the state I was in when she went to greet the visitors and helped me to the armchair I'm occupying at the moment.
"What did you say again?" I asked them, still staring into the fire.
"We knew your parents. I'm Remus and this is Sirius, your Godfather", Remus repeated for the umptienth time. The question that kept playing in the back of my head went into repeat, as if wanting me to know the answer, I was just not certain if I was going to like what I was going to hear or not. I decided if I'd never know, I'd keep wondering.
"Why are you here now? Where have you been all this time? Why did I not know? Why..." the questions fell out of my mouth as if it was a waterfall of questions wanting out, but I had to restrain myself.
I risked a glance at the two men who now looked at each other with what looked like sorrowful and regretful eyes before turning them to me.
"We are well aware that we've missed a lot, you're dad wanted us to have custody of you but the lawyers was against it. They said it wasn't fitting for the likes of us-", Sirius began and waved a hand between himself and Remus. "-to raise a child", he finished and swallowed, looking back to Remus who offered him a small smile.
"And why not?"
They turned their attention back to me and looked slightly uncomfortable. Remus and Sirius opened their mouths at the same time before closing them, once again looking at one another. "The boy deserves to know", Sirius said and Remus nodded once before turning back to me.
"At the time of your parents accident same-sex couples weren't allowed to raise children", Remus answered matter-of-factly.
"And you mean to say that you're...?" I asked and the two men nodded stiffly. I laughed a bit before shaking my head.
"I'm sorry but I really don't care about that", I answered and smiled my most reassuring smile at them. "So are you going to tell me why you're here now?" I asked again.
"We want to get to know you. You're dad was our best mate, he'd want us to get to know you, the man you've become, and if you want to we can tell you about them. You're mom and dad, I mean", Sirius had come towards me and was kneeling by my side as he spoke.
"When my family cut me off your dad was the only one I had, his family took me in as their own. He was like a brother to me", Sirius continued and I smiled at that.
His grey eyes were hopeful, gleaming with memories I'd want nothing more than to know of. It was a chance for me to find out who my parents were. Who I am. They can help me find that peice I've been missing my whole life. The what if. Maybe finding out who my parents were will make it worse, considering the fact it will never happen.
But at least it's something.
"I'd like that", I decided. "Get to know you, and my parents". There was so much I didn't know. Would they be proud to know what I've become? Would they approve of Ginny? Would they approve of me?
But the question I wanted to know most of all was: were the Dursleys telling the truth about them?
Sirius put his hand on my shoulder, giving it a light squeeze before standing up again. Remus came towards me to stand next to Sirius who pulled his arm around his waist.
"Are you free tomorrow?" Remus asked. "Maybe you'd like to eat lunch, maybe about 11 in the morning, with us and we can talk more then. We know this nice little cafe where we can eat without being disturbed."
I thought about it for a while. It was friday tomorrow, which meant that I didn't have any classes. Friday was my only free day as a karate instructor. Okay, I know what you may think, but when I worked in the policeforce back in the day I was always praised on my defensive skills. I became a policeman just because of the image one has that the police is all about chasing criminals and being at the crime scenes and saving lives. Superheroes.
It wasn't.
Even though the program everyone had to go through in order to become a policeman was physically exhausting, my days were spent mostly behind a desk or checking the roads if somene had driven and drunk. I got bored.
It was Ron's idea, really –and Hermione's too, of course– that I'd do something more practical. The reason why it's karate is because when I was younger I started in a karate club in the village I used to live in with the Dursleys. My cousin Dudley and some of his friends were bullying me in school and beated me up on occasion. I saw an ad on the school pinboard that was for a karate club outside of school. I took the time and adress for the practice and went. I kept going for every practice and told the Dursleys I was going out for a walk or something, they didn't really care.
And now I had a job I loved, doing new things everyday and helped people for whatever reason they came to me for.
A small chuckle brought me back to my living room and to the two men before me. I coughed.
"Yeah, that sounds great", I said. "Which cafe?"
"Muggle's", Remus answered.
"It's the small cafe in the Dark Alley. It's between the sportswear store and the tattooist", Sirius explained and I chuckled a bit as Remus rolled his eyes when Sirius called the alley the "Dark Alley". The nickname made it sound as if it was haunted but it wasn't, I can assure you of that. It's just called the Dark Alley since no one has bothered to change the streetlights in the alley, making it jet black at evenings and night when everything else in the downtown is light. There has also been rumours going on about drugdealers in the Dark Alley, but my time in the policeforce made me trust that there are none.
"We won't disturb you anymore, Mr Potter", Remus said and inclined his head.
"Harry. Call me Harry", I responded making the two men smile a bit before walking towards the hallway.
"Very well, Harry", Remus said before waving with his hand in farewell. When I moved to stand up Sirius shook his head mumbling about how I need my rest. "You've been through a lot today. Just coming home after a long flight and then having two old strangers appear at your doorstep. You need you're rest and we'll see you tomorrow."
And just like that they were gone and I found myself in need for a drink. A rather large drink, at that. Or maybe two. Or ten.
The alarm clock rang at half past seven, Ginny was supposed to get ready. Since Ginny still isn't playing for the top league yet she has to work extra at the local supermarket. Well, she doesn't have to. It's just that for some reason her coach says that it's good for the team if they have something else to do apart from football since it isn't a full time job.
Why it's the local supermarket? I'm the wrong person to tell you that. You should ask my wife even though that can be a bit problematic. On the mornings I always pretend to be asleep so that I don't have to hear her complain much. She is quite grumpy on early mornings no matter how much she pretends or says that she is not. She's lying.
Even though she's trying to be quiet she always seem to have a talent to make the smallest movement sound like an elephant is dancing in the bathroom covered in chains. If the alarm clock wouldn't have woken me up, then Ginny rampaging around would work as well. She must think I'm a heavy sleeper since she seems to be fooled by my pretend sleep every time.
When Ginny finally left for work the house turned into a schocked and sudden silence. I had a couple of more hours before I had to meet with Sirius and Remus at the cafe and there weren't that many things I had to do before I left to meet them.
So what did I do? I stayed in bed a bit longer before I actually had to go up in order to make it on time. I don't usually stay in bed until ten am but I felt like I needed the rest this morning. I was going to meet two persons that I haven't met since I was, what was I? One year old? Maybe even younger, I really don't know. All that I do know is that when I go to bed tonight I'll have answers to questions I didn't know I had.
As I moved to get up I felt the throbbing ache in my head. Fuck. I moved as slowly and carefully from the bed as I could and went to the kitchen. I've never been happier to live in a one-floor house, thankful for no stairs.
I snatched a clean glass from the dishwasher and poured water in it from the tap. I think I downed maybe three or four glasses of water before I started on my breakfast, feeling the headache weaken and the nausea I didn't know I felt disappeared.
A cup of coffee and two roasted toasts later I left the terassed house where Ginny and I lived with a bit of nervous anticipation and started to walk towards the downtown.
Yesterday I woke up in the heat of Thailand and today I'm walking in the chold air of England. The tree's green leaves have lost most of their colours now and some are decorating the streets. It both feels as though I've been away from here for years as well as it feels like I never left in the first place. Two weeks went by like the blink of an eye.
It was the beginning of October now. I've been somebody's husband for more than two weeks. Me and Ginny have been like a married couple for a long time that the transition was made smoothly. The only difference was that I now wore a ring in evidence, and she got both a new ring and a new name. I'm so thankful she didn't want to make me take her name, I mean "Harry Weasley" sounds like a bloody pop artist or something. Harry and Ginny Weasley would've been too many "y"'s.
The downtown looked dull but vivid, glowing with life. I spotted Dark Alley almost immediately since I have sometimes gone through it when I go to the sports hall in which I teach karate. On the evenings, however, I take another alley that is actually lighted. Just in case.
It was interesting that I've gone thorugh Dark Alley so often that I had never noticed the "Muggle's" sign in between the tattooist and the sports wear shop.
The little cafe's walls were bricked and had a few windows on the contrary from the majority of cafes that are very open with big windown. I understood suddenly what Sirius and Remus had meant by "privacy". I understand why people would want to go to Muggle's since you can eat and drink in peace without feeling like someone from the outside is watching you.
The neon sign that said "Muggle's" was made in retro style with a big mug in yellow next to the name.
I went inside and was greeted with warmth and a smell of oven and newly baked bread. It looked far cosier on the inside than it did on the outside with its bricked wall. The inside was light and warm. The tables and chairs were a rich brown colour and the walls were painted in beige. The cafe was almost empty, just two or three tables were already taken. At one table sat a young woman with a little child by her side. I had never seen a child look so peacefull while awake. I smiled and let my eyes drift to another table where two men sat. One with light brown hair and the other with dark.
"Can I help you with anything", I heard a familiar voice ask but I didn't turn to look at who it was since I had already found what I was looking for.
I didn't wait a second to say "no thanks" because I had found what I was looking for.
The two men hadn't noticed me yet, from the looks of it, but were currently in a discussion that seemes quite heated as if they were having an argument.
"What if he came to his senses?" Sirius, the dark haired man, said. "Maybe he thinks we're some sort of a bad dream."
Remus, the light haired man, shook his head and lifted his tea to take a sip. "You know, as well as I do, that I am the sensible one", Remus said and put lowered his cup. "He'll be here", he added and there was a sort of finality in those words.
I walked quietly over to the table, after a couple of steps Remus glanced at me and then smirked behind his cup of tea and when Sirius followed his gaze he sighed in relief.
I sat myself –ungracefully– down in the nearest chair and smiled reassuringly to the two men.
Awkward silence greeted me for seconds that lasted for what felt like hours. Now that we met again I could both feel and see the men's nervousness as well as something else. I had no idea how long they've waited to contact me. I'm twenty three years old which means that they have had a couple of years to approach me. If they had found me first, of course.
If what Sirius and Remus had said last night was true then they had waited for at least twenty two years to meet me or at least find me. And now they had.
"I hope we didn't cause you any trouble last night", Remus said politely and looked as sincere as his words.
"Not at all", I said. Which wasn't completely true because it left we with a hangover, a bad headache and a lot of questions.
Remus smiled at me, it was a small smile but a smile nonethless.
A silence enveloped us once again. I believe Sirius was the one who looked the most uncomfortable, staring down to his cup of tea.
"Lunch?" I asked and the two men looked at each other.
"I believe that is what we agreed upon", Remus said and put down his cup. The three of us stood up and strode in silence towards the desk. On the wall behind the unoccupied desk hang a blackboard with the menu written on it in pink, blue and white.
The pink part was the sandwiches, they had ham, cucumber, tuna, roast beef and chicken. Blue was for the salads like chicken, ceasar and greek. The white part was for drinks. They had tea, coffee, lemonade, cappuccino, water, orange juice and soda.
Sirius pushed the little bell that stood by the cash register and a blond man came in a moment later.
"Hello Lupin. Black", the familiar man said and nodded his head in greeting.
Sirius turned slightly towards me. "And this is my..." he broke off.
Godson. The word hang between Remus, Sirius and me. I decided to take a step forwards.
"Sirius is my Godfather", I finished and smiled politely at the cashier and put my hand reassuringly on Sirius' shoulder. "I'm Harry Potter".
"Well, Potter. I know who you are", the cashier smirked. There was something familiar about the man, the grey eyes, the pointy nose and the blond hair. What the hell was a man so well defined and gorgeous working in a cafe when he could've been a model or something? Maybe he was, and that's why he's familiar, but something told me that that wasn't the case.
"I'd like the Ceasarsalad", Remus ordered politely, taking me back to Muggle's.
When Sirius was ordering a Chickensandwich I told the cashier to make it two causing both Remus and Sirius to smile a small smile.
The cashier went to fetch the sandwiches and the salad while Sirius took it upon himself to pay. And of course I told him it wasn't necessary but the man was stubborn and wouldn't have it any other way.
Both Hermione and Molly would have had something to say about eating a sandwich for lunch since neither of them consider it being "real food". Food that takes no time to make and isn't made with heart and soul isn't considered real food for Molly.
"Tell me about my parents", I said and took my first bite of the Chickensandwich when we were once again seated at the table.
Remus and Sirius looked at each other for a second before the light haired man nodded slightly and scooped up a forkful of Ceasarsalad into his mouth.
"We met them at school", Sirius began, setting down his sandwich –which was an identical replica of mine– and then turned his gaze to me. "We were in the same class, James and Lily didn't start thing off until the latter years. Your dad was always up to some kind of mischief. With Remus and myself and another friend of ours, of course."
"Who was this 'other friend'", I asked curiously. "Is he still around?"
That seemed to be the wrong thing to ask, if I judged by the way the two men looked at each other knowingly and a bit uncomfortably.
"Peter", Remus voiced the name in a manner that seemed regretful and sad. It made me wonder if I wanted to hear this or not.
"He got himself involved with a bad group of people after we left school. The group offered him things and Peter was too weak to deny them. We tried to talk him out of joining them but he said he had already made up his mind about the matter", Remus put down his fork before continuing and Sirius took drank a mouthful of his refilled tea.
"James, your dad, was immensely disappointed in Peter's decision and told him that joining the group meant that his friendship with us was over. James thought, as well as the two of us-", Remus waved his hand between himself and Sirius before turning his head to look straight towards me. "-that he would decline the group's offer and stay with us. Stay with his old friends. When Peter left, though, both your dad and Sirius went into states of schock and anger. The three of us felt rather betrayed and disappointed at Peter's departure."
Remus swallowed and I wanted to tell him that it was okay, that he didn't need to tell me anymore than that but my curiosity won. This is what we met for, wasn't it? So that they could tell me about my parents, didn't matter that we were a bit side-tracked, though, did it? I mean, still has something to do with my dad and that's enough for me.
"The group just wanted someone to do their dirty work, someone to fetch things and work as a messenger to them. Someone that wasn't necessary enough to them that if they would be discovered the messenger would take the fall", Sirius continued for Remus who sent him a thankful look.
"What happened to him? To Peter", I asked feeling both curious and sad if what I think happened to him actually did.
"He was caught delivering some sort of package, I believe, and was to spend a long time locked behind bars for his being connected to the criminals the group were. I think he felt regretful in his time. The only thing I know after that is that he was found a month later hanging from the roof."
Well, this wasn't what I had expected the lunch to begin.
The silence seemed to last forever. The three of us ate our lunches without a word and the tension the last spoken words brought made it feel choking. I wanted nothing but make it go away, the sorrowful expressions on the two men who were supposed to have sustody over me made me even more eager to break the silence.
"So..." I began wondering what the hell I'm going to ask but decided quite quickly still. "Can you tell me about my mom?"
Remus smiled a small, greatful smile and put down his fork. He put on a dreamy face making Sirius roll his eyes.
"Remus was the one closest to Lily", Sirius explained without looking at me. "With the exception of your dad, of course."
"She was the smartest girl we've ever met. The top in our class", Remus began and he and Sirius told me all about her from school. They told me how she at first stayed away from my dad since he always got himself into trouble but that she later was unable to resist his charm. Sirius told me that she was a very kind and warmhearted person who stand up for anyone she saw who needed it.
My mom later worked as a nurse, helping to save lives. I could feel my heart clenching with pride to be able to call such a woman my mother and then disappointment and sorrow since I'll never meet her.
Sirius saw expression and interpreted it correctly as he took hold of my right hand and laid it on my chest. He told me that I may not know it but my mom and dad never left me. That they are still inside of me, helping me without me knowing it.
When we had sat for a bit over one hour the two men told me they had to leave to fetch something rather important. Remus and Sirius invited me for dinner the following night and I accepted more than willingly, eager to find out more about my parents.
I watched the two men leave in a haste, saying their goodbies while I calmly made a pile of our plates to take leave on the side of the desk were the blond cashier stood. The man received payment for what looked like a steaming mug of coffee with the cafes logotype on it almost identical to what it looked like from the outside apart from the colouring.
My eyes went to the cashier's face and then recognisation dawned on me. It didn't seem like the man noticed me staring as he came to take the dishes I just brought to the desk. As the man bend forwards to pick up the plates carefully I noticed something else.
He had a black-eye.
"What happened?" I blurted out without even running the thought through my head first. The man looked up to me then in surprise, eyes impossibly wide and then he changed into looking painfully neutral.
"None of your business", he sneered and turned to go with the plates but my words stopped him.
"I'm a karate instructor", I said. "If something like this happens again, because I don't think for a second that you got that from making toasts". As fast as I had said it I realised he could very well choose to misinterpret that and feel offended. I bit my bottomlip.
I moved quickly to take a pen that laid at the other end of the desk by the cash register and then grabbed the blond man's hand to write my number on his palm. His hand was soft but pale in contrast to my tanned one. His nails were trimmed and looked well taken care of. I dragged my thumb over the back of his hand, feeling a tingling sensation as it moved across the baby smooth skin, the touch sent shivers through me. I must have imagined it, though,that's the only reasonable explanation.
"Potter", the man hissed as he put the plates back down on the desk but I ignored him and bent forwards to write the number. When I was done I straightened myself and put the pen back down. The man stared at his hand in wonder, colour tinting his pale cheeks.
"Is it tradition for newlyweds to offer their services to the cateror or was I just not aware of what I've gotten myself into?" he asked and I chuckled at that.
"What's your name?" I asked.
The man turned his gaze from his hand and looked up at me. "You've already asked that and I've already answered", he responded stiffly as if he was a bit disappointed at that. I felt shame enveloping me at the man's words.
"I know", I said and shoved my hands down my pockets. "If you ever need my services, though, be sure to let me know." I nodded to his hand and then turned towards the door and pushed it open.
"It's Malfoy. Draco Malfoy", the man replied from behind me causing a small smile to set on my lips before I left Muggle's and went home.
I didn't know why but I was smiling all the way home and I didn't stop until Ginny came home looking exhausted.
"Remind me again why I didn't take the day off?" she said as she put her bag on one of the chairs in the kitchen where I was currently making tea.
It was a rhetorical question so I didn't answer it. Which I wouldn't have ahd time fow anyways since she's already starting to discuss the Saturday Lunch for the next day. For a couple of years now, we have eaten lunch at Ginny's parents house with most of the Weasley's every Saturday. I was quite glad for it since it was also an excuse to see Hermione and Ron, something I'd never say no to.
"By the way, Harry", Ginny started and turned to look at me, her brown eyes suddenly alert instead of the sleepy look she had when she entered a couple of minutes ago. "What do you think about going bowling on Sunday, just you, me, Hermione and Ron?" she asked.
"Sounds brilliant", I said and grinned.