AN: I apologize for not better fact checking this story. As pointed out by a reviewer, the Longbottoms were tortured after the Potter's. I've had the outline for sometime and once I realized that it was incorrect it was too late to be changed. However, keep in mind that my stories are fanfiction and should be taken with a grain of salt. I appreciate all reviews, whether negative or positive, so please tell me what you think. This story is drawing to a close (one more chapter, perhaps two if the break seems odd).
Sirius hummed to himself as he got ready that night. For awhile he didn't care much about his appearance. He grew his hair longer, much longer than he used to do to irk his parents. The clothes he wore were the same that he wore on missions, plain and dark or neutral colors. Marlene, however, always got annoyed but never said anything. Eventually he began to put more effort and Marlene certainly showed her appreciation, although the new clothes didn't always stay on long after she saw them. That was why tonight he put on the new robes. Well, that and he wanted to look like a respectable adult and not some 'punk hooligan' (using the words of a muggle police officer). While he had met most of the McKinnon family before he wanted to make an especially good impression that night. His humming got louder when he patted the small box in his pocket as he wandered around his flat wondering where Marlene hid his shoes. Organization, she called it, he called it psychological warfare. Revenge for the times he left his dirty laundry in the bathroom or the corner of the bedroom.
By the time he found his dress shoes, the clock chimed six. Marlene wouldn't be happy. Dinner was at 6:15 sharp, he was supposed to be at least a half an hour earlier for drinks. She had been there for a few hours, so had her brother and a few members of their extended family. Scott had left France this morning, getting the day off of work. Marlene was thrilled, her brother had moved back to France with his wife, Charlotte, and their daughter when the war began to escalate.
He was about ready to leave when there was a knock at his door. Just one little knock, but when he didn't get there fast enough it became frantic. When it swung open he saw Charlotte standing there, her small daughter perched on her hip with a purse hanging from her arm.
"Sirius…" Her voice was breathless, eyes red. He wasn't that good with people crying, that fact was clearly demonstrated by his interactions with Lily when she first came to the house. "Can I come in?"
"Of course, but Marlene and Scott aren't here. They're waiting for us at their parent's house,"
Her face softened and fussed with her daughter's hair as she searched her mind for the right words. "We need to talk." They come out softly and he leads in her in, the pair following him closely to the living room where she sat down on his sofa and set her purse down on the table before pulling the girl onto her lap. Sirius stayed standing.
"Alright," he said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
Charlotte looked down at her daughter, the meaning was obvious. Whatever was going on, she didn't want her daughter to hear the specific details.
"I have some toys from when we babysat Harry. Can I?" He gestured to the girl, when Charlotte nodded he lifted her off the sofa and then held out his hand to her. She had to be about two, maybe a bit younger. She had her right around the time of Lily's first pregnancy. Still, the stuff he had was pretty standard, stuffed animals. He pulled the small tub off the bookshelf, one of Marlene's doings. He set her up on the blanket with the toys.
"You're good with her." Charlotte held herself tightly.
"What's wrong?" he asked. "I'm fine with you being here, but everyone is at-"
"Yes, I know."
Sirius knew what information was coming next, but he refused to believe what had actually happened until the words finally left her mouth. "No," he responded. Charlotte just nodded, sensing that he knew exactly what she was going to tell him.
"There were no survivor's," she whispered. "When I apparated outside the house there were Auror's, the house looked terrible. They must have set it on fire or bombed it afterward," she explained.
"No, We should check St. Mungo's or the wizarding clinic the Order goes to. They can't all be…"
"Sirius, I know it's hard…" She held clenched her fist and blinked rapidly.
He didn't respond but walked stiffly out of the room towards the kitchen. Once inside he wondered what he was doing. Leaning against the counter he thought about searching for the liquor bottles that Marlene had hid from him, but not gotten rid of like she threatened to do after the death of James' grandfather.
"Sirius?" Charlotte called out, he heard the couch creak and a few footsteps.
"I'm making tea," he said. It seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. Lily did it whenever she was upset and a strong cup of tea seemed much better for his physical health than downing half a bottle of mead. He decided to attempt to make it the muggle way, wanting something to distract him.
When the kettle whistles he pulls out the teapot with tiny red flowers and gold swirls that Marlene bought not too long ago. He didn't even have a good one, just an "ugly" one that Remus gave him when he put his possessions in storage.
"Sophia was tired, she curled up on the couch," Charlotte whispered when she entered the kitchen. "Do you need help?"
"No, I…" Sirius' hand shook as he poured the water into the pot, some splashing onto his hand. He just bit his lip and then slammed the kettle down bracing himself against the counter. The water probably burned his hand and he should tend to it, but the pain distracted him.
"Let me help." She placed a feather light hand on his upper back.
"I don't even want tea." He pulled away from her and started flinging his cabinet doors open. There is none of his hard liquor, it's all missing or even better hid than he gave Marlene credit for. He does, however, stumble upon a bottle of wine that Emmeline probably gave to them. "Want some?"
Charlotte walked over to one of the cupboards and pulled out two glasses. As a Healer she knew better ways of coping, but losing your own husband was much different than watching someone lose their husband. "I'll pour." She used a spell that Scott taught her to take the cork out and only fills the tumbler half way. Immediately she took a drink, but Sirius just swirled it around in glass.
"She got mad at me the last time I did this," he murmured. "I always thought drinking helped. I even had a flask." He laughed. "When my parents kicked me out I flew to the Potter's house and we both got drunk. Lily's fun when she's tipsy."
"Scott gets confused, my English starts slipping and I speak with a heavy accent."
"Merlin, tell me you don't get like Nicolette or I'm cutting you off now," Sirius teased, but then the sadness came over him again. It was at that moment he pulled out the small box and pushed it across the table. "Tonight was the night."
"Can I…?" When she saw him nod, she opened the tiny velvet box and saw the ring sitting there. It was a beautiful thing with one medium sized diamond resting on a gold band with two tiny diamonds embedded on either side of it. "I didn't realize that things were… Scott always said Marlene probably would never marry, just…" Charlotte gestured around searching for the word.
"I know what you mean. I never planned on marrying. When I asked her to move in, I was actually thinking about it and…" Sirius shook his head. "You should stay here tonight."
"I could never, you only have one room and…"
"I'll sleep on the couch."
"Really, we can…"
"Charlotte, you have Sophia too. You can never be too careful. I'll go to the Order first thing in the morning if you want to stay in London. I'll see if there's someone you can stay with or an inn that isn't crawling with Dark Wizards."
She just nodded and followed Sirius out of the room. He pulled blankets and sheets out of the closet before performing a spell to make the bed. Charlotte watched and when it was about done she went to get her daughter.
"You have…" His eyes flitted to the edge of the room where clothes rested.
"Expansion charm." She held up her purse. "Thank you, Sirius." She smiled at him as she set her daughter on the bed and began to take off her shoes.
"It's really not a problem." He rubbed the back of his neck, shifting the weight of his feet. The sight of a nervous Sirius was one to behold. "Listen, Charlotte, we're family even if Marlene and Scott are gone. I mean, I've known you since I started going to the Potter's Christmas Ball."
Charlotte just smiled wearily and agreed. When he left the room the first thing he did was pour the wine down the drain. After that he rested against the sink, gripping it tightly. He could mourn Marlene's death, but he was going to stay in control. He would be help to no one if he couldn't keep his wits about him.