"Ah, splendid!" We're all here!" Albus beamed as he entered his office, "Well do sit down."
Both Sirius and Severus shot each other a glare before moving to sit down as far away from each other as they could get.
"Is someone going to explain now?" Sirius sighed, "You were very vague, Kitten."
"Why is Black calling you Kitten?" Theo muttered.
"What's it to you?" Sirius barked, glaring at Theo.
"Sirius." Hermione growled, "Bad dog!" Harry stifled a laugh as Sirius pouted. "He's here because what we need to ask concerns him,"
Sirius sat up and looked at her seriously. "Kitten? What the fuck is going on? His father was a Death Eater. Please don't tell me this is what I think it is?"
Hermione sighed, "Pads, please don't be cross." she all but pleaded. His face softened as he looked at her, clearly reading something in her expression before moving to crouch down in front of her.
"You, Kitten, have been family from the moment Prongslet brought you home when you were still all hair and books. I can't promise I'm going to be pleased with what you're about to tell me, I'm almost certain I'm not, but at the end of it, you'll still be family."
Hermione nodded, biting her lip as she tried to stop the tears from falling. Sirius sighed, moving to stand, pulling her to him to hug her tightly. "You're ours, Kitten. Nothing you do will ever change that," he murmured into her hair.
"Promise?" she whispered.
"Always, Kitten, always."
Severus watched the scene with interest. Perhaps he had misjudged the relationship Black had with Miss Granger. They were far closer than he had realised. A by-product of him being the closest thing Potter had to a parent, he assumed. It was uncomfortably reassuring. He didn't like Black being a positive thought. It went against everything he believed in but in this instance, perhaps they were lucky, he clearly adored the girl and she was going to need that if they were going to pull this off.
Returning Hermione to her seat slowly, Sirius sat back down, not taking his eyes off of her. He had never seen her look so rattled and it scared him. Of all the things he had expected, none of them had included anything that made her question her place in their lives. She was Harry's closest friend, they were almost siblings, exactly the way he and James had been. That made her family. Nothing she could possibly have done would change that. Especially not something as ridiculous as an unsuitable boy. There were ways, after all, to get rid of those if need be.
"There…there was an explosion in potions….." she began.
Sirius was completely still once she finished her explanation, his eyes wide on his shocked face. "Fucking hell, Kitten," he whispered.
"It's…quite a bit to take in."
He let out a shocked bark of laughter, muttering, "You could say that. Do I get to meet them?"
Shooting a quick look at Dumbledore, Hermione answered hesitantly, "If you want to. The twins and James clearly know you well."
Sirius nodded, visibly steeling himself before turning to look at Severus. "Thank you."
Severus blinked. "Pardon?"
"Thank you. For helping them. For trying to change it so she doesn't live in that hell." Severus nodded sharply, not entirely how to respond to that. Visibly gathering himself, Sirius turned back to Hermione, "Now, what I don't understand is what you need from me?"
Theo and Hermione shared a look, communicating silently before Theo sighed. "Hermione thought you might be open to taking up your familial seat and looking into the things Lucius is trying to get passed as well as the things he's already managed."
"We also thought you and Remus might be open to doing a little bit of discreet digging." Hermione cut in before he could speak, clearly interpreting his displeasure that Theo was speaking to him at all, "We could use some proof that Lucius and Thoros really were Death Eaters. It's not much of a plan but it's the best we've got."
Sirius groaned, "Detective work…fine. But Kitten, do I really need to sit on the Wizengamot?"
"We don't know how else to get the information," Hermione admitted.
"Merlin, Kitten." he sighed, "It's a bloody good job I love you."
Hermione stood flinging herself at him, muttering "thank you" on repeat until Theo took pity on him and prised her off gently, ignoring the other man's glare.
"There is of course the small matter of a vow." Albus cut in once Theo had settled Hermione onto his knee, earning a slight growl from Sirius.
"A vow?"
"You must understand how precarious this is, Mr Black. If anyone was to find out…."
Sirius blanched, "I'll take the vow but Remus has to be told."
"Mr Black…."
"No. he'll ask too many questions otherwise and if I even hint to being bound by an unbreakable vow he'll suspect something nefarious. He's immune to legilimency anyway, due to the wolf."
Dumbledore froze. "I had forgotten that," he murmured. "Very well. Request he comes here, the floo will be open."
Severus rolled his eyes. "At this rate, everyone will bloody know," he muttered into the silence as they waited on Remus.
A visibly shaken Remus moved towards Hermione, pulling her off Theo's lap and hugging her tightly once she had finished speaking.
"Remus! Remus! Moony! I can't breathe!"
"Right, right, sorry," he muttered only letting go fractionally until Sirius persuaded him to release her.
"You'll help?" Harry asked once Remus was seated again.
"Of course, we'll bloody help! She's not living through that!" Remus almost growled, his eyes flashing gold as he fought for control.
"Wonderful." Albus intoned from the background.
"What's your plan if this comes to nothing?" Remus asked, ignoring him.
Hermione, Theo and Harry stiffened. "It took less time than I expected for you to get over your moral objections, Miss Granger," Severus commented, watching all three of them intently.
"What?"
"There are very few foolproof options." Severus offered. Remus' eyes went wide as he caught what the other man wasn't saying.
"Fuck!" he snarled. "You're not doing it!"
"If we have no other choice," Theo protested, his voice hard.
Remus' eyes shifted again, making Theo flinch when they focused on him "I said, you're not doing it."
Beside him, Sirius nodded. "If it comes to that, we will," he said with a finality none of them dared argue with.