Chapter Fourteen
Melok's arrival back in London was a struggle for the Goblin, Hermione, and the boys. Filius and Caelum were of course, overjoyed to see their Father after almost six months of absence, but when they were deposited back at his house with him, and suddenly without their Mernte at their disposal all the time, the five and a half and four year old boys were up in arms. Melok had endured to nearly midnight that first night before Flooing Grimmauld and asking if Hermione would just come by to help get them settled. The second night he'd broken down by ten, and the third night she'd just come over of her own accord at their eight o' clock bedtime. That routine had continued through the rest of the first week, before she attempted to back off, only for the boys to stubbornly insist that there would be no sleep unless their Mernte was there to tuck them in again. Period.
It had been two weeks since then, and they were now into the middle of April with no real idea of how to deal with the situation. "This isn't fair to you," Melok said with a sigh as he closed the door to Filius' bedroom. They'd already gotten Caelum to sleep. "However, I'm uncertain of how to correct the issue. The boys won't accept no for an answer."
Hermione let out a ragged breath. "I'm their mother, Melok. It's not unreasonable for them to want or need me."
She could see the fire in his eye, as if she'd grievously insulted the memory of his wife by her words. "Hermione," he said warningly.
"No, listen to me," she said firmly. "I know that I'm not Genia. I'm not for a moment suggesting I am. I'm not suggesting the boys don't honor her memory in every way they can, but Melok, they don't remember her. Not either of them, not at all. The only mother they have ever known is me. I may have been named Godmother, but I have been more than that to them and we both know it. Hell, even Sirius knows it. So unless you have someone lined up to take my place in their lives…"
"Right," he said with an eye roll. "That's happening. Odds of me finding love a third time in my life are astronomical. No Goblin woman will attach herself to me with the children I have. Not a chance. As for human women, well, women like you and Genia are rare, Hermione."
"That's basically what Sirius said," she admitted. "In effect, while I do agree we need to set boundaries between you and I, that does not mean we cannot effectively co-parent. It does not mean that we can't be Mum and Dad to our boys. I don't believe Sirius will stand in the way of, or have a problem with, that much."
Melok looked thoughtful. "What do you propose?"
"I think what may be causing them so much trauma right now is that they think they are losing me," she confessed. "They had this life with you, then you left, and they moved in with me. They adapted to that, and then you came home, and they just got tossed back with you and I get the sense they are feeling abandoned by me and acting out because of it. My suggestion is that we develop a more concrete routine where they go back and forth between here and Grimmauld - a few days on, a few days off, and when they get comfortable with that we can adjust to longer periods - so that they learn it's safe to go between their parents' respective homes, and that doing so doesn't mean they are any less loved by either parent."
"In effect," he said, looking amused, "you propose we deal with this like divorced parents would, sharing custody of Filius and Caelum."
"In effect," she echoed with a shrug, "unless you have a better idea. The boys, and Jeanette and Anna, already have space at Grimmauld. Sirius hasn't been bothered by the arrangement, although I'll want to run this by him before we make anything official. Ultimately I do believe it will be in their best interests, but it's your decision, darling. I'm their mother by their choice, but at the end of the day, they are still your sons."
Melok let out a sigh. "No, you were right before and I was just being bullheaded. They're our sons. Genia may have given birth to them, and you may be Godmother officially speaking, but they call you Mernte for the love of the Gods. I mean, how else are we to take that?"
"Like two boys who inherited their Father's stubborn streak?" she asked, offering a cheeky grin.
"Oh, like I'm the only stubborn parent they've got!" he snarked, looking resigned. "Oh, Hermione. How did we get here?"
Her mind ran over dozens of memories, beginning in Beta and lingering stubbornly on their night at the Hog's Head before moving on to the years of raising the boys together, after Genia's death. She saw the shared meals, laughter, conversations, and she saw the exchanged kisses. She saw the man she loved - the father of her children. "It's been a journey," she whispered.
"So what else is new?" he asked after a pause. "I've not had a chance to see anyone else since I got back. I've been too focused on spending time with the boys."
"I'd rather wait for the general war updates until we can get together with the rest of the group," she said, pondering the question, "but as it will be difficult to miss when you see Minerva, I might as well tell you ahead of time that she's pregnant."
His jaw fell open. "Minerva is pregnant?" he asked, seeming not to believe her.
"It gets better," Hermione said, laughing a little. "She's pregnant because she was having an affair with Orion."
"Orion Black?" he asked. "I suppose that's not too much of a surprise. Genia mentioned at one point or another that the pair fancied one another at Hogwarts quite a bit."
"Ah, well," she mused. "I can't say I'm terribly sorry I missed the memo on that, although it was a shock to learn that it is Minerva, rather than Walburga, who will be my husband's mother in a few more months."
Melok stared at her for a moment, implication sinking in. "Oh, fuck. Sirius never knew?"
"No, he did not," Hermione snipped. "Our best guess is that when it was agreed, in our timeline, that Orion and Walburga would raise the product of Orion's affair, that Minerva was made to swear an Unbreakable Vow to never tell Sirius the truth of his birth. That's the only thing we can think of that would have stopped her from telling him the truth after they were both dead, and he'd gotten out of Azkaban. Either that or she was simply waiting until the war was over, hoping to forestall such revelations until she and Sirius were no longer in a position of needing to work together, if the confession went poorly, although I doubt the latter."
"Why do you doubt it?" he asked, curiously.
"Mostly because even after Sirius' death, Minerva never said a word," she replied. "Harry was Sirius' Godson, and Sirius was all Harry had as far as Wizarding family. I feel like even if Minerva meant to hold off till the war was over, she'd have at least confided in Harry after the dust settled, because the bond between Godfather and Godson essentially made Harry her grandson by proxy. Harry was all but adopted by the Weasley clan, and Minerva is Edmund Weasley's Godmother, so she'd have had every right to step into his life by that line as well, presuming that was the same in my timeline, which given she chose his name and his name was Edmund there, I have to assume. There's so much I look back at and realize now that Alpha Minerva was keeping from me, and I'd thought we were so close. It goes to show that everyone lies."
"Usually with good reason," the Goblin reminded her.
"Rarely with good enough reason," Hermione argued. "I feel like in the long run, the lies cause more pain than they prevent, even if initially they are meant to protect."
"Who all already knows about Minerva?" Melok asked.
"Aberforth, Helen, and James, along with Sirius of course," she reported. "They know the full extent of things. Poppy, Albus, and Armando know about the pregnancy at this point. I think Poppy knows the baby is Orion's. Cedrella and Septimus are on holiday right now so Cedrella doesn't know about any of it. They're getting back at the end of this week."
"Did Septimus and Cedrella take the boys with them?" the Goblin inquired, wondering where the Weasley boys were, if not with their parents.
"They're with Callidora and Harfang," Hermione said. "Cedrella considered leaving them with me but we weren't sure when you'd be back and she didn't feel like it was fair to leave me with five children to manage. Merlin knows Filius and Caelum are enough of a handful."
"Any other major updates I need to be apprised of?" he asked.
She considered the question for a moment. "What's your take on Chelsey Keating?"
Melok raised an eyebrow. "He was Genia's Head of House. She always spoke highly of him. He wasn't needlessly cruel to those outside of Ravenclaw, but he did prioritize those in his own house very clearly. He's logical, intelligent, but not afraid to show passion when he feels it. A keen detective, as I understand things. Genia used to tell me stories about how Ravenclaw hazed their first years by not warning them that it was impossible to get away with anything while Keating was looking over your shoulder. She was convinced the man could smell a troublemaker."
Hermione laughed. "I'm liking this man more and more."
"Why do you ask?" came the obvious question.
"Aberforth thinks that he's on to me," Hermione shrugged. "I'm mostly trying to decide if I should be bringing him into the circle of trust, or pulling a Lockhart on the poor bastard."
"Pulling a what on him?" Melok asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Lockhart," she replied, smirking. "My second year Defense Professor. Wrote a bunch of books about his exploits fighting the Dark Arts. Of course, it turned out that he didn't actually do any of that stuff at all. He interviewed the people who did, wrote about it, and used memory charms to make them forget that they had ever done them so he didn't get sued when he published his books. Brilliant, really, however underhanded. So in short, when I suggest pulling a Lockhart, I'm suggesting the use of a Memory Charm."
He looked at her incredulously. "How in the bloody hell did you survive your childhood?"
Hermione grinned. "Books, and cleverness, and sheer dumb luck."
In accordance with their new plan and after gaining Sirius' approval, Melok dropped Filius and Caelum off at Grimmauld Place two days after his conversation with Hermione. They'd be here all day today, spend the night, and he'd pick them back up tomorrow evening at bedtime, and they'd see if the boys would go to sleep with just him for comfort after nearly two days with their Mernte. He imagined it would be some trial and error, and a show of consistency on their parts, before they found a system that worked, but he did agree with Hermione that it was in the boys' best interests.
Neither of them had intended for it to happen, but yes, this woman had become the mother of his sons. He and Hermione would do their best to make sure that Filius and Caelum respected the memory of the woman who'd brought them into this world, but there was so much more to being a mother than giving birth, and where Genia had not been able to provide, Hermione had stepped in. She'd fed, and clothed. She'd sung them to sleep, and comforted them when they were scared. She'd helped them learn to walk and talk, and perform daily tasks, and she'd be there as they'd reached various milestones. She'd been everything to his sons, and he'd been so selfishly focused on what Hermione was to him that he'd lost sight of what she was to them.
Melok resolved to keep his priorities straight going forward. His boys came first, and the love he had for Hermione had to remain the chaste love one had for a family member, not one filled with lust. She wasn't his to want, but she was Filius and Caelum's to need. That was alright.
He watched with a wistful smile as Hermione helped each of their sons out of their coats, hanging them on hooks by the fireplace, before she offered him a gentle smile and then ushered the boys up the stairs, likely to get them settled in the nursery. It was still early, and Jeanette and Anna weren't due for another half hour, if he was remembering the schedule correctly. "I should get going," he mused, turning back toward the Floo, intent on going directly to Gringotts.
"Actually," Sirius said, stopping him, "can I have a quick word before you take off?"
He raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "What's on your mind?" Melok asked, not bothering to move away from his position. If it had been Hermione asking, he'd have taken his ease and sat at the table, but talking to Sirius in a private setting always left him nervous. The why for that was no mystery. It boiled down to shame. He knew what he felt for this man's wife, and he knew it was wrong. He also knew that whatever he might feel for Hermione, that didn't change the fact that he did respect Sirius. He'd come a long way from the crass man he'd first met. He was respectable, intelligent, thoughtful, and kind. He had nothing against Sirius Black in the slightest, short of the fact that he happened to be married to the woman Melok was in love with. That did stick in the Goblin's craw a bit, but he refused to dislike the man on such a petty point.
"Melok, I know you and Hermione have something special. You two had a bond even back in Beta. I'm not saying I get it, but I respect it, and I'm not going to even try to come between it, especially now that the boys are in the picture. You're Dad. She's Mum," Sirius said tentatively. "I hope you'll allow me to be Uncle Sirius, at least, since they'll be here more long term on the regular. The boys need to see you and Hermione as a unit - a couple, sort of - not that I'm suggesting or accusing you guys of anything untoward, so like I said, I'm not going to try and come between this thing you guys have, but please don't act like I'm an idiot and I'm blind to it. Don't run off for five months like that again because you're trying to prove you can stay away from the mother of your children. That was bloody stupid, mate, and you hurt her."
Melok looked miserable, feeling a punch in his gut as Sirius insisted he wasn't accusing them of anything. Still, he did have some self preservation so he replied carefully, wanting to acknowledge Sirius' concerns. "I know I did. I wish I could say I didn't mean to, Sirius, but the truth is that I never thought you were blind to our bond and I felt it was in your marriage's best interest that I step back and let her remember her priorities. She's prone to forget."
The Head of the Black family let out a barking laugh. "The thing is, my friend, being her priority is a gift. It's not something either one of us can demand, and anyone who is her priority would be a fool to take her interest for granted, for however long it lasts. I don't begrudge the moments you and the boys are her priority, even if it hurts a little. I just hope that you don't begrudge the moments that she chooses to make me her priority, either."
Melok offered a sad smile, knowing the Wizard's offer was more than he deserved by a long shot. "Fair enough, Sirius. I suppose that's reasonable, although ultimately she's your wife. If you ever feel honestly neglected, do let me know. I'm decently good at getting her to see sense most of the time."
The other man looked amused. "That makes you a leg up on me. She's usually the one talking sense into my dumb arse."
"Further," Melok said, considering his options, "Hermione may have made this commitment to the boys, to be a mother to them, but I don't imagine this is what you thought you were signing up for so if…"
Sirius held up his hand. "Stop right there, mate. First, you and the boys are Blacks. Regulus saw to that, before he died. You're family one way or another, so if my wife sees your boys as sons or nephews, it doesn't really make a great deal of difference in the grand scheme. She's still going to move mountains to ensure they want for nothing, and at present what they want for is a mother in their life; a role she is evidently pleased to fill. Second, my wife is a bloody Mage. When she decides a thing, do you honestly think I'm stupid enough to throw a hissy fit and tell her no out of hand? I mean what kind of moron do you take me for?"
Melok smirked. "You do have a point."
After shaking hands with Sirius, Melok went ahead and Floo'd to Gringotts. He'd stopped working when Genia got pregnant with Caelum, and while financially he didn't really need to work, thanks to the fact that Regulus had insisted his estate go to the care of his only progeny, if Filius and Caelum were going to be consistently spending time at Grimmauld, Melok knew he'd likely end up getting bored. In effect, it was time for him to go back to work.
Besides, in due course having contacts inside the London Gringotts would be useful, and if he stayed away too long he'd begin losing sway. Up until now, he'd recused himself to the warding department to keep himself busy, and while he did think he wanted to keep a foot in the door there as well, Melok thought he was interested in a new challenge.
With a rueful smile, he considered that he had Hermione at his disposal, who'd broken into not one, but two versions of the London Gringotts. If he took a position in bank security and began working his way up, eventually he could overhaul the entire system using his Mage's intelligence, and head off any potential break ins as Voldemort rose in power. It was the long game, yes, but it was a solid strategic move. It would also involve learning some new skills, which would feed his desire for a new challenge. All in all, he thought, it was a win-win.
Now he just needed to convince the head of the security department to take him on. It was a good thing that Goblins weren't afraid to name drop. Right about now would be an ideal time to remind his colleagues whose son he was. His father, Drelok, had been Head of Security in his day. Maybe he'd live up to his father's legacy after all.
There were days this Head of House bullshite sucked, Sirius thought. However, Minerva wasn't prepared to deal with Orion, and Orion was bombarding her with Owls demanding an explanation for being cut off from his mistress, and he did have a right to know - technically - so it fell to Sirius to deal with this. Not his Nifflerstorm. Still his problem, though. That said, he wasn't going into it without backup. He Floo'd the Burrow, smiling as he remembered that Cedrella and Septimus had gotten in just last night from their holiday. "Cedrella?" he called. "Can you spare some time?"
Her head came through the flames. "I can have Dilly watch the boys if you need me, certainly. What's going on?"
"A bit of a crisis that could use a woman's touch," he replied. "I'm recruiting you and Lycoris. In that order."
"Oh dear," she said with a sigh. "One moment."
Her head backed out, and after a pause during which he expected she was directing her House Elf to mind Peter, Arthur and Edmund, she stepped through, quickly removing the soot in her wake with a flick of her wand. "Hi," he greeted. "It might have been nice at any point in the last few years to mention that Orion and Minerva were having an affair."
She rolled her eyes. "What of it? Merlin knows Walburga makes him miserable. I told her it was a bad idea, of course, but she wasn't about to listen to me. Did Walburga find out?"
"Worse," he said tersely. "Minerva is pregnant."
"Oh, bloody hell!" Cedrella groaned in a rare instance of profanity. "Of course hell breaks loose when I decide to go on holiday. She'll terminate, right?"
"Afraid she can't do that!" he replied with a wry grin. "Minerva was thinking much the same and I was all for supporting the notion until Hermione suggested I do the math and think about when this kid is meant to be born."
"So this child is someone you two know?" she asked, cringing.
"It's me, Cedrella!" he exclaimed, waving his hands around wildly. "This kid is me, dammit!"
She just stared at him for a moment before she started laughing. "You didn't know? You grew up, in your timeline, thinking all along Walburga was your mother, and… Merlin, that's fantastic!"
"It's not funny, Cedrella Weasley!" he chastised with a groan.
"It's hysterical!" she disagreed. "Oh, Uncle Sirius, how wonderful. You never liked Walburga anyhow. This must be a blessing in disguise. You end up with a Mum that isn't awful, and I trust this time around, you can grow up knowing who she is to you."
"If I can help it, yes," he admitted.
"I take it we won't be telling Lycoris this bit," his niece muttered. "Why are we bringing her along at all?"
"According to Minerva, she's been helping her and Orion hide the affair nearly since the beginning," he admitted. "I figured if she already knows about the affair, we might as well tell her about the pregnancy ahead and then bring her along to talk to Orion. Minerva cut him off a month ago when she found out she was expecting, and he's been in a right state since. That went down maybe two or three days after you and Septimus left, by the way. Shite timing. Anyhow, at this point he's driving her batty but she doesn't want to see him, so it's fallen to me to inform him he's to be a father."
"Lucky you," she smirked. "Right then, where's Cor?"
"Library, last I saw," he replied. "Arcturus is out, so it's safe."
The two climbed the stairs and made their way to the Black family Library where, as expected, Lycoris Black was quietly sitting in an armchair with a cup of tea and reading a book. She looked up when she saw them enter. "Father," she greeted. "Cedrella. What brings you by?"
Sirius put on his best stern tone. "It is my understanding that you have been safeguarding a secret of your nephew's for some time, Lycoris," he said, "regarding a certain mistress."
She paled. "I knew something was wrong. Orion said he'd not heard from her in a month. Is this your doing?"
"That has been Minerva's choice," he replied calmly, "and one that Orion needs to respect unless he wants me to put the fear of Merlin in him. She's pregnant, Lycoris."
"Shite," his daughter swore. "I expect she's keeping the baby? If I know her half as well as I think I do…"
He nodded in confirmation. "That is her intention, and a great deal of why she is not inclined to see him at the present. She might still be able to hide the pregnancy while clothed, but in the presence of a lover…"
"No, I don't imagine she'd be able to hide it from him, not at three months gone," Lycoris said, clearly calculating based on when she last knew Orion and Minerva had seen one another. "Why tell me, Father?"
"In part because you already knew they were lovers," he admitted, "and as I am on my way to tell Orion he's to be a father I expect he'll want to come to you for counsel. Further in part because this will be hard for Orion to hear and I believe he will take it better if you are there. Cedrella was also already aware of the affair. I'm having her along to keep Orion from storming off to Hogwarts."
Lycoris smirked. "I would have figured you could have prevented him from doing that."
"I can hex him into unconsciousness and stop him from leaving for a day," Sirius remarked. "Cedrella is more likely to actually speak reason into him."
His daughter shook her head. "As you say. Alright then, I suppose you better have him Floo here. The last thing we need is Walburga joining the conversation."
"Agreed," Cedrella said with a cringe. "Honestly, Uncle Sirius, can't we just poison her?"
"Don't tempt me," he ribbed, thinking that now that he realized Walburga wasn't meant to mother him, all he really had to do was wait for Regulus to be born in a couple more years, and then Walburga Black would have outlived her usefulness. Hermione wouldn't go for that, unfortunately, and he knew it. Moving over to the Floo in the Library, he tossed some powder into the flames. "Regent's Place," he called. "Orion, son, you there?"
His grandson's head appeared a moment later. "Grandfather? Is everything alright?"
Sirius decided not to lie. Everything was not alright. "I need you to step through, Orion. Now."
The young man looked a bit defiant. "What's this concerning?"
Lycoris shoved him to the side a little. "It's about Minerva. Get over here. Now."
Orion didn't need told a third time, and Cedrella had to clean up the soot he left all over the floor in his panic. "Is she alright?" he asked, seeming to not give two shites over the realization that at least two more people than he thought were aware of his affair. "What's happened? Tell me!"
Cedrella grabbed him by the scruff of his collar and deposited him in the armchair Lycoris had previously been occupying. "She is not inclined to speak with you, at present," she said firmly. "Desist your attempts to contact her."
He looked miserable. "I don't understand. Gods, please… I don't understand."
Sirius kneeled in front of his grandson. "So, do you remember February fourteenth?" he asked, having gotten the whole tale from Minerva in far more detail than he really wanted, considering it was the tale of his own bloody conception. Ugh.
Orion looked amused at the memory. "Vaguely. We got pretty drunk, to be honest."
"I heard," he replied, chuckling. "Drunk enough to do a really shoddy job casting the contraceptive spell, as it happens. With any luck Minerva will decide to speak to you before your child is born in November, but for now I strongly urge you to give the poor woman some space."
All amusement was gone from Orion's face in an instant. "She's… she's pregnant?"
"Three months gone, now," Cedrella reported, hammering down the reality of the situation. All of them knew Walburga hadn't made it much past two months in any of her pregnancies.
"Healthy development according to the Hogwarts Healer," he added. He sort of hated to rub salt in the wound, but at the same time, he wanted Orion to grasp that this was real, and wasn't going to fall apart the way it had in Walburga's case.
"Bloody hell!" the young man uttered, shock clearly etched on his features. "What am I to do, Grandfather? What's the proper thing to do?"
"You're a married man, Orion," Sirius said with a frown. "Black marriage vows are for life. You know that. Marrying Minerva isn't an option. Pureblood law does work in your favor right now as you are next in line after your father to be Heir, and you have no other progeny. If the child is a boy, you could name him as your Heir regardless of his being a bastard."
"Will it matter if Minerva still raises the child?" he asked. "I mean, if she likes. I wouldn't want to take her child away from her is all I mean. I'll support her and the baby no matter what her decisions may be. Boy, girl, titled or not. That's my child!"
"I'm glad to hear you feel that way, Orion," Sirius said approvingly. "Whether that child is a Black or a McGonagall by name, he or she will still be a part of this family, and as far as I'm concerned, welcome at family functions. Your wife will just have to get over it. Minerva is Godmother to a Black, and now she's to mother one. I dare say she's rather tied to us one way or another."
"Quite," Cedrella said, snorting in amusement. "If I'd only known when I made her Ed's Godmother. Of course, you two were already together by then."
"Gods, Cedrella, how is it you know everything?" Orion grumbled.
"I'm a Slytherin and a woman…" Cedrella began her favorite phrase.
Sirius sighed. "Yes, yes, we know. Nothing much gets by you. For future reference Cedrella, assume I'm a horrible gossip and always want to know who is shagging who. I'll not spread it around for giggles, but in cases like this, some forewarning might have been nice!"
The Weasley Matriarch chuckled. "Yes Uncle Sirius."
"That is your answer for everything, isn't it, Cedrella?" Lycoris asked, looking amused.
"Well too often women are women first and Slytherins second," her cousin remarked. "That is their problem right there. Mind first, I say. The body is secondary, although not unimportant in the grand scheme."
Sirius pulled a calming draught out of his pocket as Orion began to hyperventilate and shoved it into the young man's hand. Clearly, things were beginning to sink in. "Down the hatch, son."
"Walburga's going to kill me." Orion said softly as the Potion took effect.
Sirius scoffed. "At least for the time being, she needn't know about the pregnancy. In fact, it's safer for Minerva if she does not. After your child is born - I'm betting on a son - well, we'll cross that bridge. I can think of a few family members who would gladly hex her into submission. I'd be first in line."
Orion looked at him in complete adoration. "Grandfather, your support has been unexpected and I appreciate it more than I can express. I swear to you, if this baby is a boy, and provided I can talk Minerva into the thing, I think I'd like to name him for you."
He was pretty sure he had a stupid grin on his face, but he didn't care. "Brilliant," he replied, ruffling Orion's hair. "That would be brilliant."
Cedrella laughed at him, but he couldn't bring himself to care.
PLEASE REVIEW!