Sirius Black was standing on the terrace of his manor, which he had inherited from his great-great-grand uncle Phineas. In the chaos that followed the downfall of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters two years ago, the members of the Wizarding community had been far too absorbed with themselves and the losses they had suffered during the dark years to question why Sirius had unexpectedly returned to the living. Especially as he had not been the only presumed dead person who had reappeared after the Dark Lord's demise. Therefore when he had learned of his inheritance, he had instantly sold the house in New World Crescent in Greenwich, which had served as his hideout in the Muggle world after his faked death in the Department of Mysteries and had moved with his family to the huge country estate in Yorkshire.

Sirius was tall, slender, and moved with aristocratic elegance. There was not a speck of grey in his dark, shoulder length hair. He looked younger than his early 40s, and only a few tiny wrinkles around his mouth and eyes bore witness to the hardships of times past. It was the 18th of September 2000, the birthday of his wife, Mercuria, who was the younger cousin of his late friend, Lily Potter-Evans. His grey eyes flashed, and a dimple appeared on his chin as he smiled while watching his wife supervise their two house elves, Dinky and Kreacher, who were erecting a large marquee on the lawn in front of the terrace. Mercuria had dark red hair and bright green eyes. She was short, delicate, yet muscled. She had been an excellent ballet dancer as a child but had given up hope of a professional career after a serious accident. Since then, she had kept fit with gymnastics and track and field athletics, and even as a mother of four, she was still in great shape, with extremely quick reactions.

In the early hours of the morning, their boys, two sets of twins, couldn't wait any longer and had stormed into their parents' bedroom at five o'clock. With the help of the families two house elves, they had prepared a huge birthday cake, which the younger ones, Phineas and Alphard, had proudly presented to their mother on a tray. Then they had surprised their mother with a song that their Uncle Regulus had taught them and that they had been rehearsing in secret for the past few days. Mercuria had sat up in bed and had applauded their performance with enthusiasm. Sleep was out of the question, of course, and Sirius had decided to have breakfast in bed straight away. He had given his wife a huge bouquet of red roses and shown her his present from the bedroom balcony. It was a blazing red Porsche 911. Before their marriage, Mercuria had owned such a sports car, but had had to sell it with a heavy heart because it had simply been too flashy for them at a time when Sirius had been wanted for mass murder and had subsequently been declared dead in the Wizarding World. However, he knew that she had always been desperate to get behind the wheel of a sportscar again. As the owner of a garage for racing cars and motorbikes in the nearby Muggle settlement, he had tuned the car himself. He had also added a few magical features. Mercuria had been thrilled and they'd decided to take it out for a spin the very next day. Only the two of them, just as he had imagined. For the couple, who was looking forward to enjoying the car and each other's company, it would be a special moment.

Sirius was surprised to find that the table was set for nearly forty people when late in the afternoon he peered inside the now beautifully decorated marquee. Even if he counted in the children, he did not come nowhere near that number of guests. When he asked Mercuria, she just laughed and said: "There will be a few surprise guests. They've confirmed at the last minute". "Harry and Ginny?". "Oh yes, of course they'll be coming too. And the Weasleys. And Mark. He's bringing his wife, Sylvia". Mark was Mercuria's cousin, the only member of the Evans family with whom they were still in touch. Mark was an experienced diver, and when three years ago they had asked for his help to retrieve the key to the healer Montalenfer's book from one of the wrecks in Scapa Flow, where Mercuria had hidden it from the Dark Lord, he had been only too willing to travel with them to Scotland. While attempting to recover the key from the bottom of the sea, they had been attacked by Death Eaters and had escaped only by a hair's breadth. For Mark, it had been the most exciting days of his rather adventurous life, and he had enjoyed every single second of it. When they had parted, he had emphatically assured Sirius that he was ready to take part in further endeavours at any time, really at any time, no matter how dangerous it would become. Sirius had smiled kindly and silently vowed never to ask Mark for help again., who probably never had remotely fathomed the danger they had faced at the time. Nevertheless, as a token of his gratitude, Sirius had given Mark a motorbike which he had modified by adding a few magical features to it.

Meanwhile, Sirius' curiosity had been piqued as to who these mysterious guests might be, but Mercuria refused to explain, pushing him towards the house and telling him to change. The first guests arrived around six o'clock. While most of them used the Floo Network, Mark and Sylvia came by motorbike. "She doesn't know it can fly, so I had to take the motorway", Mark whispered to Sirius. It was the first time he brought his wife along. Sylvia was a tall, slender woman in her forties, who was not the least bit irritated by the other guests but had an uninhibited chat with the wizards and witches. She confided to Sirius, "You have no idea how grateful I am to you for letting Mark be a part of your lives from time to time. He is just crazy about the Wizarding World. He craves adventure, and he does a lot of dangerous things in our world. But he has also had some bad accidents. I know you will take good care of him so that nothing happens to him when he is with you". Sirius blinked in surprise at this. He had never imagined that a Muggle wife would happily leave her husband in the company of wizards. He guessed that Sylvia's knowledge of the Wizarding World was based solely on Mark's enthusiastic accounts and that she had no idea of the real dangers that lurked there for him. Sirius gave her a wry smile and assured her that the future would still hold many adventures in the Wizarding World for Mark. Perhaps he would have been more careful with his frivolous predictions if he had known how soon his words would come true.

By now, all of the guests whom Sirius had expected to be present had arrived. The house elves were serving drinks on the lawn and small groups had formed, chatting away. Sirius noticed that Mercuria kept squinting nervously at her wristwatch as a look of disappointment began to spread across her face. Eventually she forced a smile, clapped her hands, and said, "Let's all go inside, diner's about to be served". Once everyone was seated, Sirius took a count of the chairs and noticed that there were six empty ones. Just as he stood up to propose a toast to his wife, Mercuria jumped to her feet and ran out onto the terrace. Sirius turned to look and immediately recognised the new arrivals. They were the Murphy family. Grandfather Murphy, Maeve, Shay and their three children, who had all grown up since the last time Sirius had seen them. So that was Mercuria 's surprise. He remembered how, as a young man, he, Mercuria and his best friend James Potter had saved the family's lives when they had been attacked by Death Eaters. He went up to welcome them. Shay greeted him with a handshake and looked at him quizzically. "Sirius, what a pleasure. We know what happened to you. While you were imprisoned, we kept Mercuria informed of the ongoings in the Wizarding World. You look splendid, I must admit. I am glad to see you doing so well". Shay's wife Maeve embraced him warmly. With a big smile on his face, he greeted the rest of the family: Shay's father and the two older children, a boy and a girl. Finally, he found himself face to face with a young man who had put his arm lovingly around Mercuria's shoulder and was smiling brightly at him. "Hello, Sirius. Do you remember me? I'm Gavin". His blue eyes were bright. Sirius eyed him with great interest. The five-year-old boy they had rescued from the hands of Voldemort's followers had grown into a young man. An angular face with an energetic chin was framed by light blond curls. Sirius was amused by the small diamond which Gavin wore on his left ear. He was slightly shorter than Sirius, but more muscular. They gave each other a warm hug.

Sirius made his toast once everyone was seated: "To the most wonderful woman on earth. Happiness, health, and long life". "Happiness, health and a long life," everyone repeated. When they had finished the main course, Sirius sat back in his chair and watched the others. Mercuria, with Alphard in her lap, was in conversation with Andromeda, Maeve, Molly and Sylvia. Their giggles from across the table filtered over to him now and again. Mark was in animated conversation with Lucius Malfoy, Arthur Weasley and Shay, obviously enthusiastically describing their battle against the Death Eaters at Scapa Flow and the part he had taken in it. While Arthur and Shay listened with rapt attention, Lucius shook his head several times in disbelief. Regulus and Gavin had put their heads together and whispered excitedly to each other. Sirius was still completely baffled by the sight of his younger brother, whom everybody had presumed dead for so long, and whose story was much the same as his own. With Kreacher's help Regulus had apparated to the island in the cave where he had exchanged the Slytherin Horcrux that the Dark Lord had hidden there. Then he had faked his own death to protect himself and his family from Voldemort's revenge. He had gone into hiding in Ireland under a false name. From there he had only returned a few weeks ago when he had learned that Sirius had also survived the dark years and had travelled to Yorkshire to seek out his brother.

Sirius smiled and closed his eyes. While scraps of conversation reached his ears, his thoughts drifted away from the table to another party he had attended many years ago. He clearly saw the happy crowd of guests and in their midst Lily Evans, who had just become Mrs James Potter. How beautiful she was in her white wedding dress and how she was beaming with bliss. Sirius suddenly felt easy and carefree, and he smiled unconsciously. He turned to the side and spotted him, sitting right next to him. James. His jet-black hair was messed up, he was beaming happily, and the lightning-shaped scar on his forehead was paler than Sirius remembered it. He squinted in disbelief and stared at his friend, who was eyeing him with increasing concern. Abruptly, it struck him, and he said in a raspy voice, "Oh, Harry. For a moment I thought I was somewhere else completely". He sighed deeply and continued, "well, it's a wonderful day. I wish that your parents and Remus could be here with us today. It's at times like this that I miss them the most. I often wish I had your father's advice. You know, James had a way of turning seemingly intractable problems into minor inconveniences with just a few words. To him, there simply was no difficulty that couldn't be overcome. I really do miss him, your father". A shadow passed over his face and for a moment the sparkle in his eyes disappeared and they went dark and lifeless, as if a curtain had been drawn over them. "Sirius. If you need me, you know I'm always there," Harry said. "Living with the Weasleys doesn't mean I love you any less than before. When Voldemort died, it just felt right to move in with them. You had a family of your own by then, and I wanted to be with Ron so much". Sirius gave him an appraising look. "And Ginny, I suppose." Harry giggled. "Yes, especially with Ginny. By the way, we're looking for a house. We have decided to get married soon". "Congratulations. I'm really glad to hear that. I wondered when this was going to happen. Listen Harry, I offered you the house at Grimmauld Place. But I'm sure you'll understand now that Regulus is back...". Sirius made an apologetic gesture. Harry laughed, "Leave it, Sirius. The house is Regulus' home. I'm glad he's moving in there. As for Ginny and me, we have something else in mind. A small house with lots of light, not one of those gloomy buildings. But we have all the time in the world to find the perfect home, and nobody pushes us". Sirius nodded. "If you find what you're looking for and you'll need some money to buy it, just let me know". Harry chuckled. "Thanks, but no. My parents have made a good provision for me. You know that. No, all I need is your love. You're my family. You and Mercuria. I tell you what. Every time I meet Mercuria, I think I am looking at my mother, just like I know her from the photos. They are very much alike. Aren't they?". Sirius considered this for a second. "You are definitely right about their appearance. Curey is slightly shorter than Lily was and her hair is darker red. But other than that? They could almost have been twins. But now the resemblance is not as striking as it was when I first met Curey. When your mother died, she was 21 years old. Mercuria today is 37. But I guess Lily would still look a great deal like her now if she'd survived. Anyway, they are both incredibly brave. But while Lily was gentle and sweet, Mercuria is an absolute fiend. She has a lot of tricks up her sleeve that you would not expect from a Muggle. She really captivated me at the time, and I fell for her". He laughed out loud. "I'll be honest with you, Harry. I could not have asked for a better one than this woman. If it had not been for her, I would have been killed twice by now". He noticed that Harry was giving him a curious look. "Sirius, I'm glad you said that, because there's something I've always wanted to ask you. How did you manage to survive in the Department of Mysteries? I saw you fall through the veil, after all. And when I put on the Resurrection Stone, why did I see you together with my parents and Remus? You were dead, weren't you?" Sirius sighed, "Yes, I was. Harry, I don't want to be evasive. But believe me. There are some things in the Wizarding World that shouldn't be talked about. I tell you only this much: I swear to you that neither event was brought about by the Dark Arts. I have always been upright about that. Let's leave it for now". Sirius could see the disappointment in Harry's face, but the parties involved had taken an oath not to reveal the exact circumstances of his survival to anyone. And he felt obliged to keep his word.

After dinner, music played, and Sirius pulled his wife onto the dance floor. Other couples followed. When Harry joined in and started dancing with Mercuria, Sirius grabbed Procyon, Asterion and Teddy, who were prancing wildly in the middle of the dancing couples. "Aren't you tired?". Procyon replied angrily, "But Dad, it's Mum's birthday. We can't go to bed now". Sirius heard someone snort behind his back. He turned round to see that Regulus was smiling at him. "Leave them alone, brother. Today is a special day. Everyone is having so much fun. When they get tired, they'll fall asleep. Just like those two over there". He pointed to Phineas and Alphard, who were curled up sleeping in a corner. "Let's put those to bed instead". Carefully he lifted Phineas and waited for Sirius to take Alphard before they apparated into the boy's bedroom. After tucking them into their beds, they walked out into the corridor and Regulus asked, "Sirius?". He turned to his brother who said: "I think I have been with you long enough now. Last week I looked more closely at the house on Grimmauld Place. There is a great deal of work to be done there. I would like to get started on the renovations just now. The sooner I get it done, the sooner I can get on with other things. Kreacher and I will be moving there tomorrow. It would be great if you could come and give us a hand from time to time", Regulus chuckled sheepishly. Sirius was taken aback, but he couldn't make any sense of his brother's behaviour. "Of course, I'll help you. I promised you that I would, didn't I? Let's start the day after tomorrow. Tomorrow we'll probably be too exhausted and need to relax".

By the time they had finished their conversation, they had entered the living room, and paused in front of the large mirror with their arms around each other's shoulders. Ever since Regulus had turned up at Sirius's house four months ago, they had begun to look more and more alike. By nature, they were the same height and had the same build. Regulus' hair had grown, and he had acquired a three-day beard. Regulus gave a smile, "Let me tell you something, brother. If I didn't know you were two years older than me, we could almost pass for twins, with my hair growing as long as yours". "Why are you letting it grow so long?". "I think it makes you look really gorgeous". Sirius gazed at him in confusion. Regulus continued, "I expected you to be badly affected by your time in prison and on the run when I decided to contact you after all these years. I was really surprised at how good you looked. I know you don't care much about your appearance. Why have you let your hair grow? You used to have short hair when you were younger. "By the time I escaped from Azkaban, my hair was down to my elbows. Mercury cut it to shoulder length. She said it would make me stand out in the Muggle world if I did not. And it is because of her that I have the stubbles". He chuckled. "She likes the feeling of them on her skin. You know". Regulus nodded with a smile.

The first guests left around midnight. Sirius had invited everyone to stay, but only Sylvia and Mark had accepted. The others had said their goodbyes and gone into the living room to use the Floo Network. Eventually, only Sylvia and Mark, Regulus, Gavin, Sirius and Mercuria were left. Before entering the house and going to their bedrooms, they shared one last drink. When they finally went to bed and Mercuria snuggled into Sirius' arm, he asked, "Did you enjoy your birthday?". "Yes, it was very nice. I was very pleased that the Murphys were there. I'd invited them, but I didn't really expect them to come. When they told me that they would come, I was happy. Oh God, I'm so tired. And my feet are burning like hell. It's been a long time since I've danced as much as I have today. We should do this more often". Sirius nodded and put his arm around her. They snuggled close together and fell asleep.

It was late morning when Sirius awoke the next day. Mercuria had already left. He dressed and was walking down the corridor when the door to Regulus' room opened, and his brother and Gavin stepped out. Sirius gave them a quick look of surprise and then wished them a good morning. Together they went down the stairs to the dining room, where Mercuria was having breakfast with the children. "Good morning. Sylvia and Mark just left. Sylvia's working tomorrow. So, they couldn't wait for you any longer. They send their love to you". When they had finished their breakfast, Regulus said, "Gavin has offered to help me with the house. We'll start today. If you'll join us tomorrow, I'm sure we'll be finished soon". The boys jumped out of their chairs. "Uncle Regulus, Uncle Regulus, can't we help too? Then it will be done even faster". Regulus smiled. "With pleasure. If your parents agree". Sirius nodded. "You're welcome to, but first I'll have a look at the house myself. If I get the impression that your help would be useful, then you can come along with me". The boys cheered. As soon as Gavin and Regulus had said their goodbyes, Sirius and Mercuria went for a drive in the new Porsche and spent the rest of the day racing down the motorway at top speed.