6 years later

"You're an idiot," Adhara shouted angrily, her Black temper flaring.

"You're an idiot," Draco shot back, sticking his tongue out at his sister.

"Give it back to me," Adhara demanded, extending her hand, her frustration evident "I won't repeat it."

"Dad said it's my turn now," Draco shouted, his stubbornness clear as he crossed his arms and shook his head.

Frustration boiled within Adhara as she insisted, "I have training with Mia and Teddy, Draco, give me the sword."

"You have the whip that Aunt Izzy gave you," Draco stubbornly refused

Their grandmother noticed the commotion and asked, "Hey, what's going on here?"

"Grandma," Adhara and Draco shouted in unison, looking in Marysse's direction.

"Grandma, tell Draco to give me the sword. I have training now and I'm late," Adhara implored, giving her brother a stern look.

Marysse turned her serious gaze to Draco and stated firmly, "Draco, give the sword to your sister."

"It's not fair," Draco protested reluctantly, but eventually he handed the sword to Adhara.

Adhara took the sword, kissed her grandmother on the cheek, and dashed out of the room toward the training room at the Institute, where her best friends and her father were waiting for her.

"Where's Harry?" Marysse asked, looking around for his other grandson.

"Aunt Izzy and Uncle Simon took him to the movies," Draco replied, a hint of sadness in his voice for missing out on the fun.

"And why aren't you with them?" Marysse asked, ruffling Draco's hair.

"I failed my rune exam, and Dad punished me by not allowing me to leave the Institute until I learn them," Draco admitted, his face showing his displeasure.

Marysse couldn't help but chuckle. Fatherhood had transformed Jace into a surprisingly responsible and committed parent. When it came to Adhara and Draco, he was dedicated to their education and training.

"Would you like me to help you with the runes?" Marysse offered, glancing at the Gray Book on Draco's bed.

"Mia promised that she would help me when she finished training," Draco replied, his cheeks slightly tinged with embarrassment.

Marysse observed, thinking fondly of her granddaughters, "Your sister and Mia seem to be living in the training room lately."

"Addie wants to ask Mia to be her Parabatai," Draco confessed.

Mia, Teddy, and Adhara, as Alec, Jace, and Izzy had foreseen, had the potential to become the finest Shadowhunters the New York Institute had seen since their predecessors. It was no surprise, considering that their parents were personally invested in their training to ensure that they excelled.

"They're still quite young to make that decision," Marysse said, wearing a small smile.

"Dad was the same age when he decided he wanted Uncle Alec to be his Parabatai," Draco argued.

Marysse couldn't help but laugh, her eyes crinkling with amusement. "Your father has been known to exaggerate. We adopted him when he was ten, and it wasn't until they were both sixteen that he asked Uncle Alec to be his Parabatai. Jace always had a bit of pride in him and pretended that he didn't need anyone."

"Do you think Harry would like to be my Parabatai if I asked him, Grandma?" Draco inquired with a small smile.

"I think you would make an excellent pair, just like your sister and Mia," Marysse assured him, pulling him into a warm hug. She added with a hint of humor, "And now study, or you will fail again, and your father will blame me."


Sirius stood at the Potter's family crypt, he had a bouquet of vibrant, freshly-picked flowers in his hand, a small tribute to his dear friends who had been taken from him far too soon. With a heavy heart, he cleared his throat and began to speak, feeling as though he was addressing the spirits of James and Lily.

"Hello Prongs, Red, how is it up there?" Sirius started, his voice trembling with emotion. "Tomorrow, Mia turns eleven, and in theory, she should've already gotten her Hogwarts letter from Minnie. Not a day has gone by that I don't think about her. Wherever she is, I hope she is surrounded by people who love her. I hope she and Addie continue to be best friends."

Tears welled up in Sirius's eyes as he continued, his memories of James and Lily as vivid as ever. "At first, it was difficult for me to understand why Mia and Addie had left without looking back, but Moony made me see that we were not ready to be 'parents' so soon, and I think that deep down, I think he was right, he's always right with these things. Because I think of Mia, and I think of you, James. I think about how much she's like you, in every way and it hurts so much. It hurts to think that she is alive while you are... It makes me very angry that you're not here to see her grow up, that you're not going to see her fly her first broom or that you're not going to see her get on the Hogwarts Express."

As Sirius spoke, a sudden light breeze rustled through the cemetery, ruffling his hair and causing him to turn around in surprise. It was as if someone was there with him.

"We're going to see her, Pads" James whispered, his voice carrying a warmth and reassurance that enveloped Sirius like a comforting hug. "She's happy, my princess is happy. I'm proud of you. I'm proud of you and Moony. You're the best friends I always wanted, and I hope one day you can experience what it's like to be parents."

Lily appeared by James's side, her presence radiating a gentle glow. "What are you doing?" she asked, her green eyes filled with love and curiosity.

Sirius turned back to the gravestones, a small smile touching his lips. "Sirius is talking to our graves," James replied, planting a loving kiss on his wife's fiery red hair.

Lily looked around, her brows furrowed in confusion. "And Remus? Where is he?" she asked, surprised at not seeing Sirius and Remus together.

"He's at Reggie's grave," James answered with a fond smile

Sirius took a deep breath, his gaze focused on the gravestones once more. "I don't know what else to tell you," he admitted, his voice tinged with sadness. He gently placed the bouquet of flowers on James and Lily's graves, his eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I hope you're proud of me and Moony, say hello to my Reggie and Cissy."

With those words, Sirius turned away, his form slowly fading as he disappeared with a soft pop from the cemetery.


"Hi Reggie, it's Remus, how's everything?" Remus said, standing by Regulus's grave. "Your brother is okay, you know how he is." He laughed softly. "He misses you a lot, and sometimes I catch him looking at the family tapestry. Can you believe he fixed the tapestry? Sirius is starting to like his place in the Wizengamot, although he doesn't say it out loud. He's promoting and fighting for the rights of house-elves and fighting the stuffy old men, like Pads calls them, to let us adopt."

"You're going to be great parents," Regulus said, looking at his brother-in-law talking to his grave.

"Sirius is afraid of being a father. I think it's partly my fault because I told him that we weren't ready to be 'parents' to Mia, Addie, Draco, and Harry," Remus continued in a sad voice. "I didn't tell him because I thought we'd be bad parents. I told him because we were both hurt by your death, for everyone's death. If we already fought sometimes, I don't want to imagine what would have happened if the children had made Sirius or me angry. They were just children who had lost their parents overnight."

"Thank you very much for taking care of my brother," Regulus whispered, gratefully watching how Remus left flowers on his grave.

"Hello Reggie, it's me. It's your big brother," Sirius whispered, kneeling in front of his brother's grave and bursting into tears while Remus hugged him. "I miss you so much. I'm sorry I didn't have more time with you, and I'm sorry I wasn't a better brother for you."

Regulus looked sadly at his brother and wanted to put a hand on his shoulder, but since he was dead, he couldn't. "You are the best big brother in the world, Siri. You made me laugh when we were little. You and Narcissa made my childhood infinitely happier. You're going to be fine. I love you."

Sirius stood crying in front of the grave of his little brother. Losing James had been a hard blow, but losing Regulus had completely destroyed him. Even though it had been six years since his brother's death, the wound was still open.

"We still have to visit Lucius and Cissy," Remus whispered in a soft voice, watching as Sirius wiped his tears with his sleeve.


"I'm tired," Theo groaned, throwing himself to the ground.

"You're a drama queen, that's what you are" Adhara said, laughing.

"It's not true," Teddy said, his voice muffled by the tatami, "Mia, tell her it's not true."

"Teddy inherited it from our Papa," Mia said mockingly to her best friend.

"Pumpkin, what are you doing on the ground?" Magnus' worried voice rang out, approaching where his son was.

"Your pumpkin is tired and a drama queen, Uncle Magnus," Adhara said as she laughed along with Mia.

"Where is your uncle?" Magnus asked, frowning. "No son of mine is going to die from stupid training."

"Papa, seriously, Teddy is exaggerating," Mia said, pointing at Theo as he increasingly exaggerated how tired and sore he was.

"Papa, I'm fine," Theo said, getting up and picking up his bow and arrows.

"Excited for tomorrow?" Magnus asked, looking at his daughter and his niece.

"A little nervous," Adhara and Mia admitted at the same time.

"You're going to be fine," Alec smiled and approached his husband, giving him a short kiss on the lips.

"You don't have to be nervous," Alec told her, crouching down at the height of his daughter and niece. "We will all be there to support you, just like when we did it with Teddy, and then we can celebrate your birthday."

Mia and Adhara had told their parents that they were born one day apart and that since they were babies, they had celebrated their birthdays together. Magnus, known for throwing the best parties in New York, had been disappointed at not being able to throw two individual parties but had then decided that he could throw one big,all-out party.

"Is it going to hurt?" Mia asked a little nervously.

"You will feel a little heat in the area, and that's it, princess," Alec told her, stroking Mia's hair.

"Dad's right, Mia, didn't hurt me when it happened" Theo said smiling, showing off his angelic rune.

"Alexander, your Parabatai mistreats my children," Magnus said, crossing his arms.

"What? Why?" Alec raised his eyebrows in surprise, "and why do you say your children when they are also my children?"

"Semantics," said Magnus, moving his hand as if to downplay it, "but I found our son lying on the tatami after your Parabatai had them training all morning."

"Magnus, love, that's what happens when you exercise," Alec said with a small smile.

"Are you telling me that I don't exercise, Alexander?" Magnus asked, narrowing his feline eyes, "I do yoga and meditation every morning."

"Love, I'm sorry to tell you, but yoga and meditation are not real exercise," Alec said, trying not to laugh.

"Yoga gives me flexibility," Magnus said with a smirk, "flexibility that you weren't complaining about last night."

"Eww, Papa, that's disgusting," Mia, Adhara, and Theo shouted while Alec turned red.

"What I meant," Alec said, clearing his throat, "is that when we adopted them, we decided that we were going to train them in Shadowhunter tradition, and that's what Jace and Izzy are doing."

"They're wizards and witches too, Alexander," Magnus said, frowning.

"We agreed that we would talk about it tonight with the whole family," Alec said, sighing tiredly.

Romy, Theo's elf, had brought the children's Hogwarts letters to the Institute. The letters were addressed to both Malfoy Manor and Potter Manor, and Romy had discreetly gone to pick them up. Theo, the oldest of the three, had given up going last year because he wanted to know what Mia and Adhara were going to decide. London was still a sour topic for everyone.


Good morning, Minerva," said Sirius, coming out of the fireplace.

"I think this is the first time I've heard you call me by my name and not Minnie," Minerva said, offering Sirius a seat.

"Admit you liked what we called you," Sirius said,taking a seat and popping a candy in his mouth.

"What are you doing here, Sirius?" Minerva asked him, looking at him questioningly.

"Remus and I have gone to visit their graves," Sirius said quietly.

Minerva nodded silently and let Sirius speak; the Black brothers had always had a hard time expressing their feelings, and it was better to give them their space and not pressure them.

"We haven't heard from them for six years, and I know that surely someone is looking after them, but I would like to know about them," Sirius continued thoughtfully, "regardless of whether they decide to go to Hogwarts or not."

"No one has seen them in Diagon Alley or Gringotts," Minerva said sympathetically, "I don't want you to get your hopes up."

"I don't understand how we are incapable of tracking them, and forgive me for the pun, but we don't disappear by magic, much less children," Sirius said frustrated.

"Maybe they don't want to be found," Minerva said thoughtfully, "they lost their family overnight, and London holds painful memories for them. They are famous in our world. Maybe they want to live a quiet life away from all this."

"Their origins are here," Sirius said, running a hand through his hair, "we are here."

"I'm sorry, Sirius, but I know the same as you. I'm sorry I can't help you," Minerva said, frowning

"Remus told me that he accepted your job offer as a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher," Sirius mentioned, changing the subject, "thanks, by the way.

"Remus is an excellent wizard, and I'm sure the students will have a lot of fun with him," Minerva said with a slight smile, "How are you doing in the Auror department?"

"They want to make me Head of the Department," Sirius said, fiddling with his hands nervously.

"Congratulations then," said Minerva, "you deserve it."

"That position belongs to...that position belonged to James, I can't accept it," Sirius said with tears in his eyes.

"I think James would be proud of you. After all, you were like brothers, and you made an excellent pair of Aurors. If there is anyone who deserves that position, it is you, Sirius Black," Minerva said, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"James was better than me in every way," Sirius said sadly.

Minerva cursed silently. During the Marauders' school years, she had seen the effects of Grimmauld Place on Sirius and Regulus. At first, she had not noticed anything, but one day during a detention, she had raised her voice at Sirius, and he had flinched slightly. He was only twelve years old.

"I think you should accept the position," Minerva said with an authoritative voice, "in fact, I would like you to accept the position."

"You're not my mother," Sirius said, amused, though they both knew that he saw in the Headmistress the mother he never had.

"I hope I don't see you hanging around here this year, neither you nor any possible 'dogs' that you and Remus have," said Minerva, smiling slightly.

"Can't promise anything, Minnie," Sirius said, getting up and walking towards the fireplace.

These boys. They never change, Minerva thought fondly, watching as Sirius was consumed by the green flames.


"Now that we're all here, I think we should talk," Alec said, watching as everyone finished dinner.

Alec's suggestion hung in the air for a moment before Jace spoke up. "Alec, tomorrow is the girls' birthday, can't we do it another day?

Alec turned to his parabatai and replied, "We have to talk about it here and now, classes start tomorrow, and we have to make a decision. They have to make a decision."

Mia, Theo, and Adhara looked at each other, realizing the gravity of the situation. They knew they had to make a decision about whether or not to go to Hogwarts.

Jace frowned, arguing, "We're already teaching them her at the Institute."

Magnus interjected, "It's part of their identity, they have the right to choose. It doesn't mean we'll never see them again."

Theo spoke up, "I will support Mia and Addie in whatever they decide. I have nothing that ties me to London apart from a mansion and a fortune in a bank, but it is not my home."

Magnus turned to Mia and Adhara, asking, "What do you want to do? We're not going to be mad if you decide you want to go to Hogwarts."

Mia replied softly, "I don't feel ready to go back, but I would like to... Addie and I would like to be able to visit their graves."

Adhara added, "I don't know if I'll ever want to go back, but for now, I agree with Mia."

Imogen chimed in, "You can't run away forever."

Jace, looking at his grandmother with a frown, exclaimed, "Grandma!"

Imogen repeated herself, "They can't run away forever. They are witches and Shadowhunters; it's part of their identity. They are a new breed of Shadowhunters, and they should embrace it."

Maryse disagreed, saying, "Imogen, we can't force them to go to that school."

Clary, their adoptive mother, spoke up, "I think the opinion that matters most is that of my daughter and Mia. After all, it is something we knew would happen when we decided to adopt them."

Magnus then proposed a solution, snapping his fingers, "I know a woman who can help us. Her son is the same age as the girls and is going to start Hogwarts this year."

Izzy asked, "Do we know the woman you are talking about?"

Magnus smiled, saying, "Eloise Beaufort. You don't know her, but she can provide us with everything we need; books, wands, brooms..."

Simon chimed in, "None of us know about magic."

Alec, raising an eyebrow, questioned Magnus, "You're not proposing that you're going to educate them, are you?"

Magnus took a sip of his Martini and replied, "Dear, I have been on this Earth for more than four hundred years. I have seen all kinds of witchcraft. It hurts me that you don't trust my abilities."

Alec sighed, "It's not that I don't trust you. What's hard for me to believe is that you know their world."

Magnus became serious, "I knew the founders of that school. You could say I even helped build the fucking castle. I met the wizard who killed the parents of our children. Don't you dare tell me I don't know where our children come from."

Theo then turned to his dad, asking, "So, Papa, can you teach us?"

Magnus replied with determination, "I can and I will."