"So, repeat again, who is he?"
"Mattheo. His name is Mattheo."
Sirius and Magnus observed the scene before them, a mix of intrigue and amusement. Remus and Sirius had chosen to spend their summer vacation in New York, with their nieces and nephews, and to immerse themselves in Shadowhunter culture and customs.
"Is following Mia normal, or...?" Sirius voiced his thoughts.
"Jace, whom you haven't met yet, and Mia are good friends, but Mattheo and she can't stand each other," Magnus explained, watching the ongoing argument between Mattheo and his daughter.
"If they can't stand each other, why doesn't he stop following her? The Institute is large," Sirius inquired, concerned about the safety of his niece.
"Mattheo enjoys bothering her, and since Mia is stubborn, they always end up arguing," Magnus replied, sipping his Martini with a contented air.
Sirius needed to learn more about the people around him. "Who's Jace?"
"Jace is a wonderful boy, I believe he's in Gryffindor. He's polite. He and Mia are good friends," Magnus informed Sirius.
Curiosity piqued, Sirius wanted to know more about Mattheo. "What do you think of Mattheo?"
"Mattheo is just like his father—arrogant, possessive, with dubious morals, and little sense of responsibility," Magnus began. "But he's a good boy at heart, hurt but without bad intentions."
"I understand the lack of responsibility, but as for the questionable morals, even at a young age, one should know right from wrong," Sirius remarked as he observed Mattheo from a distance.
"When you believe you can always get your way, your moral compass tends to change. It's somewhat like your family, the Blacks, isn't it?" Magnus struck a chord, watching Sirius's gray eyes darken.
"What do you know about my family?" Sirius snapped, unintentionally revealing the sensitivity of the topic.
"I've known generations and generations of your family, Sirius. You're no saints; you're more like pests that nobody can get rid of. Everyone despises you, yet everyone wants to be you," Magnus said, pushing the right buttons. "You don't think about consequences because they don't apply to you. A Black only expects their downfall to come at the hands of another Black, right?"
Sirius couldn't hold back. "You don't know what you're talking about."
"I know perfectly well. I've lived for over four hundred years, and your family hasn't changed a bit," Magnus said coldly.
"I'm anything like my family," Sirius insisted, vehemently against the blood purity stance his mother always clung to.
"Do you want to talk about the incident with your husband and the other student, Snake, wasn't it?" Magnus tapped his chin, trying to recall what he'd heard from James, Lily, and Regulus.
"His name is Snape," Sirius spat, remembering his school nemesis. "How do you know about that?"
"That's irrelevant now", Magnus dismissed the topic. "Your little prank showed the entire school that deep down, you were just like the rest of your family."
"Snape was going to reveal that Remus was a werewolf to the whole school," Sirius weakly attempted to justify his actions.
"You didn't think about the consequences of your actions because you were taught they didn't apply to you. If your family can't hush the 'problem' with money, the only option left is to eliminate it. You can deny it as much as you like, but you'll be a Black until the day you die," Magnus concluded, watching as the color drained from Sirius's face.
Struggling to find words, Sirius eventually responded, "But at what cost?"
"Your family did what they had to do to survive. You shouldn't be ashamed of them. I've known families that claim to be 'good' and have done atrocious things for the 'greater good.' At least with your family, you already knew what you were getting into," Magnus admitted, reflecting on past experiences with the Black family.
"How did we go from talking about the boy who chases my niece to talking about my family?" Sirius questioned, his tone laced with sarcasm.
"It's all about daddy and mommy issues talking. Don't worry, it happens to me from time to time," Magnus said with a shrug, a hint of amusement in his eyes.
"What is it like to be a father?"
Alec lifted his head from the papers he was reviewing and looked at Remus. With the recent events involving Mattheo and the increasing demon attacks, he had barely had time to catch up with either Sirius or Remus.
"It's great, occasionally stressful, but overall great," Alec smiled, thinking of his three children.
"Thanks for taking care of them," Remus sighed, running his hand over his face.
"They're easy to love, all of them. Sirius and you don't—?" Alec started.
"No," Remus replied grimly, "our law prevents us from doing so."
"What's the problem?" Alec was curious about the workings of the wizarding world.
"I'm a werewolf, and I don't have the same rights as an ordinary wizard," Remus explained shortly.
"I didn't know that was a problem for adoption," Alec frowned, studying Remus. He seemed like a good man and not at all dangerous, especially considering how well he interacted with his children, Addie and Draco.
"We didn't have an easy time getting married either," Remus let out an empty laugh. "Our story is complicated."
"I changed the law to marry Magnus," Alec blurted out suddenly. "We didn't have it easy either, but look at us now—married for thirteen years and with three wonderful children."
"Do you know if they're going to Hogwarts at some point?" Remus wanted his nephews and nieces to experience the place where their parents had studied and fallen in love.
"Harry and Draco are now nine and want to go to Hogwarts. The condition is that their sisters and Teddy go with them," Alec cleared his throat. "Lily made Mia promise that she would go to Hogwarts for at least a year."
"How many years apart are they?" Remus had only been present for Mia's birth, so he didn't know much about the rest.
"Theo is the oldest; he'll be thirteen in November. Mia and Adhara will turn twelve in September, Draco and Harry just turned nine. So give or take three years; it's a bit confusing at first."
"So, when Draco and Harry are eleven and the rest are fifteen, they'll come to Hogwarts?" Remus asked hopefully, eager to see what his nieces and nephews were capable of.
"Mia never denies anything to her brother, so I imagine so," Alec shrugged. "But I want to make one thing clear: my children and my nephew and niece are not a media circus."
"What are you talking about?"
"Clary, Jace, Magnus, and I are perfectly aware of who our children are. We know who their parents were, and we know that the moment they step into your world, they are going to make it to the front page of your newspapers," Alec explained, his voice turning harsh. "Your world might've won that night, but my children lost their parents, and I will not tolerate them being bothered for that."
"James and Lily would've liked their children to go to Hogwarts, just like Lucius and Narcissa," Remus tried to convince Alec.
"But I am also their father, and my duty is to protect them above all. Mia and Adhara have Shadowhunter blood in their veins. They don't need you. If they decide to go to Hogwarts, it will be by choice and not by obligation," Alec retorted, his anger starting to surface.
"The wizarding world is indebted to them," Remus stated firmly.
"The world is indebted to their parents, not them, Remus. Treating them as famous for the death of their parents will not do them any good," Alec agreed with Regulus; it was a sick and twisted perspective.
Draco paced back and forth, his frustration evident in every step. Lucius and Narcissa, depicted in the portrait, observed the scene with stern expressions.
"Hi dad, Hi mom," Draco greeted the portrait with a forced smile, attempting to hide the turmoil within.
"Hello Draco," Lucius replied, his voice carrying a tone of authority.
Narcissa's eyes followed Draco's restless movements. "What's wrong with you, dragon?" she inquired, her concern evident in her gaze.
"Addie doesn't want to go to Hogwarts," Draco complained, his frustration bubbling to the surface.
"Why does that bother you?" Lucius questioned, his interest piqued by his son's unusual distress.
"Because she's being selfish!" Draco exclaimed, gesturing vehemently. "We always do what she says."
Lucius frowned, puzzled by the discord between his children. "Your sister can be whatever you want, but she is not selfish, Draco."
Draco's anger intensified. "We should never have left London," he declared, unable to fathom his sister's resistance to returning to their hometown.
Narcissa's heart ached as she listened to the strained relationship between her children. "Adhara did what she thought was best for you. You shouldn't hold it against her, honey," she gently advised Draco.
"You always defend her!" Draco snapped, feeling misunderstood.
Narcissa, undeterred, posed a crucial question. "Are you happy?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Draco retorted, bewildered.
"It's an easy question, Draco. Are you happy?" Narcissa pressed, seeking honesty from her son.
Draco hesitated before reluctantly answering, "Yes, of course."
Narcissa continued, attempting to make him understand. "Then you will agree with me that you have a family that makes you happy, right? You have two parents who love you, Jace and Clary."
Draco, still puzzled, responded, "Of course, I just sometimes wish Addie was a little more like Mia."
At that moment, Adhara's cold voice echoed through the room, her presence announced. "Is that what you really think of me?"
Draco turned to find his sister at the door, having overheard his words. Instant regret washed over him, realizing the gravity of his careless remark. " Do you regret what you said, or do you regret the fact that she heard you? " a voice in his head questioned.
Adhara confronted her brother, asking, "Tell me Draco, is that what you really think of me, that I should be more like Mia?"
"We always do what you say," Draco defended himself, crossing his arms defiantly.
Adhara, hurt by his words, explained, "Mia and I did what we had to do to guarantee you and Harry a peaceful and happy childhood away from the post-war and media spotlight."
Draco, not relenting, exploded, "It's been eight years, Adhara, get over it!
"Don't you dare tell me what to do because you don't know shit," Adhara hissed, her Black temper flaring. "I saw Mom and Dad get murdered. I was four; you were one."
Lucius and Narcissa, alarmed by the sensitivity of the topic, shouted Draco's name in unison, attempting to quell the escalating tension.
"We should have stayed in London!" Draco shouted angrily. "Mum and Dad lived in London. It's our home; it's where we should be."
"Want to go back to London?" Adhara challenged. "Be my fucking guest. There's the door, Draco. I'm not going to take any more crap from you."
When Draco remained silent, Adhara continued, her voice laced with bitterness. "Go back to London and live off our parents' money. You'll be comfortable without me. There's a giant, empty fucking manor waiting for you. Do whatever the fuck you want but leave me alone." With those words, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.
Adhara fled the room, the weight of her brother's words heavy on her heart. She knew she had been harsh on Draco, but hearing him express that he wished she was more like Mia cut deep.
Sobbing shakily, Adhara sought solace in Mia's room "Do you think I'm a bad sister?"
Theo and Mia, engrossed in a low conversation while lying on the bed, looked up as Adhara entered, her tear-streaked face a stark contrast to their quiet moment.
"Why would you say that?" Mia asked, concern etching her features. Theo, sensing the distress, quickly rose to fetch some calming tea from the kitchen.
"Draco was talking to mom and dad, and... and he told them that he wished I was more like you. That we should have stayed in London, that that was our home," Adhara cried, her voice breaking as she hid her face in her hands.
"We were four years old, Adhara," Mia said, gently rubbing her best friend's back in an attempt to soothe her. "We did what we thought was best for them."
Adhara's mind swirled with questions, doubt creeping in. "What if they had made a wrong decision? What if staying in London was the right choice?"
"I have also asked myself that many times," Mia confessed, her voice soft. "Harry is not as quarrelsome as Draco, but we've had our share of fights about that same topic."
Adhara looked up, her eyes searching Mia's face for reassurance. "Do you think he'll go to London?"
Mia let out a light laugh, trying to lift Adhara's spirits. "Harry is here, so I highly doubt he'll leave. Draco will get over it, don't worry."
Theo handed Adhara the cup of calming tea, offering a supportive smile. "Sometimes emotions run high, especially between siblings. Give it time; things will settle down."
"Your son is truly the bone of contention, he's already gotten the Malfoy siblings fighting"
"I thought that was what you wanted, love,"
"Sammael, dear, I never thought I would see the day you'd beg a warlock"
Sammael chuckled darkly, a sinister grin spreading across his face. "Lilith, don't you trust me? Magnus has been a softie since he became a father. It was enough for me to tell him that Mattheo was the same age as his eldest son, and he relented."
Lilith's crimson eyes sparkled with mischief. "Let's hope your son is up to the task," she smirked, casting a sidelong glance at the Greater Demon.
"I'll take care of that," Sammael declared with a malicious glint in his eyes. Magnus would soon learn the consequences of crossing paths with the likes of Sammael.