Chapter 43

#

Dear Alec,

I'm really hoping you will read this letter. (I had burned the ones he had send directly to me).

So, like in all my previous letters, I'll start at the beginning. I got your mum's letter, the one where she stated she was pregnant with you. And I'm going to be honest with you, I was in denial at first. We weren't together for that long, and then she was sent away on order of me and Dumbledore. I don't know if I think I would have gone into hiding with her if she asked back then.
Like I said, I was in denial. I never told anyone, maybe I should have. Maybe I should have told Remus or James, but I didn't. Just when I wrapped my head around it, I got the second letter stating you were born. She didn't give a name; it didn't say if you were a boy or a girl. I could understand why really, since I never answered the first one.

I was going mad, not only by the fact that I had a kid that I wasn't able to see, but the fact that Cor had to do it all by herself. That she had no one. The one thing I was happy about was that if I couldn't find you, nor did my mother or the death eaters. I thought it was best to leave it at that. That you and Cor would be safe far away from me, far from the war.

Then the war picked up speed, and I was being send from one assignment to the next. Then the Potters... I was sent to Azkaban immediately, had no trial and nobody listened to my pleas. I was in Azkaban for six, maybe seven years when two death eaters got the cells across from me. The first days, they laughed about how they'd killed the French witch who had ratted out their friends years ago and set the place on fire. I knew immediately who they were talking about, and I thought I had lost you both. My plan of keeping you away, of keeping you safe, failed.

I'm sorry I didn't try to find you. I think, given the time, I could've really loved your mother.

And I will understand, if you won't ever speak to me. But I really hope after some time, you will. Because there is nothing more in the world that I want then for a chance to get to know my daughter.
I want to know everything about Alexandra Fae Dubois, about Alec Lupin, about Alec Black. I want to know you.

I breathed in deep as I opened the next letter, and the next and the next. Most of the letters were mostly the same as the first one. In case I would've tossed them in the fireplace too. In the last letter, he told me about the house. That he had room for me and Remus, if we wanted to. I heard the shower turn off and I tucked the letters in my nightstand. I had just jumped out of the bed as Harry came back in dressed in pyjamas.

"Where are you going?" He asked as he rubbed the towel over his unruly hair. His eyes scanned my bed and nightstand in search of the letters but didn't say anything as he looked back to me.

"I'm just going to see if Remus is awake."

"Alright." He nodded. "Is it okay if I wander around a little?"

"Yeah, sure. Just don't go in the two rooms in the back of the hallway, that are Draco and Narcissa's rooms." I said as I headed to the door. Once I pulled the door open, I glanced over my shoulder and said. "Don't go in the basement." And with that I left the room.

#

"Remus?" I knocked on his door. I heard a bit of shuffling, then the door opened. I swallowed back a chuckle as Remus appeared in front of me in his plaid pyjama bottoms and his bathrobe open over his shoulders. His chest was bare, so I could see the scars plastered over his chest. The first one I saw on him when I was barely four years old, started at his cheekbone and stopped right under his armpit.

"Are you okay, cub?" He asked with small sleepy eyes.

"I'm okay." I smiled at his sleepy worried face. "I woke you."

"No, no, I'm-" He placed the back of his hand against his mouth to stifle a yawn.

"I'll talk to you in the morning. Go back to sleep, Uncle Moony."

Remus shook his head, trying to clear away the drowsiness. "I'm fine." He stepped aside. "Come in."

I walked in and hopped on the desk as Remus sat down on the foot of his bed. We stared at each other for a long moment. Then we said at the same time.

"About Sirius..."

Both our eyes widened before we both laughed softly. Remus gestured for me to go first. "So, I just read his letters." I looked down at my lap. "Do you know what was in them?"

"I haven't read them, but I know Sirius."

"Right." I sighed and furrowed my brows. "I don't know what to do, Moony."

He stood up and took my hands in his. "You don't have to do anything, cub." He squeezed them lightly. "Take it one step at a time." I looked up to him, he met my gaze with a small smile. "You know about the house, right?"

"Yeah."

"He's having a housewarming party once Harry's moved in."

"A housewarming party." I murmured, then chuckled. "Who is he going to invite? He just got cleared." Then my eyes turned round and large. "If it's just Harry and us, I'm not going."

"No, no, Narcissa and Draco are invited too."

My mouth dropped open in shock, and Remus laughed. "That was my first reaction too. But Cissy and Sirius used to get along, before... everything. And he knows how close you are with Draco, so he wants to try."

"Right." I nodded with a slight frown. "Does Harry know?"

"No. Do you want to take the honour?" He asked innocently.

I laughed because he and Black probably would've been too scared to tell Harry that his nemesis is coming over. Draco probably doesn't know either. "Sure, I'll tell him."

"And just for the sake of people, he's inviting the Weasleys too."

"The Weasleys?"

"Yeah, Molly's brothers were in the Order too back then. We never really knew Arthur and Molly, but we knew Fabian and Gideon pretty well." Remus shifted until he was leaning against the desk next to me. "Have you heard from Fred and George yet?"

"They'd send me a few letters, haven't really had the time to answer more than once, why?"

"They are coming too. All of the kids and Harry invited Hermione too."

"Alright, I'll come. I'll have the twins to distract me when I need them or cause a distraction for me to sneak off." I heard a small growl from the back of his throat, and I turned to him to see him scowl. "Moony?"

"Huh?" He looked at me confused, before his face softened. "So, you and the twins."

"Don't start this again." I chuckled and hopped off. "We're friends." I kissed his cheek. "You go back to sleep. We'll talk more tomorrow. I have to go see if Harry didn't get lost in the house." I snickered and Remus grinned back at me. "Goodnight, Moony."

"Night, cub."

#

I went straight to the basement. Even though I only met Harry not even a year ago, I knew he would be off going somewhere I told him to stay away from. The door was open, and I leaned against the door frame as I saw Draco leaning over a cauldron as he stirred the liquid. Harry was sitting in the corner of the room flipping through a magazine, but his eyes flickered to Draco more than once. I was just about to announce myself when Draco said.

"Stop gazing, Potter. Either help or leave." He said not looking up from the cauldron.

"Huh?" Harry looked flabbergasted, and I had a hard time not to laugh. "I-I wasn't gazing."

"Sure." Draco rolled his eyes. "So, in or out?"

"I-I, uhm, well. I'm not good at potions." He said pushing himself out of the chair.

"Believe me, I know." Draco snorted. "Maybe you can learn something. And Alexandra seems a good influence on you at least."

"On me?" Harry snickered as he stood awkwardly across from him. "What about you?"

Draco glanced up for a moment to look at Harry. "I haven't changed." He looked back down. "Hand me the dried needles." He gestured impatiently with his fingers.

"Yeah, that's why I'm staying over at your house." Harry retorted as he handed the needles over. "You would've never allowed that before Alec."

"I still don't." He said as he rubbed the needles between his hands, letting it trickle in the cauldron. "But I found out pretty quickly that there isn't any arguing with Alexandra."

"Yeah." Harry smiled as he looked at Draco's movements.

"You still like her?"

"I-" He blushed fiercely. "I don't-"

"It was pretty obvious, Potter." He said as he squinted at the potion. "Ash of a Den." Harry handed the bottle of ashes over without question. "It's not something to be ashamed of, although yours was pretty shameful". He smirked as he tapped the end of the bottle. Harry huffed with a frown. "You're certainly not the only one."

I was pretty certain Harry got over his little crush on me. But he didn't say anything to Draco about it, because they weren't friends and Harry didn't want to say anything about it to the Slytherin.

"You mean Emmett Nott."

"Amongst others." He glanced up.

"Oh, you mean the -"

Harry was interrupted as Narcissa charged past me in her night cloak, her hair hanging loosely over her shoulders. "It's passed midnight, why are you -" She stopped when she saw that Harry was standing across from her son.

"I think we better all go to bed." I came out from behind Narcissa and saw the boys stiffen a little. "I thought I told you not to come down here, Harry." I quirked an eyebrow as I grinned.

Draco's grey eyes bore through mine, and I shot him an innocent smile.

"Right." Harry stepped away from the desk as he wiped his hands on his pyjama bottoms. "We should go to sleep."

"Aunt Cissy." The blond witch turned to me with a smile. "Did you get the invite?"

"I did." She looked at me curiously. "But I only want to go, if you're comfortable with it."

"I am. I'm going myself." My aunt looked shocked for a second. I saw Draco and Harry share a glance. "Don't look so shocked." I grinned and she composed herself.

"Well, then we should tell the boys, right?"

"Or..." I said slowly, a mischievous glint in my eye, and Cissy's lips perked up. "We could wait until tomorrow, after breakfast."

"That's a great idea, dear." She smiled.

"Wait!" The boys yelled together. Cissy and I raised an eyebrow at them. They both looked surprised to each other too. Draco cleared his throat. "What are you two talking about?"

"Can't this wait until morning, little dragon? I'm dreadfully tired."

Draco glared at Harry, who snickered at his nickname. "Mother!"

"Fine, fine." She waved him off, she tried to keep a neutral face. But standing so close to her, I could see she had a hard time holding back a smile or maybe even a full-blown laugh. "Your uncle, Sirius Black, bought a new house. And Harry's moving in with him in a week or two."

"Alright." Draco said slowly not following.

"He's having a -" She glanced to me. "How did he call it?"

"A housewarming party."

"Right, that." I snickered as she pointed at me. "And he invited us to come also. And before you say anything else, Draco. We're going."

Draco turned off the fire under his cauldron and placed the lid on top. He crossed the room until he stood in front of me. "You're going?"

"I am."

He regarded me for a moment. "Fine, we'll go. I'll be your back-up."

"Thank you, Draco." I kissed his cheek. "Good night."

"Night." He turned to Cissy. "Sleep well, mother." And he walked out, Narcissa followed a few seconds later.

"I can be your back-up too, you know." Harry said as he came closer.

"I know." I smirked at him. "But you need to bond with him and need to get comfortable in your new home." I said as we walked out the basement. Once we were in our beds in my room, Harry said.

"You knew I would go in there, didn't you?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said innocently. I smiled, but Harry couldn't see it in the dark. I couldn't see Harry either, but I was 100% sure, he had just rolled his eyes. "Good night, Harry."

"Good night, Alec."

#

I'm leaving on holiday tomorrow morning, so I thought I'd update now.

I hope you will all have a great weekend!