Enter for the Quidditch League Competition - Round 4 - Caerphilly Catapults - Beater 1
Prompt: McRaven House, Vicksburg, Mississippi: Write about someone going to great lengths to hide something precious.
Optional prompts used: 11. (trope) forbidden love; 14. (action) screaming
Word count: 1,776
Warnings: Canon Divergence
all we need is love (and a ghost)
Alphard looked around, and he recognised some of the furniture, but not all of it. He didn't remember when he had purchased the blue couch, or when he had so many photos on the mantle, especially of his nephew…
"Merlin's left ball, what the hell are you doing here?" someone yelled and Alphard turned, and that's when his nephew started screaming at him. "Uncle Alphard?!"
"Why, hello, Sirius. I thought your mother had given you a better education, even if she's an old bat," Alphard said, not even trying to disguise the bitterness in his voice. His sister was someone he never wanted to be associated with—not anymore, at least.
Sirius snorted, before looking at him. "Now, seriously, what are you doing here, Uncle?"
"Last time I checked, this was still my flat," Alphard said, looking at Sirius with a raised eyebrow.
"And last I checked, you had died of dragon pox," Sirius retorted, before widening his eyes. "Shit! Lils always said I don't have tact, but damn, Sirius!"
Alphard swallowed, trying to process what his nephew had just said to him. It shouldn't surprise him, especially considering the Black genetics, but really, dragon pox? How blasé.
"Why are you screaming at me, Sirius? Who cares if I'm a ghost, this is still my place," Alphard said, and floated towards the couch and tried to sit down, only to be thrown into the floor. "Well, this is awkward."
Sirius tried to stop a giggle, but broke down laughing and Alphard couldn't help but laugh alongside his nephew.
"That's something they don't teach at Hogwarts about ghosts, huh?" Alphard said, deciding to stay on the ground from the time being. "Are you going to tell me now why you are in my flat?"
Sirius scratched his neck, and didn't look in his direction. Alphard thought it was interesting his nephew wasn't looking at him, meaning Sirius didn't want to disclose the real reason why he was here; he never was a good liar, not when it came to family.
"It's kinda complicated and I know you're a busy man, so I don't want to burden you with this matter because—" Sirius started rambling before a scream stopped him dead in his tracks.
"What the f—" Alphard started saying before Sirius started running towards the bedroom.
Not wanting to be left behind, Alphard followed him and what he found inside surprised him: a woman sitting on the bed with twin infants.
Infants who were screaming bloody murder and it was getting on Alphard's nerves.
"Can someone explain to me what's going on here?" Alphard asked, trying not to yell and scare the babies.
The woman in the bed yelled, frightened, and the baby she was holding started screaming even louder.
"No need to yell; I'm just curious," Alaphard said, coming near the bed, looking at the infant laying in a bassinet. "I'm going with my gut here and guess they're your children, Sirius?"
Sirius looked up and with a small smile at the corner of his mouth, nodded. Alphard knew he was probably missing something here, but right now, he didn't care. His nephew was a father, and, although the babies seemed like a scream machine at the moment, it was good to see the next generation of Blacks.
He hoped the next generation would be more like Sirius—open to discovering new things and not single-minded like his sister; Walburga was going to be surprised with them, that was for sure.
"Are you going to explain why your uncle is suddenly here? In a ghostly form?" the woman asked, looking at Sirius. "Except, considering your family, I can't say I'm really surprised."
"I like her already," Alphard said, looking at the woman with a smile. "Alphard Rigel Black, nice to meet you. I would shake your hand, if I wasn't afraid it would pass right through you."
The woman snorted, "I get why you're Sirius' favourite relative. Lily Grace Evans, it's good to meet you too."
"I thought she was a Black," Alphard said, looking at Sirius, "since she was able to enter this flat."
Alphard wasn't as paranoid as his sister—although Walburga was crazy on another level—but he liked to be protected. His flat was one of the most protected buildings in all of London, and only allowed members of the Black family into it; not that any of them ever came to visit him, except for Sirius and Andromeda.
"I'm working on it, Uncle Alphard," Sirius said, picking up the baby still in the bassinet and trying to hush the child. "But considering Lily is the mother of the next generation of Blacks and was holding them at the time, I guess the wards allowed her entrance. But I could be wrong."
"No one likes a smart-ass, Sirius," Lily admonished, finally making the baby in her arms stop screaming. "Oh, thank Merlin. Hermione, sweetie, you have to help Mummy here."
"At least she's calmer than Harry," Sirius replied, rocking Harry and trying to stop his screaming and crying. "Please, Harry, be more like your sister, please."
Alphard could see his nephew was on the verge of tears, and although he never had children, he could sympathise with him. He was going to offer some help, until Lily came near Sirius and started singing.
"Rock-a-bye, baby, on the treetop. When the wind blows the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all." Lily finished singing, making Hermione and Harry fall asleep.
"That is a pretty creepy song," Sirius whispered, putting Harry in the bassinet.
"It was what my mother sang to me and my sister when we were children," Lily whispered back, putting Hermione next to her brother. "Maybe we should go into the living room and explain everything to your uncle?"
"Couldn't agree more," Alphard said, taking a last look at the babies, before floating towards the living room. Sirius and Lily were next to him in no time. "Who wants to speak first?"
Lily looked at Sirius. "It's your family, so I think you should be the one speaking."
Sirius took a deep breath, before walking to a chair and sitting down. "Well…everything started during Hogwarts. You know how my best friend is James Potter, and that didn't sit well with my mother."
"Is there anything that sits well with your mother?" Alphard said, before snorting.
Sirius smiled at that. "Yeah, well, James was very intent on making Lily his bride ever since he laid eyes on her on our first trip on the Express, but ah…Lily had other ideas."
"Meaning that I wasn't interested, but Potter didn't take no for an answer, and still thinks I'm going to change my mind," Lily said, rolling her eyes. "It seems like I'll have to speak with Regulus and see if he can have a word with James."
"Why would Regulus know anything about James? And why would you make them talk?" Sirius asked, but Lily just raised an eyebrow at him. "Ew! I don't want to know!"
"Get over it, Sirius! It's something completely normal and it happens," Alphard snapped at him, not wanting to go into details of how he himself had a boyfriend or two in the past. "Get back to the story! I want to know why you thought my flat was the safest place you could find yourself in."
"I also had a thing for Lily when we were younger, but never said anything as I was afraid of James' reaction. But it turned out, Lily fell for my charms," Sirius smiled, while Lily rolled her eyes, "and we got into a secret relationship during our two last years at Hogwarts.
"We ended things when we graduated, but then, during Lily's 19th birthday party, we…um…" Sirius was blushing, and Alphard was loving watching his nephew squirm in his seat.
"Oh, for crying out loud! We got carried away, drank too much and slept together, and since we were kinda drunk, we forgot protection spells!" Lily snapped, rolling her eyes at Sirius' rambling. "Why are you ashamed of it?"
"I'm not ashamed! I just don't think I need to discuss my sex life with my uncle!" Sirius replied, and Alphard was enjoying the talk too much to interrupt.
"Would you prefer it if it was your father? Or worse, your mother?" Lily asked, with her hands on her waist and Alphard laughed at the image this conjured up in his mind. "Glad to see you're amused."
"Like I said, I like you, Lily," Alphard said. "I think you're going to make an amazing Mrs Black."
Both Lily and Sirius started blushing and Alphard laughed even harder.
"So, I gather that nine months later, those two hooligans were born—they're four months, I assume?" Lily and Sirius nodded at this. "But this doesn't explain why you brought them to my flat, Sirius."
Lily and Sirius exchanged a look before nodding, and Lily took a deep breath before explaining. "I'm Muggle-born, and I doubt the House of Black would welcome this union.
"Walburga had blasted Sirius from the tapestry when he ran away, and when I discovered that I was pregnant, I knew the children would be in danger just because I was their mother. I didn't want them to feel threatened just because they were born."
"That's when I remembered your flat, and thought 'what better place to lay low than a place where most people don't even know it exists?' and that's why we're here." Sirius was looking at him now. "I'll go to great lengths to protect those I love, Uncle Alphard, and I hope you can help me protect them."
Alphard looked at the two in front of him, watching how they physically moved closer to each other–seeking comfort from each other–without even realising. It was clear to him they had strong feelings for each other—feelings people in his family would disagree with, only because of Lily's birth—but he didn't care.
"I don't know how I can help you two when I'm a ghost, but I'll do anything I can to help. Even if it's just to help you strengthen the wards here," Alphard said, smiling at the two. "Now, just a question: when do you intend to marry? I want to be able to attend the wedding."
Neither Sirius or Lily had an answer besides blushing, but Alphard was alright with that. He had time to convince these two how being a Black by marriage was the most foolproof way to protect his great-nephew and great-niece.
Even if he was lying through his teeth, Lily would be a Black someday.