I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter Twenty
The next morning, Adeline was hugging Severus tightly, not wanting to let him leave again.
"I'll be alright," he whispered to her. "I'll see you soon, I promise."
"If you go get yourself killed, I'll bring you back just to lecture you," Adeline whispered to him. "I can't lose another sibling, Sev."
"You won't lose me," Severus promised. "I'm here. Always."
Adeline nodded, sniffling before she released him.
"I'll see you for your wedding," Severus smirked before turning on the spot and disappearing.
Adeline sighed before turning and heading back to the cottage, giving Sirius a weak smile once she walked inside. Sirius wrapped his arms around Adeline, holding her close and offering her comfort.
"I never thought I'd say this, but I think I'm going to miss old Snivellus," Sirius sighed.
"Don't make me hit you this early in the morning," Adeline sighed.
"Wouldn't dream of it," Sirius smirked against the top of her head, kissing her head before pulling back slightly. "Are you okay?"
"I'm okay," she sighed, chin resting on his chest as she stared up at him. "Worried."
"He knows how to take care of himself. Plus, you've got Wobky following him around again," Sirius reminded her before kissing her lips gently.
Adeline straightened slightly, going on her toes so she could reach Sirius better.
"You know," Sirius smirked. "The kids won't be awake for a few more hours and Remus won't be back from Grimmauld until midday."
"What do you have in mind?" Adeline smirked.
"Something like this," Sirius shrugged, leaning down and kissing Adeline gently before his lips moved to the spot under her ear. "And this."
"Mmm," Adeline hummed, pressing her body against Sirius'. "I could be convinced."
"Oh, could you?" Sirius laughed.
"I could," she laughed back, hands running down his arms as she went flat on her feet.
"Mmm," Sirius hummed this time, hands on her waist, thumbs rubbing against her skin where her sleep shirt had gone up a bit.
The two just stared at each other for a moment, smiling gently before Adeline went on her toes again, kissing Sirius gently. Sirius deepened the kiss before lifting Adeline, causing her legs to wrap around him. He placed her on the table, knocking a plate off and causing it to crash to the floor. The two froze, staring at the plate and trying not to laugh as they listened out for the kids.
"Shh," Adeline whispered to Sirius, pulling him into another kiss.
"Hold on," Sirius laughed against her lips, pulling his wand out and setting up a privacy charm.
The two began kissing again, smiling and laughing as they undressed one another. Afterwards, Sirius held Adeline's face in his hands, staring at her in wonder.
"I never thought I would get the chance to hold you again," he whispered.
"I…"
"No, no," he smiled. "Let me finish."
Adeline smiled back, staying quiet as Sirius began speaking.
"When you left me last time, I was beyond hurt. I probably deserved it for the number of times that I had hurt you to be honest. I kept pushing you away and then dragging you back just to hurt you again. I threatened to kill you once. I was disgusted with myself for months and months. James was so tired of me feeling sorry for myself but he could never bring himself to say anything negatively towards you, no matter how much I wanted to hear someone agree with me. Remus just stayed silent the whole time. We should have known honestly."
The two laughed before Sirius continued.
"Dorcas knew. She'd always known. She knew that I was still in love with you and would probably always be, just like how I knew she would always want Lily. It was always you though, Adie. It's never been anyone else. No one else ever even stood a chance."
"You're a sweet talker lately," Adeline smiled gently, leaning against him.
"Well, I have to have something going for me," Sirius shrugged.
"You have a lot going for you," Adeline defended. "You make me laugh and smile, remind me that I'm not an old maid yet. You have a brilliant mind, you just choose to use it for pranks because that's what makes you happy. I honestly think that, after all of this, you should talk to the twins about helping with products. I think it would be good for you."
"You forgot to mention my devilishly good looks," Sirius smirked.
"Oh, there's always that," Adeline laughed. "The money helps, too, I'm sure."
"It's your money," Sirius pointed out. "Literally all of the Black money is yours. You just give it away as you please."
"I pay for five muggleborn students every year," Adeline told him. "It's a foundation I started once Walburga was gone. It's in Mattheo's name."
"What other good deeds have you done without anyone knowing?" Sirius asked curiously.
"Well, I've been donating extra potions to St. Mungos the entire time that I've been running Shafiq potions. They order potions, I send a few extras just in case. I've worked with St. Mungos for a while in developing potions for multiple illnesses, which is why Frank and Alice Longbottom are healed and being released from St. Mungos this week, along with the other head trauma patients. Donations to different foundations every year, including two muggle orphanages and towards rebuilding efforts after the first war."
"You've been busy," Sirius breathed.
"I like to help," Adeline shrugged. "We should get dressed. The sun's going to start coming up soon."
Sirius waved his wand, causing his clothes to appear on himself before grabbing Adeline's. She gave him a confused look before he began dressing her by hand, causing her to blush slightly at the treatment. Sirius just gave her a smile, kissing the top of her head once she was dressed again, waving his wand to clean the kitchen table and fix the plate, sending it back onto the table where it had originally sat.
Adeline began breakfast, making chocolate chip pancakes, bacon, sausages, and dippy eggs before toasting bread as well. Sirius made tea, passing Adeline a cup as she continued cooking. He headed upstairs, waking Carolyn before coming back down, Hermione having come down while he'd been dressing the baby and been handed a plate.
"We're going to do a bit of training today," Adeline explained to Hermione. "After lunch, it'll be time for studying. I pulled a few books out for you. Remus will be back after lunch and Sirius and I need to go to Boudreaux manor and look around a bit."
"Okay," Hermione nodded before taking a bite of her food.
Adeline placed apple juice in front of Hermione, knowing it's what she preferred in the mornings. As the boys rose for the day, Adie continued serving them. Once they were all awake enough, Sirius and Adie trained them for a bit before Remus returned, kissing both of their heads before taking over with the kids so Adie and Sirius could go to Boudreaux Manor.
Adeline sighed as they landed inside the wards, feeling her own magic thrumming under her skin as the rune stone recognized her. Sirius gasped as the magic washed over him, welcoming him in. The two stared up at the those before Sirius looked around at the landscape. A loud laugh escaped him and Adeline looked to him in confusion before he pointed to a weeping willow tree.
"Well, I guess your drawing skills weren't all that terrible. The tree really does look like that," Sirius told her, lightening Adeline's mood considerably with the comment.
"I told you that's what it looked like," Adeline slapped Sirius' arm playfully. "Come on. Help me find the library."
"You mean that isn't the first room that you went into?" Sirius continued joking.
"The only rooms I've seen are the main hallway, a sitting room, and the runestone space," Adeline shrugged. "I haven't been able to bring myself further into the house than that quite honestly."
"When did Reggie build this?" Sirius asked curiously.
"I'm not entirely sure," Adeline sighed as they walked up the front steps. "I know it was only completed recently by contractors from overseas. Gringotts sent me the notification once it was complete."
"I wonder why it took so long," Sirius wondered as they walked inside.
"If I had to guess, it would be due to the fact that the contractors were from the states and could only work for a certain amount of time throughout the years. The magic around the house also probably had something to do with it."
"It probably took ages to fill this room," Adeline said, eyes wide as she stood in front of the library.
Sirius gasped once he reached Adeline's side, cursing quietly under his breath. The library had been spelled to not take as such room as it did in the house. It went on for ages it seemed, almost as long as the room where prophecies had been kept. There were aisles upon aisles of books and two rolling ladders per shelf. There was a fireplace and a sitting area at the front of the library, along with a few desks for studying. Adeline and Sirius walked in slowly, each spinning slightly to take it all in.
"Oh, Hermione and Remus are going to faint," Sirius breathed out and Adeline laughed.
Like, fully laughed. Something she hadn't done in a while now. Once she started, she couldn't stop. The laughter was infectious it seemed, as Sirius began laughing with her. The two slowly calmed back down, leaving the library so that they could explore everything else. They found an office with a few boxes of paperwork, both groaning before deciding to leave it be until Remus was with them to help, and possibly Aster.
There was a kitchen, three dining halls, a ball room, dueling room, and a sunroom which led to an expansive garden with a few greenhouses, cementing into place Adeline's theory that Mattheo knew of the house. The next few floors were filled with rooms, each with their own bathroom and two walk-in closets. Sirius found three nursery's in total, letting out a low whistle as he stared around the rooms.
"Can we have a few more?" Sirius asked and Adeline bit her lip, trying and failing to hide her smile. "Oh, you definitely want more."
"Maybe after the war," Adeline shrugged. "Until then, no."
"I guess I can wait," Sirius shrugged, a happy sparkle in his eyes at the idea of having more children to raise, having missed so many experiences with the children that they had now. "Think Remus will be on board?"
"Once everything is over and our world has settled a bit, absolutely," Adeline smirked, taking Sirius' arm and pulling him away. "Come on. We need to pick a room for us and for Severus before the kids take the best ones."
"Something overlooking the garden," Sirius smiled, now moving pass Adeline and dragging her away. "We'll need to have private access to the balcony as well."
Adeline and Sirius found the rooms for the adults, marking the doors so the kids couldn't steal them. They returned to Hathor cottage, the home feeling quite a bit smaller now that they'd left a mansion behind. Everyone called greetings from the dining room table as the two walked in, taking their seats and beginning to eat.
"How was it?" Remus asked.
"Huge," Sirius answered, eyes wide. "I'm not sure what Reggie was thinking with all of that space."
"He was thinking that everyone was going to survive," Adeline grumbled before shaking the sad thought away from her head. "Anyways. We picked our room and a room for Severus while we were there. I say we move on Harry's birthday in case something goes wrong when the blood wards fall."
"Sounds good," Remus nodded. "Do we get to see it before then?"
"Give me a month," Adeline nodded. "I'll have to apparate everyone individually so we'll go to the backyard for it but I want to look through it a bit more first."
Adeline and Sirius went through some of the paperwork for the next week, both groaning at the sheer amount of it once they realized there was an extension charm on each of the filing cabinets. They hadn't even gotten halfway through all of the family contracts from the past three hundred years in the week. Sirius decided part way through that paperwork was stupid and he and Adeline both needed a distraction as he pulled her to the chair he was sitting on, causing her to straddle him. Afterwards, she reminded Sirius that, as head of the family, she had to go through all of the paperwork.
The next two weeks were spent in the library, looking through the book after book on horcruxes. They set aside the books in a pile, sending them into the office so Remus could check their work.
On the fourth week, everyone went to the backyard. Sirius left without assistance, closing the library doors so Adeline could reveal it once everyone was there as he waited for everyone to arrive. Adeline took each of the kids first, passing Carolyn to Sirius before bringing the others kids through, before returning for Remus. She took his hand, giving him a bright smile before they disappeared together.
The kids were running towards the front door, laughing and talking loudly about which rooms they were going to claim. Remus stared up at the house, eyes wide as he took everything in before confusion crossed his features and he looked to Adeline.
"It's not very British," he told her.
"It's very American. Southern American, in fact," Adeline smiled, pulling Remus forward. "Welcome to Boudreaux Manor. Come. I have something important to show you."
Remus gasped as magic washed over him, the runestone welcoming him into the wards. Adeline and Remus walked into house and Sirius sent a patronus to each of the kids, telling them to come back down. They thundered down the stairs, each smiling brightly.
Adeline and Sirius smirked as Adeline threw the doors to the library open, revealing it to everyone. Remus, Hermione, and Draco stared in awe, probably looking much like Adeline had when she'd seen it. The others stared in wonder but didn't have quite the same reaction. Everyone stepped into the room, the kids beginning to whisper back and forth a bit in the process.
Hermione and Draco immediately rushed forward, getting lost in the aisles of books as lanterns lit wherever they walked. Remus moved to the first bookcase, running his fingers over the spines of the books slowly. Adeline smirked before nodding to Sirius, letting him lead the kids back up the stairs to help him choose a nursery for Carolyn. Harry and Aster were more than thrilled to assist with the choosing, both wanting rooms close to their little sister. Adeline walked beside Remus, both looking over the books until they reached Draco and Hermione, who had found a small alcove to sit in, both holding a book each.
"Don't you want to choose a room?' Adeline asked, a small smile on her face.
"This one," Hermione stated, not looking up from her book.
"This one is fine," Draco nodded, also not looking up.
Remus held in his laugh as Adeline rolled her eyes, staring at the two with find eyes.
"How about I go pick your rooms upstairs?" Adeline offered. "I'll put your names on the doors for you."
"Thank you," both teens answered, getting lost in their books again.
Adeline and Remus left then, Adeline pulling Remus up the stairs to where they could hear Harry and Aster arguing.
"She needs the one with the snitches," Harry stated.
"No. She needs the one with the dragons," Aster argued.
"So, neither of you like the one with the castles?" Adeline asked.
"No," they both immediately glared at Adeline.
"Okay then," Adeline held her hands up in a surrendering motion. "My apologies."
Sirius and Remus bit their lips to keep from laughing as Remus looked into each nursery. Adeline left to go get Tiffy, bringing her through and showing her to her room, the elves having sizeable rooms near the kitchens.
"Tiffy, after the war, I'll be bringing in another house elf to help you and Wobky keep up with the manor," Adeline explained.
"No need," Tiffy shook her head. "Tiffy be having babes soon."
"Wait, what?" Adeline asked, eyes shining and a smile on her face.
"Tiffy be pregnant miss," Tiffy's ears flapped happily. "Wobky and Tiffy did the ritual after Kreacher died. Tiffy be having four babes in a month."
"Four?" Adeline gasped. "Tiffy, that's amazing. Congratulations."
"Thank you, miss," Tiffy smiled and Adeline wrapped her arms around Tiffy gently, hugging her carefully.
"Well, I'll let you get acquainted with your room. If you need anything, let me know. I have to say, I actually know nothing about elf pregnancies."
"Well, we elves do a magical ritual to have babes. We carry them for two months and the number of babes we have depends on the size of the magical family. You have four children, I have four babes."
"So blood adoptions count towards the amount of babes you have?" Adeline asked curiously.
"Yes, mistress," Tiffy nodded and Adeline smiled.
"I'll let you know when we're leaving," Adeline told her. "You'll be able to apparate in and out of the house whenever you please now."
Adeline left Tiffy alone, heading up the stairs. Harry and Aster were in the princess room now, Carolyn making the knights float in the air as the boys laughed on. Adeline continued down the hall, finding suitable rooms for Hermione and Draco and marking the doors with their names, though she had a feeling they would just end up in each other's rooms either way. She would need to make sure Severus and Sirius didn't find out about that or else they would likely team up to hang Draco from the tree in the backyard.
She walked into her room, smiling when she saw Remus with his arms around Sirius. They both smiled brightly when she walked in. The room was huge, as all the others were, with two walk-in closets and its own on suite. There was a private balcony that over looked the greenhouses and garden below, along with a view of the entire backyard, the forest that Adeline and Remus used to run through during full moons in the distance. There was a fireplace with a beige lounging couch with two matching squishy armchairs in front of it, the canopy bed was large enough for five grown adults and had cotton sheets that were a scarlet red color, and the walls were painted a chocolate brown, with a soft, beige carpet covering the floor.
The bathroom had three sinks and a large walk-in shower, along with a clawfoot tub in the corner. The countertops and floor were a beige and gold marble with the same chocolate brown cabinets. The walls were beige and there were gold accents all around the room. The two closets were set up more for three people than two, one of the closets having a half wall separate part of the closet from one another.
Adeline had known immediately that the room had been meant for Reggie, Lily, and James, but Sirius had deemed it perfect for Adeline, Remus and himself, being the only room with plenty of room for all three of them. Remus must have thought the same thing as he looked around the room, eyes growing sad before he took a deep breath, nose leaned into Sirius' neck.
"Where are the kids?" Sirius asked.
"Harry, Aster and Carolyn are in a nursery and Hermione and Draco are in the library," Adeline explained.
"Should we show Remus the office?" Sirius smiled, laughing when Adeline groaned at the idea of the office.
"Most of it is stuff that I've already taken care of," Adeline explained as they headed back downstairs. "We haven't gotten through the majority of it though so there might be something in there that's new."
"I never realized how much of a hoarder my baby brother was," Sirius laughed.
"I think some of it may be about the Potter fortune," Adeline cut in. "Would explain the sheer amount of it if it's about three families. I saw a few things about the Shafiq fortune and dealings mixed in so it's not unthinkable. Here we are."
Remus let out a low whistle at the sight of the paperwork and books piled up.
"The books are about horcruxes," Sirius explained. "We grabbed all the ones we could find in the library about them and went through them a bit. We figured you would want to look yourself though."
The three began moving through the stacks of paperwork and books. It was three hours before they left the office, all three tired as they found the kids all in the backyard, Tiffy sitting with them. Harry ran to Adeline when he saw them, hugging her before he began telling her about a quidditch pitch that they'd found on the other side of the pond. Adeline just smiled, nodding along as Aster joined them, also speaking quickly and excitedly.
"Let her breath," Remus laughed, taking Carolyn from Aster and rolling his eyes when Carolyn reached for Adeline.
Adeline stuck her tongue out at Remus as she took Carolyn into her arms, smiling brightly down at her youngest child before looking to Harry and Aster.
"Continue," she told them and Remus scoffed as Sirius laughed loudly.
Harry and Aster told Adeline everything that they had found while exploring the house that day, Draco and Hermione throwing in their own comments every so often. Adeline sat on the grass, sunbathing a bit as she listened to the kids. Carolyn began babbling and stole everyone's attention.
"Mama," Carolyn complained when Adeline looked towards Sirius for a moment. "Mama, look me."
"What?" Adeline asked, eyes wide.
"Look me," Carolyn demanded, waving her hands and smiling brightly.
"I'm looking," Adeline laughed.
"Of course her first sentence is demanding attention," Remus laughed.
"You hush," Adeline waved Remus off.
"Hush," Carolyn mimicked.
"Oh, no," Sirius' eyes grew wide. "She's going to be a mini-Adie."
"As if we didn't already know that," Adeline smirked, smiling down at Carolyn who was in Adeline's lap, staring up at her with wide eyes.
"Mama, play."
"What are we playing?"
"Play."
"Okay," Adeline laughed, just agreeing to whatever Carolyn was trying to say.
Carolyn's blocks floated over to them and danced in the air together. Adeline bumped one a bit higher and Carolyn laughed, filing the air with the musical sound.
"Is she part Veela or something?" Sirius shook his head, staring at Carolyn in wonder.
"Unless Remus has Veela on his side, I doubt it," Adeline shook her head.
"In some defense, we don't know about your biological family," Sirius shrugged.
"We know they were muggles," Adeline shrugged.
"You do turn into a bird," Remus offered.
"You're so funny," Adeline rolled her eyes. "We should be getting to the cottage so we can start dinner."
Everyone apparated away, Adeline apparating with Carolyn and landing outside of the cottage. The family walked inside, no clue just how wrong everything was about to go.