Maedhros hadn't expected to be rebodied into this odd, new world.
He hadn't expected a lot really, when he had thrown himself into the chasm of fire, or whatever dramatics people were embellishing the story with. He had no thoughts in his head at the time, except that he wanted it done with. He had just wanted to rest.
And he had gotten his rest.
Maedhros had rested and slept and paced in the Halls of Mandos for centuries, and then millennia, all the while waiting for Maglor to join him. But his little brother hadn't. He hadn't given up. And he hadn't joined him in the Halls. And now so many ages later, Maedhros found Maglor - still alive, still as utterly defiant as ever - in the middle of a school. Being summoned by a child barely into their puberty years.
So he hadn't expected it.
Nor had he expected his other younger brothers to be there.
He hadn't expected to see Celegorm, Caranthir and Curufin side by side again, backs to the walls and looking like mirrors of each other, even as they looked as different as any two people could be.
He hadn't expected the Ambarussa to be his host's twin younger brothers, but it was awfully convenient that his younger brothers remained the same in this world. It allowed him to watch over at least two of his brothers and hopefully, prevent any disasters. Amrod and Amras had always had an independent streak though, something that had caused them to keep themselves distant from everyone else, including him.
"Are you brooding?" Amrod said, poking his shoulder.
Maedhros did not jump.
He had gotten used to the Ambarussa just appearing wherever they wanted to be. He hadn't figured out the trick yet, but it was in his host's memories, so he knew he would figure it out eventually.
"I'm not brooding," he replied, taking one singular breath for patience. That's all he allowed himself. "I'm just thinking about the past few months."
Amrod nodded, understandingly.
Amras snorted. "You're brooding." He paused. "But that's alright. We need you to keep brooding, and then we can go visit our father, and Sirius can stop angsting and meet his brother."
Maedhros had no idea how the Ambarussa had adapted so quickly to life here, with the modern language, the way of speaking, the style, everything. If he had not known they were his brothers, he wouldn't have guessed, and that was worrying. If Maedhros couldn't tell the difference, and Maglor wasn't there, no one would know.
"What are you two plotting?" Maedhros asked, straightening when Amras elbowed his twin. "Sirius and his brother need no help from us to meet and make up."
Amrod shrugged, whistling cheerfully as he made his way into the kitchen, nimbly avoiding the fork Amras threw at him. Amras stabbed the knife that Maedhros had been eating with into the dining table. Sirius, who had just walked in, looked far more interested suddenly.
Maedhros sighed, prying the knife out of the table and staring mournfully at it.
"I was eating with this," he said pointedly.
Amras wasn't listening. "I don't care about your entitled, growling stomach, you will come here and explain yourself. It's not my responsibility to do your work just because you're lazy and irritating and can't speak up - "
"Are you alright?" Sirius asked, watching a ranting Amras in fascination, even as he spoke to Maedhros. "You look like you're brooding."
"I'm not brooding," Maedhros snapped back automatically.
Sirius raised his hands. "Whoa, yeah, alright mate. You're not brooding. But," he paused, clearly having the same ideas on dramatics as the Ambarussa. "Do you perchance want something stronger to drink?"
Maedhros glanced at the table. There was currently nothing to drink. Whatever the drink was, it would no doubt be an upgrade, and if it was even slightly similar to the dwarven ale, or miruvor, or even Dorthonion wine, Maedhros would take it gladly. Not having Maglor around while he was dealing with all of these people made him twitchy and prone to 'brooding' as everyone called it.
"What do you have?"
Sirius grinned, clapping his hands together. "My friend, you have finally asked the right question."
As Maedhros exchanged Amras and Amrod's physical fight on the kitchen floor - where Amras had his hands locked around Amrod's neck and Amrod was pinning Amras down - for Sirius' rambling about the different kinds of wine and beer and mead that was in the basement, he wondered how Maglor was doing, alone at Hogwarts. He wished he didn't have to leave his brother behind once again.
Back at Hogwarts, Maglor was having a surprisingly good time.
There was no one bothering him, he could go to the kitchens at any time and get himself as much food as he wanted, he could swim in the lake - the weather was perfect for it - or he could sing his laments by the lake, whichever he preferred, and best of all - he didn't have to paste on a smile and deal with his brothers watching every movement of his and analysing it.
They meant well, Maglor knew they did, but they were just too much on a good day.
He hadn't had to deal with anyone properly for ages of the world, and having his brothers back so abruptly, after so many people he knew not recognizing him (Elros turning away, Arwen throwing him a dirty look, even Beren rolling his eyes)… he felt like they would leave if he looked away too long.
Without them there, it had taken him a day to get used to being alone again.
And then he told himself not to expect them to come back and stay with him. They had lives here, people who knew them, people who would welcome them home and get them food and pat their cheeks and hug them. He had none of that, and that was fine. He had made his peace with it a long time ago. So long as he was alive, he had hoped that none of his family would be sent to the void, and he had been right, so he would just remain alive. (He missed atar sometimes, and amme all the time. He missed Maedhros more.)
But this was fine.
That's what Maglor told himself as he walked down the corridors and took in the fresh air when he passed by a window. He meandered through the castle, invisible to all, until he quite abruptly stumbled upon a door that appeared out of nowhere.
Blinking bemusedly at the wall, Maglor pushed open the door.
Maedhros stepped out of the floo, and back into Grimmauld Place, perfectly.
His host, Bill, was graceful in the same way Maitimo had been in the court of Tirion, and walking out of the floo was muscle memory, a skill that transferred regardless of the body he was in. Maedhros didn't mind all too much, especially when he watched the Ambarussa trip over each other and fall onto the dusty floor of Number 12 Grimmauld Place.
"Gettof me," Amras grumbled, shoving his elbow into Amrod's stomach, and Amrod retaliated.
Within seconds, the two were pinching and poking and elbowing each other, blocking the floo entrance and making Ron, the youngest of Maedhros' brothers in this new family, trip over them and join in the yelling.
Shaking his head at them, Maedhros didn't bother getting in and separating them, instead making his way out of the kitchen. He was going to find Curufin and get him to speak to Sirius, if he hadn't done that already. Walking into the entrance hallway was a good idea because Curufin was storming down the staircase with a bag in his hand and his face set in a thunderous scowl.
Maedhros knew he reserved that scowl for people he thought utterly stupid.
That would be Sirius then.
"Hello there," he said, calmly stepping in between Curufin and the door and extending his hand. "I'm Bill Weasley. I haven't seen you around before."
Curufin scowled at him. "I don't care. Get out of my way, I'm leaving."
"Come on, Regulus, don't leave right now. Stay for dinner at least," Sirius pleaded, sounding truly desperate. Bill wondered if he would resort to begging, but he didn't think so. "Molly makes the best food, far better than mum."
"You never called her mum, so don't start now."
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and neither did you."
"I didn't call her mum now," Curufin said blandly. "Besides, I didn't disown my own brother either, so I'm still above you in the family loyalty thing. Wasn't loyalty a Gryffindor trait, or are you exception, since no one believed you were loyal to your true brother."
Sirius' expression twisted into rage, the helpless fury that Curufin was so good at bringing out in people. Maedhros stepped in between them before a full confrontation could break out.
"You should stay for dinner," he interjected mildly, giving Curufin a hard glare with his eyes. "My mum does make the best food I've ever had."
Curufin grumbled, and Maedhros caught the words, 'amme… terrible cook… and atya…' He had to stifle his smile. Neither amme nor atya had been good cooks. Maedhros could manage passable meals. It hadn't been until Celegorm and Caranthir that someone had learned how to cook meals in the family. The two hadn't remained the best cooks for long. The Ambarussa had long surpassed them.
"Very well," Curufin said finally, straightening until he was lording the two inches he had over his brother. "I shall stay for dinner and then I'll decide what to do, but I get to bring one guest of my choice."
Sirius slumped. "As long as they swear not to harm or leak any information that they find out."
Curufin smirked, then shouldered past Maedhros to open the door and step out slightly.
"You might as well come in," he said, and when he walked back in, Caranthir was trudging behind him. Sirius' eyes widened and he nearly sent a curse at them, just barely controlling himself in time at the sight of Curufin's smirk.
Maedhros sighed, already hearing the yelling the two 'death eaters' would bring. Why had his brothers never learned to be normal? At least he would now have an excuse to go back to Hogwarts and meet Maglor again. Eru, he couldn't wait for that.