Chapter 1
It was a quiet Saturday afternoon and they all spent the day at their granfathers' house. The kids were playing hide and seek with Sirius, while their parents and Remus were talking peacefully. Sirius was counting in the corner and Minnie ran in the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
She searched a place to hide and quickly closed herself into the closet. Since Sirius was taking too long to find her, she began to snoop around, only to find a moment later a small dark blue velvet box. She opened it and saw a silver ring; it was simple, without decorations except a small incision on the inside, "your moon" it said. She put it in her finger but obviously it was too big for her. Suddenly she heard the door open and, hoping it was Sirius, she jumped out of the closet.
"You know, this is not exactly how the game works" said Sirius with a confused expression.
"What's this?" she asked pointing at the ring.
He widened his eyes and rushed to close the door.
"Where did you find it?"
"In the closet, I was hiding in there" she said.
"Did you tell anybody?"
Minerva shook her head and he sighed in relief.
"Good, good" he said while getting closer to her and sitting at the end of the bed. "Can you keep a secret?"
The girl nodded and in that moment the door opened so slowly that neither of them noticed.
"I wanted to propose to Remus" said Sirius with a grin on his face.
"You what?"
They both turned towards the voice that came from the other side of the room and when Sirius saw Remus on the door, he almost dropped the small box.
"Fuck" he said while Minnie covered her ears, "You weren't supposed to find out like this"
"Are you serious?" asked Remus, realizing what he had said only after seeing the mischievous smile on Sirius' face. "Sirius, I swear, if you dare to make the joke I'll say no"
Sirius' face brightened even more if possible.
"So, would you have said yes?"
"Of course, you idiot"
Sirius ran and threw his arms around Remus' neck.
"I love you" he whispered at his ear.
"I love you too"
Minerva was still sitting on the bed, watching at her grandads with a small smile.
"Can we please go find the others now?" she asked.
Sirius laughed and offered her a hand.
"Shall we?"
****
Some days later the Potter family was all reunited at the table enjoying their dinner when a sudden noise came from the living room, as if something had just broken into a thousand pieces. Some voices followed the noise and they understood clearly someone saying "Sirius! It's fucking 8 in the evening, they're probably eating. We can come tomorrow".
Silence fell on the table and everyone stopped eating because they knew that when Remus swore it meant that he was really pissed.
The couple joined the family still sitting at the table, Sirius was radiant while Remus, on the contrary, was looking at him with a not-so-loving expression.
"What's happening?" asked Harry a little hesitantly.
"We chose a date!" exclaimed Sirius while Remus was rolling his eyes.
"A date?" repeated James Sirius with his mouth full of food.
"For the wedding" specified Sirius.
Ginny got up from the chair and rushed to hug them. Remus' frown disappeared and he smiled at the redhead returning the hug.
"I'm so happy for you" she whispered next to their ears.
Sirius had a toothy smile and Remus cheeks were slightly pink when Harry congratulated them. Then all the kids, a little bit too loudly went to hug them. A five-year-old James Sirius reached out his arms and Sirius picked him up.
"You wanna come?" he asked. James nodded, excited.
"I wanna come too" exclaimed Minerva with a pouty face. Remus picked her up too and smiled.
"Oh, we need a person who brings the wedding rings, do you know someone?" Remus asked her with a soft smile on his lips.
"I wanna do it, I wanna do it!" cried out the little girl.
Sirius laughed at her reaction and turned his gaze to his soon-to-be husband.
"Alright pup, besides it's you who found the ring first"
"When is it?" asked Harry all of a sudden.
"Mh?" said Sirius who was taken aback "Oh it's 20th of May"
"It's a nice month" said Ginny with a big smile.
"Yes, it is" said Sirius and then added "Harry can I talk to you for a moment?"
Harry nodded and followed him in the living room. Sirius was grinning from ear to ear when suddenly he asked "Would you like to be my best man?"
Harry remained silent for a moment but then he buried to hug him.
"Of course, I'm actually flattered you asked me"
Sirius smiled in the hug, misty-eyed.
"Alright, I better go now"
They went back to the kitchen where Remus was still playing with the children.
"Oh, there you are, did you ask him?"
Sirius nodded and Remus smiled at Harry who nodded too.
"Say goodbye to the grandads, kids" said Ginny with a smile.
"Bye grandmoomy, bye grandpads" said both James Sirius and Minerva as they returned to the table.
"It's time to go home, shall we Pads?" asked Remus. Sirius nodded and after saying goodbye to the family, they went back to the living room and after a second deafening noise, they disappeared.
***
Remus was nervously handling the envelope in his hands, turning it around and around constantly. He put it back in his pocket and took a breath. His right hand was trembling as he rang the doorbell. After a few seconds Andromeda appeared behind the door, showing a big smile on her face. “Remus, dear! Come on in”
She welcomed him inside and hugged him tight “Hello, Andy! How are you?”
“Quite fine, darling. Always the same thing, you know, same old. I haven’t seen you in a while as Sirius has been the one who brought Teddy here the past few times, so tell me what you’ve been up to”
Remus laughed nervously at that “That’s exactly why I wanted to come here today, actually. Sirius wanted to come too, but I insisted to come alone today, so he wanted me to tell you that you’re invited this Sunday and that he sends his regards”
“I’m more than happy to come around on Sunday, but tell me Remus dear, what’s bothering you?”
He took his hands, just like a mother would with one of her children and brought him to the couch.
They sat with their hands intertwined and Remus looked at her. She had a reassuring smile on her face, which was what put him more at ease. Fuck, he thought to himself I’ve known her for the past thirty years, why am I acting like this? She’s always been nothing but supportive. He took a deep breath and took the envelope he had put in his pocket and handed it to her.
She looked at him with curiosity, but opened it nonetheless. She looked down and read out loud:
“Under the light of the moon and the brightest stars in the sky
SIRIUS ORION BLACK
&
REMUS JOHN LUPIN
20th May 2009
Hereby invite you to their wedding ceremony”
As she looked up into his eyes, he could see a few tears forming in her eyes, but then the biggest smile, as bright as the star she was named after, came to her lips. She immediately hugged him tightly, almost strangling him. “Oh Remus! I’m so, so, so happy for you, and for that little shit my cousin is” she said into the hug, he was on the verge of tears, laughing at the reference to Sirius.
“So, you’re okay with this?”
“Okay?! Just okay?! I’m so happy for the both of you, you have no idea! Why shouldn’t I be?”
“Well, I thought that… since the whole Dora thing-”
“Let me stop you right now and here. Look at me. Remus John Lupin, I have known you since your Hogwarts years, so let’s just stop. My daughter was so happy when you came into her life and I was surprised to say the least, but I already knew you. And I saw the love you two had for each other. And the proof is Teddy, who still reminds me of her every time I see him. I have no doubt of the love you and Dora had for each other as I have no doubt for the love you and Sirius have had for each other your whole lives. And believe me when I say this: she’s happy for you. She would be so proud that you took a chance to be happy again, and with Sirius. She is so proud of you, wherever she is. You have my word”
Remus really had to wipe away the tears from his face, as he missed Dora dearly every day, but listening to Andromeda telling him that, he felt a lot lighter.
He hugged her again “Thank you, Andy, for everything”
“The least I can do for my family, dear”
***
After parking the motorbike outside the castle, Sirius stepped inside and after passing the entrance door he felt at home again. He looked around and the walls, the corridors, everything reminded him of the time he spent there. He automatically smiled.
"You..." he heard a voice coming from the other side of the corridor. He turned around and saw the old Filch with the same old scruffy cat. Sirius smiled again.
"Not you again" he said before heading back and running down the corridors screaming "Headmistress, headmistress, Black is here again! I know he has something in mind! Headmistress!"
Sirius laughed, one hand on his stomach and the other one on his eyes. 'Oh god I have to tell this to Remus' he thought.
He had just finished laughing when he saw a green tunic fluttering down the corridor.
"Oi Minnie, I was just looking for you. You're stunning as always"
Minerva McGonagall shut him up with a hand and hurried to hug him under Filch's disdainful gaze.
"What do you need Sirius?" asked the woman.
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you, in private if possible"
She peered at him for a moment with a raised eyebrow, then led him to her office. "This way" she said. He followed her to the statue of the gargoyle and then up the stairs to the headmistress' office door.
"Come in" she said as he followed her, "Have a seat". She pointed to one of the two chairs as she sat across the desk.
"What do you have to tell me?"
Sirius was starting now to have an odd feeling, as if he was afraid of her reaction. He started to play with the pens on the desk without looking at her.
"So first of all, Remus and I are getting married and we wanted you to come." He passed her a sheet of rectangular paper decorated with black ink that said:
"Under the light of the moon and the brightest stars in the sky
SIRIUS ORION BLACK
&
REMUS JOHN LUPIN
20th May 2009
Hereby invite you to their wedding ceremony"
She smiled to the man in front of her and saw nothing but the young boy he used to be. She held back the tears and squeezed his hand.
"I'm so happy for you"
"Yeah but there's another thing" he admitted lowering his gaze. "Actually, I wanted to ask you if you would like to walk me down the aisle. I mean, usually it is the father of the bride to do it but I am a man so I'd need my mother but fortunately she's dead, so maybe I thought I could ask the closest figure to a mother I have, that's you, but I understand if you don't want to, I mean, it's not like I was the best at-"
"Sirius" she interrupted him.
He looked her in the eyes, completely tense.
"I thought you'd never ask. I'd love to walk you down the aisle"
Sirius looked surprised but then smiled at the woman in front of him.
"Oh, thank you" he said before getting up from the chair, "Thank you".
He went to the door but before he could open it, Minerva spoke again.
"Sirius" she called him "I'm proud of you".
He smiled again, trying not to cry.
"I know" and then he was gone. It was in that moment that Minerva McGonagall herself cried.
****
Remus knocked at the door, with Teddy holding his left hand. The door opened and beside it showed up a dishevelled Bill Weasley, quite surprised at the sight in front of him.
“Hey guys! What are you doing here?”
“Hey, Bill! Dad said he had to come to ask you something and I wanted to come too”
Bill looked at Remus with an arched eyebrow but with a grin on his face, because his friend had a sheepish smile on his lips thanks to his son’s words exposing him.
“Come on in, then! Fleur is inside with the girls, Louis is with Ron and George today at the shop, they brought most of the kids with them to try out new stuff, which Ron assured us was safe, and I want to trust him” said Bill welcoming them inside the Shell Cottage. It was a sunny day, the coast clear of waves and just the right breeze to make a walk on the beach enjoyable. They all went inside, Teddy running to the upper floor, where Fleur and the kids were, while Remus and Bill stayed behind in the kitchen.
“Cup of tea?”
“Do you even have to ask?” chuckled Remus.
Bill laughed and went to boil the water to make the tea. They spent a few minutes catching up as they had grown quite tight in the past decade, at the beginning because of the scar that adorned Bill’s face as he wanted some help to cope with the whole situation. They kind of bonded over that, but they had become very good friends, and Remus thought of him as one of his best friends for sure after the life he had lived. The entire Weasley clan was family to him, but Bill was someone who almost really understood him in some way. He was the only one who could understand some instincts, the way he felt the week before the full moon, he did not turn but had almost the same itches. And after the Battle, both him and Fleur really helped him with Teddy, almost as much as Sirius did. During the full moon they always let his son sleep at their house, while Padfoot accompanied Moony during the night. The wolf still needed what was left of his pack, in any way he could have it. The kettle whistled signalling the water was ready and Bill went to put the tea bags in the cups, then seated in front of his friends, giving him his cup.
“So?”
“So, I wanted to give you something first” said Remus, taking an envelope out from his jacket and handing it to Bill, who took it and opened it.
“Under the light of the moon and the brightest stars in the sky
SIRIUS ORION BLACK
&
REMUS JOHN LUPIN
20th May 2009
Hereby invite you to their wedding ceremony”
“Are you serious?” asked Bill with a big smile threatening to come out from his lips.
“No, I’m Remus” replied the other with a laugh.
“You bastard! When did this happen?” said Bill, shaking his head unbelievingly.
“Just a few days ago. We wanted to decide a date before telling other people, but I wanted to give it to you personally”
“Remus, man, I’m so happy for you!” he stood up and went to hug his friend, who was still sitting on the other side of the table.
“Will you be happier if I ask you to be my best man?” said Remus in the hug.
Bill abruptly detached himself and looked at Remus with disbelief, but when he saw how serious he was, he nodded excitedly. “Of course, Remus! I would love to!”
Then he hugged him again “My fucking werewolf best friend is getting married! I have to throw the best stag party ever”
“OH! Please, we’re too old for most of that shit, talk to Harry, though. I’m sure you can get us shitfaced without too much fuss”
“Alright, alright, I’ll be kind”
They laughed, as they both knew that kind meant not kind at all. They finished the cup and went upstairs to see what the kids were up to. As they got into the room Remus saw Fleur reading a book to Dominique who was sitting on her mother’s lap on a rocking chair, and the two other kids playing together.
“Look, Teddy, like this” little Victoire said, taking the other child’s hand and guiding the doll in his hand.
“Oh, alright! I got it” replied Teddy with a little smile, listening to the younger girl.
Remus laughed, his son was totally whipped.
****
It was an early spring sunny day at the end of march and Sirius and Harry had plans to go shopping for Sirius and Harry’s suits for the ceremony. Sirius had not wanted anyone but Harry with him, he also had insisted for Remus not to come, because he wanted something special and for it to be a surprise to everyone, especially to his husband to be. He had something specific in mind and he wanted to get it exactly the way he thought. They decided to meet up in Diagon Alley in the late morning, mostly because Harry had to leave the children with Molly and Arthur as Ginny had a training session with the Harpies that morning that she could not miss; she had gone back into training just a few months before, as Lily Luna was still too young before and she had not worked until after Christmas break.
Sirius could not contain his excitement: first of all, he never thought this moment would arrive and, even if he could think of two exact people who should have been right there with him, he was happy to at least be able to get through with it with their son. He got into Diagon Alley early, but just because Remus would not stop pestering him about what he was going to do and since he could not keep a secret – only from Remus, mind you – for long, he decided that being early would be better than telling everything to Moons. He could still hear Remus shouting to him as he went out the door in his mind “You know I will find out what you’re doing, don’t you?” Sirius shivered at the thought, fortunately Harry had agreed to hide everything at his house, so Remus would not be able to find anything. He was still deep in his thought when he felt a hand on his arm, he turned around and saw Harry looking at him with a little smirk “Nervous much?”
“No, what makes you think that?” Sirius replied with a chuckle.
“Eh, you know, it’s alright. You must remember how I was before the wedding, don’t worry, it’s all going to work perfectly” Harry replied squeezing his godfather’s arm “So, where should we start?”
“Okay, I thought we could go into Madam Malkin’s first and if we don’t find anything there, we can go Twilfitt and Tatting's”
“Perfect, let’s go then”
They walked side by side for a few minutes, looking into the other shops’ windows until they reached the place they were looking for. They stayed inside for a while, a good half-hour, looking around and trying some robes on, but Sirius was not convinced by anything – neither was Harry, actually – and at a certain point he tried a black robe, very flowy, that almost ate him up, even if Madam Malkin had said “I’m sure you would look fantastically well in this” and the only comment Sirius had was “Fantastically well my ass, not even Snivvy would have worn this hideous thing” at which Harry had to bite a laugh, because he had just said it so casually.
They walked out and went to the other shop, but even there, the same thing happened. They stayed inside for about an hour and nothing seemed to look right to either of them, but as it was almost lunch time and they were quite tired, they decided to go to the Leaky Cauldron to eat something.
The pair got inside the pub and were immediately greeted by Tom, who accompanied them to a free table on the side – eleven years might have passed from the last battle, but Harry’s face was still very recognisable and if they could get some offered privacy, who were they to refuse?
As they placed their order they started talking “So, have you got any other place left where we can go?”
“No…” replied Sirius sadly “I thought I could find everything I needed here in Diagon Alley, the last time I had to buy something like this was- WAIT. I’VE GOT THE PLACE” he almost screamed excitedly at the end, smacking his hand on the table continuously.
“Where is it? And why are you so excited about it?” Harry asked, now very curious.
“It’s near the Leaky Cauldron, but it’s not in Diagon Alley, it’s a muggle shop”
“A muggle shop?”
“Yes! It’s the place where your father bought his wedding tux, he wanted to make an impression on Lily’s family and I know it’s the right place. They had magnificent suits there, I also got mine there because they were absolutely perfect”
“Okay, I’m in! Let’s see if it’s the right place again this time. Where is it precisely?”
“It’s near Covent Garden, so it should not take us more than a few minutes to get there”
Harry nodded in assent and they continued to chat until the food arrived.
“You know that this morning it was a mission to get here? When James and Minerva found out I was going to spend the day with you they would not let me go! They wanted to come so badly they solemnly swore they would not fight each other for a whole week, do you know how tempting that offer was?!” Harry laughed.
“Ha, kids! Those two will be the death of me” replied Sirius grinning.
“You know it’s just because they worship their grandfathers, you and Remus spoil them too much” said Harry with and amused tone and an arched eyebrow that was genetically inherited from Lily, almost as good as hers.
“I have no idea of what you’re talking about” was all Sirius said trying not to smile, and failing.
After they finished their dishes Sirius looked into Harry’s eyes and said “I want to show you something” with a serious, but excited voice, as if he was a kid telling his biggest secret.
“What is it?”
“You know that we already have the rings, right?” when he saw Harry nodding, he continued “Well, I might have charmed them” and he took out a little velvet black box and put it on the table “Open it and look what’s inscribed inside”
Harry took the box in his hand and opened it. Inside there were two simple wedding bands, and when he looked what was written inside each of them he said “Your moon and your star?” and then they sparked up some light. He looked at the rings, then back at Sirius, then back again at the rings and then at Sirius again, who had the biggest smirk on his face.
“What do you think?”
“Sirius, this is beautiful! How did you make it work? Does Remus know about this?”
“Well, let’s just say that the fact I was good in Charms at Hogwarts came in handy. And for Remus, no. I’m trying to surprise him”
“It’s a wonderful idea, maybe you’re cleverer than we all thought” said Harry smirking.
“Oh sod off, you. I’m still your godfather, pay some respect” Sirius pointed his index finger at Harry trying to be serious, but failed and just laughed.
They payed the check and got out into muggle London. They arrived at Covent Garden and Sirius noticed with the side of his eye a place he had forgotten about: Balthazar.
“HARRY! STOP! We need to go inside. Please, please. They make the fucking best brownies I’ve ever had in my entire life”
Harry pretended to be annoyed by his godfather antics, but when it came to sweet treats, they both knew he could not say no. They went inside and bought their brownies, ate them and then Sirius got back inside to buy a few to bring home to Remus.
He looked at his watch and saw that they were quite late. They hurried and went into the shop.
****
Remus was pacing around the bedroom. Sirius had gone away that morning and did not give him any information about where he was going, how much time he was going to be away for and with who he was.
He tried to stay calm, but he couldn’t.
Luckily Teddy was still at school, so that he could not worry his son, as he probably looked like he was out of his mind.
But he could not help it. After everything that had happened it was hard for him to be calm about these kinds of things.
Yes, of course, they were now safe and there was no more Voldemort.
But, he had lost Sirius twice, for what he thought to be forever and he would not accept to lose him for the third time, just before they got married. No, he would not allow it.
Then a tapping sound came from the window. It was an owl from Molly, with a little note attached to its claw, it said “Dear Remus, I know that you must be nervous by now as neither Harry has come back to take the kids home. But I wanted you to know he’s with Harry, so whatever it is, Sirius’s is safe, don’t worry anymore. Lots of love, Molly”
It felt as oxygen was back into his lungs. He wrote immediately a note to bring back and exhaled way more relaxed than he had been all morning. But why the fuck was Sirius so secretive about where he was and what was he going to do?!
Well, it really did not matter. What really mattered was that he was safe. Sirius was safe.
***
Sirius looked like and excited mutt, going around and looking at the suits in the shop. They had been there for the past fifteen minutes and Harry was receiving looks from the shop assistants, who were getting quite annoyed by his godfather's antics. He decided he would wait just a couple of minutes before stopping Sirius when he heard an excited voice calling him "Prongslet! Come here! Look at this"
Harry went to the spot Sirius was and in front of him there was a sleek, simple, but still elegant white suit with a very dark shirt underneath, a mixture of dark blue, almost black like the sky during a full moon, and with a dark grey undertone. Sirius's eyes were glistening with happiness, Harry knew it was the right choice and called one of the shop assistants to get the measurements.
Sirius followed him into one of the changing rooms and the man left him there. After a few minutes Harry decided to go around and try and looking for his suit, he was the best man, he had to look good too!
"Harry, come here! Tell me what you think!"
He was almost awed by the sight in front of him. The piece of clothing not only fitted Sirius perfectly, it just looked like it was made for him. His godfather had a smile that could match his name, one of the brightest he had ever seen on him, and he felt himself smiling immediately back at him and nodded.
"This is it"
"You think so?"
"I know so. Come on, Pads, look at you! You're almost crying and I swear it looks astonishingly perfect on you"
Sirius smiled even more and turned to the shop assistant "We'll take it", then went back and changed into his normal clothes.
"I can't wait to see Remus's face when he sees this"
"Well, you're lucky I agreed to keep the suits at my house, otherwise he would have found out by tonight" Harry said mocking him fondly.
"Shut up now, you. Let's see if we can find something for you to wear"
They looked around and Harry found a very deep blue suit, that would go perfectly next to Sirius's suit so he went and tried it on.
When Sirius saw him walking out of the changing room, he said without thinking "Nice one, James!" and almost immediately regretted it. He looked at Harry with a sad smile, sometimes he still had those moments when his godson looked exactly like his best friend and Harry had learned not to be preoccupied by them. He knew Sirius loved him for who he really was and if he reminded him of his father from time to time, well he was happy to be able to do that. So he just looked at Sirius with a light smiled and motioned him to hug. They hugged each other tightly and Sirius whispered "I think it's the one"
"Yes, if Dad would look good wearing it why should I not? I bet it looks even better on me" Harry said trying to make the moment lighter. Sirius laughed. It was alright.
They paid for the suits and parted, Harry going back with the suits to the Burrow to get the kids and Sirius to Remus, home.
***
"Okay kids, hold on tight now", Sirius looked at his right and at his left, making sure everyone had their hands intertwined. He had Lily at his right hand, followed by Albus, Rose, Victoire and James, and Hugo at his left one, followed by Minnie, Dominique and Teddy. Little Louis was sitted on Sirius' shoulders, laughing and holding on tight with his small hands on top of Sirius' head. "Ready? Three, two, one", the group disappareted and apparated in Hogsmeade, right in front of a quaint cottage. "That was the coolest thing ever", James jumped up and down and Sirius laughed, while checking if everyone was alright. "Are you all ok cubs?", the kids answered with a big cheer and Sirius laughed again, tickling Louis that was still on his shoulders. "Can we do it again? Please Grandadfoot", Minnie pouted, the other children yelled a loud "yes" and Sirius was almost tempted to let them convince him. "Listen cubs, I'll come and pick you up later and we'll do it again, promise", Sirius started walking towards the cottage, everyone still diligently holding hands and following him.
He knocked on the door and the person who opened the door wasn't at all who he expected. "Madam Pomfrey?", Sirius almost laughed, because it made so much sense. He scoffed at himself for not having figured it out earlier. "Good evening Sirius, Minerva they're here", she had a kind smile on her face, moving aside to let the kids and Sirius in. "Mr Black", Minerva McGonagall appeared from behind the walls of the living room. "You're literally saving my life Minerva", Sirius let go of the kids, finally placing Louis on the ground. Minnie went directly to the old woman, tugging at her shirt and wanting to be picked up. Minerva smiled fondly, caressing her on the head. "Yes, actually they're all well behaved children, maybe Poppy and I will just tell some stories about how their parents at school, won't we dear?", Poppy laughed and nodded, sitting on the couch with Rose and Albus at her sides. The kids cheered and Sirius smiled, making his recommendations once more. Minerva walked him to the door. "You could've told me, you know", Sirius' tone wasn't angry or disappointed, just genuinely curious. "I know, my boy. It's been like this for some years now", she smiled and the look in her eyes was one of the sweetest Sirius had ever seen on her. "I am so happy for you, you deserve this Minnie", Sirius held her hand in both of his and she smiled again. "Now go, it's late. Say hi to everyone on mine and Poppy's behalf", Minerva squeezed his hand and then let go.
"Oh, another thing Sirius. They can sleep here, come and pick them up tomorrow morning", Sirius wants to kiss her on the spot. "I am convinced you're an actual angel Minnie", Sirius stepped back, ready to disapparate. Minerva rolled her eyes and watched as Sirius disappeared.
"About time you came back, everyone has already arrived", as soon as Sirius apparated into their bedroom Remus was there, standing with a raised eyebrow. "Darling you don't know what I found out", Sirius smiled and sat on the bed. Remus raised his eyebrow even higher and crossed his arms. "Minnie and Poppy are dating, living together actually", Sirius couldn't stop himself from smiling. Remus' face softened and he scoffed, sitting on the bed beside his soon-to-be husband. "I don't know how to break it to you, dear, but it's been literal years, I already knew it", Remus laughed and kissed Sirius on the temple. "I hate you so very much", Sirius sighed and Remus' deep laugh filled the room again. "C'mon dear, it's out party after all", Remus winked and took Sirius' hand, lifting him up from the bed. "You look so good tonight I'm not sure I want to leave the bedroom yet", Sirius kind of whined and Remus rolled his eyes, disapparating them both downstairs.
They apparated hand in hand in the living room and were greeted by a round of applause and cheers. Remus had a smug look on his face and he squeezed Sirius' hand. Sirius' cheeks were pink and he seemed uncharacteristically shy, although he had a soft smile plastered on his face that didn't seem to want to go away.
Everyone was there: Harry and Ginny, Ron and Hermione, the Weasleys, George and Angelina, Bill and Fleur, Kingsley and even Hagrid. Sirius felt overwhelmed with love, already feeling his eyes getting wet. "Can I just say", Harry started talking and the applause died down immediately. "You two look incredible tonight, you're glowing", Harry smiled big and for a second Sirius saw James in his godson. Remus laughed out loud, placing his hand on the small of Sirius' back.
Sirius was unable to answer, fearing that he would start crying if he opened his mouth, so he opened his arms and Harry cheered, stepping forward and letting himself be held. Remus put his arms around them both immediately, holding them firmly and placing his chin on top of Sirius' head. "Dads you're suffocating me", Harry breathed deeply and everyone started laughing. "Sorry love", Remus laughed and let go, stepping back and leaving room for Sirius to hold Harry's face for a couple of seconds. They looked at each other and without saying a word they both knew how proud they were of each other for how far they'd come. "Well enough sappiness for now please, let's get this party started", Sirius flicked his wrist and music started playing.
An hour later Sirius was drinking the sixth glass of wine of the evening. He was feeling light headed, searching around the room for Remus. It was something he had always done ever since becoming friends with him. Sirius simply gravitated towards Remus. He found him standing in a corner talking about something with Arthur Weasley, so he just sat on the couch beside Molly. Sirius and Molly had had their divergences in the past, especially the year Sirius had died. Luckily they went past it and they were now chatting like a couple of old friends. "My God that's so annoying. Remus' biggest flaw is without a doubt the fact that he leaves all his clothes around for me to pick up when I do the laundry, which he absolutely never does. We have a dirty clothes basket is it really that difficult to use it? I truly don't understand", Sirius was absolutely unhinged, hair up in a bun and all caught in a gossipy conversation with Molly about their husbands. "Lord, mine does that too. We should just do the same and let them go around the house to find were we've put our dirty clothes", Molly had a glass of red wine in one hand and she moved the other one around, like she was trying to prove her point harder. Remus and Arthur had stopped talking a while before, now just standing metres away and laughing at their spouses' conversation.
Suddenly Sirius stood up straight looking around the room. Queen's Killer Queen was playing in the background and he immediately walked towards Remus. Remus rolled his eyes at Sirius' lip sync but he couldn't help but smile when he started dancing around him with a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon girls", Sirius took Hermione and Ginny by their hands and then grabbed Angelina too, leading the three women to the centre of the living room. "I am so drunk", Ginny laughed and jumped around, while Hermione laughed and Angelina spun Sirius around. "You're not the only one", Angelina pointed at Sirius with her finger and he stuck out his tongue. "I'm about to get married girls, I am entitled to some drunk shenanigans", the four of them laughed and continued dancing together for a while, even though their song was long over.
It was getting pretty late and more or less everyone was drunk. Sirius had the brilliant idea of playing that dumb never have I ever game, but he added a specific rule that was the fact that every thing they said had to be Hogwarts related. A bunch of 30 to 50 years old playing a stupid drinking game sat in a circle on the floor. Absolutely ridiculous. James and Lily would've loved it. Sirius couldn't help but think about them once in a while, especially when he was drunk. The sound of something hitting on glass brought him back to reality. It was Remus, who was now standing on a chair, clearly not as drunk as everyone else in the room. "Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Thank you for being here tonight, for always standing by our side through the years", he looked intensely at Harry, Hermione and Ron, maybe thinking about their third year at Hogwarts. "It's been an awfully good night. Maybe you all should've drank less but that's hardly my business", everyone laughed, Sirius included. "Last but not least I want to thank my soon-to-be husband, I can't wait to make it official", Sirius had teary eyes and stepped closer, helping Remus get down from the chair. They kissed lightly on the lips and everyone cheered again before beginning to pick up their things and say goodnight.
"My God, my head feels like it's been run over with a truck repeatedly", Sirius sighed and began to tidy up the kitchen with the use of his wand of course. "Go to bed, I'll be up in a minute", Remus took the wand from Sirius' hand and used it to finish tidying up as Sirius got upstairs. Using the other one's wand after almost forty years of doing so was almost beginning to feel as right as using their own wand. Remus filled a glass with water and lemon juice and turned all the lights off, remembering for a moment the long-gone times in their first scrappy flat after their seventh year and all the protection charms they had to use to feel safe enough to sleep at night. He reached the bedroom and all those thoughts disappeared immediately upon seeing his Sirius draped across the bed, arm on his eyes. "I brought something for your stomach dear", Remus sat beside Sirius' head. Sirius got up and drank, pulling a disgusted face and laying down again. Remus placed the empty glass on his nightstand and fixated his gaze on Tonks' smiley picture. Her hair was purple and she was laughing and sticking her tongue out at the camera. Remus suddenly felt a pang of pain in his stomach and he had to suppress the need to lie down on the floor and cry. After a moment he felt Sirius' strong arms wrapping around his middle and his legs beside his own. Sirius rested his cheek in the middle of Remus' back and kissed him there, soft and sweet. "I am so sure she's proud of you like you're proud of her, stop blaming yourself and stop feeling guilty Moons", Sirius' voice was firm but also warm like a thick blanket in which Remus would've very much liked to be wrapped. "Come here", they moved and Remus put his head on Sirius' chest while Sirius' arm was around his shoulders. "I hope you know how much I love you", Remus kissed him on the neck and then closed his eyes, breathing in the scent of his Sirius. "And I hope you know I love you as much", Sirius sighed and relaxed, leaving a kiss on Remus' forehead.
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