Chapter 3
Despite the fact that both brothers woke up earlier than they had in a while, they were both wide awake on the car ride to wherever they were going. It felt like they were being led to a trap, and they didn’t know how long it would take for them to fully succumb to it either. There were multiple times when Sirius thought that the social worker was going to turn into a neighborhood, and that would be the end of it- the end of the small amount of safety that came with staying with the social worker, the end of Sirius and Regulus getting to stay together, and probably the end of the world (or at least theirs).
Sirius hadn’t even considered the possibility that this placement might be different, might be loving and nurturing for the both of them. It seems so obscure that Reggie and him could one day be living in a home that provided them with what both of them so desperately craved from a parental figure- love. They really hadn’t had that since Andromeda left, and at the time, Andromeda was still a kid herself. Now, she has a family of her own. Going to live with her would be a dream come true, but the social workers weren’t able to find Andromeda’s contact information. Sirius knew she was alive and well, but otherwise, she had disappeared from any kind of police radar.
Regulus kept glancing towards Sirius, and Sirius would send him a small smile each time. Otherwise, the car ride was quiet. The quiet only made the fact that the car was now parking in front of a brown-bricked house that much scarier.
The house in front of them was big, not quite as big as 12 Grimmauld Place, but big enough that the brothers knew the family that lived there had money. Sirius hoped they weren’t old money. Old money meant the same social galas with the same old money people that Sirius never wanted to see again.
The grass on almost every lawn beside the house was freshly mowed, but it looked like the house owners of the house in front of them had gone a little lax with their yard trimmings. Of course, it was nothing obscene, but the grass was just a little higher than should be average.
“They have a son about y’alls age, you know?” The social worker said. And all Sirius wanted to say was no, we don’t know shit because you didn’t bother to tell us anything about these people before we got here.
“I’m going to be so honest,” Regulus said. “I don’t think you’ve done anything your job actually entails, so no, we did not know they had a son about our age. We know nothing about this family, if they’ve had other placements, if they currently have other foster kids living with them, what school their son attends to know what school we would attend, literally anything.”
Sirius wanted to look shocked, but he couldn’t hide the smug expression on his face even if he’d taken acting lessons for the past 12 years of his life. However, the social worker definitely looked shocked. “W-well, I gave you two a second chance. You should be more grateful that you get to be together.”
At that moment, a boy with wonky glasses and wild hair came out with a crooked smile. Some might think that those features would lead to him looking just a little goofy, but in reality, everything just worked together to make him look objectively pretty. “Hi! Sorry, I know you’re probably talking about something important out here, but I’ve been watching the window all day to wait for you to arrive, even though mom said that that might overwhelm you guys. I just was really excited ‘cause I’ve never had brothers before, not that I would expect you guys to think of me as your brother, just that, maybe we could be friends and hang out sometimes like brothers do. You’re both probably so weirded out right now. Sorry I’ll just let you in now.”
Sirius snorted and couldn’t stifle the giggle that came afterward. “I think we’re gonna be okay, despite the fact that you gave us no information about anything, huh Reggie?” Both brothers looked at each other then back at the social worker, just so done with him.
“Hold on one second, even if you two are eager to get rid of me, I must go in with you until I can locate Mr and Mrs. Potter.”
“I’m sure the young Mr. Potter in front of us can find his parents and bring them out here just fine,” Regulus looked at the boy in front of him expectantly.
“Oh yeah for sure,” as he ran back inside, he turned over his shoulder and said, “My name is James by the way.”
“Thanks James!” Sirius exclaimed. “At least James is capable of telling us his name,” Sirius muttered under his breath.
Regulus smiled just a little brighter at that, and Sirius felt more than satisfied.
Despite the fact that they hadn’t met Mr and Mrs Potter, Sirius couldn’t help but assume that they might be just like James, and that lifted such a huge weight off of his chest. Regulus’s too. It was going to be odd feeling safe around an adult again. An adult that was actually a parent’s age. Neither of them had felt safe around an adult since they had stayed at Alphard’s that one time while their parents were on a business trip. Unfortunately, the brothers lost him to alcoholism just a year back after he lost his partner.
They could only hope the Potters were half as safe as Alphard made them feel when they were with them. It was no secret that Alphard hadn’t had a good childhood either, but he was able to rise above that and stop the cycle like neither of their parents had.
As Sirius lost himself in memories of Alphard, a woman and a man that had the brightest smiles exited the front door of their home. Sirius didn’t know why they were standing so far away still, not when he just wanted to go up there and live in the warmth the family exuded.
The man looked almost exactly the same as his son with his crooked facial features, dark skin, and wild hair. Grays were poking out among the dark brown of the mop on his head as was same for the woman.
She looked like a mom. She wasn’t a mother. In Regulus and Sirius’s experience, a mother was cold and calculated, dark and conniving, but they had never had a mom before. The woman was a mom, through and through.
“Please, please, everyone come inside. Don’t stand so far away from us; I promise we won’t bite. James grew out of that phase about a year ago, right beta?”
“Mom, stop telling people that,” James’s cheeks flushed bright red at the comment, but the Black brothers were witnessing something they had never seen before. Not from any of the families their parents deemed acceptable. “I swear I haven’t bitten anyone in years. Mom just has a really weird sense of humor.” His mom wrapped James in a hug and kissed the hair on top of his head.
“Ok James,” Regulus said, “lead the way.”
The social worker followed the boys in looking more confused than ever. He had never dropped someone off at a placement like this. He sighed. “First time for everything, I guess.”