A playdate well remembered
After the infamous marriage proposal, a few years had passed. Severus was now five, Regulus was four, and Sirius—Severus’ age companion—remained as cranky as ever. Cranky might even be an understatement. The boy was a walking storm cloud.
Playdates had become routine. Severus wasn’t naive; he knew why. The adults wanted him and Regulus to bond, fall in love, and then—wham—marriage. It was all so predictable, so painfully transparent.
Oh, and Severus’ cat had died recently. That had been a saga. He bawled his eyes out, thrashed around, and refused to eat for days (well, hours) until his parents gave in and held a funeral. A real one. It hadn’t brought his cat back, but at least he got to say goodbye.
Today was yet another dreaded playdate at Grimmauld Place. Don’t get Severus wrong—he liked Regulus well enough. Sirius was another story. He was rarely around, which Severus considered a blessing. But there was one problem: Kreacher.
Kreacher, the Blacks’ house-elf, was a walking nightmare. Grim. Miserable. Downright creepy. He was like a mirror of Grimmauld Place itself—a dark, brooding mansion with endless rooms and a suffocating atmosphere. What was it with rich people and their depressing black homes? Even Severus’ own house wasn’t much better.
---
Back at home, Mimzy, Severus’ own house-elf, was getting him ready for the day. Severus hated it. Mimzy yapped constantly, fussing over his appearance. But Severus had to admit, grudgingly, that he was an adorable toddler. When Mimzy said so, he’d grin and feel his ego inflate.
He’d learned to walk and talk, much to his parents’ delight, and had quickly realized he could use those skills to make demands. They were whipped.
Today, Mimzy had promised to pick something cute for him to wear. Severus wasn’t sure if he should trust her. It was February, and Mimzy, disheartened by the cold weather, couldn’t make him wear a teabag as she once joked. He could only pray for something normal.
The outfit was...tolerable. A white sweater with little strawberries embroidered on it paired with white pants that had frills at the ends. Frills everywhere. Did no outfit escape their curse?
Then Mimzy handed him a cloak:
The pristine white fabric was soft and smooth, draping elegantly to his knees. A fur-lined hood added warmth, while intricate embroidery of pink blossoms and light blue fans adorned the hem. A satin ribbon tied neatly at the neck, completing the look.
Severus sighed. The cloak was a bit too big, but at least he wasn’t a walking teabag. Mimzy finished the ensemble with white earmuffs and gloves, much to his parents’ overprotective delight.
With white boots on his feet, Severus was ready. He ran off to find his parents, Mimzy trailing behind him.
---
In Regulus’ room, Sirius sat cross-legged on the floor, glaring at them. He wore black, just like Regulus, and they blended into the dark walls of Grimmauld Place like shadows.
Regulus handed Severus a black block. "What should we do with it?"
"Let’s make a tower," Regulus suggested, his tone bright.
"Oh please," Sirius scoffed. "Stacking blocks? That’s for babies."
"We are kids," Regulus said, clearly confused.
"Shut up, Reggie. We should do something fun, like hit Kreacher with a frying pan," Sirius retorted with a wicked grin.
"That’s not very nice," Severus said firmly. He didn’t like Kreacher, but throwing frying pans at him seemed excessive.
"Party poopers," Sirius muttered.
Regulus suddenly perked up. "Let’s play hide and seek!"
Sirius thought for a moment before nodding. "Fine. But I’m not counting."
"Neither am I!" Regulus added.
"Fine, I’ll do it," Severus huffed. Turning to the wall, he covered his eyes with mittened hands. "One minute to hide!"
"Remember, the top floor and the room of mother and father aren't included!" Sirius called out, Before running off.
Severus understood the parents room, But the Top floor being off limits was a bit strange. Oh well.
As he counted, Severus couldn’t help but groan internally. Grimmauld Place was enormous, and with the top floor and parents’ room off-limits, that still left an overwhelming number of hiding spots.
After checking Regulus’ room, Sirius’ room, and even the kitchen (where Kreacher glared at him), Severus headed to the garden. It was obnoxiously large, with frost-covered plants and an empty fountain.
Finally, he spotted Regulus’ curly hair peeking over the edge of the fountain. "Found you!"
Regulus pouted, his curls bouncing as he moved. "Did you find Sirius already?"
"Nope. You’re first!" Severus grinned.
Together, they searched for Sirius, eventually finding him stuffed in a closet in a third-floor guest room.
---
Back in Regulus’ room, the trio decided to raid the kitchen. They snuck past Kreacher and pilfered chocolate, retreating to the warmth of a heater Sirius had proudly turned on.
Orion had placed heaters around the house, Since the children were too small to do magic, And Walburga did not want her house burned down because Sirius attempted to do a warming charm.
"You know, we should’ve just eaten fruit," Regulus remarked, though he held the largest piece of chocolate.
"I hate fruit," Sirius retorted.
"We shouldn’t dirty our clothes or the room, or else—" Severus began, but the Black brothers cut him off with a loud, synchronized "We know!"
The day ended in chaos. They wrecked a guest room, fed parchment to the garden birds (was that animal cruelty?), and argued over who was the fastest runner. By the time Severus’ parents arrived, he was exhausted but happy.
---
Back at Home
Later that night, tucked into bed, Severus yawned as his mother leaned over him.
"How’s Regulus?" Eileen asked.
"Fine," Severus mumbled sleepily.
Eileen nodded, brushing his hair back. "Goodnight, love."
As the door clicked shut, Severus sighed. Despite the chaos, the frills, and Sirius’ antics, today had been...fun.
***
A/N : I beg, And I beg, Tell me, What should Sirius' fate be!? I have been prewriting chapters, and am sooooo stuck! Should he even be in Gryffindor? Should he be disowned? Should he not? What to doooo 😭 same with andromenda, I just don't know! I don't want anyone to be disappointed, So please do try and leave your opinions on it. I'd hate to do something that you guys wouldn't like, or think the story would be ruined by it.