Chapter 5
Number Twelve Grimmauld Place (Cont'd)
Alexis sat across from Remus and Sirius, who were both sipping their tea and speaking to one another in hushed tones about something to do with an order. After Remus had introduced himself moments earlier as her father’s friend, who lived with him at Grimmauld, he had joined them for tea in the kitchen. She observed Sirius and Remus’ interaction closely, noticing how they angled their bodies toward one another in the wooden chairs, the shared smiles that passed between them, and the not-so-discreet brush of her father’s hand across Remus’ hand. Were they partners, she wondered?
She studied Remus a little longer, and as she stirred her doctored tea with a spoon, she started putting two and two together. The long scars on his face and the noticeable ones on his hands that peeked out from under his cardigan sleeve, along with Kreacher’s cruel remarks about being a half-breed, made it clear: Remus was definitely a werewolf.
Shifting in her seat at the kitchen table, she let that revelation process through her mind. Her initial feelings were not what she had expected. She thought she would be nervous and slightly horrified, but as she continued glancing his way, all she saw was a man in his late thirties sitting next to her father, who had a kind smile and a calming demeanor. He might transform into a werewolf one night of the month, but that did not mean his humanity was lost for all the other phases of the moon.
She brought the cup of tea to her lips and took a long sip, letting the soothing liquid warm her insides as she decided whether to interrupt their quiet conversation. Was there etiquette she should follow? Probably saying something like, ‘Hey, I know you’re a werewolf, and that’s cool with me,’ would not be ideal. Perhaps it was best to avoid mentioning that she had figured out Remus was a werewolf for now, especially since this was the first time meeting him. Besides, it was his secret, not hers. If he wanted to divulge to his friend’s daughter that he was a werewolf, that was his decision. Taking that away from him probably wasn’t right anyway.
Before she could speak, Remus and Sirius stopped their conversation and looked over at her.
Remus smiled as he grabbed a cinnamon chip cookie, the same warm smile he had greeted her with earlier, and set the cookie on a napkin in front of him. “Tell me, Alexis, how were your travels across the Atlantic?”
“It was quick,” she said, her gaze moving to Sirius, who had leaned back in his chair and taken a large gulp of his steaming tea as he looked at her with a lopsided grin. “Used the Portkey that Sirius sent over.” She lifted her hand to show Remus the silver bracelet still hanging around her wrist. Why hadn’t she removed it yet?
"Have you traveled internationally by Portkey before?" Remus asked.
She shrugged her shoulders as she lowered her arm. “I’ve traveled a few times internationally, but the feeling of nausea never gets any better.”
He nodded in understanding. “Yes, I would agree that it is an uneasy mode of travel, but more efficient than Muggle airplanes.”
Sirius ran a hand through his messy locks as he spoke next. “I never used one. Growing up, the only time my family traveled internationally was to our various homes across the continent. They were all set up within the International Floo Network, so we never had to use Portkeys.”
Alexis looked at Sirius and raised a brow. “I’m sorry, did you say various homes? Like homes plural?” She glanced at Remus and gestured to her father with her hand. “He said homes, right?”
Remus shook his head and chuckled at the same time that Sirius let out a bark of laughter.
“Yes, love, homes plural.” Sirius sighed as he set his cup down. "There are Grimmauld Place, Black Manor, a townhome in Paris, a summer house in Provence, and two London flats.”
She stopped herself mid-reach for a cookie. “That’s… that’s ridiculous.” A look of shock crossed over her face. “Who needs that many homes? My lawyer said the Blacks were wealthy, but perhaps I underestimated how wealthy.” She finished taking the cookie off the tray and took a quick bite.
Sirius played with the silver rings on his fingers as he shrugged. “When your family has survived for hundreds of years, they tend to amass great wealth.”
“Is there a reason why you live here at Grimmauld and not at Black Manor, then?” she asked after swallowing her bite of cookie. “I mean, I am completely okay with living here at Grimmauld if I'm being honest—it reminds me of the brownstone back home.”
He hesitated for a moment before answering. “Black Manor is the Black ancestral home, but it was occupied by my grandfather Pollux and his family for years until his death a few years ago. I have no desire to live there. Neither does Moony.”
The name ‘Moony’ was familiar, but why? Then she remembered that her father mentioned ‘Moony’ while they were in the library. Remus rolled his eyes, and she realized that he was ‘Moony.’ Interesting that he had an opinion on where Sirius and he lived. That only solidified in her mind that her father and Remus were together as a couple.
She thought more about the name, and then it hit her—'Moony' because of the full moon. She wanted to groan at the cringe-worthiness of it all, yet when she glanced between them again, she had to admit the nickname was pretty genius.
“Padfoot, you know that I don’t care where we live,” Remus said, tugging at the sleeve of his cardigan with a hint of exasperation.
At that moment, Tippy came over with a basket filled with double chocolate chip scones and magically floated it onto the wooden surface of the table. Remus’ eyes lit up at the chocolate pastries, and he thanked her house-elf.
Alexis interrupted them before Sirius could comment. “Padfoot? Moony? Are those nicknames for one another? Like pet names? Terms of endearment?” The corner of her mouth lifted in a subtle smirk as she leaned forward, resting her arms on the table.
Both Sirius and Remus’ eyes widened at her insinuation, but Remus spoke up before her father could answer. “They are childhood nicknames that we gave one another a long time ago during our Fifth Year. Stuck ever since.”
She regarded Remus’ quick answer, looking between them. She wondered how her father got ‘Padfoot’ as a nickname. “I get that. My friends and I have nicknames for one another.”
Her friends. She missed her friends already, and it had not even been a full day since she left. Her closest friends had thrown her a going-away party, promising that they would visit her in England and that she would return home to the U.S. for visits. However, she knew those were just the kind of promises people made when saying goodbye—often unlikely to be kept. Sure, there would be owls sent back and forth, but the Owl Post would take time. She could try to find a No-maj phone and call them, but finding a phone would be nearly impossible once at Hogwarts.
Sirius must have sensed her shift in demeanor as he quickly changed the subject. “So, Alexis, any activities that you are particularly fond of? What classes were you taking at Ilvermorny? Moony made me read up about your wizarding school before your arrival.” Remus rolled his eyes at taking the blame for making him read about her school, which brought a smile back to her face.
“At Ilvermorny, I was a part of the dueling club and took ballet classes. I also really enjoy flying, though I’m not a fan of playing Quidditch.” Sirius’ eyes lit up when she mentioned flying. “And I took the usual core classes—Charms, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Magical History of North America, and Herbology. And then a couple of electives, Magical Linguistics and Basic Healing.”
Sirius looked at her, amazed. “Bloody hell, you definitely got your smarts from your mother.”
Remus’ brow quirked up at the mention of her Basic Healing course. “Healing? That’s quite impressive. Do you want to become a Healer?”
“I don’t know, honestly—just thought learning the basics of healing would be beneficial. Never know when you might get into a scrape.” Alexis rested her chin in her hand, her elbow leaning on the table. “Are the classes at Hogwarts similar to those at Ilvermorny?”
Sirius picked up the teapot and refilled everyone’s cups. He pushed the sugar bowl across the table to her. “Remus was a professor at Hogwarts a couple years ago. He knows all about the curriculum.”
Remus being a professor suited him, she thought. He exuded a calm demeanor, which must be beneficial when tolerating rowdy students, and she could tell he was insightful. “What subject did you teach?” she asked.
“Well…” Remus nodded in thanks to Sirius as he lifted his freshly filled cup to his lips, gently blowing on it to cool it down. “I taught Defense Against the Dark Arts.” Alexis sent him an impressed look as she added sugar to her tea. Everyone’s favorite subject was DADA. She assumed he was a well-liked professor. “And your core classes are, for the most part, the same as Hogwarts. The difference is in electives—though there is some crossover, there are a few more subjects that are unique to Ilvermorny, such as Native & Foreign Magics and Creative Arts.”
Before Alexis could stir her tea, Sirius waved his hand and enchanted her spoon to stir itself. “Thanks,” she said to him and then looked back to Remus, who had taken a double chocolate chip scone from the basket. She found it odd that Hogwarts did not teach those two subjects, especially Foreign Magics. “Has the curriculum changed at all at Hogwarts over the years?”
“Besides adding Muggle Studies at some point, not really.”
Sirius reached for the sugar and added two heaping scoops to his cup. “When Harry arrives in August, he can fill you in on the classes he’ll be taking this year. You and he are the same Year. He’s also an avid flyer. Did you bring a broom?”
Before she could answer, Coal, her British Shorthair, wandered into the basement kitchen. The grey cat brushed against her legs and then leapt onto the table, carefully avoiding the cups, pastries, and plates. He sat perfectly still on his hind legs and stared intently at Sirius and Remus, tilting his head from side to side before letting out a loud meow as if trying to communicate with them. Remus looked a little uneasy, but Sirius just smirked.
Lifting Coal from the table, Alexis gently held him to her chest, her cheeks flushed from embarrassment at her cat’s behavior. “Sorry about that. I’ll ensure he doesn’t jump on tables or surfaces.”
Sirius waved off her apology. “Cats have a will of their own. You or I could tell him to stay off the table repeatedly, but he would still jump back onto it if that’s what he wants.”
She looked at her father appreciatively. “Thanks for understanding. I know you didn’t sign up for a cat.” She set Coal down on the stone floor.
“Alexis, love, you’re my daughter. You could come with an entire menagerie of animals, and I would welcome them all.” It looked like he wanted to reach out and pat her arm, but he refrained. His kind words helped cull the anxiety she felt about bringing Coal with her.
She settled back into her chair and reached for her cup. “Returning to your earlier questions before Coal so kindly interrupted us, I did bring my Firebolt. My mom gifted it to me for my birthday last year.” She brushed her long hair over her shoulder. “As for Harry, I suppose it’ll be nice to meet him and have someone to talk to about Hogwarts. Does he live far from London?” she asked. “It must be nice that his parents let him visit.” Her tone was slightly strained when she mentioned Harry, likely because Sirius seemed to beam whenever he spoke of his godson.
It was as if she had doused freezing water over both Sirius and Remus. Their expressions immediately sobered, and their backs stiffened in their chairs. She was not sure what she had said to make the atmosphere change, but she assumed it had something to do with Harry.
Sirius steepled his fingers and pressed them to his mouth, the afternoon sun filtering through the kitchen window glinted against the silver of his rings. Remus looked at her father encouragingly. “James and Lily Potter—Harry's parents—were some of our closest friends during our Hogwarts years, and when we were immediately thrust into war after graduation, we all remained each other’s chosen family. When Harry was born, I was named his godfather as James…” he paused for a moment, rubbing his jaw. "Remember in the drawing room earlier, I mentioned that I had run away from home?” Alexis nodded as she remembered that conversation. “Well, James was there to take me in. He and his parents became my family. James and I were like brothers in all but blood.”
“I’m unsure how much you know about the war—” Remus started.
“Barely any,” she said over him. “But Sirius kind of filled me in about the Dark Wizard and his Death Eaters.”
Remus nodded slowly. “Alright, well, the Dark Wizard, who called himself Voldemort, obtained a partial prophecy during the war that a baby born the same month and year as Harry had the power to defeat him.” His voice had an undercurrent of sadness. And it was as if she could see the writing on the wall. This story did not end happily. “Harry’s parents sacrificed themselves and died protecting him against Voldemort when he was a little over a year old.”
Sirius gazed sadly at a spot on the wall behind her. “It brought an end to the war, with Voldemort thought to have been defeated by Lily’s sacrifice and Harry living despite the attempt on his life. But that evening, we lost family, and Harry lost his parents, and I—” It seemed like he was about to say more, but he clenched his mouth shut. Remus reached out and took hold of Sirius’ hand.
The kitchen space remained silent as Alexis processed her father and Remus’ words. Her tea had gone cold, but she had not noticed until she took a gulp and grimaced. She had lost her mother, but at least she had memories—good memories, years' worth of memories with her. Harry had nothing. Any tinges of envy that she had initially felt toward him evaporated immediately.
Something Sirius said had caught her attention. “Thought to have been defeated? What does that mean?” she asked perceptively.
It appeared as though Remus was going to answer, his body leaning forward, but a look of deep concern washed over Sirius’ expression, and he shook his head. “No, Moony. We need to give her some time to acclimate to her new home and familiarize herself with London and Wizarding Britain before we dump—”
“Sirius—” Remus insisted.
But her father cut Remus off. “I just got my daughter back. Let me protect her, if only for a short period of time.” His tone was one of finality.
Remus sighed but said nothing more as he crossed his long legs under the table and let go of Sirius’ hand, running his scarred digits through his messy hair.
Confusion settled into Alexis as she glanced between the two men. Her first thought was that this Voldemort character might not have been defeated, yet she knew that Wizarding Britain was at peace. Something did not add up. And although Sirius’ strong words of protection surprised her in a good way, she could not help but wonder what she needed protection from. Curiosity tempted her to press her father for answers, but she had only met him about an hour ago. She hardly knew him, let alone how he might react to her insistence, so she chose to set her questions aside for now.