There was something off about the child there was no doubt. It was maybe the way her ears were too pointed, her teeth too sharp, or the way her eyes always seemed to glow with hidden mischief. Immediately both men became attached. She had a stubborn set to her jaw and tilted her chin defiantly when the old professor curled his fingers around her shoulder to keep her clasped in place. Dumbledore's eyes glittered much like hers - all jagged and cunning. Sirius spared a moment to wonder what game he might be playing at but Remus only had eyes for the little girl drowning in hand-me-downs and clutching an overstuffed bag. He smiled cautiously and crouched to her level - offering a tentative hand for her to shake. She eyed it suspiciously.
"I'm Remus." She reached out and traced a jagged scar that ran from his thumb to his forefinger.
"How'd you get that?" She asked.
"A silly prank gone wrong." He said it softly and Sirius remembered the shattering of glass from a mistimed dung bomb and Remus tripping in their haste to flee the scene. It wasn't a fond memory but it wasn't a bad one either - a far nicer backstory than some of the other scars the inquisitive child could have asked about. She stared hard at the raised tissue and then tilted her head to search Remus' eyes. He kept his gaze open and calm - letting the girl catalogue his features with open but non-judgemental scrutiny. Whatever she had found seemed to be enough for her and she held her hand in his to shake.
"I'm Ginevra but I think I prefer Ginny." She didn't sound quite sure about her last statement. Sirius felt uneasy at the tentativeness of the nickname. It felt almost as if she were waiting to be berated or made fun of.
"Nice to meet you Ginny. I'm Sirius and if you want to we can go inside and you can put your bag down." He wasn't sure how much the kid knew about what was happening. She seemed smart though if the way she was staring almost mournfully past him into the house was anything to go by. Sirius heard Remus' knees creak as he stood up and had to resist the urge to tease him for being old. Ginny still hadn't let go of his hand however and Sirius could feel his heart softening at the awe in Remus' eyes as he gently cradled her tiny palm.
Dumbledore cleared his throat and Ginny tensed. Whatever instinct the child had about the old wizard Sirius was inclined to trust. He'd never been too fond of the codger but he'd tolerated the man for the sake of his friends. Already he felt protective over the kid and could almost laugh at himself for spotting the likeness. Instead he bared his teeth in a practiced placating smile. Dumbledore took that as an invitation. "Thank you both for agreeing to take her on such short notice. It's been a difficult time for the Weasleys and this decision was not made lightly or without pain. I trust that she's in capable hands now - especially with Lily and James taking so quick to parenthood. I'm sure they're eager to visit soon." His eyes twinkled and Sirius felt his brows furrow. He was up to something but he couldn't figure out what. Remus was too preoccupied with Ginny who was practically leaning against his legs in an attempt to move further away from Dumbledore. Her body language said enough and Sirius was all too keen to dismiss his old professor.
"We'll get in touch if we need anything. I'm sure Ginny will let us know if we're lacking." He attempted a teasing smile but was met with two sets of impassive eyes - both equally perturbing. Remus gave Ginny's hand a gentle squeeze and smiled comfortingly to ease over Sirius' dismissal.
"We'll be sure to update you regularly and if you, or her other family, feel the need to check in on her I'm sure arrangements can be made." Dumbledore nodded his acquiescence to Remus before fixing Ginny with a grandfatherly look. Unfortunately for Dumbledore, Sirius' grandfather had been an angry opioid addict so the look had never really worked on him. However the kid seemed to fall under it the same way Remus and James had.
"I'll see you at some point Ginevra. Remus and Sirius will take good care of you - they'll be your new family now." Her brow creased at that and her lips turned downwards. Sirius was suddenly overcome by memories of his own family's rejection and longed to reach out for both Remus and the girl. Dumbledore either didn't notice or didn't think it was his problem anymore. He gave them all one last look before tipping his cap and turning to walk beyond the ward boundaries.
His departure lifted a weight off of Sirius' chest and it seemed the same for Ginny. Her shoulders dropped and she moved away from Remus - pulling her bag strap more securely over her shoulder. Sirius could see the walls going up. Apparently Remus could too as he nodded his head towards the backdoor and started moving in the direction of the kitchen.
"Would you like a cup of tea Ginny?" As well meaning as the question was, the girl seemed to struggle formulating a response. Sirius could feel the frustration and panic rising within her and became keenly aware of accidental magic mishaps. From his own time adjusting he remembered being paralysed by indecision at even the most simple questions from the Potters.
"Three camomile teas sounds good right about now, doesn't it?" He purposefully didn't direct the question at Ginny but still gave her the option to opt-out if she wished. Being presented an option was so much easier than trying to verbalise one and it seemed to work. She bobbed her head and followed the two through their back door into the long kitchen. With a wave of his wand Remus set in motion the tea and directed Ginny to take a seat. She did so but uncomfortably perched on a little wooden stool at the end nearest the door. Sirius could understand wanting a quick escape so made for a chair on the other side to help her relax.
He sighed heavily and ran a hand through his hair as she clutched tighter to her bag - too scared to put it down. He didn't think there was a timid bone in the girl's body, but all of her earlier defiance seemed to have drained away with Dumbledore's departure. Now all that was left was a confused little girl forced to make a very big life adjustment.
"Ginny," Remus started softly, also sinking down into a chair whilst the kettle whistled behind him, "what do you know about why you're here?" Sirius could see her clenched fists spot white as she registered the question. Remus had chosen to sit between them - probably not wanting to be too close to Ginny and spook her, but also not wanting to come off as interrogating her.
"You're my new family." She said it firmly like a practiced mantra.
"Only if you want us to be." Sirius reassured her. "We can just be your friends if you'd prefer." She seemed to relax minutely at that. Or at least the grip on her shoulder strap loosened.
"Only if I want you to be." She repeated it and Remus nodded encouragingly. "My old family couldn't keep me anymore. I had a mum and a dad and six brothers. But we were poor and Charlie's bigger than Bill so needs new clothes and it's too cold in the attic for Ron now but also the twins can't always share a room and Percy needs quills but dad's job isn't good and I'm too ... difficult." Her voice trembled at the last part as she tried to rationalise her family's needs but stumbled upon her own flaws. “So it was easier to send me away," she whispered. Remus' expression was crushed and Sirius could feel the sympathy oozing from him. Whilst he'd never experienced financial hardships, he knew Remus had grown up similarly to the Weasleys. However, being a problem child and feeling isolated because of it he could relate to.
"Well, lucky for you Ginny we happen to be experts in difficult." She eyed him sharply, as did Remus. "In fact," he continued, "I also got a new family because I was difficult. It wasn't easy at first but now I consider them my true family and my best mates." Her eyes turned glassy and Sirius was worried he'd screwed it up.
"Remember Ginny that it's completely up to you whether we become your family or not. And, if you really want, I'm sure we can work it out so you can have two families." Sirius wasn't sure Remus should give the girl false hope. He was pretty certain that she came without a return receipt so to speak and he didn't want her hopes raised only for them to be dashed when her parents refused to have anything to do with her. He tried to convey as much in a look to his beloved. Remus shrugged helplessly but his tactic seemed to have worked as Ginny considered for a moment before setting her jaw, some of that stubbornness from before peeking through.
"Do you want me?" She asked but what Sirius heard was will you choose me? Will you love me? Will you keep me? His heart ached in a way it hadn't since his teens.
"Of course." Remus nodded just as resolutely next to him.
"If you like, we can show you your room?" Sirius suspected the kid was barely holding it together and needed space. So, when Remus offered to show her the bedroom they'd hastily put together when Dumbledore had contacted them, he opted to stay in the kitchen and finish the tea. She'd already shown she was more comfortable with Remus and he didn't want to crowd her after an already over stimulating afternoon.
As Remus led her up the stairs (where he could hear her bag scuffing up the handrail), Sirius put his head in his hands and took a moment to process the absolute fuckery of what he and his partner had just done. They'd adopted a child. And they hadn't even told their friends yet. They'd adopted a child two days after they'd been told they could and now they were responsible for her. It's not that Sirius didn't think they were capable, it's that the enormity of it hadn't hit him until just then when he saw her dangling her feet several inches off the floor and staring him down with poorly concealed vulnerability. It scared him that maybe his love wouldn't be enough and he'd end up letting her down.
The kettle finished boiling and broke him out of his internal spiral. He set out three mugs to steep as Remus made his way back into the kitchen. The taller man wrapped his arms around his partner's middle and gently dropped his forehead to his shoulder. "Did she like her room?" Sirius felt Remus nod and frowned. His partner suddenly seemed much more weary than he had been moments before. "Remus?" He felt him sigh.
"What if we fuck it up Sirius?" Sirius turned to face his partner, letting his hands come to rest between his hips and waist.
"What if we don't?" Remus let out a bitter laugh, his face still pressed into Sirius' shoulder. "I'm serious!"
"And I'm Remus." Sirius paused, taken aback slightly by being played at his own game. Remus quirked a smile and lifted his head to meet Sirius' eyes.
"I love you so much." Sirius laughed before softening. "Genuinely Moony, there's a reason Dumbledore entrusted her to us. He must've thought we were capable."
"But there's also a reason the adoption agencies won't even look at us. I'm dangerous Sirius. What if I hurt her? Or freak out? Or what if she finds out and hates me? Or what if-" Sirius cut him off, placing a hand over Remus's thumping heart as he began to spiral.
"You're in control, OK? With the wolfsbane potion you're harmless and Padfoot will always be with you. And, he'll always protect his pup too so if you're really worried about that just know she'll be safe no matter what happens. Those agencies, they're hateful and bigoted. Ginny isn't like that. Nor will she be. We're going to teach her how to love and how to be loved. We'll show her kindness and empathy and tolerance and everything we had to learn on our own! We'll be a family Moony. The three of us. And, when she's old enough we'll sit her down and explain everything. If she's scared or angry or upset about any of it we'll work through it together. Right now, I'm pretty sure she's just as scared as we are." Sirius wasn't normally the voice of reason and he'd be the first to admit that. Which is why, when he was, his friends listened. Remus listened. He bit back his insecurities and threaded his fingers through Sirius'.
"You're right," he whispered. "I'm so scared. Fucking terrified actually." He laughed hoarsely. "But so is she and so for her I think I can pull myself together and learn how to deal with it."
Sirius nodded encouragingly. "Of course you can, you're a Gryffindor! We'll get through this together, I solemnly swear it."