The Hippogriff, Buckbeak
Mirabel was crying.
How could she not when she’d caused the fall of Casita and such pain to all the members of her family?
Not only had she always been a disappointment to her Abuela and a hindrance to her parents, her aunt and uncle, her sisters and cousins, she’d even promised Tío Bruno to bring him home. Sirius, who had been so nice to her from the get-go, was hurt… How could she have ever thought that she could do anything? She? Giftless Mirabel?
Casita was destroyed, and the candle burnt out and her family in complete disarray, and Abuela had shouted at Sirius… and it was all her fault. Abuela had been right, the cracks had been her fault, and she’d hurt the family.
A heavy panting sound caught her attention. Then something weighted on her knee.
Mirabel sniffled and looked up from her lap, past her arms that held her knees.
A huge, bear-like black dog with shiny grey eyes panted at her with its pink tongue lolling out of its long snout, staring at her with a doggy smile, its paw still on her knee.
Mirabel could have envisioned many things happening in this situation, but such a big beast staring at her with its paw on her knees as if asking for a treat was really not on her list.
She sniffed as she stared back at the dog, unsure of what to do. Was this someone’s pet? She didn’t know anyone in Encanto with a dog like this…
Mirabel sniffled again and dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand.
In a very un-dog-like behaviour, the dog rose on its hindlegs and basically hugged her, its huge snout poking her cheek. In spite of herself, Mirabel let out a watery chuckle, “Are you trying to cheer me up?” she asked, the tentative smile falling right away from her face, “I’m sorry, it’s not working very well,” the dog cocked its head to the side, “It’s not you, it’s me – I – I made a mess of things…”
The dog kept trying.
Mirabel blinked at the animal’s cleverness, but didn’t stop to ponder too much about the fact that the dog understood her because the image of the huge, shaggy, dark-furred beast rolling around and running circles chasing its own tail did succeed in making her laugh.
She was wiping at her eyes when she heard hooves padding the jungle’s ground.
“Mirabel!”
Mirabel’s eyes grew as wide as saucers when a horse burst from a nearby bush.
The horse bore not one but two very agitated riders, someone Mirabel wouldn’t have expected.
Evidently relieved when he saw her, Mirabel’s uncle Bruno dismounted rather awkwardly in his haste, standing proud but then tripping over the dog, who gave a huff that Mirabel could have sworn was a laugh. Bruno took offence and glared at the animal, but it didn’t last long, and he ran to put his hands on her shoulders.
“Mirabel, are you alright?”
“Tío!” Mirabel exclaimed, finding herself in a warm but rather jerky hug, “Sí, I – I’m fine!”
Bruno pulled her from him to give her a twitchy once over and Mirabel felt guilty at his obvious concern and anxiety over her wellbeing.
“Mirabel.”
Bruno let her go quickly and helped his mother dismount the horse, holding out his arm for her and walking her to Mirabel.
The dog followed her movements with what Mirabel could swear was a wary and disapproving look to Abuela. Did dogs even feel disapproval?
Mirabel found herself imagining the dog as a human – was it odd that the dog reminded her of Sirius somehow? – with a frown as he faced Abuela. The dog didn’t move from Mirabel’s side, but it still stared, unblinking, as Abuela slowly sat on the boulder next to her granddaughter with Bruno’s help.
Bruno patted the dog’s head and gave him a jerky nod, and the dog ran away, apparently having the time of its life.
“I’ve never been able to come back here…” Mirabel hesitated, having never heard her grandmother speak so softly, “This river is where we were given our miracle.”
Bruno, who’d silently been staring at the river, turned sharply to his mother. Mirabel’s eyes widened in surprise, and she glanced at Bruno and then at the river in front of them, seeing it in a whole new light, “You mean, where Abuelo Pedro…?”
Abuela’s face was a mask of grief and sorrow, and Mirabel felt the words die in her throat, “I thought I would live a different life,” Abuela said slowly, and Mirabel found herself almost hypnotised by what her grandmother had to say, never mind the terrible argument they’d had just the last time they’d been in each other’s presence, “I thought I would be a different woman.”
And Mirabel went on to listen to Abuela telling her and Bruno something she clearly had never shared with anyone, of the feeling of bursting with happiness and love while she was with Abuelo Pedro, and they married, and she told him they were expecting triplets. She told them how exciting those months had been, waiting for their family to expand so quickly from just the two of them to five, trying to guess what they were expecting, boys or girls, choosing names. And Abuela told them how that happiness had been cut short in the blink of an eye, just mere hours after their children had been born. Almost crushing with her own the hand Bruno put on her shoulder, she talked about how they had to hastily gather their things and run from their hometown, along with many friends and neighbours, and venture into the wild, not knowing where their feet were taking them but knowing that they couldn’t go back because the people following them had already set fire to the town, destroying their lives in the blink of an eye. And she talked about how she had settled in Casita, with her children so small and now fatherless, and how she’d struggled to create a safe place for them.
“I was given a Miracle,” Abuela said, her voice as tired and broken as Mirabel had never heard it, “A second chance. And I was so afraid to lose it that I lost sight of who our Miracle was for. And I am so sorry. You never hurt our family, Mirabel. We are broken, because of me.”
As she watched her grandmother look down in shame, Mirabel took her time to ponder on what she had just learned about. While she was deep in thought, the girl took a deep breath and turned her eyes towards the river, where a yellow butterfly landed on a rod. She rose to her feet, clasping her hands together, “Abuela,” she started gently, “I can finally see,” she took her grandmother’s hands in hers, “You lost your home, you lost everything, you suffered so much, all alone, so it would never happen again. We were saved because of you. We were given a Miracle because of you. We are a family because of you. And nothing can ever be broken that we can’t fix together.”
Mirabel smiled and Abuela smiled back, both with their eyes shiny. They were finally understanding each other.
“I asked my Pedro for help,” Abuela said softly, then smiled more openly at her granddaughter and cupped her cheeks with her hands, “Mirabel, he sent me you!”
And they finally embraced.
Mirabel felt all warm inside, she’d craved being hugged and loved by her grandmother for years and years, ever since her door disappeared, making her hate her birthday and the pity, and the disappointment, and all that had come with her being the only Madrigal without a gift. All the despair she’d felt a moment ago was gone and now she felt filled with hope, hope that even without the magic the Madrigals would recover and become an ever more amazing family.
They watched the swarm of butterflies that seemed to be celebrating with them their newfound understanding. It was so charming.
Mirabel wasn’t sure if he’d been hanging back to give them time to talk to each other or to process Abuela’s words about his father, but Bruno was waiting for them on the riverbank with his arms crossed. He smiled when they stepped out of the water.
“Feel better?”
Mirabel smiled brightly and went for a hug. She loved the mix of surprise and warmth in his smile when she released him: it was so beautiful and heartbreaking at the same moment that a mere hug could make him so happy.
Once he’d made sure she was as fine as she said she was, Abuela went for a hug to and he took it gladly, though he looked even more bemused than he’d been by Mirabel’s hug when Abuela kissed his cheek and stroked his hair with a fond smile.
It took her a moment to think that, from all she’d heard from the family and the village, the gap between his last hug from Abuela and this one was probably much longer than the ten years Bruno had been away.
Probably because of all the things Abuela had just confessed to her, but Mirabel knew well that her grandmother had never been one to indulge on hugs and kisses too much when the family had to work hard to earn the Miracle. The only exception had been Isabela, though, knowing what she knew now, Mirabel wondered whether her sister appreciated it or not.
Mirabel didn’t know how, but the black dog from before came to mind.
“Tío Bruno, was – was that dog that was here earlier yours?”
Bruno paused and looked sideways at her, “Hm, sí, he’s – er – he’s mi – my friend…”
Then a loud squawk, suspiciously like the sound of an animal, a big animal at that, caught their attention.
At the sound, Bruno instinctively stood between the bushes and his mother and his niece.
Something big burst from the bushes and Bruno yelped, jumping backwards, holding out a hand to shield the two women behind him, while Abuela huddled closer to Mirabel, tightening her grip on her hands as she hugged her granddaughter protectively, a hand grasping Bruno’s arm.
The grey animal stared them down, rearing and opening its wings.
Mirabel glanced at Bruno and at Abuela but neither of them seemed to have any idea what this animal was.
It was a huge animal, bigger than the horse Bruno and Abuela had arrived in. In fact, the animal had the body of horse and the head and wings of a giant eagle. Mirabel had certainly never heard of an animal like this, but it was beautiful as it looked menacing. The yellow eagle eyes were clever and dangerous.
The animal quaked and ruffled its feathers and flapped its wings, obviously distressed.
Abuela gasped and tightened her grip on Bruno’s wrist with one hand, while she squeezed Mirabel’s shoulders with her other arm.
Bruno flinched too but it was soon clear to Mirabel that the animal was scared and in pain. She’d seen toucans with broken wings before. It was an occupational hazard when Antonio was your little cousin and kept bringing wounded animals home.
“It’s hurt!” she said, jumping forward, prompting both her uncle and her grandmother to call after her.
She ignored them and cautiously approached the creature, who let out another quack.
Mirabel stepped forward, and Bruno grabbed her arm, “It looks dangerous, Mirabel,” he said anxiously, “What if it attacks!?”
“He’s right, Mirabel,” Abuela said quickly, “We don’t know what kind of beast –”
The animal gave a loud screech and rose on its hindlegs, flapping its wings furiously, apparently ignoring the obvious pain it was in.
Mirabel gasped and retreated in her uncle and grandmother’s arm with a scream, and they huddled over her.
But the attack didn’t come.
Mirabel blinked and looked through Abuela and Bruno’s arms.
Someone was between them and the raging animal.
Bruno literally sagged in relief at seeing who it was, and beamed, “Sirius!”
It was him. Mirabel saw him standing between them and the animal, the reigns that hung from the animal’s feathery neck kept held in his hand.
Sirius turned to wink at him, “Is everyone alright?”
“Sí,” Bruno nodded, “It – it came out of nowhere, we don’t know –”
Bruno moved as if to reach him, but the animal gave another screech.
“Whoa!” Sirius tightened his grip on the reigns of the animal, “Beaky, is that nice? What kind of manners are these?”
The animal settled down a little bit, but it was still rather jittery and angry.
Mirabel and Bruno shared a look, then glanced at Abuela who was as confused as them, “Er – Sirius, do you know –?” Bruno asked shyly, one eye always on the grey animal with yellow eyes.
“Yes,” Sirius beamed at Bruno, “This is Buckbeak. He’s my travelling partner. I wouldn’t have been able to get here without him. We got caught up in a storm and I fell in the jungle,” he explained, “In hindsight, I think the wards on this place might have made Buckbeak confused enough to lose me in the jungle.”
They stared at him blankly and Bruno voiced Mirabel’s thoughts, “I have literally no idea of what you just said.”
Sirius blinked and Mirabel – and Abuela, judging from her face – expected him to be mad at Bruno for his blunt remark, but Sirius just let out a bark-like laugh, “Let’s go into details later,” he said easily. Abuela looked rattled, and Mirabel saw him notice it, “Don’t worry, he’s not dangerous, he’s alright, aren’t you, Beaky? He’s as rattled as you are.”
“Yeah,” Bruno said slowly, “‘Beaky’ looks kinda pissed…?”
Sirius grinned, “He’s gonna settle down, right, Beaky?” he asked the creature.
Still holding onto Mirabel’s hand, Abuela stepped forward, “I’ve never seen anything like this –”
“Buckbeak is a Hippogriff,” Sirius said, stroking the grey feathers, “Hippogriffs are extremely proud. You didn’t insult him, did you?”
Mirabel blinked, then glanced at her uncle and grandmother, and back at Sirius, “Abuela asked what kind of beast –”
‘Buckbeak’ screeched again, loudly, and Sirius barely managed to hold him off, “They didn’t mean it!” he cried, “They didn’t mean it, Buckbeak, they just haven’t seen a Hippogriff before! Certainly not one as handsome as you are! Right?” Bruno, Mirabel and Abuela glanced at one another but then nodded quickly, “And you’re such a handsome fellow, mate, you’re so handsome!”
It took a short while of Sirius praising the creature but eventually Buckbeak was glowing under Sirius’s compliments and mollified enough that the wizard motioned for the Madrigals to come closer.
Mirabel was surprised to see her uncle step forward, but she shouldn’t have been surprised, she thought, because this was the man who had spent ten years away from his family for her and had still come out of hiding to help her. Her uncle was much braver than people gave him credit for, himself included. Sirius smiled at Bruno and that made Mirabel’s uncle even bolder as he approached Sirius and the creature slowly.
“Stop there,” Sirius said, making a halting gesture with his hand, “Bow.”
“Bow?”
“Hippogriffs are very proud creatures, they’re delightful as long as you are respectful and polite to them. Insult them and that could be the last thing you ever do. Buckbeak here is well-behaved, he had a wonderful trainer, and I am quite sure he’ll like you.”
“Oh.”
Once Sirius explained that they had to bow to the menacing creature, they all paused, standing there for a long moment. Mirabel looked from Sirius to Bruno, and to Abuela.
Sirius was waiting for them to go over what he had just told them, and Bruno seemed to be processing the new information, while Abuela really had too little information to process what seemed insight in a new culture. Mirabel too for that matter, but at least they now knew Sirius was a wizard.
But Bruno had much more guts than they had ever given him credit for, because he was the first to step forward and do what Sirius had instructed them to do. He bowed his head in greeting, and it took only a moment for the – Hippogriff…? – creature to step forward as well and return the greeting.
Bruno flinched and was even shaking a little while the Hippogriff walked around him, smelling him all over, but he let out a nervous chuckle when Buckbeak let out a pleased quack and nudged him with its beak, encouraging him to stroke the beautiful grey feathers. Bruno’s courage along with Sirius’s encouraging smile was enough for Mirabel to follow his example and greet the animal too.
The Hippogriff took a little more time to respond to her than it did Bruno, but Buckbeak soon was nudging her with its massive beak too.
When finally, Abuela, encouraged by Bruno and Mirabel, hesitantly approached the animal, the Hippogriff did accept the greeting but in a much stiffer way, as if it felt her fear.
While Mirabel got over the animal’s threatening appearance to take in the proud beak, the beautiful yellow eyes and the soft feathers, she grinned when Buckbeak quacked and slapped Sirius upside the head with its unbroken wing playfully.
Very pleased with their introduction to Buckbeak, Sirius beamed at Bruno but then gasped when Mirabel tackled him. He looked down in surprise and found her leaning on his chest much like her grandmother had done just moments earlier with her son, “You’re alright!”
Sirius was taken aback for a moment, but soon smiled and patted the girl’s head, “Of course, I am! Did you think I wouldn’t be?”
“You were hurt!”
“I couldn’t die from a little bout of Splinching, give me a little more credit than that, treasure,” Sirius told the girl, and she let go of him, giving him a smile and wiping her eyes.
“We should go,” said Bruno, “Julieta is worried out of her mind, we should tell her we found you.”
“Yes,” Mirabel said, still stroking Buckbeak’s feathers, “And we should take care of – er – Buckbeak’s wing? He’s hurt.”
“Hm,” Sirius said, examining the area Mirabel was pointing to, “So he is. Is that why you were so irritable?” he asked the Hippogriff, then smiled at Mirabel, “Don’t worry, Remus should have something for him, or I can send Kreacher for supplies.”
“Who?”
“Mirabel, when exactly did you leave?” Bruno asked.
Mirabel paused, blinking rapidly, “Er – a while ago, apparently,” she said, “It seems I have missed a lot.”
Sirius raised the arm holding the wooden stick Mirabel had seen him use to repair her candleholder and to make the energy shield that had saved her from the fall of Casita. A jet of multicoloured light shot up into the night sky with the familiar whistle and explosion sounds of fireworks.
There was a pause, then the same kind of fireworks appeared from behind the mountain peak. Sirius turned to Bruno, “Remus knows she’s been found, that’ll ease Julieta’s mind. Buckbeak’s wing is broken but he says he’s fine with riding, apparently, so we can go back easily.”
Feeling extremely guilty, Mirabel jumped on the horse Bruno and Abuela had arrived with, while Sirius easily mounted the Hippogriff creature called Buckbeak. Even so disheveled and with his clothes torn, Mirabel found Sirius oddly elegant and charming like a knight on his horse.
“Sirius is right, Julieta is in quite a state and everyone else is worried too.”
He walked his mother gently the few steps that separated her from the horse Mirabel was on but, after he’d helped her mount behind Mirabel, Abuela grabbed his arm, “You’re not leaving, are you, Bruno?”
“Que?” Bruno echoed her earlier confusion for a moment, “Ay, no, Mamá, of course not. I didn’t want to leave in the first place…”
“He didn’t leave at all, Abuela,” said Mirabel, quite impatient to go back to her family at the thought of her frantic mother.
“Que?” Abuela asked, turning to Mirabel sharply, then turning to Bruno, who whimpered at the sudden attention on him, “Mijo?”
Bruno stood still for a moment, and suddenly he exhaled and shook his head, “Later,” he said. He walked closer to Sirius and his ride, “Let’s go back for now.”
Mirabel and Abuela watched him move to mount the Hippogriff behind Sirius but Black made space for him in front of him and Bruno paused, glancing up at Sirius with a soft smile, before taking Sirius’s hand and mounting in front of him. Bruno grabbed the reins very close to where Sirius had a firm hold on the reins himself, and Mirabel thought she saw Sirius’s fingers move to cover Bruno’s hand, but she couldn’t be sure because her uncle moved in her line of sight, though she thought he looked pretty comfortable with Sirius’s arms around his waist so he could control their ride.
“Are you alright, mi vida?” Abuela asked and Mirabel jumped, she’d almost forgotten Abuela was there behind her, “Mirabel?”
“I’m alright, Abuela,” Mirabel said, suddenly registering the endearment her mother usually used with her but that she hadn’t heard her grandmother use to call her in years. She smiled, “Let’s go home.”
Abuela smiled back and they both looked toward Sirius and Bruno. Mirabel thought her uncle was leaning against Sirius a little more than would make sense for riding, but maybe that was her. Sirius gave an exaggerated wave, “Ladies first,” he said.
Mirabel grinned, felt Abuela’s arms tighten around her waist and gave a yell as she hit the horse’s side with her heels.
As they left the riverbank, the jungle became a blur of vegetation and sky and Mirabel could feel the wind on her face, the panting of the horse as it galloped home and Abuela’s tight grip on her waist.
*
Despite his frightened shouts when Buckbeak took off spreading his wings (though one was still heavily damaged) with a shrill cry, Bruno was obviously enjoying himself, so Sirius – beaming himself – indulged into making the experience last a little longer, though he still kept an eye on Mirabel and the Madam.
He didn’t blame Bruno for his excitement, when he’d ridden Buckbeak the first time, Sirius had shouted much like him, especially when Buckbeak had jumped into the sky. And he very much liked having his arms around Bruno and didn’t mind that Bruno’s delightful smell of plaster dust, sandalwood and sand was now tainted with sweat.
Sirius found himself a little turned on by the whole experience, if he had to be honest, because not only had Bruno taken in stride riding on Buckbeak, but he’d kept up with Sirius in his dog form and had ridden a horse bareback, in sandals. If Sirius added this new information to the list of what he liked about Bruno, which included Bruno’s parkouring skills in sandals and his display of magical power, it was not so surprising that he couldn’t wait for a moment alone with him so he could snog the man again.
Noticing Mirabel’s horse halt near the ruins of Casita, Buckbeak stopped next to the animal. Remus came up to them and took the reins of the horse, while greeting the Hippogriff politely. Buckbeak bowed his head in return and Remus helped Mirabel and the Madam off, who thanked him though they looked at him shocked at seeing another stranger.
“Mirabel,” Bruno called, having gotten off Buckbeak himself, still sporting a startled yet elated smile, “This is Señor Lupin, he’s Sirius’s friend, he came to heal him.”
“Oh,” said Mirabel, “Hola.”
Remus smiled politely in return, “You must be Mirabel,” he said, shaking her hand, “Everyone was very worried about you, I’m glad you’re alright,” his politeness made Mirabel smile despite the thought of having worried her parents.
They heard Julieta shout for her daughter and Mirabel ran toward her and the rest of the family, who were all together standing near the ruins of the house.
Bruno hung back, gravitating toward Sirius. Remus stayed back, still holding the reins of the horse.
The Madam noticed him not following them and turned sharply, “Mijo?”
“I’ll… I’ll catch up with you, Mamá,” Bruno said a little dejectedly.
“Are you sure?” she asked, and he nodded, “But – you’re coming, sì?”
Bruno winced and got flustered at the question, “Of course, Mamá! I promise, if you want me home, I’ll stay –”
“If –?” asked the Madam, decidedly hurt. Bruno deflated but, unlike Julieta, she didn't ask why he would think they wouldn't want him home. She was a smart woman and regret flashed on her aged face as she realised why he would think this way. She grasped his hands in hers, “I’m sorry we – I made you think we wouldn't want you home. Please, come home, mijo, come home where you belong.”
When Bruno spoke, it was clear to Sirius that he was surprised at his own boldness. It seemed to Sirius that Bruno had had this feeling bubbling up inside him for years and years and it was the first time he managed to voice it.
“That’s the thing, Mamá,” he said softly, “Do I belong?” the Madam gasped in hurt shock. Bruno almost jumped at having actually voiced his thoughts, “I’m sorry, Mamá, I love you. I love you all and I do want to come home, but I must be honest. I can’t keep living like this. What little time I’ve had with Sirius so far made me feel accepted and welcomed, something I haven’t felt here for years, maybe ever. I’m fifty years old, I can’t go back to feeling like I can’t speak my mind, like I’m always an inconvenience to my loved ones and everyone around.”
The Madam didn’t speak for a long moment.
Staying quietly on the sidelines was especially hard for Sirius, who wanted nothing more than to reach out to Bruno and comfort him. Meeting his man’s eyes while the Madam pondered her son’s words, Sirius saw Bruno’s gratitude for staying to the side. Somehow, even if Sirius hadn’t told him about his mother, Bruno knew how difficult it was for Sirius not to speak his own mind to the Madam: Sirius didn’t think it fair of him to hide what he thought from Bruno, even if those thoughts were his less than flattering opinions about Bruno’s own mother. That, and Sirius had never been able to hide his opinion. If he had, maybe he wouldn’t have had such problems with his own family. He wondered what Bruno would think if he ever met Walburga Black – Sirius was just glad that she was dead.
“I really hurt you, didn’t I, Bruno?”
Bruno flinched and it was as adorable as it was heart-breaking to Sirius that he couldn’t speak his mind without feeling so guilty, “Lo siento, Mamá –”
“No!”
The Madam squeezed Bruno’s hands again, then gave him a quick hug and kissed his forehead, “Don’t apologise, luciérnaga, not when I'm the one who has to apologise for making you feel this way. The least I deserve is for you to tell me that I made you feel this way,” Bruno made to speak and she put her fingers on his lips to stop him, “Now, I’d very much love for you to come home, mi amor, and everyone else wants you home too, but I understand that it can be difficult for you, so I’ll just promise to show you what you mean to me, mijo. You just take your time. We’ll be waiting for you.”
She squeezed his hands one last time and followed Mirabel.
The moment she turned around the corner, Bruno let out a deep sigh and his shoulders sagged. Sirius was ready to catch him and put his hands on Bruno’s shoulders right away.
It was a good thing that Remus knew about them, Sirius thought, because Bruno seemed to have forgotten that Remus was there when he turned and searched for the comfort of Sirius’s arms. Sirius saw Remus’s knowing look out of the corner of his eyes and smiled softly, welcoming his Seer. Remus politely took his time checking Buckbeak's broken wing and treating it. Sirius appreciated it, though Remus wasn’t fooling anyone.
With a snort, he ignored his friend for a moment and concentrated on Bruno. He returned Bruno’s hug and took his hands in his for a moment, before putting his own hands on his shoulders.
“Go to them,” he said, his lips curling up softly when Bruno looked up at him sharply.
“Que?”
“You want to, I know you do.”
Bruno looked sideways, “Sí,” he said, “Pero –"
Sirius shook his head, “You deserve it. You deserve to go back to them.”
Bruno frowned, “You’re coming too, right, Sirius?” Sirius blinked in surprise when he grabbed his hand, “You’re my family too, you know, I’m not giving you up.”
Sirius grinned, pleased by Bruno’s determination. Even the Potters hadn’t made him feel so loved and welcomed and he’d found a home with them. Bruno wasn’t the only one who had learnt what it meant to be loved and accepted when meeting Sirius. Sirius too had felt a much different love than the powerful familial love he felt for the Potters, for Harry and for Remus. Sirius loved intensely in all his affections, which was why the love he’d had for the Blacks had so easily turned to hot, burning hate when he’d been rejected and why he’d accepted the selfless love of the Potters and of his friends. This was also why he’d quickly come to appreciate the Madrigals, to love Julieta and Mirabel and little Antonio even before he learned they were related to the one person he’d felt so deeply ever since they’d first met. Sirius’s intense love for Bruno was what had brought him to jump into action and save the Madrigals without a second thought for his own safety, but he loved the whole family, he had to admit.
Therefore, it was extremely delightful to know that Bruno, of whose affection he didn’t doubt but who was so shy and gentle in everything he did, could sound so sure of wanting him.
Sirius pecked Bruno’s lips, regretting that there wasn’t time for the longer kiss he yearned for, “Oh, love, you’re not getting rid of me that easily,” Bruno grinned, “I told you that I am staying for as long as you want me. Besides, we still have to snog properly.”
Bruno tilted his head to the side in confusion, “Snog?”
As usual, Bruno’s innocence brought an elated sensation in the pit of Sirius’s stomach, he sighed with the satisfaction of a man who had just received a treat, “So adorable,” he breathed and Bruno smiled shyly, as if bemused that someone could compliment him, “I’ll teach you later,” Sirius promised, “Go to your family now. You deserve it. And I still have to tell Remus what’s going on.”
Bruno had obviously forgotten about Remus, and he let go of Sirius as if he’d gotten burnt when he turned and saw Sirius’s friend still standing a little away from them, “Oh, lo siento!” he called out to Remus, “I – I didn’t…”
Remus waved his apology away and Bruno fumbled with himself for a moment, not really knowing what to do, before Sirius took his hands in his and nodded his head towards the rest of the Madrigals. Bruno hesitated as he looked at his family gathered just a little further away, and Sirius saw that he really wanted to join them but was terrified of being rejected, no matter that they'd welcomed him a while ago. Sirius knew that feeling, but he knew that Julieta wanted her brother home, and Mirabel, and Agustín… and the Madam, and everyone else. So, he punched Bruno lightly on the shoulder, “Go,” he said, nodding in the direction of the Madrigals.
The other man gained confidence, held his breath and set out to join his family with his forearms raised and his fingers crossed.
Sirius shook his head, amused, and turned to Remus, “He’s quite a bit superstitious.”
Remus smiled, “He seems a very interesting person,” he said, as they watched the Madam noticing her son and reaching out to Bruno, “I have to admit, I couldn’t understand what kind of person could have made you go off me so quickly –"
“You know very well that I wasn’t that much into you.”
“I am delightful.”
“Don’t act jealous, Moony, it doesn’t suit you.”
“You wish I was jealous.”
“You know I don’t.”
They shared a grin, Remus not at all offended by Sirius’s remark.
Remus knew that even Marlene McKinnon, Sirius’s long-time girlfriend throughout school, had been a pretend girlfriend so that the many girls who appreciated Sirius’s good looks and popularity wouldn’t bother him. With Remus it had been more about keeping each other company, especially since Remus was terrified of being rejected when his status as a werewolf would eventually come up. Their relationship had been based solely on their bodily needs and not on their feelings – if fact, it was based on Remus’s bodily needs and Sirius’s availability. Remus himself always insisted that they would stop the moment Sirius wasn't comfortable with the arrangement. Now, more than ever, they both knew they made the right choice, because even after all that had happened there was no broken heart, just friendly banter and reminiscing good memories. And didn’t they need the good memories!
“I see now," Remus said, "I can see how he makes you feel. You wouldn’t say it by seeing him, but he suits you. His relatives seem like good people too.”
“They are,” Sirius agreed, “Very peculiar people, but very nice too.”
“That lady earlier…”
“That’s Madam Madrigal, his mother.”
“I talked to the others a little bit while we were looking for the girl, Mirabel? It seems to me that there are many issues, aren’t there?”
“O-ho, so many!” Sirius nodded towards the ruins of the house, “This was a magical house.”
Remus blinked, “A magical house?” he asked with interest, turning to look at the ruins of the house as well, “I thought they were Muggles? Or Squibs? But a magical house? Those don’t come down so easily…”
So, Sirius explained to him the whole situation as it had been relayed to him by the Madrigals. How the Madam and her husband Pedro Madrigal, Bruno’s father, had fled from people attacking their town with other refugees, and how the man had tried to defend his family and the others only to be killed in cold blood. And Sirius explained how that had sparked the magic that had created the house, and how that magic had later given the magical gifts the Madrigal family used to help the community. And he went on with what he had learned about Mirabel’s failed gift ceremony, and how the sweet girl had been treated for not having a gift. He also told Remus about Bruno. How Sirius himself had met the man while on a mission with James and how the man had fled and hid in the space between the walls when he’d seen that vision of Mirabel, because of how people shunned him and thought he cursed people.
And finally, he told Remus what had happened in the last few days, after he and Buckbeak had been caught up in a storm. How he had been taken in by the Madrigals and healed by Julieta’s kind care and how the others – in varying degrees of acceptance – had welcomed him in their home, despite him being an odd-looking stranger, something they’d never seen before because the Encanto was closed off to the outside world. It had been the first time in many years – maybe the first time ever – that he felt so at peace. He’d bonded more with Julieta, Dolores and Mirabel, who had been very open to making a new friend out of the British guest, and he had felt his broken heart heal when he’d found Bruno, but everyone else had been very kind to him too. The fact that this nice family was Bruno’s family had made him love them even more and Sirius felt that if they wanted him, he’d found his place.
Remus was smart enough to know that Sirius would never kick Harry to the curb even if he found love and a home, but he also knew that the boy stayed in school for most of the year anyway. Had things been different, Sirius would have loved to raise his godson, but things had gone a certain way and Sirius could make do with being there for his godson in a different way.
“So, Colombia,” Remus snickered at Sirius, once he’d been updated on all accounts, “Weren’t you supposed to go to Spain on that mission?”
“Yeah,” Sirius said slowly, “We sort of botched that Portkey.”
“Of course. No wonder we couldn’t find your Bruno anywhere in Spain!”
“What did you do? Did you run around Spain looking for a dark-haired, green-eyed man named Bruno?”
“Of course we did! We were drunk.”
“I certainly hope so!”
Sirius looked past Remus to see Bruno surrounded by his nieces, Dolores hanging from his arm and Mirabel talking a mile away. As he laughed at some odd dance the girl was doing, Bruno saw Sirius looking at him and gave him a shy smile and a small, inconspicuous wave that no one noticed. Sirius responded with a broad smile and a wink. It was delightful to see Bruno so happy; he would have very much liked to run and hug him, but he knew that they had to be careful now, as only a few members of the Madrigals knew.
Further from the group was Camilo, who seemed to be listening to the conversation between his parents, grandmother and the Guzman woman who had been at dinner with that Mariano bloke who was supposed to marry Isabela.
Camilo took care of Antonio, who was sleeping in his brother’s arms, clearly exhausted by all the excitement and anxiety of the past few hours. It was a pity, the little boy loved animals, and Sirius was anticipating introducing him to Buckbeak, since he was sure they would hit it off. However, Sirius’s good mood was soured when he noticed the bemused looks Camilo was sending towards Bruno, between suspicious and confused, and a side-glance to Remus made him see that his friend had noticed too. The warning in Remus’s eyes was enough to make Sirius deflate and push down his desire to go knock a little sense in Camilo.
They both walked where the family was gathered with the Guzman woman, her son and a few other villagers Sirius thought he’d seen at Antonio’s party. He recognised the older gentleman who had come to the house while the Madrigals were arguing about Mirabel and the vision. He too must have recognised Sirius, because when their eyes met, the gentleman gave Sirius an unnerved look and recoiled. Sirius sent him an apologetic smile and the man relaxed a little bit.
The villagers spoke with the Madam a little longer, but then they agreed to start cleaning up the debris and rebuilding Casita the following morning, so that the Madrigals could have time to process everything and rest for a bit.
“Ah, Se – Sirius,” the Madam corrected herself as Bruno inconspicuously moved to take the place closest to Sirius, “And Señor… Lupin, is it?”
Much like Sirius had done days earlier, Remus took the Madam’s hand and kissed it gallantly, then waved to the rest of the family, “Please, call me Remus.”
The Madam nodded to him. Clearly, she appreciated their manners, “It goes without saying that after what you’ve done for mi familia you’re both welcome to stay here in our Encanto as long as you want. Please, do come with us, Padre Cristian has offered to let us stay in the church, so we can all stay together."
“Oh,” Sirius exchanged a look with Remus, “Er – alright, thank you, but, please, it was nothing, really.”
“Nothing!?” Félix cried, in shock, “You took us all out of a falling house!”
“And you got wounded in the process!” Isabela added.
“How did you not lose your mind?” asked Pepa.
“I didn’t know what to do, let alone think fast enough to get all of us out of the house!” Luisa exclaimed.
“Well, you had the presence of mind to cover your grandmother, dearie. You work well in an emergency. It’s easy when you know what to do, not so easy when you have to make do in the situation,” Sirius said, earning himself a bright smile from the tall girl.
Pepa crossed her arms, “How does one know what to do in a situation like this?” she asked Sirius, “Have many houses fallen on you?”
“Well, we were at war,” interjected Remus, ever the peace-maker, “Buildings falling down were sort of a common thing.”
“Giants like to destroy things,” Sirius elaborated, not really clarifying, as the Madrigals gaped at him, “They mostly stay in the mountains, and giant-related Muggle deaths can be classified as landslides, but it was chaos when they wandered into towns and cities, because it was much more difficult to find an excuse good enough for Muggles. It was much easier to just modifying their memories.”
The bald priest Sirius had seen before was there at the entrance of the church and welcomed them all in. He awkwardly offered the yard behind the church for Buckbeak, as he stared with wide eyes to the half-eagle, half-horse creature, who quaked at him irritably and looked proud when the priest retreated quickly.
With his youngest son in his arms, Félix commented that they would have to keep Antonio away from Buckbeak, as he was always excited to meet new animal friends and a peculiar one like the Hippogriff would certainly make him curious.
As scared as the priest was when looking at Buckbeak, a creature he'd never seen, he basically froze in shock when he saw Bruno. Sirius watched his Seer smile awkwardly, wave politely and be regaled with a scowl for his trouble, with the priest going far enough to look away with a scoff. Having just learnt of Bruno’s difficulties with the townspeople, Remus, just beside Sirius, sent a regretful look to his friend, knowing well what being shunned that way felt like. Sirius couldn't help but think that the crestfallen expression on Bruno's face was the same he'd seen many times on Remus's face, when his friend thought no one was looking. It just broke his heart to see Bruno treated the same way.
The priest gestured with his hand and Sirius straightened his shoulders, "Did you just cross yourself?" he asked dangerously.
Bruno put a hand on his shoulder, giving him a tired look and Sirius settled on sneering at the priest. Julieta popped out of nowhere, said, “Ven, Bruno,” and proceeded to kiss her brother on the cheek and grab him tightly by the arm while Agustín hurried after her, staring unblinkingly at the priest as his wife shoved past him steering her confused-looking brother inside.
Sirius tried hard to repress a grin because that was a passive-aggressive move if he ever saw one. It was a move that he would have expected from Mirabel or maybe Pepa or Félix, but it came from Julieta and Agustín. Well, he’d seen Agustín stand up to the Madam earlier, so it wasn’t really a surprise, but Julieta seemed to have reflected on the treatment her brother had received for years. Sirius supposed that learning that Bruno had felt the need to hide in the walls of Casita, living off scraps and in isolation for ten years, because of a vision regarding her own daughter, had put things in perspective even for one of the most observant members of the Madrigal family.
However, considering that Bruno had done what he had done for their daughter, Julieta and Agustín had made a one-eighty from their placid complacency and had decided to take a stand, ready to fight tooth and nail for Bruno. Well, maybe it wasn’t exactly one-eighty, as it was clear that Julieta and Agustín were the most accepting of Bruno even before the reveal of him leaving for their daughter.
The priest had managed to arrange two large rooms for them to stay in, separating men and women. Quite the smooth move on his part, Sirius thought. The frustration on the two couples present was obvious but they had to make do, so, while Bruno, Sirius and Remus were quite unaffected by the situation, Félix grumbled about being separated from his wife, Camilo looked mournfully towards the girls’ room (Sirius couldn’t blame him, he would be stuck with no one his age – every male beside him was an adult and then there was Antonio, only five) and Antonio, who'd woken once they were inside, groggily managed to slip past him to attach himself to his father. Agustín took everything in stride and kissed Julieta’s hand, asking her to look out for their daughters.
“You can stay here,” said the priest (Sirius thought the Madam had called him Padre Cristian). He opened the door to a room that wasn’t particularly large by any means, but would do for seven men, considering that two were a teenager and a child, one was Remus, who had the ability to fall asleep wherever he found a place he found comfortable, another was Sirius, who would find any place an improvement from his Azkaban cell, another was Bruno, who had lived in the walls for ten years and was used to small spaces, “I’m sorry,” said the priest, “We’ve spread the word but it was quite the sudden emergency and we’ll need time to gather some supplies.”
“It’s not a problem,” Sirius said, and he and Remus gave a quick wave of their wands.
Suddenly the boxes in the room were changed into seven beds, all neatly positioned so that everyone had their space. In fact, if they were honest, it seemed that the room had grown larger and now also included a small space with a living room.
"How -?"
"Don't worry, we can return everything as it was in a jiffy," said Sirius.
"That wasn't the point, Padfoot," Remus said evenly, but he didn't explain anything either.
While the priest gaped, the Madrigals had seen enough magical performances by now to marvel but not be so shocked. The two boys studied the new beds excitedly, Antonio with the easiness of a child who already knew that Sirius was a wizard, Camilo with a cautious curiosity of someone used to magic but who was unaware of other ways to use it. Antonio claimed the bunk beds for himself and his brother, while Camilo poked the beds to be sure they wouldn't disappear when he was asleep. They’d never seen bunk beds and were both excited with this new concept.
Félix and Agustín took the beds next to the boys, leaving Bruno, Sirius and Remus the space closest to the door and window in the room. Sirius moved there in silence, discreetly claiming the place, but they’d all caught the terrified look he’d given to the bed that was furthest from the door and window, as if he feared being locked up.
Agustín asked if Sirius or Remus could come with him and check if they needed to make beds for the girls as well. Now that the tension of the house falling down and then of Mirabel’s escape performance was dimming down, along with the effect of the few drops of Pepper-Up Potion Remus had given them all, Sirius felt the adrenaline leave him and Remus noticed his exhaustion taking hold of him because he pointed to the free bed between the door and the window with the sternness of a father sending his child to bed, then offered his services if Agustín would show him the way. Sirius didn’t seem in much of a condition to do anything else other than obey, but Bruno did quickly throw his bag on the bed closest to Sirius’s bed and then guided him to sit next to him.
The way they sat next to each other, shoulder to shoulder, was discreet enough that those who didn’t know wouldn’t notice anything different, but their connection was clear to those who knew.
Satisfied, Remus nodded to Agustín, and they both left the room as Félix ushered his sons on their beds and sat next to Antonio to tell him a story.
Bruno and Sirius didn’t move, choosing to watch Félix relax next to a suddenly sleepy Antonio, who didn't seem satisfied with his earlier nap, and a Camilo on the top bunk already snoring away. They didn’t move an inch until Félix moved to his own bed, his eyelids heavy, and his breathing evened out, then Bruno tentatively took Sirius’s hand and Sirius squeezed it. Agustín and Remus came back, but they both claimed their beds and literally fell asleep on the mattresses.
It didn’t take long for Bruno and Sirius to fall asleep too.