A proper life

Severus was sitting at the exquisite vanity his mother had ordered for him. Rosewood, lacquered. Beautiful carvings, specially made for the Consort of the Black Heir. Roses carved into the edges of the three-panel mirror.

He was carefully brushing his hair, carefree waves flowing down past his chest. He was wearing a nightgown, one he had chosen during a trip with his mother. Flowing white cotton, with just enough detail to enhance Severus’ beauty even more.

He brushed his midnight jet-black hair, leisurely and patiently. Leisurely and patiently waiting.

He was no stranger to his husband's antics. The three-panel vanity reflected not only Severus but also him, his dark brown eyes piercing Sirius through the mirror. He had always had less patience than his husband.

Sirius knew he couldn’t win this game, so he surrendered.

"Love," he called, looking directly into his eyes through the mirror.

"Yes, dear?" came the response, voice unwavering and eyes curious.

"Today, I got a letter," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh?" Severus replied, the barest squint in his dark brown eyes.

"Yes, it was from..." A small pause was inevitable. "...James," Sirius said, looking anywhere but the vanity.

Severus put down the fine-toothed comb on the vanity. He let out a long, measured sigh—not loud nor sarcastic, but a preparation sigh.

"What did he say, dear?" he asked, voice dripping with honey.

Now it was Sirius’ turn to sigh. Unsure of what to answer, he stepped out from their side room and threw himself onto the bed. He just wanted to make things right again, to live happily with his family and have his friends back, but he was not naïve.

He understood that James’ distaste for Severus ran deep and probably, definitely, he would have to fight with his best friend to set things straight, and he dreaded the thought.

It was one thing fighting over Lily Evans. She was of no great influence, not anymore. He had been right from the beginning—she was not worthy, not an equal.

There must be balance for a relationship to prosper, and she wanted too much but was not ready to give enough.

He had told James that repeatedly, trying his best as a friend to help him see things more clearly, but James just didn’t want to hear it. Sirius had been there all the way up until the moment James crossed one of his bottom lines.

Before, he would have jumped at the opportunity to fix things with Prongs, but things were not the same anymore. He loved James as a brother from another mother, that was undeniable, yet Severus and their baby came first and foremost.

Sirius felt a weight on the bed and saw Severus cutely lay down on his own side. With big doe eyes, Severus slowly rolled over to his side. Sirius didn’t even try to fight the urge to gather him in his arms, laughing at how adorable his husband was.

"Do not avoid it," Severus said softly from within Sirius’ embrace. "I knew this moment would come. He needs you. You need him. You love each other, and that’s alright. You’ve been friends for seven years..."

"You wouldn’t say that if you knew what he wrote," Sirius muttered, furrowing his eyebrows.

"I don’t need to read it to know he was an asshole and talked crap about me," Severus said, rolling his eyes.

"Hey, don’t say those things—our little star will hear you," Sirius said, placing a hand over Severus' mouth.

"Don’t be silly," Severus replied with mirth in his eyes. "You know what I mean. He won’t start liking me overnight, but he’s been your friend for seven years, and I just arrived, and..."

Sirius quickly cut him off.

"Do not, Sev. Do not finish that sentence," Sirius said seriously. "You’re my husband, the mother of my child, the most important person in my life, my love. Nothing and no one is more important than you, seven-year best friend or not. I will give you—and make him give you—the respect you deserve."

Severus’ eyes grew watery, and the tip of his nose took on a soft pink shade.

James Potter was something that unsettled Severus' mind. He trusted his relationship with Sirius, irrevocably—James or no James. But he knew that he was enjoying a honey-sweet life by Sirius' side.

He cherishes being an older brother to Regulus, finds joy in spending time with Remus, enjoys being carefree and cared for while going out with Walburga, and relishes the contentment in Orion's eyes when he is being a good consort to Sirius.

Most of all, he loves being with Sirius. Laughing with Sirius. Eating with Sirius. Dancing with Sirius. The perfect moment of lying on Sirius’ chest, breathing shallowly after being made love to.

He loves Sirius.
He is not going to lose Sirius. He will not allow it. And he knows that Potter poses a risk to his beautiful fairytale life. So, if James is being obnoxious and making his life even slightly worse, Severus will work his way through Sirius' mind until there is nothing left but him. No need to tell Sirius that, though.

Sirius loves Severus.
He loves everything about Severus. Before him, Sirius had never been so content with his life, with his family, with his name. Severus is his freedom. There’s no need to hide or change—he can just be himself and be loved for it. Severus didn’t recoil from his darkness; instead, he gave Sirius some light to hold on to. He knew their marriage came in a hasty way, but he was fully aware of what he was doing when he agreed to a lawful and rightful marriage, no way out. Not that he wanted one.

Sirius had been furious when Severus was not by his side. There was something about him that made Sirius want to grab him and hide him from the world. His blood boiled when he saw Severus too close to the likes of Lily Evans or Mulciber—he knew Severus was meant to be his. He hadn’t understood it fully until he was ready to marry, partly to shove it in James’ face, and the thought of being with anyone else made every cell in his body rebel.

So what if everyone thought Severus was sour and closed off? Sirius wanted him to open up only to him, to save his sweet side for Sirius and those he deemed worthy. So what if people thought Severus was ugly? Sirius would give him his entire fortune just so he could feel comfortable and beautiful in his own skin. Either way, there was no more mesmerizing moment than when Severus, all sweaty, glazed-eyed, and lips parted, lay on top of him. Only for him.

Now, Severus was beautiful, his edges polished and growing rounder each day with the fruit of their union. A little Black star. His own flesh and blood growing inside Severus, filling him.

And for James to write what he did—Sirius loved James, but Severus was his world. How dare he?

Padfoot,

Things are weird; the world is upside down, I swear. Lily... she's being Lily in a way I cannot understand. Now, we’re in an extremely awkward position with each other, and I think I fucked up, but I just don’t know. My parents know everything. They tell me I did the right thing for a woman like her, but I’m lost. I cannot reach Moony at all. I tried to look for you, but everyone’s talking shite about you marrying Snivellus, and I just don’t understand. How could you? Doesn’t it disgust you? Was it your parents that forced you to do it? I’ve heard something far-fetched about him being a pureblood and some other nonsense. Did you do it to bother your parents? To sully the ancient Black bloodline with an ugly, poor half-blood? I can only imagine your parents’ faces. Do you know anything about Remus? I cannot find him at all. I even asked his father, but he didn’t tell me anything. I’m lost, Padfoot. Please come speak with me. We can figure something out to straighten things up.

Prongs

Of course, Sirius would straighten things out with James—about Severus, Remus, and even Lily if he had to—but he would let James know straight away that things were not the same anymore.

Severus looked gorgeous with a baby in his arms. The gentle hold, the amazed smile, and the soft gurgling of the baby, curious about her surroundings. The pretty, frilly pink dress was customary for pureblood baby girls at their one-month-old celebration.

It was obvious she had inherited the blue eyes from the Rowles, though her dark hair was unexpected. Hana, a name to honor her Arab roots. She was cute, and everyone fawned over her, though she seemed content to stay nestled in Severus’ arms.

The baby was shy but unexpectedly happy to be held by Severus.
Hana Rowle-Saad was Thorfinn’s daughter, born to Farah Saad, his recently titled side-wife. Thorfinn was standing aside at the reunion, happily chatting with his family members. Hana had been a surprise for Madeleine, who hadn’t known about Farah at all.

Farah was young, just twenty years old, and had been arranged by her father to become a side-wife for Heir Rowle. They had consummated their marriage just eleven months ago. As was proper, Farah had her own house, entirely separate, and had no contact with Madeleine until occasions like this, where it was inevitable.

She was exuberant, with her dark chocolate hair flowing down her back, and her honey-colored eyes attractively framed by heavy eyeliner. Her family had moved from the Middle East half a century ago, and they hadn’t been Muslim for at least 35 years. They believed that if there was no shame in a man having many wives, there was no shame in being the wife of a man who already had another. They simply adjusted to the English Pureblood way of things.

Thorfinn had specifically approached them because they were a famously large family. Mr. Saad had only one wife, as he was not a Lord, but he had 3 sons and 4 daughters. Farah was the eldest, and when she looked at Thorfinn she agreed to the marriage in a heartbeat, he was good-looking enough for her. She quickly gave birth to a daughter and was happy and satisfied with the outcome of her pregnancy. Thorfinn was content, too, that it had happened quickly. Now, he felt more confident about continuing to try for a boy to pass on his surname and title.

Madeleine was fuming. Her contract allowed side-wives, two at most. "No need to tell in advance" was what her father, Amadeus Carrow, had written for her. He had practically copied word for word the same contract he had for himself, totally favoring Thorfinn over her. Now, she couldn’t make any complaints, as it was not her right. She couldn’t fight with her husband at this point, and she could only sit at the party with a tense smile, holding May-Lynn close. Her poor daughter—what would become of her with these new harpies in the House of Rowle? She could only hope for the best.

Severus was warm to Farah and was astonished that baby Hana was so content in his arms. He was roughly three months pregnant and longed to have his own baby in his arms as soon as possible. He wondered how Remus was doing. His wedding was close enough to make him nervous, but by this point, he should already be comfortable with Lord Silverclaw, just as Severus was with...

He turned his head to see Sirius talking with Lord Longbottom. Sirius quickly caught his eye and winked with amused eyes. Yes, they would be fine.