Chapter 16
Sirius
“That comes to £1.35 today”
I can’t be bothered to even attempt that
Sirius dug out a handful of muggle money from his back pocket and dumped it all on the counter hoping the cashier would just take what was needed. He knew he had enough, but he had no idea what was what. Muggles had too many coins, not to mention the silly bits of paper. Lily had tried explaining it so many times that it was just embarrassing, Marlene always made sure to joke about-
Sirius snatched up the bag on the counter.
“Just keep it all,” he muttered and turned around.
Marlene used to joke about it.
The cashier yelled out something, but Sirius ignored him heading out the door and straight for his bike. The sun had already set, and he just wanted to get going. He’d spent the last two days tailing death eaters with Mary after they received a tip off for an attack that never happened. He hadn’t slept, had barley eaten and he was ready to curse the next person he saw into the next decade. But he wasn’t going to let that ruin his plans.
Sirius dumped the bag of mostly fags, crisps and sweets into the sidecar, threw one leg over his bike and kicked it to life. He’d picked up one of the chocolate bars by the counter almost on instinct thinking about… well he’d put the bar back. Sirius let go of the clutch and throttled the engine.
The freezing autumn air wind blow through his hair and bit at his face as he sped down the quiet road going much faster than any muggle auror would let him get away with. But he didn’t care right now. He needed this feeling. He needed to feel something he liked for a change. That was the whole reason he was riding.
Mary had suggested he head home and rest for a few hours before apparating over to let his head clear. In his defence, he tried, but he was out of sleeping draughts and since he couldn’t pass out without them, decided that riding was the next best thing.
He wasn’t far off now, only another half hour if he kept up this speed. If he was heading anywhere else, it would have been tempting to take just stop for a smoke, but he was looking forward to this. He hadn’t seen them in almost a month. He needed to see them. Especially after everything that had gone down with Remus…
Sirius clenched his jaw.
No. I’m done with that. It’s done.
He tightened his grip on the throttle, revving the engine even louder to try drown out the thoughts. He wasn’t going to keep agonising over this. He pushed on.
When he finally turned off the main road, he was minutes away and he could hardly contain his excitement. He sped full speed down the abandoned dead-end lane but at the last second he turned the key an extra click and launched up into the air. It was the only part of the journey he had to make by air, though he didn’t mind. Getting to this point meant he was about to see some of the people he loved most in the world.
Sirius grinned as he saw the lights of Godrics Hollow coming into view. He couldn’t wait to give Harry the sweets he’d picked up and chat with Lily and James over a hot cup of tea. It had been far too long. They’d gone from seeing each other everyday, to every other day, to once a week, to once a fortnight to… well… the rare occasions they could manage.
As the world grew darker and hope got smaller, seeing James, Lily and Harry had become the light at the end of the tunnel. It was something to live for when he couldn’t just live for himself anymore. They kept him fighting when he didn’t think he could fight anymore.
James had promised to cook one their mums classic home dinners tonight. He hadn’t said which recipe but Sirius was looking forward to the surprise. He hadn’t been able to bring himself to cook one of Effies recipes yet and it had become a sort of tradition in the last few months that when he would visit, James would pick on old favourite.
Nearly home, he thought as the village lights got brighter and brighter.
Sirius landed the bike just inside the village border, just a few houses down from the Potters. Lily always made a fuss about how loud the bike was, said it drew too much attention, so he’d made a habit of parking it at the end of their street. It seemed a little silly to him given they were under the fidelius but he knew how stressed they were about everything right now and he didn’t want to add to it.
As soon as the wheels made contact with the ground, Sirius pulled the key and let the engine hum to silence. He leapt off seat and grabbed the bag, lighting a cigarette from it and breathing in the familiar smoke as he started walking down the street.
It was quiet here, always was after dark. Most of the houses Sirius passed had the living room lights on, and if he listened carefully he could make out the pleasant chatter of dinner time chatter. He smiled thinking about everything he and James had to catch up on. Maybe he could convince James to let Prongs out for a run with Padfoot.
Merlin knows he needs a chance to-
Sirius whole body went cold.
“JAMES!? LILY!?”
Sirius ran.
He dropped the bag and pulled out his wand, leaping over the gate and sprinting through the front garden.
The roof above Harry’s room was caved in. The glass of the windows had been shattered and blown out.
No…
The front door was wide open.
Sirius ran through it and-
His stomach jerked and Sirius world turned grey.
No… no merlin no please…
James was there… but he wasn’t going to run with Padfoot ever again.
“J-James…”
The body was cold, slumped over the floor. Completely still.
“J-James… n-no… n-nooo…”
His glasses were cracked on the ground. His lifeless eyes staring into nothing.
James… no you’re… no…
He couldn’t see. He couldn’t hear. He couldn’t feel. He couldn’t breathe. This couldn’t be… this wasn’t real… James wasn’t… That couldn’t be him…
James didn’t look like that. He was never cold, he was warm. He was full of joy and energy, not still and empty. This wasn’t Prongs. This wasn’t his James. It couldn’t be…
Barbed wire was ripping through every vein in his body. The air had become thick, hot poison. The cruciatus was more forgiving than this.
Sirius screamed.
James Potter. His best friend. His brother… was dead.
“L-LILY?! H-HARRY?!”
Sirius forced himself to step over the corpse.
He climbed the stairs. Trying desperately not to look at the framed photos lining the walls.
Please no… please no…
Sirius nearly threw up.
The door to Harry’s bedroom was blasted to pieces. The cold night air was seeping down from the giant gaping hole in the roof. Debris was everywhere and empty, dull green eyes starred up at him from beneath it all.
Sirius pushed himself in.
“HARRY?!” he screeched, but he couldn’t even hear his own voice.
This place was supposed to be full of colour. Life. Laughter.
There was nothing but grey.
Sirius stumbled toward where he should have been able to see Harry’s cot but couldn’t. It was covered in rubble.
Please Merlin… not him too… please no…
“H-HARRY?!”
Sirius dug through shattered brick. Ripped away splintered wood. Tore off sheets of broken plaster.
Harry please… please…
Sirius pulled back the final panel covering the cot and shed his first tear.
“H-Harry…” he croaked.
The little boy was shaking. His cheeks were glistening. His green eyes wide open, full of fear. He wasn’t making a sound.
Sirius stifled a cry. He couldn’t scare him anymore. How frightened did a child have to be to not make a sound in this situation? What had he seen? He reached into the crib, scooping up his godson and pulling him into his chest. Holding him more tightly than he’d ever held anyone before.
Harrys little hands, clawed at his shirt. His tiny body trembling against his own. Sirius was sure he was trembling just as much, but he couldn’t make sense of himself. He couldn’t think. He couldn’t feel.
This couldn’t… this wasn’t…
James… Lily…
His friends. His family.
How was he going to tell-
No…
Sirius dropped to his knees, and cradling Harry in his arms, he let out a blood curdling scream as the realisation of who had done this hit.
---
It’s fine. Just stay here. Everything’s fine.
Had it been a minute? Two? Five? Thirty? Sirius didn’t have a clue, but it felt like a million.
He still hadn’t moved from outside the library door. The moment it had shut, he’d collapsed against it. Half out of desperation for it to open again, half out of fear he wouldn’t be able to stop himself walking somewhere he shouldn’t go.
Not much longer. It’s alright. You’re gonna be fine.
His knees were in his chest. His head was in his heads.
Just hold on. Hold on. Everything's fine.
If he’d thought it was hard before, with Regulus there in front of him, he didn’t even know the right words to describe this feeling. His mind was tearing itself to pieces. He just wanted something to numb it.
No. No you can’t. That isn’t right. It won’t help you.
But Merlin it would help. He knew it would help right now. He would wake up with nothing but regrets but now… now wouldn’t get felt. This moment would go away. He needed it to go away.
What if Regulus did something again? What if Remus wasn’t ready? What if Regulus was too quick? What if Remus didn’t react in time? He couldn’t lose him. Not again. Not another brother.
His throat was dry, itching, burning for what it craved.
Stop. Please. I can’t.
But he wanted to. He wanted to more than anything right now.
No. You want more than that. You have more than that.
Sirius squeezed his eyes shut, trying to picture his brothers, his partners smile, his godsons face. He couldn’t let them down. He didn’t care about himself, but he couldn’t disappoint them. He couldn't be the reason they suffered even more.
Sirius leant his head back against the door.
Breathe. Take deep breaths and let it pass.
He tried. He really tried, but he was choking. Something was locked around his throat, stopping him from getting air in or out.
Sirius clawed at his skull, ripping at the roots of his hair.
Please. Stop this. Leave me alone.
How had he gotten through this before? How had he made it past this last time? He didn’t remember it being this fucking hard. He just wanted it all to stop.
He opened his eyes and tried to focus on ceiling. The flaking grey paint. The outdated trim. But it didn’t help. It just brought back the fact he was here. Stuck inside Grimmauld place again.
His stomach lurched and he kicked his legs out straight, slamming his heels against the floor and letting his hands drop beside him.
Moony, I need you. I need you please.
There were things he could try. A shower. A tea. A book. But he didn’t trust himself to move. He wanted to turn into Padfoot, but he couldn’t clear his head enough to transform right now, let alone bring himself back. He was stuck.
Sirius curled his hands into fists and punched them into the floor, hunching forward and straining against the urge to shout. His knuckles cracked against the wood, and the skin, still raw from his efforts with the painting, ripped as he scraped it into the ground.
It was good.
So he did it again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Anything to distract himself from the war raging inside his head. He raised his fists again, preparing for the hit of pain. The relief. The-
"Sirius-"
Sirius looked up and his heart skipped a beat. If he hadn't already been on the floor, he probably would have collapsed onto it.
A bird, made of whisps of light and silvery strings had materialised from nowhere, glowing and filling the dark hallway with light. It's wings were spread like it was mid-flight, but it hovered in one place, floating just beyond Sirius' reach. A phoenix.
With Dumbledores voice.
"-Voldemort has risen once more. Harry was captured and used in a ritual to help Voldemort regain his body, but he is back and safe for now. Tonks and Kingsley will bring their visit forward to tonight to discuss further."
As the final words left the birds beak, the phoenix flexed its wings lifting them up before flapping them down and disappearing in a flash of silvery white light. Plunging Sirius back into darkness.
Harry. Harry had...
Sirius let go of his fists and let them slam into the ground, but this time the pain didn't bring him any relief.
How had... Voldemort... Harry...
Sirius tensed. He counted the days in his head. The moon had been... so that meant today was...
Shit.
Today was the 24th. The 24th of June. Harry... he'd had the third task today he... Voldemort had...
Sirius cursed.
He'd forgotten. He'd completely fucking forgotten. How the... what sort of... He'd gotten so caught up with Regulus... with himself... he'd completely forgotten about the fucking tournament.
Harry had... He'd been captured? That's what Albus had said. Thats what the message said. He'd been used in a ritual to revive Voldemort. Harry had... while he'd been here just sitting around doing nothing but feeling sorry for himself and...
*He's back. Voldemort is back. Harry had...
Bile rose up in his throat, he tried to swallow it back.
Voldemort. He's...
James. Lily. The memory of their lifeless corpses slumped against the ground flashed across his mind.
Sirius' stomach cramped and this time he couldn't stop himself from retching. He heaved. Bile burned his throat, but nothing came up.
Hagrid taking Harry away from him. Peter's laughter in that street. Azkaban.
Sirius retched again.
No. No. Not again. This can't happen.
Marlene. Dorcas. Alice. Frank. Gideon. Fabian. His brother...
It was... it was all for nothing... Lily and James... they all died for nothing... Voldemort was back and... he was back, and it was all going to happen again...
He wasn't supposed to. He knew Regulus had asked him to leave. But this was too important.
Harry had... Voldemort was... Everything was...
Sirius pulled himself off the ground.
"R-Remus?" he called out.
He slammed himself against the door, pushing it open with a loud BANG!
"Remus!?" he shouted again, running inside.
Where was he? Where were they?
"Remus?! Where are you?"
*Please answer, I can't wait. This can't wait.
"Sirius? What's going on?"
He ran toward it. Pushing forward. Chasing the voice. He felt like he was on fire. Everything was burning up.
Voldemort was back. Harry had been captured. Voldemort had risen again. Harry was there.
Sirius came to the first row. He thought the sight of them would relax him, but it only served to make him breath harder. Remus. Covered in scars, already carrying the weight of war stood with his wand out, concern all over his face. Regulus. Fuck. His little brother was pressed into the corner of the lounge behind Remus, his mouth open, arms wrapped around himself.
Whatever he’d just interrupted hadn’t been good… and he was about to make it all worse.
"He's back! Remus he's back! Harry saw it. He's back."
Sirius wished he didn't have to see that look on Remus' face. It was the same one he'd worn at every funeral. Every time they got news of another death. The one he'd worn the day he left...
They locked eyes.
"You mean..."
Sirius nodded, "Dumbledore just sent a patronus"
Remus swallowed, lowering his hand. His face had gone white. Sirius suspected his was the same colour.
"Harry saw it?"
Sirius shuddered, "They... they used him in the ritual and-"
"A ritual? Fuck, Pads is he okay?"
Sirius shifted, "Dumbledore said that he's back and safe."
They shared a look. Dumbledore said nothing about him actually being okay. There was no way he was.
"W-Who's back?"
Sirius tore his gaze from Remus, landing on the boy behind him.
Regulus' eyes were wide open. They made eye contact and Sirius was certain Regulus had stopped breathing. He was far too smart for his own good
"It’s the... the dark lord... isn't it?"
The fear in his voice was palpable. Sirius had never been formally introduced to Voldemort, but Regulus had been. He'd stayed in Sirius room all night after that meeting. Sirius was never able to coax out what happened.
He glanced back up at Remus. They were both thinking the same thing.
This conversation was going to happen eventually
"S-Sirius?" Regulus called out again, starting to sound more panicked.
Sirius swallowed and looked down at his brother again. He looked so small, curled in on himself, hiding behind Remus. He looked so young. He… he was so young. Thirteen was nothing. He was still a child.
How did I ever think he wanted that life? How didn’t I see this?
He'd been so blind. To everything.
“Regulus… we can’t keep putting this off anymore…”
Sirius stepped forward, eyes on his brother. Walking, walking, walking. Closing the space between them. Remus stepped further aside and pulled out his wand, conjuring up another lounge to take a seat on. Sirius didn’t seat with him though. He sat himself down, in the spot beside Regulus, twisting to face him.
Maybe it was selfish, getting this close without asking permission first. But he couldn’t help himself. Not with this. Not when he was going to force himself to relive everything he’d been trying to forget so his brother could find his place in everything.
Regulus looked at him, then down at the short distance separating them, “I know…”
So, they told him. Everything they could remember.
Regulus’ fate and what they knew of it. Evan. Barty. Dorcas.
He cried when he learned about Pandora. Sobbed. Argued. Begged. They had to stop for a while. It was so much grief all at once.
“No p-please… sh-she can’t… she’s n-not”
“I’m sorry Reg…”
“Please… they can’t all be…”
When Regulus finally asked to here more, he was still shaking.
They told him about the Potters. Lily. James. Harry. Halloween of 1981.
Peter.
It took them three tries to get through that. Sirius broke down between every word.
When Regulus learned about what happened to Sirius and where he had spent 12 years, he lost it again. Sirius was surprised when Regulus closed the gap between them and hugged him. Crying and apologising as if it had been his fault Sirius had ended up there.
“I-I’m s-so s-sorry”
“Reg you had nothing to do with it.”
“B-but what if I knew about P-Peter? W-what if I d-did n-nothing to-”
“I would forgive you anyway”
They told him about the peace that followed the war. The stories of the people left to pick up their tattered lives.
Remus told Regulus about his time as a teacher. About Harry. About Luna. About the shrieking shack. The mess that followed but also the light that had come from it.
They were honest about their relationship. Sirius cried again when Regulus accepted them. Regulus cried with him, but said nothing more on the matter.
Regulus went silent again after learning about the world cup incident. Somehow, he went even quieter when they finally made it to today.
“We won’t know much more until tonight, but he’s back and the war is going to be back too.” Sirius muttered, half to Regulus, half to Remus. Probably a little to himself.
Remus sighed, “I guess that means we’re going to have to figure out what to say...” he glanced toward Regulus, who was leaning against Sirius side fidgeting with his hands, staring into space.
Sirius pursed his lips, “With or without permission, Dumbledore will use legilimency to check for himself.”
“He can verify the story but…” Remus paused, “The others aren’t going to be happy.”
Sirius nodded.
It was the same with him. Everyone had been told of his innocence, but his reputation, his name. It was the first thing everyone saw. The letters he received were very different from the ones addressed to Remus. Even if Regulus was a just a kid… the timing of his arrival… who he had been… the things he’d been known for… he’d be fighting to prove himself every step of the way and he was hardly in a place for that.
And that was without factoring the other kids into the equation. If Dumbledore asked, the adults would do their best to be civil, even if it was reluctant, but the kids were under no such obligation. There was no telling how they would all react to each other, especially if they knew about his past… They couldn’t risk that. Not with how he was at the moment.
Sirius glanced back down at Regulus. It was obvious who he was, which family he belonged to. There was no way they could escape that completely, but they could bend the truth. Try lessen the impact.
“I think we should lie.” Sirius said firmly, “Cygnus was known for his affairs… perhaps one slipped through?”
Remus nodded, “That would explain the resemblance well enough… and Dumbledores word would stop too many questions about how he came to be here. I think home schooling is still common enough to explain his absence from Hogwarts too.”
Sirius gently nudged his brothers shoulder. “What do you think?”
Regulus shrugged, not looking up from where he was flicking at the hem of his top. “As long as I don’t have to go by some stupid secret name I don’t care.”
“That’s easy enough, all our names are recycled anyway, besides anyone old enough to recognise you won’t care as long as Dumbledore approves.”
“I guess…” he muttered. There was a subtle tone of disappointment underneath it and Sirius mentally slapped himself for saying it that way.
“Not that they wouldn’t care, I just mean that-”
“It’s fine.”
“No Reg, I just meant that-”
“Sirius, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
Sirius opened his mouth to shoot off another rebuttal, but Remus cut in.
“How about we just get the basics sorted for tonight yeh? Then we can discuss the rest with Albus before anyone else drops by. Can we do that?”
Sirius and Regulus nodded but didn’t say anything.
Sirius wasn’t very happy about all this reliance on Dumbledore. During the first war they’d followed his every order blindly and look where it had gotten them. Dead. Imprisoned. Homeless. The war would have been lost if it weren’t for whatever happened with Harry that night.
He trusted that Dumbledore was trying to make the best of an impossible situation. It was war and Voldemort had to be stopped. He didn’t like it, but who was to say he would make different choices in that position. Someone had to step up to the mantle and who was better equipped than the man who defeated Grindelwald.
It still made him nervous, but Remus was right. Dumbledores word would save them a lot of explanations, at least in the short term. He didn’t have to like it. He just had to live with it.
---
As the day gave way to afternoon, then afternoon became evening, Sirius was becoming increasingly anxious. They didn’t know when Tonks and Kingsley were going to arrive, Harry had yet to reply to the hasty letter he’d sent off and Regulus was back to being quiet.
Sirius had spent most of the day with Regulus in the library, while Remus rushed around trying to get things in order before Tonks and Kingsley arrived. Once again Remus had proven he was far more brilliant when it came to planning than Sirius would ever be, creating a whole story, putting it onto parchment and giving Regulus and Sirius copies to familiarise themselves with the details.
It was simple enough. The product of an affair between Cygnus and a half-blood witch, Regulus was raised and home schooled by his mother away from prying eyes until she recently passed. If anyone asked for more, they would say Dumbledore swore them to secrecy and leave it at that. They were going to insist Tonks keep if from Andromeda for now too, citing Dumbledores orders. She would immediately recognise him if they met and though Sirius suspected she would come around to it, he didn’t want to push their luck.
Regulus finally received the new properly fitting wardrobe he’d been promised after his measurements were taken with a charmed tailor’s tape. Remus had opted to supervise that bathroom trip and Sirius had been relieved to hear that he didn’t notice anything suspicious. Remus had asked Regulus if he had any preferences before heading out and he ended up with an assortment of shirts, shorts, trousers, and a few robes in either black, grey, green or blue.
Remus also brought back a stack of books that Regulus shyly, but happily thanked him for and put away in his room. Sirius didn’t have a clue what they were, but he was glad that Regulus seemed happy about them. He deserved that.
Dinner passed by thankfully well. Regulus requested they have soup and Sirius jumped at the chance to cook something his brother actually wanted to eat given how well meals had been going so far. He didn’t exactly seem enthusiastic about the dish but he only complained a couple of times and finished most of it. Not as much as Sirius would have liked but enough.
Now the were back in the living room, the minutes were ticking by like hours as they waited for the knock at the door. Regulus was lying down with one of his new books, though it was starting to seem like he was doing more sleeping than reading as his eyes were closed pretty much every time Sirius glanced over at him.
Sirius and Remus were sitting together, quietly going over what they thought this conversation would bring. Harry was a reoccurring topic. Sirius was almost in a sweat just talking about all the unknowns, stressing about how he was doing and what he had seen. Remus tried to reassure him, but he wasn’t doing much better, especially as more and more time passed.
Regulus came up often too. Something they were less confident about, was explaining why Regulus would need to be always supervised by either Remus or Sirius, especially once order meetings started up again. So far the best they had was asking Dumbledore to cover for it, that was the excuse for tonight, but they were worried about the sort of questions that mind lead too. There was no telling what sort of reasoning people would come up with on their own, given his ancestry and secretive story. That was without considering how Regulus was going to behave in all this as well.
It was almost midnight when the bang on the front door finally came.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
All three heads snapped up when the sound came. Even Regulus who’d been asleep moments prior.
Remus gave Sirius’ hand a squeeze, before standing up to let them in.
As he left, Sirius and Regulus made eye contact. Sirius tried to give him a comforting smile, but Regulus looked down at his book, tensing all over as the front door opened and they could hear muffled voices.
Sirius hadn’t seen Tonks since she was about 6 years old, when he and Andromeda had met up after Regulus’ death was announced. He remembered her as a cheerful hyperactive little thing with a head of constantly changing multicoloured hair and a petulance for tripping over and making a mess. Seeing a member of their family being allowed to grow up that way, had almost brought him to tears.
He hadn’t met Kingsley before but knew of him. He was a very highly ranked auror, skilled in duelling with a position in Fudges office. He’d taken over a few of Alastors trainees while he was teaching at Hogwarts, and Tonks happened to be one of them.
“We’re just in the living room,” Sirius heard Remus saying as footsteps echoed up the hall, “Did you want a tea?”
“No I’m alright, thank you.”
“I’m good too, thanks.”
Sirius stood up and made his way over to the door.
It’s going to be fine. Harry is fine. Reg will be fine.
He stepped outside, and immediately collided Tonks.
“Oh shit, sorry I didn’t even-” he started apologising, but Tonks smiled and waved him off.
“Don’t worry about it, I’m the clumsiest auror that’s ever existed. And also…” Tonks stuck out her hand, “Nice to see you again cousin, hairs a little greyer than the last time we met.”
Sirius grinned and took her hand, shaking it and bringing her into a polite hug, “I would say yours is pinker but I’m pretty sure pink was in the rotation back then. You look just like Andy aside from that.”
Tonks laughed, “Mum always says I look like dad, but I think that’s wishful thinking on her behalf.”
They pulled out of the embrace.
“Can’t say I blame her for that.” Sirius turned to Kinsley, holding out his hand. While he and Tonks were about the same height, Kinsley was a little taller than him, and he had to look up slightly to meet his eye. “Nice to meet you.”
Kingsley took his hand, “Likewise, Sirius.” He said politely.
They released the handshake and a couple of seconds of silence passed, as the four of them all awkwardly stood around, waiting for someone to make the first move. Sirius glanced at Remus, raising an eyebrow as if to ask Have you mentioned Regulus yet?
Remus seemed to understand the sentiment and shook his head.
Alright then…
Sirius took a deep breath.
“Err just before we go on. We… um… we have someone else staying with us at the moment.”
Kingsley shot in a questioning look, “Dumbledore said you two were here alone.”
“Yes well… we were but um…” Fuck get it together Sirius. “Well, um we someone else has recently joined us… he’ll be here for the err… foreseeable future too…”
“Is Dumbledore aware of this? I was under the impression Remus was the only one with orders to be helping out between his own missions while you’re in hiding?”
Sirius supressed a wince at his choice of words. They hadn’t quite gotten around to announcing their relationship to the new order yet.
“Yes um well-”
“No need to worry, Kingsley,” Remus cut in, “Dumbledore is aware of the situation and he is approved to be here.”
Kingsley relaxed at this news and Sirius sighed a breath of relief. Thank Merlin for Moony.
“Who is he then?” Tonks cut in.
Sirius looked at Remus who nodded for him to continue, “Um well he… It’s a little bit under wraps at the moment...”
“as per Dumbledore,” Remus added and Sirius nodded.
“Yes, but um he’s actually…” he looked a Tonks, “a relative.”
Kingsley and Tonks both tensed at that and Sirius inwardly cursed.
“No, no its… nothing like that… he’s just a kid… thirteen…”
Tonks frowned, “When did you have time to have a kid?”
“Oh shit, no um he isn’t… mine he… he’s just… um” Fuck. Sirius looked over at Remus, silently begging him to take over. His brain wasn’t working, and he was going to make a mess of this if he kept trying to plough forward.
“Cygnus Black,” Remus announced. “Seems he wasn’t as careful with his affairs as he thought. The boy grew up with his mum but she recently passed.”
Tonks eyes doubled in size, “This kids my cousin? Mums brother? How the hell did we not know? Mums gonna go-”
“Actually,” Sirius interrupted raising a hand to signal her to stop, “Dumbledore’s requested this is kept between as few people as possible for now. It’s… a delicate situation…”
Tonks hair flickered blue, “Oh um… yes sorry I suppose that’s… yes alright, I won’t mention it”
Sirius smiled at her. He felt bad for lying, but they didn’t have a choice. “Thanks, Tonks.”
He turned his attention back to Kingsley, who was eyeing him cautiously. Sirius swallowed.
He’s just a little surprised.
“I understand,” he said at last. “We do need to get on with this conversation though, we have quite a bit of brief you on.”
Sirius nodded and gestured into the living room.
Kingsley’s brow furrowed, “Are you sure this wouldn’t be more appropriate away from the boy?”
Sirius forced himself not to throw his head into the door right there, because yes. As predicted having a child sitting in on order meetings was going to cause a few issues.
“He um… well he’s got to… um… go-”
“Dumbledore will likely send out a brief in the coming days about this boy’s circumstances. As Sirius said it’s… delicate.”
Thank you Moony
“Oh ok well… I suppose we had better get started then.”