This Beautiful Mess

Iris Black was a perfectly normal child, thank you very much.

Except that she wasn’t.

Her parents had been killed by Deatheaters, the mindless, ruthless followers of the Dark Lord. That left her, on the 31st of October 1981, in her home, with the bodies of her parents and no one to defend her. It left her alone. Three years old and no parental guardian.

Iris sat, crying silently on the floor of the kitchen. Her long black hair falling about her face. She kept hold of her mothers hand. She remembered her beautiful brown eyes and shiny black hair. Her delicate smile. Those eyes were closed. That hair was soaked in the blood leaking from the slash in her neck. It dampened her mothers favourite dress - a beautiful dark green - and poured onto the floor. Iris looked at her father, whose head was next to her mothers. His lips slightly open, his body as if it let go in mid crawl. He has kissed his wife, a curse settling in and perished. Iris had hidden herself in the cupboard under the stairs, on her mothers orders the moment two other men had apparated into the kitchen. She had crouched, hidden behind the boxes and broomstick. She clamped her hands over her ears but still the sounds of shouting, screaming and fighting had reached her cupboard. Iris waited until the men had gone, after casting the skull and snake above the house and apparating away. Then she had foolishly left her hiding place and ventured into the horrors of the kitchen.

Iris cried. She wanted her mother to wake up, to laugh like it was a joke. She wanted her father to give a pretend snore and then sit up, chuckling, fixing his glasses back onto his face. She wanted them to hug her and tell her they were there.

But they never did.

There was a loud bang outside of the house. Iris flinched, reaching for her mothers wand which was on the floor. She shuffled and collected her fathers, hiding it away in her pockets.

“Are you sure this was where they were?” A voice said, muffled by the walls.

Three people walked through the gardens of the countryside house. Iris saw them in the window above the kitchen sink. One of them brushed away a branch. Another took a photograph of the house and then the image of the snake and skull in the night sky.

One of the men was tall. He had golden brown hair, many scars across his face and wore a jumper which reminded Iris of her father’s old one. The other man, with his wand out, wore a leather jacket and a tee-shirt that read ‘Led Zeppelin’. He had the same kind of eyes as Iris’s father’s, grey and stormy but still warm somehow. He had the same black hair, only longer and tied back. The last wizard was holding a camera and dressed in Ministry of Magic robes. Dark purple and black. Iris had seen him before. Maybe.

“Alohomora,” said the man with scars.

They stepped inside quietly.

“My god.” said the ministry man, taking a photo of the destroyed furniture. “What in Merlin's name-”

“They were here. Definitely.” the man with dark hair said. “If you couldn’t tell from the giant dark mark out there.”

“Hold on, Sirius.” The third man said. “Thats– thats- …”

He made eye contact with Iris from across the room. He looked through the lounge room with its damaged furniture and at Iris who was holding her mothers wand, pointing it at them. She sat in front of the bodies, hiding them from view.

“Go away.” Iris said. “You’re not going to hurt me.”

All three men stood on edge.

“Who are you, child?” asked the ministry man.

“Iris Black.” Iris replied. Defiance in her eyes. “Go away.” She repeated.

“Do you remember me?” the man said, “I’m a friend of your father’s.”

Iris hesitated. The men slowly crept through the room.

“My name is Henry Blunge. Do you remember me?” He asked again.

Iris thought for a moment. She looked at his curly brown hair, his warm brown eyes, pink face and his pot belly. She remembered.

“Pig.” She said. “You’re Pig. I gave you tea.”

“Yes!” Pig laughed quietly. “I was in a meeting with your parents, and you insisted on trying your famous Iris Flower Tea.”

Iris nodded shyly.

“Where are your parents?” Pig asked her.

Iris gave a whimper. She stood and shifted out of the way.

“They won’t wake up.” Iris said. “They won’t wake.”

“... Oh Merlin.” Pig said.

“Fuck.” said the man with the band tee shirt.

“Would you like to come with us?” Pig asked her. “We can help you.”

“No one can help.” Iris said. “No one can help me.”

The men walked closer to her. Pig put his arms around her in a warm hug. But Iris didn’t feel warm. She felt cold. She felt sad.

“We can try.” the man with the dark hair said, he knelt down. “Do you know who I am?”

Iris shook her head. Pig placed his hand on her shoulders, checking her for wounds.

“I’m Sirius. Sirius Black.”

“You’re… you’re my family?” Iris asked. He was a Black.

Sirius nodded, “This is my friend Remus.” The tall man waved. “We can take care of you.”

“I don’t want a new mum and dad.” Iris said, still clutching the wand.

Sirius smiled. “That's okay. What about an uncle? Could you use a pair of uncles?”

Iris nodded. She wanted to trust them. Sirius’s friend, Remus began to levitate the dining table cloth, he drifted it towards Iris’s parents. Iris stepped back towards them.

“I’m just going to cover them up.” Remus said softly, “So they can rest.”

Iris held up her hands to stop the table cloth.

“Do you need to get something?” Pig asked her kindly.

She nodded. Slowly, she removed her parents' wedding rings and her mother’s green brooch. She placed her fathers glasses on his face.

“Goodnight, daddy.” she said, kissing his forehead.

Remus moved the cloth and it covered two of the best people Iris knew.

~~

The court whispered behind their hands, they scribbled on parchment and still, Sirius kept his posture. He faced the rows of witches and wizards. He held the hands of Iris Black, the distant second niece he didn’t know he had.

“The court has decided,” said the judge. “Sirius Black, the second uncle once removed and the only legible extended family member of one Iris Black, is now in full custody of Iris Yukio Black. Do you accept this?”

The court stared down at Sirius.

“I fully accept.” Sirius replied.

“Good.” the judge said, he shuffled some papers on his desk, “We will then have you sign these legal documents of adoption and–”

The door to the courtroom slammed open, a wizard burst through, an elated and somewhat crazed look on his face. A look of pure relief.

“HES DEAD!” yelled the man, “He Who Must Not Be Named is dead!”

The court erupted into voices. Sirius’s face split into a grin, he turned to Remus who was sitting on the bench with Henry Blunge.

“Who did it?” yelled a witch.

“How is this possible?” whispered another.

“You’re pulling our leg!”

“Silence! Order in the court!” The judge cried. His wig was slipping off his head, he dabbed his sweaty face with his sleeve. “Mr Honlu, please explain these ridiculous allegations.”

“The dark- the Dark Lord was killed tonight! At - at James and Lily Potter’s house. Associates of Dumbledore!” the man stuttered.

Sirius’s face slipped.

“Is this true?” the judge called.

“Yes!” the man cried in joyus relief. “Everyone's been talking about it! Even the Unspeakables!”

The courtroom erupted into cheering. The judge put his hands in his face and wept with relief.

“What.” he whispered. He whipped his head around to face Remus. “Do you know anything about this?”

“N-no.” Remus said, his face pale and clammy. “Lily and - James – oh god- Harry! Sirius-”

Sirius flumed. James. His best friend James.

“I’ve got to go, I have to–” Sirius whipped out his wand, he tried to apparate. Nothing. The courtroom was a No Apparating Zone.

“Sirius - no!” Remus got up and chased after Sirius who was running out the door. Henry Blunge staggering behind. “SIRIUS!”

“WHAT?” Sirius whirled around, “What could possibly be more important than - than -”

His chest heaved. His face contorted in rage, he squeezed his eyes shut to stop the tears.

“Breathe.” Remus said, reaching his boyfriend. He touched Sirius’s shoulder lightly. “Breathe, darling.”

Sirius tried. He couldn’t.

Remus kissed him lightly. Sirius grounded himself, focusing on Remus’s lips rather than the hole opening itself up in his heart.

“Voldemorts dead.” Remus said slowly, squeezing Sirius’s shoulders. “If you’re about to do what I think you're going to, you need to wait.”

“Why?” Sirius sobbed. The tears came thick and fast, spilling down his face. “They’re- they’re-”

“We have something else to do first.” Remus said. Henry Blunge had caught up to them. Remus pulled away, holding Sirius firmly on the shoulder.

It was only then that Sirius noticed someone else following Henry, holding Blunge’s hand.

“Uncle?” Iris asked, “Where are you going?”

Sirius wiped his eyes. He knelt down and hugged her, “No where, love, I’m not going anywhere.”

Henry Blunge removed his hat, his face calm, "I'm... I'm sorry for your loss. The both of you..."

Sirius looked up at Remus. His face streaked with tears, his eyeliner smudged and watery, "Remus. I..."

"How did You-Know-Who get to Godric's Hollow?" Remus asked, his eyes glittering with tears. "I thought you were the secret keeper."

Sirius stood up, holing Iris' hand. His shoulders shuddered with rage and emotion.

"It was that- that god damn RAT." Sirius breathed, "We swapped last minute. Peter was the secret keeper. Peter... he sold them out..."

Remus stiffled a sob, "He... he wouldn't..."

"He bloody f*cking would." Sirius said, he looked down to Iris who was shuffling her feet on the polished stone floor.

In the next two hours, Remus and Blunge apparated to the Potter’s residence and collected Harry James Potter, the son of Lily and James, and the godson of Sirius and Remus. Sirius went from having no children attached to him to having two that relied on him. He loved them both, Harry and Iris kept him going, not to mention Remus, who was an unmoving constant. But with a full house, there was no time to mourning. The loss of two unknown relatives and two who weren't really family, but were the truest family he had known. James and Lily's deaths made Sirius want to rage and stalk the streets for a particular person. How could Peter betray them? The Potters were like his family too. Were they not? Sirius mourned the death of another friend. He knew Peter wasn't really dead, but the boy... the friend that knew when to comfort Sirius, when to offer chocolate to Remus and when to let James win (for once) at chess... that boy was dead. Dead as he could be without being under the earth.

The next few weeks were hard. He and Remus took the two children back to their flat which was far too small for two children and Sirius and Remus were far too underprepared.

They enlisted help from old friends.

“Thank you so much, Molly.” Remus said, opening the door for a plump redhead woman and her sons. “I don’t know how I’ll be able to repay you.”

“Oh, pah! Remus, you know I’m here, whatever you need.” she said, levitating three giant pies, a box of baby diapers and other things out of her small handbag, “As for repaying me, well, I hear you have a little girl on your hands as well.”

Remus smiled, helping Molly to unpack yet more things from the bottomless handbag, “Yes. It was as much of a surprise to Sirius as it was to me. She's upstairs with Harry, they get along surprisingly well. I suppose she thinks they’re related, she claims they have the same hair.”

“I’ve always wanted a little girl.” Molly said, sighing, “Fred! George! Get off that table.”

Two redhead boys were stood on the coffee table, attempting to stack random objects as high as they could.

Molly Weasley sighed again.

“And how old are you boys now?” Remus grinned at the twins.

“We’re three.” They said in unison.

“The same age as Iris.” Remus remarked while rolling up his sleeves to begin to clean the kitchen.

“Who’s Iris?” one of them asked.

“Me.” replied a quiet voice. Iris stood in the door way to the kitchen-lounge room. She was dressed in black and green, practically refusing to dress in any other colour other than dark green. “Who are you?”

“I’m Fred.” said the twin with the letter G on his shirt.

“I’m George.” said the one with F on his shirt.

“Hello.” Iris smiled.

“Do you need something, love?” Remus asked.

“Harry's sleeping.”

“Did you read to him?”

“No. Just sat with him until he fell asleep. I’m not a good re...reader. You do the voices.” Iris said, sitting herself down on the floor.

The twins went back to stacking things.

“Do I now?” Remus chuckled as Molly began unloading a whole roast chicken out of her handbag.

“Yep.” Iris said. She found a cup and handed it to the boys.

Wobbling, they placed it on the very top. Iris passed them a jar and they managed to stick it in the top. They giggled as it began to tilt and stagger.

A moment of whispering of three little voices and then…

“Where’s my wand?” Molly asked after a while.

The two adults looked at the coffee table.

There were three books, one roll of parchment, a figurine of a dog, six cups and several other things stacked on top of each other to create a teetering tower of objects. The twins grinned at each other, and looked at their mothers face, clearly amused. Iris looked at Remus guiltily (but a sly grin formed on her face) as she placed two wands into the mug at the top of the tower.