Written in the Stars

THEY say home is where the heart is. Sometimes, that was true. 

It was dark outside, nothing but the moon and the stars illuminated the tall pine trees that were littered in front of the cottage. The crickets were singing their melodic song while you were in the kitchen cooking.

It had been two months since you’d found Sirius in the dark corner of the shrinking shack. He had been hiding in random places over the last month, but one fateful day he appeared at your door. When you opened it there wasn’t anyone standing there which you found quite interesting considering that no one knew where you lived beside Remus, Harry, and Sirius. Sirius. You looked down at the floor and sure enough, there he was in the form of his animagus. The black dog was wagging its tail while he had his tongue out, tasting the air. He barked once your eyes met his. 

“Sirius,” you whispered, “what on earth are you doing here?” You looked around to make sure no one was watching and you stepped aside, motioning with your head for him to come in.

Once he was inside, he sat down on his hind legs and looked up at you with his tongue out again. 

“I cannot have a serious conversation with you while you’re still a dog,” you shook your head. Merlin, he was going to give you a headache.  

Sirius transformed back into himself. The man still looked just as horrible as the day in the Shrieking Shack. Your heart squeezed at the thought of him in the wilderness all alone, with nothing but his thoughts to accompany him. You felt incredibly bad for the man. The entire wizarding world hated him. He was innocent while the man who should have been behind bars this entire time was out running free. 

“Hello there,” Sirius grinned, his smile showcasing his yellow teeth. He opened his arms, “You aren’t going to give me a hug?” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Sirius, you look ragged,” you said. 

Sirius laughed and walked closer to you, “I haven’t exactly had the chance to have a bath in the past what,” he paused and put his finger on his chin, “twelve years!” At that moment, Remus emerged from the library to see you and a ragged Sirius. He was stunned. Remus didn’t expect to see Sirius for a while. With the ministry still on the lookout for him, it wouldn’t have been a good idea to come back here. 

“Why are you here?” Remus asked as he took off the glasses that he used for reading. 

“I thought you two would be more cheery to see me,” Sirius quipped as he put his hands on his hips looking between you two. 

“Sirius, you’re a wanted man,” you sat down on the midnight blue couch that accentuated the white walls of the living room, “we fear for your life every day.” 

“That’s true. What if the dementors find you here?” 

“Letting me stay here is way safer than staying out there,” he pointed at the door, “where the dementors can get me in my sleep. At least here I have two big and strong partners to take care of me.” Sirius smiled at the two of you. You were glad that he still had some of his humor left. You couldn’t imagine all the trauma of being in Azkaban did to him over the past twelve years.

“We were going to let you stay regardless,” you patted the spot next to you on the couch, “come here. Let me have a good look at you.” Sirius followed your orders and sat next to you. You put your hand on his face. The contrast of your soft hand on his dirty face made you almost cry. He’d gone through so much yet he was still the Sirius you knew and loved. Remus sat on the other side of you and looked at Sirius. 

“I missed this,” Sirius whispered. His nose twitched, a sign that he was about to cry. The thing is, he didn’t cry. He sobbed. His shoulders and chest began to shake with the way the sobs came out of him. Sirius didn't cry because he was sad. His heart wept because he finally felt safe. He finally felt what a home was truly like.

You brought him into you and hugged him hard. You rested your chin on the top of his head. Sirius sobbed into your chest. You let him stain your top with his tears, you wanted him to feel safe, you wanted him to feel at home. Remus went to the other side of Sirius and rubbed his back. Remus could feel Sirius’s bones through his ripped prison uniform, which made Remus cringe. Sirius didn’t deserve this. 

Sirius’s sobs turned into quiet sniffles. He looked up at you with tear-stained cheeks. Your thumb caressed his cheek, wiping away his tears and smudging some of the dirt he had on his face. “Thank you,” he said to you. He then turned to Remus and once again said, “Thank you.” Remus brought Sirius into another tight hug and kissed his tear-stained cheek. “I’m not letting you leave my sight,” you heard Remus whisper into Sirius’s ear.

Now, the two of them were in a heated game of wizards chess in the dining room. Curse words were bouncing around the room like a ball that was thrown by a child. While dinner was cooking, you took the liberty of watching your two boys play. 

You sat down at the end of the table and not once did they look up from the board. They both muttered quiet hellos and stared at the game without blinking.

“You guys have to blink sooner or later. Your eyes will fall out if you don’t,” you nodded your head and cross your arms as if you just said a true fact. 

“I can’t blink or else Sirius will cheat again,” Remus said as one of his knights took out one of Sirius’s pawns. 

“I did not cheat!” Sirus demanded. Sirius looked better than the day he showed you to your door. His hard was less matted and tangled, his skin was clean, his clothes didn’t have holes in them and fit him properly, he gained a bit of weight which helped him ease away from the waif-like look he was sporting, and his teeth weren’t the nasty-yellow color they once were. But the way he looked didn’t matter all that much to you. All that mattered was that he was happy and safe. 

“Calm down,” you laughed, “It’s just wizard's chess. It’s not like there’s a prize or anything.” 

“That’s where you're wrong, love,” Sirius said as his last pawn moved forward, “there is a prize.”

“What is it,” you leaned forward in your chair, eager to hear what this prize was. 

“A kiss from the loser,” Remus said with a smirk on his face. 

“A kiss. That’s all?” you asked as your eyebrows knitted in confusion, “you two kiss all the time.” 

“This one’s special though,” Sirius looked over at you for the first time this entire night. 

“How so?” you tilted your head to the side.

“Because It’ll come from a winner,” and just as Sirius said that his knight captured Remus’s king. Sirius had won the game.

Sirius reached forward and grabbed Remus by the neck. Their lips connected and they kissed. The kiss was anything but chaste. They both acted as if they were in a rush to be somewhere but in reality, they had all the time in the world. You left the dining room to give the two of them some privacy. 

As you stood over the pot of the stove stirring the ingredients you’d chopped just a few minutes ago, you felt content. You loved the domestic life you had built with your two very handsome partners.