𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬
HARRY hadn’t meant to use his wand while Dudley was with him. It just sort of happened. It was an act of self-defense when the Dementors were coming right at him and his muggle cousin. If anything, Harry should be praised for casting a corporeal Patronus at such a young age.
You were the first to know that Harry had been expelled from Hogwarts for the use of underage magic. You didn’t know the full side of the story. Maybe he could have been defending himself and the only weapon he had was his wand. You couldn’t blame him. You were sure he had a good reason.
Harry was to stay with the muggles for the first two weeks of the summer before he could live with you. Dumbledore claimed that it would ease the stress of moving. You thought that was a big load of rubbish.
“Harry’s been expelled,” you break the silence at the dining table. It was early in the morning, a beautiful morning in fact. Remus had been reading the Daily Prophet and Sirius had been playing with the food on his plate.
“Why was he expelled?” Sirius lets his fork drop onto his plate full of food.
“For the use of underage magic,” you continued.
“There's got to be a good reason,” Remus put the paper down and sighed. He knew that Harry was aware of the Wizarding rules. No witch or wizard under the age of seventeen shall use magic outside of their respected Wizarding school.
●・○・●・○・●
Dear aunt Y/N, uncle Remus, and uncle Snuffles,
Please help me. Vernon has me locked up in here for four days. He keeps saying that I’m a danger to his family but I’ve been doing everything to protect them. After all, they’ve done to me I still choose to protect them! I must be stupid or something.
P.S. I’ve been expelled from Hogwarts.
Please come and break me out of prison,
Harry Potter
You groan as you read the letter you’d just received from Harry. This is why he should have always been under your care.
“We need to get Harry as soon as possible. He’s been locked in his room for days now,” you flopped onto the couch in between Remus and Sirius.
“It’s like he’s in prison,” Sirius shook his head. Oh, the things Sirius would do to Vernon Dursley once he got his hands on him.
Remus cracked his knuckles, “I have an idea. But we need to have a meeting with the order first. We need to discuss moving Harry from the Dursleys to here.”
“Elaborate,” you were interested in hearing more about Remus’s idea. Remus was smart so you knew that this idea would be a clever one.
The next order meeting was on Thursday. That was two days from now.
“I have a right to know, you know. I am his aunt.”
“Be patient, my love,” Remus pressed a kiss to your forehead.
“I can’t be patient! We’re on the brink of war,” you said, your voice coming out in more of a whisper.
“Right now, let’s just pretend we aren’t. Lets…” Sirius stops to think for a moment, “pretend we're back in our fifth year and we're in the common room after potions class.” The three of you would frequent the Gryffindor common room after your classes. That’s how you all got closer to each other. The common room was the perfect place to escape from the outside world.
“Merlin no,” you groaned, “remember Remus’s haircut!” you laughed at the memory. Remus had returned that year with a nice bowl cut his mother gave him. Remus refused to let you and Sirius see his hair until he fixed it somehow. He managed to burn a part of it, turn it green, and make it grow ten inched before he got it the way he wanted.
“Remember when you had braces,” Remus smirked. Remus knew you hated that era of your life. Even though braces weren’t as common in the United Kingdom in the 70s, your parents had visited family in the States for the summer. Their daughter had braces and thought it would be a great idea for you and Lily to get some. You hadn’t really needed it but they did help aline your teeth. Let’s just say you had some of the best-looking teeth in all of Great Britain.
“You’re a dead man, Remus Lupin.” You lunged and hopped on top of Remus and playfully wrestled with him. Sirius took turns cheering on the pair of you. He started by cheering on Remus then when you narrowed your eyes at him, he started to cheer you on.
After a while, you and Remus stopped fighting. Remus lay on the floor with your head resting on his chest. Remus opened his arm and Sirius laid down on the floor and also rested his head on Remus’s chest.
And that’s how the three of you went to sleep, on the floor in each other’s warm embrace.
●・○・●・○・●
“That’s a good idea, Lupin. We create a distraction to lure the muggles away from the house in order to capture Harry,” the real Mad-Eye Moody said at the dining table. It was now Thursday, the day when the Order was meeting. You all were here to discuss what would happen with Harry and any other major news.
“You’re making it sound like we’re kidnapping the kid,” Charlie Weasley laughed into the cup of water his mother poured for him before the meeting had started.
“Better us than someone else,” Severus said. No one could see him but everyone knew who he was by his deep voice.
You sat in between Sirius and Remus at the dining table. Molly Weasley, the red-headed matriarch of the Weasley family sat across from you while her husband Arthur Weasley, the other red-headed patriarch of the Weasley family sat next to her. Next to Molly sat Nymphadora Tonks, otherwise known as Tonks, the remarkably beautiful metamorphmagus. Tonks had grown to be one of your closest friends during her time in the Order. Tonks felt like you were the older sister she’s never had. She confided in you, and you confided in her. Next to Tonks was sitting the equally beautiful Charlie Weasley, the second eldest Weasley sibling. Bill Weasley sat on the other side of his younger brother. Severus stood in the corner of the room, blending in with the shadows. Mad-Eye stood standing while he addressed the room. Kingsley Shacklebolt, a very tall and decked-out wizard stood next to Moody, almost as if he were his bodyguard. Kingsley wasn’t a bodyguard, in fact, he was probably one of the smartest people in the Order. The underage wizards and witches were currently upstairs, probably eavesdropping on the meeting. There happened to be more members of the order but they weren’t needed for this particular meeting.
“What are the muggles like?” Tonks asked. Her brows furrowed and her usual shade of bubblegum pink hair turned into a pretty purple one. She was deep in thought, a masterful plan cooking in that head of hers. Even though the young woman was a bit clumsy she was incredibly smart and stealthy.
“Well, for one my sister adores all things normal,” you made air quotes at the word ‘normal.’ Petunia went the traditional route that most women went. Get married, have a baby, move into a nice house in a nice neighborhood, and have an evil wizard kill one of your sisters and her husband causing her to take care of her orphaned nephew. All of the traditional white-picket fence bull crap. “She loves her big oaf of a husband, she likes watching television, she loves to take care of her garden, she likes baking, she loves her son. You know, all of the boring muggle bull crap.”
“Loving a child is boring bull crap?” Molly asked with one of her red eyebrows raised. No one wanted to face the wrath of Mrs. Weasley. Not even grown adults.
“Oh no, no, no, no. That’s not what I was saying. What I was trying to say is that the life she leads is boring.”
“There’s nothing boring about being a wife and a mother. I’m a wife and a mother but I also happen to be a witch. Are you trying to say that the only reason that your sister is ‘boring’ is because she isn’t a witch?” Molly leaned forward in her chair. Your eyes looked around at the people around the table, trying to avoid making eye contact with Mrs. Weasley. They were all looking at you. The two eldest Weasley boys looked at you with sympathy. Even though they weren’t as badly behaved as their younger brothers, they still were the object of their mother's scolding once in a while.
You bit your lip and bowed your head. Molly was right. Even if your sister was ‘boring’ by your terms, she was still human and deserved to be treated as such. You still were stubborn and decided to counter Molly’s argument, “But-.”
“But nothing. This conversation ends here. We’ve got more important matters to discuss,” Mad-Eye’s had enough of you and your tendency to get sidetracked during Order meetings.
You rolled your eyes, leaned back in your chair, and crossed your arms. You were in a bratty mood today. Maybe it was because you haven’t been out of 12 Grimmauld Place for weeks. Or maybe it was because you felt like you were in an old-fashioned western standoff with Molly Weasley herself.
“I have an idea!” Tonks shouted. Her hair turned a bright yellowish color as everyone looked at her. “You said your sister loves her garden right?” You nod your head and Tonks continues, “Well what if we say that she’s been nominated for something like,” she puts her finger on her chin, deep in thought, “like a contest for…the best kept suburban lawn in England!”
“That’s a good idea Tonksie,” Charlie clapped Tonks on the back. For what felt like the fourth time this evening, her hair changed color. Now, it returned to its original bubblegum pink color.
Tonks has always fancied the second eldest Weasley boy. They were friends during their days at Hogwarts. Even though he was in Gryffindor and she was in Hufflepuff they still made time to hang out with each other. In their sixth year, she started to develop a little crush on him. At first, she mistook it for a little schoolgirl crush but as time went on, it developed into full admiration. Tonks was utterly heartbroken when he left for Romania but now he was back and she was determined to tell him how she felt before it was too late.
Charlie, on the other hand, knew that the metamorphmagus fancied him. It was so obvious. At first, he thought that it would go away but as time went on, he also started to reciprocate the feeling. It hurt him when he had to go away to Romania but working with Dragons was his calling. When he was in Romania there wasn’t a day that had gone by where he didn’t think about Tonks. Their time apart only strengthened the love he had for her. He moved back to England not only to be with his family but also for her.
“Thanks, Charlie,” Tonks tried not to let the smirk that danced across her face turn into a full-on grin. You liked seeing Tonks happy. It made you happy to know that there was still light and love during these dark times.
“Great, we’ll get that in order. Let's plan to retrieve him next Thursday. That gives us a week to get the muggles out of the house. Tonks, send a letter to them and make sure it gets there in two days' time. Everyone else is dismissed,” Mad-Eye barked orders at everyone. As the meeting ended, everyone filled out the room.
Since there were so many people staying at 12 Grimmauld Place you couldn’t just cuddle on the couch with your boys. You carried your tired body up the stairs and into the room you shared with Sirius and Remus. As you went up the stairs, you were careful not to wake up the ghastly portrait of Walburga Black, the wretched witch who happened to be Sirius’s mother.
Remus and Sirius were already in the room once you’d gotten there. Sirius was laying on the bed, looking up at the ceiling. Remus was sitting on the bed reading the Daily Prophet once again. His glasses were on the brink of falling off of his face with how much he was hunched over to read the paper in his hands.
You flopped onto the bed face first. “I’m so tired,” you mumbled into the bed.
“Ditto,” Sirius yawned. Order meetings have always been a bit boring but they were vital if you wanted to defeat Voldemort and keep everyone safe while doing it.
“At least we’ve found a way to bring Harry over here,” Remus said without looking up from his paper.
You crawled up the bed and sat down, your back to the headboard, and put your head on Remus’s shoulder. Remus put his arm around you and attached his hand back to the paper and continues to read. Sirius put his hand out for you to take. Your hand latched onto his and you gently squeezed it.
Moments like this made you wonder. What will happen if one or all of you dies? What’ll happen to Harry if the only living connection he has to his parent's wizarding side dies along with them? “What’ll happen if one of us…you know,” you gulped, “dies.”
“That won’t happen. I’ll make sure of it,” Remus threw the paper on the floor, giving you and Sirius his full attention.
“Also, you can’t get rid of me that easily,” Sirius laughed. He too sat up and put his back against the headboard.
“If we get out of this alive, what do you want to do? What does our future hold?”
“What are you? Sybill Trewlawney?” Remus laughed. This was the first time you’d heard Remus laugh the entire day.
“No, it’s just,” you breathed through your nose, “I love you two but I just feel stuck. No offense but I want more. I want to get married and have children.”
“Weren’t you just criticizing your sister for taking a more transitional route?” Sirius asked. He knew all about having a sibling that clashed with his personality but he loved his brother more than life itself. It was such a shame that he died thinking that his older brother hated him.
“I know and I feel incredibly bad about it. I think I might just be jealous of what she has. Her house is beautiful, she lives in a nice neighborhood, and she isn’t on the brink of war with an evil wizard. She has it all.”
“You have us,” Remus put his scarred hand on your thigh, “and we’ll give you whatever you want. Children, on the other hand, is something I can’t give you.” Remus was a werewolf and there was always the risk of hurting anyone that came around him. He knew what it felt like to transform each month. He knew what it was like for people to hate him for something he couldn’t control. He didn’t want anyone, especially a child, to feel what he felt since the age of five.
“I’m getting old. I highly doubt I can have children without any complications.”
“We’re only thirty-six years old,” Remus sighed.
“Correction, I’m thirty-seven,” Sirius chimed in. He was born in 1959 while you and Remus were born in 1960.
“Exactly, we’re getting older. By the time our child is seventeen, we’ll be in wheelchairs,” you threw your hands up in defeat.
“Adoption’s always an option,” Sirius recommended. “When I ran away, Fleamont and Euphemia took me in and treated me like their own. I wouldn’t have made it without them. I want to give a child a second chance just like how Fleamont and Euphemia did for me,” Sirius’s heart swelled at all the memories that flooded his brain of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. They didn’t have to take Sirius in but they did and Sirius would forever be grateful for their kindness.
“That’s actually not a bad idea,” Remus nodded. Deep down, Remus knew that he would like to be a father, but the struggle that came with parenthood and the fear of his lycanthropy being hereditary.
“I’m not opposed to that. I actually really like that idea,” you nodded your head. You were sort of grateful that you wouldn’t have to go through the pain that comes with childbirth. You never thought about adopting a child. Many people have said that it’s an extensive process and it would cost a lot of money but at the same time, you would be giving a child the chance to start over.
“We would have to do it after the war obviously. We wouldn’t want to bring a child into our world without making sure that the danger is eliminated,” Remus reasoned.
“Speaking of being eliminated, I have to apologize to Molly before she decides to poison me,” you get off of the bed and take your tired but down the stairs to the sitting room.
Mrs. Weasley was sitting on the couch knitting what looked like to be a pair of red socks. You stood in the doorway, waiting for your presence to be acknowledged. “Hello,” Molly said without looking up from her knitting.
“Hi Mrs. Weasley,” you sat down next to the woman on the couch, “I just want to apologize for earlier. You were right. I shouldn’t have been so judgemental about my sister's lifestyle. Even if she is about mine.”
Mrs. Weasley stopped knitting, “Thank you for the apology but there’s something you should know. I sacrificed my future in order to marry Arthur and have my children and I am grateful I did. I love my life, I love my husband, and I love my children, but I’ve always wondered what if. What if I never married Arthur? What if I never had children? And in all those scenarios I seem sad and unfulfilled. I chose this life and so did your sister. There’s nothing wrong with not getting married and having children but there's also nothing wrong with getting married and having children. Do you see where I’m going with this? The point is, we chose this life, this life doesn’t choose us.”
“I never looked at it from that perspective. You are a very wise witch, Molly Weasley.”
“Awww, thank you” her blush matched the red shade of her hair.
“By the way, do you happen to know any adoption agencies in the Wizarding World? I know there’s some but they aren’t heavily advertised,” you asked the older witch.
“Oh, yes I do. My friend, Norma runs this little adoption agency it’s called Lady Normas Adoption Agency for Witches and Wizards. I can put in a good word for you if you’d like.” Mrs. Weasley resumes her knitting. If Mrs. Weasley could get in a good word for you then you'd be a shoo-in to adopt a child.
“Thank you, Mrs. Weasley. I couldn’t do this without.”
“Are Remus and Sirius on board with this idea of yours?” Mrs. Weasley asked.
“Sirius was the one who suggested it actually. Said that he wanted to give a child a second chance just like how Fleamont and Euphemia did for him,” you nodded your head.
“You know, Norma usually prefers it when the parents are married,” Mrs. Weasley said in a sing-songy way. You know she was hinting towards. You, Remus, and Sirius getting married sometime in the future.
“A girl can only dream,” you sighed.
“You never know. They could be upstairs plotting right now,” Mrs. Weasley winked, and she was right.
Right now, Remus and Sirius were upstairs doing the exact thing Mrs. Weasley hinted at. Sirius had already asked Remus to be his husband a week ago. The exchange happened while you were taking a shower. Remus didn’t like having a lot of attention on him so he preferred to be asked in private. The two of them were keeping the engagement a secret from you because that would give away their surprise. You were the light of their life, the fire in their loins. You were their everything and they wanted to show you just how much you meant to them. They just didn’t know when to pop the question that would change your lives forever. They decided to wait, wait until the time was right to ask you to be their wife.