“Sirius, stop!”
“Piss off, Remus! You won’t change my mind.”
“Let’s talk about this. I know you’re angry-”
“Angry?” Sirius Black turned towards Remus Lupin, red-eyed and shaking. “I’m not just angry! I’m livid! Bloody murderous!”
“And you have every right to be!” Remus placated gently. “Trust me, Sirius, you deserved to be furious, but stay put for a minute. You have responsibilities now and you can’t go be reckless like you used to.”
“But that slimy git-”
“Will still be there. Think about Harry. You’re no use to him if you’re dead or in prison for murder.”
This seemed to shut Sirius up. The young man plopped down in an armchair. Sirius has stayed at this safe house for about a week. It belonged to Benji Fenwick and had second-hand furniture throughout the house. Under different circumstances, Sirius Black might have looked out of place here, but the war dulled Black’s previously annoying poshness, allowing him to blend seamlessly.
Remus came here as soon as he heard the news, the location given to him by Dumbledore. Originally, Remus was prepared for a fight. He had no idea that James and Lily changed their secret keeper without telling anyone. Despite the grim night, Remus felt a bit of relief; the thought of his boyfriend on You-Know-Who’s side was too much. Peter being the one who turned wasn’t much better, though.
Sirius rubbed his face, exhausted. “He betrayed us, Moony,” his voice cracked, pain overtaking him. “Best friends for nine years and that spineless git betrayed us.”
Remus had nothing to say in his anger, so a gentle hand just rubbed his boyfriend’s shoulder.
A minute of silence, two minds rummaged through complicated, tangled thoughts.
“Where is Harry?”
“With Vernon and Petunia. Dumbledore thought it would be safer there until all the loose ends of this war were tied up.” Remus kissed the top of Sirius’s head. “As soon as you’re ready, you can go pick him up. James and Lily’s will was very specific: you are the rightful guardian.”
“How do you know I’m not ready now?”
Remus smiled sadly. “Because I know you, you reckless, reckless man. Come on, let’s plan on how we catch Peter.”
—
“He’s here,” Sirius hissed under his breath.
“Yes, I know.”
“Let’s get him!”
“Sirius, we talked about this,” Remus reminded the hasty man yet again. “We carefully corner him, get his wand off of him, hand him over to Dumbledore. Think about Harry. We do this smoothly, we can see him tonight.”
Sirius kept his eyes on the building across the street, ready for the moment their plan activated. “I’m getting tired of your good points, Moony.”
Remus smirked. “With your reckless streak, Padfoot, I’m never going to stop.”
Sirius opened his mouth to reply, but Peter walked into the street right then. Sirius tensed and his wand hand twitched. Remus squeezed his arm before Sirius stepped out of their hiding spot and into the street.
“Wormtail!” Sirius shouted. The plump man turned his rat-like face toward his former friend. “We haven’t heard from you in a while.”
“Oh y-yeah. Been in hiding a bit,” Peter stammered slightly, his eyes danced down the road.
“Hear about Prongs and Lily? We were worried about you. Thought you were dead.” Sirius’s voice sounded hard. Clearly not concerned for Peter’s health. “After all, that’s what it would take for you to possibly reveal their location. Death. Right, Wormtail.”
“S-siriu-us I-”
Remus stepped out of the shadows. “Expelliarmis,” Remus incanted and caught Peter’s wand. “Sirius, what happened to disarm first so he doesn’t transform?” He stood by the two men, effectively cornered Peter gainst a wall, and gave him a withering look. “Peter.”
Peter’s lip quivered. “M-my two friends! You don’t understand… the- You-Know-Who is so frightening and h-he-”
“He what? Threatened to kill you?” Remus sneered. His blood boiled in his veins. “You chose your own skin over your friends’?”
Pettigrew shook his head. “Oh Moony, what would you of done?”
Sirius held Remus back as he grabbed for Peter’s cloak. “I would have died, Peter. Gladly.”
“No, you wouldn’t have,” Peter whispered. “You think y-you would, but the Dark Lord is powerful Moony-”
“Don’t call him that!” Sirius spat. “You revoked that right the moment you turned over to your Dark Lord, you pathetic excuse of a man! Remus and I would have died for the Potters! Bloody hell, we would have died for you, you bloody wanker!”
Remus shook with anger. He understood Sirius’s argument to simply kill the betrayer in front of them. It took every mental image of young Harry, barely one-year-old, waiting at the muggles’ house for them, to resist a brawl. “Incarcerous,” Remus said clearly. Ropes appeared and properly bound Peter Pettigrew.
“Voldemort is gone, Peter,” Sirius said as Remus summoned Dumbledore and the Order. “James and Lily are gone. Dorcas and Marlene are gone. And you’re done. You should die as they did, but instead, I’ve been convinced to let you spend your life in Azkaban.”
“P-padfoot? My old friend-”
“You’re no friend of ours, you filthy rotter.”
“Enough, you three,” Dumbledore’s voice sounded out. That man never shouts, but can always be heard.
Sirius and Remus stayed back as Order individuals took Peter away. The last adrenaline left both of them, leaving the grief of their dead friends.
Sirius wiped his face. Remus pretended not to notice. Not here. “Everything is set up for Harry at Grimmauld Place.”
Sirius sighed. Grimmauld Place was not ideal to him, but they needed a place fast. They can always move later. “You sure about this? I’m the godfather. You could walk away.”
Remus bit his lip and gave Sirius a hard look. “Piss off. I’m not going anywhere. You’re stuck with me.”
—
Knock knock
Sirius straightened his jacket just as the door of 4 Privet Drive opened. A burly man stood in the doorway. Though the wizards had never met this man before, they knew him to be Vernon Dursley, Lily’s muggle brother-in-law who hates anything magic.
“What you two want?” The man eyed both of them suspiciously.
Sirius cleared his voice. “Good day, sir. I am Sirius Black and this is Remus Lupin. We are- were friends of Lily and James Potter.”
Vernon looked as if he’d like the slam the door in their faces, but instead, he stiffly allowed them in and led them to the living room. On the ground in front of the telly, a chubby toddler played with colorful blocks while a skinny brunette, assumingly Petunia, watched lovingly. Harry couldn’t be seen in the room.
“Vernon, dear, who was at the door?”
“Two of them.”
Petunia’s head snapped up and looked as if she wanted to take her child and run for it. “What do you want?”
Sirius pursed his lips. He knew he walked into an unwelcome household, but he needed to reel his temper in. “Several things, Petunia.” Sirius allowed himself a seat across the room, Remus following suit beside him. “Lily left some items to you in her will.” Remus pulled the box out of his robes when Sirius said this and set it on the side table. “She asked for us to give them to you directly and tell you that she is sorry that you two never managed to make up.”
Vernon snorted. “As if we want apologies from you lot! You’ve said your piece, now get out of my house.”
Sirius’s stared unwaveringly at Petunia, who had significantly paled. “She wanted for me to tell you that, no matter what was done or said between you two, she loved you,” Sirius continued as if Vernon hadn’t spoken. “She wished she had been able to come to you in person.”
Petunia swallowed. “Thank you. Now, tell me why else you are here so we can get on with our evening.”
Sirius gripped his hands into a fist to keep calm. Remus took the lead now and spoke softly, “The next matter is about Harry. At Harry’s birth, Sirius was named godfather. According to the Potter’s will, Harry will be cared for by Sirius rather than his family, due to the magic Harry will develop.”
Sirius grabbed Remus’s hand. “By both of us. Harry will move into my estate and we will raise him there. We offer-”
“You expect our nephew to be raised by two poofs?” Vernon interrupted again.
Remus had a suspicion that Vernon only referenced Harry as “nephew” as a way to voice how displeased he was about two queer men in general.
Sirius paused for a second and continued again. “We offer you the ability to visit Harry at any time. I have left instructions with Lily’s things about how to contact us if you wish to set up a play date between Harry and your own son. We may have our differences, but you are still Harry’s family and we do not wish to take that away from you as long as everything is civilized.”
Remus glanced at Sirius surprised while Vernon looked at his wife incredulously. “Petunia, darling, you can’t be actually listening to this!”
Petunia stood from her spot on the couch. “Vernon, grab the boy.” The big man left the room grumbling. “Thank you,” Petunia whispered. “Even though I- I was not nice to Lily, but she was still my sister, so thank you. I will not make promises about any kind of relationship with Harry, but I appreciate the gesture.” Vernon walked back in, a bundle in his arms. Remus gently took the baby into his arms. “If that is all, I would appreciate it if you would leave our home now. I will contact you if I wish for you to return, if at all.”
Sirius and Remus nodded in sync and headed toward the door. “Lily was our best friend. If you need anything, let us know.”
With nothing else said, the two men and small babe walked into the night and promptly vanished from sight.
Back at Grimmauld Place, the three of them appeared. The bleak, dark house was empty for the first time since Sirius remembered. A good chunk of the pureblooded Black family was being tried and imprisoned for their crimes during the war, leaving the estate to Sirius, not that he wanted it. He already started searching for townhouses in London to move into.
Numbly, Sirius stared at Harry Potter, the boy who lived, resting in his boyfriend’s arms. The last link either of them have to any of their Hogwarts friends. They won the war, but at such a terrible cost.
“We’re parents, Moony,” Sirius whispered.
“We are. You’ve ever changed a diaper before?”
“Never.”
“Well, time to learn.”