Chapter 1
Year: 2001
"My mother was a witch?"
"No, a squib. A non-magic user from a magical family." Sirius said calmly as he rocked a baby in his arms.
When Harry began to squirm and whimper, Tony straightened up in alert. "Is he okay? Does he need something?"
"He might be hungry," Sirius said.
"Oh I'll get it," Tony said, beginning to get up.
"No worries," Sirius said and used his magic to summon the bottle from the kitchen.
Tony watched with a mix of fascination and disbelief. Sirius noticed it and smirked, "You know, you're taking all of this rather well."
"Heh." Tony scoffed and scratched the back of his head. "I'm still not sure I believe in 'magic'. It's all probably just a science we don't understand yet. Eventually, it can be explained like any other science."
"Still. I've been in and out of the muggle world. With the knowledge my family had pressed into my brother and me, the information I gained from my muggleborn friends, and the bits of information I've gathered from personal trips. There's usually a bit of shock that comes from some disdain of all things occult."
Harry was looking around as he drank from his bottle, his focus always being drawn back to whoever was speaking. Tony smiled at the child. He was iffy with babies, sure, but there was something special about Harry. And not just the story Sirius told him.
"Trust me I'm still a bit unsettled by the revelation but to know there's more about my mother is a gift I'm not going to question."
"Funny, I thought you'd question it a bit."
"Well...I remember her mentioning the Black family. How it was old. But she said that her parents came here to start a new life and left behind some bad situations. I thought she meant the normal stuff. Poverty, discrimination, health...she never talked much about them but never made it interesting enough to ask follow up questions."
"Well, she was escaping poverty and discrimination. The Black family has a 'proud' long line of magic users. Having a squib in the family is rather a scandal. So when they kicked her out, she had no money, probably not in the best conditions. So I suppose it wasn't a lie. But she was right. The Black family isn't much to brag about...not to sane folks anyway."
"You were kicked out too? But you're magic, right?" Tony asked.
Sirius nodded. "It's too hard to explain in one night why my place in school mattered so much. I'll have to explain the whole system and my society. Which I will, just not tonight. But the point was that I didn't agree with my family's values. I questioned everything they stood for and when I didn't like it...well." Sirius shrugged. "The point is that they disowned me. But I never really got along with them so it wasn't hard to turn my back on them."
Tony frowned. Sure he had his own problems with his father. Some that even knowing he's dead, didn't change how Tony saw him. But he could never imagine what he would do if he was disowned as a Stark. It was a terrifying thought. Not only was this the only world he knew, but he also could never escape the shame and embarrassment that would follow of being Howard's Stark's publically known disappointment.
"What did you do? How did you survive?"
"I made friends. Friends that were like brothers to me. James took me home to his parents who practically adopted me...and they taught me what a loving home was like. They taught me what good parents were like and it made me so happy and so angry and so bitter and resentful and grateful...I spent a lot of my childhood being taught how to control and push down my feelings. To always be calm and cool...to be elegant and not a disgrace. So it was so liberating living with the Potters." For a moment, he was basking in the memories of their love. But Harry's cooing brought a heartbreaking frown to his face. "They're gone now...Harry's an orphan...and our friend betrayed us. The wizarding world thinks I'm a murderer and a kidnapper."
"Wow. And they won't follow you here?" Tony asked, but Sirius didn't see fear for himself. He saw a determination. He knew that Tony was already calculating ways to upgrade security and make sure they were safe.
"Crossing the pond should be enough of a security measure for now. Magic is great, but a lot of that world is still stuck in the dark ages. But they also sort of mimic the muggle world. The British government can't do much looking around here without permission. And they have no idea about this connection. She was the youngest of the Black sisters, and her birth was only known to those in the family. They had their suspicions because of a Seer, so they kept a tight lip about her existence. And considering she married a muggle and you haven't shown signs of magic, I doubt anyone will be looking here."
"And they won't find you. You're safe here." Tony promised.
Sirius gave a small smile, but on the inside, he was incredibly relieved. Finding James and Lily dead had been devastating and soul-crushing. It was only the instinct to protect Harry that kept him going. It took them a while to find a safe way to America. He didn't want to use too much magic in fear of being detected. Flying long distances, even with his motorcycle wasn't safe. The magical community knew about it, so he had to ditch it in England. Sirius knew very little about taking care of a baby. Sure he babysat and spent time with Harry but there were always others to help and take shifts, and Lily and James had the most time because they were the parents! But now he knew that Peter betrayed them, and he couldn't reach out to Moony yet. He knew Remus must be a mess with worry and grief. Sirius' eyes scan the room for a calendar or a window to see if he can spot the moon and try to guess it's phase. Moony would have to go through a full moon on his own with all of the horrible feelings inside of him. It was maddening.
"You okay there, Sirius?"
"Hm? Uh...uh yeah. I just...lost in thought." Sirius cleared his throat and then looked down at Harry who had fallen asleep. "Do you mind watching him for a bit? I need to go shower."
"Hm? Me? With a child? Alone?"
"He's asleep. And he's a very easy kid to deal with. Trust me, if I can handle him, so can you." Sirius said encouragingly as he passed the baby over. Once he helped Tony hold him properly, he patted Tony on the back. "There, see? You're a natural. Which way's your bathroom?"
"Uh JARVIS can direct you if you get lost, but take that hallway down and make a left."
Sirius nodded and left before he looked back at the pair. He was feeling so damn down and horrible for many reasons, but the sight of Harry being safe in Tony's arm and seeing his cousin's smile...well, it eased things a bit.