A Bond is Never Wrong
You aren’t sure which pair of lips touch your skin first, but the moment they make a joint attack against your cheeks, your consciousness begins to bud like a rose unfurling under the careful sprinkles of rain. Remus is on the left, you can tell by how his kisses linger each time they touch your cheek and forehead before he’s sprinkling the tip of your nose with all of his affection. Sirius is most definitely on the right, every kiss trailing to the corner of your lips before teasingly nipping at the spot, sucking the tiniest of love bites and carefully watching the pinkness instantly trail back to the paleness that accompanies your kind. It’s very endearing to be awoken this way and you thank every star in the sky for giving this to you, for imprinting the mark of two souls on your body.
Your eyes flutter open droopily and you yawn as your lovers give you space, although there is a lot of groping and holding to maneuver your small frame in their grasp. You grumble indignantly at feeling so small compared to them, but how can you not when they take up most of the king sized bed? With a murmured ‘morning,’ you wiggle in close to Remus to kiss at his jaw before turning to brush your lips against Sirius’ temple, both of them so warm it’s like sleeping between bears instead of a wolf and a hound. The three of you make a spectacle, what with Remus being the way he is, you being so small and pale and vampire, while Sirius had the most explosive personality of anyone you had ever met.
“How did you sleep?” Remus asks quietly, stroking over your arm that splays over him to cling on closely. He’s always had such soft, caring hands. It still surprised you every day at the range of his kindness, that it had even reached someone like you before your worlds melded together. He smiles down at you and it reminds you of finely made parchment, fresh embers of a homely fireplace, and a place to rest your head whenever you were weary. He just always had an effect like that; it was no surprise that you would have fallen for someone like him. You grin slowly, your fangs peeking out from the bottom of your lips. It’s so early, but you hadn’t been feeding the last few days and it made it a lot harder to hide your nature.
“Too well, the same way I do every night. What about you, Siri?” You murmur, head tipping back enough to glance at the now slumbering canine. You snort at the sight, the scars ripped all over his chest and arms, his dark, unruly locks all over his maroon pillow.
My, it still struck you as amazing that the universe had given this to you, them to you, but then again, you had belonged to them since the very beginning.
The first time you met Sirius Black and Remus Lupin was on the train ride to Hogwarts. In fact, you could remember the second your big (e/c) eyes peered into Sirius’ from down the expansive hall, your cart far from his and his new found friends. He’d been bright eyed back then, rowdy and excitable, and in the back of your mind, cute too. He didn’t speak to you then, but he did wave, rambunctiously, before Remus stuck his head out of the cart to see why Sirius was waving like a moron. That was the moment you saw him as well, hair kept, robs prim and proper as he turned his gaze and saw you. He only stared for a moment before quickly and quite bashfully tucking his head back into the cart. You couldn’t see it, but he had been blushing then, and although shy yourself, you waved back before he darted into his cart, tugging Sirius along with him. With a tiny smile and the faintest of blushes touching your cheeks, you pushed back into your empty cart, sitting by the window and peering out. I wonder who those two could be, you thought to yourself while settling in, humming a little tune to yourself.
Your parents had wanted to send you to Durmstrang, something about it better suited to your lifestyle as a vampire, and they were counting on you taking over the family business one day, whatever that may be. Your mother, who did not attend the infamous school, had been a Slytherin at Hogwarts and her word had always been final in the household. She wanted you to carry on her legacy, to be a Slytherin. They had only ever given you information about that house, sullying the name of the other three. Being so young, you took their word as law, followed their directions, knew of the life ahead of you without ever really deciding for yourself. And you thought of it as their way of showing love, even if it was unkind, unjust, and a way of using you to their own means.
God forbid they ever discovered the thin tattoos written in messy font along each of her wrists. It was customary for her kind to have their bond tattoos, if there is one present, removed because there truly is no such thing as love when you are royalty among your kind. She would be married off in a political union to some unknown later on, when she inherited her namesake at 17, and maybe she would fall in love with them, maybe not. But she really wanted to meet Sirius and Lupin. Maybe they were nice, amazing, maybe they were fun too, and they would take her away from what was forced down her throat since she was two years old.
She would soon learn that they were all of those things- but so much more. They each represented two sides of her that she very much depended on.
You ignored the people on your boat, quietly sitting in the back as the inky darkness of the sea beneath you drew in all of your attention. The ride itself is comfortable, the gentle rocking of the boat calming in a way, helping to ease your growing nerves as everyone grew closer and closer to Hogwarts. The building is so vast and visible, beautiful in its delicate and strong architecture. You had always been interested in structural things and how buildings were warded, but your family wanted you to find something more prestigious to be interested in, like potions. (You soon learned that you did not have a good affinity for the art of potions making. But you did have an amazing skill for charms and transfiguration). Taking in a little breath once the boat pressed against the shoreline, you scurried out after the other children, making the trek up to the tower among all of the chatter. How could they want you to every be anywhere else but here, before this majestic place? It just didn’t make any sense to you. You keep to yourself, being an only child and a royal has alienated you in the way of making friends, but it is nice to be around people your age, children just as excited as you are. You can see a group of boys ahead, laughing loudly and talking about the house they want to be in. Gryffindor. The lion, if your memory served you correctly. You were glad they were so sure of themselves, because you weren’t. Slytherin is what you had been told, but it was not what you knew. You were just afraid of how your parents would feel if you were put in a different house.
But those boys, Peter, James, you caught a few names, were proud to there, so sure of themselves that it made you hopeful for whatever house you were placed in. You could remember the scent of fear and excitement as all of the first years gathered right in front of the dining hall door, Professor Mcgonagall strict with a no-nonsense about her. In a way, she reminded you of your mother. In another, she still retained a motherly aura that you had never known before.
“In a moment, you will be sorted into your houses one by one. When your name is called, go up to the chair and sit very still. I welcome you all to your first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hope it won’t be your last..” With that, she was gone with a flourish of her emerald robes and the doors were opening to reveal all of the older students, taking up four long tables with another table full of teachers and the head master.
McGonagall stood with a list in her hands, voice calling out, “Sirius Black.” There was an entire wave of silence passing over the tables and hushed whispers of darkness and deceit. You lightly pushed your way through the crowd to the front the moment you heard the name, you knew it, had been staring at it for two years, had wanted to meet one of the boys the universe had chosen. And it was him! The boy from the train! He was bright eyed and cocky smiles and the moment the hat settled on his unruly dark locks, it started to laugh as if welcoming Sirius like an old friend. He was sorted into Gryffindor, welcomed into their ranks with the loudest cheers, the roar insatiable.
After the general uproar dies down, the hat is once again left against the lonely stool, waiting patiently to sort another excited child into his future band of brothers and sisters. McGonagall clears her throat and speaks again, Sirius perking up instantly just as you do. “Remus Lupin.” Remus is more kept away, not as rowdy as Sirius, you note, wrist giving a small twinge as you watch him walk to the stool with his back straight, looking a bit nervous. Sirius shoots him a thumbs up the moment the sorting hat is placed on his head, and the hat hums loud enough for all to hear.
“Interesting… very interesting, my dear boy. You are certainly a Gryffindor.” And the roaring returns, loud in your ears and in your head. Gryffindors, the both of them, such brave boys they would turn out to be.
“Siri, you have to get up, James isn’t going to like his partner being late again when it’s a meeting with the Minister of Magic,” You chide your lover with a little slap against his arm, trying to raise his lazy bones. He grumbles out indignantly before cracking an eye open to peek at you and Remus, both clad in clothing already and he instantly begins to whine.
“But, (y/n)... James can handle it on his own… Let me… be.” He sighs, ready to pull the covers back over his head. Remus sighs with a shake of his head, but there is a fond look in his eyes as he tears the covers away.
“Sirius, you’ve been late sixteen times this past month. You will not miss a meeting with the Minister. Or else.” It’s his no nonsense voice that makes Sirius sigh again, this time with defeat, before grumbling out about not being loved enough as he forces himself up. You grin, Remus has to play the bad cop all the time in order to make Sirius bat an eye. Making sure that Sirius is up and getting ready to head for the ministry, Remus quickly leans down, shoulders hunching because he towers over you way too much, and steals a chaste kiss from your lips before murmuring a “I’ll be home late tonight. I have to grade papers” before he’s on his way to Hogwarts.
Sirius is ready quickly, now that he realizes the time is slipping away, clad in his black suit and his hair as unruly as the day you met him. You are in awe every time.
“Have a good day at work, Siri. And be careful.” It’s the same thing you say to him every day; as an auror, he is always in constant danger, but he wouldn’t be Sirius Black if he didn’t get a thrill from taking down the enemy. His kisses are different from Remus, they carry an undercurrent of heat and end with a nip to your lower lip before he says to give a kiss to the tiny tots and apparates away, the two of them leaving you to your own devices. You reach for your wand on the bedside table and give a simple flick to fix up the sheets on the bed, a little tune in your heart reaching the air as you shuffle out of the main bedroom and into the nursery to feed your babies, who are beginning to awaken. Little Cane, a one year old baby boy, and Lelou, new born baby girl. Ah, they brought you such joy, such unbridled happiness in every way. As you go about feeding them, you begin to travel down memory lane.
Being sorted into Slytherin was not as bad as you thought it would be. In fact, you quite liked it. There were the prats who tried to rile you up and see what you were made of, and you were quick to put them in their place, gaining more of this image of a vampire princess. It was annoying, to be honest. But then, one potions class, you happened to sit at a table with Lily Potter. Pretty. Gryffindor, and sweet as could be. You didn’t know that she would become someone so important, that your life would be quite filled with Gryffindors. She didn’t care about your house or the rumors, in fact, she’d welcomed you as a friend and human being. It felt nice to be included in some way. And even though you were quiet, she didn’t take it the wrong way. After class ended, she asked you to sit with her at her table. In those days, someone sitting outside of their house was judged, ridiculed, but you didn’t care.
Lily felt like a sister to you, and sitting with her amongst the lions felt safer than any snake who had ever bothered to sit beside you. She introduced you to James and Peter, you remembered them from the sorting night, But then she’s speaking again-
“This is Remus and Siri-”
“It’s you,” Sirius says with a knowing smile, leaning over the table with his hand set in his palm, giving you this look you don’t understand. Your bond marks comes to life, throbbing and warming up exponentially; you were worried it might just burn through the black bands around your wrists. Remus doesn’t speak to you that first time; he’s so nervous he can’t even try. You manage a bashful smile and peer down at your plate as Lily introduces the three of you, glancing at you from the corner of her eye with a knowing smile. She has a feeling things are going to happen and she isn’t even surprised in the least when they do. You can still remember the roses the pair stole from the herbology greenhouse a couple months into the first year, Sirius’ fingers riddled with scratches from having pulled them up himself while Remus brandished uninjured hands from handling them with care. Sirius had wanted to prove to you that he could handle manual labor and that he wasn’t a child. It was silly because he could’ve just used magic- but it felt more special that neither of them had. You’d later place the roses in an impenetrable bubble on top of your desk, staring at it long into the night, wondering how you had suddenly become the happiest girl in the world. You couldn’t tell which one you liked better or more, because there was no comparison. Sirius was wild, like a storm, and Remus was reserved, like a calm, serene dawn.
Your first year was spent being coy, skirting around the issue and the fact that you had feelings for the both of them. And you didn’t know what to do in the event that both of them professed. It wasn’t until just before the summer that Sirius did something about it in complete Sirius fashion, grabbing you by the hands in front of everyone and planting a soft kiss on your lips. And it had left you giddy the entire way, sitting beside him with all of your new friends in your cart brimming with people. It did, but in the same moment, as much as you had wished for it, your right wrist had felt less warm, more cold, with a little ache. Remus made no such proclamation like you hoped he would with bated breaths. He didn’t speak up at all; he only stayed close, sitting on your other side with his hand gently brushing against yours. Your first year had been wonderful in it’s own way; the second year had been better and still full of hoping for your right wrist to grow warm once more- however bad that may be, and your left constantly throbbing with life.
You wrote to both Sirius and Remus among your other groups of friends, but they would always receive the most, your own Magnus seeming to take a liking to Sirius’ and Remus’ owls as well. It was funny, really, because your dark owl would always come back being more excitable than the last time he was home. You could tell one of them was probably feeding him extra as well, the little cheat. Your letters stayed stacked up beneath your bed, far from your parents gaze because they would forbid you from seeing any of them the moment they found out Sirius was a Black who had become a Gryffindor and not a Slytherin, that Lily was not a pure-blood, and so much more. But you didn’t care. The house politics didn’t even concern you anymore.
Sirius would write to you about how hard it was being home. His mother was horribly patronizing person who looked down on him for being who he was, for seeing beyond his name and title. It hurt you to read his tears sometimes, to see what living there was doing to him. But your life…. How was it any better? You didn’t tell him about the arranged marriage proposal in the future. Didn’t tell him about the vampire nature you possessed deep down, even if there were rumors. You would try to be encouraging and give advice while letting him know that you missed him. Remus would bear his soul in his letters, letting you under his shell the way he never could when you were in front of each other at school. He refrained from telling you everything, but said that there was something that had ruined his parents lives. That he felt like a burden to them constantly because every time they looked at him, it was with pity and sadness that overshadowed the obvious love they held for him.
When you did see each other again, you were closer to them both, and second year continued that way, you suddenly being integrated into the group, much to the horror of other Slytherins. Severus hated you for being one of them, for you never standing up for one of your own house while James and Sirius made fun of him. Despite popular believe, you did try to talk them out of it, but your words had always fell on deaf ears. Severus was a little sourpuss anyway.
You grew stronger, your vampire senses growing more intense as time passed. You could smell more potent or faint things, your eyesight had grown better. Hearing blood was an issue you would work out later- you didn’t want to bother anyone with this. Your parents had barely talked to you about coming into your abilities and now that they were thousands of miles away, an owl wouldn’t be enough to learn by. So you kept your nature to yourself, even on the nights Sirius and Remus snuck into your dormitory, ignoring your sputtered questions as Sirius tugged you into bed and Remus sat against the edge, always staring and looking away the moment you set your eyes on him. You curled up tight against Sirius, face pressed into his pajamas as you breathed in his husky scent, hyper aware of Remus there. You wanted to tell him about your bond tattoo… both of them, but something just didn’t feel right. What if Sirius grew angry at realizing that he couldn’t keep you all to himself. Maybe it would ruin the bond between the brothers, destroy how close they were. You didn’t want to ruin their friendship just because you have those feelings for Remus, so you keep them to yourself, guilt and attraction sticking to your bones. You feel despicable for it, unable to voice the emotions swelling up like a balloon.
“Who’s my sweet little pup?” You coo at Cane, giggling quietly as he stares at you with those wide grey eyes, lips flapping as he wiggles his little, chubby fingers. Cane is the Corsican word for dog and you found it fitting seeing as he was Sirius’ son. Lelou’s eyes continuously fluttered before she finally fell prey to sleep, the baby girl already giving in to the warm noon air. Lelou is Chinook for wolf, as she is Remus’ daughter. Another custom of your kind is to name your children after their nature, preferably in another language. A strange custom, but one that you found befitting your already strange life. A vampire queen in a relationship with a wolf and a hound? Strange is your nature, your life, and just a part of who you are. You set Lelou down carefully in her crib for a nap, but raise up Cane and quietly cradle him against your chest in a loving embrace, silently walking from the room and down the wide hallway, simply wanting to spend time with him since he was wide awake. He likes to stare with those gray eyes, thick raven locks just as curly and crazy as his father. He’s going to be a heart-breaker, this one, with those adoring orbs.
You found out about Remus’ affliction in your fourth year and about his true feelings as well. It was all too easy if you were being honest with yourself. All it took was one sniff of him on accident, coming close to the new moon, and you just knew. You stared at him, eyes narrowed unconsciously because vampires and werewolves do not get along, have never gotten along, but you cared about him so much and to know that he had been hiding this secret hurt you to your core. To be fair, he hadn’t smelled the vampire in your blood either and you had never told anyone about it. You were just naturally that pale for your complexion and thin, of course. He pulled you aside after transfiguration class into a little alcove, fear in his eyes and in his blood. You take his hand instead, squeeze it gently before entangling your fingers, and smile. You watch the relief instantly reach Remus through the connection, see his shoulders loosen and his figure stand a bit straighter.
“Remus, it’s alright. I promise. I promise I won’t tell anyone. You don’t have to worry. I just wish you had told me… I thought that we were.. close.” You confess, smile growing smaller. Remus shakes his head, he’s always been the brainy one aside from you and Lily, and to know that he was such a young werewolf was growing from alarming to saddening. He’d be shunned. Ridiculed. Feared. The ministry would try to have his head for this. And it hurts you more than it should, more than it would hurt a friend and more the way it would hurt a lover. But you are not his and he is not yours- you belong to Sirius; you know it, he knows it, and still, there is an undercurrent of want that tangles the two of you together. It’s wrong, you repeat more often than ever now, after having spent years together and still yet to stomp out the feelings towards your best friend.
“Sirius and I, well, all of us, we didn’t want to get you involved. For your safety. It’s not that I didn’t want to tell you… You mean everything to me, (y/n). Everything. I would never want to hurt you. I would never want to make you sad or afraid of me. That’s why I didn’t tell you..” And you believed him. You trusted him. You had trusted him so very much that you’re unable to move away when he takes a step closer, inhaling a deep, grounding breath.
“(y/n)... I… I know I shouldn’t, but I don’t think I can help it anymore. I tried to step back so many times for Sirius, but I- I like you too much, so much,” His confession is nothing like Sirius; he sounds quiet, pained almost, like telling you that he has feelings for you is physically ailing him. It sucks away your breath and your mark explodes on your right wrist and you can do nothing but stare at him as he comes closer, the boldest you’ve ever seen him. And your first kiss with Remus is right then and there, in a tiny alcove, nerves afire, his mouth barely brushing against yours to the point where you were sure you had imagined the motion at all.
Remus let you in, told you about what happened and how the headmaster, Dumbledore, had helped him, how his friends had been practicing animagus transfigurations to stay with him in his time of need. You are fascinated by your friends dedication to one another, but also terrified of what has just transpired, terrified of Sirius finding out that Remus has blatantly confessed and would hate you for saying nothing, for being unable to deny him because it would tear you in two to finally have to choose between them. He apologizes for it, says he’ll never do it again because he knows his place will never be by your side, and that it is wrong of him to steal away such a precious moment, but you reprimand him for it. You don’t return the sentiment of adoration, but you do not deny them either. It’s an unspoken thing between the two of you, he realizes, and it’s the most you can give. It’s also an unspoken thing that it would be the very first thing you would ever keep away from Sirius. And that in and of itself made you feel horrid.
You instantly join your friends on the night of the next full moon, feeling obligated to now be with the people you hold dear on such an important and dangerous time. You’d always been better at transfiguration than the rest of them, to be truthful. The first night you transformed with them, it was your first try and you were the most stunning silver and grey german shepherd anyone had ever seen. It was no surprise that Sirius was the black version and you had never even known. You two were meant for each other in that way. God, you already know that you love him, and it’s that love you also hold for Remus that makes you feel wretched, bent out of shape and slowly peeling in two.
Cane is a cryer. One moment he’s as quiet as can be and the next he’s throwing out all the stops, screeching at the top of his lungs and awakening the baby bats that stay in the roofs of the expansive compound. It’s too early for them to be up, what with the sun still being out, so after changing your little one’s diaper and putting him down to rest, you apparate to the dark and spacious roof space to check on your other loves. Your coven is massive and only half are here to watch after the new pups that have just been born, some already full grown with the passing months. You walk along the space and reach up to softly touch a crying pup using echolocation, able to hear it. Remus could hear their cries sometimes, but much more than Sirius. Your touch is soothing to them and instantly helps them fall back asleep, still so tired as the sun reached its highest peak of the afternoon.
It’s so odd, how much you never saw yourself being ruler over the largest coven of bats in the world. You didn’t want this title or the power that came with it initially, because it would have stripped you of who you were and what you wanted to be. But if not for Remus and Sirius stalking into your life, you never would have realized how much you wished to lead your coven and care for them forever.
You remember traveling all over Hogwarts grounds in your shifted form, taking down Remus if he became too much, shifting back in the morning and laughing over the exhilarating feeling it was to travel freely. You remember the hugs and kisses, Remus ruffling your hair, Sirius batting his hand away before smoothing out the mess left behind. They had been your world.
Sirius. James. Lily. Remus.
Your world reached a new orbit just before graduation in your seventh and final year.
And hadn’t that just caught you off guard? You’d planned on finally, finally telling your parents about everything, all of the secrets and lies, about the illegal animagus form, about Sirius, the Gryffindor boy with hair dark as a raven. And then- maybe you could feel it, because that day, your tattoos had given a twinge, and then another as he came closer, and then they exploded with heat.
“Can we talk, (y/n)?” He’d started, unable to meet your gaze. You’d always been given access into the Gryffindor common room since they had considered you one of them. It was lit with a homely fire crackling. You set aside your charms book and pat the empty seat beside you, an infectious smile curling along your glossed lips at the sight of your boyfriend. Things had been going great, but that guilt had never truly gone away. Guilt over Remus, guilt over knowing that he was in love with you for years and would never truly embrace it because he would rather stay to the side and let Sirius have you all to himself. You loved Sirius with a love that had no definition and no end, but pieces of you felt stuck in sand. You had realized your simple attraction to Remus had bursted into full grown love, but would do nothing of it for the same reasons as the wolf. Sirius. You could never hurt him… but meant hurting someone else. I’m so selfish. So despicable.
“Of course we can. What’s up?” You asked as he sat, reaching to take your hands. He stares at your joined hands for a moment before taking in a deep breath and looking up into your eyes. He looks tired, guilty, as if something had been slowly eating away at him and you were finally beginning to notice. You open and close your mouth, blinking a few times. What he says simply explodes you planet and begins to forge a galaxy.
“I- I got my tattoo today, you know, for ma Bonded? And I- I always pictured your name on my skin,” He started, looking away from you again before he removed one of his hands, reaching for the sleeve of his robe and pulling it up. You make out the word instantly even if it is upside down, x letters written carefully just along his forearm. It’s your name in all of it’s glory and it is lovely with your small, thick curls. But just under it is- 5 letters in that meticulous handwriting you know too well because you borrow his potions notes all the time-
Remus? Why is Remus written on his skin ? It couldn’t mean-
“R-Remus?” What?
“It’s Remus. He’s my… He’s also… my Bonded. And-” This was the part that set things in motion, “I’m his.” He takes another look at you and wants to die. There, in the depths of your wet eyes, is so much shock that it makes his stomach turn, as if he might vomit right there on the carpet. But what he doesn’t understand is that the shock is not a representation of pain; you have happiness vibrating across your insides, delving down into your stomach and exploding you from the inside out with butterflies.
“I never meant for t-this ta happen, (y/n). You have ta know that. But he’s my True Bond too and- you know I love you right? You must know I love you.” You don’t respond. You know he loves you. You know it deep down in your soul, knew he’d always love you in his own way, but now he could love Remus, too. You had never thought of something like this happening. You thought that you would spend the rest of your days loving one of your True Bonds while fighting the attraction to the other one forever. Maybe you wouldn’t have to choose. If Sirius was also Remus’, maybe you were too. Maybe the universe had taken notice and decided that the two of them also deserved to belong to you the way you had their names engraved in your flesh. You can’t speak just yet because a lump is forming in your throat.
Remus. He knew that Sirius had told you the second he entered the common room, could sense it in the way you stare at him, stars dangling there in your irises. He’s grown shy again and nervous too in the way he hunches his shoulders and tries to appear smaller. He approaches slowly, but you release one of Sirius’ hands to reach one for him, palm raised up in offering. He looks at you and Sirius together and can’t understand why he belongs, but he does. He always has. He takes your hand when he’s close enough and lowers to sit on the soft carpet, too nervous to speak as he uses his free hand to tug his scarf loose and pull down the collar of his shirt to reveal the two names you never thought would be there.
“(y-y/n)?” Sirius says, sounding unsure of himself as they both wait for you to say something. You pull away once they are trained on you, tugging off the black bands around your wrists for the first time and holding them up for each to see ‘Remus’ on the right and ‘Sirius’ on the left.
“I.. I love you b-both so much. I always h-have. I just… I never t-thought I would get the chance to l-love you both equally and it w-was killing me inside,” You confess in a wobbly voice, large (e/c) bubbling with tears as your lower lip begins to tremble. They instantly start to coo at you not to cry, doting on you the way they usually do. There’s very little difference actually and it’s just solidified that the three of you had always belonged together even if the rest of the world would look down on it.
You produced an invisibility charm with ease and the three of you traveled out to the black lake shores, just by the sleeping giant squid’s tentacle. You stared out into the darkness for a while, trying to reign in on your joy but you just can’t. Lily found you there, happily tear stained, tears in her own eyes as she sank to her knees and embraced you, beginning to laugh as Sirius begins to tease Remus.
.
.
.
.
You sit with them the next day, and it feels like the first, except Peter shifted and Sirius and Remus are sitting together, wrapped up in a quiet conversation. They stop the moment you sit down beside them with a thick volume, Sirius speaking up after a moment. Everyone at the table knows. They won’t stop staring at you as if you are a goddess or a social pariah. Everyone in the whole school probably knows it too. Your best friend is also your soulmate. Except the truth is that they were both meant for you.
“(y/n).” Sirius nods his head for the great hall doors and you nod in return, telling Lily you would be a moment and getting up to leave, Remus and Sirius behind you. The three of you walk out the great hall and off into a diverging corridor. Before you can speak, Sirius and Remus are all over you, four arms still you up and crushing you against two chests. Your breath is stolen and you snuggle in further, feeling over the moon at the prospect of getting the rest of your life to do this.
“What are you doing?” You ask, voice always so soft and delicate. They laugh, one hand, you can tell it’s Remus, stroking through your locks and scratching at your scalp delicately. Ever since the three of you had come to terms with your feelings, he couldn’t get enough of touching you and holding your hand or just pressing you in close to his chest when you study together. Sirius isn’t jealous in the least at having to share you now, he stares on with mere adoration, sometimes resting his head on Remus’ lap for a nap.
“Sorry,” Remus murmurs, voice sweet, “We jus couldn’t wait ta see you, (y/n). I wished for this for such a long time. I love you an’ Sirius. I do. I hones’ to the Gods do. And I am sorry tha I was unable to jus’ come out an’ say it.. Because I love you with all tha I am.”
“R-Remus-” You’re blushing already, unable to stop it even if you wanted to, “I can still remember the first time I saw you both on the train in our first year. I didn’t even know your names, but I had a feeling you’d come into my life and make me the happiest person in the world.”
“I promise I’ll never be jealous. I happen ta love the both of you too much. But if someone else tries to so much as touch or talk to either of you, I’m hexing them to Marlin’s grave” Sirius finally speaks, and it sounds as if he had been planning such a diabolical plan for the near future.
“You’re such a little prat, Siri” You huff out his nickname with a little laugh. They both tower over you so much, and you can’t help how much you like feeling small beside them. You curl your arms around their hips, crowd them in and hide away in their chests. It feels so good to touch them. They hug you back and hold you close, murmuring their thanks for your love and kindness.
Over time, it became a running joke you that you had dated Sirius for years and the bloke turned out to like other mates. Remus absolutely hated whenever someone brought it up because his face would grow splotchy with a blush and his ears would grow red at the tips as he laughed shyly. And Sirius would make a show of taking his hand and stealing kisses that leave the future professor flushing and a bit offput at being made fun of.
You live on a high above any altitude you can fly. You stayed by their sides through graduation, feel such profound pride swell in your chest because Sirius had defied the odds of his heritage and it inspired you, proud of James and Lily and their strong relationship, so damn proud of Remus for being more than the species forced upon him. And in that high, you finally confessed the truth about being a vampire and acquiring your inheritance.
“Sleep well, my little pups,” You whisper into the roof to your other children, making sure they are resting before vanishing and reappearing in your study, your house elf Marty waiting with a bottle of O- and a smile. You had set her free the moment everything became yours, but she had wished to remain in your noble house under your sweet care. Instead of a house elf, she was more of an assistant and small friend.
“How is my favorite elf?” You question with a grin, sitting in your comfortable reclining chair and outstretching an arm. She approaches to hug you around your legs and you stroke her ear endearingly. She had been absent more, having developed a relationship with Creature, who had turned a lot less volatile with her help and being out of the dark Black house.
“Very well, Mistress. Thank you for asking. I got you some blood for lunch and you have a few documents to sign regarding the other manor in Milano and the condo in Belgium. Is there anything else you’d like? I’ve missed you very much and I want to help care for the little ones. Both the new pups in the attic and your children. Creature can be without for a few days at least.” She smiles at mentioning his name and you are happy for it. Every person and creature deserves to be loved and to love in kind.
“You are my darling elf, you know that? I don’t think I need much right now but you can go and see Cane and Lelou. The pups are sleeping. I’ll be feeding them once it gets dark.” Marty gives a fervent nod and a kiss to your hand before leaving the study to allow you to focus on the documents. You read through each of them slowly, before sighing each with the red ink of your blood. Blood is the only ink your kind uses, usually their own, or of an enemy. Seeing as Sirius was the only one in the house that dealt with criminals and villains, it was safe to say that the blood was your own.
One of your fondest memories with them was Lily’s wedding. You had been blessed with being the Maid of Honor, and it was no surprise that Sirius would be Best Man. Seeing him decked out in a tuxedo made fire simmer low in your gut, and you couldn’t help how you’d lick at your lips at the sight of him, smokey eye shadow accentuating your features and making you resemble every inch of a vampire temptress. He’d managed to kiss your forehead before Remus came over, all dolled up in an impeccable tux too as one of the groomsmen, and goodness, why are they doing this to you and your hormones? Coming into your powers had not only brought on so much bloodlust but just plain lust almost constantly. And you could tell that they knew the effect the clothing was having on you every time you looked at them, sharing glances between each other before smirking at you. Sirius had been an awful influence on Remus with enough time.
“What prats,” You hiss during the reception, grumbling nonsense as you watch Sirius grab Lily’s old grandmother for a dance, wiggling his brows at her and making her gush.
“What’s a girl like you doing without a partna’?” An all too familiar voice asks from behind you, where you held a glass of red wine carefully yet with an iron grip to keep yourself controlled. Chuckling softly, you turn to face Remus with a flirty smile.
“I’m waiting for someone to come and ask me.”
“Then let me be tha first before tha line gets too long.” He offers his arm and you set down your glass to grab on, the both of you gliding onto the dance floor and facing each other. Remus has to lower himself a bit more than others for you to comfortably wrap your arms around each other, but you manage, and he sways you to the beautiful sounds of the orchestra and eventually a sweet tune when a dj takes over per request of James who had grown tired of the orchestral instruments.
Sirius butts in once Lily’s grandmother is out of breath and flushing too much, clearing his throat with a smile.
“Mind if I cut in?”
“Depends on if you’ll give ha’ back?” Remus counters, matching smiles.
“Always.”
It’s late when Sirius gets back, bandages wrapped around his left wrist and a bandage on his swollen nose.
“Let me guess, you ran into danger without James again and he had to save you from being killed?” You supplied with no humor, your worry turning to anger easily. Sirius flinches under your gaze as he limps towards your shared room, passing it to reach the nursery.
“I mean… when ya’ put it tha’ way, I don’t sound as smart,” He coughs out softly, surveying the sleeping tots with you hot on his heels. He knows that you won’t yell because you’re in the nursery and uses it against you. And he knows that you won’t do it once Remus gets home either so he purposely stakes out in their, playing with Cane’s fingers when the boy wakes up and running an index through his tuft of black locks.
“You’re horrible. And you’re changing them both for the rest of the week,” You supply, still upset with him for being hurt and not letting him yell at you. He nearly chokes up but saves himself and takes it with a grain of salt.
“F-Fine. All week. I can do that.” Oh? A challenge?
“And you’re in charge of feeding. And this. And that…” You start to list off impossible tasks just to be a brat, even saying he has to patch up the roof manually and feed the pups who absolutely hate him. By the time you finish, he looks miserable enough and you’re smiling. You venture close to inspect his face by reaching up to gently stroke his pale cheek.
“I could’ve lost you… I’ll forgo everything if you just promise to be more careful. I couldn’t live without you.” It’s true. You could not picture a world where only half of your being was alive. Sirius seems to understand your worry by the look on your face and he kisses your forehead after a moment of choosing his words.
“And I would die another death by being a part from you and Remus and our family.” It satisfies you enough, and you guide him out of the nursery gently to help take care of his wounds properly. Remus arrives later, after diaper changes and dinner, worn out and dead on his feet once he apparated home. He sets his briefcase down quietly because you’re asleep curled up against Sirius side and Sirius is snoring so loudly with his mouth wide open but the two of you had grown used to it years ago. Remus strips down, too tired for a shower at the moment, and simply gets into bed, noticing the way you and Sirius gravitate towards him the moment he’s under the sheets. He’s dragged into the entanglement of bodies and closes his eyes, all of the stress of the day and Opal Lovegood nearly exploding off Timothy Finnigan’s eyebrows drifting from his mind. The two bodies beside him are home, and he can hear the breathing of Cane and Lelou in their nursery and the hushed flapping of the active bats and he is at peace with himself once again. All of these things give the werewolf a meaning to live, to exist. His students give him a purpose and a job he does well.
The three figures each shift about in their search to grow comfortable and you are shrouded in a warmth that only you have the right to. Happy, safe, and cherished.
A Bond is never wrong. You were the connecting piece of a puzzle planned since the beginning of time and with both Sirius and Lupin by your side, you embraced life and love.
And you always would.