Since Harry's arrival at Grimmauld place he'd set about exploring the place with Ron, Hermione, and occasionally Ginny and Tonks after their cleaning shift was over with Mrs. Weasley. Harry knew he was lucky that Mrs. Weasley usually delayed any cleaning while an Order meeting was going on. It also seemed as though she'd pushed herself into giving the cleansing of Grimmauld Place her all, as if it could somehow make up for the lack of headway the Order was making in the war against Voldemort. This was all well and fine, but it meant Harry and his friends were forced to be up early every day and spent most of it scrubbing floors and dusting bookshelves, not that he minded much. It was novel to have help with his cleaning for once as the Dursley's had simply ordered him to do everything without any help for as long as he could remember. Harry thought he would do anything just to stay here in this house with Sirius. Even if Dumbledore forced him to go back to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon again at the end of the year, he could at least look forward to spending part of the summer at Grimmauld Place with Sirius and his friends.
Something Harry happened to notice a few days after his arrival was the awkwardness with which Sirius and Professor Lupin, who insisted Harry call him Remus, behaved around one another. They would edge around each other in doorways or accidentally grab for the salt shaker at the same time and instinctively retreat with an uncomfortable expression of apology on both of their faces. Harry even thought he saw a light flush color Sirius's cheeks that time he and Remus almost bumped into each other before an Order meeting.
Harry shook his head and climbed the stairs to the second floor as the door to the dining room closed behind Mrs. Weasley. As he got closer he could hear what sounded like Hermione, and Ginny whispering about something.
"...but don't you think we should..."
"...they're stubborn blokes that's for sure..."
"...plain as bloody day on their faces..."
"Why don't we just lock them in a room and let them get bloody well done with it?" Ginny asked.
"Because we have to be delicate about these things. Sirius and Professor Lupin are far too clever for something that simple. They'd undo any locks we put in place" Hermione answered.
"Wocher Harry" Tonks said turning to look at him as he reached the top of the staircase. "You'll mind keeping this quiet, won't you."
"What's going on?" Harry asked. "Is it Voldemort?"
"No Harry it's...well...it's your godfather and Professor Lupin" Hermione explained. "We're trying to get them to...well..."
"You see Harry my dear cousin Sirius has taken a fancy to Remus" Tonks said with a playful wink. "My mother seems to think they fancied each other before he got sent to Azkaban. Oh right, I should probably explain that my mum's never thought Sirius was guilty. So she knows he's here, but she'll keep it hushed up. Dad too."
"Your mother?" Harry wondered. "She's a cousin of Sirius's. Wouldn't that make her-"
"She's one of the Black's. Yep. Married my Dad, Ted Tonks, whose a muggleborn, so they disowned her" Tonks explained. "She and Sirius always got along really well, so they'd kept in touch before he was arrested."
Harry nodded and smiled at her. He'd only just met Tonks, but he felt better knowing that Sirius had some family left who still cared about him. The screaming painting downstairs made it seem like his godfather's family life may have been even worse than Harry's situation own growing up.
"If Sirius and Dumbledore trust your parents, then I'm sure they're alright" he said. "So, why do you think Sirius and Prof-Remus are gay?"
"We only assumed they were straight before" Hermione assured him. "In the Shrieking Shack we were all so focused on Pettigrew that we simply assumed their intimations were completely platonic."
"We've since changed our minds though" Ginny put in. "Sirius hasn't flirted with anyone else since he got here. We didn't realize that was unusual, until Tonks explained that he used to do it all the time."
"He did" Tonks insisted. "It was just teasing most of the time. My mother says he didn't have a steady girlfriend after he left Hogwarts. At least no one he ever brought by. Though she said he did mention his friends quite a bit, particularly Lupin."
"Well he did think Pro-Remus was a spy for Voldemort at the time" Harry reminded them. "He could have mentioned him simply because he was trying to get everyone to watch for anything suspicious on his part."
Tonks shook her head.
"No, I don't think my mother knew about that" she said. "My parents weren't part of the Order during the first war, so I don't think he'd have told them about his suspicions. What I do know is that I've never seen a man act so awkward in front of someone whose supposed to be his friend."
"Well, Sirius did sort of blush the other night after...um...anyway" Harry mumbled. "I don't think we should get involved. It might be nothing. They might not feel that way about each other romantically."
"Oh I think they most certainly do" Ginny replied with a mischievous smile. "And I've found an object that might just be of use in getting the two of them to admit it."
"I don't think this is really the time for that Ginny" Hermione reminded her. "If we do anything now, everyone might get suspicious. Not to mention Sirius and Remus might prank us back."
"That's true" Tonks mused. "We might want to try something after the school breaks are over. Otherwise Arthur and Molly will know we're up to something."
"Not to mention Sirius and Remus were marauders, they'll see right through any of the obvious tricks" Hermione said, looking pointedly at Harry who was slowly backing away.
Harry decided he really didn't want to get involved with whatever they were planning. He had enough to worry about with the nightmares Voldemort seemed intent on sending him. Not that he minded the idea of two men together as he was neither bigoted nor homophobic. He decided to watch the interaction between his godfather and Remus a bit more to see whether or not the girls were right.
"Well, it'll take me a few months to set it up anyway" Ginny replied. "I might have it ready by June at the latest."
"Hey Tonks, shouldn't you be downstairs at the Order meeting?" Harry said out of the blue.
"Technically I'm supposed to be away on a mission" she said "but I snuck in to have a little chat with these two. I should probably go before Kinsley notices I'm here though."
"Don't forget about Moody" Harry said offhand.
"Him too. Well, it's been a pleasure, but I really should be going" Tonks said before apparating away.
Ginny and Hermione were grinning at him in such a way that Harry looked back with an expression of incredulity.
"They aren't idiots you know" Harry told them. "Whatever you're planning Padfoot and Remus are going to throw it right back at you."
"Oh we'll see about that" Hermione said brightly. "I think the two of them might be a bit distracted right now with everything that's been going on."
"Or by one another" Ginny added. "Fancy a game of chess Harry?"
"You'll probably trounce me like Ron does every time, but sure why not." Harry said with a shrug, but followed her as she lead the way to the room she shared with Hermione. Hermione seemed intent on exploring an old room with a desk set in it and a strange metal handle stuck firmly to the wall. No matter how many jinxes Mrs. Weasley hit it with the handle refused to budge to be removed from its position on the wall and she was forced to abandon her efforts, much like with Mrs. Black's painting.
Months passed and Harry forgot about the girl's plan amidst the scrutiny of Umbridge and helping to run the DA.
The day before the O.W.L.S. were set to be given at Hogwarts and a disturbing increase in Harry's visions began to creep up on him, something else was occurring at Grimmauld Place. Ginny and Hermione had made the best of the winter holidays, while Tonks persistently chased her cousin around with mistletoe to keep him distracted. Ginny had discovered a rather interesting looking chain amidst the Black family's things and continued to research it throughout the year with Hermione's help. Eventually they were able to set the correct charms to it and were careful to keep it concealed within a metal box until the time came. They had it sent to Tonks by way of Ron's owl Pigwidgeon once June rolled around. Ginny thought it was a wonder they were able to keep something like that a secret with the Umbridge around, but they managed.
"I swear there's something rattling 'round in that desk" Tonks insisted as she led the way up the stairs. Sirius following close behind. "You know this house better than I do. Anything in here is more likely to reject me than you."
"It's probably just another bogart" Sirius said. "You should leave it to Moony. He'll enjoy cutting one down to size again."
"He's on a mission for Dumbledore and won't be back until tonight" Tonks insisted. "I don't want Mrs. Weasley to find whatever it is while we're not around. You don't want anything happening to her while she's up here alone do you?"
"I suppose not" Sirius answered wearily. "Just don't blame me if one of my father's creepy little projects tries to kill us. I'd rather let some of the things in this house stay where they are, since I don't plan on living here after the war."
"It's all we've got for now" Tonks replied. "Unless you want to uproot to the Black Manor this summer."
"That'll be even worse. My father's family were a mean-spirited bunch. That house will be crawling with animated skeletons, cursed objects, and vengeful ghosts. I'm being pursued by the Ministry and the Death Eaters, so adding those things to my list is nothing short of masochistic."
"I thought you were this legendary prankster in school" Tonks prodded him as they reached the top of the stairs. "With a devil may care attitude and a flying motorbike."
"Yeah well, McGonagall isn't exactly one of the inferi, now was she?" Sirius snapped. Tonks flinched. "I'm sorry, it's just that I've seen much worse since then. The world isn't the place it used to be."
"You've been locked up for too long" Tonks speculated. "I'd have already gone mad in a place like this."
"You have no idea." Sirius said as he followed Tonks into his father's old study. "Well then where is it?"
"Just in here" Tonks told him as she pointed to a small drawer below the top of the desk. "I hear it every time I walk by this place."
Sirius sighed and walked toward it.
Tonks made sure to back silently out of the room as he made to open the drawer, not wanting to get caught up by the object herself. It had been difficult enough closing it in there without getting tied up. The resounding rattling and snapping sounds assured her that her cousin had indeed been ensnared by the object, an ancient looking chain with a manacle attached, that bound itself to Sirius's wrist and then promptly tied itself to the metal handle Mrs. Weasley had been unable to remove from the wall. Tonks strongly suspected this was due to a permanent sticking charm being placed on it by her late great uncle for decidedly ambiguous reasons.
Sirius's reaction to being bound by the chain was not a positive one, though Tonks had to admit his vociferous reaction was the most animated she'd seen him quite a while.
"Bloody fucking hell! Help me out here Tonks. Get someone! Moony! Dumbledore! Anyone!"
Tonks managed to stifle a giggle and silently prayed that Ginny and Hermione knew what they were doing. They had given her detailed research notes on the chain before sending it over after all. Then she tried to put on her best serious auror expression and take charge of the situation.
"Calm down, let's look at this rationally" Tonks said stepping back into the room to face a bewildered Sirius. "You're the master of Grimmauld Place. Shouldn't you be able to make it let you go?"
"You'd think so wouldn't you?" Sirius said through gritted teeth as he tugged at the chain. "But the bloody thing won't budge. Hand me my wand and then get us some help. I wish Moony was here, he's good with stuff like this."
Tonks fought the urge to grin. She knew Remus would be back in a couple of hours, which was exactly what she'd been counting on. After all, he was Sirius's only hope of releasing the chain without resorting to anything truly bordering on dark magic.
Sirius Black spent the next two hours trying to break the hold the chain had on him with Tonks' help, while Arthur and Molly Weasley attempted to research what type of magic the chain had.
Severus Snape stopped in at Order Headquarters momentarily and took great pleasure in tormenting Sirius about his predicament.
"Back where you started are you, Black? In a dark little room with a very narrow set of options" Snape sneered with at him. "I'm sure that boggart downstairs would be happy to play dementor to make you more comfortable."
"Sod off Snivellus! Go toddle back to your cauldrons and grease. And give your overly large beak a wax while you're at it!" Sirius shot back.
"Just think, one little kiss from it would resolve the need for further...complications" Snape finished.
"Actually that might just do the trick" Arthur Weasley called from the hallway as he and Molly re-entered the room. "According to this book Dumbledore left for us, that's Gothel's chain."
"Don't tell me you actually believe in fairytales?" Snape asked stiffly. "This thing couldn't possibly be-"
"Oh but it is" Molly Weasley insisted. "I wouldn't have thought so myself, but there's a picture of it right there in that book Arthur's holding. It would seem that muggle children's tales have a bit of truth to them after all."
"Indeed, I've found most things to be what we least expect them" Remus said entering the room. "Now what exactly happened here while I was gone? And why is Sirius tied to the wall?"
"Black seems to have gotten himself into yet another imbecilic predicament." Snape said. "One could only hope he stays there."
Then he swept out, leaving Lupin, Tonks, and the Weasley's to deal with extremely an irritated Sirius Black.
"Bloody prat. Should've left him by the willow when I had the chance" Sirius grumbled. "When did you get here Moony?"
"Just a moment ago. What've you gotten yourself into now, Padfoot?" Remus asked eyeing the precarious looking manacle around his friend's wrist.
"It's all my fault" Tonks explained sheepishly. She hoped her acting was up to par as Remus would be the least likely person to be fooled by this. "I wanted Sirius to take a look at something for me. I kept hearing this strange rattling noise in the desk and thought it might be something like the boggart we found. Things in this house usually listen to Sirius, well except for the painting, so I asked him to help me take care of it."
"Then this chain bloody well jumped out at me and tied me up here" Sirius supplied. "I'll bet my mother left this here to take care of any thieves that happened by after she was gone. Not that anyone could find the bloody place anyway."
Remus looked thoughtful as he eyed the chain once more, then the desk, and then briefly, Tonks herself. Tonks gulped slightly. That didn't bode well.
"What do we know about the chain so far?" Remus asked Molly cordially.
"It's called Gothel's Chain" she explained. "Apparently a witch whose referred to as Mother Gothel by the person who wrote this, used it to imprison her adoptive daughter in a tower after she tried to leave it. The story goes on to say that her daughter was actually the princess, Rapunzel, a muggle whose hair had an amazing ability to heal all ailments. Gothel was a dreadful women who used the girl's hair to keep herself alive while keeping her shut up in a tower for years upon end. Dear me, she doesn't seem like a very pleasant person, now does she? Then one day Rapunzel ran away with a local thief and they eventually fell in love. Only Gothel pretended-"
"Can we please get on to the part where you find a way to destroy this bloody thing? It's starting to chafe my wrist" Sirius complained.
Remus shot him a pointed look before gesturing for Molly to continue.
"Gothel pretended that thief had betrayed Rapunzel and arranged for him to be imprisoned in a neighboring kingdom by Rapunzel's own parents. Only he escaped. Meanwhile Rapunzel returned with Gothel to the tower, only to deduce her true identity as a result of her travels with the thief. Gothel then ensnared Rapunzel with a magical chain, this very one apparently, and kept her prisoner until the thief managed to escape from the dungeons and set about rescuing her. This all gets very tedious toward the end, but I'll shorten it down. Gothel tried to kill the thief and managed to stab him, but Rapunzel begged for the thief's life and swore to be Gothel's willing prisoner for the rest of her days if she could use her hair to save the thief."
"She apparently managed" Arthur put in. "Although the thief cut her hair and banishing whatever charm had been laid on it. Gothel died with the source of her life suddenly gone. Rapunzel saved the thief's life with the remainder of her magic and well, the ending is what you'd expect." Arthur tipped book to show them a picture of the thief and Rapunzel kissing under the tag 'and they happily ever after'. "The chain was later recovered by a pureblood wizarding family and used to bind their prisoners."
"According to this" Molly stated. "Gothel had put a spell on the chain so that nothing short of death could break it."
Sirius paled noticeably upon hearing this.
"However" she continued, "Rapunzel's sacrifice caused the spell to change, so that nothing short of an expression of love and devotion or death could break the chain's hold. Oh...well...I suppose we could try cutting it again. That worked well enough for the wizards who stole it."
Remus closed his eyes and tried to distill the blush forming on his cheeks.
"I wonder if I could have a word with Sirius alone" he said quietly. "I'd like to run a few tests on the object with his consent, but I'd rather not have an audience if you would all be so kind as to wait out in the hall for a few minutes."
"That'll be fine then dear" Molly said placing the book on the desk top and ushering Arthur the door. "We've got prepare lunch anyway."
"I'll give you a hand" Tonks said to her. Then turned to look at Remus. "I'll just get out of your way then."
Once they left, Remus started to tug at the chain and attempted to use his werewolf strength to sever it.
"It's not silver then" Sirius mused as Remus sat down beside him, whispering a few counter curses, while tapping the thing with his wand.
"Thankfully" Remus replied. "Though it would appear the chain is solid regardless. Age hasn't worn it down in the slightest. We may have to resort to the book's methodology after all."
"It said nothing short of love or death would break it's hold, Moony" Sirius said dropping his eyes to stare the floor with a miserable expression on his face. "We're a bit short on sacrificial princesses at the moment and I don't fancy a waltz with the reaper any time soon."
"The book said it had to be an expression of love" Remus countered. "That could mean anything."
"I'm pretty sure it meant something romantic-like, Moony" Sirius said, eyes still downcast. "I couldn't ask anyone to do that for me. We'll just have to find another way."
"What if there was someone ready and willing to do anything to get you free?" Remus asked closing his eyes and breathing deeply. Sirius's eyes went wide as he stared at his friend in shocked disbelief. "What if I told you that I-Oh sod it!"
Sirius sat there frozen in shock as Remus opened his eyes and grabbed his friend's shirt collar, dragging him into a chaste kiss. Sirius seemed to regain some awareness as Remus's tongue slid across Sirius's lips before dipping inside his mouth. Then Sirius found himself responding in kind as he lost himself to the sweet, warm feeling Remus was bringing out in him. They both closed their eyes and slowly surrendered to the playful flick of tongues and an unrelenting mutual desire to touch each other as much as possible. Remus's hands quickly found themselves nestled in Sirius's long dark curls. While Sirius's arms encircled Remus's waist, holding him tightly and pulling him closer within reach. Neither of them noticed when the chain unclasped itself from Sirius's wrist and the wall handle, before falling to the ground, until after they came up for air.
Eventually they noticed Tonks standing in the doorway grinning like a Cheshire cat. She then found herself unceremoniously transfigured into a pink flamingo by two aggravated looking marauders. It was even more embarrassing when they refused to turn her back until she scared the dickens out of Mrs. Weasley and any other Order members who appeared at Grimmauld Place for the rest of the night.
Remus made sure to re-seal Gothel's chain in an iron clad box with a permanent sticking charm and had Sirius hide it away in his attic. Despite their efforts no spells managed to destroy the chain or remove the curse on it.
The next day, after having a serious (no pun intended) talk about their relationship, Remus and Sirius resolved to tell Harry about this recent development. They snuck out of Grimmauld Place, after sending a message to Harry by way of Kingsley's owl, Pendragon. and waited in Hogsmeade until after the O.W.L.S. were over. Sirius following close behind Remus in animagus form and they managed to reach the Shrieking Shack without anyone being the wiser,
Harry was extremely surprised to receive the message directly after the Weasley twins ousting of Umbridge during the O.W.L.S. and his own impending vision of Sirius being imprisoned by Voldemort. So he set out for the Shrieking Shack with a heavy heart and a growing sense of dread.
"You're...you're here?" Harry said in surprise as found Remus and Sirius standing there waiting for him just behind the door to the Shack. He quickly closed it behind him in case anyone had followed him in to the tunnel. Hermione in particular had looked a bit worried when he'd almost collapsed during the Weasley twins fire work show. Even though he had assured her that it was just the stress of O.W.L.S. catching up with him. Harry turned to look directly at godfather and former professor, before holding up his wand and pointing it at them. "I've just had a vision of Sirius being trapped at the Ministry by Voldemort. How is it that you're here? How-how do I know it's you?"
"You shouldn't believe everything Voldemort shows you, Harry" Remus said sternly. "Severus has been teaching you Occlumency for a reason. You need to block out those visions before he starts trying to manipulate your thoughts. At least you're learning as you've already questioned our presence here. In answer to your question, I gave you back the Marauder's map to keep at the end of your third year and I know Sirius showed you his family tapestry before you went back to school."
Sirius further proved his identity by transforming into Padfoot momentarily before changing back. Harry feeling satisfied with this, nodded and lowered his wand.
"We came here for a different reason" Sirius explained. "We've got something we need to tell you. However, I would like to state that I think we should work on getting you a new instructor in Occlumency for the summer. Seeing as Snivellus obviously isn't capable of it."
"I might know a few people" Remus said offhandedly, "but that's neither here nor there. We came to tell you about an...er... recent change in our relationship. Pads?"
"We're together now, Remus and I" Sirius finished. "I don't suppose you mind, do you Harry?"
"You mean like in a romantic relationship? With each other?" Harry asked bluntly.
Sirius and Remus looked at one another before nodding in reply. They were acting calm, but Harry thought they both looked a bit tense as if they were worried about what his reaction would be.
"No, I don't mind really. I thought the way you were both acting this summer was strange" Harry told them. "Does this mean I'll get to come live with both of you eventually?"
"If that's what you want, Harry" Remus said offering him a small smile. "We'd like that very much."
"Oh, I just remembered something. Ginny and Hermione are never going to let me live this down" Harry groaned. "The two of them and Tonks kept telling me they thought you two fancied each other all summer, but I told them the idea was too far-fetched. They can be quite insufferable sometimes."
"Hermione and Ginny you say?" Sirius asked innocently. "They've been hanging around with my dear cousin Tonks have they?"
Remus raised an eyebrow at this and shared a glance with his lover.
"Yeah, they talked about doing something to make you realize it, but I forgot about it with everything that happened this year" Harry said. "Why? Did something happen?"
"I think this calls for a show of gratitude on our part, wouldn't you say Padfoot?"
"Oh yes, we should show our appreciation for their efforts by redecorating their...everything" Sirius said with an expression of unholy glee. "Right after we deck Snivellus out like a Hufflepuff, that is."
"How do you feel about your friends bearing an alternative tint for the rest of the year, Harry?" Remus asked with a marauder-like grin Harry had never seen him wear before outside of Snape's pensieve. "And maybe some strategically placed scales for good measure."
"I think you may be onto something, Mr. Moony" Harry said with a conspiratory expression. "They won't know what hit them. It'll be the perfect end of the year prank."