Seven

A gust of wind blew by as Sirius Black walked down the side walk, eyes staring at the beige Lupins sign that hung from the wall. He quickly went in the cafe, in a rush to get out of the cold. As soon as the warm air hits him, he lets out a sigh of content and unravels his scarf.

Quick to grab a cup, he walks towards the counter where Remus Lupin, his close friend and best coffee maker in the world, is standing and wiping the counter.

Sirius holds out his cup with an innocent smile. "One cup of coffee, sir."

If there was anything someone needed to know about Sirius Black, it was that he was a raging caffeine addict. Morning, noon, and night: coffee, coffee, coffee.

Remus, who doesn't even bother to look up, asks, "How many cups have you already had this morning?"

"None."

Remus looks up and shoots Sirius a deadpan expression. "Plus?"

"Five," Sirius admits, placing the cup on the counter. "But yours is better."

Sirius pouts for emphasis causing Remus to roll his eyes.

"You look like a wounded dog." Though Remus still fills the coffee cup anyway.

Sirius's expression immediately brightens as he beams with delight. "This is why you're my favorite Moons."

Remus grunts, but Sirius's expression does not falter. He walks back to his seat, deciding to savor the rich flavor of his coffee as he watches outside the window, waiting for his baby brother to show up. Too caught up with that, he doesn't even notice a girl that had been staring at him and now standing next to him.

"You make that coffee look really good," She comments, a seductive smile on her lips.

Sirius's eyes flicker to her, assessing her. He examines her blue sweater; it clearly was of high quality, the cuffs of it embroidering a fancy symbol. A family thing perhaps. She must not be from here . The girl had a flirty glint in her eyes as she waited for whether Sirius would reciprocate or not.

Sirius indulged.

"I can make anything look good," he replies with a small smirk.

The girl immediately lights up at the reciprocation as she lets out a laugh. "Oh yeah?" She takes a step closer. "I'm just passing by here on my way to Hogsemade."

"Well I hope you enjoy your visit."

"I very much am now," she gestured to the other chair. "Mind if I sit?"

Sirius could've said yes, but to say yes would mean to have Regulus coming in and seeing the scene, and Sirius had always tried to keep his dating aspect of his life away from Regulus.

He never met anyone yet important enough to introduce them into his true world: Regulus.

"I'm afraid you can't. I'm meeting someone here," Sirius replies, taking another sip of his coffee.

The girl frowns, a displeased expression washing over her face, but she doesn't argue. "Well it was nice to meet you then mystery man." She walks back to her table where another girl is already there waiting for her. The two immediately go into conversation, occasionally glancing at Sirius.

"Mystery man," Sirius echos to himself, shaking his head in amusement.

There is a ring sound, indicating someone has walked in, making Sirius look up. Regulus had walked in, his cheeks flush from the cold and his skin pale. His eyes instantly locks with Sirius's, making the latter beam. However, the former seems to be in a bad mood.

Regulus takes a seat. "Why the hell is it that cold? I feel like I'm about you freeze my ass off." He has scowl on his face as he pulls off his hat.

"Oh lighten up, will you," Sirius tilts his head, grabbing a cup. "I'll get you a cup of a coffee." While getting up, he drops a kiss to the younger boy's hair, making Regulus instantly yelp and glare up at his older brother.

Sirius ignores this as he goes to Remus, who narrows his eyes once he sees Sirius coming with a cup.

"What? This is for Reggie!" Sirius defends himself.

Remus doesn't budge.

"I'm being serious! Well I always am Sirius," Remus rolls his eyes. "But seriously he's right over there." Sirius turns around to look at Regulus for emphasis, but once he gets a look at the scene, any other words on his tongue dissolve.

The girl from before was talking to Regulus.

The girl who looked to be in her mid twenties was talking to his fifteen year old baby brother Regulus.

Sirius lets out a scoff in a disbelief as his eyes darken, narrowing them at the girl. He forgets about the coffee as he walks back to the table, putting a calm smile on his face that juxtaposes greatly to how he's feeling on the inside.

"You really like my table, don't you?"

The girl's gaze switches from Regulus to Sirius as her jaw gapes slightly. "Oh hi, I was just-"

Sirius cuts her off. "Getting to know my fifteen year old brother, huh?" He wraps an around Regulus protectively and Sirius could practically feels Regulus's eyeroll.

"Fifteen?" the girl sputters, her eyes widening in shock. She looks from Sirius to Regulus then back to Sirius again. "I should go-"

"-Yeah you should go."

The girl scrambles from their sight and Sirius lets his smile drop once she leaves, a scowl taking place instead.

"Where's my coffee?" Regulus grumbles.

Sirius, annoyed, still rolls his eyes fondly at his brother. "You can have mine."

Regulus doesn't need to be told twice. He snatches the coffee cup that was across him, drinking it greedily.

"God slow down," Sirius mumbles, taking a seat.

Regulus ignores his brother and continues to gulp down the whole thing until there isn't a single drop left. He lets out a content sigh when he's finish, placing the cup back down and he can feel his bad mood already dissolving.

"You done?" Sirius asks dryly.

Regulus grins at his brother. "Yep," he stands up, "I have to go meet with Dora now."

"But you just got here!" protested Sirius, glaring up at his brother who already had his bag slung on his shoulder. Little shit

"Sorry," he isn't sorry, "Business calls." Regulus's puts his hat back on and leaves, sending his gratitude to Remus for the coffee who smiles-with teeth and everything- back at Regulus.

"How come you never smile at me Moony, but you have no problem smiling at mini me?" Sirius calls out to Remus.

"Because mini you doesn't annoy the shit out of me."

Sirius pouts. "You break my heart."

Remus cracks a small smile. "Someone needs to do it, eh?"

Sirius's eyes soften as he lets out a laugh. "Wouldn't have anyone but you to do it. My heart is yours to break, moons!"

The bells ring again as six people rush in, all of them with the exception of one, out of breath.

Peter Pettigrew, Marlene Mckninnon, Mary Macdonald, Lily Potter-Evans, James Potter, and Harry Potter on James's hip.

"Padfoot!" James screeches, almost falling on top of Sirius with his pace.

"James!" Lily scolds. "Be careful with Harry." Though Harry only giggles at his fathers excitement, clapping his hands.

"What's got you lot running around like hyenas?" Remus asked, walking up to the group.

James beams. "There is a letter-"

"From Hogwarts for Reggie!" Marlene says, cutting James off, too excited to be aware of her manners.

James turns to look at Marlene with an expression that would make someone think Marlene had murdered James's entire family. "What the hell Marls!" explodes James. "I was going to tell him! Have you ever learned about manners?"

"Oh great words coming from you James!” Marlene retorted, her cheeks flushing with anger. “You talk while chewing. God it's revolting honestly!"

The two are quick to start bickering like siblings, but they are quick to be cut off Sirius who had just gotten out of shock.

"Are you serious?" stutters Sirius, standing up immediately, ignoring the previous outburst from two of his best friends.

"Actually you're Sirius-"

"-James!" everyone exclaims, sending a glare at the boy.

James shrinks to himself as he looks at Harry for help who is in arms giggling at the situation. "Bad daddy!"

James's jaw dropped in offense. "It be your own children," he grumbled, letting out a hmph sound.

"Oh my god," Sirius says, bringing his hands up to his hair. "Give me the letter!"

Lily who was carrying the letter immediately hands him it, a toothy smile on her face as she does so.

Remus despite also having an excited expression on his face looks weirdly at the group. "Why are you guys just looking in Sirius's mail?"

They all throw up their hands in surrender and look at Mary who had a nonchalant expression on her face. "What? Sirius subscribes to good magazines."

Not even bothering to neatly taking out the letter, Sirius rips the top off, and quickly pulls out the paper, his eyes skimming the words greedily like a starved man.

The group looks at Sirius's expectantly, waiting for a response for what it seems to feel like forever.

"So what does it say," snaps Remus impatiently, earning eager nods from the rest of the group.

A large smile starts forming on Sirius's face as he the grown man starts jumping "REGGIE GOT IN!"

The rest of the group start cheering. Even Harry who has little idea what's going on is just happy that everyone else is happy, and bounces in dad's arm.

"Oh this is great and I didn't even have to sleep with the headmaster," Sirius beams, "Now Reg can finally go to Harvard like he's always wanted and get the education I couldn't, and get to do all the things I couldn't do and then resent him for it, and we can finally act like normal siblings."

The rest of the group soften at Sirius's words. They all knew about Sirius's past and how hard it was for him to run away and gain stability for both him and Reg, but look at the small family now. Sirius has a stable job and Regulus just got into a private school that guarantees a good future for him.

The sound of a constant bell ringing breaks the group out of the little bubble as they look over at a young man who is in front of the counter, ringing the service bell.

He smiles condescendingly. "Congratulations to this Reg of yours, but can someone please get me an iced latte?"

Remus flushes slightly. "Of course," he stutters, going round the counter.

Sirius is too happy to even feel remotely embarrassed as he stares down at the letter, zoning on the word Accepted.

Regulus furrows his eyebrows as he shuts the front door behind him. The rooms were all dark and the house was uncharacteristically quiet. Usually when he came home, the speaker would be blasting with Queen, ABBA, or The Rolling Stones, but now not even a footstep could be heart.

"Sirius?" Regulus calls out to the darkness, his confusion slowly turning to concern as he flickers on the light switch.

But before he could dwell on it any longer, a group of bodies suddenly jump up, the word Surprise! echoing through the walls.

Regulus flinches in shock as his jaw gapes at the sight.

He blinks.

He just stands there blinking, making the rest of the people look at each other unsurely.

"Uh Reg?" asks Mary, taking a step forward.

That seems to send Regulus back into reality as his blank expression turns into anger.

"What the actual hell guys!" he bellows, glaring at each and everyone of them except Harry.

Harry, unfazed by Regulus's outburst, runs up to him and hugs his legs.

"Uncle Reg!" Harry cheers. "You got into Hogwash!"

Regulus despite sending a soft smile at Harry furrows his eyebrows in confusion. "Hogwash?"

The adults snicker as they also go shower Regulus with affection, making the younger boy curl away in disgust. "Ugh! Why are you all being so weird."

James beams. "You got into-"

"-Hogwarts!" Peter cried, a large smile on his face.

James lets out a screech. "Again?! AGAIN?!"

Regulus, however, freezes. "What?"

"You did it baby brother!" Sirius cheers. "I'm so so so proud of you."

"I-- I--"

"Wow first time in Regulus Black's life he is speechless, someone take a photo."

"Shut up Marlene," Regulus turns to face Sirius, "And you didn't sleep with the headmaster?"

Sirius chuckled, bringing his brother in for a hug. "Nope! This was all you. But I knew you could do it."

Regulus, being so happy, doesn't even push his brother away. "Oh my god! I'm going to Hogwarts!" Regulus turns to face the other, "I'm going to Hogwarts!"

Lily smiles her smile; that smile that makes someone feel like they earned something. "We are so proud of you Reg." The redhead brings the younger boy into a hug and places a kiss on the top of his hair.

Lily and Regulus always had a close relationship when Regulus was growing up. Lily always had a motherly instinct and took care of Regulus as he was her own. She helped him with homework, bought him gifts, and brought him to the library when Sirius was too busy to go.

"Thanks Lils," Regulus whispers, hugging her back for a second before breaking out of the embrace. "I have to tell Dora." Regulus beams one last time before walking to his room, shutting the door behind him.

Sirius lets out a sigh once Regulus leaves. "I can't believe it. My baby brother is going to Hogwarts."

"Yay!" cheers Harry. "Hogwash!"

Oh Harry.