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Chapter Text

Looking up from his book when all of a sudden his father rose to his feet, James frowned.

“Dad?”

Absent-mindedly waving him off, his father moved to the window. “I thought I saw something.”

“Should we be worried?” His mother exchanged her book for her wand and rose to her feet as well so James did the same.

“No, the wards didn’t give any warning so I assume it is just an animal.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten up if it was just an animal,” James pointed out.

“Normally not, but it was a pretty large one and I’m curious to what it is,” gazing through the lace curtain, he didn’t react as his wife joined him.

"Is that a... dog?" His mother’s words made James’ heart skip a beat, rushing from the couch to see for himself and through the netted curtain, he was quickly able to spot a dark shape moving towards them in a strange, almost drunken pattern.

The waning moon appeared through a gap in the clouds, shining directly on the animal and James was out the door before his parents could protest.

“James! It could be wild!” But he ignored his mother’s warning and threw open the door, hesitating as the dog moved slowly, almost like he was dragging himself forward before stumbling.

“Padfoot!” Slipping on an icy patch of snow as he rushed out, he tumbled, only managing to slide underneath the dog to break his fall and the breath was knocked out of him as Padfoot collapsed on top of him.

“Siri?” Scrambling to get upright, he ran a hand over the dark, wet fur when the dog tried to get up on clearly damaged paws. “You need to change back, I can’t see if you are seriously injured or just exhausted when you’re like this.”

It was easy to see how unsteady the animal was as the trembling form stood on shaky paws and he briefly wondered in what kind of shape his brother was as the animal pushed himself into his arms as if desperate for contact.

“Would you be able to carry him?” Hearing his father approach, he half turned; seeing the man had cleared a path for them as he had come out.

Gazing at the dog, his father nodded. “I think so, he doesn’t look heavy and else I could always use magic.”

Feeing Padfoot tense underneath his fingers, James shook his head. “No magic. He doesn’t take kindly to being restricted on the best of days, I have no idea how he’ll react to that when unwell.”

Brushing his hands over Padfoot’s nose, he turned back to the dog. “Can you try to change? I don’t want to force you to do so when I don’t know the extent of your injuries.”

A truly pathetic sounding whine was his only answer and his fear of what lay hidden underneath the animal form increased; something his father seemed to agree with as he knelt down beside his son, freezing in place as Padfoot growled nervously and fell against James as he lost his battle to stay on his legs.

“It’s just Dad, he’s going to carry you inside so that we’ll be out of the cold and then Mum can take care of you, all right?” Trying to reassure his friend, James clenched his teeth to try and keep himself composed as Padfoot gave a terrified whine; pressing himself even closer to James as if to try and disappear into him. “You’re scaring me.”

That seemed to do the trick as Padfoot pushed his nose into his neck before suddenly shifting back into his best friend with a strangled cry.

“Shhhh, that’s it, I’ve got you,” wrapping his arms around his little brother’s shaking form, James pulled him close.

“Dorea! It’s Sirius and he’s hurt,” his father’s alarmed tone made James glance down, his heart stopping at the sight of the unconscious form in his arms.

Sirius’ face was a mess of blood and bruises and James was fairly certain there were more injuries hidden underneath the bloody torn clothing than he could even see.

But before he could react, his father had pulled Sirius’ body out of his arms and hurried back to the house and blinking, he immediately hurried after his father.

“Bring him to the kitchen so I have room to work,” his mother directed and his father wasted no time to carefully lower Sirius on the wooden table while she collected various potions and ran her wand over his body to determine the extent of his injuries.

James’ breathing wasn’t the one one to stock as more of the damage was revealed, though shock didn’t stop his mother as she hand fed him several potions with an ease he envied as he let his eyes travel over his friend’s body.

His left leg rested in a strange position and it took James a moment to realise the limb was broken in more than one place even as his mother healed the fractures without any trouble before carefully removing both Sirius’ ruined shirt and the dirty bandages he had clearly applied himself and James’ stomach turned as the fabric clung to several wounds, blood beginning to well up as she inched the fabric aside.

“Can you get warm water and clean cloths? He’s done a great job stemming the bleeding himself with both Healing magic and bandages and I’d prefer to avoid him losing blood he managed to prevent losing in the first place.”

“Do you need blood replenishing potions anyway?” Hurrying to retrieve what she’d requested, James handed the items over at the confirmation and watched as she worked to soak the material away from the wounds.

Bile rose as the torn sweater finally fell away to reveal numerous deep cuts and slashes littering his brother’s too thin body and his eyes fell onto a word carved into his chest, right over his heart. “Is that...”

“Dark magic, I won’t be able to prevent it from scarring,” his mother’s voice was curt as she applied Dittany to the angry letters.

“He’s got matching, slightly older looking ones on both of his upper arms,” his father revealed, applying Dittany to the harsh looking marks.

“They must be from his holiday as he didn’t have them before,” he wasn’t sure how he managed to sound so steady when all he wanted to do was scream in rage as he watched the carved words disappear under gauze.

Abomination, freak and disgrace.

He had no doubt that to the deranged Blacks, that was exactly what Sirius was and those sick people had made sure he’d always be reminded of what he was to them.

"Charlus, can you turn him onto his side, or would that interfere your work on his feet?"

His mother’s words pulled away his attention from what he wanted to do to the people who’d given birth to his best friend as he remembered the sight of bloodied paws and swallowing, he let his gaze travel to the mangled limbs.

The skin on his feet was torn away so badly that he could actually see the bone sticking out through the dirt clinging to the bloody mess and he tried not to gag as his father was pulling pieces of hardened dirt and broken bone out with a pair of tweezers.

“Why aren’t you healing them magically?” He asked as his father did what was requested, handing the man a new bowl of warm water so there was something he could do.

“The initial injury was made by dark magic,” running warm water over the limbs to wash away the last of the filth, clean red blood began to flow freely instead of the darkened clots.

“There is more than one injury there?” Swallowing thickly as his father applied Dittany to them, he handed over gauze and bandages so they could be bandaged up.

“There is the initial injury, which tore open the skin and sliced his bone open and there is damage that I suspect he’s done to himself while running.”

“You think he ran all the way here?” The hesitation in his father’s posture told him that was indeed what he thought had happened. “But then why aren’t his hands in the same state?”

“Because his hands weren’t damaged already and it looks like he mostly kept his weight on his legs,” a terrible pop told him his mother had just fixed a dislocated shoulder. “I’ve managed to heal the internal bleeding he didn’t take care of himself and healed the wounds not caused by dark magic.”

“His back?”

His mother hesitated. “There will be new scars...”

“Just a few more,” he spat out bitterly and looking down at the battered form of the boy he called brother, he nodded. “All right, patch him up and we’ll leave as soon as he’s regained some strength.”

“Leave?” Turning to his father, his resolve only strengthened.

“I’m not ever letting those monster lay a hand on him again. If leaving the magical world is what it takes to keep him safe, then that is what I’ll do.”

“Neither of you is going anywhere,” rubbing a hand over his face, his father took a deep breath while his mother bandaged the last of Sirius’ injuries. “Dorea, I need you to catalogue all of his injuries to the finest detail. Son, I need you to extract every memory you posses of his injuries from the moment you’ve met.”

“What are you going to do,” James blinked at the determined expression on the man’s face.

“I’m going to pay a visit to Arcturus Black.”

“Why? Do you really think he’ll help?”

“It’s a chance I need to take to ensure his safety, if I can take the official way, then I need to take it.”

“And what if he doesn’t help?”

“Then we will take different measures to ensure his safety, but I promise you right here and now, he will not return there.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep,” he bit out, shaking his father’s shoulder off. “That man is a Black, they don’t care.”

“Arcturus will listen to him, honey,” his mother spoke of softly and he bristled at the reassuring tones as he knew neither of them would be able to promise something like that.

“How can you possible know that? He’s never done anything, this has been going on for years!”

“Arcturus Black might be a lot of things, but he would never consent to the torture of his heir.”

“What do you mean with torture?” His father spoke before he could.

“They repeatedly used the Cruciatus Curse on him and from the looks of the lingering damage to his nerves, I doubt it was the first time,” she hesitated. “Charlus...I think I need to perform the test.”

Not quite sure what she meant, James watched his father to see all colour drain from his face. “They wouldn’t have….”

He watched in silence as his father returned to the table and reached out to carefully peel away Sirius’ torn waistband. “There are bruises on his hips...perform the test.”

Leaning in to peel away more of the ruined fabric, his father gasped as Sirius suddenly lashed out; hitting him straight in the face before promptly falling off the table in his attempt to get away.

“Siri!” Trying to move to his side before he hurt himself more, he was stopped by his mother.

“Let your father try first, he’s the one who scared him.”

“Dorea?” Kneeling down, his father carefully inched closer to Sirius as he’d backed himself into a corner.

“The test was negative,” his wife informed him.

“Hello Sirius, it’s Charlus. You are at James’ house right now, do you remember coming here?”

“Don’t touch me!” A spark of pure magic, unlike anything James had ever seen, lashed out as his father reached out and he pulled back quickly.

“All right, I won’t come near,” he promised softly. “But you are hurt and you are worrying us. Would you let Dorea come closer to have a look at you?”

The whimper that escaped as Sirius pushed himself further into the corner as his mother took a step forward broke James’ heart and more magic crackled dangerously in the air as it was clear his friend didn’t recognise them.

“Siri….” stepping around his parents, he knelt down right in front of his little brother, shrugging his father off as he tried to pull him into safety as he knew that even if the whole world was unrecognisable, Sirius would always recognise him.

“Hey Siri...” swallowing at the blankness in those eyes, exposing to him more than anything just how out of it his brother was, he sat back on his heels. “I know you’re afraid, but think I could come closer?”

At his voice, terrified grey eyes immediately snapped to him as the blankness disappeared and pure relief filled them. “James.”

Moments later he found himself connecting with his little brother as Sirius all but threw himself into his arms despite the pain it must have caused him, but he gave no sign of it as he pressed himself as close as he could.

“James….” he whispered, quiet sobs escaping him as he trembled and mindful of the bandages, James pulled his terrified little brother into his lap; aware how much his mere presence always comforted him.

“I’ve got you, I’m here.”

“I didn’t want to endanger you, but I didn’t know where else to go.”

“You should always come here,” he tried to reassure him, carefully rubbing his thumb over his mostly uninjured shoulder.

“They can’t hurt you...they can’t...I won’t….they threatened...and you….he...I...” his incoherent rambling trailed off into a coughing fit, blood trickling from his split lip and James softly wiped away the blood.

“Who is they?” James’ mother asked and Sirius flinched so badly he almost dislodged himself from James’ arms so he pulled him close again.

“Who did they threaten besides me?”

“Remus...they knew James,” he broke off into a new coughing fit while a sharp breath escaped James.

“How?” Taking the moment Sirius was fighting for breath to heal the damage to his lungs, he was relieved to hear his brother’s breathing ease.

“Regulus, I think,” Sirius’ expression tightened as his injuries no doubt made themselves known, but the ability to breath properly seemed to help him steady. “I think he found out and told them. I erased their memories but I don’t know if I succeeded. They threatened to harm Auntie Hope….and I...you have to warn them.”

“I will, we will ensure his dad can increase their security,” he promised softly, caressing the sweaty hair out of his face. “Is that how you got so hurt?”

“Partly, they didn’t like it when I tried to defend you,” a wobbly smile formed on Sirius’ lips before tears welled up and suddenly he was sobbing in his arms. “They were planning to kill me, wanted to since the beginning and then he….he….”

Trying to comfort his distressed friend, James carefully rocked him and although he didn’t know the full story, or what Sirius meant with the beginning, he did know Sirius was in too much pain and more terrified than he’d ever seen him to be clear in what had happened.

“You’re safe now, I won’t let anyone hurt you.”

“Ask him for the memory of what happened,” it seemed his father shared his mindset and he accepted the phial being rolled to him with a nod.

“How about you show me what happened?” He caressed Sirius’ cheek, brushing the tears away with his thumb as he looked into bright grey eyes for a long moment before Sirius opened his mind to him and knowing his parents wouldn’t agree, he dove right in.

From a far distance he heard his father's shocked exclamation, but ignored him as the last of Sirius' shields lifted, allowing him access to his memories.

Ignoring the random flow of meaningless memories that he knew made up the first layer of protection for Sirius’ mind, he followed his friend’s fear to where the most recent, not yet sorted memories resided and upon finding them, he braced himself and reached for them.

Chapter Text

Warnings: This chapter contains described violence and the start of an attempt at rape. You have been warned!

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It was eerily quiet in the house as Sirius sneeked in through the backyard window, too quiet, he realised almost immediately as he closed the window behind him and the thought of just turning around crossed his mind.

But he knew his grandfather would arrive soon and as much as he hated the Blacks, the arrival of the old man usually meant his Uncle Alphard visited, too, and he’d hate to miss that as he hardly ever saw him.

So, taking a deep breath to brace himself for the yelling sure to come, he slipped from the windowsill and excruciating pain shot through his feet as they touched the ground; the wand he’d been holding torn from his hand.

He couldn’t breath as he felt skin tearing open and a different electrifying pain shot through the rest of his body; but sadly enough that one wasn’t an unfamiliar feeling so he pushed through it, knowing things would only get worse if he didn’t get out now as the brutal greeting told him the expected visit from his grandfather was cancelled.

“So you finally decided to grace us with your filthy presence,” Walburga sneered as she appeared in the door opening, Orion close behind her.

“Where have you been?”

“Around,” gritting his teeth, Sirius knew it didn’t matter what he said and wasn’t surprised when he was lifted off his feet and slammed into the wall.

“You will address me as sir and I asked you where you’ve been,” Orion hissed, raised wand indicating he’d taken charge for now.

“None of your business, Sir,” he knew he’d pay for his wit and indeed a new curse shattered the bones in his right arm but the pain barely registered as he was more than used to them rendering that arm useless so he wouldn’t be able to use a hand to defend himself and it was the main reason he had decided to become ambidextrous; so he’d never be left defenceless.

Not that it helped right now as he couldn’t gather enough concentration to try and shield himself wandless as Walburga send a new Cruciatus Curse his way and the only reason it didn’t connect properly was because Orion’s new curse slammed his legs out from under him as the bone shattered.

Landing on his broken arm, he could feel his shoulder dislocate and dark dots clouded his vision as he tried to roll away from another dark curse and new white-hot pain, different from their usually preferred spells, yet not unfamiliar, slashed open his side.

He choked as blood filled his mouth and it barely even registered as Orion split the already scarred skin on his back.

"Where were you?!"

"Go to hell," Sirius bit out through clenched teeth, needing all of his concentration to subtly deflect as much of the dark magic as he could before it connected with his already abused body; knowing he wouldn’t be able to gather the concentration to call up his shield for protection.

“You will show us respect, you disgraceful brat!” Walburga shrieked and Sirius couldn’t suppress a snort despite the pain he was in.

“Respect has to be earned and you certainly haven’t.”

“You worthless piece of scum!”

“Don’t you mean son of a lunatic, because that would be more accurate,” he paid for his word as several ribs broke under the impact of another spell he couldn’t avoid and cried out in pain.

“You should be grateful we shelter you, feed you and take care of you. You should be worshipping the ground we walk on!”

“I’ll leave the pathetic grovelling for attention to your son; his head is already mostly shoved up your behinds anyway,” it took all of his willpower not to scream as two more torture curses connected and he cursed his own inability to shut up and not bait them more.

He rarely used to have that problem before he’d met James and momentarily cursed his friend’s bad influence before immediately blessing him in the same thought.

It always infuriated his brother that he chose his words carefully, a lifetime of living in fear having drilled that into him but he couldn’t deny how good it felt sometimes to talk back at his relatives, no matter how much he paid for it.

“Were you with that blood traitor? We will slaughter him and his family!”

The collar around his neck tingled as the protective spells he and Remus had woven into it deflected a spell aimed at his throat and James’ face flashed through his mind as he was reminded that he had a family and it were not the Blacks, never had been and never would be. The realisation let a calmness settle over him and he got to his feet as they threatened his friend, his family.

Standing was agony but he refused to cower so he forcefully pushed the pain away. “You won’t lay a finger on my family.”

“Family...that filthy blood traitor and the half-breed?!” Spit flew around as Walburga’s eyes bulged out in her anger. “Those Mudblood lovers with tainted blood of their own?”

She truly looked insane, Sirius thought detached before what she said clicked.

Half-breed.

It was difficult to force his expression to remain neutral as his heart stopped at the realisation they knew about Moony and his mind raced as he tried to figure out how they’d discovered their carefully kept secret.

"Their blood is cleaner than yours will ever be."

Feeling the Cruciatus Curse coming, he bounced it back at Orion; the man collapsing with a scream but before he could move, his mouth filled with blood as familiar magic slammed into him, pinning him to the ground as he tripped again.

“Well done, Kreacher.”

Anger and fear threatened to cloud his mind at the sight of the stupid House-elf coming to his master’s aid and he missed the creature’s response as he fought to regain control of his emotions.

“We’ll teach the little blood traitor what happens to those who mingle with half-breeds and Mud-bloods.”

“They actually avoid insanity due to inbreeding?”

“Purity of blood is the only thing that matters and our blood has remained pure because we do not mingle with those lesser than us,” Orion spat out as he shakily got to his feet after being released from his own torture curse.

“I hate to tell you, but inbreeding doesn’t keep blood pure; if anything, it muds it even more than it already is,” he gritted his teeth as pain took over for a long moment. “And my friends are a hundred times more worthy than you could ever hope to be.”

“You believe a half-breed, a monster, is worth more than a Pure-Blood? The world will know what kind of abomination you are,” Walburga growled and Sirius struggled against the invisible bonds as she leaned over him, but the darn elf’s magic didn’t give in and he was powerless to stop her as she carved into his skin through the torn fabric of his sweater.

The burning sensation lingered even after she straightened and Orion moved forward again.

"Who gave you that?"

Aware the man was talking about the collar around his neck, Sirius kept silent and instead focussed on trying to get loose again when there was suddenly a pressure in his mind and every thought of breaking free vaporised as he slammed into the intruder mentally to throw him out; his Occlumency shields strong and steady as he forced Orion to stumble back.

During the Occlumency trainings with James, he’d often accidentally counter-attacked instead of just shielding and it was what he automatically did now, too.

It was surprising how easily he tore through Orion’s mental shields; barely even feeling them and his breathing stocked at what he came across, not sure why he was shocked to learn they had plans to kill him as soon as Regulus was old enough to protect himself and everything they’d ever done suddenly made sense.

Memories of discussing keeping him under their thumb until the right time washed over him, their disgust and hatred for his mere existence dating back even further than he could remember.

But he refused to let the new knowledge overwhelm him and pushed back, knowing his survival depended on him being able to keep his focus and the only reason Walburga’s latest spell didn’t succeed in taking his life was because Sirius managed to break through Kreacher’s magic just in time to only let it brush his side as he rolled out of the way.

Blood splattered everywhere as his side was slashed open and he slipped on the substance, giving Kreacher the time he needed to slam him into the ground again.

“How dare you!” Walburga’s eyes were wild but Sirius didn’t bother listening to her screaming as the world threatened to black out around him before the Cruciatus crashed into him again and this time he was unable to keep his screams at bay as the overwhelming pain refused to leave.

“No, I will teach him his place in this world before he’s allowed to die,” Orion stopped his wife’s continuous Cruciatus Curse and Sirius blinked rapidly to try and clear his vision, coughing weakly as he turned onto his side with the intention of getting to his feet again when the sound of a belt unclasping caught his attention.

He tried to make sense of what was happening while Kreacher’s magic bound him again, but it wasn’t until Orion reached out to unbutton Sirius’ jeans while reaching for his own zipper that his stomach clenched, suddenly realising exactly what the man planned and wild panic burst through him as he was fully immobilised.

Seeing the man reach out towards him again and knowing there was nothing his rational mind could do to protect him from this;, he allowed fear to take over and was forced to clench his eyes shut as a surge of power burst through him.

Blinking them open as the moment passed, he was surprised to find he could move again and pushing through the agony, he got onto his knees; pausing as his eyes fell onto the ruins of the study before him.

Both Blacks and Kreacher were half buried under the rubble as half the ceiling had come down on top of them and he could also spot the crumbled form of Regulus just visible in the moonlight through the collapsed door where he’d obviously been eavesdropping.

Moonlight...Moony.

Hesitating for only a split second at the knowledge this might be his only chance to get away, Sirius scrambled over the rubble to grab Regulus’ wand, pointing it to each of the four unconscious forms.

“Obliviate,” concentrating on what Regulus had discovered about Remus, he forced the wand to do his bidding and erase the knowledge from all of their minds and knowing they’d be able to track what spell he’d used; he took the wand with him as he disappeared through the window.

It only took a few steps for him to realise he wasn’t going to make it far while still bleeding profusely; but managed to make it several streets through sheer force of will before collapsing behind a parked car.

"Vulnera Sanentur," applying the healing charm to his heavily bleeding side he already knew he wouldn’t have the energy left to completely heal it and only focused on stopping the bleeding before healing as much of the internal bleeding he could detect.

"Ferula," strapping the shattered bones in his leg and arm with tight bandages so that he could move better as his fading magic failed to heal them, he took a deep breath as he knew he had to get as far away as he could, but already knew his feet wouldn’t be able to carry him any further.

Forcing the last of his magic to focus, he changed into Padfoot; nearly collapsing at the new levels of agony that action brought forth and he wasted several long minutes simply trying to breath before forcing himself onto his paws.

As suspected, although painful, the more evenly distribution of his weight gave him the strength to start moving as he knew he needed to put as much distance between Grimmauld Place and himself as he could before the Blacks regained consciousness.

Pushing all thoughts out of his mind, he allowed to settle onto the only thing that truly mattered to him in that moment.

Get to safety... James.

Chapter Text

Echoes of pain washing over James told him he'd connected with Sirius too deeply without keeping his own shields up properly to protect himself and he gasped.

Sirius curled into him and James choked on a sob as he held his brother close; doing nothing to stop the tears from streaming down as his best friend was the one covered in bandages and bruises but was still trying to comfort him.

Knowing Sirius knew him better than anyone; he didn't bother with words and just tightened his hold as much as he could while trying not to hurt his friend.

Together they rose out the last waves of phantom pain, his brother only pulling back when he could feel James' muscles relax again as he managed to compose himself and brushing away his tears, James filled the phial with his own memories so Sirius didn't have to go through them again.

Wordlessly he rolled them back into his father's direction before caressing Sirius' cheek again. "I am going to make sure no one can ever threaten you again."

He knew he wouldn't always be able to keep his dearest friend safe, so didn't bother trying to make empty promises.

But he also wasn't naive and had noticed the lingering gazes of fellow students whenever Sirius was around, even if his brother seemed unaware of how attractive he was and he'd worried what might happen one day in a situation where his best friend wouldn't be able to defend himself.

Today had shown him how real that danger was and although he knew he'd never be able to keep Sirius completely from harm, he knew just the ritual that would protect his most precious person from Orion' attempt to ever be tried by anyone else ever again.

He brushed the fringe out of warm grey eyes as Sirius looked up to him with unwavering trust and knowing he needed to get Sirius to allow his parents close, he pressed a kiss against his temple. "Would you let Mum come close to check you've not made your injuries worse? I'm staying right here with you."

"What do you say, shall we get you cleaned up so you can rest?" Taking his words as permission to speak up, his mother knelt down before them with tears in her eyes; telling him she'd seen the memory in the short time it had taken James to fully compose himself.

Sirius flinched at her voice, but didn't try to get away as James' warm presence did the trick to keep him calm and he blinked up at her. "Mrs Potter?"

"Hello sweetheart, now what did I tell you about calling me that?" She smiled warmly, but Sirius still tensed and curled further into James' hold.

"Aunt Dorea, sorry."

"It is quite all right, love. That is a very interesting necklace you have there."

"It's a collar," the soft correction made him flinch again and James' heart broke as his brother clearly expected to be punished for speaking up.

"Well, that is quite fitting with the beautiful dog I saw earlier, if I may say so. Is it a secret where you got it?"

His mother's quiet even tone clearly confused Sirius, his fingers curling and uncurling around James' nervously at the lack of yelling.

"It….it was a gift."

"What a lovely gift, but would you mind giving it to James for safekeeping? There are some small injuries on your neck that I would like to get a clear view of and I can see some small cuts on your throat, too," her smile seemed to do the trick of slowly relaxing Sirius as she didn't pressure him for answers or tried to come closer.

"I...please don't bother yourself about me; I'll be out of your hair as soon as I can."

"What is this crazy idea that seems to be running through both of your heads? You aren't going anywhere as there is bedroom with your name on it upstairs," his mother spoke before James could protest and his heart warmed as he realised his mother was ready to take Sirius in.

"What?"

"Yes, I have always wanted a second child and James already quite made clear he's adopted you," she leaned back a little as she mused, seemingly in thought. "I assume you will feel most comfortable staying with James for now, but once you're feeling more safe, your room is waiting for you."

My...why?"

"Your room. I reckon you wouldn't want to share a room with James all the time, growing boys need their space after all and I'm sure you will both want some privacy at times."

"I...you want me to stay?" James' heart broke at his brother's small voice, like the mere suggestion of being welcome was foreign and it reminded him painfully of how unsure the other had been of their friendship when they'd first met.

"Of course."

"Why? I'm...I'm a waste of space and horrible; rude, tactless and you'd really not want me here for more than a few days, I'm bad at being good and an ab….abo..."

"I find that very hard to believe, love," his mother cut him off kindly. "You are certainly mischievous if Professor McGonagall's letters about you two are to be believed, but I can handle a little mayhem and having grown up in the same stuffy House as you, I know you certainly could do with some mischievousness around you."

It was amazing to watch his mother's soft words relax Sirius' rigid form completely, allowing her to come close and examine his dressings as she spoke without making him retreat further into James' arm and he wasn't sure if it was his own continued presence that gave Sirius the courage to let her close, or it was his mother's own calm presence.

But either way, he sat quietly and took the potions she fed him without fear and as she leaned back eventually, she smiled again.

"So, how about that collar, huh?"

Reaching up, Sirius drew a Rune onto the black fabric and after a brief hesitation, placed it in her hands; making James smile as he knew it he'd never have handed it over if his mother hadn't won his trust.

"It's very beautiful," she brushed her thumb over the tag. "The Marauders and I assume Padfoot is your Animagus name?"

"Care to explain how exactly you became an Animagus at the age of fifteen?" Sirius immediately tensed back into James as his father appeared in the door opening and James cringed while his mother shot a glare at her husband.

"I became one to help a friend," Sirius swallowed.

"We," James corrected him, refusing to allow him to take all the blame even if he did appreciate the attempt to keep his safe from his father's ire.

"We?" His father's harsh tone had softened at the way Sirius had tensed back.

"Me, Sirius and Peter."

"You are an Animagus, too?"

"Yes."

"An illegal Animagus."

Feeling Sirius' magic gather around him protectively, he curled his own around him in return to try and reassure him he wasn't in danger. "Yes."

"Of all the...what in Merlin's name possessed you both..."

"We did it to help our friend," the way Sirius broke into a coughing fit made James' father back off further, composing himself as he could clearly see anger was only going to agitate the scared boy in James' arms even further.

"Help him how, which friend?" He asked after taking several calming breaths.

"It's not our story to tell," Sirius' voice was steady as if he was facing down James' father calmly, but James could feel his brother tremble in his arms and knew it was sheer protectiveness that was driving him now. Both of Remus and of him if the way his magic kept curling around him was any indication. "I can assure you we didn't do it for fun and we knew what we started when we decided to become Animagi."

"And you stand by that? Even if it would mean five years in Azkaban if caught?"

"We were all aware of what would happen if we'd be caught," James spoke up, shifting his right arm from Sirius' waist to his shoulder to try and keep his fried nerves from doing something he would regret when in a rational mind. "But the risk was worth it."

Eyeing them both warily, his father took a deep breath. "You became Animagi for Remus."

It wasn't a question, but James still couldn't help but jump in surprise, wondering how his father had found out and the surprise must've been readable in his eyes as his father sighed and ran a hand through his grey hair.

"You said you, Sirius and Peter became Animagi," his eyes fell onto the bandages covering Sirius' torso and James swallowed as he realised both of his parents had to have the scars Moony had caused while treating him. "Because Remus is a werewolf."

The reaction was near immediate as a shield formed around both of them, Sirius' mind blanking completely and both of his parents backed further off even as the shield faltered as his brother cried out in pain at the use of magic and James tightened his arms around him protectively.

"It's all right, he's not in danger, neither of us is. Dad's just concerned," he tried to reassure his brother even as his father took a shaky breath and knelt down just out of arm's reach, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Everyone's safe, I'm sorry," the last of his father's anger faded into concern as he looked at them both. "I'm not asking these questions to cause harm to your friends."

"He shouldn't be using any magic right now, stop agitating him," his mother berated her husband, slapping his arm as she pushed him further back.

"I'm sorry," his father took another deep breath. "I'm sorry I'm scaring you, but I need to know these answers so I can take precautions."

"I'm not...James?" Pained grey eyes looked up to him for guidance as it was clear Sirius couldn't concentrate enough to know what to do so hushing him softly, James looked up to meet his father's eyes.

"As Sirius said, it's not our story to tell and we won't break the trust placed in us," to his surprise, his father's filled with respect at his words even as he looked conflicted.

"So if he is a dog, what are you and Peter?" His mother spoke up softly as she knelt down again as well.

"Peter's a rat and I could show you what I am," glancing at Sirius, James carefully lowered him to the ground and moved to stand before him to shield him as he changed.

"James…."

"Prongs...his name...it's Prongs," Sirius softly corrected them, pressing himself against the wall as two pair of gazes turned to him and James changed back immediately to place a hand on his shoulder reassuringly.

"All right, you are both grounded for the rest of the holiday, if not longer. No flying and…." his father's gaze fell onto Sirius' bruised face and he gave a tired sigh. "Well, you're grounded to stay in bed and I hope to have a more thorough conversation about this once you're more settled and I've spoken to Remus and his parents so you won't be breaking his trust."

"You're not punishing us?"

"That is punishment. Grounding, withdraw of sweets and no flying is the only kind of punishment I will ever allow to happen in my care," his father answered Sirius softly. "What was done to you...I will never allow any of the sort to happen to my children. I may yell at you boys if you do something very naughty, but no one in this family will ever raise a finger or wand at you in any way to cause harm, I can promise you that."

"I…." the same confusion that had plagued Sirius when not being punished for correcting James' mother now seemed to take hold of him again as he seemed unable to comprehend the words properly. "You're not going to punish us for what we've become?"

"I am not happy to know the risks you both took to do what you did and I am not happy to know you're keeping a werewolf company during the full moon. But you are both far to loyal to even consider backing down and it would be a waste of my breath to even try," he sighed. "But there are going to be a few rules from now one to ensure I will know you are both safe. I just need to think on them for a little while so will get back to you on that. But for now you should just know that I'm going to meet with your grandfather to inform him of what happened."

"No."

Closing his eyes in resignation, James took a deep breath. "This is our chance to get you away from them for good, Siri."

But even as Sirius looked away, his father carefully reached out to brush a thumb over his arm. "Arcturus has begrudgingly agreed to take a vow of silence about any additional and personal information involving others that he might learn from out meeting."

He smiled softly as his light touch wasn't rejected. "I won't let your own memories endanger someone you love, especially not after you used such a well performed memory charm to ensure his safety and are clearly willing to forgo your own for his sake. I will meet up with the Lupins to discuss additional safety, just in case, though."

Grey eyes pierced his own momentarily. "Please….Remus can't find out what happened. His mum is taking him to a literature conference next week and he's been looking forward to it for months. I don't want to be the one who ruins that for him."

Rolling his eyes, James wasn't even surprised his brother would be more concerned about another's happiness than his own. Even when those monsters had been torturing him, he'd not given up any information that would endanger them and there was a surprisingly familiar sad smile on both of his parent's faces and he knew both of them realised just how loyal his little brother was to those he cared for.

"I promise that I will inform his parents of your request, but only if you stay in bed and focus on healing," his father softly squeezed Sirius' shoulder. "Which reminds me, I've also cut down the memory so that your own...furry little secret remains just that. And we really do need to have a conversation about that sometime as I am very curious to how you both managed the transformation without help as I know you couldn't have asked anyone."

"It was a bit of a trial and error," James confessed.

"And we'll want to hear all about it later, but right now your father has visits to make and Sirius should get some rest. I can imagine you would like to clean up and get some clean clothes on," his mother indicated to the torn pants he still wore and Sirius flushed self-consciously as he seemed to realise his state of undress for the first time.

"Let's get you upstairs," shifting so that he was kneeling, James carefully lifted Sirius into his arms; relieved his father didn't even attempt to interfere as he didn't think his brother was quite comfortable enough to allow that kind of touch.

"I can walk," his friend protested even as he leaned his head against James' shoulder automatically.

"No, absolutely not," his mother interrupted. "You are to stay off of those feet for at least a few days. The damage done to them was extensive and we wouldn't want to damage them even further. If you need to leave the bed for any reason, either James or Charlus will be helping you."

Rising to his feet with Sirius in his arms more easily than he should, James carefully began to walk. "You know, I might just have to help Remus follow through with his plan."

"Plan?" His mother asked as his parents followed him, keeping a close eye on Sirius' pained breathing.

"Remus threatened to stuff him with chocolate if he didn't become any heavier. And your excuse of not everyone being gigantic unmovable rocks doesn't apply because you're not that much smaller than me and I'm much heavier than you. And don't you dare tell Peter I said that because I am not fat, I'm just fit and muscular."

The faint smile that crossed the bruises face lifted James' heart and he wanted to say more, do anything to erase the pain out of those beloved eyes, but he knew that making Sirius laugh would only hurt him right now so he settled for that faint smile.

His brother's eyes closed with a hitched breath as he carried him up the stairs, unable not to jolt his beaten body completely and his father slipped past him to open his bedroom door; making James notice his clenched hands.

For a fleeting moment he wondered if he had somehow managed to anger him in some way, but then he realised the man's gaze was on the face Sirius had buried in James' shoulder to muffle any sound he might make and although the action didn't surprise him, the reason behind it angered him as well.

Silence had been something beaten into his brother from a young age and he knew that even now the drilled in order kept Sirius trying to be silent regardless of the amount of pain he was in.

Shaking his angry thoughts before the other could pick up on them, he bypassed the bed to enter the bathroom and carefully lowered his precious burden on the chair his father quickly transfigured out of a shampoo bottle.

"I've got him," he assured his father when he hesitated in offering help since Sirius was still so unsettled. "Why don't you and Mum get fresh sheets onto the bed while I help him get cleaned up?"

Meeting his mother's eyes, he smiled appreciative as she pulled his father out of the bathroom and closed the door behind them.

"Let's get you out of these rags and clean you up, hmm?" He made quick work of giving the visible parts of his brother's skin a wash, relieved when his dark-haired companion let him without argument and carefully washed the blood out of his hair before spelling him dry and dressing him into the softest pair of pyjama's he could find in his closet.

They were much too wide on Sirius' tiny frame, but the length was fairly fitting so he just leaned in to brush the fringe out of tired grey eyes, making Sirius belatedly look up to him.

"We'll get you clothes of your own after Christmas."

"You don't have..."

"I want to, you're my brother and although we could always share mine, I'm sure you'd like to have your own stuff even if you do like to wear mine and Remus' clothing."

"I don't want to be a bother, your parents are already..."

"Who said you'd get the chance to ask?" He teasingly cut him off, caressing his cheek before carrying him back into the bedroom, taking the wand he'd retrieved from the torn trousers with them. "Does it work properly for you? I didn't pay it any attention while watching the memory, but I did notice that your healing spells are normally much better than they were now."

"I could force it to do my bidding, but the spells weren't half as powerful as when I used my own," Sirius confessed, biting back a groan as his bandaged back touched the bed.

"I was honestly surprised that you were able to cast such powerful magic as you did when it was clear you hadn't won the wand's allegiance," his father complimented while his mother checked his bandages once more time before helping him turn onto his side to relief the pain a little.

"We'll get you a new wand before school starts again and don't even bother protesting; it's not up for debate. Neither are school supplies and anything else you might want," his mother lightly ruffled Sirius' damp hair. "And remember that as soon as you're feeling better, we're going to decorate your room."

"You're not going to let us share a room, are you?" James asked cheekily as he quickly brushed his teeth and changed before crawling into bed beside Sirius as he knew his brother needed his close presence right now.

"I have no doubt that you'll sneak off to cause mayhem together, but even brothers need their space and privacy sometimes," she smiled at Sirius' disbelieving expression and reached out slowly to caress his cheek. "I meant what I said, love. You are a part of our family and no child of ours will be neglected in any way, especially the basics, understood?"

"I can stay?"

"You better stay as you're ours," she brushed his fringe aside, letting her hand rest on his cheek for a long moment before holding up his collar. "Now, I will clean this for you so you can have it back in the morning, all right?"

"Can I see it?" Not having seen it before, James was curious to the story behind it and at Sirius' nod, his mother handed it over; surprising him by the magic he could feel running through it. "You visited Moony?"

"Eh...Remus. Both their magical signatures are on this, though I will be adding some protections of my own."

"Their...you can sense..."

"We've always been able to sense each other's magic," Sirius softly said. "And technically Padfoot visited."

Understanding that Sirius had gone to him for the full moon, James nodded. "Is that where you were until today?"

"No, I spend a few days with Garth after the visit and returned to Grimmauld Place today as I knew Grandfather was meant to come for a visit with Uncle Alphard on Christmas Day. I don't know why he changed his plans."

"Arcturus has a cold, I think that's why he cancelled his plans," James' father informed them. "Who is Garth?"

"A friend."

Nodding in acceptance, his father ran a hand through his hair. "It's amazing that you are able to sense each other's magic, it's not a skill many possess and certainly not on your age."

"We can, it's how I can detect both of their magical signatures on this."

"Remus gave it to me. We went to the park for a bit after…. we woke up and as Padfoot I got roped by what he later explained was a Muggle who catches stray dogs and brings them to a shelter where they're often put down. To prove I was his, he had to get me this."

"And you decided to keep wearing it?" His father asked surprised.

"I reminds me that I have a family, a place to belong," touching the tag softly to caress the word Marauders, James swallowed thickly and wrapped his hand around his brother's.

"You better know that as you are my little brother and it's time everyone knows that."

"Yes, I do believe it's about time we made the whole brother business official so the world will know where you belong. I suppose a blood ritual indeed wouldn't be out of place, don't you think, Dorea?"

"No, I think that would be perfect," his parents shared a smile and James beamed as he realised they were giving their blessing to his plan. "But that will have to wait until morning as you really need to rest now. Make sure you take the Dreamless Sleep potion once you're ready, all right?"

Leaning over them, she placed a kiss onto James' forehead before brushing her lips against Sirius' temple as well, smile growing as he flushed. "Get some rest and if you need us, don't hesitate to call for us, all right?"

"Y-yes, thank you, for everything."

"You're our boy, honey, it's our pleasure. Good night."

"Sleep well and you better call us if you need anything," his father gentle ruffled both of their hair before joining his wife by the door. "Night."

"Night," the spoke in unison and James waited until the door closed before turning on his side so that he could pull his brother into his arms again.

"Are you comfortable?"

"Close enough, are your parents serious about letting me stay here?"

"Of course, heck, you heard them, they're supporting my desire to blood adopt you. So you better get used to officially having an older brother," he grinned as a small hesitant smile broke out over Sirius' lips.

"You've always been my older brother so I'm more than used to it."

"Good, because you're stuck with me."

"What….what if they try to take me away from here?" The question was asked so softly that James barely caught it and seeing the uncertainty and vulnerability in the other's eyes, he took his hand.

"They'd have to go through me first. I solemnly swear that I will never let them take you away from me and I will never stop making a racket if someone even dares to try and make me break that promise."

Chuckling softly at the familiar vow, Sirius squeezed his hand gratefully.

"And after blood adopting you, I'd like to perform one more ritual just between the two of us."

"What kind of ritual?"

"A blood protection ritual to keep you safe," he didn't elaborate further as Sirius' expression tightened and his brother curled closer against him and carefully pulling him along, he rolled back onto his back to Summon the Dreamless Sleep potion from the night-stand.

"We should both get some rest, take this," he helped Sirius swallow the potion before letting him curl into his side, dropping a kiss into his brother's hair as the other rested his head against his shoulder.

"I'll keep you safe tonight," he whispered, as always the right words to get Sirius to relax against him and accept the potion's workings to pull him under.

And he meant every word as he loosely wrapped his arm around his brother's waist, careful to avoid any sore area's. He would do anything to protect the boy in his arms and knew that the ritual he had in mind would protect him from the things he couldn't.

A blood protection ritual would keep Sirius safe for as long as James' blood was pumping through someone's veins, something that by itself wouldn't mean much as he knew his parents weren't the youngest and all of them could perish in the war at any time, but combined with the blood adoption ritual, James knew it meant his own blood would always be running through the other's veins; keeping him safe even if James' blood would stop pumping before his time.

Resting his free hand lightly onto the arm resting over his stomach, he pressed a kiss into Sirius' hair and settled down, letting sleep claim him, too.

Content in the assurance that his father was making sure Sirius would remain with them at that very moment.

And he did.

When they woke up the next morning, not only had Arcturus Black been enraged by the knowledge of what Orion and Walburga Black had been doing to his heir and would take the necessary actions to punish them, he also consented to Sirius' permanent stay at the Potter house.

James had no idea what gave the man the idea he'd have any say in where Sirius would stay, but from the knowing look in his father's eyes, he suspected the man had informed Arcturus that James and Sirius would both fight tooth and nail to keep Sirius there and had realised it was the place his grandson was happiest.

And once both rituals were done, James laughed as both he and Sirius were pulled into an embrace by his, by their parents.

"Welcome home, little brother," he whispered into Sirius' ear as he held him close in that bigger embrace, knowing his friend was finally where he belonged.

Chapter Text

"What do you want, Potter? It's Christmas Eve and I sincerely doubt you've come for a social visit," Arcturus covered his mouth, coughing roughly as Charlus was shown into the living room by one of the House-elves.

"That's quite the rough cough you have there, Arcturus," Charlus commented, thanking the little elf for showing him the way.

“The flu does that to a man, but please come to the point so that I can return to bed. You usually send my niece if you request for my grandson to come over for a few days, so to what do I owe this pleasure that had you come over late at night and demand a vow of silence from me on what is discussed tonight?”

“It is your grandson I am here about, though not in the matter I would like,” taking a seat when indicating he should, Charlus took a deep breath. “Earlier this evening, my family and I were enjoying some peace and quiet when Sirius showed up at our house.”

“Unannounced?”

“But never unwelcome,” he was sure to say. “The boy is always welcome in our house and we love having him with us as he is like a son to us.”

“Then why are you here, Charlus?”

“I am here because of the matter in which he showed up,” taking a deep breath, he refused the drink offered. “Your grandson showed up on my doorstep in a bloody mess, quite literally I must say.”

“What?!” Straightening in alarm, Arcturus’ sharp grey eyes pierced him. “Did Riddle target him again?”

“No, I think you should see for yourself as there are no words I could say that would describe it properly. My son, James, managed to retrieve the memory of what happened from him and that is the reason I am here.”

“Very well, then show me this memory,” Summoning his Pensieve, Arcturus placed it on the table.

“It’s not one memory,” hesitating, Charlus ran a hand over his face. “It’s something that has been going on for a longer period, though neither me nor Dorea ever dared to suspect the truth or I would have come to you a long time ago. I asked James to add his own memories from the moment he met Sirius and you will get to see those as well.”

“Memories in which I might learn personal and private information about your son and both of them learned from others that they would not want others to know about,” Arcturus realised. “Very well, I have already given my vow that I will not use or talk about what I learn here tonight.”

“Only what is clearly not yours to discuss and involves the safety of not only your grandson, but also that of others,” Charlus clarified. “And I do hope you will do something with what else you learn from these memories as my son has made it quite known he will run away with Sirius should I fail them tonight.”

“I mist admit that I am apprehensive of what could possibly make your son say something like that; the lad is rather easygoing,” the grey eyes narrowed in worry as Charlus uncorked the phial James had given him and poured it into the Pensieve.

“Whatever it is you are imagining right now, it is much worse,” he warned him before he dove into the memories and Charlus took a deep breath while pulling an empty trash can closer, just in case.

He had been shocked when seeing the true extent of the abuse his son’s best friend had gone through and hated himself for having thought his boy was exaggerating about the injuries the child had received over time; now having seen first-hand the very tree that had first raised his son’s alarm three years before.

He had known Sirius wasn’t happy and most likely abused, but he had thought he was occasionally beaten and locked inside for his own safety as every Pure-Blood knew about the assassination attempts at the Black heir’s address and when James had first time him about the Blacks using magic to discipline their son, he hadn’t dared to take action as he couldn’t jeopardise his position, not with the ongoing war.

No matter how much he disliked any child suffering, he simply couldn’t risk the fragile balance should Arcturus agree with his grandson’s harsh upbringing and might even have approved of it as Sirius wasn’t exactly like most Blacks.

His own wife had shared stories of having been disciplined as a child whenever she behaved badly or out of norm, claiming it wasn’t unusual to be hit or denied supper in that family and he cursed himself for having simply taken his wife’s nonchalant attitude to it for accepting the workings of the House of Black, taking comfort in the knowledge he could provide the boy with a few weeks of safety each year.

He wanted to scream and throw things around for not having requested to see the evidence of his son’s words for himself, but as Sirius had been as agile and restless as his son he had dismissed it as no child in pain would ever move that freely.

Something he only now realised had been because the child was entirely used to pain and had learned how to hide it at a young age and every injury Sirius had received from that moment on, was due to his inaction and something he’d never forgive himself for.

Even before James had threatened to run away, he had already decided to go to Arcturus, knowing there was no way the man would have ever approved of torture and the scars he’d finally seen littering the too little body were exactly that, the result of torture and he couldn’t even imagine how terrified the child must have been to run all the way from London to their home on broken limbs; instead of finding help closer to home in his uncle or even his grandfather.

It had been a direct stab in the heart when Sirius had scrambled away from him, open fear written all over his face as he clearly expected to be hurt more, especially when he had come to them for help and he himself took pride in never having raised a hand to anyone in anger.

But he couldn’t blame the child from being frightened after what his own father had attempted to do to him and had thus not been surprised when Sirius showed clear signs of distrust, unable to distinguish friend from foe in pain and panic.

Yet he knew that was not entirely true, as when his son had brushed past them, Sirius had immediately responded to the sound of his voice; trusting James completely to keep him safe and he knew it had been his son the boy had come to for help, not them.

Charlus’ heart clenched as he remembered the way Sirius had almost tried to curl into his son in agitation, seeking protection yet immediately shielding him from harm at the sound of a raised voice and his son had responded in kind despite knowing his parents would never raise a finger at either of them and he had vowed to himself right there and then that he would never let Sirius leave his protection again; doing whatever was needed to keep the child safe and with them.

Seeing him hide his pain in James’ shoulder to prevent himself from making a sound had white-hot fury rush through him, the likes he’d only experienced once before when Riddle had targeted Hogsmeade and the boys had gotten hurt while trying to defend others.

It had been then that he had realised just how much he’d grown to care about the boy in the short time he had known him and how deeply the child had managed to worm his way into his heart with his bright laughter and gentle presence.

He and Dorea had always wanted a second child, though it had not been meant to be and more than once they had wondered if perhaps that had been because the fates had seen Sirius come into their lives.

He had become one of their own, part of their family and they had send him presents when the occasions asked for it and even the occasional letter, which always got answered kindly and warmly, but with a hint of surprise at first before it became normal.

It had worried Charlus for a while that James would feel jealous or passed as his boy never had to share his parents, but that worry had been unnecessary as his son had been ecstatic to see Sirius welcomed into the family as his sibling and he couldn’t deny his heart hadn’t surged in joy when James brought up adopting the boy.

It was something that both he and Dorea had wanted, but known it wasn’t possible, until now and neither of them had even hesitated to give their blessing as they looked forward to truly calling Sirius their own in a way that would make it both official and legal.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when Arcturus resurfaced from the Pensieve gasping.

"How dare they..." the man growled, waving the offered trash can away. "Dinky!"

"Master called?" the same House-elf who had let Charlus in, appeared.

"Prepare the study and send word to Orion and his wife that I demand to speak to them at eight tomorrow morning."

"Yes Master," Dinky disappeared with a small bow and Arcturus turned to Charlus, visibly taking effort to regain his posture so he poured him a firewhisky, which got drained in seconds.

"Why did you not bring your suspicions to my attention before now as it is clear your son has known about this...this..."

"Abuse?" Charlus offered when the man before him couldn't seem to find the words.

"I suppose that's one way to put it,” Arcturus bristled. “Why have you not come to me before?"

If Charlus had dared to, he would have said the man sounded hurt. "Dorea told me about how she was treated when disobedient so I initially believed my son to be exaggerating. And when I learned Sirius was disciplined with magic, I admit I couldn't risk jeopardising the fragile balance between the houses should you have consented it."

"Until you realised the true extent of what my son and his wife have done to the boy and immediately came to me," Arcturus rubbed a hand over his face. "How is he now?"

"He's a tough kid and he initially refused to let me come to you, afraid of what you might learn."

"He's the one who requested the vow of silence, wasn't he?" Arcturus shook his head. "What was Dumbledore thinking when he allowed entrance to a creature like that?"

"I hope he just saw an innocent child who's had something terrible happen to him, like my son and your grandson did when they learned about the wolf," Charlus was certain about that, even if he'd not truly spoken to them about it yet as he knew both Sirius and James had the openness of mind to see beyond first impressions and see someone for who they were, not for how they were viewed.

"That...boy...helped take care of my grandson when he was unwell, treated his wounds repeatedly over the years. Why has he not come forward to me about it? He is clearly not a Pure-Blood and not in risk of losing position in this ongoing war."

"Are you seriously wondering why the lad didn't come to you? Despite knowing what he is?" Charlus asked incredulous.

"No, but I didn't know and wouldn't have guessed it from the looks of him. But I can understand why he would be frightful to come forward when it is clear he is not registered or the Ministry would have raised hell upon his admittance to Hogwarts," Arcturus sighed.

"I am not happy to learn there is a werewolf in close proximity to my grandson, but it is clear to me that the boy trusts and cares for the...him deeply. Perhaps...Sirius would not have defended the boy the way he did if he was as evil as we believe werewolves to be," Arcturus rubbed a hand over his face, suddenly looking even more ragged than he already did.

"Are you saying that perhaps the great Arcturus Black might be mistaken about the nature of werewolves when not transformed?" Charlus asked incredulous.

"Perhaps my grandson is a better judge of character than I am, if he has accepted the...boy, despite his upbringing and regardless of what he's been put through," Arcturus admitted slowly. "I cannot deny the love and devotion revealed between those boys in these memories. A monster would not be capable of feeling or showing that the way the boy does while caring for my hurt grandchild."

"But that is not why you are here and you have not truly answered my question. I assume my grandson will be all right, or you would not have left his side?"

“He is healing,” Charlus hesitated, unsure of just how much to reveal, but as he looked at Arcturus, he could see that the man was clearly shaken by what had been revealed; even if he tried to hide it under the usual arrogant Black cloak.

“He is hurt and scared; I cannot even begin to imagine how traumatized he truly is and he shied away from both Dorea and me upon first waking disorientated and afraid. It was James who he responded to immediately and allowed close and he in turn managed to allow us access to him.”

"He trusts your son unquestionably," Arcturus commented.

"Yes, a trust that goes both ways," Charlus confirmed. "I intent to keep Sirius with us until he's of age and ready and willing to move into a house of his own."

"You want my grandson to come live with you?" Arcturus looked surprised.

"I do and before you object, I must warn you that my son is expecting and willing to leave the Wizarding World to keep Sirius safe and away from the Blacks."

"So you have mentioned and if James leaves, Sirius will follow and we will never see either of them again if they can help it."

It wasn't a question, but Charlus still found himself nodding. "I believe that is a very likely event to happen. The bond between those two is remarkable and we’ve seen what they’re willing to do to keep each other safe, evident by their actions during the Hogsmeade attack and Diagon Alley Attack.”

“I remember,” Arcturus grimaced. “So you are basically telling me I have no other choice than to allow Sirius to stay with you until he is of age.”

“No and you should know that my son intents to adopt him into the family when morning comes,” he revealed.

"What?"

“And that my wife and I intent to support and aid into making it official,” he kept his gaze steady as Arcturus’ eyes widened as he realised exactly what he was saying.

“Why would you…”

“Because Sirius is ours, has been for years and it is about time to send a message to the world of where he belongs.”

“He is my heir,” Arcturus’ eyes narrowed. “The Heir to the House of Black.”

“That may be, but even you must admit that he has never been a Black at heart.”

“No, I indeed knew long before he was ever sorted into Gryffindor that he was different and he has never shown the slightest bit of interest in the dark arts of blood supremacy,” Arcturus sighed. “I thought that his parents would show him why we are better than Muggles and Half-Bloods, but perhaps their despicable actions have cemented his different views into him even more deeply.”

"What will you do about it?"

"They will pay for what they've done to my grandson, to my heir. Both for what they have done and for what they intended to do, I can assure you they will not go unpunished for their actions," Arcturus spat.

“And Sirius?” He was relieved to see Arcturus seething in anger, knowing Walburga and Orion would indeed pay for what they’d done to the boy.

“As much as I loath to say it, perhaps he is indeed better off with you as he will never be like the rest of the Blacks,” Arcturus’ eyes closed momentarily. “Perhaps it is time that things change in the future if a half-breed is a better and more honourable man than members of a Noble and Most Ancient House are.”

“Arcturus? What….”

“Sirius Orion Black is and forever will be my chosen Heir to the House of Black, regardless of what happens in the future. If that future involves him sharing the blood of a Potter, then I cannot think of a better way to unite the light and dark and it will have my blessing, so mote it be.”

“So be it,” swallowing thickly as the older man declared Sirius his heir with his as witness and accepted Charlus’ own desire to take the child on as his second heir. “Thank you.”

“It is I who should be grateful to you for aiding my grandson when he felt he had nowhere else to turn to and for accepting him into your home the way you are.”

“It is my pleasure as we’ve truly loved him as a son for years now and are beyond ecstatic to truly be able to call him our own,”Charlus smiled. “And if anyone, it is James who should receive our gratitude as it was him Sirius came to in time of need and who has been looking out for him for years. He and Remus are the ones who have taken care of him all this time, not us.”

"So it seems, please pass on my gratitude towards them as well,” Arcturus gave him a calculating look. “Any chance that our houses might be combined in a different way anytime in the future?”

Choking back a laugh, Charlus shook his head. “For all that they are close and seem to share one body, it truly does seem that their love is purely platonic and deeply brotherly. And I know that my son is quite taken with a girl in their year.”

“And Sirius?”

“I know he is close with a few girls, but as far as I know, there is nothing but friendship going on there and if I didn’t know better, I would say he is not interested in dating altogether.”

“Not surprising with the truth we have learned today,” Arcturus huffed. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention and rest assured, I will take action based upon what I have learned today."

"What if Orion and Walburga say he was disobedient and claim he either deserved or faked his injuries?" Charlus couldn't help but ask as he knew the Blacks were very cunning.

"Then I shall search their memories for the truth as these do not lie and I loathe being lied to or taken for a fool. I have seen the injuries on his body, Charlus, and know what they mean, even the ones you are not mentioning."

"He's not..." Charlus cursed himself for not having thought of hiding those as he realised Arcturus indeed would have realised what the bite marks meant and where he'd have received them.

“I am not an idiot and have a theory on how he received them since I know he is not a werewolf himself. I don’t like the implications but I took a vow not to reveal any private information I might learn, regardless of my own opinion on it.”

“I swore to keep the secret, though I only just found out about it myself this evening,” accepting Arcturus’ words, Charlus took a relieved breath.

"And you have my word that I shall keep the secret as well, even from my grandson and his friends. I have no desire to reveal what could be a possible asset in this war, one in which I know both of our boys will fight in. And it wouldn’t do to endanger either of them to the consequences of what they've accomplished."

"It is an amazing feat they managed," Charlus allowed himself to admit despite his own initial anger on the revelation.

"It is, they've both always shown remarkable talent for magic and this is just one more sign of their intelligence and brilliance. I think it is a given that we can be proud of them both for doing what they believe is right, even if we ourselves might not agree with their choices."

"I've already grounded them and plan to set up a strict couple of rules to try and keep them as safe as possible," Charlus sighed. "Sirius showed a remarkable amount of loyalty towards his friends for his age, regardless of the cost to his own health."

"Yes, even when Orion and Walburga tortured him, he refused to give up any information that might have endangered those he cares about," Arcturus agreed. "I think we can say with certainty that he, and your son both, will continue with their actions regardless of our desires."

"I think that is a given," Charlus agreed as he rose to his feet when Arcturus did so.

"Once more thank you for bringing this to my attention and please take care of my grandchild. I may not always show it, but I do care for him."

"I know and rest assured that I will."

“Any my continued heir, I will keep giving him the allowance befit of his status, but I assume I will not be allowed to support him financially while he’s in your care?”

“You’ve assumed correctly. He is our son and I refuse to receive a Sickle for the keeping and care of my children, though I suppose I won’t be able to stop you should you decide to drop a few extra coins into his personal vault for the future,” straightening his robes, Charlus smiled. “But I must take my leave now; I have one more visit to pay this evening before I can return home.”

"Very well, good luck."

"I will keep you posted about Sirius' health," Charlus correctly read the other's concern and was pleased to see it present in the normally cold and detached man.

"Thank you."

He shook hands with him before making his way out of the door and walking to the required spot to be able to Apparate to Durham, where the Lupin family lived so that he could inform them before quickly returning home and lock his boys in to his arms, where they belonged.

Chapter Text

Arcturus looked up from his pondering as one of his House-elves entered the study.

"Was I not clear when I said I did not want to be disturbed again today?" He snapped as the elf bowed low before him.

"Master's son and his wife have arrived, Sir," the pathetic creature bowed even lower. "And an urgent letter has arrived that Dinky thinks Master would want to see immediately, Sir."

As the elf placed a sealed letter onto the table before him, his vision blurred to replace it with a different, smaller elf; one helping the Potter boy to take care of his grandson repeatedly over the years.

The elf had been treated with immense respect in the young Potter's memories and in turn the low creature had gone out of her way to take care of Sirius.

It was difficult to compare the kind and happy creature from the memory to the shivering mess before him; but for the first time Arcturus found himself wondering if perhaps he was the one treating his elves wrongly.

"Let them wait for a while," he decided as he picked up the letter and found himself recognising the scrawny handwriting from the memories he'd just seen and wondered just why James Potter would be writing him now of all times.

Staring at the letter for a long moment, he found his eyes shifting back to the waiting house-elf before him and he couldn't help but wonder as he suddenly began to place things he'd never been able to before.

"Tell me something. Should a complete stranger need your help, would you help them?"

"If Master's orders did nots go against it, Dinky would, Sir."

"Why?"

"Master?" Large frightful eyes shooting up tried Arcturus' patience, but he forced himself to remain calm and not let his usual behaviour take over as Dinky immediately looked down again, shifting nervously.

"Answer the question."

"Dinky does not know why not, unless Master would forbid it."

"Did you ever help my grandson Sirius?"

"Y-yes, Sir," white hot anger shot through Arcturus at the admission.

"Why did you not come to me the moment you learned he was being abused?" he snapped.

"Master Phineas Nigellus' orders were for House-elves to never interfere or speak of the upbringing of children unless specifically stated otherwise," Dinky's ears dropped even lower than they already had and pure horror flashed through Arcturus as he realised he had told all the elves to keep to his grandfather's rules when he had become Lord Black himself.

House-elves were bound by their orders and he himself had made it so that they couldn't tell him of what was happening with Sirius as it went directly against their orders.

"How did you help him if you were ordered not to intervene?" Arcturus wondered out loud.

"Dinky and Tuffy treated his wounds to not get infected, fed him a little extra so he would nots get sick and sometimes, if Master's orders allowed for it, Tuffy and Dinky kept him company during the longs darks nights."

"A loophole," Arcturus realised and instead of being angry the House-elves had found a way to disobey his orders, he couldn't help but be grateful for it as it meant at least someone had tried to look out for his grandson and kept him alive. "You looked after him just enough that it wouldn't interfere with his upbringing but would still keep him remotely healthy."

"Dinky is sorry, Master. I shall punish myself immediately," the pathetic little elf rose to her feet.

"No," almost without truly thinking about it, Arcturus ordered her to stop and he momentarily pondered his own thoughtless reaction before shaking it off. "You are not to punish yourself for doing what you could to help him."

He cleared his throat. "If any of the Black elves suspect mistreatment in any of the descendants, they are to take immediately action and inform the Head of House no matter the hour."

"Y-yes Master," Dinky bowed low again, clearly surprised by his behaviour but not brave enough to question it.

"Tell me, Dinky. You said you and Tuffy helped him, but I do not recall one named Tuffy in my service?"

"Tuffy died many years ago, Sir."

"It couldn't have been that many years if he helped take care of Sirius," vaguely remembering a young house-elf that had been accidentally killed due to a mistake came to mind. "Is that the elf that was mistaken for an assassin and Orion killed accidentally?"

"Y-yes, Sir."

The hesitant tone in the elf's voice rose Arcturus' suspicion and he only hesitated for a moment before pointing it out. "You seem to be of another mind as to what happened to the elf, tell me."

Clearly recognising the underlying order for what it was, Dinky straightened. "Tuffy was keeping young Master Sirius company after he'd been disciplined by Master Orion and Mistress Walburga for crying when they entered his bedroom unexpectedly and found him there. They punished Tuffy for being there when they had not ordered him to and he died during the punishment."

"What did they do to him that could kill a young house-elf like that?" Arcturus frowned as while it wasn't unusual to punish a house-elf after disobeying orders, the creatures were remarkably resilient.

"Dinky does not know, Master Sirius never spoke of it and ordered Dinky to stay away after Tuffy died but forbade Dinky from punishing herself whenever she disobeyed that order."

"Sirius forbade you from helping him, yet you disobeyed anyway?" A pang of sadness settled in Arcturus already weary heart at learning his grandson had clearly been present for the house-elf's murder and although he didn't really care about the elf in question, he had come to realise the boy's soft heart would have taken it harshly.

"Yes, Sir. Master Sirius needed help but after that incident and the next, began to truly hide the lingering marks of his...discipline."

"You mean the marks of his abuse and torture," Arcturus snapped before he could stop himself, aware the elf wasn't the one at fault here. "What's this next incident you mentioned?"

"Master Sirius ran away mere hours after Tuffy died but Master Orion found him quickly again in the company of a werewolf."

As the little house-elf told him about how they'd locked his grandson into a small cage to witness the werewolf transform and slaughter a bunch of Muggles, Arcturus' anger spiked enough that the glass in his hand broke and the small elf jumped in fright before rushing forward to clean it up.

Letting her do so without comment, Arcturus took the moment to compose himself again. "I want to see each and every memory you have of taking care of Sirius and you are to leave nothing out, you hear me?"

"Yes, Master," Dinky bowed her head as Arcturus removed the memories from her and placed them in the Pensieve, but didn't dive in straight away as he found himself dreading what he'd face.

"How long did you take care of him?"

"Until the day he went to Hogwarts, Master. After that Tiffy took over as Dinky was needed here more."

"Tiffy..." linking the name to the small house-elf in James Potter's memories, he nodded. "Where is this House-elf now?"

"Dinky does not know, Sir. But Dinky could find out?"

"No...why do you think she is helping him?" Swirling his wand over the memories in the Pensieve, Arcturus voiced one of his concerns to the small house-elf. He could understand why his own elves would feel obligated to look after his grandson as he was the Heir to the House, but he couldn't figure out what the unrelated elf hoped to gain from aiding him.

"Sir?"

"What does she hope to gain by taking care of him? Does she hope to become a Black elf?"

"No, Sir. Tiffy cares for Master Sirius because he is kind, gentle and generous. Tiffy is nots the only House-elf to care about Master, though Dinky knows she is the one little Master trusts the most."

"I see," he found it hard to imagine anyone could help another just because they cared, but the young Potter's memories had showed him it was indeed possible.

He glanced at the letter he was still holding and placed it back on the table. "Hand that back over to me once I've resurfaced from these memories."

It only took fifteen minutes for Arcturus to resurface and he blindly accepted the trash-can Dinky was holding up, pride not keeping him from throwing up this time as he'd viewed the elf's memories of treating wounds on a body much too small to ever be covered in such marks.

He didn't acknowledge the elf cleaning up the mess he'd made but instead rinsed his mouth with the glass of water that had been placed before him.

Placing it back down, he looked down at the letter placed in his hand and after taking a large gulp of his Fire Whiskey, he opened it:

"Lord Black,

I apologise for not having brought this to your attention a long time ago, but to be frank, I believed you to be just as bad as the rest of the Black lot and perhaps even supporting the treatment.

I know now that this is not the case and father informed us of your decision and I wish to thank you for accepting our wish to make Sirius an official member of our family and letting him live with us.

I also know that you told my father that you would take action after what you've learned and forgive me if I speak out of turn, but I am not quite convinced that you can.

I have witnessed what they've done to Sirius for the last five years; stood by helplessly for the most part until now and I refuse to do so any longer.

I am quite sure you will have been informed of the numerous pranks we have pulled over the years and some of the things we've developed in that time.

Not all of the things we've developed have been meant for the public, some of which I am fairly sure you are aware of now, and one of those things I believe will be of use now.

After the Death Eater attack on Hogsmeade, Sirius and I developed a spell, a curse really. It's a bit of a long story that I will not bother you with right now but to be short we developed it with the general idea that if someone is thrown into Azkaban, they will be put under this curse as Dementors do not seem to frighten Death Eaters at all and this might.

The simple description of what the spell does is that it lets the one it is cast on relive what they've done to their victims in detail, as if their actions are done to themselves...over and over again each time they fall asleep and it lasts until the day they feel genuine remorse for what they've done.

I do not know what you have in mind as a punishment for them, or if you are even interested in using it in the first place, but I've placed the curse upon the envelope. Don't worry, it will only activate upon being touched by the magical signatures of one Walburga and Orion Black, I made sure of that and one of your House-elves will be able to verify it.

Make them pay for what they did to my brother,

Sincerely,

James Potter.

Ps: Sirius doesn't know I've done this and I would appreciate if you didn't tell him as I know he's too kind-hearted to ever even think of actually using this to make those who hurt him pay."

Eying the envelope a little unsettled, he placed it down on the table, though he was aware Dinky wouldn't have been able to hand it to him if it had been harmful to him.

"That is quite a spell to develop," he muttered and wondered if Charlus knew his son was capable of feeling such hatred and cruelty, though he couldn't fault the boy for he was sorely tempted to use it. "Send them in."

Folding the letter, he placed it in one of his drawers, but left the envelope on the table for now as he wasn't quite sure what to do with it yet.

"Father," Orion entered first, bowing lightly to him as he strode into the room and Arcturus was surprised to see several bruises littering the man's face and his wife wasn't faring much better.

"What happened to you?" He asked as he retook his seat by the fire to fight off the chill moving from the chair had given him and Orion and Walburga took a seat across of him.

"A prank played by Sirius, he will be punished for it soon enough," Orion dismissed his injuries.

"What kind of prank?"

"He apparently thought it would be fun to try and blow up the study," Walburga sneered and Arcturus had to force himself to keep his expression neutral at how they twisted events to make it seem like his grandson was the one in the wrong and wondered how often he had fallen for it, simply accepting what they told him to be true.

If Charlus hadn't come to him, he probably would have swallowed their words without question and maybe even seen fit to set a punishment on the boy himself for his lack of respect to the old ancestral house of the Blacks.

Too often he had simply acted without seeing both sides of the story as he had never once asked Sirius why his parents were angry with him again and the boy wouldn't have offered anything, probably believing him to be just as bad as his parents were.

It was with pain in his heart that he had to admit that he had never noticed anything off about the boy. Sure, he was quiet and withdrawn and he had worried if he would be cut out of the right wood to be Lord one day.

The boy had been fully submerged in reading all kinds of books, rarely vocal or displaying interest in anything else and Arcturus had had difficulties linking his quiet grandson with the boy Horace Slughorn animatedly described on his visits or even seen for himself in James Potter's memories.

He wondered what kind of boy his grandson might have been around him, if he himself had shown more interest or noticed what was wrong and loathed himself for not having a clue as to what the boy had been going through.

As his son and Walburga spoke of the damage the boy had done, it came to him that neither of them believed him to be aware of the truth and he wondered where they thought the boy had gone.

"It is funny," he waited a moment so that he would have their full attention. "That your story of Sirius playing a prank, does not match at all with the story I have been told."

"The brat came here?" Orion growled as he made to rise to his feet but a quick sweep from Arcturus' wand kept them both in their seat.

"No, Charlus Potter did and he had quite the tale to tell. Tell me, son, how it can be that my grandson, the Heir to the House of Black, showed up at their doorstep in a bloody mess?"

Walburga and Orion shared a startled look before Orion's dark eyes narrowed. "What lies has the boy told them now?"

"The boy has told them nothing," Arcturus said. "His body, however, did. Tell me, if I were to take your magical signatures, would I be able to trace them back to the marks imprinted on his skin?"

Orion flinched as Arcturus' voice took on a hint of anger, but Walburga waved him off.

"I don't know what the boy has done to himself, but I can assure you we had nothing to do with it."

"No? Then why does the memory Charlus took from him say differently?" He tapped the Pensieve to raise images of that night up, showing Orion and Walburga as they tortured the boy.

"There is nothing wrong with a hard hand in a disobedient child's upbringing, Father. Grandfather did the same to us when the situation called for it, as did you," Orion downplayed the scene.

"My father made you stand in the corner with a Full Body Bind curse placed upon you, denied you supper or hit you with a stinging curse if you were completely out of line," Arcturus growled. "Never once has either he or I raised a wand at any of the children to cause lasting harm."

Walburga made a disgusted sound but quickly snapped her jaws together when Arcturus glared at her. "Discipline leaves a mark for a few hours, perhaps some days, but never scars. The boy's back is covered in whip marks clearly made by Dark Magic."

"The boy is exaggerating," Orion sneered. "Those marks look worse than they truly are."

"Do they? Because James Potter's memories say otherwise. I've seen what they looked like when they were fresh at the beginning of his third year."

"Potter's memory?" His son's voice suddenly didn't sound so confident any more. "What would that blood traitor know?"

"It surprises you that Sirius' friends learned of what you were doing to him? They've known for years and have been trying to take care of him. Their only mistake is that they've never come to me."

"Come to you? For what?" Orion seemed genuinely confused. "Since when does the Head of House interfere with the upbringing of his descendants?"

"When they are being abused by their caretakers, they do," Arcturus snapped. "Did you truly, for even one moment believe I would ever accept this...this mutilation of my Heir...of any child descending from my line?!"

"We have only been trying to get him in line and behaving like a proper Black should," Walburga protested.

"There is a difference between putting someone in their place and torturing them, yes, torturing them. Because that is what you have been doing to your son, to my grandson. Purely and deliberately torturing him!" Arcturus was well aware that he was losing his temper fast, but his blood was boiling at how the two were dismissing everything they'd done to an innocent child.

"The boy is wrong, has been since birth," Walburga swallowed. "I knew something was wrong with him the moment I saw him and I've tried to raise him properly, but he is just touched in the head."

"Is he now, because from my point of view, he is not the one touched in the head," Arcturus barked. "But I can see now that no matter what I say, you do not seem to think you were in the wrong."

"Father?" Orion swallowed thickly as Arcturus rose to his feet. "If our methods displease you as such, we will of course change them."

"It is too late for that as you will no longer be in charge of him. The boy will be staying with the Potters until he is of age and then find a place of his own, never to return to Grimmauld Place."

"Very well, Sir," Walburga nodded. "It might be for the best. You shall see that Regulus is a fine boy with his head set on straight and has his priorities right. He will make for a much better Heir than that disgrace would ever be."

"You are misunderstanding me. I said Sirius will be living with the Potters, I have not made one mentioning of him no longer being my Heir," Arcturus took pleasure in the shock that crossed over both of their expressions.

"You can't mean that...Father, the Potters are blood traitors of the worst kind! They will fill that boy's head with even more preposterous ideas than it already is! The House of Black would fall if he were to ever become Lord after my death."

"Oh no, you need not to worry about that," Arcturus picked up his glass and took a sip from it as he looked down at his son and the man's wife. "It is highly likely he will lead the House of Black to its downfall after my death, but that is not something you will need to be concerned about as you will no longer have any control."

"What?"

"You, Orion Black, are disowned as my first Heir from this moment forth, Sirius having been given your place. You will be placed under strict restrictions. Neither you nor your wife will be able to make any decision involving either the family or your children and all of your finances will be going through me. Regulus will come here affective immediately and only if I've seen he is treated normally, you may take custody of him again, not a moment before."

"You cannot do that," Walburga shrieked but Arcturus only raised a hand to quiet her down again, not in the mood for one of her famous shouting sessions.

"I can, I have and so shall it be," Arcturus glared at her. "And these restrictions will remain in place for as long as I see fit."

Both were trembling in their seats but remained silent as Arcturus used his powers as their Head of House to keep them in line. "It is only in my deepest regret that I was not aware of this situation sooner and took control before. It will not happen again. You are dismissed."

Orion stiffly rose to his feet, though Arcturus did not release Walburga's voice and watched steely-eyed as Orion led his wife away without another word.

"Dinky, prepare one of the guest rooms for Regulus. He will be staying here for some time," Arcturus ran a hand over his face tiredly and accepted the glass the elf handed him. "And have one of the other elves pick him up before his parents arrive home. Make it two so that another can pack his belongings."

"Yes, Sir."

As the little elf hurried to do as he ordered, Arcturus sank back in his chair and downed the glass of FireWhisky before staring down at the Pensieve still swirling with memories, freezing it on an image of a younger Sirius smiling up at James Potter despite his bruise-covered face.

"I am sorry for failing you, my child..." he muttered as he reached out to touch the image but paused just above it, aware he didn't have the right to reach out now when he'd never done so before. "I hope you will find the family you have been denied in your new home and will one day be able to forgive me for failing you."

Chapter Text

"I can either take out James' pawn, or I can make a run for the finish and win," Charlus pondered thoughtfully, looking at the two teenagers sprawled out across of him from under his thick glasses. "Choices...choices."

"Dad! Just finish it already," James whined as Sirius grinned, shifting slightly on the ground to get more comfortable.

"Just make your move," Dorea sighed, rolling her eyes.

"What do you think, Siri?" Charlus waited patiently until slightly drowsy grey eyes looked up to him.

"I guess it depends," he stretched out a little from his curled-up position, tensing slightly as he stretched too far, before curling up again. The dark purple bruises on his face and neck stood out sharply against his too pale skin; but Charlus was relieved they would be completely gone by the time school started again, but there was a teasing smile on his lips. "Do you want to keep on tormenting him, or not?"

Chuckling, Charlus brought home his last pawn, ending the game.

"Now that that torment is over, I think it is time for a nice cup of hot chocolate," Dorea decided as she rose to her feet. "James, why don't you take Sirius outside so you can both get some fresh air and your father and I will meet you there with the hot chocolate?"

"Will that hot chocolate include apple pie?" James asked hopefully as he straightened.

"I'll see what I can do," Charlus laughed as James cheered and helped Sirius up. "The front steps are heated so you do not need to bother with coats."

He watched the two slowly make their way towards the front door before following his wife towards the kitchen.

"That is cheating," he chuckled as two of the House-elves had already prepared hot chocolate and four slices of apple pie.

"I never said I would make it, just that I would get it," Dorea smiled as he kissed her forehead. "Thank you Kirry. Would you make sure the boys get an extra big piece?"

"Of course, Mistress," Kirry smiled. "Do you wish me to add Master Sirius' potions to his piece of pie?"

"No, I will take them separately. We wouldn't want him to start associating nice things with awful ones," Dorea made her way to the cupboard to select several bottles of potions.

"How do you think he is doing?" Charlus watched her place five potions on the tray.

"His injuries are healing; slowly, but they are finally starting to show signs of healing," Dorea sighed and brushed her hair out of her eyes. "The only thing truly worrying me are his feet. They aren't showing any sign of healing or even closing yet, despite all my efforts. I'm not quite sure how he's going to be able to walk around on them all day at school."

"We still have two weeks and the woollen socks you found for him seem to help with the pain of moving around," Charlus smiled. "Soon they'll be making their own socks, if they keep up with practising the way they are."

"It's not like they can do much else at the moment. Sirius can't walk so he's spending most of his time either reading or learning how to knit and aside from occasionally being chased onto the Quidditch pitch, James has been at his side constantly."

"True," Charlus ran a hand through his hair. "But I more meant how he was doing, mentally. He doesn't seem to be overly emotional as I'd expected at all."

"It's only been a week. He has fifteen years of trauma to work through, that doesn't just disappear or show up clearly in such a short time. Not with the upbringing he's had," Dorea sighed and put the rest of the potions away again. "He is remarkably resilient despite all he's gone through and he has James at his side. I think he will be all right."

"I know, I just want him to be happy and safe. Seeing him like this, it's just wrong. That boy should be running around with James, being foolish with his healing wounds. Not know exactly how to move to prevent them from pulling too much. I just want to keep him safe and protect him," Charlus admitted.

"You are...Charlus?"

Charlus turned as he felt the wards being breached at the same time James' panicked voice called for him and wasn't quite sure how he had crossed the house in time to be at his children's side even before Walburga and Orion Black materialised completely; their despicable House-elf at their side.

"You are not welcome here," he growled as he drew his wand, not even bothering to wait and see if they had their own pulled.

"We will leave as soon as we have our son back," Orion looked down at him in clear distaste. "Come here, boy."

Charlus more felt that saw James move. "Over my dead body, Sirius isn't going anywhere with the likes of you!"

"Watch your tongue, insolent brat. You should teach your offspring manners, Potter," Walburga spat.

"His manners are fine to those who deserve it. And he is right, Sirius isn't going anywhere."

"Uncle Charlus...I don't want to cause..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, son," Charlus cut him off while grabbing a hold of him as the boy swayed unsteadily, pulling him into his side to both shield him and keep his weight off his feet as much as he could. "You are right where you belong."

"Lord Black ordered his return to his home," Orion sneered, pure revolting disgust in his eyes as he stared at them.

"He already is with his family," James flanked Sirius' other side, wand held steadily.

"Keep your mouth shut and stay out of our family business, come here, boy or I will make you!" Walburga snapped.

"How dare you come to our house and threaten our children," Dorea brushed past them to stand before Walburga. "You are not welcome here."

"Your children," Walburga spat, looking down at Dorea. "Child of filth and disgrace, you mean. What else could I expect of a blood traitor such as you?"

"And proud of it," Dorea stared Walburga down unimpressed. "Now you can either leave on your own to never come back, or we will make you do so."

"I think you are severely underestimating us," Orion swirled his wand between his fingers threateningly and Charlus felt Sirius tense at his side so he tightened his hold to reassure him he wasn't going anywhere.

"Or you us. What makes you think I would ever leave a child with child abusers such as you?" Charlus calmly said, refusing to let himself be riled up.

"What makes you think you have any right to speak to me like this," Walburga shrieked. "I am the Matriarch of the House of Black!"

"Like we care. You are just a sick psychopathic lunatic," James spat.

"How dare you..." Walburga raised her wand, but before Charlus or Dorea could react, the wand caught on fire and she screamed as it exploded in her hand.

"Stay away from him," Sirius' voice was soft, but so sharp that Charlus felt cold sweat run down his spine at the cold anger in it.

"How dare you attack your mother like that," Orion growled.

"That banshee is not my mother," Sirius said, shifting away from Charlus to stand on his own feet, though he didn't shrug off Charlus' strong grip on his arm.

"You disgraceful abomination," Walburga shrieked, making Charlus' blood boil as he remembered the words carved into the dark-haired boy's skin, but Sirius didn't give any sign of distress as she shrieked at him.

"Enough!" Orion cut Walburga off. "You are my son and will learn your place. Come here!"

"I am not your dog and I am certainly no child of yours," Sirius growled.

"I've had enough of this," Walburga ground her teeth. "I will not tolerate such talk to your father. You are coming home with us, right now."

"Grimmauld Place is not my home, it is a prison. My home is standing right beside me and you will not harm him."

The venom in the words didn't really surprise Charlus as he had already come to realise just how close his two boys were and he also wasn't really surprised Sirius would not stand up for himself, but would do so for someone he cared about.

It was the magic beginning to radiate around Sirius that did surprise him as although he knew the boy was talented, he had never seen such raw power before.

"You heard him, you are not welcome here," James stepped to Sirius' side, taking his hand and Charlus was shocked as a wave of pure magic burst from them the moment their hands found each other.

Charlus had heard of magical connections being made in old times, but they were the talk of legends as such a connection was both dangerous and almost impossible to form because your hearts and souls had to become one during it.

But James and Sirius seemed to form the connection instinctively; their magic combining effortlessly and for the first time Charlus truly understood what Moody had meant when he told him the boys were as one as he was no longer able to distinguish one magical signature from the other.

His wife's eyes met him; awe and worry written all over them as both boys seem to glow with magic; Orion and Walburga screamed as the sheer combined power of the boys hit them and it was both amazing and terrifying to witness both Blacks and their elf being forced out of their wards by the mere force of their combined magic alone.

Almost the moment they disappeared, the connection faded again and Charlus could feel Sirius tremble against his side, making him realise he was still holding onto him tightly and quickly loosened his grip.

"I'm sorry," Sirius murmured, looking down as he bit his lip. "I shouldn't have..."

"You have nothing to apologise for," James pulled him out of Charlus' hold and into his arms, holding him tightly. "You are my home, too."

"It's not my place to..."

"It is," James cut him off. "This is our home and we will fight to defend it. It's what you do when you love someone."

"I don't think I know how to," Sirius' voice was barely above a whisper as his fingers curled into James' shirt and Charlus' heart broke at the pain and fear in it, but James only tightened his hold on his brother.

"Of course you do, you have always known. From the moment we met, you have been protecting and taking care of us. Keeping Remus' secret; even from me because you knew it wasn't yours to tell, having our backs when we run into trouble, protecting us at Hogsmeade, making sure Remus and I don't forget to eat, helping Peter with his homework until the late hours of the night...that are things you do when you love someone," James' voice stocked momentarily. "You have always known how to love, even if you might not have recognised you did so."

"And we love you; me most of all. You are my brother and my best friend and no force on earth or Muggles so called heaven can stop me from doing so," as he softly rubbed Sirius' back, Charlus was unable to stand by another moment longer and stepped forward to wrap his arms around both boys.

"Can stop us. You are our son and this is where you belong," he firmly said as he pulled both boys against him without breaking their own embrace and he smiled as Dorea stepped up from the other side, effectively forming a circle around them.

"This is our family and anyone who tries to get to one of us, will have to face the others," she softly said, dropping a kiss in both boys' hair.

Charlus wasn't sure how long they stood there as they held their sons, but eventually Sirius' trembling stopped and he pulled back when James shifted.

"Thank you," a small watery smile lightened Sirius' red-rimmed eyes; still holding a hint of the magic displayed earlier and Charlus smiled as he brushed the tears left on the boys face away.

"Anything for our children. Let's get inside; I believe there was a cup of hot chocolate waiting for us all."

"What if they come back?" Sirius asked softly and Charlus wasn't entirely surprised to see his sons still holding hands tightly, despite having separated.

"They can't. When the two of you pushed them out, you effectively warned the wards that they are enemies so they can't return without permission again," Charlus could see that didn't truly assure Sirius as much as it should and he smiled sadly. "Tell you what, why don't I show you our wards properly later so that you can personally add their magical signatures to be rejected? I should teach you about our warding anyway so if Dorea doesn't find it too straining for you, we can look over that this afternoon as well."

"Make that tomorrow, Dad. Remus is coming over around four and he is already going to have a coronary when he sees him like this, let alone when he's bone tired and ready to fall over," James teased Sirius as he nudged him. "Besides, his feet are bleeding again so Mum won't let him walk anywhere any more today."

Sirius groaned as he looked down and Charlus was sad to see the bandages were soaked through at multiple places.

"Right, couch it is. I will re-bandage your feet after you've had your potions and no magic any more today after that display, so any lessons will have to wait until tomorrow. But you can show him the wards in place while he's sitting down," Dorea brushed a hand over Sirius' cheek. "And I will inform the House-elves that no elves not belonging to the Potter household are allowed entrance without our permission either. I don't know how that thing could enter the wards like that, but it will not happen again."

"I'm sorry to be causing so much trouble," Sirius bit his lip.

"Nonsense, you are not causing trouble at all. And it is a good thing we learned about this hole in our security now and not when under attack so we can take care of the problem now," Charlus ruffled his hair. "Now let us go inside before that hot chocolate gets cold, James?"

"I've got him."

Sirius sighed but didn't protest as James lifted him up, clearly more worn out than he would like to admit as he simply rested his head against James' shoulder as he carried him to the couch.

"Drink these first, honey," the House-elves had kept the hot chocolate warm and it was waiting for them when they arrived in the living room, along with the apple pie and the potions Dorea had readied for Sirius.

As Sirius took the potions, Charlus' eye fell onto a dark spot on his forearm.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Reaching for the spot, Charlus hovered just above it as he didn't want to hurt him more and Sirius looked down confused.

"I don't think so," pulling his sleeve up, he quietly admitted, "It is kind of hard to tell with all those potions in my system."

"Let me see," Dorea frowned as she looked at the mark, lightly brushing her fingers over it. "That's an odd injury...how...oh," his wife glanced back at him, biting her lip.

"What is it?" Leaning in for a better look, Charlus frowned as the Potter crest was clearly imprinted in the boys arm deeply enough to draw blood. "How did you get that?"

"Your ring," James swallowed. "That is where you were holding onto him. Your ring must have been turned with your movements and dug into his skin."

Glancing down at his right hand, Charlus was aghast James was right and his Head of House ring had indeed gotten twisted to the inside of his hand. "Oh Merlin...I hurt you."

"It was an accident and to be honest, I didn't even notice it," Sirius immediately tried to comfort him, but Charlus shook his head horrified, unable to look away from the red mark he had caused.

"I hurt you...I.."

"It's all right, Uncle Charlus," Sirius shifted forward to place his hand on Charlus' biceps. "It was an accident. I know you wouldn't hurt me on purpose."

But Charlus hardly even heard him as all he could see before his eyes were that mark and the frightful bundle Sirius had been when he had reached for him a week before and although his mind knew it was a completely different situation; his heart screamed at him that he had hurt one of his boys.

"Will it scar?" James asked as he checked the injury for himself.

"Probably. There is so much residential dark magic lingering in my body that any new injury I gain won't really heal magically either," Sirius didn't seem overly concerned, but Charlus felt sick to his stomach at the realisation the mark would likely be permanent.

"Well, now no one can deny you to be a part of the Potter family," James teased and Sirius laughed.

"It's one scar I won't mind having."

His face must have shown his devastation, because Sirius glanced at James hesitantly before a small smile crossed his lips at the other's small nod but Charlus couldn't bring himself to be suspicious of them as he kept seeing the reddish skin even after Dorea covered it up with a bandage.

"Oh..." Dorea suddenly burst out in laughter and appalled Charlus looked up to her, unable to believe she'd find any of this funny when he caught sight of himself in the mirror behind her.

"What in Merlin's..." his normally black greyish hair was suddenly light purple in colour and the stubble on his unshaven chin a hideously bright orange.

He stared at his own reflection in shock for a several moments, watching as the colours slowly changed from purple and orange to red and yellow and he realised Sirius had done this.

He still felt guilty for hurting the boy, no matter how accidental it might have been, but the sight of a broken and terrified child was immediately replaced by one of the bright and cheerful boy he had gotten to know and love and his heart suddenly felt a lot lighter.

Because that frightened boy he had been seeing over and over again in his mind would never have dared to retaliate for accidentally hurting him, he would have cowered and hid before the man who had hurt him and Charlus hadn't even realised he had been terrified Sirius would fear him until now.

But by pulling this prank on him, Sirius was showing him that he wasn't afraid of him; that he actually trusted him not to hurt him in return and that knowledge warmed Charlus' heart and chased away the sorrow that had taken hold there.

So it was with a calm smile that he turned his attention back to his sons; meeting the dare in Sirius' warm grey eyes steadily and spotting James' nervous one before sticking out his tongue playfully.

The transformation was immediate as a brilliant smile appeared on Sirius' face, making the bruises seem small in comparison and Charlus leaned forward to ruffle both of their hair lovingly as James laughed.

Dorea was trying and failing miserably not to laugh so Charlus grinned at her, making her burst out in laughter once more as his facial hair changed colour again.

He wasn't sure how long this prank would last, but found that he didn't care and would gladly walk around like this for all to see forever, just because Sirius had been the one to do this to him.

And it took all of his willpower to not burst out into laughter himself when Remus was dropped off by his parents' hours later as the two stared at him in utter shock while Remus had to fight laughter himself.

"The boys are in the living room," his bright mood dimmed slightly as Remus blinked surprised, reminding him that when he'd gone to speak to the boy's parents he had relied Sirius' request to keep it from him and they had clearly honoured it.

"Sirius managed to make it?" He looked so happy that Charlus couldn't not warn him about Sirius' appearance at least a little and held up a hand as he made a move to enter.

"I will let him tell you what happened, but try to be gentle with him as he's had it rough. And just so you know, he doesn't look like it, but he will be all right," of that Charlus was sure now.

The sandy-haired boy shot him a confused but mostly worried look so Charlus moved aside so he could go see his friend for himself.

"Is it truly still that bad?" Hope Lupin bit her lip as she watched her son disappear.

"The bruises are the most noticeable and look horrible, but he says he hardly feels them," Charlus told her honestly before smiling as he caught them both eyeing him curiously. "Sorry for my appearance, but I am being paid back for hurting Sirius."

"Hurting...how?" Hope's eyes flashed dangerously so Charlus automatically held up his hands in defence as he realised his wording was rather poor.

"It was accidental. Walburga and Orion Black showed up earlier today and I was holding onto him while they were here; too tightly it turned out as my Head of House ring has been imprinted into his arm," he told them truthfully. "I feel horrible about it, but Sirius said it was an accident and has pulled this prank on me in retaliation."

"He pulled this prank on you?" Understanding flooded through both of them and Charlus wasn't surprised to see a relieved smile on Hope's face as he had learned the woman was very fond of Sirius as well.

"Do you think we could see him? Just to see for ourselves that he is all right?" She asked and Charlus immediately berated himself for not having offered himself.

"Of course, I'm sure he will be happy to see you," leading the way, he paused just before they reached the living room. "I'll warn you once more, just in case. He can't really walk as his feet are severely damaged so please don't let him stand or walk around, but his other injuries are healing well and the bruises will have disappeared by the time they boys have to return to Hogwarts."

Both visibly braced themselves before Charlus opened the door but neither could entirely prevent a small gasp from escaping as they caught sight of Sirius.

Charlus was relieved to see the boy was still curled up on the corner of the couch against James, though now Remus was sitting near his feet, looking torn between wanting to pull Sirius into a hug or cover him in cotton wool as they were talking quietly, but all three looked up at the sound.

"Oh dear," Hope moved forward, only hesitating briefly before she gently pulled Sirius into a hug, reaching out to brush a finger over his cheek carefully. "How are you feeling?"

"I'll be fine, Auntie Hope," Sirius' smile was gentle. "Thank you for that, by the way. Maybe now your mother hen of a son will see I won't break and actually give me a hug, too."

"You're an idiot," Remus sniffed but leaned over to pull his friend into a hug that was happily returned.

"He's our idiot, though. And ours to keep forever," James chuckled as Sirius leaned back against him.

"Truly?" Remus sounded impossibly hopeful as he looked at his two friends, one hand folded around those of his friends seemingly automatically.

"Truly. I officially adopted him into the family on Christmas morning and he is here to stay. Even Arcturus Black gave his blessing."

"Christmas...when exactly did you run away?"

"Christmas eve."

"That's a week ago! What happened?" As Sirius and James told him the short version of what had happened, clearly omitting most of the more horrible details for the moment, Charlus once more hated himself for not having taken his son more serious before so he could have rescued the boy before it ever got this far.

"But why didn't you tell me?" Remus' grip on his friends' hands tightened.

"There was nothing you could have done anyway and you were so looking forward to that literature conference...I didn't want to be the one to ruin that for you," Sirius admitted.

"Merlin, you truly are an idiot, Siri," Remus shook his head disbelievingly, but smiled sadly and although Charlus was sure the other would have something to say about how Sirius would feel about not being informed of something like that later, for now he was glad the other didn't comment right now.

Sirius had enough going on as it was and it had been kept from him with the best intentions.

He smiled as his wife appeared with drinks, greeting the Lupins friendly and leaned back in his seat as he watched them all interact, finding that he couldn't be more proud of his boys than he already was as they truly had found themselves a precious little family worth fighting for.

Chapter Text

Remus smiled ruefully as Sirius grimaced at the vial he held out to him as he sat down beside him. "Present from James."

"Do I have to?" He pouted even as he accepted it.

"You do if you don't want your feet to start hurting again," Remus watched him uncork it and quickly swallow the contents.

"Why do these things not work properly any more if you give it a nice taste?" Sirius blinked as Remus held up a piece of chocolate. "Do you have enough for yourself?"

"Just take the chocolate, Siri," rolling his eyes, Remus pressed the piece into his friend's hand, watching critically until he put it into his mouth.

"You are honestly even worse than James when it comes to mothering me, you know that, right?" But as Sirius leaned in to nudge him gently, Remus knew he didn't mind at all.

"Takes one to know one," he shot back playfully and pulled Sirius against his side for a semi-hug. "How are they doing right now?"

"I'm considering skipping Care this afternoon."

Remus winced as Sirius rarely skipped class if he didn't have to and the admission told him his feet were hurting pretty badly. "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"I'm not an invalid, you know? And you really need to follow Care. They'll deal with Bowtruckles today."

"So? You can probably tell me all about them as easy as Professor Kettleburn," Remus shrugged, smiling as Sirius shifted to get more comfortable against his side, legs stretched out over the mostly empty bench as he was still slightly too short to reach the other side.

"But then you would miss these cute fellows," Sirius chuckled. "Just don't make them mad or go near their home trees and you'd be fine."

"Yes, they sound lovely," Remus remarked dryly. "Want me to bring one with me for you?"

"I don't think James would be overly happy if I were to keep a Bowtruckle as a pet," Sirius grinned. "But they look adorable and if you remember to offer it wood lice or fairy eggs if you want to take something from its tree, you won't have a problem."

"Right, thanks," smiling at the advice, Remus finished his sandwich even as Peter joined them.

"Hey guys," Peter grinned and placed something purple before Sirius on the table, making him sit up straight to pick the small purple box up to look at it properly.

"What's this?"

"Glacial Snow Flakes, fresh from the manufacturer. They are not actually on the market yet, but Mum gave them to me to try and as I know you love snowflakes, you should be the first to try them," Peter's reached below the table to pull Sirius' feet up onto his knees. "And keep those elevated before they'll hurt you even more."

"Sorry," shifting to accommodate to the new position, Sirius opened the package and shook three of the candies out before handing one over to both of them as well. "They are some sort of marshmallows, aren't they?"

"Yes, they are meant for the holiday season so they'll come out in autumn," Peter explained as they popped them into their mouths.

"Hmmm, they aren't as sweet as I imagined them to be, nice," Sirius smiled and Remus had to agree with him as the soft candy immediately melted on his tongue, leaving a fresh and slightly minty taste behind.

"They are good," he agreed and Peter's grin grew.

"I'll be sure to let Mum know you enjoy them; I think she's developing them with people like you in mind."

"I'm going to assume that was meant as some kind of twisted compliment and not feel insulted," Sirius laughed as Peter flushed. "I know what you meant, Pete, just teasing you."

"I know," Peter laughed as he looked down at Sirius' feet. "How are Remus' shoes working out for you?"

"They are much easier than mine and less tight," Sirius chuckled. "But shouldn't you be asking how his shoes are? We did more or less bully him out of his comfortable shoes, after all."

"I'm truly taking one for the team," Remus tried to sound resigned and sad about it, but was fairly sure he failed as both of the others laughed.

When James had approached him with a new pair of shoes just after the holidays, Remus had protested as he hadn't wanted anything new from his friends. But once James had explained that he intended to give Remus' worn out ones to Sirius as they were both bigger and less rigid for his injured feet, Remus had agreed immediately.

And although he wouldn't admit it readily, the new shoes were much nicer than his old ones had been and his feet fitted perfectly in the new pair, which made him think James had just been playing him.

But Sirius did wear his old ones and although normally too big for his much smaller feet; with the bandages and woollen socks he had to wear, they were a decent fit so Remus hadn't mentioned it.

"Sure, Rem. You should let James taste these, he'll love them," Sirius tried to hand the package back, but Peter shook his head.

"I've got another package. That one's for you."

"Thanks," Sirius smiled suddenly. "And there is mother hen number two."

As he pulled his pocket mirror from his robes it was trembling to indicate there was an incoming message and Sirius tapped it.

"Are you checking in on me, again?" Sirius teased as James' face appeared in the mirror, smiling sheepishly.

"Would you believe me if I said I was just checking in to say I'll be running a little late?"

"What did you do?" Remus laughed as he could see a large beard growing under James' chin even as he walked.

"I told Evans she looked very pretty today," James pouted.

"Why? And it looks like a Hair-Thickening Charm so Finite should work," Sirius eyed the beard.

"Didn't think of that," James slapped himself for the head and vanished the beard. "And I said it because she looked very pretty. Has her hair loose but with these little braids at the side and pulled back to hold it in place. But she thought I was teasing her and hexed me."

"You would think the girl would be able to accept a compliment," Sirius shook his head. "Will you make it here for lunch or do you want us to take something to you?"

"I'm on my way now so maybe we could meet up halfway as we've got Transfiguration before Care?"

"We'll be there. Oh, your love interest just entered and you are right, she does look pretty like that," Sirius' words made Remus turn around to see Evans enter the Great Hall. "She looks angry, though."

"How am I ever to get her to like me if she gets angry even when I try to give her a compliment?" James sighed dramatically.

"We'll work something out," Sirius promised. "To cheer you up, Peter's got a new candy for you to try out."

"Sweet," James gave them a little smile. "Meet me at the kitchen."

"What are we bringing food along for then?" Peter asked even as Sirius nodded and closed the connection.

"Because the elves are busy right now and we are not disturbing them for extra food," Sirius smiled as he put both the box of sweets and his mirror away while pulling his legs back and rising to his feet. "Let me throw this away and then we can go."

"Think James will ever get Evans to like him?" Peter softly asked as Sirius walked away from them.

"I don't know. It doesn't seem...oh no, Pete, get James," alarmed Remus got to his feet as he noticed the elderly woman marching up to Sirius and recognised her as Walburga Black.

"What's she doing here," Peter squeaked.

"Get James," Remus growled and Peter hurried off even as the woman began to scream at Sirius about how much of a blood traitor he was to their House.

Students watched both shocked and with morbid curiosity as the woman shouted obscenities at her son, though Sirius didn't seem at all shocked and Remus' heart sank as the other made no move to defend himself.

"Stains of dishonour! That is what you are. How dare you defile our grand ancestry like this, you abomination, scum of the earth. Your father and I will teach you your place!" Walburga shrieked, clearly intent to humiliate him as much as she could, but Sirius just stared at her unimpressed.

"Those filthy blood traitors and their filthy child will be put in their..." Remus wasn't the only one who blinked when she suddenly fell silent; though her mouth was still moving and her eyes widened as she realised it.

"Yeah, they aren't the filthy worthless dirt under my shoe, you are," Sirius calmly said, twirling his wand between his fingers. "And I do believe I have told you before that you are not my mother, so why don't you go scream to your son instead. I am sure he will be very happy to see you and have you yell at him. A simply delightful experience I have no interest of participating in as I would be ashamed to be associated with the likes of you."

Walburga's arms came up in a vulgar motion before she suddenly froze in place and bubbles began to come out of her mouth as she screamed silently.

"You should wash out your mouth for that as it's really not nice to talk badly about good people. And since the Potters are a billion times better than you could ever even hope to be, you might want to take an example out of them. And who knows, maybe the bubbles will even clean up some of your own filth while they are at it," Walburga's entire face was murderous as she stared Sirius down, but he clearly wasn't impressed and Remus watched in awe as he calmly picked up his bag.

"Oh, I almost forgot," he turned back to her and a small sweep of his wand threw her into the wall behind her, holding her in place. "Ever come near my family again, threaten them...or even look at them wrongly and I will make you pay."

Sirius' smile was terrifying as he let her drop to the ground and towered over her despite his small stature as he summoned her wand from her. "And share that information with your son and husband as the same goes for them. Either of them comes near them and I will tear them apart. That is my only warning, Walburga."

He effortlessly blew up her wand before her eyes, letting the shattered remains drop onto the ground before her feet before turning away and calmly making his way to Remus while ignoring the stunned crowd around him.

"Let's go, it looks like we will disturb the kitchen after all."

Quickly grabbing his and Peter's bags, Remus followed after Sirius silently, still stunned by what had just happened.

They had just made it outside of the doors when Professor McGonagall turned the corner, clearly in a hurry, though she came to a surprised stop as she saw them.

"I was told to come to the Great Hall as soon as possible," she frowned. "What is wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong, Professor. I just left a bit of a mess," Sirius calmly told her and she stepped forward to glance into the Great Hall; her eyes narrowing as she spotted the tangled mess Walburga still was on the ground.

"Your mother..."

"That banshee is not my mother, Professor, and I would appreciate it if you wouldn't refer to her as such. The Potters are my family," Sirius paused. "Actually, if needed, then I would be honoured if they would be the ones you'd write to about me as I've been living there since Christmas."

"You're living with the Potters?" For the first time in their time there, McGonagall truly looked speechless and if the situation hadn't been so shocking to begin with, Remus might have laughed.

"Since Christmas," Sirius confirmed.

"I wasn't aware of the change," McGonagall's eyes scanned Sirius closely and Remus got the impression she was checking him for injuries.

"I suppose it is not really important, though if Dumbledore had informed at least you, I might have been warned she was coming here and this could have been prevented."

"It would have been," McGonagall confirmed. "I would like to speak to you about your new residence soon."

"There isn't much to tell. That entire bigoted family is utterly insane and psychotic and I was absolutely done with the whole lot of them so I left. The Potters invited me to live with them so that's what I am doing."

Remus thought that was a rather basic summary of what had happened, but as he realised the crowd of students in the Great Hall were trying to listen in on the conversation, he didn't comment on it at all.

McGonagall seemed to realise that too and simply nodded. "Then I suppose I should remove her from the castle grounds before she bothers other students. I had no idea she would come trouble you while here to speak about you...about Mister Black's behaviour. Though I suspect he might have been instructed to behave as such. Regardless, I would still like to speak with you soon."

"I don't see why, Professor," Sirius frowned. "Since when is a child's residence of importance to a Head of House beyond the basic information?"

"Normally it is not," McGonagall admitted as her eyes travelled over Sirius once more. "You could say it would be because I am curious."

"I've just told you why I left that house, Professor, there is nothing to add that would be different when said in private," Sirius firmly said and McGonagall nodded.

"I see. I am sure you would understand if I am to contact the Potters to verify your story?"

"Be my guest," Sirius shrugged, turning just as Remus could hear faint footsteps hurrying their way and Sirius sighed. "If you would excuse me, I believe there is someone I have to intercept."

"Please do," McGonagall had clearly heard James' footsteps approach as well as she nodded. "I will make sure your – that she will know she is no longer welcome here."

"It's a shame you can't write to Arcturus Black," Remus muttered, flushing as McGonagall's sharp eyes pierced through him.

McGonagall looked thoughtfully. "I will see you at Transfiguration."

Nodding, Remus couldn't help but laugh as she swiftly walked into the Great Hall and raised her voice; causing multiple feet to hurry away and he turned to Sirius, but to his surprise the other was already near the end of the corridor.

Hurrying after him, he was just in time to see him pull an alarmed James into an unused classroom before the other could even open his mouth.

"What happened? Pete said it was an emergency," James looked winded but the alarmed look faded into one of relief as he examined Sirius.

"I did it," Sirius' voice was trembling. "I told her to go to hell without fear."

The laugh coming out of Sirius' throat bordered on hysterics. "I told her, James!"

To Remus' alarm he realised Sirius' entire being was trembling, but James smiled.

"See? I told you that you are stronger than you think."

"I was terrified, but when she started insulting you, Mum and Dad...I just reacted," trembling fingers dug into James' forearms, but neither boy seemed to realise and Remus wondered if Sirius was even aware that he had referred to the Potters as his parents.

"And as I stopped her, I realised she has no hold over me any more. I won't have to return there and she can't...I don't..." suddenly tears streamed down Sirius' cheeks even as James pulled him into an embrace and Remus felt his own throat close up as their friend seemed torn between laughing and crying.

Stepping forward, he wrapped his own arms around both of them and even Peter; who avoided hugs like the plague, joined into the embrace without hesitation.

"I don't have to be afraid of her any more," the words were whispered so softly that Remus wasn't entirely sure he hadn't just imagined them until James' grip tightened.

"You don't," he confirmed softly. "And I swear, I solemnly swear, that you are never returning to that hell-hole ever again."

The familiar vow brought a smile to Sirius' lips as he shifted, his tears finally drying as he nuzzled James' shoulder before resting his cheek there, his entire body relaxing even as he sobered.

"You'll get to spend the entire Easter holiday with your new family," Peter attempted to bring that smile back again, beaming as a tiny smile did form.

"Summer holiday. We'll be spending Easter here at Hogwarts as Mum and Dad have boring obligations that we really don't want to join," James seemed to realise what Peter had been trying to do and smiled. "But yeah, we will spend every holiday home with Mum and Dad after that and have Easter here together."

"I've never celebrated Easter before," Sirius admitted. "At Grimmauld Place it wasn't celebrated and the only supposed festivity occurring was to go to Grandfather's house for the two year annual gathering where all the relatives entered this biggest amount of bigotry contest of sorts."

"Then we will spend it here together," Remus decided. "What do you say, Pete?"

"We can paint eggs and look for them," Peter nodded.

"But you always go home for the holidays," Sirius frowned.

"I can't go home knowing that you've never had a real Easter before," Peter smiled. "All that chocolate heaven you have missed out on...I can't in good conscience let that continue for another year. Mum and Dad will understand."

"Then it's settled. We will celebrate our first Easter together here with our makeshift family," James squeezed Sirius' shoulders and looking up to him, Sirius smiled.

"I'd like that."

"You haven't got much choice," James laughed. "Even Peter is joining us this time, so you can't stay behind."

He touched the tag on Sirius' collar. "Besides, it's high time you truly realised this here means you are stuck with us forever."

"I wouldn't want it any other way," Sirius reached up to fold his fingers around James' and Remus couldn't help but smile as he had begun to realise just how much comfort their friend drew out of the collar and tag.

Peter shook his head fondly as the two dark-haired boys simply stared at each other for a long moment; an entire conversation passing between them in silence before Sirius finally stepped away from James.

"So, what kind of Easter plans did you guys have?"

"We've just had Christmas. Easter is at least three months away," Remus protested.

"You can never start planning too early," James beamed as he threw his arm around Sirius and began to direct them towards the Transfiguration classroom. "You just wait and see. It'll be the best Easter ever!"

Sharing an amused look with Sirius as he chuckled, Remus and Peter followed after the two as James began to lay out his ideas, Peter piping up to add to them with Muggle traditions to make it the perfect Easter celebration.

Chapter Text

Minerva sat back in her chair as the connection with Potter Manor closed; a mixture of pride and grief battling for the upper hand inside of her.

How could she have missed so completely what had been going on with one of her own lions?

Sure, she had known Sirius didn't come from a loving home; he couldn't have since his views differed so much from his relatives and the way the Blacks were, but she hadn't given it much thought as he was both animated and mischievous and didn't seem the least bit unhappy at school.

It had crossed her mind several times that he might be abused or at the very least neglected as he was both smaller and thinner than one of his lineage should be, but that same sunny personality had made her believe she was just projecting things onto the boy based on what she was expecting to see.

But even in her wildest imagination, she would not have thought of abuse this severe, and she cursed herself for not paying closer attention to the boy as surely there had to have been more signs of it that she had simply overlooked.

The boy was without doubt one of the brightest and most talented students she had ever taught and even when not paying attention at all, he could answer each question thoughtlessly.

Yet she couldn't help but wonder how often she had given the boy detention for not paying attention in class where he wasn't actually bored, but in too much pain to listen.

Dorea hadn't offered to show her the injuries the boy had been left with over the years and Minerva hadn't dared to ask as it wasn't her place when she had failed to notice the abuse in the first place, but regardless, her mind was providing her with all sorts of images that left her feeling ill to the bone.

She supposed it was a comfort that she wasn't the only one who hadn't noticed just how horrible the young Black's home situation was, but it hardly brought her any consolation as guilt ate at her.

It was no surprise to her that Dorea didn't unfold the entire story to her as the woman wouldn't want to break his trust, but she had revealed enough to make Minerva understand perfectly why Sirius had denounced Walburga Black as his mother.

She hadn't thought a victim of abuse would ever stand up so thoroughly against his supposed caretaker when so many young ones shied away the moment they were faced with their abuses and felt pride sear through her as her young lion had done so, both publicly and openly.

Questioning some of the more trustworthy students had told her Walburga had done her best to belittle and humiliate him, but all of them had said how he'd just stared her down unimpressed until she'd begun to insult the Potters and somehow she was not surprised that was what had put him into motion as the boy was fiercely protective of the people he cared for.

And she blessed both the Potters and his friends for having his back as it was clear the three other Marauders had been taking care of him for years where the teachers had failed to even notice something was wrong.

Dorea had admitted that the boys hadn't discovered the severity of the abuse until their third year and she recalled how sick Sirius had been just after the start of the New Year.

It both pained and saddened her to know none of them had trusted her enough to come to her with what they'd learned and even Dorea's attempted comfort that they hadn't taken James' alarm seriously could not make her feel better about it.

All they had to go on was James' words while she herself interacted with the boys almost every day, yet none of them had ever spoken a word; still didn't.

Sirius had utterly downplayed the events that had led to him running away; and how terrified the boy must have been to run all the way from London to Corby.

She wondered if he had unconsciously used Apparition as even by broom it was a three hour travel and he had made the journey in almost the same time limit based upon what Dorea had said.

It wasn't unusual for a scared child to use accidental Apparition and she had no doubt that with how terrified Sirius must have been, he might have done so without even realising it, despite being a teenager, as his magic tried to get him to help and safety as soon as possible.

The revelation of their adopting the young boy into their family also explained why the lists now referred to him as Potter-Black and although she was shocked Dorea and Charlus would go that far for the boy, at the same time she couldn't help but be utterly grateful as it was clear they truly loved the boy and had given him a loving home.

Making a mental note to keep an close eye on the boy from now on and to inform the other teachers about the change of residence, she returned to the Floo and threw a new handful of Floo Powder into her fire as she sat before it. "Black Manor."

She waited patiently until one of the House-elves had warned Arcturus Black, taking a deep breath when the man arrived, taking a seat before the fire.

"Madam McGonagall, to what do I owe this call?"

"Lord Black," Minerva wondered how to best continue. "It has come to my attention today that your grandson moved in with the Potters this Christmas."

"What business is this of yours?" Arcturus raised an eyebrow as he stared her down and as always when dealing with a Black, Minerva felt her defences rise. But before she could say anything, Arcturus closed his eyes. "My apologies, I did not mean to say it like that, it has been a trying month. I am aware of the change, but do not understand why you are contacting me about this."

"I can imagine. Based on that information, I thought it might be wise to inform you Walburga Black came to the castle today."

"She what?!" Arcturus growled. "Why would you allow her access when I have explicitly told Dumbledore that any communication about my grandchildren is to go through me?"

"I was not made aware of that, so when Regulus Black misbehaved badly, I contacted his mother to come to Hogwarts. It is with my deepest regret that I have to admit that I played right into her hands with doing so as it enabled her to make contact with Sirius here."

"What did she do?" there was a surprising hint of alarm and fear in Arcturus' voice that made McGonagall swallow and she wondered how horrible the old man must feel, since Dorea had said he hadn't been aware of the abuse either.

"She yelled at him during lunch in a crowded Great Hall, clearly intent to hurt him. But from various eye witnesses, he just stared her down before silencing and immobilising her for insulting the Potter family. Actually spelled her to wash out her mouth with soap for her use of language while he was at it before he basically told her to go yell at her own son for he wouldn't want to be associated with the likes of her. After that he threatened her and left her while he went to rejoin his friends."

She watched bemused as Arcturus stared at her for a long moment as he progressed the information.

"He stood up against her and threatened her?" He sounded incredulous.

"Yes, I was surprised to learn about it as well. Though I regret that this situation could happen in the first place and have since made sure it cannot happen ever again."

"I am glad to hear that," Arcturus hesitated. "How is my grandson now?"

"Last I saw him, he was planning something with his friends so I fear for the relatively peace of the school. But he seemed all right," it was Minerva's turn to hesitate. "I will however be keeping a much closer eye on him to ensure he is all right and won't overdo things."

"It is hard to overdo things when you can barely move around after your parents tried to kill you."

McGonagall gasped and Arcturus seemed to realise he had revealed new information as his expression narrowed.

"What exactly did Dorea and Sirius tell you?"

"Sirius didn't tell me anything, just informed me that he is now living with the Potters and would appreciate it if they were the ones informed if I want to make a complaint about his behaviour. Dorea told me he was abused and alerted me to the injuries to his feet, she didn't mention they tried to kill him."

"Abuse is one worth for what they did to my grandson," Arcturus spat out and McGonagall dreaded what he might mean with that. "I will ensure they will not be able to contact my grandson in any way, though I would like to request they cannot do so through Regulus either."

"Regulus is still living with them?" It had not even crossed Minerva's mind that the youngest Black could have been abused as well and it both surprised and alarmed her to learn he was still living with them.

"He is currently staying at my house, but I am an old man," Arcturus didn't sound happy about it. "There is no evidence of them having ever laid a hand on the boy, his own memories confirming that much and as such I deemed it fit for him to return there by Easter."

"What makes you so sure they will not turn on him next now that Sirius is gone?" Minerva couldn't help but ask.

"They have no reason to as he holds onto the same views as them where Sirius deterred from them from an early age. The boy does as is required of him, not a single backbone in him. But I will be keeping close watch from now on," Arcturus' voice held a promise and although Minerva was sad to learn the man thought so little of his youngest grandson, she couldn't help but feel he had a point as Regulus did exactly what was expected of him without question.

It was amazing how much two siblings barely a year apart in age could be so completely different as Regulus was the spitting image of a Pure-Blood well trained, never acting out or even becoming excited while Sirius was both animated and spontaneously from the start.

And while Regulus was surrounded by people at all times that he referred to as his friends, Minerva knew that it was Sirius who had made true friends that would likely last a lifetime, proving their bond time and time again.

"I will be sure to keep an eye on both boys from here as well," she promised and Arcturus nodded.

"I thank you for alerting me of what happened and I will ensure it is not attempted ever again."

"Very well," Minerva wasn't sure what to make of that, but didn't question him.

Closing the connection with his grandson's Head of House, Arcturus rose to his feet.

"Dinky, Frilly, bring Walburga and Orion here straight away," he ordered the small house-elves lingering in the doorway and turned to his desk as they disappeared.

He couldn't believe the nerve the woman had to go behind his back like that, though he marvelled at his grandson's strong spirit to stand up to the woman who had made his life hell.

"What is the meaning of this?" Walburga shrieked as Dinky Apparated her straight into the study.

"Watch your tongue around me, woman," Arcturus bit out. "How dare you contact Sirius after I've specifically told you to leave the boy alone?!"

"It is not my fault I ran into the insolent brat when called to the school," Walburga snapped.

"A summoning you should have passed straight to me after you'd been told to not contact the boys in any way. You directly disobeyed my orders and for that, you will pay."

"You cannot keep me from disciplining my son!"

Arcturus was half surprised she didn't try to raise her wand at him, though he noticed her hand was badly burned as she raised it instinctively so he slammed her into one of the chairs magically.

"I can and I will for Sirius is no longer your son. McGonagall alerted me to the fact that you specifically sought the boy out and intended to humiliate him. From what she told me, it was you who was humiliated instead and I would make you pay for dishonouring the family name like this if he hadn't done such a good job of it in my stead. What happened to your hand?"

"He attacked me."

"Is that so," Arcturus' eyes narrowed as he could tell she was lying and he forcefully entered her mind to pull forth the memory attached to the hand.

"You went to the Potters?!" His rage was nothing compared to what it had been as he saw the little confrontation play before his eyes, honoured by how all three Potters had stood at his grandson's side to protect him and marvelling at the power those two boys radiated when joining forces.

It brought home once more how close they were and he finally realised just why James Potter was capable of such cruel and brutal methods as it wasn't just his friend and self-proclaimed brother they had been hurting, it was part of his very soul.

And just like that, he knew exactly what he had to do and retrieved the envelope the boy had sent him at Christmas.

Returning, he pushed the envelope into the immobilized woman's hands and it was with satisfaction that he saw her confusion as the envelope glowed red for a long moment as it passed the spell contained on it onto her.

Straightening with the envelope again, he half turned as Frilly returned with Orion in tow, the man looking both alarmed and uneasy as he saw his father.

"Why are we here?"

"Have I not told you to stay away from the boy?" Arcturus took no pleasure in seeing his son flinch away from him, but didn't change his tone of voice as he stared him down.

"F-father?"

"You have tried to get your hands on him on New Year, going as far as to actually force your way into the wards of the Potters by elf, despite my clear orders."

"I wanted to show you I could change my ways, father. That I am a good heir and son," Orion spluttered.

"Did you truly think I would not learn of what had happened?" Arcturus ignored his son's trembling voice, disgust washing over him at how Orion cowered where his son had stood firm against his tormentor despite having every reason to cower instead. "You are a despicable excuse of a man and I will not tolerate to be undermined like this."

Pressing the envelope into Orion's surprised hands, he watched as the same happened to him before the envelope disintegrated, it's job completed.

"What was that?" Orion swallowed thickly as Arcturus magically forced him into the chair beside Walburga's.

"James Potter's punishment for harming and endangering his brother," Arcturus calmly said. "When he first sent me that envelope, I wasn't going to use it as it contained a very powerful curse. But now, I can see that the boy had exactly the correct idea in how to deal with the likes of you and have activated it. Perhaps you will learn from experience better than you seem to learn from me."

"What kind of curse?" Orion sounded both alarmed and angry as he tried to undo the curse placed upon him, despite having no idea what it was.

"I will leave that for you to find out first-hand," Arcturus sat down in his chair. "From this moment on, you will be placed under strict restrictions and infinite house arrest, starting the moment I am done with you. Neither one of you will be able to leave Number twelve Grimmauld Place for as long as either of you shall live. The House-elves serving there are to relocate here, sans one, who will be able to do grocery shopping for you and run any errant you might need; after it has been approved of by me. The same goes for visitors."

He watched the alarm on their faces turn to horror as they realised he was confiding them to the house with only themselves for company lest they go through the humiliation of having to request a visitor to be allowed entrance.

"You are forbidden from writing or dictating letters of any kind to anyone without my approval. Nor are you to write to Regulus without me seeing exactly what you are writing. Your magic will be bound and restricted in its use for punishment for disobeying my direct orders to leave Sirius alone. Try to contact or approach the boy in any way and your magic will be removed forcefully."

"You can't do this," Orion gulped as Arcturus stared him down.

"I just did. Try to harm Sirius in any way and your own magic will turn itself against you to cause the exact type of harm you imagined to him. Use the house-elf left in your service against Sirius in any way and the same will happen. Raise a finger or wand against Regulus in any way, and your magic will be removed as well."

"Father!" Orion looked utterly horrified as Arcturus placed his entire life on bounds, but he didn't second guess himself.

It was the punishment he should have placed upon them for hurting Sirius in the first place and both confrontations they managed to have with the boy were on him now.

"That is the hand you will be dealt and live with as a consequence of your own actions," Arcturus firmly said. "You are dismissed."

At his words, both Orion and Walburga disappeared without another word, the restrictions activating immediately and he took a deep breath as he knew he would have six more house-elves to deal with from now on.

"Which house-elf would Master like to stay with them, Sir?" Dinky asked and although it could be a mistake, Arcturus immediately had his answer ready as he didn't think he could handle seeing that despicable creature regularly.

"Send Kreacher. But he is to remain bound to that house for the rest of his life unless ordered otherwise by me or my Heir after my death," he didn't think Sirius would ever want to have anything to do with the creature, but he should have the ability to have a say in the house-elf's whereabouts if the time came and the creature was still alive.

"Yes, Master," bowing, Dinky disappeared to do his bidding and Arcturus returned to his desk, wondering what kind of horrors the two would see in their sleep and made a mental note to inquire about it by one of the paintings residing in Grimmauld Place in a few days.

Until then, he had more important business to deal with than the likes of them as he had a visit to make to his grandson's new home to learn more about him.