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A Proper Family


Sirius was sitting on the couch in front of the fireplace in the Lupin living room that evening, just waiting for the Potters to return from Hogwarts with James. Ned Veigler had met Remus and Sirius at King’s Cross, as planned, and he’d brought the boys and their trunks back to the house before using the Floo to head back to Fallengundur to check on the Kneazle. Remus was in the kitchen, making dinner, and trying to coax Sirius away from the hearth, but Sirius wouldn’t budge and rather sat in the glow of the Christmas tree that had been set on display in the corner, waiting, his eyes moving over the photos of the Potters that graced the mantle.

His eyes flickered to one he hadn’t noticed before - it hadn’t been there during the summer was why - and he got up and went over and lifted it from the shelf, his hands closing ‘round the heavy frame that contained it. In the photograph stood Dora, Charlus, James… and Sirius. It was from summer, and they were all crowded about Charlus, who was sitting in one of the rocking chairs on the porch, and they were smiling and waving and James had his arm about Sirius’s waist and Dora sat on the arm of the chair, Charlus’s arm about her, their fingers laced together in her lap… And in the margin at the bottom, in Dora’s pretty script writing, were the words, Our Family, Summer 1976.

Sirius blinked back tears.

Remus came into the room carrying two plates of food. “Look, if this is gross it’s alright to tell me and we’ll order in from the pub in town, so don’t be choking down gross food if you don’t like it. My feeling are not going to be hurt, I’m --- Sirius? Are you alright?” He stopped and put the food down on the table.

Sirius held up the photo.

Remus wiped his hand on his jumper and looked it over. “That’s a nice one,” he said, and he smiled. “I like that you’re in it.” James was messing up Sirius’s hair in the picture and Sirius was turning ‘round to smack him. Remus laughed, “Is that it? Are you crying because James knocked Hair Number 572 out of its rightful place?”

“I’m not crying, I have something in my eye,” Sirius said, clearing his throat and he stepped quickly over to the couch to inspect the food Remus had brought forth. Remus smirked and put the photo frame back on the mantle shelf before turning ‘round as Sirius picked up the plate and started shovelling bites of the fragrant Lamb, Mint and Butterbean stew Remus had concocted into his mouth. “Goddddds Moony, this is soooo goooooood,” moaned Sirius, and he hunkered down with his spoon.

Remus smirked, thinking of other times Sirius Black had moaned those very words. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, good; I’m glad you like it. There’s plenty of it.” Remus sat beside him and ate his, though much more slowly - he’d been picking at the food while he cooked and had already eaten a fair amount of food in the making of the stew.

Sirius smiled. He watched Remus eating over the rim of his own dish and he slowed for a moment in gulping down the stew and he just stared at his boyfriend. His caring, loving, gentle, chef of a boyfriend. His fingers clutched the warm plate as his lips tweaked up in the corners as he studied Remus’s features - the curve of his nose, the jagged line that cut over his nose and the other along his jaw... Remus’s scars reflected the light of the Christmas tree, and Sirius heard the echo of Remus’s words on the train. It isnt fun having scars on your face. He cleared his throat and Remus looked over at him.

“What are you smirking about?” Remus asked.

Sirius said, “You.”

“You’re smirking about me? Oh gods, what did I spill on myself or something?” Remus looked down at his jumper.

“No, Moony, you didn’t spill.” Sirius put his plate down then crawled across the couch and took Remus’s plate and put it down, too, and knelt before him on the cushions, his hands on Remus’s knees. “I just was thinking how perfect you are and how great you are and how spiffing you are and how much I bloody love you.” He smiled.

Remus said, “All this because of stew?”

“It’s exceptionally good stew.”

“I shan’t lose the recipe then,” Remus murmured.

Sirius guffawed.

Remus smiled shyly.

Sirius lay down, rolling so he was coming up between Remus’s legs, his head resting on Remus’s abdomen, his eyes turned to look up at Remus, fingers laced about Remus’s hand on one side. “Moonshine?”

“What Sirius?” Remus asked, sounding slightly off-put.

Sirius said, “Don’t you think that we should get married?”

The question was so out of the blue, so unexpected that Remus didn’t know what to say. He stared at Sirius for several long moments, words completely failing him. “What?”

Sirius rolled over, looking up at Remus over the span of his chest and said, “Let’s do it. Let’s get married. If Frank and Alice can do it, then so can’t we. Let's be a proper family.”

Remus stared.

“Don’t you want to?” Sirius asked.

Remus stammered, “I - I mean, we --”

And before he could get anything out, the fireplace burst with green flames and there was a popping sound and, utterly graceful, James Potter stepped through into the living room, clutching his glasses onto his face like he was afraid they’d have fallen off in the floo network. He paused, standing before them, and dusted himself off neatly with the back of his hand in a sweeping motion before noticing they were there. He stared at them for several long moments, at the way they were laying there on the couch, the way Sirius was smushed between Remus’s legs, the way they broke apart the moment he came through, Sirius sitting up and Remus moving his legs…

“JAMES!” shouted Remus, eager to have something to focus on besides what Sirius had just said. “YOU’RE HOME!”

James was just staring at them, as though somewhat… traumatized by what he’d flooed in on.

Suddenly, there came two more pops in the chimney floo and Dora and Charlus Potter stepped out of the soot. Dora dusted herself off and reached forward to dust off James’s back., muttering about chimney soot getting all over the carpets. “What is that fantastic smell?” Charlus asked, nose twitching toward the kitchen.

“Lamb, mint, and butterbean stew,” Remus replied. “There’s plenty. I’ll go get you lot some.” And he leaped off the couch and rushed out of the room, Sirius staring after.

Dora ushered James over to a chair, “Sit, sit, Jamesie, you need to relax, you’ve been through quite a lot today!” She waved her wand to accio the ottoman and slid it beneath James’s feet before whisking out of the room to go help Remus at fetching dinner.

Charlus went to set the table, “We’ll have dinner like a proper family… Bring those dishes out here, Sirius.”

“Yes sir,” Sirius answered as Charlus disappeared out of the room. He looked at James. James was staring at him with a funny look on his face. Sirius said, “So. How… how was your, uh, your trip?”

“Grand,” answered James dryly.

Sirius nodded slowly.

“Why are you here?” James asked.

Sirius stared at him for a long moment. He thought James’s saltiness was because of their fight and he wondered whether he’d mistaken what he had thought were forgiveness vibes. Perhaps James hadn’t forgiven Sirius after all. Perhaps they were still fighting. Sirius cleared his throat, “It’s… it’s the holidays.”

“This isn’t your home. You don’t belong here.”

Sirius stared. “James, I -- mum and dad invited me and --”

“They aren’t your mum and dad.”

Sirius hesitated. He hadn’t meant to call them his mum and dad in the first place, it had just slipped out that way. He flushed. “I’m… sorry, I guess. I thought…” Sirius paused, “I thought we were okay, you and me. Because of last night?”

James’s face was stoic.

Sirius said, “James, look, I’m really sorry about our fight.”

James stood up. “Of course you are. You’re always sorryfor something, aren’t you? Always sorry for what you’ve done but never pausing before to think before you do it.” He shook his head and walked out of the room.

Sirius stared at the floo. His heart felt like it had taken a quick one-two-punch - one from Moony and one from Prongs - and he he felt sick to his stomach.

“Sirius, buddy,” called Charlus form the other room, “You coming to join us out here or what? Grab your plates.”

He stood up numbly and took the plates up and went out to the table. Charlus was at the head of it and Dora across from him at the opposite end, and on one side were James and Remus, filling the two chairs there so that Sirius could only sit opposite one of them, not next to them. He put Remus’s plate before him and Remus muttered thank you without looking up, his eyes diverted to the table, as Sirius sank into the seat opposite him.

Well, he thought, that’s one way to start off the holiday, I s’pose.




An ocean away, in a small apartment over an alleyway in New York, on a table, stood a briefcase.

And from inside that briefcase came a loud, wailing scream.

It was Lysander Scamander’s girl - Jennifer - who was screaming. Her pregnant belly wide and swollen, contractions nearly a minute long...

Newt Scamander had a sheen of sweat across his brow, his grey-peppered auburn hair flopping over his forehead as he bit his lower lip, concentrating on what he was doing - and trying not to concentrate too hard at exactly the same time. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, his red suspenders Teeny had given him years ago hanging at his hips.

He was playing the midwife to an unexpected delivery.

They were supposed to have several more weeks.

February, the baby was due.

Here it was, end of December.

They just weren’t ready.

He was muttering, staring down at a diagram in a book, shaking his head to flip his hair off his face, his over-sized teeth pressing against his lip and his law shaking as he flipped the book, gloves on his hands. “I d-don’t know that I’m doing - doing this right. Es- es- especially for a muggle woman, oh M-Merlin’s beard. There’s no - no chart for this - no chart -- what if - is it -- Teeny, physiology is the - the same, isn’t it? Is it?” He was trembling as he moved, quickly as possible, waving his wand to set a tub full of warm water. He looked imploringly to his wife.

Tina rushed over with towels and sheets. “It can’t be that much different,” she said. She rushed away to get more supplies.

“I mean I’ve - never - only creatures. Graphorns.”

Dougal huddled at the door looking nervous, hugging the Niffler, who was struggling to get down and go to steal the instruments Tina was bringing over. They were shiny. Dougal clutched the little creature tight ‘til she gave up and hung limply in Dougal’s arms.

Jacob Kowalski, unable to do much else, sat with Jennifer’s head in his lap and as she stopped crying out, he smoothed her hair. “You ain’t gotta be ‘fraid at ‘tall, miss,” Jacob was saying, “You don’t gotta be afraid with these guys.” He looked up as Jennifer let out another loud, long wailing cry. “Ohhh… It really should be one of youse guys down here, I ain’t but a wreck at this,” he said tremulously.

“You’re brilliant Mr. Kowalski,” Tina said distractedly, grabbing at supplies from the cupboard that Newt would need.

“Mercy Lewis. Where the hell is Queenie?” she muttered. Queenie had gone for help with the tiny Bradley, disapparating them both away to the hospital to collect a mediwitch trained in delivery.

Newt was shaking.

“It’s not that much different than the Graphorns,” Tina whispered, coming back to his side.

“Y-yes. Just the same...” Newt stammered, “Except it is qu-quite a lot d-different, really.” He was standing at the end of a table with a woman’s legs spread wide before him, for one, and that was an absolutely most uncomfortable position for him to be in. It was uncomfortable enough with the Graphorn, but at least she was a bit more than an acquaintance to Newt by the time she’d given birth to the tiny Graphorn…

Jennifer screamed as another contraction tore through her and Jacob petted her forehead with a cloth.

There just wasn’t enough time to wait for the mediwitch. The baby was coming. Now.

Newt looked at Tina with wide eyes, full of terror.

Tina reached over and squeezed his hand. “You can do this,” she said firmly.

He turned to Jennifer, then rolled up the sheet that was covering her and he muttered, “So - so sorry…” and ducked down to deliver his grandson.