Chapter Text
Part I: Sirius
16 February, 1976
The Dog crawls into the shrieking shack through a hidden entrance, picking up the Rat with his teeth to help him get over a wood log. The Wolf is already inside, the Dog can hear the screams, and the Stag will join them soon through the main passage.
As soon as Sirius transforms back into himself, he rushes to the floor. Remus has blood on his arms and probably a dislocated shoulder, from what he can tell so far. Nothing serious. He exhales. Peter transforms, too, somewhere behind them, and goes to let James in. It’s their usual practice. Sirius grabs the blanket from the old rusty bed, moving fast to cover Remus. He puts the blanket over him, and takes his face in both hands. “Moony? Can you hear me?” The other guy just tries to smile faintly in response with his eyes still closed, tapping Sirius’ hand with his finger once. A yes. “Okay, good. You’re okay, everyone’s gonna be fine, alright? We have an hour before Pomfry comes here, you transformed earlier today.” It was important for Remus to hear that everything is alright, it was normally the first thing he made sure of, as soon as he could operate properly. And, it was normally the first thing Sirius would say. Today, though, he said it differently.
“Wha– Wait, what do you mean gonna be fine?” Remus croaked, his voice sore after the night, opening his eyes abruptly. He tried to sit up to look around, but Sirius gently pushed him back onto his lap.
He had seconds now. Seconds to decide what he should say. He knew it was important to be as clear as possible at these moments, tell Remus every and single bit. But he didn’t want to, oh how he didn’t want to hurt the boy. He knows James is going to walk in soon, probably with blood, and it will freak Moony out even more. Therefore, he decided to tell it as it is. But do it fast, do not leave a single moment of time for Remus to overthink.
“Moony and Prongs kind of…”, shit, shit, you said fast , what happened to that? “He’s okay, I promise he’s okay, they just bumped in between two trees. I don’t know how that happened, it was kind of funny to be honest, I guess you two just took the turn at the same time and didn’t fit in between two…—”
James walked into the room, hysterical. Though you might not be able to understand what’s going on from the first sight, Sirius knew. James was laughing, laughing so hard he started coughing, and then laughing again, clutching to his stomach with one hand, the other hand pressed against the first one, covering the blood. Sirius released a breath he didn’t know he was holding. On Prongs, the scratch looked not so bad, just around his left elbow. It didn’t have time to heal in the animal form, though, because it happened on their way back. It was good to see that the transformation was okay, and James was hysterical with laughter from the situation.
Apparently, it took Remus longer to figure that out. He looked, afraid, at James, then turned his head at Sirius. “Do something. Sirius! Sirius what happened? Help him!” he started up, but the other boy pushed him back again, slightly laughing too.
“Moony, he’s laughing. It’s okay, you hear me mate, he’s laughing? He’s okay, I promise— Prongs! Come here, you wanker!”
“Hai…I…-I’m ok…–I’m okay, Moony”, James raised his eyes on Remus, coming closer to show his arm, and taking a few moments to breathe, explained, “It… Okay, I know it looks bad, but I promise I’m okay. Pete, would you?..” he glanced at Peter, the smile still on his lips. In response, Peter nodded, and taking out his wand, healed the scratch as much as he could. There was a faint look of a bruise, but it would pass, they knew it from the way Poppy healed Remus’ scratches.
Remus let out a breath. “Okay.” He silently stared at the boy in front of him for a few more seconds. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry James. I know you– you have a game soon, my god I’m sorry I– I didn't mean to I swear I just–”
“Come off it!” James rolled his eyes, stretching Remus’ pile of clothes out to him. The other boy took it silently, still inside of his mind. James visibly restrained himself from rolling his eyes again. “Come on mate, it was funny.”
There was an awkward pause after that, the air filled with emotions that don’t have words for them.
“Who’s up for exploding snap?” Peter smiled stupidly from behind James, waving the stack of cards around. Sirius laughed, standing up to snitch it from him.
Part II: Scorpia
21 February, 1976
Scorpia was utterly convinced that playing Quidditch in the middle of winter is a crime.
And she started to believe it even more as she was making her way up the stands, wrapping her jacket tighter. It was freezing. Scorpia found a place next to Madam Pince, — who looked like she wanted to be anywhere else but here, — and finally settled, eyes roaming around the student stands. It wasn’t exactly hard to find the rest of the Marauders, Peter was standing up on the branches, waving his wand in the air, as different texts appeared over the Gryffindor side of the field. It was constantly changing between slogans.
“ Potter's got the quaffle, Hufflepuff’s in trouble! " and
" James scores again, Hufflepuff feels the pain! ", or
" Black beats back, Hufflepuff under attack! " and
" Sirius is our star, watch him hit that bludger far! "
And the game. Haven’t. Even. Started.
Minerva landed gracefully on the seat next to Scorpia, a scarf wrapped tightly around her body.
“Quite a chilly day, don’t you find?” she smiled, shaking her head. Scorpia nodded politely, sending a brief glance in the woman’s direction, but not leaving her eyes from the field for long. The players of both teams lined up on the field, shaking each other's hands, smiling and nodding. The coach, who was previously introduced to her as Rolanda, walked along the students, checking something off on her list. Everything seemed to be fine, and Scorpia smiled, catching James’ eye. He grinned happily back. What a kid, she thought to herself.
Rolanda blew the whistle, the players shot up in the sky, and the game began.
James got the quaffle as soon as it came up to the air. Barely a second passed before Gryffindor had 10 points on the scoreboard, him flying past Sirius to give a high five. Scorpia’s heart jumped a little on that. The next goal was, surprisingly, made by Mary, who stole the ball from James and sent it through the hoops while looking him in the eye. Devilish, that one. I’ll have to talk to the girls too, probably, they seem to be an important part of it all.
The next hour brought 70-30 in favor of Gryffindor, and Scorpia was ready to go and talk to James' parents and leave.
James’ parents were also quite visible. They were sitting (more often standing than sitting) on the part of the bleachers across from the teachers’ aisle. Fleamont was covered in red and gold paint from head to toe, while Euphimea seemed to make it her task to put all the Gryffindor clothes from her closet on at the same time. They stood up every goal, yelling some more cheers, from time to time waving to Remus on the students’ stands. They seemed nice. Scorpia never missed a chance to notice how proud Felamont is looking at Sirius. Although that might be just because Sirius is right there saving James’ head from a bludger multiple times, Scorpia did not think that was the case.
They looked like they were there for Gryffindor, not for James. They were there for Remus, and Peter, and Sirius, and Lily and Marlene and all the other kids from their group. Their demeanor screamed welcoming , even from such a distance. Oh how ready she was to meet them, and then go to her room. Her lovely, warm and cozy room. Write a letter to Mike. Make hot chocolate. Invite Sirius for a chat. They still haven’t properly addressed his I-Love-Remus situation, and it was visibly bugging him.
Instead, she sat there for another good hour, mostly just following Sirius with her gaze, keeping an eye out on the Potters while trying to find Regulus in the Slytherin crowd.
He wasn’t there, of course. Scorpia would already have seen him.
As predicted at the very beginning of the game, Gryffindor won. The whole school seemed to erupt in a wave of screams and applause, people hugging each other and patting shoulders. Surprisingly, next to her even Minerva was super excited, whispering something to Albus while pointing at the players. Madam Pince’s expression, it’s worth noting, had not changed throughout the whole game even for a second. Barely knowing the woman, Scorpia still could assume she was worried about the books she left with a 7th year Ravenclaw substitute.
Once the people around calmed down, Scorpia made her way down to the pitch. Only parents and close friends were allowed to pass, apparently, although as a teacher she had all the privileges anyway.
As soon as Sirius caught her eye, he sprinted to slam his teenage body into hers. “I love you,” he whispered, grinning into the hug. That was a quick character change. He must be emotional. She smiled, too, and for once felt happy to be here. “Love you too, Siri. Why don’t you let me go, so to not get my robes all stinky, and we go find the Potters?” Scorpia said, pulling away. Her brother let go reluctantly at first, but catching the meaning of her words, beamed up. “Oh yeah, no, we don’t have to look. James is by the locker room with his parents. They needed to talk, but I’m sure they’d be happy to meet you in just a few minutes. We can head to the locker rooms too, if you’d like?”
Did he just compensate for the request to wait a few minutes with being polite at the end? The analyzing part of her brain turned on automatically. Really, what was there to do? Oh love, you know you’re safe here. Probably not worth talking it out right here. Or is it?.. Am I overthinking his trauma? We all have it really, maybe it will pass. Agh.
“Sure love, let’s go,” she chewed on her lip, starting to move along all the players who slowly started to shift in one direction. “Thank you for letting me know, I’m sure James would appreciate you protecting his privacy.” Scorpia smiled. Sirius seemed a tiny bit shocked by her statement, and then a little blush creeped up his cheeks. Cute. Just like Reggie’s. It’s funny how similar they are, I should ask Michael one day if I look the same when I blush?
By the time they got to the lockers, James stormed out with a grin matching his best friend’s. He jumped on Sirius’ shoulders, “Ma-a-ate! We’re going, come on,” he tried to pull him in the castle's direction, but Sirius ignored him, grinning at Fleamont. The man smiled back, patting his shoulder. “Good job boy, loved that flip you did on the 3rd goal,” he praised with a sparkle to his eye. Sirius lit up at the words, like he had enough energy in him to supply the whole London. “Go on now, we’ll unpack it all later, yeah? I’ll see you afterwards, we have some business to do here.” He winked. Sirius chuckled, and nodded, “Yessir. Thank you for being here, we appreciate it.” Euphemia shook her head, “Nonsense, honey. We’re really happy to visit. Come on, run along now, we’ll see you in a while.” She quickly hugged him, parting apart and waving for them to go.
As soon as the boys were out of the earshot, Fleamont turned his head towards Scorpia, smile gone. “Ms.Black.”
It was an effort to not flinch. “Please don’t call me that, sir. My name is Scorpia, it’s nice to meet you,” she stretched her hand out, only offering a tight smile. She would not try to show herself in the “best light” or anything of the kind. She is like she is. She is a Black, and that’s how people will see her, no matter what she does or how she smiles. She knows she is a nice person, and that’s enough. She is not like a Black, but she is one. Might as well not run from it.
The man accepted her hand. “Call me Fleamont,” he then turned to his wife, “Euphemia, love. We said you would take it from here.”
Mrs.Potter shook Scorpia’s hand too, her smile a bright contrast to her husband’s serious face. “How was the match?”. So she’s switching topics? Scorpia noticed Fleamont tense up, as if not approving of Euphimea’s topic choice, but kept silent. She thought of what to reply. Should she be the one to trail back to the topic of Sirius later?
“Oh, it was good. I’m glad they won.” She knew they were expecting a “we won” to slip there. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. Gryffindor is Gryffindor, but for her “we” is Slytherin. She is a Slytherin, and she couldn’t be one without being proud of it. “James did wonderfully, so did Sirius. I was happy to see them enjoy the game.” Scorpia was not going to talk about how freezing it was. Or how boring. Or ask the same questions back. This was all about diplomacy, the choice of words. Tip-toeing around the topic, walking in circles, waiting for the other to strike first.
Scorpia loved it. She was raised for this.
“Yeah, my boys are enjoying their young years.” The woman plastered on another smile.
Oof. That was some nasty manipulation, Scorpia thought, reflecting on the sentence. My “boys”. Funny. It’s not that Sirius was Scorpia’s son, but he was still hers. She then used “their” again, to make me notice the implication. Trust me sweety, I noticed the first time. Scorpia remained silent, but not for a loss of words. Oh yes, she was in full battle-mode now. It’s a manipulation - the best you can do is leave the opponent without a reaction.
Euphimea looked to be uncomfortable. It had worked, then. Well, of course it would work - Scorpia knew what she was doing. “Alright, I hope we all are adults enough to put the play aside and talk. I am setting this clear - I am not who my parents are, and I am not in any way responsible for my parents’ actions. I am not their ambassador, and it is not in my interest to hurt Sirius or Regulus, and never has been.” Yes, she was being the responsible one here, bringing them all to their senses, and getting to the point before they psychologically fight. Not that she would lose, but.
Still, no matter what Scorpia said about putting the play aside - she did not let her guard down. Make the person relax, make them believe the fight is over, and then strike them again. It was what Bellatrix used to do, all the time. Honestly, she could bet both Narcissa and Andromeda had huge trust issues since birth. “Please do not accuse me of leaving the boys at the house. I was not given a choice, and if I could change it, I would not hesitate.” As she said that, an image of Michael came up in her head. Would she change it? Would she ever have to choose between Mike and her brothers? Oh god she hoped not. “Now, I am not going to accuse you either, or make assumptions. If Sirius is happy with you and is taken care of, I will not intervene.” Surely they wouldn’t want him “off their hands”, right? To ever say so would be an unthinkable mistake. “Now that I’m here, I am here to take care of him. Mentioning that, — I would not be leaving Regulus’ side. The boys’ relationship is their own business, but no matter what will happen in the world I am not leaving one of them. If you were to ever require me to stop talking to Regulus in order to talk to Sirius, I would say you have no right to do so, and take away both of them. Is everything clear, so far?”
Before Euphimea could come back to her senses, Fleamont took over, visibly relieved. Had she said something he wanted to hear? “It is. The relationship between you three is purely your business, you are absolutely right about that. We are here to support Sirius through anything and everything that might ever happen to him. I hope you understand where our worries about trusting— trusting you, are coming from. Therefore, the same goes back – if Sirius personally is okay with you being around, and as far as I could see from today, he is, – you are welcome to be in his life. I’m sure we could find a seat for you in our dining room. And, no matter the war picking up - we would be glad to see Regulus too. If not for his resistance, we would have already given him another bedroom. I cannot imagine what happens at your house, and please don’t consider it rude, I hope we both understand that such treatment is not acceptable with children. We are here to offer a roof for Regulus should he need it, as long as it is his choice to reject the current lifestyle. Would you be willing to explain how exactly did your leave happen? I have a feeling Sirius didn’t fully understand the situation himself when he tried to explain.”
Scorpia considered this for a second. Regulus would not end up living in the Potter’s house, she knew as much. Now that she was here, there were more different, better, ways to keep him safe and alive, without forcing guilt into his everyday range of emotions. Not that she’s sure it isn’t there anyways.
Now, what should Scorpia reveal about her leave? There was no secret or mystery, clearly, but it was a family topic, and all family topics needed much more attention from her brain before speaking aloud. “I appreciate the offer, but I can promise you to keep Regulus safe, now that I’m here. As to my absence for most of their lives - I assure you, there is nothing that could have been done. It was an order from Walburga, as soon as Sirius got his acceptance letter while Regulus was also coming to the age, and she was sure she could make someone out of them. I clearly became not needed, and although she could have married me off to someone - I was 17, by that point both Bellatrix and Andromeda were engaged, she decided to get rid of me altogether. Not that…” she was about to say Not that I mind, though , but stopped herself on time. Yes, she’s happy she gets to have Mike without being arranged with some posh guy(Mike could be posh alright, but he was hers ), but she can’t say that in front of the Potters. They don’t have to know about her love, and otherwise they would just be confused as to why she was not sorry about leaving her brothers. She got her thoughts together before continuing, totally ignoring the pitiful look from Mrs. Potter, probably brought on by the topic of arranged marriages. “Anyhow, I was sent to learn Dark Arts in France for, what was it, around five years…” she trailed off.
We've got five years, what a surprise
Five years, stuck on my eyes
We've got five years, my brain hurts a lot
Five years, that's all we've got
The old David Bowie song was now stuck in her head. Great.
Although, the lyrics fit, so she didn’t mind the music in her brain much.
Euphimea finally spoke. “That’s horrible, sweetie, but we’re glad to see you back. Thank you a lot for your time and explanation, I do feel much better about Sirius being here now that I’ve met you,” she smiled politely. Dang that woman is a piece of manipulation. I wonder if she knows what she’s doing or was just raised that way. Although no, James doesn’t have a single drop of manipulation in his existence, so she definitely turns like this with some people only. Smart. Cool. But not something you should do if you want me to trust you, Effie. No, honestly, who even calls a random person, your son’s teacher, “sweetie”? She’s like 20 years older than me? I certainly don’t behave like it, for what I know.
Scorpia took a deep breath before responding. “While I appreciate your concern about my brother, I am still terribly convinced it is my duty to check with you . Therefore, I am okay with Sirius living with James as long as he’s welcome there. I would appreciate you losing the attitude, too. I am an adult just as you are, and I am capable of making decisions. I might not be a full part of the family, but I am still a Black, and with my connections I can have Sirius out and under my custody in a matter of seconds. I am not by any means threatening you, but I want you to respect me as much as I know you can respect others.”
Everyone seemed to fall silent. They were walking in circles around the pitch for some time now, and the stands were almost empty, all parents hurried off to Hogsmeade with their kids.
Scorpia saw the shift in Mrs. Potter, as she curled into herself, presumably rethinking her words or, hopefully, even regretting what she said. Although Fleamont intervened before the women could fight each other. “We understand, and I am regretful of how this conversation went. Anyhow, I am happy to hear you trust us with your brothers’ wellbeing, and hope to have you for dinner one day. I apologize again, we must follow our sons to Hogsmeade now before James buys a new broom, wish you all the best.”
With that, Mr.Potter politely nodded and dragged his wife away off the pitch. They walked away. They walked. Away. Scorpia was way too tired to dig through their intentions and the meaning of his overt politeness. Or how “our sons” came out in plural in Fleamont’s speech. He just… urgently retrieved .
No matter how Euphemia behaved, Scorpia knew her brother was safe in the woman’s arms. And that, that was what mattered. The only weird thing was that they didn’t know about her. Yes, sure, the Potters were not in the Sacred 28 anymore, but surely they would know of her during the 17 years of her existence in London? And later, it’s not like she got disowned, she’s still part of the family. Right?
Wondering about her parents’ reaction to her walking back in their house, she slowly made her way to the castle. Everyone was in Hogsmeade to celebrate the win, but there was no reason for her to join them.
Sitting down at her desk, she kept and kept thinking. How was it that her mom still didn’t know that Scorpia is back in England, although it has been weeks? She could believe that no one from France could snitch, they wouldn’t. But if Regulus was right about people “keeping an eye on him”, surely they would report such a thing as some “Ms.Black” in the school? Or was her mom aware, but waiting for Scorpia to show up herself? Now that’s just scary.
Not many papers got graded that day. She thought about Walburga and Orion some more, her mind from time to time wandering to Andromeda or Cissy.
Or Michael.