A Season of Change

Chapter 3

Blinking, Remus looked around the empty kitchen. "Are we late?" he asked in confusion. Sirius glanced around the entry into the living room. Silence.

"Are you sure you didn´t misinterpret Arthur´s invitation, Moony?

Remus shook his head bemusedly. "No," he said slowly, "Arthur said six o´clock. I wonder where everyone is." Consulting the Weasley wall clock, the hands clearly read quarter to seven and every single Wesley family member was "home."

"Well, shall we search the yard then?"

The two moved cautiously to the back door, feeling a bit awkward in their trespassing. "What do you suppose?" Remus stopped suddenly. "Oh my god, Padfoot!"

Jumping out from being the oak tree was the whole Weasley clan plus Harry, Hermione, Penelope, and Angelina. "Surprise!" everyone cried.

The blinking naked cherubs swung happily in the tree, casting a blue and pink glow on the ground. Propped up in the left corner of the yard were several moving pictures of cooing infants, screaming toddlers, small children with chocolate smeared all over their faces, and one lone image of an angelic looking child fast asleep. The Weasley boys had summoned two rocking chairs from the front room and waved the two men over to their places of honor.

Sirius laughed delightedly as Harry rushed forward and wrapped him in a big embrace. Somewhere in the back of his mind he registered the sound of exploding Weasleys´ Wizard Wheezes fireworks. He patted Harry´s back heartily and caught Remus´ twinkle as the other man was practically lifted off the ground by the very enthusiastic Charlie Weasley.

"Harry! Let me get in--oomph!" Ginny stumbled backwards as Harry swung around. Sirius watched the two of them partake in this little dance and a dawning comprehension hit him. Harry pushed his hand awkwardly onto Ginny´s back, trying to regain both their balance.

"Congratulations, Sirius," he cried, straightening his glasses. Ginny moved forward and planted a kiss on the older man´s cheek.

"This is such wonderful news. When we heard from Hermione this morning, we were absolutely astounded! You never let on that you were going to become parents. Shame on you for keeping us in the dark," she scolded him in jest.

Straightening his robes, Sirius winked at Harry before turning to Ginny. "Well," he said mischievously, "we didn´t want to give young Mr. Potter over here any ideas."

Harry cuffed him on the arm good naturedly as Ginny turned pink. "Sirius, you really don´t know what it´s like to be awoken by Hermione at five in the morning. For the love of Merlin, she took about ten years off of my life apparating there like that."

Ginny giggled and squeezed Harry´s hand. Sirius could see the affection in her eyes as she looked at the handsome wild haired man standing next to her. He wondered vaguely if they were planning on getting married anytime soon. James´ son had matured into a wonderful young man, his green eyes brilliant as ever. It was the kindness and integrity, however, etched into Harry´s features that compelled people to stand by his side and offer up their trust and support. His spirit and resolve had been tested so often in the not so distant past that Sirius was humbly proud to be called the boy´s godfather. Harry is, forever, the first son in my heart, he reflected.

"Sirius?"

He looked deeply into Harry´s puzzled eyes and thought that he saw in there a deep rooted pride directed at his godfather. "I´m fine," he said huskily.

Harry frowned and shifted uncomfortably. "You know, Sirius, I always figured that at some point you and Remus would want to have a family of your own--and I--I just want to let you know that I´d be honored to be considered an older brother to this child--that is, if you would want me to... be that is... you know..." he finished awkwardly.

Gruffly, Sirius embraced his godson. "Harry, you are the salt of the earth. I know that´s something that Remus is more likely to say, but in my heart you have, and always will be, a son to me. I suppose I never tell you this often enough, and I know circumstances being as they are I don´t often get the chance to be with you--but, Harry, I am so proud of you. And Ginny," Ginny looked up at the two men, her eyes bright. "You are such a lovely young woman. Watch out, he´s crazy, this one. He´ll need all the womanly advice you can heap on him. Don´t you agree, son?"

Ginny´s laugh twinkled in the air. Harry pulled her firmly against the warmth of his side and flushed with pleasure at the term of endearment. "Don´t worry about me, you overgrown pup. Just remember, it´s retribution time and I´ll come collecting soon."

Molly bustled over to the two black-haired men and her flame-haired daughter. Dressed in soft rose colored robes, she smelled delightfully of cinnamon and chocolate. Her eyes crinkled in pleasure as she pulled Sirius into a motherly hug and patted his cheek softly. She moved her eyes appraisingly over the soon-to-be father.

"Do I meet with your approval?" Sirius smiled warmly, a hint of amusement lacing his words. Molly looked up with fondness at the man who was the protector of a boy she considered to be a son. She knew in her heart that he tried his best to be with Harry whenever possible. It was the cruel machinations of fate preventing the two from bonding for years. Sirius was not untrustworthy, nor was he as irresponsible as he sometimes made himself out to be. She realized that his fun-loving nature and newly acquired casual attitude on life belied a carefully concealed fear that this pleasant time, too, should pass.

She understood him as a mother knew her own child.

"Sirius, dear," she leaned on tip-toe to plant a kiss on his cheek. "Arthur and I are beside ourselves with joy. How did you ever think to keep this from us? When we heard from Hermione that you two received your clearances I jumped on poor Arthur for keeping this from me."

"Mum," Ginny nudged her mother. "I´ve already scolded him."

"Yes, dear, I know, but really, good boy--you should have told us! Raising a child takes so much patience and knowledge, and you and Remus are powerful wizards, but what do either of you know about wizard childrearing?" She stood there with her plump soft, work-worn hands on her hips, indignation clearly written on her face. "Of course, I then realized that perhaps you didn´t want any interference--I seem to remember cockiness and self-assurance being two of the more noticeable Marauder traits..."

"Believe me, Molly," Sirius interjected wryly. "Remus has managed to slowly whittle away any remaining cockiness I reserved from my, erm, more indiscreet days. Besides," he continued in a more somber tone. "Remus was concerned that the Ministry and the IWPA wouldn´t allow him to raise a child. He didn´t want to raise any false hopes. As it is, Molly, it took several conferences and numerous recommendations before they would even consider our petition. They still have serious reservations about a werewolf´s ability to control his primal urges during the full moon and have only just conceded because of Remus´ track record and the advancement of the Wolfsbane." He paused momentarily before continuing in a bitter tone. "I have a feeling though that the only reason they are permitting this to take place is because the Minister of Magic feels the need to make reparations for my imprisonment, not because they feel Remus is a human being."

Shock registered on Molly and Ginny´s faces. He knew his own eyes mirrored the anger he saw in Harry´s.

Shrugging lightly, he leaned forward and whispered, "Please don´t say a word of this to Remus. You three know how vulnerable he is underneath his calm veneer."

Molly nodded briskly, her eyes bright with tears of indignation. She and Arthur had left Hogwarts before Sirius and Remus´ first year, but she remembered the pain shadowed eyes of the quietest of the four mischief-makers during a visit with the Blacks. Moving away, she patted Sirius´ arm and glanced over at Remus, who was nodding with interest at a Muggle invention Arthur held out.

"Arthur," she scolded, walking quickly across the lawn to her husband who was in the process of trying to mute the static coming from the little white box with his wand. "What would the Department say if they knew you had this? Where did you pick it up? You certainly didn´t charm it, did you, because you know how much trouble you were in after that unfortunate television incident..."

Penelope moved to the table and curiously touched the little box. "It´s a baby monitor, Molly. This is the base unit and Muggle parents typically put this is the nursery. You see," she fiddled with the knobs, turning off the ear-piercing static. "This picks up any noises the baby makes and transmits it through radio frequencies to these individual units parents place around the house. It allows them to monitor the baby´s activities."

Arthur´s eyes brightened. "Ingenious!" Handing the unit over to Remus, he shuffled his feet under Molly´s penetrating look. "Well, some bloke over in Leeds put a spell on these to make them pick up sounds from his neighbors--spying tactics, I suppose. We confiscated them last week, and I remembered them just this afternoon."

Sirius, Harry and Ginny watched as Molly grabbed the little box from Remus´ hands. They couldn´t make out the words, but Ginny understood the gist of the exchange.

"Dad´s trying to give you a Muggle artifact and Mum´s having a fit."

Harry frowned up at his godfather, unwilling to the let the issue rest. "Sirius," he began, but Sirius cut him off.

"Let´s just enjoy tonight, Harry. After all, we are going to be fathers, and--and--well, just sod the Ministry!" Harry knew his godfather was furious both for himself and for Remus, but he also knew that this problem had certainly been hashed out plenty of times over at the Lupin-Black household.

Ginny caught Harry´s hand and pulled him over to empty seats next to Ron and Hermione. She turned and Sirius winked, flashing a look of gratitude her way.

"Oi, Sirius! Are you planning on joining the festivities anytime soon?"

Sirius ducked as a firework whizzed over his head. The whole clan had moved over to the picnic tables groaning under the weight of Molly´s delicious cooking. Remus moved silently to stand next to him and chuckled softly. Sirius cocked his head and a grin broke over his face as he heard what his lover whispered.

"...And we thought we could avoid the influences of Fred and George..."

**********

Angelina batted away Fred´s hand. "This is a gift from me," she said dryly. "I think I managed to keep this safe from these two."

Sirius chomped inquisitively on a handful of Bernie Botts Every Flavor Beans, his prize for winning the game of "Fastest Most Effective Cleaning Charms--Who Can Clean the Chocolate off the Baby." Grinning, he opened his mouth at Moony. Remus was still a bit sore at him for beating him at every single game.

"Those images aren´t real, you know, in real life you´re going to have to use more than a simple third year cleaning charm," Remus had grumbled after losing yet another round to Sirius.

"Keep saying that if it will make you feel better," Sirius had responded cheekily.

Remus took the gift from Angelina and shook it like a little kid at Christmas. He sat cross-legged in a mound of discarded wrapping paper and bows that refused to be untied and had to be hexed off the packages.

Ginny was laughing through her tears of mirth. "I guess I went a bit overboard with the tying charm."

Sirius grinned lopsidedly at his Moony, a blue bow affixed to his black curls. He was surrounded by piles of gifts. There were enchanted nappies that were guaranteed to never leak, bottles with built in heating charms, a mobile with little flying Chudley Cannon Quidditch players, and assorted children´s educational toys that were charmed to change colors for "continual learning development for the healthy mental advancement of the pre-toddler wizard or witch" according to Hermione.

Remus held up Angelina´s gift to the group.

"Ah ha..." exclaimed Molly. "I remember that manual. Best seller in Flourish and Botts for two years running. A Daddy´s Guide to Handling Tantrums--How to Tame Even the Most Rambunctious Wizard or Witch. Very useful. You´ll find that there are a lot of useful charms in there," she said sagely, pointedly looking at her twins.

"Who me?" Fred protested.

Sirius took the book from Remus and placed it on top of the various other "learning" manuals. "Thanks, Angelina. I suppose you would be an expert on this topic."

Percy leaned over and started to hand a large gift to Sirius. Frowning, he sniffed the air suspiciously. "What´s that smell?" his nose wrinkled under his glasses. "Fred, George, what did you do now?"

Both boys raised their hands in protest. "Nothing, I swear! Ask him!"

"Ew..." Hermione grimaced and stood quickly. Suddenly a burst of noxious odor filled the air. "It smells like--like--" she sniffed once and then yanked her blouse over her nose. "It smells like the time Harry and Ron let off the dungbomb in Snape´s classroom!"

Soon, all the Weasleys were running away to various corners of the yard. Remus jumped to his feet and pointed at Sirius who continued to sit there, his face burrowed in his knees, the evidence steaming at his side.

"Padfoot!" he choked. He covered his nose with his sleeve. "You set such a bad example," he laughed, the sound muffled. He stared at Sirius whose shoulders shook uncontrollably. He wanted desperately to be angry at the situation but couldn´t get over the hilarity of Fred and George scampering away. "What will Molly and Arthur think?"

Sirius finally managed to look up at Remus and in a fit of coughing, said, "I forgot those were in there. I must have triggered them when I was leaning over to get the present from Percy. Ah, the Marauders strike again. Good times, good times."

Remus waved his wand at the offending mess and said the appropriate spell to get rid of the lingering fumes. "All is clear," he called, wagging his eyebrows at Sirius as the other man continued to laugh, his lack of remorse obvious. Slowly the party emerged from the bushes and trees surrounding the garden.

Bill jogged up first. "That was bloody wicked, Sirius! Did you see those two run?"

"Honestly, you two! And you are going to call yourselves fathers in two days!" Hermione scolded them affectionately, Ron holding her hand, an impressed grin plastered on his face. She kissed him on his freckled cheek and guided them back to their spot on the grass.

Harry, Ginny and Charlie came from around the side of the house, all three sniffing the air apprehensively. Charlie´s gift, an actual fire-breathing replica of a Hungarian Horntail chose, at that precise moment, to belch up a miniature fireball.

"Argh!" yelped Sirius, barely dodging the flame. Remus glanced down in concern. Smiling, he ruffled his mate´s hair and planted a quick kiss on the top of his head, a bit wary about being too affectionate in public. His eyes caught the bright brown ones of Ginny and she smiled in understanding as she tucked her hand in Harry´s.

A warm glow spilled out of the back door as Molly and Penelope came forward bearing a glorious chocolate cake. Arthur patted the two fathers-to-be on their backs. "Shall we?"

Standing, everyone gathered around the table once again. Remus and Sirius read the writing on the cake "Welcome New Marauder" and smiled in unison at the beaming family encircling them with love. If there was anything that could boost their wavering self-confidence, the Weasley family offered it in the form of their unanimous support. Arthur, Bill and Percy were already fathers, and sympathetic understanding radiated from them in droves.

"We cannot thank you enough," Remus looked at each one in turn. "This truly means the world to us." He wrapped his arm around Sirius and gave his mate a small squeeze.

"Always," Molly said. "We consider you both to be honorary family members."

"Here here!" cried the twins as they began to pour glasses of butterbeer all around. "To the proud new daddies! May your children look to us as role models and continue the fine Marauder legacy." Molly cuffed the twins on the backs of their heads affectionately.

Bill moved forward and put an arm around each man. "Nervous, eh?" The handsome young man pushed his chest out proudly. "When Emily was first placed in my arms I thought I was going to be sick. But when she opened those bright little eyes and her tiny hand grabbed my thumb I was lost." He grinned lopsidedly. "I´ve never been the same since. God, I´d walk through fire for her."

Remus looked up, startled. He shared a warm intimate glance with his lover, blue eyes linking with golden ones, the energy between the two men almost tangible in its intensity. In that moment, due to the brilliancy of Bill Weasley´s words, Remus knew instantaneously that they would be fine. His heart yearned to pour out his love and all the emotions associated with his devotion onto the small, fragile human being that would gaze up at him fearlessly and without judgment. How often did he worry about his lycanthropy and the possible effects it would have on his ability to raise a child? His anguish at the possibility of inflicting harm on a defenseless being tore away at his heart, causing him to sometimes cry out in distress. Sirius, his bold, brave Sirius would try to shake him out of his misery and confront the golden-eyed man writhing in self-depreciation. Now, however, he finally understood the truth of the matter and found it delightfully refreshing to realize that he couldn´t allow his fears to control his actions. For once in his life, people would be depending upon him, Remus Lupin, kind-hearted, misunderstood beast, for guidance, nurturing, support, and love. How he desperately yearned for a family.

"Moony?" Sirius´ low voice shook him out of his reverie. Remus squeezed his hand comfortingly and ran his thumb up and down Sirius´ palm. Sirius shivered in pleasure and squeezed back.

"The next Marauder?" Harry chuckled. "I suppose we should all be on our guard now. He´s going to learn all of the tricks directly from the manufacturers."

"He?" Ginny bopped Harry aside the head. She shook her red curls and slowly licked the chocolate frosting off her fork tines. "I think we have a fair representation of men around here. The women are sorely outnumbered!"

"Hey! Watch it there," Harry cried in mock horror as Ginny poked him with her fork. "It´s just that I never considered the idea that they would adopt anything other than a wizard. I mean, really Gin, what do they know about girls?"

Ginny crossed her arms and appealed to Hermione with a look that clearly read Men are so stupid! Hermione gracefully rose to the occasion and moved to stand next to Ginny. Ron watched this nonverbal exchange in amusement and stood next to Harry to offer his support even though in his heart he thought a little girl might be a lovely possibility.

Sirius shrugged slightly and said casually, "Well, actually, Remus and I have discussed this issue at length and, well, we have decided that either one would be welcome. After all," he stole a glance at Angelina who was feeding bits of cake to Fred much to George´s disgust, "a certain family member was one of the best Gryffindor Chasers in recent Hogwarts history and happened to be a girl... So I suppose if we stipulate to the IWPA that we are requesting a witch with a flying pedigree we might fare better--Hermione! I am joking," he added hastily as she drew her brows together.

Remus patted Hermione on the shoulder and rolled his eyes at Sirius´ teasing. "We´ll just wait and see what happens on Saturday," he smiled. Turning, he saw Molly and Arthur conversing at the table with Charlie and Bill. "Perhaps we might convince your brothers to help transport these gifts to our home? We really should be going. After all," his eyes brightened. "We only have one day left before we leave, and we still haven´t erected the Infant Wizard protection charms and the cradle..." His voice trailed off as he moved towards Molly and Arthur.

Sirius laughed aloud at the absurdity of Remus´ obsession. He knew deep down his mate was the more sensible of the two, but Remus´ little neurotic tendencies only endeared him further in the eyes of his wild lover. "Never mind Moony," he called over his shoulder in reply to Harry´s questioning glance.

**********

Later that evening, Remus propped himself up on one elbow and took in his sleeping mate. He was too excited to sleep, his emotions churning frantically inside him, his heart pounding. He had lit the tall pillar candles on the bedside table before they had lain down, and the gentle breeze flittering through the slightly raised window pane caused the luminescent light to flicker slightly. Cool air dusted his cheeks and brought with it whispered fragments of memories of autumns past. Sirius murmured in his sleep and rolled slightly to his side, pulling the sheet with him. Remus smiled slightly at this action and tugged gently in opposition. Realizing this was futile, he got up from the bed and moved to sit in the armchair next to the window.

He curled his long slender legs up under him and reached out with his hand. The old Weasley cradle stood next to the chair. Sirius had debated whether or not to put it in their bedroom, but Remus had insisted. He remembered too many lonely nights as a child when he felt small and alone, when his whispered pleas went unheard. "Just for awhile," he had coaxed. Sirius had relented, and gazing upon the cradle, Remus thought that it fit perfectly with its surroundings.

The second bedroom in the house was directly across the hall. He had instructed the Weasleys to put all the gifts and baby items on loan in the room, and he smiled inwardly at the realization that he had resisted the strong urge to organize everything. Sirius would have killed me if I had dared raise my wand.

A soft pale yellow, he mused, running over color combinations in his mind. Or perhaps light celery green with a cream border and soft yellow muslin curtains. He was adamant that Sirius not hang up the Quidditch wallpaper he had picked up in Diagon Alley in an optimistic moment last month. He smiled ruefully as he remembered how furious he had been at his mate for presupposing the decision of the Ministry and the hurt yet defiant look that flew to Sirius´ face before he launched into another tirade about Remus´ pessimism in regards to the issue.

Sirius reached out in his sleep for Moony´s warm body and woke in displeasure at the vacancy. Remus´ spot was still warm, his scent lingering on the pillows and sheets. "Mmm..." He burrowed his nose in the soft down pillow, inhaling deeply, desperately trying to soak up every trace of his lover. I could never get enough of his smell...

"Moony?" he whispered raising his head slightly, his eyes squinting in the dim light.

Remus started. "I´m over here, Padfoot." He gave the cradle another gentle rock. If he closed his eyes he could envision the soft, warm blankets bundling their child as the little eyes buttoned themselves in sleep.

"Moony, come back..."

Remus unfolded his legs and stretched languidly. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes gently, finally feeling weary. He climbed into bed, and folded his Padfoot in a warm embrace. His legs entwined with the long muscular legs of his lover, and Sirius pushed his hips back so that their two bodied molded into one.

"Pajamas, Moony?"

Laughing softly, Remus reached down and clumsily worked to kick off his pants. "Padfoot," he grinned. "You have to release my leg if you want me to get these things off." Sirius acquiesced grumpily. "Mmm..." Remus whispered. "Your skin feels so nice, Paddy..."

Sirius turned his head and two alert eyes met the golden ones peering down at him. "Shall we practice the silencing charm again, love?" he suggested, more than a hint of hope gracing his words.

Remus let out a muffled laugh deep in his lover´s neck. Grabbing his wand from the table, he leaned over and blew out the lights.