Our Little One

.~*~.Our little one.~*~.

Chapter Eleven

Proposals and Apologies

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This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

This chapter is partly flashbacks.

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"Hey, Dad!" Harry's head called from the flames. The tall man turned towards the fireplace.

"Yes, Harry?" he asked his godson and adopted son.

"We can't contact Remus and Lucius," the young Seeker said, frowning. "They're usually together in their sitting room this time of night. Now neither of them is answering!"

"That's not a surprise," Sirius said, choosing his next words carefully. "They... had a fight, and sent Olivia over here. Lucius called us some time ago, telling us that he and Remus are not talking at the moment."

"Oh." Harry paled seemingly. "I suppose it's not the best time for our news, then."

"It depends," Sirius said with a shrug. "What kind of news is it?"

"Well..." Harry flashed him a grin. "I asked Draco a particular question, and he answered, 'Yes.' So we're both quite happy at the moment."

"Congratulations, son!" Sirius laughed. "And you're right," he said face falling. "I think it might be best not to tell them until they've sorted out their own feelings. That might take some time, though we all know that they're both bad at apologizing and good at sulking."

"All too well," Harry said dryly. Then his eyes lit up again. "We're going to have a summer wedding," he told. "The beginning, though, not near autumn like Lucius and Remus' wedding was. I still have a bit of problem, though--should I ask Bill, Charlie, or Percy for my best man?"

"I'd say Charlie," Sirius suggested. "He's not that much older than you, and as I recall, you always got along with him better than with either of the others." Then he looked at Harry curious. "Who's Draco going to have as his best man?" he asked.

"Well, it was hard," Harry said, "with most of the wizards we know being our fathers or stepfathers. But in the end, he decided on Malcolm."

"Malcolm?" Sirius echoed. "Not Malcolm, Severus's nephew? The most antisocial walking disaster that has ever frightened old ladies?"

"Yes, that Malcolm," Harry laughed. "And he's not quite that bad, you know. Hell, he's way better than Severus was before!"

"Watch out," Sirius grinned. "You're talking about your adopted other father there."

"Exactly," Severus said from next to him. "If you don't, be ware, I might just repay you for those numerous 'greasy gits' from your school years." Then, he became curious. "Now, Harry," he said, "tell us, in detail and clearly, all about how you asked him."

~*~

Olivia rolled around in her bed, unable to get to sleep. She couldn't feel quite comfortable in the guest room she'd been given, no matter how much she tried to calm down.

There was a bit of a sad feeling in the room, had been ever since she'd first entered it. She couldn't quite grasp on it, but it was tugging at her in the back of her mind, distracting her thoughts.

She sighed and hugged her new toy animal, a huge white tiger with blue eyes. It was almost four feet long even without the tail. The tail and body combined made it almost six feet long and therefore the biggest of all her stuffed animals by far.

The tiger's name was Albus. Harry had named him when he'd given her the plushie.

***

4th of January, 2004

*

"This is for you," Harry smiled, handing her a big, stuffed tiger. "I found it in a toy shop and thought you'd like it."

"Oh!" Olivia exclaimed, hugging the huge plushie. "He's so cute! Thank you, Harry!" She took a careful look at her new "friend." It was white and black, striped just like any real tiger, and its warm blue eyes seemed to be twinkling at her.

"I thought you'd like him," the young wizard grinned. "His name is Albus, by the way."

"Albus?" Olivia echoed. "I think I've heard that one. Does it mean something?"

"Well, in general, it means white," Harry said with a grin, "which is probably very appropriate, considering his appearance. Specificly, it could also mean Albus Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"A tiger?" Draco asked, glancing at Harry wonderingly. "I would have picked a lion."

"Well, I thought about a lion at first," Harry admitted. "But then I remembered him telling that his Animagus form would be a white tiger, not a lion. So, I picked a tiger." Then he grinned. "Besides, tigers are far bigger and stronger than lions," he said. "And in a lion pack, the hunting is done by the females. Could you image Dumbledore just laying on his place and waiting?"

"Well, if you put it that way..." Draco shook his head. "No. Absolutely not."

***

She smiled slightly. After that she'd heard many stories about Albus Dumbledore from Harry, as well as an extreamly entertaining story about Arberoth Dumbledore and the infamous goat - although Remus had unfortunately come in just as Draco had been getting to the "good part" of the story, as he liked to call it.

It had been a lot of fun, listening to them. Draco really was a good storyteller, and Harry wasn't a bad one either. She still remembered most of the stories, as well as the happy, warm feeling they'd given her.

The warm feeling covered the sad one without her noticing. Soon, she no longer sensed the sadness in the room anymore. With a one last hug of the tiger, she drifted happily into a light slumber.

She didn't wake up as an hour later the door of the room was opened. A person came inside, watching her for a moment.

Sirius then left again, closing the door behind him.

~*~

"How was she?" Severus asked Sirius as he entered their bedroom.

"She was already asleep," Sirius replied, shrugging. "And quite peacefully from what I saw."

"No sudden startles or sounds?" Severus demanded. "No mumbling in sleep? Were her eyes open at any change?"

"No to all questions," Sirius replied with a roll of his eyes. "She was sleeping completely normally. Calm down, Severus. You said yourself her talents are blocked."

"But those angels are powerful channels of visions," Severus muttered. "If not those particular memories, they might make her able to See something else." He started unbuttoning his robe and asked, "Was there any... special emotion in the room? Did you feel particularly sad, or happy, or anything? Could it be possible that there were visions in the air?"

Sirius sighed. "You're the Seer here, not me," he reminded his husband. "Believe me, Severus dear, I wouldn't know a vision even if one stood naked in front of me and waved a sign. Those feelings don't affect me. If you want to know, you have to go there yourself."

"And that you'd like, wouldn't you?" Severus asked dryly. "Trying to sleep when I'd be tossing around in the bed and most probably screaming? Knowing that you couldn't wake me up until the visions had ended and you just had to bear with me?"

"Then don't ask something I'm unable to answer," Sirius replied. He started stripping off his clothes as well.

He was just removing his trousers as Severus finished undressing himself. Sirius stopped, looking up and down his husband's bare body.

Severus was standing his back to Sirius. The pale skin was crossed by several scars. Tortures, fights, explosions in the laboratory--many things had left their marks on the Potions Master. There weren't even half as many scars on his skin as Remus had once had, and a lot less than the werewolf still had from all his transformations. There were still many. Too many, by Sirius's mind. Even one scar was too much, if it was on his beloved husband's skin.

One scar distracted him particularly much. It wasn't the largest one, or the worst injury. In fact, it was one of the smallest, and the oldest one.

What distracted him about it was the way it had been created.

It had come of a wound caused by a Bludger as ten wild Bludgers had been let free to the Slytherin Common Room in their second year. The suspected, although never proved, guilties to this malicious prank had been three Gryffindors. Three, since Remus never took part in anything that might hurt anyone.

They hadn't been truly malicious, or willing to hurt anyone badly enough to cause scars. They hated Slytherins, true, but didn't want them dead. They'd only been young and thoughtless, and couldn't have foreseen the consequences of their prank - seven Slytherins spent three days in the Infirmary. The worst case had been seven broken ribs, a dislocated arm, and concussions.

Needless to say, Remus had been mad at them, despite his usually calm character. The Marauders had kept a pretty low profile for long time after that.

Severus hadn't been the only one who had got scars that night, true. He was in fact one of the least wounded of those Slytherins who'd been unfortunate enough to be in the Common Room as the Marauders had pulled their ill-fated prank. Severus was, however, the only victim Sirius was married to.

That was the only time he had ever really hurt Severus, other than the obvious mental trauma caused to him when Sirius had led him to the Shrieking Shack at the night of the full moon on their sixth year.

Severus seemed to notice his eyes on his back. "What it is?" the Slytherin asked, glancing at him over his shoulder. He quirked one black, elegant eyebrow. "Is something wrong with me?"

"Not with you," Sirius said hoarsely, throwing his trousers aside at last. "Severus... I am sorry. For everything."

"You say that every time you see that scar," Severus sighed, crossing the room to the bathroom door. "I'm certain by now that you are indeed sorry. You don't have to tell it to me on a daily basis."

"I'm still sorry," Sirius said, following close to him.

Severus rolled his eyes towards the ceiling as they entered the bathroom together. "What can I do to make you stop apologizing for it?"

"Forgive me?" Sirius suggested innocently.

Severus gave him a half-surprised glare. "I thought I'd done that already," he said. "I can't possibly have survived eleven years married to you without forgiving you for that, right?"

"No, you never said that," Sirius said. He stayed close to his husband as Severus switched on the shower.

"Well, I forgive you," Severus said, smiling a bit. "I've forgiven you for worse. I can do it again, if that will shut you up."

Sirius smiled. "Thank you." He wrapped his arms around Severus, enjoying the feeling of warm water falling over them both.

Without hesitating a single moment, Severus returned the embrace.

After that, things got only better.

~*~

It was past midnight already. Sirius lay on the bed, awake despite the late hour. He'd pulled the covers halfway up his chest, the rest of his body bare. Severus had laid his head on the Gryffindor's chest, sound asleep.

Sirius sank his left hand into the black tresses, combing them with his fingers. What Severus had said distracted his mind. About apologizing, and forgiving. How he'd forgiven Sirius for much more.

Severus was right, he knew that. He'd already forgiven Sirius for so much... So much more than he deserved to be forgiven for.

***

4th of April, 1976

*

"Severus..."

"Don't talk to me," came the brief, snappish reply. "I don't want to talk with you. What you did was unforgivable!"

"I can't see what was so horrible about it," Sirius muttered sulkily. "No one got hurt, right? So what's wrong with you all? Remus and Peter ignore me, James yells at me, and now you're behaving crazily as well! Okay, so I maybe frightened you lot, but--"

"What happened isn't half as important as what could have happened," Severus snarled, interrupting him. His back remained turned to Sirius. "You could have got me, or Potter, or us both killed! And then Lupin would have been thrown to Azkaban or executed, and you'd have two friends and a boyfriend less!"

Sirius paled a bit. Despite all James's furious rants, he hadn't realized the potential dangers until now. "Oh," he said quietly. Then, gaining back some of his usual self, he continued, "But--surely they wouldn't have punished Remus! It wasn't him, not really!"

"So you think Ministry officials would let that stop them getting rid of yet another 'beast,' like they call your friend and his kind?" Severus asked bitterly.

Sirius opened his mouth to speak, but closed it again. He knew that Severus was right.

"At least you have the decency to feel ashamed," the Slytherin snapped. "Why did you do it, anyway? Trying to kill me after all, eh?"

Sirius shook his head slowly. "No, I'm not," he said quietly. "I just--oh, for the love of Godric, Severus, I don't know! I just didn't think, that's all! I guess I wanted to tell you about Remus, but didn't know how."

"Normal people would have just said it," his boyfriend said condescendingly. "As in words. Speaking, sounds familiar, Sirius? The voices you do with your mouth? Blah-blah-blah and the like?"

"Okay, okay, enough of it already! I take it! I apologize! I was stupid, alright. I almost got you hurt, right. But nothing happened after all, so why the fuck you can't forgive me already? Any of you?"

"Have you apologized?" Severus suggested offhandedly. "I know that you've just said that for the first time to me. Have you even tried to tell them you're sorry? To Pettigrew? Potter? Lupin?"

"No, I haven't," Sirius said, blushing in shame. He was only beginning to understand just how childish brat he'd been. "I--I suppose I should try that... right?"

"Right," Severus said. Then he took a couple of steps closer to Sirius and said, "To them, you could use the words this time. But to me... I believe that you might be better to just show me just how sorry you are..."

Sirius grinned, then made a mock-bow. "I might manage that," he smirked, then proceeded to prove the true level of his regret to the other boy.

***

Sirius wasn't the only one dwelling in memories. Severus was having a dream from the past; his memory, however, was of a much more pleasant moment in their shared life.

***

12th of May, 1978

~*~*~*~

This part of the chapter is from Severus's POV.

*

Again, a new day behind me. Potions, sneering and snapping at Gryffindors, being so nasty that a couple of fellow female students leave my presence in tears. All usual, and very Slytherin of me.

And then, a long, passionate shag with Sirius Black, the very epitome of everything Gryffindor. Oh, what a bad little Slytherin I am.

Now I lie next to him, mere sheets covering our sweaty bodies. Our limbs are tangled together, his head resting on my chest. Me absent-mindedly combing his hair with my fingers.

"We graduate in mere weeks," he says quietly. I don't reply, just nod, even though I know he can't see it.

"I've been thinking." He lifts his head, then sitts up next to me. I remain lying, wondering what he has in mind.

"Thinking about what?" I ask, fixing my eyes on him. His features are sharp in the light of the half moon glowing from the window.

"Well..." Sirius sounds hesitant. "I know we haven't been able to even be in public together for quite a while, but..."

"Yes, Sirius?" I demand. I really don't see what he's going after. "Spit it out, Siri. I'm waiting."

He opens his mouth like in an attempt to say something, then closes it again and shakes his head. "Merlin, Severus, I'm so not good at this," he sighs. "But, once Voldemort is defeated and we'll be free, both of us... Then... Severus, will you marry me?"

For a moment I just stare at him. Sirius didn't just ask that, did he? He surely didn't ask me to marry him in some indefinite future.

Well, seems like he did, since he's watching me, waiting for an answer.

What the hell I should say to him? What does he expect me to answer? Well, positively of course, he wouldn't have asked otherwise, now would he? He wants me to say, "Yes."

The question is, what do I want to say?

I think I know it. Yet it seems so difficult to say, to bring my thoughts into words and voice. It's just so difficult, so damned bloody difficult to force one little word out of my mouth.

Sirius starts looking desperate. His eyes are full of actual fear, fear for me. He's afraid of being rejected. He's afraid that I'm going to refuse, and at every moment that passes with my remaining quiet, that fear and distress only grows.

I have to say it. If not for anything else, to calm Sirius down.

Yes, that is it. That's why I'm going to say it. To make Sirius calm down, and that is all. Otherwise, I wouldn't say anything.

Oh, who cares anyway. To other people I can always lie, but not to myself. Therefore, I know exactly what I want to answer.

"Yes, Sirius," I say, and it suddenly isn't at all that difficult anymore. "Yes, I will marry you."

***

~*~*~*~

This part of the chapter is not from any particular first-person POV.

~*~*~*~

It was an early morning as the Blacks woke up. They got dressed without hurrying, then made their way to the dining room to eat their breakfast. Once getting there, they noticed that they weren't the only ones who were hungry.

"I had an odd dream," Olivia said after they'd greeted each other.

"What was it about?" Severus asked curiously. Sirius suppressed a chuckle. Severus could play indifferent about his dreams, but whenever there was even the slightest change of true Seeing being involved, the tall Slytherin was always the first one to try and get to know everything about it.

"Well, there was Harry and Draco in my dream," Olivia started explaining. "Harry was looking at Draco, and Draco asked why he was looking at him. And Harry said that he had something to ask him."

Sirius blinked. He felt suddenly rather tensed. This sounded too familiar to be comfortable. His husband, however, just nodded at the girl, urging her to continue.

"So, Harry asked," Olivia continued indifferently. "He knelt down, talking something about traditions and being common in the family, then proposed to Draco. And Draco accepted. Then, Harry gave him the ring."

"What kind of ring?" Severus asked, still just as calm as usually.

"Well, it was silver," Olivia replied with a shrug. "Some kind of dragon, I believe. It had an emerald as its eye."

Severus gave Sirius his best 'told-you-so' look, then smiled at Olivia. "Are you sure you really need the Brew of Dreams?" he asked, a bit amused. "Because that was just how Harry described the way of the events when he called us last night."

Olivia's eyes widened. "It - it was true?" she asked weakly. As Severus nodded in verification, she whispered, "Woah." Then, after a moment, she said, "But... why? I haven't had any dreams for at least two years! Why are they coming now?"

"Because of the crystal angels," Severus said, his smile changing to a bit strained. "They channel memories to me. As those memories aren't yours, and your talents are still partly blocked, you couldn't see the memories attached to the angels. You could, however, see something else--something closer to you and the things around you."

Olivia nodded slowly, her expression thoughtful. "I had on pyjamas I got from Draco," she said. "And I also had the stuffed tiger Harry gave me two weeks ago. Could those help me see visions of them?"

"Probably," Severus admitted with a nod. Then he grinned a bit. "Now, as Sirius is still feeling too neglected to protest," he said, "what about going to the lab and trying to figure out your problem with that potion?"

Olivia's eyes lit up, and Sirius groaned. Severus merely chuckled at his husband's reaction, then beckoned Olivia and started walking towards the laboratory.

~*~

"Hello, Sirius," Remus's head said from the flames. He looked unhappy, but not a bit sulky. "You said you wanted to talk."

"Yeah," the other man replied. "About Olivia, to be exact."

"Oh?" Remus said, frowning. "Is something wrong? Are you having problems with her?"

"No, nothing like that. She's a wonderful kid, really," Sirius said. "We've been happy to have her here. But we have to go to work again, Remus. She has to return, and you two better behave."

"Don't you try and advise me," Remus snapped. Then he sighed. "You are right," he said quietly. "But I can't just forget and forgive. Not after what he said."

"Then you'd better to do something else," Sirius said mercilessly. "She can't come back to you two still fighting. You have to sort out your differences sometime soon."

"I know, and I'll try to," the werewolf replied, sighing again. "But I can't promise anything. Definitely not before she comes back, that's for sure."

"But soon," the Animagus pressured. "Otherwise, you'll drive her back to what she was in the beginning." With that, he cut off the contact.

~*~

Lucius Malfoy stepped into the sitting room he'd once shared with his husband. Remus hadn't been here for eleven days.

It was exactly a week since Olivia had returned from the Blacks. The four nights she'd spent there hadn't brought a difference to the situation in the Manor, nor had the following week. Remus and Lucius still werent talking to each other. Olivia had in the beginning tried to talk to them both, but nowadays she stayed mostly in her laboratory, walking on eggshells all the time.

It hurt Lucius to see the girl returning to the shell she'd grown around herself and out of which they'd partly managed to pull her. He couldn't help the case, however. He and Remus were both too hurt to forgive each other, and both were too proud to apologize to the other for what they'd said.

Suddenly, Lucius sensed that there was someone other in the room. He tensed, then slowly turned around eyes meeting a pair of cool amber orbs.

"We have to talk," Remus said coolly, his arms folded over his chest.

"Oh?" Lucius said, raising his eyebrow. "And about what? Last time you said that, you started yelling at me."

"So you're suggesting that I yelled at you?" Remus asked, his tone still just as cool as before.

"You damn well did," Lucius said, taking a step towards his husband.

"Well, maybe I had a reason for that!" Remus shouted at him, his previous coolness quickly being replaced by a simple rage. "I just hope you might be able to see it!"

They were both getting furious now - several days of longing, bitterness and frustration had to be taken out. It was the way they always were. At first one explosion, then quiet sulking, then another loud fight, and sometimes even third and fourth, all separated with periods of sulking.

"And maybe I don't even want to see your reasons!" Lucius yelled, his expression furious. He stepped a little bit closer, his tall form leaning over his smaller husband.

Remus just opened his mouth to reply with the same to his husband when he heard a little surprised sound behind them. They both turned around to see Olivia. She was standing in the doorway, looking totally scared.

"Olivia, what..." he managed to say before the girl yelped and ran away like a frightened rabbit.

Remus turned towards Lucius, even more furious than before. "Look what you've done!" he roared. "Congratulations, Lucius Malfoy! You just scared her near the death!"

"So now it's my fault, eh?" Lucius shouted. "I don't recall being the one whose words she ran away from!"

"Yeah?! Because she ran away from your screams!"

"That's what you think, you stupid freak," Lucius replied nastily. "Where did the good and responsible Gryffindor go to? Denying your faults, eh?"

"At least my faults are about what I am, not about what I've done," Remus snarled.

"You both do realize that that's the worst thing to do, right?" asked a dry voice. "Continuing to fight, I mean."

They both turned towards the sound, surprised. The ghost of Jacques Malfoy, Lucius's great-great-grandfather, watched them with a half amused, half disapproving expression on his transparent face.

"So we're doing the worst thing?" Remus snapped. "Then, pray tell, what we should do?"

"How about stopping that pointless fight, then going to assure her that neither one of you are going to get hurt?"

"Is that what she thought?" Remus asked, suddenly horrified.

"Really," old Malfoy snorted, "where did you find him, Lucius? Like it isn't enough that you marry a man and a werewolf, but does he have to be stupid on top of it all?"

"Remus isn't stupid," Lucius said as a response.

"You think so?" The ghost raised his eyebrows. "Then how is it that I recall you yourself saying that just a couple of seconds ago?"

"I'm his husband," Lucius replied calmly. "I'm the only one allowed to insult him."

"So you're allowed to say things that aren't true?" the former Master of the Manor asked sharply.

"Right," Lucius said, too distracted by all the mixed feelings to see the trap he was stepping into. "Especially things that aren't true."

"I think you could use that as a start for an apology," the ghost said with a dry laugh, the slid away through the wall.

"Well?" Remus asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I think I deserve some kind of apology as well," Lucius pointed out sharply. He did ache for Remus, wanted to get the werewolf back to his arms, but his Malfoy pride wouldn't give up that easily. "It isn't like I was the one who yelled and you just stood back. In fact, I recall being the only one who's attempted an apology already!"

"So now it's all my fault, eh?" Remus asked sharply. "It was because of you this fight started! If anything, it's your fault!"

"No. It's both of our fault, for not apologizing." Then, with a bit gentler tone, Lucius suggested the most his pride would approve of, "What about calling it even?"

Remus looked thoughtful for a moment. Then, slowly, he nodded. "I think that would be just fine."

Lucius took another couple of steps, then wrapped his arms around Remus. The werewolf hugged him back, sighed, and rested his head against Lucius's chest.

"I'm sorry, Lucius," Remus mumbled. "I missed you."

"I'm sorry as well," the blonde man replied, forcing his pride down for a change. "I missed you, too."

"Right." Remus smiled up at him. Then his expression again turned serious. "I guess you'd better go and talk with Olivia," he said.

"Yes," Lucius said, nodding slowly. "I think you may be right.

~*~

Lucius knocked on the door of Olivia's room. As there was no reply, he knocked again. Then again.

"Olivia? Olivia, it's me, Lucius."

"Don't come in here!" came a terrified reply. "I don't want to talk to you!"

Lucius sighed inwardly, then pressed his seal ring against the door. Placing his other hand on the door handle, he pressed it. The door opened.

Lucius stepped inside. He saw Olivia, who was sitting on her bed. As soon as she saw him, however, she slipped off the bed and backed away to the further end of the room, looking at him with her eyes wide with fear.

"Olivia?" he asked again, walking a bit nearer. "I want to talk with you."

"I know what you want," she said bitterly, although fear was also clearly audible in her voice. "Tell me, did you already beat Remus? Is that what took you so long to come after me?"

"I did nothing to him," Lucius said, frowning. "All I did was to apologize to him."

Olivia didn't say anything, just snorted in disbelief.

"Merlin, Olivia," he sighed, walking again nearer to the girl. "Believe me, I'd never hurt you on purpose. Nor I would hurt Remus. I'd never hurt anyone I love. I'm not like that sorry excuse of a man who called himself your father for fourteen years."

"I don't believe you." She tried to get even further away from him, but her back was already pressed against the cold stone wall. "You lie. Everyone lies." Tears rolled down her cheeks. "He said he wouldn't hit me anymore. And he lied. He always did."

"Olivia..." he started, but sighed then and turned around to leave. "Fine. I'll leave now. Remus will come later to talk to you."

"Oh, yes - after you've had time to hide what you did to him," she spat out.

He froze. Then he turned around very slowly. "Excuse me?" he asked, horrified.

"I said nothing!" she yelped, trying to make herself smaller. "I said nothing, I swear! Please... Please don't hit me..." She was sobbing now.

Lucius felt his heart freeze in his chest. "I won't hit you, Olivia," he said for the last time. "I'd never hit you." Then he turned around again, and stormed out of the room.

~*~

Remus raised his eyes at Lucius as the blonde man came inside. He gasped as he saw the hurt expression on his husband's face.

"Lucius? Lucius, what did she say?"

"Olivia was terrified," Lucius replied blankly. "She wouldn't believe me. She only kept telling that I lied and that I was going to hit her. And--and she--"

"What?" Remus asked, gently blowing a lock of blonde hair from his husband's face. "I know it's horrible, Lucius. She's been through so much. Of course you're shocked by what she said."

"She thought that you weren't there because I wanted to hide the marks of my abuse to you first," he explained with completely expressionless tone.

Remus took a quick breath. "Horrible," he whispered, and meant it. Nothing could possibly hurt his husband more than being accused of harming someone and hiding it. He kept sure not to hide anything of his dark, violent past. It was a matter of honour to him, and Olivia's suspicions had obviously hurt him a great deal.

"You bet." Lucius shook his head. "If her Muggle father now appeared in front of me, I'd kill him without hesitating a moment."

Remus nodded. Nobody who had caused that kind of a fear to a child would deserve anything less. "I'll go and talk to her," he said. "Maybe I can make her believe that you'd never beat either of us."

"Maybe," Lucius said blankly.

His eyes remained locked at his hands.

~*~

"Olivia?"

The sobbing girl didn't response. Her head stayed pressed against her knees, tears flowing down the hidden face.

"Olivia? Look at me."

Slowly, she raised her eyes. "Laura?" she asked hoarsely, looking at her best friend.

Laura's past wasn't one of the most pleasant ones among the ghosts of the Manor. She had been a servant maid three hundred years ago. In the age of sixteen, she had noticed she was pregnant by her master. The same night, she'd flung herself out of a window on the fifth floor.

Despite the centuries between them, they were two teenage girls without company. Soon after Olivia'd met her for the first time, they became the best of friends.

And best friends comfort each other.

"It's okay, Olivia," the ghost said softly. "What's wrong? What upset you?"

"They--they were fighting," Olivia sobbed. "And--and I think that Lucius was going to hit Remus!"

Laura frowned. "I don't think so," she said. "I've never seen Master Lucius hitting Master Remus. Nor have I heard anything like that happening. What makes you think so? Did you see anything?"

"N--no," Olivia said, trying to wipe her tears away from her cheeks. "But--but that's what always happens, right? When parents fight? That one of them ends up hurt. Isn't that the way it always goes?"

"Of course not!" Laura exclaimed. "Why would you think that?"

"That's--that's what always happened when I was young," the living girl said softly. "When my parents fought. Dad would always yell at Mum, and then he'd beat her, and if he could catch me he'd beat me too."

Laura gasped. "That's wrong," she said immediately. Then, with a bit softer tone, she continued, "Believe me, Olivia, he'd do nothing like that. I've seen many Masters in this house and family. Some were better, some were worse. Some did beat their families, true, but Master Lucius isn't one of them. Master Lucius is one of the better Masters. One of the best, even."

Olivia snorted suspiciously, still wiping away tears.

"He would never beat Master Remus," Laura continued. "He never beat Mistress Narcissa, either. Nor would Master Remus beat him." She smiled reassuringly at her friend, then asked, "Didn't they tell you that?"

"Well, Lucius did," Olivia said softly. "But I didn't believe him. He sounded so much like my Dad sounded when he later came to apologize to me for beating, and said that he would never do it again." The tears started flowing again as she said, "He always beat me again."

"But Master Lucius didn't, right?" Laura continued her questioning.

"No," Olivia admitted weakly. "But he did that only to make me believe that he wouldn't. Just like my father did."

"What if he did it because he really wouldn't ever hurt you?" Laura suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"But that's what fathers do!" Olivia exclaimed, tears flowing down her cheeks. "My father always told me that it was his duty to beat those things away from me. And in the orphanage, everyone's father either was dead or had beaten them."

"That's the reason why they were in the orphanage," Laura told her gently. "My father, for example, never hit me. Never. He once said he'd rather cut his hand off than beat me for no reason like some other people did to their children."

Olivia's eyes widened. "Woah," she whispered. "You were really lucky."

"You're just as lucky by now," Laura assured her. "Believe me, Olivia, Master Lucius didn't lie to you. They really do care about you. You trusted them before and never thought they'd hit you. Why change your mind now?"

"Because they're fighting," Olivia replied quietly. "I thought they were different. I thought they wouldn't fight. But they do, so they'll beat me."

"No. All people fight, Olivia. You have to live with it. Not everyone can please everyone else always. Sometimes you have to fight to sort things out, and when you make up for the fight, everything is all right again. The difference between the Masters and your father is that they fight the right way, with words, your father used violence. I'm not saying that words couldn't also hurt, but if they're the only used method, there's a possibility that the fight is right and has to be. When beating comes to the picture, however, the fight is always wrong. Masters don't fight that way, Olivia. Believe me, neither of them will hit you."

Olivia snorted. "You sound like some psychology book," she pointed out. "Or perhaps a philosophy."

"Well, there was a philosopher in the family about a hundred years ago," Laura said, and smiled. "No one would listen to him, so I did. He taught me a lot of things."

Olivia dried her eyes. "So tell me, Miss Know-It-All," she said with a tiny, lopsided smile, "what should I do now?"

"What about listening to Master Remus when he comes?" Laura suggested innocently. "Oh, don't give me that surprised face. I know you're not that thick. He will come eventually, and when he does, listen to him--and believe him."

"I'll try that," Olivia said hesitantly.

"Please do," Laura said, and smiled warmly. There was a small, pale twinkle in her eyes. "You know," she said, "at this point I should hug you comfortingly. But, as I am unable to do that, I think that words will have to do. So, hug you, Olivia."

"Words are fine with me," Olivia smiled. "Hug you, too, Laura."

For the first time for quite some time, there were no tears in her eyes.

~*~*~*~

This part of the chapter is from Remus's POV.

~*~*~*~

I don't really know what to say to Olivia.

I decide to walk to her room instead of using the mirrors. I need the time to think about everything. Lucius, Olivia and I... This is all so confusing sometimes.

I have forgiven Lucius already, as well as I know that he has forgiven me. We do fight, yes, and when we do it's loud, but when we make up, it happens fast. Sulking alone is something both of us are good at, but when the first steps of an apology are taken from either side, we can't keep the walls up for long.

I know that Lucius didn't mean to upset me when he gave Olivia that book and told her what to do with it. I would know if he'd meant that--I almost always know his motives for everything.

In fact, the last time I recall being uncertain about his motives, was...

It was when he proposed to me.

***

26th of May, 1998

*

I feel all the gazes on us as we make our way towards the Head Table. I force myself to stay calm. The full moon is just around the corner, and all the attention centred on me, it makes me feel extremely nervous - or, rather, it makes the wolf nervous, and it's almost the same.

Lucius seems to sense my distraction. He squeezes my arm and as I turn to look at him, he smiles at me reassuringly. I smile back, feeling a bit better. Lucius is always sure that everything goes right, I know it.

Sirius and Severus sit down, pointing to us the two free seats next to them. Lucius and I take the seats, well aware of most of the staff staring at us along with a majority of the students.

"Ah, Remus," Dumbledore smiles. "Nice to see you're up and about again."

"Thank you, Headmaster," I say with a bit distant tone. Inside my mind, I'm struggling against the wolf, who's beginning to try and get to the surface. All the unnerving extra attention distracts me, working on its benefit.

"And Lucius," Dumbledore continues. "I heard that you completed your plans."

Lucius gives him an odd glance, then nods and says, "Yes, I did get them to motion--at least part of them."

I rub my temples lightly with my fingertips. The growing pull of the moon as well as the roaring wolf are giving me a terrible headache. I sigh deep. A little bit more, and I'll begin growling at someone. Oh, how great.

Lucius notices my distraction and gives me a concerned glance. "Remus?" he asks gently, squeezing lightly my arm. "Are you all right?"

"Yes, nothing to worry about," I reply with a weak smile. "It's just the full moon; it's already pulling me."

"Which reminds me..." Severus hands me a golden goblet. It's full of thick, foul-smelling--and foul-tasting, I know from experience--liquid. My dose of Wolfsbane Potion for today. "It'd be better if you drank it before you eat."

"I know," I sigh, taking the goblet to my hands. "Thank you." I drink it all on one go. If I stopped, I don't think I could push myself to drinking the rest of it later.

I put the goblet aside and take gratefully the glass of water Sirius is already offering me. It washes the remains of the potion from my mouth. Unfortunately, it can't destroy the appalling smell that still fills my sensitive nostrils. I can't help but make a face, making Sirius grin.

"Doesn't taste good, I guess," Lucius says dryly as we begin filling our plates with food.

"Anything else," I say, shuddering at the memory of the Wolfsbane Potion. "Of all the disgusting things I've had the misfortune to taste, Wolfsbane Potion is definitely one of the worst."

"But it helps."

"Of course it does," I reply. "I don't think I can ever thank Severus enough for inventing it." I glance at the Blacks, but they're already deep in a conversation with Filius.

"He has to give me the recipe someday," Lucius says calmly. "You can't be depending on him. If something happened, or either one of you was away, then what would you do?"

I shrug. Then, practically forcing my voice to keep light, I suggest, "Lock myself in a closet and hope that nobody needs their clothes before dawn?"

Lucius gives me a slight glare, then sighs. "Don't joke like that, okay?" he asks. "It's disturbing enough as it is." He covers my hand momentarily with his own, saying softly, "I just don't want anything to happen to you."

I can't help but smile. "I know it," I reply. At the same time, I feel the pressure of both the wolf and the moon easing in my mind as the potion begins to work. I sigh in relief. "Now, that's better," I mumble to myself. Lucius doesn't say anything, but I see him smile.

As we've eaten for some time, I turn to Lucius and ask, "What plans did Albus mean?"

"Well..." He pushes his plate a bit forward, then moves his chair back a little. "This morning, I received two owls," he then says with a casual tone. "They told me that I've got two victories over the Ministry bureaucracy."

"Really?" I raise my eyebrows. "And what are they?"

"Well..." He smiles warmly. "The first says I got a divorce from Narcissa."

"So she can marry this Thomas now?" I ask, trying to hide the tiniest bit envy tone in my voice. I can't prevent the little, nasty sting in my heart, though. Narcissa gets to marry the man she loves. That's a joy that can never be given to me, thanks to the Ministry's racistic laws.

"Yes." He doesn't say anything else, just keeps glancing at me in a way that tells me there is something else as well.

I calmly take another bite of my beef, chew, and swallow it before asking, "And what's the other victory?"

"Well..." He pushes his chair even further away from the table, then turns to face me. "With the work of a couple of years, many bribed officials, many others threatened, and far too many documents to be healthy to anyone, I got myself free of the Ministry prohibition against humans marrying werewolves."

I blink, and then just stare at him. He can't mean it. It can't be possible. All these years, I've been thinking that we'll never be able to marry.

And now he just said that we are.

He slides down from his chair, kneeling gracefully in front of me. I feel the nearby professors' eyes on us as he takes my left hand in his own and puts something into my ring finger. I look down and see the most beautiful golden ring with ambers and diamonds.

"Remus Jonathan Lupin," he says, his eyes fixed on me, "will you make me the happiest man on the Earth and marry me?"

Gods. Now everyone in the Head Table is for sure staring at us. It's only a matter of time until the students notice something.

And Lucius is on his knees in front of me. He's looking at me. He's proposing to me.

What on Earth should I say?

What if he doesn't mean it at all? If he's doing this only to repay me for saving his life? What if he'd much prefer not doing this?

Hey, calm down, Remus. He said he's been doing the paperwork for long time, right? And you know that it's impossible to win the Ministry officials in a short time. He has been planning this, and wanting this, for Merlin knows how long.

"Yes," I hear myself saying, before the thought has even left my brains. "Yes, I'd be glad to marry you, Lucius." My voice is hoarse with held-back tears, but I don't care. All I can think about is Lucius, who smiles up at me, then gets up on his feet.

He makes a little sign to Severus and Sirius. And, as the voice of Sirius begins echoing in the Hall, he leans forward and kisses me.

I want this one moment to last forever. As long as I am here, in Lucius's arms, safe and loved, I don't need anything else.

***

"Olivia?"

There's no reply. She just sits on the bed, not raising her gaze.

"Olivia?" I ask again, walking over to the bed. "Olivia, look at me."

Hesitantly, she raises her gaze. "Remus," she says quietly, then drops her gaze again.

"Lucius said he'd talked with you," I say, settling on the edge of the bed next to her. "He also said that you didn't believe him."

She doesn't say anything. Instead of that, her head turns even further away from me.

"Olivia, listen to me," I command, lifting her chin up with my hand and forcing her to meet my gaze. "Lucius has never hurt me. He has never raised a hand to hit me, not even threatened to do so. Even when I've insulted him, said the most horrible things, even when I've deliberately used the words I know to be the most painful, he has never touched me in anything other than a gentle and loving way."

She looks disbelieving. Oh, if I could get my hands at those people, I'd kill them for sure!

The moon is coming again, I see. But it isn't all about that. Not really.

"I'm telling the truth," I say quietly. "You'll never have to be afraid of being hurt by either Lucius or myself. We'll never deliberately hurt you, or each other. Believe me."

She jerks her head away from my hand. Then she gets hastily up, walking to the nearest window. I sand also, following her.

"I'm well aware of what that bastard who called himself your father did," I say. Looks like Sirius is right when he says that upcoming full moon affects my language. "But I also know that none of our family or friends are similar to him. There's something your father didn't understand, Olivia--that family is not created by bonds or blood, but by love."

I take a more careful look at her. Her eyes are firmly fixed to the outside, her lips a thin line.

But there are tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Olivia?" I ask hesitantly, not wanting to scare her more than she's already been.

"I hate him," she whispers, venom dripping from her voice. "I hate him, because he was a bastard and deserves to be hated." Then she turns towards me and says, "But I know that you're not like him. You're different--better different." She's again quiet for a moment, then continues, "And I know that you won't hurt me. I believe it."

"Thank you, Olivia," I say softly, knowing better than to reach out to touch her at the moment. I feel more relieved than I have for a long time. "Thank you for believing me."

"Any time, Remus," she replies with a little, weak smile. Then, surprising me more than I'd even imagined being possible, she suddenly takes a step forward and hugs me.

"I love you, Dad," she whispers to my ear, tears still audible in her voice, and I've never heard more beautiful words.

"I love you, too, daughter," I reply her, and a warm feeling flows through my whole body at that word. "I love you, Olivia."

~*~*~*~

This part of the chapter isn't from any particular first-person POV.

~*~*~*~

Olivia watched as Remus left the room. The werewolf looked happy; happy and carefree. It had been a while since she'd last seen either of her adopted fathers that way.

"Well?" asked a voice from the thin air. As she watched, a cloud of silvery dust rose from the ground, forming into her friend.

"Thank you, Laura," Olivia said, and smiled warmly at her best friend. "I would hug you now if I could."

Laura happily returned her smile. "You're welcome, Olivia," she said. "Maybe next time you'll remember which one of us has more experience behind her."

"Yeah," Olivia chuckled, "and that is me."

"Me," Laura argued.

"No, me."

"You know, at this point I should hit you with a pillow or something," Laura said casually.

"Yes, and then I should throw another pillow at you, and then we should both laugh," Olivia said with just the similar everyday tone.

"Seeing that I can neither hit you with a pillow nor can you hit me with one, how about going right to the point where we laugh?"

Olivia grinned. "Suits me, Miss Will-Never-Need-A-Bra."

Then they both broke into laughter.

~*~

Lucius was waiting for Remus in the sitting room. As he saw the happy smile on his husband's face, he stood and approached him, the question clearly seen in his silvery eyes.

"She believed me," Remus said happily, making Lucius more relieved than he'd been for a long time. "She believed that we won't hurt her, ever."

"That's good," the Slytherin sighed, wrapping his arms around the smaller man's shoulders. "I'd hate it if she thought that we might beat her like her bastard father."

"Well, she doesn't think so anymore," Remus replied. "I think that at least part of it was subconscious. She's been beaten for so many years; the thought of a family where no one gets hurt by the other must seem unbelievable to her." The werewolf's eyes flashed momentarily golden, and an angry growl directed to Olivia's former family escaped his throat.

"Is there by any chance a growing moon at the moment?" Lucius teased him gently.

Remus gave him a sheepish grin. "It's still seven days to the next full moon," he told. "But today has been full of so many different emotions; it's pushing the wolf nearer to the surface."

"I understand," Lucius said, and smiled. "What about moving to the bedroom? It's late, in case you didn't notice."

"Sounds good," Remus said with a slight grin. "But I think we need a shower at first."

"That wouldn't be impossible," the blonde man chuckled as he let go of Remus for a moment so he could make the nearby mirror lead to their rooms. Then they stepped inside, holding hands.

They undressed without hurrying. Then, after folding their clothes neatly, they walked together to their large, luxurious bathroom.

"May I wash your hair?" Remus asked, smiling slightly at his husband.

Lucius grinned a bit and nodded. "Only if I may return the favour," he said slyly.

"You're welcome, but I think I'll do it first." He grasped Lucius's shoulders and led him to the shower. The blonde walked obediently where he wanted him to go. Remus switched on the shower, letting the warm water pour on top of Lucius's blonde head.

Once he decided that the hair was wet enough, Remus poured some shampoo from the bottle. He coated his fingers with it, then carefully rubbed it into his husband's long tresses. He slowly ran his fingers through the blonde hair, untangling the few knots that he could find there. Then, the werewolf lightly massaged Lucius's scalp with his fingertips. As Lucius leaned his head back a bit to allow him a better access to his hair in whole, Remus couldn't resist the urge. He rose on his toes and bent his head forward, placing his lips on Lucius's neck, gently biting the smooth, flawless skin.

Lucius gasped slightly at the sensation of Remus's teeth barely biting his wet skin. He then turned his head around and bent it downwards, capturing Remus's lips in a kiss. Remus was still by far shorter of the two, being only 5'7" against Lucius's 6'1", and it was downright impossible to the two to kiss without at least one of them reaching for the other.

At last they broke the kiss. Remus proceeded in rinsing shampoo away from Lucius's hair. Once done with that, he turned his back to his husband, waiting for him to wash his hair.

Lucius, of course, did. Remus felt his long, fine fingers running through his hair, spreading the shampoo all over the gold-silver tresses. Every now and then he also felt Lucius's lips on the top of his head as the taller man lightly kissed his hair before continuing his work.

At last, Lucius rinsed the shampoo away. As he was still doing this, Remus felt something accidentally poking at his lower back. Something hard and wet with water.

The werewolf smiled. This could prove to be a very satisfying evening indeed.

~*~

Olivia smiled slightly as she took the silver snake-shaped pendant into her hand. She and Laura chuckled simultaneously as they saw the positions of the tiny jewels.

The emerald was approaching the head of the snake at a fairly good pace.