Unpredictable Life

Sirius and Remus were having a quiet dinner in the kitchen. The looks that they gave to each other were uneasy. The blue-eyed wizard sitting silently opposite the werewolf fidgeted nervously and wished that he hadn’t dreamt anything about Voldemort’s plans.

“It’s not your fault that it happened, Padfoot,” Remus said softly, giving a shy smile at his lover in hopes that it would ease his conscience.

“Well, maybe if I hadn’t taunted him, the massacre wouldn’t have occurred,” Sirius mumbled and gave up trying to eat his tuna sandwich.

“What nonsense are you blathering on about, lover?” Remus asked, giving the other wizard a sour look. “Whether he was there or not, the outcome would have been the same, or even worse.”

Sirius looked helplessly at him and tried to say something.

“Siri, I know it is cruel of me to say something like this but those who died are better off than those whose souls had been stolen,” the hazel-eyed wizard said wearily.

Sirius drank his coffee and wished that his headache would go away. However it worsened instead and he actually blacked out for a moment when a strong surge of magical energy rushed through the entire house.

“Sirius! Are you all right?” Remus hastily rose from his seat to check his lover.

The dark-haired wizard nodded weakly and one hand came up to press against his right temple. “I think someone Portkeyed in. Maybe it is Moody or someone from the gang,” Sirius said.

“Let’s go check the hall then,” Remus suggested and helped his lover up. Cautiously, they made their way out of the kitchen. They froze when they heard someone speak,

“I hate traveling by magical means … except for flying on a broomstick.” The voice had a musical ring to it and the tawny-haired wizard thought the speaker sounded shy.

“Are you all right?” a somewhat paternal voice inquired.

“Other than the fact that my stomach feels like it’s been tied into multiple dead knots, yes, I’m fine.” There was a pause. “Should I be glad that the house sounds empty?” Suddenly, a witch’s foul bitching deafened the entire hall.

Sirius automatically went for his mother’s portrait and his hand groped for the wand that wasn’t in his pocket. “Of all things! SHUT UP OR I’LL SET THIS HOUSE ON FIRE!!!” he roared.

“FILTHY CUR! BEFOULING MY PRECIOUS HOUSE WITH YOUR TAINTED PRESENCE!!!”

Between the caterwauling, the last of the Blacks did not hear two similar thuds resonating in the hall as trunks dropped from limp fingers. Remus, however, froze on the spot when he first saw Harry and the Potions Master standing in the middle of the room, still holding on to their belongings. A detached part of him grumbled about not having a camera with him to capture the astounded faces of both wizards.

The werewolf was about to help his lover with the foul, screaming portrait when he felt something. At first, he could not explain what it was but he took another look again the grown-up Slytherin and the raven-haired teenager standing close together. And the way that they displayed their shock seemed to be too perfectly timed. Then Remus shook his head. Surely Harry couldn’t bear a liking for Severus. His conscience began to nag at that point, telling him that he was never wrong when it came to his instincts.

He quickly went to his lover to aid him in quieting Mrs. Black. Sirius grabbed his wand from him and fired several curses at her. The witch in the portrait finally fell silent when it appeared that her son was about to administer a spell that would surely damage her frame. Remus quickly grabbed his wand but still his lover stood facing the portrait, shoulders shaking with fury.

“You know what?” The wizard straightened his back, his long black and silver hair whipping about his face and Remus’s hair stood on end. Here was another example of how Sirius had changed because of his time behind the Veil. The ex-convict had an air of absolute power about him. “I’m not willing to spend the rest of the summer even listening to one whisper, from any of you.”

“Sirius!” Remus gasped and the whole line of portraits along the wall started to distort. The tall wizard ignored him and the werewolf backed off. Wide golden eyes stared at Mrs. Black’s portrait. The edges of the frame began to curl forward, emitting some very loud cracks as metal was broken.

“STOP!!!” the portraits shrieked.

The heir ignored them and slowly, the portraits were pulled off the walls — with or without the Sticking Charm — brutally. Remus was about to question his lover as to how he was planning to dispose of the portraits but something in the way Sirius’s eyes looked told him to remain silent. The portraits began to shrink, and fascinated, the tawny-haired wizard watched until the portraits shrunk into a size impossible to see with the naked eye.

“Finally! I never thought that would work! I should have done it ages ago!” Sirius mused, mercurially reverting to his earlier self.

“You’ll never know the results until you try,” Remus couldn’t help but speak philosophically.

“Moony, have I ever told you that you can be so irritating at times?” Sirius turned and gave him a very surly look that made him chuckle.

“Yes, you have and you’re still a brat.” Remus grinned.

“Some things never change, Moony-love.” Sirius gave an answering smirk. He was still oblivious to the presence of their guests but Severus’s face stiffened at his statement.

This isn’t real … Harry thought as he watched the portraits become invisible as they were shrunk into infinitesimal sizes. The young wizard watched Severus from the corner of his eye and the Potions Master seemed to be as stunned as Harry was. Bright emerald eyes focused on his godfather. He looks old … but at the same time, he looks young.

“Some things never change, Moony-love,” his godfather said and Harry could feel his silent lover bristling. Then Sirius had turned to look at them. Blue eyes grew as wide as they could go and Harry stared back. “Harry …” Sirius breathed. Then his eyes flickered over to Severus. “What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“Manners, Black. I am here so that I could take my eyes off your godson and perhaps see to the werewolf’s potion,” the Potions Master answered impassively. Before Harry could say a word, Severus had gathered up his things and stalked out of the hall.

No… Dismay filled the young Gryffindor’s heart as he watched his lover walk away from him. No… Damn it, Sev! Just because my godfather’s back doesn’t mean that you have to turn away from me! He caught Remus frowning at him and the young wizard cursed silently. Great, now Moony has caught me staring.

“Harry!” Sirius shouted and pulled him into a tight hug. The young wizard returned the embrace just as enthusiastically.

“Merlin … Sirius, you could have told someone that you’re back!!!” Harry yelled into his godfather’s chest and wetting it at the same time. “Bloody hell! What the hell happened to you? What happened to your hair? How are you still alive? Why didn’t you owl me?” the young wizard babbled almost hysterically. “And perhaps it was a slip of the tongue,” the emerald-eyed teenager pulled back and smiled at his godfather, “but did I just hear you say that you love Remus?”

“Come on Harry,” the tawny-haired wizard standing behind him started lightly, “you know that we come up with all sort of endearments — we’re like brothers.”

Harry released himself from his godfather’s strong grip and looked skeptically at the werewolf. “Remus, you do know that you are a bad liar, right?” Harry said suspiciously and was satisfied when the wizard flinched. “Whatever … Do I want to know when it happened or how it did?”

“No! Harry, Sirius and I —”

“Yes, I think. It’s quite important,” Sirius said in an almost thoughtful way, ignoring Remus’s flabbergasted look.

“Is Kreacher here?” Harry piped up and his godfather’s face darkened at the mere mention of the treacherous house-elf.

“No. Dumbledore did me a favor. I don’t know what he did, but Kreacher is gone for good — like his mistress.” Sirius grinned maniacally. Harry knew the dark side enough to appreciate how his godfather felt at the moment.

“Is Severus staying in or what?” Remus asked after he had regained his composure. Harry shrugged. The raven-haired teenager picked up his dormant belongings and turned to face his godfather.

“I’ll put away my stuff and then we’ll chat. Do you mind if I bring Snape along?” Harry asked the two other wizards in a guileless tone.

“Yes,” Sirius immediately answered. It was his turn to look suspiciously at the Gryffindor lad. “How is it that he’s with you?”

“Dumbledore sent him to the Dursleys so we could resume Occlumency lessons. He has been my caretaker for several weeks,” Harry answered and Sirius darted a furious look at Remus, who seemed to have forgotten to inform him. “We came here without prior notice because, well, neither we nor Dumbledore expected my relatives to return home from vacation that early.” Malachite-colored eyes sparkled with good humor. “You know what, Sirius. I still am going to bring Snape along for the conversation since he’ll hear everything sooner or later.”

“Harry has a point,” Remus admitted. “And there are the things that he needs to hear now.”

“Well, I’ll go up first. Catch you two later.” Without waiting for approval, the young wizard quickly went off — and tried not to drop his trunk at the same time.

Where did he go? He kicked each bedroom door open and surprised the Potions Master when his door slammed hard against the wall.

“Harry, what are you doing?” Severus hissed.

The Gryffindor ignored him and pushed his trunk into the room. He closed the door quietly and set about freeing Hedwig from her cage first. Then he concentrated on placing his trunk right next to his lover’s. He sighed and walked up to Severus. His hands slowly slid up the Potions Master’s chest before locking his fingers together behind the wizard’s neck.

“I’m making use of what little time we can spend with each other, Sev. I know that even if Professor Dumbledore knows about our relationship, he wants us to be discrete. I don’t think I can visit you freely once school starts. And I don’t think Professor Dumbledore would forgive me for sneaking out of the common room after curfew and hiding beneath the Invisibility Cloak to ambush you.” He raised his chin and brushed his lips tantalizingly against the older wizard’s. He smiled when Severus’s arms wrapped about him and he kissed him.

“But Harry,” the Potions Master murmured against his lips, “what if your godfather decides to shrink me if he finds out?”

“I’ll try my best to prevent that … but that doesn’t mean I’ll keep this relationship a secret forever,” Harry mumbled distractedly.

Severus blushed when he saw that the Gryffindor was staring at him and he wondered if somehow, Harry had the essence of an aphrodisiac since it should’ve been quite impossible for him to get turned on almost every time he was with his lover.

“Sev?” Harry called him and black eyes refocused on his face once again.

“What is it?” His lover’s expression softened once again.

“I love you,” the Gryffindor said simply and felt Severus jump.

Several minutes passed in silence until his lover found his voice to respond. “I love you too,” Severus whispered and everything warm flooded into Harry’s heart at the statement.

Two hours later…

Conversation during supper was centered around the news about the ex-prisoners of Azkaban and the Dark Lord’s latest assault. Severus Snape did not seem concerned that Voldemort had rescued Malfoy personally but he did look worried when Remus told him that the pale blond had been treated badly during his imprisonment and that the Dementors were still on the loose.

The last descendent of the Blacks also saw that Harry was troubled deeply by the news and for the safety of the other members of the Order. Sirius was a little surprised when the emerald-eyed wizard asked them about finding a means to decimate the Dementors’ population.

“They can ambush and Kiss us before we know it. We’ll be in deep trouble if they attack students — not everyone can cast the Patronus Charm perfectly,” the green-eyed Gryffindor muttered. Black had not meant to look at his nemesis but something told him to look, and look he did. The Potions Master’s eyes held blatant admiration and pride when Harry had said it. Suddenly aware that he was being watched, Severus looked away from Sirius’s godson and promptly ignored the rest of them and settled on reading the copies of the Daily Prophet that he had missed.

The next thing the charming-looking Black knew, he was being crushed in a very fierce hug. It was Mrs. Weasley and she was blubbering onto his shirt. Arthur Weasley came forward to squeeze his shoulder in a greeting while the twins slapped his back enthusiastically. Sirius couldn’t help but grin at the two brilliant pranksters.

The family of redheads began demanding what had happened to him but his lover and godson advised that it might be better if he wait for several more minutes in case more members appeared to listen to his account. It was already midnight and they had all moved into the spacious sitting room. Sirius had given up arguing with Harry and Remus and sat slumped in his chair, waiting for everyone else to arrive. Severus snorted and amused himself with drinking the coffee that Harry had poured for him.

I don’t like Harry’s seeming closeness with the git! The handsome Black seethed and muttered something that earned him a glare from his lover. He had been observant of his godson’s and the Potions Master’s behavior. He couldn’t understand why the young wizard remained close — too close in Sirius’s opinion — to Severus all the while. He looked at Molly Weasley who was still crying helplessly on her husband’s shoulder and Ron’s expression of pure disbelief. He turned his focus to Hermione’s wide-eyed expression.

The smartest witch he had ever met had arrived in the hallway wearing black and her hair was kept out of the way with a scarf. Sirius had always thought that Hermione was quite feminine but when she showed up holding her broomstick in one hand, a pair of gloves in the other, and unescorted, his opinion of her rose.

Though Ron was absolutely terrified at her bravery. Can’t say that I blame him but even Hermione has a strong Gryffindor craziness within her, he mused. Ah … Ron’s staring at her again. Well, at least her chest is much more attractive than my face. Mrs. Weasley raised her head and stared at him before bursting into tears again.

“For Merlin’s sake! Stop looking at me like you’ve never expected me to come back!” Sirius yelled impatiently and the Potions Master smirked.

“That’s exactly the point,” Harry grated. “We all thought that you were gone.”

“You’re hopeless!” Black threw up his hands and then Moody came into the drawing room. He was carrying a gift in one hand as he clumsily wove through the crowd to get to the sulking blue-eyed wizard.

“Next time lad, if you’re dying, stay that way. Stop giving us old folks a surprise,” the ex-Auror spoke mirthlessly and thrust the present into Sirius before embracing him. Moody backed off and joined Mrs. Weasley.

Sirius carefully unwrapped the gift and opened the box. It was a wand and he inspected it carefully before lifting it up. The rush of warmth seeped into his fingers and up his arm and brain. He gave Moody a very boyish grin. He was elated since it felt like it was an old friend but his heart knew that no two wands were the same. “Thanks, Moody,” he thanked the ex-Auror.

Dumbledore finally joined them and Sirius glanced at Remus. “So … can I start explaining?”

“Summarize,” Remus said through gritted teeth. Harry’s soft chuckles met their ears and the werewolf shot a sour look at The Boy Who Lived, as if demanding what was so funny.

“Sirius, don’t!” the Weasley twins chimed in. “You know that we’ll keep bugging you until we’re sure you have told us everything.”

The illegal-Animagus smiled mischievously and gave a sidelong look at his lover. Remus groaned and buried his face in his hands. Sirius took that as a signal to begin. Instinctively, he stood up and began to pace.

“For starters, I was hit by the Killing Curse.” The charming wizard stopped his movements to stare at his godson.

“Then how did you …” Hermione’s voice faded but kept her eyes on Sirius.

Sirius scratched his chin before pacing again. “It’s because of the Veil. It slowed the curse flowing through my body as I was falling. However, something changed when I was completely in the Realm.” He leaned against the wall and looked upon the entranced faces of his listeners. “I am not exaggerating,” he said, scowling darkly at Severus. He had caught the Potions Master staring at him cynically.

“Ignore him,” Moody grated impatiently.

“So you fell into the …” Dumbledore encouraged Sirius to continue.

“The Realm. It is not quite the place where spirits rest after they die.” He was looking strangely at his godson. “Harry might have heard voices — I could hear him but they’re just the echoes of one’s life … I think. It’s also a place where all magic meets. Is the artifact still in the Ministry by the way?” Dark blue eyes met and held the Headmaster’s cerulean ones.

“No, it is not,” the ancient wizard replied neutrally. Sirius couldn’t control the disappointment that filled his heart. Damn … does he mean it has been destroyed? Damn it … we could have used it to help Harry. “I asked Kingsley to move it here. It is up in the attic.”

Several people in the room yelped and Mrs. Weasley demanded to know if the artifact was secure enough to be left in the mansion. She quickly gave her children a warning look and Ginny reassured her mother that they wouldn’t muck with it.

“What happened then?” Harry asked and everyone became silent.

“I don’t exactly know if She’ll allow me —”

“She?” Dumbledore interrupted.

Nerves displaced his calmness. I should have just told them that I didn’t remember anything until I came out of the Realm. Sirius sighed and wondered how to describe the entity that helped to Heal him. “Actually, I’m not sure if She is really a she. She’s faceless and has no form like we do.”

“A deity?” McGonagall inquired, her eyes sparkling with great interest. Sirius shook his head.

“A guardian perhaps is a better choice to describe her. She felt feminine to me so … In any case, She didn’t expect me to turn up in the planes,” he told them and sat down again beside his lover. “Although I don’t think She possessed human emotions, She was clearly displeased about the Curse. It upsets the balance of things in the Realm; tidal energy waves started to build up when I fell deeper.”

“So She took the curse out of you,” Remus observed and Sirius nodded. Light brown eyes darkened slightly as the tawny-haired wizard brooded. “The magic in there — it’s neutral …” the werewolf muttered absently, unaware that he had spoken his thoughts aloud.

“You’re right, Moony. The magic that resides in the planes are neither of the White Magick or the Dark Magick,” Sirius agreed and smiled when his lover jumped in surprise before grinning back at him sheepishly.

“I know I’m diverting the subject but how can you tell what sort of magic you’re feeling?” Harry asked, his face contorting into a pixie-like expression.

“All Magick lies with the caster’s intent. When you exercise a spell in anger or greed — to destroy or hurt something — and the feeling of emptiness that always follows is a sure sign of dark magic. White magic is often practiced by those in the Healing sector,” Dumbledore answered.

“Neutral Magick,” Severus had decided to add his knowledge to the discussion, “always give you a sense of tranquillity and you find yourself going into trances if you’re not careful.” Sirius snorted and the Potions Master glared at him. “An example of such is the Patronus.” The noise level rose and McGonagall quickly told everyone that they could continue the debate about Magick some other time.

“So, She Healed me and I realized that time passed differently there since it turned out that I had been missing for several weeks instead of hours,” Sirius informed them. “She didn’t exactly say it in words but it would have been extremely dangerous for me to stay. However, She also warned me that getting out of the Realm wasn’t exactly safe either. How I got back into this world, I do not know. All I know is that I lost all my memories except the knowledge that I have magic and that I ended up on a beach.”

“I have a question,” Hermione piped up and Sirius tilted his head slightly in inquiry. “Why a beach? Why not out of the Veil? Which is here?”

Black smiled and shrugged. “I don’t know.” Well, that’s honest enough, the wizard thought to himself. However, I’m not sure if my meeting with Wormtail, who then led me to Remus, who ended up being the person in which my memories were keyed to was coincidence.

He pushed his thoughts aside to concentrate on telling the Headmaster and the rest what happened next. He didn’t mention that Wormtail was already dead and he didn’t omit the bit about him having to touch and taste the werewolf sitting beside him, whose face was flaming brightly.

“Oh!” Mrs. Weasley and Professor McGonagall gasped at the same time. Sirius grinned widely and casually kissed Remus’s cheek. Ginny erupted in giggles and Hermione broke into a smile. He felt muscles shift beneath his fingers and he turned to find his lover looking at him helplessly. It made Sirius even more reluctant to stop grinning.

Still smiling widely, Black looked around to see how the rest of the crowd reacted to the subtle hint. Moody had gone quite purple in the face, Dumbledore’s eyes were twinkling merrily back at him, Ron and Mr. Weasley looked quite disgusted. Fred and George exchanged looks.

“Maybe … we asked too soon,” Fred muttered.

“It’s shocking,” George agreed.

Poor lads, Sirius thought.

“But hey … it’s not our problem if they decide to be together,” Fred said, his lips curving slightly.

“Yeah,” George nodded his head fervently, “Let the Golden Boy figure it out.”

Sirius immediately looked at his green-eyed godson and was quite glad to see the young wizard’s approval. But he is snickering, came the irritating silent voice. He watched the Potions Master and the man’s expression was even more troubling. He looks as if he is squirming in his seat. All right, who is playing tricks on Snivellus? Black waited for several minutes before speaking again.

“So that’s it. I regained my memories and spent almost half a day … recuperating … and I had that premonition-like dream about Voldemort. That led to the breakout in Azkaban and my presence back in Headquarters.” Sirius sighed and looked up at the Headmaster. The ancient wizard nodded and seemed quite satisfied with his story.

The crowd began to decrease in numbers and finally, Dumbledore and McGonagall excused themselves to visit St. Mungo’s, leaving the students, the Potions Master, the werewolf and Sirius alone. They lounged for several more minutes until Severus left for bed. It seemed quite ideal that they call it a night.

“Harry! Do you mind chatting with us for a bit?” Fred poked his head into the sitting room and stared at Sirius’s godson.

“Sure,” the emerald-eyed Gryffindor answered. Harry stood and went over to hug Sirius and Remus. “I’ll see you in the morning. Good night and sleep well.” He winked again and Sirius couldn’t help watching his godson suspiciously.

“Oh, Ron … forgot to tell you this but you have to bunk in with Hermione. Most of the bedrooms are already taken up,” George informed his brother and immediately disappeared from the hallway with Harry and his twin.

“What?” the redheaded boy yelped while his sister snickered.

“Don’t be coy, Ronniekins. Well, Sirius, I’m glad that you’re back.” The girl went over to kiss his cheek before smiling at Remus.

“Uhm …” Ron’s voice diverted the older wizards’ attention. His ears were tinged red and he was having a hard time speaking with his friend.

“Get to bed you two,” Sirius feigned a grumble and the redhead mumbled something under his breath. He tried hard not to smirk when Hermione nodded her head and smiled shyly at Ron. Really, Ronnie. You’re thick. Get on with it!

“Er … you don’t … mind?” Ron squeaked and the girl rolled her eyes in aggravation.

“No, I don’t, Ron. Come on. Let’s go to bed.” Hermione immediately froze at Remus’s hiccup. “Whatever…” She shook her head and walked off, leaving her friend to follow her.

“A fine young woman,” Remus said quietly. “However, I wished she had more sense than to fly here without an escort.”

“You worry too much. She got here safely and that’s what counts. Come on, Moony-love. Let’s get some sleep!” Sirius jumped out of his seat and tugged at his lover.

“Moony-love?” Remus smiled faintly.

“You don’t like it?” He pouted.

“Sappy.”

“And here I thought that you’re a sentimental wizard!” Sirius exclaimed and found himself pinned on the wall. His lover was growling and nipping at his neck. “Okay! You win!”

Harry looked curiously at the twins. They had backed him up into the room they had chosen for themselves and locked the door.

“What’s up?”

“Harry, you will tell us what’s going on with you and the greasy git,” Fred started.

“— And why you seem to be at ease when your godfather is … has mated with another man,” George spoke at the same time.

The raven-haired wizard was at a loss for words. So he remained silent.

“Come on, Harry! We traced Hedwig and she was in Snape’s room!” Fred shook his shoulder. The Weasley seemed anxious.

“Confide! Thirty Galleons are at stake here and our lives!!!” his twin demanded.

“Well … the reason why I am not bothered with Sirius and Remus because … uhmmm … I understand what they are feeling,” Harry answered in a small voice.

“Oh my god,” Fred and George said in unison. “You’ve paired up with Snape.”

Are they telepathic or something? Harry stared at them, his face flushed in embarrassment.

“There goes thirty Galleons,” George sighed and Fred groaned heavily.

“Why do the two of you sound like you have just lost a bet?” Emerald eyes blinked lazily.

“Because we just did —”

“— To our darling sister,” Fred supplied. “She noticed that you were acting slightly off the hook when you were shopping at Diagon Alley.”

“Oh …” Harry couldn’t think of anything else to say and stood facing the twins stupidly.

“What are you going to tell old Ronniekins?” George inquired.

“Or Sirius?”

That was a topic Harry wished not to speak about that night. “I’ll think of something. This can’t be kept under the rug for too long since it is still quite a long way until the first of September.”

“Ah … so you’re thinking about telling them before school starts.”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it?” Harry said dryly. “The sooner they know, the fewer lies I have to fabricate.”

“Good … good … So let’s not keep your mate waiting,” George said while he unlocked the door. “Oh, you don’t have to tell him that we — and Ginny — know.”

“Hey, can you do me a favor?” Harry stopped them and gave a pleading look. “Do you mind advising Ginny to … keep it quiet? I’d rather have Ron and Sirius hear the news from my own mouth.”

“Sure, no problem mate!” Fred answered brightly.

“Just as long as your boyfriend doesn’t slip,” George reminded the younger wizard.

“Thanks,” Harry mumbled and muttered a good night to his friends. He walked as silently as he could and passed the door of the room that Hermione was supposedly sharing with Ron. Sev had better not have locked me out. He rested his fingers on the doorknob for a minute before turning it quietly.

“What kept you?” a husky voice met his ears just as soon as he stepped through the doorway and shut the door. Harry felt his lover coming toward him from behind. Strong arms wrapped about his waist and he leaned backwards, relishing the solidity of Severus’s chest.

“Hyperactive twins,” the Gryffindor mumbled. Severus dipped his head low and gave a throaty purr as he licked Harry’s neck. “Bed …”

“And bed it is.”