Work Text:
“Hey, Uncle Sirius,” Harry said during a family dinner one day. “Do you have a starlight for Caelum in the vault somewhere?”
She’d started thinking about it a few weeks ago. She knew every other Black named for a star or constellation had one, but in all the months she’d been living with Caelum, she hadn’t noticed him owning one, or he’d just not brought it with him when he moved in she supposed. If the latter were the case though, she didn’t know how he might have gotten it in the first case with her uncle in control of the vault and hating Bellatrix Lestrange so vehemently (and for good reason, she’d thought, remembering the singular time she’d visited Dartmoor Castle.)
“Oh,” Sirius said consideringly before nodding. “Yes, I do believe it is. I suppose you’ll be wanting it for your beau?”
Harry was used to the teasing over the past several years of living with Caelum, but that didn’t make it sting any less. Nor did it make her father bristle any less when reminded that his dear eldest daughter was living alone in a flat with the Lestrange Heir.
“Not my beau,” she said, for what felt like the hundredth time, and yet again trying to head off her father before he could get mad about something that really, truly wasn’t a problem. “But yes, the starlight would be appreciated.”
Sirius nodded, becoming more serious, “Of course. I can get it for you tomorrow?”
“That would be fantastic,” Harry nodded. “Just owl me and I’ll swing by to pick it up.”
With that over and done with, she dug back into her meal and hoped no one else would bring up Caelum.
One would think that after the literal years it’d be less of a Subject during these biweekly family dinners but alas they’d be wrong.
After dinner and hugging all her family members, including Addy who was seemed to grow every time she saw her, she returned home.
…
Caelum greeted her as she was picking herself up off the floor.
“Still can’t get the Floo to cooperate, huh?” He asked, raising an eyebrow from the doorway to their potions lab.
“Thank you, Mr. Lestrange, for that insightful observation,” she replied and brushed off some of the soot on her robes before walking over to him.
His demeanor softened and he reached a hand out to her. “How’s your family?”
She accepted his hand and gently squeezed it. “They’re well. How goes your brewing?”
“Come see for yourself.” He said and pulled her into the lab.
…
Caelum was teaching by himself in the Alleys the next day, so it was no matter to go and grab the starlight from her uncle.
To her immense gratitude, he had no snarky remarks about his perceived view of her relationship with Caelum, just the starlight and a smile.
…
It wasn’t any sort of special occasion, but that almost made it better in Harry’s mind. It was just a gift for the sake of a gift, a token because she’d been thinking about him.
…
Harry was well into researching an old potions journal when Caelum returned home. His exit from the floo was graceful, and she shook her head as she tucked her quill in between the pages and then closed it.
“How’s everyone?”
“Complained about your absence,” he replied with a hint of humor to it. They’d had this conversation many times before.
“And you know they complain about your absence when I teach solo,” she said and stood up off the couch.
He sidled up to stand next to her and threw an arm around her shoulders. “You know there’s a solution to that.”
Sighing as she leaned into his embrace, she shook her head. “It’s just the rare solo lesson. The kids will survive, and it’s nice to be able to run some errands during that time.”
Caelum let out a sigh but said, “you’re right, of course.”
Turning so she could look up at him, she grinned. “Of course,” she repeated.
Their relationship hadn’t been—wasn’t—perfect, but in moments like this, just the casual every day moments, it felt like it was.
Harry pulled away slightly, eyes going to the bag she’d put the starlight in. “I have something for you.”
“Oh?” He asked. His eyes followed hers. “What’s that for?”
She could feel her heart beating impossibly fast now. Why? She knew that he’d like this gift. And maybe that was part of it. There was something unnerving about giving a gift that she knew mattered like this one did. Even if that seemed counterintuitive. “I just thought of you,” she said, shrugging slightly and then walking over to fetch it.
“Here,” she handed it over and held her breath.
He took his time pulling it out, but she knew the moment he realized what it was.
His eyes widened and he looked from her to the starlight in his hands back to her again in disbelief.
“I…” He said and shook his head. “It’s not…”
Harry nodded and smiled up at him, eyes crinkling in the corners. “I thought it was way past time you have it,” she said.
He shook his head again, and when he spoke again, it was just her name. “Harry.” And his voice was so fond she could hardly handle it. They hadn’t exchanged I love you’s, but that single utterance, just her name, felt like one.
He looked down at the starlight again and whispered his name. She couldn’t see the light, but it was obvious from his face it had worked, and what exactly that meant to him.
“I can’t believe this,” he whispered, this time not taking his eyes away from it.
“Believe it,” Harry responded fondly. “You deserve it.” You deserve everything. The man Caelum now was… Harry had no qualms saying that about him.
“Thank you,” he said, and finally looking away from the starlight, stretched his arms out. She fell into them without hesitation.