Chapter Text
“Remus what’s the matter,” Sirius questioned, leaning his weight on Remus’s shoulder as he joined him on the common room couch. He was intently reading a letter.
“My mum is having a baby,” he mumbled, seemingly still half reading the letter.
“Is that good news or bad,” Sirius questioned.
“It seems good,” Remus shrugged, folding the letter back up and allowing Sirius to lay across his lap.
“You’re gonna be a big brother,” Sirius mused, “and we’re going to have our first mini marauder.”
“I think mum would disagree with that last bit,” Remus joked. The silence that filled the air was comforting, not a commanding silence that needed to be filled, just a calm, peaceful silence.
Months later Remus was summoned home for the baby shower, electing to take the marauders with him. He was genuinely excited to be an older brother, but upon seeing his mother became a bit worried for her health. She was constantly out of breath or feeling weak, and he found out that day she’d been put on bed rest for the rest of her pregnancy. Of course his mother pretended everything was fine, she didn’t want him to worry about her, so she kept up the games from her seat the whole time.
Sirius was overjoyed to be included, he’d never felt an attachment to little kids but somehow the thought of a mini moony made his heart swell. He gave his all in the games, guessing the baby name of the few options he’d been given to choose from. He even dressed in head to toe pink as the card had suggested wearing blue if it was a boy and pink if it were a girl. James had elected to simply wear a bit of blue, Peter had followed James and went with blue, and Remus wore pink. He had a gut feeling it might be a girl. When the time finally came to cut the cake and find out if it would be a boy or a girl Sirius seemed the most excited of anyone in the room. He was buzzing with excitement.
Once it was revealed it would be a girl he nearly screamed with victory. He was so excited Remus’s mother made sure to snap a picture of the two of them from her seat. But then came the cleanup, and Remus would be damned if his mother had to lift a finger during everything, forcefully instructing the marauders to help clean up because, “by god she’s pregnant she’s doing enough work as it is.” He left that day feeling a bit better about his mothers health, everything would be okay.
The letter came about halfway through sixth year. The letter was the tipping point of forgiving Sirius, he needed to have someone to lean on after the letter. The letter explained how his mother had delivered the baby, but had died during labor. The baby was alright, his mother had named her Marley Hope Lupin. He felt emotions collide, he was overjoyed to see her, but gut wrenchingly sad over his mum's death.
He requested Sirius go with him, to be there to comfort him. Sirius nearly held Marley the whole time, Remus couldn’t quite bring himself to. He didn’t feel as though he should be happy at the moment, so Sirius held the newborn baby girl in his arms. He took note of the almost star-like birthmark that fell just directly under her left eye, like David Bowles lightning bolt. Remus was grateful for Sirius being there, to take on the joy that needed to remain for Marley so Remus had time to mourn his mother.
The next time Sirius held Marley it was the summer, Remus had brought her to the potters to give his dad a break and Sirius had vowed to help take care of her, waking up in the middle of the night to feed her. Remus nearly fell in love all over again seeing him holding the cooing baby.
Remus had entered the potter house with the baby in his arms, ready to hold her all summer. That was until he walked in and saw Sirius waiting at the door for him. Immediately Sirius took over, holding her and supporting her head without needing to be reminded. He must’ve asked Effie the correct way to hold a baby. He took a spot on the couch and Remus sat beside him.
“Moons she’s got a star under her eye,” Sirius pointed out excitedly, “and her name's Marley too, like ziggy Marley, she’s basically David Bowie incarnate.”
“Pads David Bowie is still alive,” Remus joked. It fell on deaf ears because Sirius was still absorbed into rocking the baby.
“I’m gonna call you ziggy,” he hummed to the little girl, “ziggy stardust.”
The nickname continued throughout the summer. Then continued through the school year with Sirius flopping on the bed asking if there was news about “my little ziggy”. The nickname even persisted when Remus’s father died when they’d moved in together and the baby had ended up in his care. For the first time in a long time, even though his dad had just passed he felt peaceful. They fell into quite the parental roles as she got a bit older and ended up in a muggle preschool. It caused quite the confusion for the staff there when Sirius showed up for pickup the first time. They were used to seeing an older brother that wore only sweaters and had a soft disposition, so you can imagine their surprise when Sirius showed up with a leather jacket and a permanent scowl.
“Hi, who are you here to pick up today,” the lady at the front desk asked.
“Yeah I’m here to pick up Marley,” he answered, his voice sounding mean even when he tried hard not to.
“What’s the name,” the front desk lady asked, gaining a confused look.
“Sirius black, I should be on the approved pickup list,” he insisted. Though she was confused, the lady checked him into the building and instructed him where he could handover. He knocked lightly on the room door, not wanting to barge in while they were in the middle of something. The teacher walked out of the room for a moment, giving Sirius a confused look.
“What can I help you with,” she asked, a sickly sweet voice.
“I’m here to pick up Marley Lupin,” he responded, “her brother’s a little busy and couldn’t make it to pick up today.”
“What’s your name,” the woman questioned.
“Sirius black, I should be on the approved pickup list,” he offered, “I can show my ID if you need me to.”
“No I think I recall Mr Lupin saying something about sending you for pick up,” she agreed, “Marley was great today, she’s been very participative today. I’ll just be right back in and bring her out here.” Sirius nodded, waiting out in the hall for the woman to come back out with Marley. Almost as soon as the door opened Marley broke loose of her teacher and ran towards Sirius, getting scooped up instantly.
“Padfoot,” she cheered, now balanced on his hip, “did you bring the bike?”
“Nah, your brother made me swear to take the car,” he laughed, waving bye to the woman before heading out of the building and to the small car Remus had bought when he first moved out. He fastened her in his seat belt and hopped in the driver's seat of the car, “how was preschool ziggy?” He pulled out of the car park and started driving, always one to stop for a treat on the way home he took a detour towards a convenience store nearby.
“Are we stopping for candy,” she giggled excitedly.
“Yes we are but we can’t tell moony,” Sirius insisted. He parked close to the door and quickly picked her up out of her car seat and carried her through the store looking for candy. Unfortunately Sirius forgot to take in the reason why Remus hadn’t made it to pick up. He was grocery shopping. Grocery shopping at the very store Sirius and Marley were currently looking for candy. Almost immediately Remus noticed the two, mostly because of Marley.
“Moony,” she cheered upon seeing him. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to see the two. Caught red handed.
“Ziggy,” he cheered, wheeling the cart over to them, “you’re supposed to be heading home from preschool.”
“We are heading home,” she insisted. Remus almost laughed, trying to hold it in at least a little bit.
“Did you take the bike,” Sirius questioned.
“No, I took the bus,” Remus shrugged.
“Good now you don’t have to ride the bus back home and we can help carry in groceries,” Sirius said enthusiastically, “it seems like I’ve got a sixth sense.”
“So what’d you stop for Sirius,” Remus said in a rather accusatory tone, “wouldn’t happen to be candy would it?”
“Shhhh,” Marley shushed, holding her finger to her lips for emphasis, “we aren’t supposed to tell you.”
“Okay then I’ll keep your secret this time,” Remus whispered back, scooping her out of Sirius’s arms and placing her in the seat of the cart.
She spent time with all of the marauders of course, particularly when Harry was born. She was seven but she still wanted to hold him every second she could, intent on getting him to say ziggy before anything else, by the time he was barely mumbling sounds she’d already been coaching him to do so.
“Moony I want to go see Harry,” she begged, getting in the car on her way to school.
“Zig you have to go to school,” Remus insisted.
“Padfoot would let me go,” she tried.
“Well I guess in that case we should see if Padfoot will take you for a visit,” Remus insisted, knowing Sirius wouldn’t wake up for anything for at least two more hours. He let her out of the car and she ran back inside and up to Remus and Sirius’s bedroom, swinging the door open and hopping onto a soundly sleeping Sirius.
“Padfoot,” she said excitedly, shaking him a little, “Padfoot, wake up so we can go visit Harry.” Her attempt to wake him up was not causing any reaction.
“Zig I think he’s staying asleep for a little while longer,” Remus laughed, checking his watch. Maybe it would be fine if she skipped today, she’d barely missed any days as it was. Marley didn’t stop her attempts, simply scooted closer to Sirius’s face and tried again.
“Sirius,” she cheered, “Sirius, wake up so we can go visit Harry.” Almost at the sound of being called Sirius instead of Padfoot he shot awake.
“What’d you say,” he mumbled, still clearly half asleep.
“Sirius we have to go visit Harry, Moony said we can visit him if you take me and that I can go there instead of school today,” she said excitedly, pulling on his hand to get him to get up.
“Alright, alright,” Sirius hopped up from the bed, “go put your shoes back on and I’ll be ready to leave.” When she left he looked like he was going to cry.
“What’s wrong love,” Remus asked, noticing the tears that seemed to fill his eyes.
“I’m not Padfoot anymore Remus,” he insisted, “I’m just Sirius now, you’re still moony and I’m just Sirius.”
“It’s okay,” Remus laughed, “give it a bit she’ll be telling Harry you’re Padfoot in about twenty minutes.”
True to his word once they’d arrived at James and Lily's, after Remus had phoned them to make sure it was alright, Marley hugged onto Lily's side, watching intently as she took care of Harry. Once Lily had set him down on his floor mat, Marley plopped right down next to him on her stomach.
“Can you say ziggy,” she hummed at the baby, “come on, say ziggy.”
“Zig, he can’t talk just yet,” Remus laughed, watching them from the counter where he stood with James and Lily. Sirius was sitting on the chair just beside the two of them.
“He’s trying,” she insisted, scrunching her eyebrows together in concentration, “say ziggy Harry.” The few months old baby seemed to be just as concentrated as she was, mouthing out what looked to be more baby babble.
“Sirius,” Lily said excitedly as she watched Harry, “get the camera just in case he does say something.” Sirius grabbed the camera off the table and started it, getting the moment of Marley trying to get Harry to say ziggy.
After the room went silent just in case, Harry started babbling once again, something that sounded like an s.
“Sig,” he babbled out. Ziggy nearly squealed with excitement, before remembering that it would make him cry.
“Did he just say zig,” Sirius questioned, almost laughing.
“I think it was more like sig but close enough,” James insisted, moving to scoop Harry up from the floor mat.