Chapter Text
Sirius loved Winterbreak. It meant hours and hours with James. So he was absolutely devastated when Effie and Monty were called south for an important medical conference.
Remus usually went back to Wales for Christmas; that was a well-known fact. So when Remus' Letter to come home came, three more accompanied it.
James Potter.
Peter Pettigrow
Sirius Black.
He smiled deeply at his name. That meant that Remus had written about him, if she knew the spelling.
The letter vaguely said it'd be a tight fit, but they were welcome to join them for Christmas.
He knew this troubled Remus. Remus loved his home. His mother and father, but he didn’t want the marauders seeing that. Sirius knew why. Remus kept a diary that Sirius would read.
He deemed it necessary, since Remus never spoke about how he felt.
Remus knew James and Sirius grew up absolutely loaded in fancy towns. And Pete lived in the upper middle class. He didn’t want them to see. But Sirius didn’t care. Because Euphemia spoke so highly of Mrs Howell, she must have been a lovely lady.
He had met Mrs Howell once, or at least seen her.
He stood there saying goodbye to Reg and Mum. But everyone shut up when a very, VERY tall Welsh man was practically rapping at the speed at which he was talking, walking in. And a young boy speaking back just as fast. A woman as tall as the boy is trying to convince an English-speaking Lyall, we’re in public! English please! You too, Soni! —And Mum had called it disgusting, speaking such an odd language in public. But Sirius liked it. That outdated scorn from Walpurga only made Sirius love the language more, its fluid cadence ringing in his ears like a song English could never match. Not even Frances ' smooth sounds compared. And the accent was so calming. Safe to say, he immediately befriended Remus Lupin.
All he remembered now was how broken her English was. And yet, it was like poetry. Just like her son.
He packed his bags excitedly and quickly. They were to leave in 20 minutes, and he had not packed. James sat on Sirius's bed, having packed the night before, smart lad, he thought bitterly, barely folding sweaters and tossing them in, not minding when they came unfolded.
“Any warnings, Moons?” James asked, a few actually.” Remus responded and stood up, joints popping with him, which made Sirius wince. “Don't chase the chickens. They bite.”
Peter winced. “I thought chicken didn't have teeth…”
Remus bent back down to continue packing. “They don't.” Sirius threw a jumper, not one of his, into the bag. He presumed it was Moonys. Or James. He’d check the tags.
Queen played in the background, though he didn't pay attention to the words. “Oh, and there are random sheep in the road. I swear, do NOT startle them. If I have to deal with that shit, I'm sending you guys home.”
Sirius imagined Remus with a lasso and a cowboy hat.
He vowed to spook many sheep.
“Oh! And Mum will want you to join us at church. So, wake as early as possible on Sunday, Sirius, that means no leather jackets. I trust the other two to figure it out.”
Sirius furrowed his brows. “I can dress fine!”
Remus snorted and continued packing. Sirius didn't press the issue further; he was smarter than that.
Church. Isn’t that the Christian thing? Was Hope religious? He’s ok with that. Effie was religious. She had an altar in the house, and he helped her light incense once.
Remus set the official bag on the bed. Everyone throws their busy items, the stuff they'd want on the train, into one bag.
Remus had three books and a crochet hook. James stuffed in his golden snitch, as well as protein bars and Quidditch magazines. Peter dropped in his sketchbook and pencils. Sirius sat in his portable cassette tape player and headphones. It seemed to Sirius like a bunch of cigarettes were being crushed. He gently rearranged as he spoke. “Does your mum know you smoke?”
Remus tensed a bit. “Best not tell her.”
—--
The train ride whooshed by in a blur. Sirius had listened to the same songs over and over again. They all ended up napping, except for Remus. James had eaten all his bars and read every magazine twice. Peter had made a beautiful gesture, drawing Sirius asleep on James’s shoulder.
Remus read each book happily. He looked tired, but no mind to that.
The station was packed as usual, adults waiting for their kids. But sticking out in the crowd was Mr Lupin. Tall, strong, and holding a much shorter, bright-dressed woman. Sirius would look back at Hope in later years and think of her as the first hippie he had ever seen.
James stared at the busy station. Then he grinned and looked back at the three. His fellow marauders groaned.
James made them all link hands. Remus led the way–being so tall, people cleared a path.
Remus didn’t care, though; he kept going. Hope had soft wrinkles around her eyes from smiling very wide for far too long. She had a huge smile on, a brighter one than he had ever seen. Lyall had soft eyes. Maybe Remus would look at them that softly if he had lived differently.
She had a flowy skirt of a dim pink with a yellow patchwork. Tucked into the skirt was a yellow top with flowy sleeves. The brown boots were mud-stained, but elaborately detailed. Her hair was like Remus’, brown and curly with some grey mixed in. But her grey was ageing. She had a thick brown sweater on, draped over her shoulders.
Mr Lupin stood tall, with a glare that reminded him more of Remus than hoped-for bright eyes. He had lovely brown slacks on and a black shirt. It seems the sweater he had on was his.
“Oh childs! I'm so happy to own you! I've wanted to meet you for so long!” Hope squealed. Her accent was so strong, it hit them all in the face. If she spoke too fast, they wouldn't be able to understand. Sirius paused and thought. When he glanced at James, he knew they both were asking the same thing. Why didn't Remus have an accent?
And her English was not very good. It seemed forced, and it made Sirius work to translate.
The marauders were very big on accents. Sirius had that smooth, posh French, Peter had that angry German, and James had Spanish and Hindi under his belt. And they all sounded like they spoke another language first, so where the hell was Remus? Why didn't he sound like the delightful fucking rainbow in front of them?
Sirius had once thought Effie’s joy was contagious. But if Effie was contagious, Mrs Lupin was the plague. It seeped into his bones and melted into the crevices.
“We’re taking one more train, about a two-hour trip, to get a little closer to Lyall–” she punctuated this by squeezing his arm. “--Set up a pot-key to Wales!”
Remus gently corrected her to PortKey, and she laughed.
Seems she was used to being outwitted. Sirius found this plausible, living with Moony and all.
“This is ok with all your parents, right?”
James nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! I think my mum sent a letter?”
Hope nodded, “So many owls!”
Peter spoke next. “Yes! My mum wants me to learn about other cultures.”
Sirius froze a bit as Hope stared at him expectantly. “Effie said it was fine.” He finally nodded.
Hope raised a brow. “What about your parents, Cariad?”
The world closed in. He felt his head throb, his hands instantly getting clammy. How could he explain to this smiling woman in a fucking rainbow, with a son like Remus, his life?
“Sirius lives with us.” James clarified.
Lyall nodded and started walking away, abandoning them. Remus followed, and so did hope like this was the most normal thing.
Maybe it was. Sirius hated not knowing what was normal.
James and Lyall took the luggage. Remus tried wrestling some bags away from James, and James yelled at him in Spanish until Remus shut up.
Hope said something quick and excited to Remus in Welsh, and he burned red. He made a quiet, embarrassed response.
The walking order was soon established. Remus, James, and Lyall walked in front. Being tall meant clearing a path for the shorter people. Peter tried to insert himself into a conversation with James in front. Sirius and Hope were left in the back in all their short glory.
Sirius technically wasn't short. He was actually tall for his age. But James and Remus were massive.
“Sirius? My Cwtch…Are you named after the star?” Hope asked. Her English seemed to get better by the minute.
He smiled softly. Hope was smarter than she appeared.
“Yes, Ma’am.” The Welsh word, she said, he had no clue. Pronounced like Kooch. He didn’t want to know. What if it was mean? No, Hope wouldn’t be mean. He nodded quickly. “House of black tradition. Naming your kid after some special object...” He murmured. He was still put off by the mini freakout. Hope nodded. Maybe she didn’t catch him saying Black.
“Interesting,” she mused with a smile. “I’ve always liked the stars. I wanted to name Remus something Greek.” She paused, and he watched her, waiting for her to continue. So she did. “But Lyall really liked Remus. And looking at baby Remus, gosh, he would have never been a Pericus, Achilles or Orpheus. Very much a Remus. Wouldn’t dare to consider anything else.”
He tried so hard to imagine a young Remus. But he couldn’t. Even knowing he was that eleven-year-old in the first year was bizarre. “Remus is a smart man’s name. I’ve never been the smartest girl. The smartest choice I ever made was Lyall and Remus. They both have knowledge I couldn’t dream of.” She smiled. Her gaze drifted between the two men, who were conversing in somewhat strained English. As if it were wrong.
It confused Sirius, which Hope seemed to notice. “They usually talk to each other in Welsh. It’s easier. Softer. They both sound so angry in English.” She huffed, shaking her head. “When Remus was younger, he learned Welsh first. We spoke about it around the house. He thinks in Welsh. I felt so bad teaching him English one year before school.”
That caught Sirius off guard. “He thinks in Welsh?” he paused, but then a more important question arose. “He learned English, the hardest language to learn, in one year?” He didn’t even attempt to cover the shock choking him. “Well.” Hope winced. “We spoke some English, so he picked some of it up. He knew about half of the language before going to Hogwarts…then I guess he learned the rest there...” She paused. “Lyall speaks English better than me. Being on the Magic council or whatever it's called.”
Sirius stared blankly at the back of Remus’s head. Dyslexic, and barely knowing English? So that’s why he failed so badly the first part of the first year. “Oh.” Was all he managed to get out.
Remus laughed at something James said. He noticed instantly that he and Hope smiled at the same time. He loved Remus’ laugh as much as Hope did.
Hope continued into other topics. Asking mostly about how Remus was, “I don’t see him anymore. He writes, but it’s not the same thing. He’s a very private boy.” She sighed.
“Mhm.” Sirius swallowed. “You think you know him, and then there’s a whole new thing, or secret, or just. Something.” Sirius responded, “But he’s great. He runs a study group for all grades; everyone who attends grade average rises by 20 percent. He's super funny, he has great taste in music, and uhm…He's like, a genius.” Sirius nodded. That was moony in a nutshell. Hope's eyes lit up. “Oh?” She smiled. “He said he didn't play guitar for you lads. Guess I'm wrong?” She asked.
Wait.
What.
Remus just got twenty times hotter.
“Guitar?” He asked warily. Hope’s smile only grew “Mhm! I taught him guitar when he was young. He's played since he was three. And the piano, of course. Taught him in the churches. He's much better with the guitar.”
So that’s why he was good with his fingers, Sirius grinned.
“He uh. Never told us.” He said with a bit of sass.
“Whoops. ‘So I wasn't supposed to say that. Keeps secrets close to his chest like his Papa.”
The conversation evolved. Anything involved with hope was interesting. Even chicken names. Lyall and Hope kept 10 chickens. Each is named after a Greek god. Apparently, the biting chicken was Athena. Hope really liked the Greek gods.
“Ah, dear, our chicken Hera landed from a flutter on Zeus yesterday. All the chickens panicked.” She giggled.
“Really?” He smiled.
He didn’t even like chickens.
“I told Soni stories of the gods and heroes throughout his life.” She smiled.
“Oh..uhm..sorry, who was Soni again?” Sirius sucked in a breath.
“Oh, it's a Welsh endearment. It means..uhh.. Lyall, dear, what is Soni in English?”
Without looking back, Lyall spoke, and Remus spoke with him. They spoke in unison. “Sweetheart.”
She smiled and went back to Sirius. “Lyall has always been a god in my eyes. So I imagined Remus and Lyall to have a bit of the gods in them. It only seems right, with those eyes.” She smiled. “What gods?” Sirius asked. This had his interest.
“Well, Lyall, Themis. Always a man of justice. Or maybe Athena. Very smart.”
Sirius smiled. He glanced at Remus, attempting to take some of the baggage off Lyall.
“I'm assuming Remus is Athena?” Mid second year, he heard the story of the golden apple. Pete would be Paris. Peter wasn’t very God-like. Moony was Athena. Or hera, he had much power to offer. James would be Hera, because he could give you the subjects for a king's life. And Sirius himself was Aphrodite. Because just look at him. Sirius knew he was hot.
“Oh gods no.” Hope smiled. “Apollon. Has been since he was born. Such bright eyes, such hair. Musical adaptability. God of healing and archery. Remus learned healing potions young. But also the god of the plague. Sickness. And well…” she glanced at Remus. “Y’know.”
He nodded. He could see it now.
Call him Hyacinth then.
He shrugged. “I see it.”
—---
A brown train. Nowhere is as magical as the Hogwarts Express. But nice. Remus, who was the best with English, was talking to a train boy. “What time is it?”
But Sirius wanted to talk to Hope. But hope was talking to Pete and James now. Unlike Effie, if you weren’t talking to Hope, you were alone. She would not include you. Because she focused completely on who she was talking to, and nothing less. The family slowly boarded the train. Both Lyall and Lupin had hit their heads. It was a small compartment for 6 people—Sorry, these compartments were much larger two years ago!—but the Marauders shared their usually four-person compartment with the Valkyries. This was their skill. Lyall and Hope squeezed into one side. Lyall was a beefy man, so he took up a third of it. Sirius said he could fit in that space, but James had replied with nonsense. James seemed to think Hope and Lyall knew about Sirius and Remus in how he seated them. James, Remus, and Pete squeezed into one side. And Sirius sat on Remus’ lap, legs draped over the other two boys.
If hope was noticed at that moment, she said nothing about it. Lyall knew, he was sure. Lyall made eye contact with Remus, glanced at Sirius, then locked eyes again. Remus looked away.
Is he ashamed of me? Does he hate me? Surely he does. He would’ve smiled or something if he liked me. He’s embarrassed by me. He deserves better.
No. Remus Lupin let everyone he disliked KNOW. Sirius made dislike obvious, but not like Moony. Sirius would sneer, cuss them out, and fight. Remus would glare you down, cruel things disguised as sweet things. A death wish to be disliked by Remus.
His Moony didn’t hate him.
Lyall didn’t speak. He squeezed Hope's hand, then, like Remus, stared out the window. The ride was about half an hour.
They talked about their town in Wales, Vesha. (vase-ha)
Lyall mentioned Minor magic may be possible over the summer, because it's harder to track. But only silencing spells, lumos and other tiny spells.
And Vesha? A purely magical town. Like Hogsmeade. One in three in Wales.
“So, Mr Potter, Mr Pettigrew, Mr Black, has my son got a girlfriend?” Hope smiled. No awkwardness lived within her, it seemed.
James hesitated. Peter choked on some water. Sirius felt Remus go red.
Sirius’ mind went blank. Uhhhh…fuck.
Lyall glanced at Sirius. Sirius wasn't looking back, but like Remus, you could feel Lyall watching you. When a Lupin watched you, it seemed it would claw up your back slowly.
A lupin's gaze was always felt in the soul.
“Oh, uh, my girlfriend Lily Evans says hi.” James smiled. He felt Remus sigh in relief.
Hope spoke quickly, “Oh, you have a girlfriend! Oh dear! Well, she should join us! If I knew, I would’ve extended the invite! Oh, Lyall, do you hear!” She shook Lyall gently. “Mr Potter has a girlfriend! Tell me about her!”
Lyall smiled softly, watching hope in adoration, but she didn’t seem to notice. Did Remus look at him like that? The thought alone sent shivers up his spine.
James Indulged hope in a very long conversation about Lily. She asked so many questions, and James answered them all in extreme detail. Hope knew more about Lily than James now.
As the train slowed to a stop, Lyall spoke. “The portkey is an old woman’s makeup palette.” He glanced at Sirius. No doubt observing his Eyeliner. He didn’t seem to dislike it, outwardly at least. Just knowing it was there. Remus and Lyall were the same.
Observing.
Calculating.
Logical.
Everyone slowly shuffled out, bumping into each other. Lyall placed a hand on Hope and Sirius. Remus mirrored Lyall and guided Pete and James out. Lyall's hand was warm. More Calloused then Remus. Larger too. Less scarred. He had freckles, like Remus.
Fleamont had a very paternal aura. He was Sirius’s dad at heart. But at that moment, so was Lyall. Because Lyall didn’t care what was wrong with you. If there was a problem, or a situation, aka getting off the train in one piece, he would get it done. He didn’t care if Sirius was gay and dating his son. They HAD to get off the train. Sirius smiled to himself at this. Very Remus-like of Lyall.
They soon got to a bench with a discarded, broken makeup pallet. Once glittery and expensive-looking. Now cracked and sad.
Hope clung to James’s arm; she couldn’t handle straight magic, apparently. Overwhelmed her. James didn’t mind. He never minded physical touch. Didn’t think twice about it. He bent his arm, like a true gentleman. And within seconds, a deep raspy Welsh incantation from Lyall, they stood in Remus’ town.