Work Text:
Só tomei conhecimento do poder
Inquestionável de um peito quando ama
Quando amei alguém como você
E te chamei pra morar comigo
Garfos, facas, copos, pratos, porcelanas
Jogo americano, luminárias
Quando amei você
Tudo ficou bem mais bonito
It all started with a door.
A door is closed so another can be opened, this is what everyone says and somehow has always been true in Regulus' life.
The first door was closed in his face when he told his parents that he was pregnant. There was only much that they could accept: they could accept him being trans if this would mean having a male heir – because apparently this is the only important thing for them, that their heir is a man, even if it's the XXI century and no one thinks like this anymore, Regulus doesn't know if this is exactly gender affirming or not –, they could accept him being with a man if this would mean, eventually, after a marriage with a husband they accepted, giving their family an heir.
They couldn't accept him being pregnant while still in college – a major that by the way he hated and they chose for him –, with a man that it wasn't approved by them – not that this mattered because the guy left him anyway –, before marriage. It was outrageous, completely unacceptable. And because of that when he told them about it they gave him only two options:
An abortion.
Or leaving this family forever and losing everything he had.
And for the first time in his life Regulus Black was brave. He left, because he didn't want an abortion, his ex gave him the same exact ultimate and he chose to be a single parent and go through this alone than abort his baby.
It wasn't a hard decision, actually. It was losing what had become the most important and valuable thing in the world for him, or giving up a life he hated, leaving parents who hated him and who mentally abused him his whole life, it wasn't losing everything, money isn't everything for him.
So not for the first time in his life, a door closed for him – the first time was the day Sirius left, leaving him behind probably hating him for choosing to stay, he regretted it later, but there was nothing he could do to undo it.
That day he ended up in what would be the first door that opened for him. After walking a couple miles, taking the metro and the bus, he ended up in Pandora's and Evan's flat.
They said once that if Regulus ever decided to leave his parents' place he could come stay with them while he got his shit together, so that's what he did.
Thirteen weeks pregnant, a single package and a backpack, freshly dropped out of college, with no money on his name, that's how Regulus life really started.
He ended up crying on Pandora's lap for almost two hours without knowing what to do with the only single certainty that he would do anything, absolutely anything, for his baby, and he did.
He got a job at a cafe, which didn't pay much but he didn't actually need much for himself, just for his baby, applied for an online school to study literature and languages, because he wanted to work with books, maybe teach because it was more stable, maybe be a translator.
Life went on.
Until he had his baby.
This precious little thing, his adorable baby girl.
And he called her Polaris. Because she guided the direction of his life.
Things became hard again, when she was 5 months old, Pandora was moving out with her girlfriend Lily, who had just got a major work opportunity in another city, which meant she was going away. Evan was getting more and more busy with nurse school and the start of his residency, so he couldn't help much. Taking care of a baby without someone to actually help was the opposite of easy, he didn't have someone to watch her so he couldn't work, and without a job he didn't have money, Evan couldn't keep paying everything for him.
So Regulus made a hard decision again. He called his brother, the brother he hasn't seen in 6 years, since he was 15 and saw him leave their house for a better life, the brother he only knew through posts on social media that he stalked once in a while when he felt like crying himself to sleep.
It wasn't an easy conversation, having to come out to him, telling him all that happened in the last year, the breakup, the pregnancy, the being kicked out, the lack of money, everything – Polaris. It was even harder to ask what he needed to ask, the reason for the phone call: could he help him?
Sirius would always do anything for his little brother and this time wasn't any different, he said yes, told Regulus that he could come live with him, explained his life situation, said he didn't even need to worry about money.
So a couple days later, Regulus packed everything, said goodbye, thanked Evan and Pandora for everything, and went to the address Sirius had texted him.
And it all really started there, with another door.
He knocked, and he expected Sirius to open, but it wasn't him.
It was a tall man, with golden skin, hazelnut eyes, round glasses and the warmest smile. His name is James Potter, and their story began there.
"Regulus, you're finally here! It's so nice to meet you! Wait, let me help you with your things you have a baby", James said, he didn't wait for Regulus response just picked up his packages (which wasn't much), and took it inside while holding the door open for Regulus – and Polaris, who was attached to his chest on the sling.
"This house is enormous, how the fuck can you afford this?" Regulus asked, trying to act normal around the man who supposedly stole his brother from him. "And where's my brother?"
"Well, it's my family’s house so has been with us for generations actually, my parents decided to retire and move back to Brazil so they left it for me, and well I don't have a family yet, but I have two best friends who needed somewhere to stay so here we are. And don't worry, Sirius will be home soon. He went for last minute grocery shopping, we didn't have much vegetarian options, sorry", James says while guiding Regulus upstairs, he talks too much, Regulus thinks, but he seems nice.
They end up in a big bedroom, it's way bigger than his bedroom in the Rosier’s, more space for Polaris crib.
"So, this is your bedroom, feel free to do anything you want with it, hang photos, paint the walls, anything at all, the crib arrived this morning and Sirius and I decided to assemble it for you, don't worry we looked up every instruction and no screw was missing", it is in that moment that Regulus realize the crib in the corner, he prefers it near his bed, but he can change that.
"You didn't need to do it, but thanks, I appreciate it", Regulus says. "You can leave my stuff anywhere I'll handle it".
"As if we would let you assemble a crib on your own while needing to care for your kid, we could do it so why not, right? We're thinking about ordering pizza so let us know your favorite flavor, if you need any help don't hesitate to ask, really. This is your home now too, Reg", James tells him, and he seems so sincere that Regulus believes him, he smiles as he leaves, leaving the door a little open in case Regulus needs to ask for anything.
Regulus looks at Polaris safely tucked in the sling, still sleeping, he kisses the top of her head as he says:
"This is our new home, Polar Bear", like he needs to remind himself of that.
Later that night Sirius finally arrives, they order pizza, his brother meets his niece and cries, they catch up with each other and cry even more.
By the end of it Regulus knows everything about their lives.
After James' parents retired they left him the family company, it's a very famous company, though Regulus doesn't understand what they do, James became a CEO at the age of 25, which is really impressive. He owns the house and doesn't let anyone pay him rent, he covers everything simply because he can, and because he's like this, for what Regulus can see. He works from home most of the time, because apparently being the boss means he chooses where he will work, he only goes to the office when there's an important meeting so Regulus will end up seeing him a lot.
Remus just became a middle school history teacher, he's studying to actually be a college professor, he needed a job so he took it. Apparently he's good with kids, which Regulus thinks might be good since he will be living with a kid from now on.
Peter, who doesn't live with them anymore because he got a job in Manchester but comes twice a month, apparently works with finances or something mathematical that Regulus didn't bother to understand. He'll probably come this weekend.
And then there's Sirius, who Regulus was the most excited – even though he won't admit – to hear about. He's a tattoo artist, he used Alphard's inheritance money to buy his own tattoo shop, he didn't know that Alphard didn't leave anything for Regulus or else – according to him – he would have saved him some. Regulus ends up discovering that Barty, Evans current boyfriend and their old friend from school (who they reconnected once he started dating Evan), works there.
He says he will help Regulus with anything he needs, money, looking out for Polaris, anything, that he will "redeem" himself for every moment he missed (Regulus doesn't think he needs to redeem himself for anything, but he doesn't say it).
All of them make sure that Regulus understands that he doesn't need to worry about working for the next few months at least, he can just focus on Polaris, enjoy her, that they together have enough money to cover everything they need (honestly James would have money to cover all off them without difficulties but the guys doesn't let him apparently).
Regulus is grateful, he truly is, he never had this many people taking care of him this much – obviously his friends always took care of him, but they were a bunch of broken people with terrible families having to work their shit together, there wasn't much they could do for Regulus, but they still did everything they could.
Maybe that's what feeling loved and appreciated feels like.
Through the next months Regulus ends up adjusting to the house and the people who live there. And they adjusted to Regulus and Polaris.
Someone would always prepare Regulus dinner so he didn't have to make it himself and make Polaris food too, someone would always buy the things he needed, someone would always watch Polaris when he asked for it.
The person Regulus most grew fond of was James.
James was basically always at home so he became the person who helped him the most. He played with Polaris, helped feed her, watch her so Regulus could study or work (because he ended up finding a job as a translator, he could do it from home, which was perfect) or simply rest and take a shower. Polaris loved him, her love for him started simply like that, when she was just a small baby. James would make her laugh, would read her stories, would play with her, James was always there for her.
His favorite memory from when Polaris was still a baby happened when she was 10 months old, already crawling and babbling and full of personality.
He had just finished showering, James watched her for him so he could do it. When he got to the living room James was sitting on the rug with her holding a Pooh bear plushie which was new – not actually new but Regulus had never seen it before, it looked kinda old but preserved. At some point, because Regulus called Polaris "Polar Bear", James started calling her Pooh bear, and he made the child become obsessed with it.
"Okay, so do you see this, Winnie? This was mine when I was a baby just like you, and now I'm giving it to you, you better take care of it, this is very important, are you gonna take care of it?" Polaris babbled in response, and James, who had become an expert in baby language, understood it as a yes and let her pick up the bear.
"Winnie?" Regulus asks, sitting next to them, that was new. Polaris looked at him when he said it, which was new too because she usually only attended to "Polar Bear", not even her own name would make her look.
"Yeah, look, Pooh Bear suddenly became Winnie the Pooh at some point, but it's kinda weird saying Winnie the Pooh every time I call her, and Pooh is just like… pooh , so Winnie it is, right, Winnie?" James talks to her, who yells in return. "That was definitely a yes".
"You're trying to rename my child", Regulus points out, joyfully.
"I'm giving her a cute nickname, because we're best friends and best friends give each other nicknames. Like Padfoot, and Moony, and Wormtail, and me, Prongs!"
"Wormtail doesn't seem like a friendly nickname", Regulus says, not for the first time.
"Well it is and he likes it. Anyway I'm giving Polaris her official marauders nickname, Winnie, is perfect and adorable just like her", he says, touching her nose, she tries to hold his finger but he's faster, so she has to just accept Pooh's ears instead.
"Winnie sounds like… I don't know whining".
"No it fucking doesn't!" James says, like he's truly offended about this statement. "I'll let you know that I searched it up and Winnie means 'gentle friend', 'friend of peace' and 'happiness'. And she is the gentlest person and this house's whole happiness, at least she's mine, anyway it's the perfect nickname for her".
He says, and immediately goes back to playing with her, like he didn't just make Regulus' heart skip a beat.
This house's whole happiness, at least she's mine, he said like it was the most simple thing in the world, like loving someone's child could be this easy.
He doesn't doubt that is easy to love her, loving Polaris is the easiest thing Regulus has ever done, but she's his daughter, obviously he would love her so wholeheartedly – well, not obviously, his own parents didn't love him this way and after becoming a parent he honestly can't understand why –, but Polaris is nothing to James, not his daughter, not even his niece, he's just… his best friend's little brother's daughter. But still, he cares so much, he shows up so much, he loves her so much.
Not even her genitor did that for her, but James did, James does everything for her, like his whole purpose in his life is to make her happy. Regulus can see it, because it's his purpose in life, and one recognizes another.
"Why do you care about her so much?" he ends up asking, letting his thoughts leave his head.
"Huh? How could I not love her, she's perfect. And she's yours, and I care for you, Reggie, of course I care for her, she's you", and Regulus feels like crying.
Because he looks at him like he is precious too, he looks at him just like he looks at Polaris but even gentler, because he cares for him
he cares for him
he cares for him
and he loves his daughter because she's a part of him, because she's his.
Regulus looks at James, and no one has ever looked at him and his daughter with such… care. Not his ex when they broke up and he decided to never be in her life. Not his parents when they kicked him out for not aborting her. His friends love him and her, but they have their own people, Evan has Barty, Pandora has Lily. Sirius always looked at him like he was his child because he raised him, and he definitely didn't want to raise another kid again, even though he loves Polaris, and he has his own person too, he has Remus.
That is Regulus' favorite memory from those first months, because it was when he realized how much James Potter loved them, and how much he loved him back.
It took a while for them to start dating though.
Polaris turned 1, then 1 and a half, and suddenly she walked (more like waddled) and talked (more like sophisticated babble).
Sirius and Remus ended up buying their own place, and Regulus considered moving out but James asked him to stay, so he did. He told himself it was because Polaris was used to that, to James, so he didn't have to admit to himself that he was used to it too.
They were watching a movie, Polaris was sleeping in the middle of them hugging the old Pooh bear James gave to her. They ended up changing the movie from Frozen to some stupid romcom because it was James' turn to choose it.
The movie wasn't good, so they started making jokes about it, and laughing, and James was obviously way funnier than Regulus so he laughed more. Regulus hates his laugh, he thinks he looks ugly while laughing and always covers his mouth.
Suddenly, a hand gently takes his hand away from his mouth, uncovering it. James is looking at him and smiling, that same warm smile that it's only for Regulus and Polaris.
"I like your laugh, stop covering it, I can't see your dimples that way", James says, and he even gently touches Regulus cheeks, where the smallest dimples reside. It barely appears, Regulus doesn't laugh this much.
"My laugh makes me look weird, it's ridiculous", Regulus argues back, trying not to blush because James keeps looking at his dimple and it's way too close to his mouth.
"She has your laugh", he says, and Regulus looks at the sleeping toddler.
"She doesn't, her laugh is adorable, makes her shake her whole body and hiccup", Regulus touched her hair, giving her what James calls "cafuné" – which in english probably means affectionate head-stroking, but Regulus prefers the word cafuné.
"You do the exact same thing, the body shaking, the hiccup, it's adorable, she's a mini version of you, I love her laugh, I love yours too", he still has his hand in Regulus cheeks, and Regulus finally looks at him, and James still looks at him like he's the most precious thing in the world.
And Regulus can't remember who started it, but suddenly they're kissing, and it's their first kiss.
Until they're interrupted by a 1 and a half year old.
"Winnie kisses too", she says sleepily.
"You want a kiss too, Polar Bear?" Regulus asks, and she nods.
Regulus leaves a kiss on the top of her head, it isn't enough.
"Jay too", she asks, James laughs and does the same as Regulus.
"There, Winnie got a kiss too", James tells her, and she smiles and gets in Regulus lap so she can go back to sleep.
James gets closer to him now that there isn't a toddler between them, he passes his arms around Regulus' shoulder and pushes him closer until Regulus has his head on James' shoulder. Then he leaves a kiss on the top of Regulus' head, just like he did to Polaris.
And after it they started dating, simply as it was. Nothing changed much, as everyone used to point out they already acted like a couple, now they just had a new title and well, kisses and more than kisses.
Polaris started day nursery when she was 2 years old, only twice a week because Regulus thought it would be good for her to spend some time with kids her age. She loved it, even though she was a very shy kid, she didn't talk much around people, it overwhelmed her and she didn't think it was needed, it didn't mean she didn't like going to school, she did. She has friends, friends she talks to and plays with, there's her friends and the rest, she doesn't speak to the rest, at least not verbally.
One day she brought a sheet of cardboard.
"Family tree", she explained, putting it in the middle of the kitchen table. Regulus got the paper explaining everything in her little backpack.
Every child will need to bring their family tree next week, so they can show the class every different form of a family.
It was a cool assignment, specially because Polaris family is particularly different from other kids. She has only one parent, she doesn't have grandparents (even though she calls James' parents grandma and grandpa – or actually "vovó" and "vovô"), she has a bunch of uncles and aunties, and that's it.
It's different but it's theirs and Regulus loves it.
James is in a meeting today, so it's just the two of them. Regulus likes it when it's just them, even though he likes it more when they're all together, it's good to have these moments with her.
"Okay, let's start with who?" he asks her, just to hear her answer, he already knows what she's going to say, but he likes how excited she acts about those things.
"Winnie!" she says, exactly as he predicted.
"Yes, you" he laughs a little, while he writes in the page Polaris (Winnie). "What picture do you want?" He asked her as he gives her the options he printed a little before doing it.
"This one", she points at the picture of her in the garden holding Pooh, always holding Pooh. He helps her glue it carefully.
"And who's next?"
"Papa!" Polaris almost yells, pointing at him, he has to hold the urge to hug her really tight and squish her from such cuteness.
He writes down his name.
Slowly the family three gets full. Uncle Sirius, Uncle Moony, Uncle Rosie, Uncle Bee, Uncle Pete, Auntie Dora, Auntie Lily, Auntie Cas, Auntie Mary.
"Oh no!" Polaris suddenly says, looking at the three.
"What's wrong, Polar Bear?"
"We forget Jay!" She points out, like it's outrageous that they forgot James.
"Oh yeah, well that can't happen, let's put James, what do you want me to write next to his name? Uncle? Best friend?" he asks because she became used to saying James is her best friend – James and Papa, but Papa first – because that's what James always says, that Winnie is his best friend. "We can put him next to uncle Sirius".
"No", she denies with her head, shaking it strongly as always. "Jay here, next to Papa because they a couple". You can see by her look that she means to say "obviously", like how dare he even suggest otherwise. "And write best friend and Dada".
Regulus froze for a moment.
"What?"
She has never said that before, obviously she knows Regulus and James are together, she probably doesn't even remember a time they weren't together, she doesn't even remember a life without James because that life lasted only five months.
But she never called him Dada, she called him Jay, Jamie, James when she's pretending to be mad, best friend, silly Jamie, even stupid but never Dada.
"Dada, Jamie is Dada, Winnie, two daddies, Papa and Dada, you and Jamie, family!" she says excitedly, like it's nothing.
Because maybe it is. It isn't hard for her to understand this, Regulus is her Papa, and Regulus is with James, so James is her Dada. Or maybe it's because James is always taking care of her exactly like Regulus does, so therefore he's her Dada. It doesn't matter the line of thought , she's 2 years old and she probably doesn't have a line of thinking, just a thought.
Winnie, Papa and Dada are a family.
Jamie is her Dada.
That's it.
"Papa, write!" she says impatiently.
"Oh yeah, sorry, bug", he apologizes, and writes down, exactly as she asked.
Jamie (Dada, best friend).
Right besides Papa (Regulus)
"Best friend first", she says pointing at Regulus, because obviously, Regulus is first in her line of best friends.
When it's done she looks at it and smiles, her dimples showing, she's really happy with it. She gets even more excited when she hears the door opening following with:
"Where's my love and my Winnie?" which can only mean that James arrived.
"Jay, Jay, Jay, tree family”, she says, running to the door with h"r cardboard.
Regulus follows her, a little anxious for his reaction to seeing the "Dada". Maybe he will freak out, maybe he will tell her that he isn't that, maybe he will pretend it's okay only to tell Regulus to talk to her later so she doesn't confuse things again.
"Oh wow, what a beautiful tree, oh looks there's me", he says pointing at his picture, he looks up – because he got to Polaris level, like always because he hates talking down to her – smiling at Regulus. "Hi, love".
"Hi", Regulus says, and he smiles, he can't help him, until this day James keeps being so gentle with him, always gentle.
He looks back at the family tree.
And Regulus can see the moment he finally reads it, because his eyes go wide, he looks to Regulus, then Polaris.
"What does it say here, Winnie?" he asks, even though he can read what is written, he wants to hear it.
"amie, Dada, best friend, but Papa says best friend first because he best friend first", she says, and the best friend part is more important for her.
Regulus can see James' eyes filling.
"Yeah, I know, I'm the second, Papa always first" there's no anger in his voice when he says it. "Why Dada?"
"Because Jamie Dada, duh", she says, matter of factly.
James laughs, and a tear finally falls down. He pulls her into a hug.
"I love you, my Winnie", he tells her.
"Love you too, like my tree family?"
"Yes, it's the most beautiful family tree I have ever seen, but maybe you forgot vovô and vovó", he says, cleaning his tears.
Polaris quickly turns to Regulus holding her paper up.
"Papa we forget vovô and vovó need to fix!" she runs to the kitchen table before him.
"I'm coming Polar Bear, one minute".
He looks to James, who is still on the floor, Regulus bends down too, he touches James cheek gently, like he always does with him, and James finally looks at him.
"You okay?" Regulus asks.
“Did you tell her to put that?” he asks, and he's not accusing him of anything, simply asking.
"No, she decided to do it herself".
James looks close to tears again.
"Dada", he tests it out loud, laughing wetly. "Are you okay with it?"
"Are you?"
"I need you to answer it first", he clears a tear who ended up falling. He needs to know how Regulus feels about it first, because this is Regulus' daughter and he would never impose himself on anything.
"Yes, I'm okay with it".
James breaths deeply.
He looks at him, holding Regulus' face between his hands.
"My love, my star, my Regulus… my happiness, my Winnie, my daughter", Regulus holds his breath in the last word. "You two are the best thing that has ever happened to me".
Regulus looks at him, and he loves him so much. This man who took care of a little girl like she was always his, who loved them from day one. James, his sun. They're a family, Regulus never thought he would have a family.
"Papa! Come!" an impatient two year old calls, and both men laugh with tears in their eyes.
"The head of the house is calling", James says.
"Coming, Polar bear", Regulus tells her, standing up and helping James do the same.
And together they go help their daughter finish her family tree, the simplest and at the same time most special thing they could do at that moment.
It all started again with another door. Because it always starts with a door.
Technically this door was always there, just waiting to be open.
It happens when Polaris is almost three, she will be three next month. It wasn't planned, but it doesn't mean it wasn't wanted, just like Polaris herself.
Polaris was the first to know, because kids apparently feel these things. One day she simply touched Regulus' stomach and said "Baby!", and that was it. Regulus bought a pregnancy test the next day, and there it was, the two lines.
He freaked out, not because he was pregnant, he loved being a parent and loved the idea of Polaris having a sibling. He freaked out because the last time he told a boyfriend he was pregnant the reaction was "You're getting an abortion" and when he said no they broke up.
He and James can't break up, they're a family they're… everything.
It takes a lot for him to not have a panic attack. It takes a lot of him to tell him the same day instead of postponing it forever – which would probably be hard after he started to show.
He did it anyway, even being scared, because along the way of being a parent he discovered that being a parent means doing things even when you're terrified, because you're always terrified.
Regulus didn't say much, he waited until Polaris was asleep and they were in their bedroom – their because they shared a bedroom now, because they're a couple – to simply show him the pregnancy test.
James looked at it, then at Regulus, then at his belly, which was basically still flat because it was early.
His face crumpled like it always does when he cries, he doesn't say anything, just hugs Regulus, gently – always gently –, he cries softly as he laughs.
After a while he holds Regulus' face, smiling with his smile, his and Polaris.
"We're having another baby", it's so soft that you almost couldn't listen to it, but Regulus does, and he can't help but notice the wording.
Another baby.
Not a baby.
Because they already have a baby, Polaris, their Winnie, their first child, theirs.
"We are", Regulus agrees, smiling, he's sure his dimple is showing, it's showing more and more the past years.
"Oh my god, our Winnie will become an older sister", James says, and this somehow sounds even better for him, even more exciting.
Our Winnie.
Regulus cries, he blames the hormones as he hides his face in James' chest.
"I love you so much, thank you for choosing us, for loving us, for being the best dad in the world", Regulus says in his shirt.
James strokes his hair softly – cafuné –, and leaves a kiss there.
"It's the easiest thing I've ever done, and the best thing I've ever done. And I'm not the best dad", he says, and Regulus feels offended on his behalf as he lifts his head to look at him. James cups his face again. "You are. You're always the first, remember?"
He quotes Polaris.
Regulus hugs him again after it as James holds him tightly.
"We're having another baby, I can't believe it, I'm so happy, my love".
Regulus has never been this happy before, it's so consuming that he doesn't have words for it, it's like when he held his Polaris for the first time.
Months later the door opens, it leads to the nursery and today someone is finally sleeping in there. Her name is Raegan, she's Regulus and James' second daughter, and Polaris' little sister.
"Can I hold her, Dada?" she asks, not for the first time today, they promised her she could as soon as they got home. "Hands washed so I can, right?"
James looks at Regulus, who nods.
"Come here, Winnie", James says as he sits her in the rocking chair. "You have to support her, okay? Be extra careful she's still very tiny".
She helds his arms the same way she did in the hospital when she held Raegan for the first time, and Regulus carefully puts her in her arms. Raegan moves a bit before settling down against her sister.
Polaris strokes her sister hair very very gently, as she whispers:
"Hi, Raerae, I Winnie, I your big sister, and I be your best friend".
"I thought I was your best friend, and then James", Regulus says, still near them in chair he needs to pick Raegan again, James is behind him, and he bends down so they're all in the same level, on hand in Regulus' back.
"Yeah but… Papa has Dada, and Dada has Papa, and you have uncle Siri too, I have Rae, and Rae have I, best friends forever and ever and ever and ever", she says, and she kisses her sister head (not her face, the top of her head, and they told her).
Regulus feels his heart melt, not for the first time when it's about their family.
"I guess this works for me", James says next to him, as he kisses Regulus' shoulder.
"Yeah… me too".
And just like that, their family grew up.
There's another door, not the next, but a really important one.
Happens three years later. Polaris is 5, Raegan is 3, and Dove is 1.
Dove is their youngest daughter, their third – and last as they agreed that their family is finally complete – daughter.
She's the smallest thing in the world, well not anymore, but she was, even though she's a very energetic one year old. Their teeny tiny Dove.
Polaris became a really gentle and loving kid, she's still very shy, still doesn't talk when she doesn't want to, which no one forces her to do otherwise, she's allowed to feel things the way they do. A couple years ago her therapist said she has selective mutism. It just made them know more about their Winnie, made them learn sign language for when speaking is too much, and made them understand her better.
Raegan became very protective of her sisters, she has a strong personality for a three years old, Regulus says she got that from Sirius, Sirius says it's all Regulus. She admires her sister very much, and Polaris kept her promise of them being best friends forever and ever and ever and ever.
Dove came, and she became the girls' baby. They care for her so much, they always include her in everything, and they always make sure she's having fun. She's still very young, and as she grows their relationship will grow too.
Today is a very important day, it's Regulus and James' wedding.
After years together, after three daughters, they're finally husbands. They didn't think they needed to get married, they already had everything, marriage was just changing a title for them.
Sirius and Polaris walked Regulus down the aisle, while Raegan and Dove brought them their rings.
They didn't say their vows, it was private and they did it before the ceremony, just them and the girls.
The ceremonialist declared them husbands, and they kissed.
"And now, here we are, at our wedding, our small little wedding that we planned just for the people we loved because we never needed much. Just us. It was always everything we needed", Regulus says, looking at his husband. It's their reception and Regulus decided to make a speech, they had agreed to not make speeches so James was a bit shocked by it. "I told you all of this, even though I hate speeches, and we agreed not to do it, because a few months ago a little girl asked me something, she wanted to give her dada a very special present", Regulus continues, and he tries really hard not to cry.
The door opens once again, and Polaris comes running in their direction, stopping in front of James' seat holding a cardboard. It's a family tree that she made when she was just 2 years old. She holds Pooh too, because she always holds Pooh.
"You kept this?" James asks her, and he looks closely into it.
The family tree changed a bit.
There's Papa (Regulus), there's Dada (Jamie), RaeRae (little sister), Dove (littlest sister).
And there's her, Polaris Potter-Black.
Not only Black. At least not anymore.
"You… what?" James looks at Regulus, then at Polaris.
Polaris doesn't talk in front of many people, she hates it, even if it's people she knows, so she whispers, only so James and Regulus can hear her.
"Raegan is Papa's and Dada's, and Dove too. And me too, but Winnie doesn't have Dada's last name, and I want to because Dada is my dad too".
She explains, in a very five years old way.
Then she asks James what she asked Regulus a few months ago, after discovering about it because a friend in her school was adopted by his stepmother.
"Will you adopt me?"
And it's only a sheet of paper.
Because he has always been Polaris' father.
But it is a sheet of paper that no one can doubt, it's being in her documents, is being her father in every way possible, even though he already was her father since she was five months old.
Is like the marriage certificate, it's just a sheet of paper, they already were and promised everything they did that day. But it's a sheet of paper that proves to the world everything they already know.
Maybe it's just this, proof, and sometimes you need proof.
And at the same time they're important sheets of papers, like the family tree.
James is crying so much that you can barely understand when he says yes, when he says how much he loves his Winnie, his happiness.
But Regulus can.
Regulus can understand when he looks at him and he says everything just by the way he looks.
James always looked at him like this, with so much gentleness, so much care, so much love, so much devotion. He looks at Regulus and he thanks him for everything, and Regulus never gets it because he should be the one thanking James for everything.
For loving him and his daughter.
For giving him a house full of kids.
For their daughters and their life.
For everything.
But James still thanks him, because Regulus gave him everything too.
And it started the first day he arrived at his house with a baby attached to his chest.
It started before when Regulus was kicked out from his parents house, and before when his ex broke up with him, and before when Sirius ran away and went to live with the Potters.
A few years ago a door closed for Regulus for the last time. His parents told him he would lose everything if he kept his baby, but instead Regulus gained everything.
And ever since there's only doors opening for them.
New chapters of this amazing life they have.
It all started with Winnie, so it's special that this new door it's opened by her.
Leading them for everything and more once again.