In the darkness of the living room, the dim light of the tv flickered, the sound muted as to not disturb the little human sleeping a floor above. Your eyes were heavy, so much so that you no longer paid any attention to the late-night sitcom as the warmth of the arm around you lulled you away from consciousness.

The Potters had been in desperate need of a night to themselves, never having a break between the new baby and the war, a wish Sirius and yourself were happy to grant them. So here you two sat, or rather, were slumped in odd positions, exhausted after a long night of babysitting your godson. And despite your achy feet and his tired back, the exhaustion was worth it to help your friends.

"I swear to Merlin if they play another episode of Brady Bunch I'm gonna hex the damn tv," Sirius half yawned. Honestly, you'd be shocked if either of you could stay awake for the credits of the episode already playing.

"I'm not sure that's how it works, Siri," you giggled.

"James and Lily must be enjoying themselves," he glanced at the clock on the wall, running a hand through his dark locks.

You hummed in response, hiding your face against his chest as you closed your eyes in the hope that sleep would overtake you. The silence was nice, comfortable even. Until it wasn't.

A sharp snap sounded in the night air, somewhere just outside the house. Immediately, Sirius and yourself stiffened, turning to face each other with knowing looks.

"Maybe it was just the wind," you whispered. Both of you knew it wasn't. In fact, you knew exactly what it was.

Getting up from his place on the sofa, Sirius made his way towards the kitchen to grab your wands, but not before somebody pounded on the door. Shooting up from your seat, you stood frozen as Sirius stopped in the doorway to the kitchen.

"James?" A muffled voice sounded from the other side of the front door, and you let out a sigh of relief. Sighing in relief at the familiar voice, you moved from your spot on the couch and slightly opened the front door.

"Peter." You gave your friend a tight-lipped smile which quickly became a frown when you noticed the state of the timid boy. Bags under his eyes, hair disheveled, and gripping the ends of his sleeves so tight that his knuckles were white. "What happened?"

"It's Remus," he stated grimly, gaze refusing to stay on you. His eyes flickered to Sirius, who stood close behind you, as well as around the dark village. "He's the mole, it was him all along."

"How do you know, Wormtail?" Sirius inquired, placing a secure hand behind you, a movement Peter couldn't see through the small opening.

"He just tried to kill me at home, it has to be him," he looked almost offended at his friend's question, voice growing in volume.

Sirius didn't bother responding, slamming the door shut and encompassing your wrist in a death grip. With a shout of 'collorpus' over his shoulder to lock the front entryway, one of two wandless spells he'd managed to pick up at school, he dragged you up the stairs.

"Sirius, what-" you began to protest, confused at his panicked reaction.

"It's Peter!" He whisper-shouted as you thundered up the steep steps. "It can't be Remus, you just have to trust me."

"I trust you," you covered the hand tightly gripping your wrist with your other arm's hand. A small act of comfort, yes, but one that was more important than either of you would say. But you needed to get to Harry.

Turning down the hall, the two of you hurried into the nursery, you rushing over to Harry whilst Sirius worked sealing the door. Turning to face your better half, now with a crying infant in your arms, you watched Sirius as he sunk to the floor with his back against the door.

"I couldn't find our wands," he muttered, holding his face in his hands as the truth sunk in for both of you. None of you were making it out of here alive.

You moved beside him, sitting down as well as he wrapped himself around you in a fruitless attempt to calm everyone.

Here it was, your final night alive. Crashes and two voices sounded downstairs before you heard a large crack sound as if one of them had apparated away. Then came the slow, creaking steps up the staircase. Creak, creak, creaaaaak. It was harrowing, to say the least.

"It's going to be okay Harry." You shakily whispered, tears blurring your vision. "We love you so much... Your mum and dad love you more than anything."

That was when you broke, the gravity of the situation becoming suddenly too real as the footsteps made their way down the hallway towards you. Tears flowed down your cheeks as you quietly sobbed, Sirius pulled your hands in closer to him, little Harry still encompassed in your arms as his cries grew louder.

"Goodnight love," Sirius whispered, voice cracking as the two of you could do nothing but accept your fates and desperately hope for Harry's safety.

Flashes of green glowed in the room that night, but in the end, one would survive. Little Harry's name would grow in fame as the 'Boy Who Lived' all throughout the wizarding world, but not before his parents would return only to find what nightmares were made of in their own home.

Mourning the loss of their best friends, the nightmare would continue as Remus was shipped off to Azkaban. He'd been the traitor, selling them out only to inadvertently get Sirius and (Y/N) killed, and murdering Peter so viciously that only a finger was left. At least, that was what the Ministry said.

The guilt, however, was the worst part. 'It should've been me,' ran in James' mind endlessly following the loss.

Yet, years later, during the Battle of Hogwarts, to be exact, you saw your godson again. Ressurection stone in hand, Harry couldn't help but apologize. "I never wanted any of you to die for me."

Perhaps your love was doomed from the start. Maybe you were just another Shakesperian tale of forbidden romance destined to conclude in nothing but suffering. He was your light despite the darkness that had encompassed him his entire life and although the war was over, the pain still remained. 

You had begged Regulus not to leave that night, tears blurring your vision as he explained that he had to be the one to destroy the horcrux. “There is no other way,” he had said, his voice shaky with the knowledge that this would likely be his end. You were young, too young, to be fighting this war. A battle that neither of you had any business being involved in the first place. Yet there you were, children who had grown up too quickly.

When he hadn’t returned the next morning, it hadn’t come as any surprise. You mourned the loss of your husband the minute he’d walked out that door. You weren’t vapid and neither was he, you were both well aware of what would happen in that cave. Whether or not Regulus succeeded, however, still remained to be seen. 

The isolation following the death of Regulus Black was something you brought upon yourself. You couldn’t stand seeing muggles continuing to lead their lives as if nothing had happened. Your world crumbled out from beneath you as the universe became a much darker place, so why haven’t they stopped? A person - your person - had died, how could people continue to lead their normal lives?  We were still at war, how could they not sense that something was horribly wrong?

The loneliness made you ill after a month, so sick that you were constantly emptying the contents of your stomach into your toilet as you lay on the cool tile. What prompted you to eventually seek out another were the two little lines on the plastic test. Before long you had apparated to Godric’s hollow, the crisp snow of December crunching under your feet as you made your way up the steps of a quaint looking house. It felt much more homey than the Grimmauld flat you’d been residing in, a slight comfort that what laid behind the door you knocked on may be just as welcoming.

The face that answered the door was kind, warm eyes and a welcoming smile framed by ginger locks. You never spoke to her during your years at Hogwarts due to the two years she had on you, but you knew the girl to be Lily Evans. Judging by the slight furrowing of her brows she had recognized you as well, probably unsure as to why Regulus Black’s wife had shown up on her doorstep seemingly out of nowhere.

“Uhm, is Sirius Black here by any chance?” You asked quietly, your gloved hands rubbing your arms as you fought off the evening’s chill. She need not answer as a pair of brown orbs peered at you from behind her.

“What are you doing here, (Y/N)?” Sirius questioned, bitterness lacing his words as he took in your frail appearance. The elder Black did not think highly of his little brother - the Death Eater, or so he thought. Yet Regulus had relayed numerous stories from their childhood that revealed that in earlier years of their lives, the duo had been inseparable. You were just hoping that some of that affection still remained.

“Can we please talk? It’s about your brother.” You said, voice wavering as you shivered in the cold. Lily seemingly took notice of this and ushered you into the warmth of their home, closing the door behind you and leaving the in-laws to speak in the front entryway.

“If Regulus has something to say to me than the little shit can come tell me himself-”

“Sirius, what are you talking about?” You asked incredulously. “Regulus died two months ago.”

Sirius had not been speechless many times in his life, yet there he stood with his head reeling, heart broken, and tears slowly welling in his eyes. At the end of the day, Regulus would always be his baby brother. And in that silence he sat and listened, taking in all of what had happened the past year. From Regulus deciding to turn on Voldemort to the fateful night destroying his horcrux, Sirius felt both pride and guilt building underneath the grief. Regulus had been a good person who gave his life doing the right thing, all in belief of the same values that had gotten himself disowned.

When you mentioned the pregnancy, Sirius once again found himself dumbstruck. But that shock was quickly replaced with a sense of duty, it was as if he had the opportunity to make up for his brother’s broken relationship. He would help you raise this baby, and he would make damn sure that they did not have the same broken childhood he had suffered.

Within the week, Sirius had moved back into 12 Grimmauld Place with you. The baby he was dedicating himself to had quickly become babies after finding out that not one, but two baby Blacks were on the way. He was at your side through every step of the pregnancy, and slowly but surely his friends made their way into your life as well. James was always there to put a smile on your face and Lily gave great advice as to dealing with the pregnancy as she had delivered Harry only weeks before you showed up. Remus was always there to offer chocolate and a good book while Peter always had a hot cup of tea ready for you.

Before long, Arcturus and Cassiopeia Black were welcomed into the world and the light in your life had been restored. They were both the spitting image of their father, seeming to have barely inherited any (Y/L/N) genes and only reminded you of their father with every coming day. Little Harry was thrilled to have playmates, and you had finally found your family. Although far from perfect, it was everything to you. But all good things must come to an end, and this state of grace was no different.

Halloween came and went. James, Lily, and Peter were gone, no, murdered. Sirius could not have done it, not to his family! The man you read about in the papers was not the same gentle soul who would sing the twins to sleep almost every evening. But regardless of what you thought of the man he was guilty in the eyes of the Ministry, and thus he was sent to Azkaban to suffer a fate worse than death. This loss rocked you once more, but this time you had the twins to look after, and you weren’t alone.

Remus had stepped right up to fill the shoes that Sirius had been filling for Regulus without hesitation. He was grieving the same losses as you and found solace in caring for little Archie and Cassie. You mourned together and healed together, and before long Remus became your other half. 

That friendship didn’t last long, however, as it eventually blossomed into something bigger, a love that you fought tooth and nail. Guilt consumed you as you felt yourself falling for the werewolf, not being able to shake the feeling that you were betraying Regulus as you fell deeper and deeper in love. 

Right around the second anniversary of his death was when you heard the first words pass through either of the twins’ lips. Archie squealed a high-pitched “dada” to Remus who had been helping you prepare breakfast, and your eyes met his equally glassy. While the man stuttered out a mix of apologies in fear of overstepping, you just embraced him and allowed him to hold you in the way nobody had for a long time. The toddlers had accepted him as their father, and you had denied the desire to love him for too long.

Six months later the two of you had married in a small ceremony of only Order members gathering to celebrate your love. You did, however, keep the last name ‘Black’ as an homage both to Regulus and Sirius’ roles in both of your lives. At that same celebration you also announced that a baby Lupin would be making their way into the world six months later. And alas, Theodore Lupin was born shortly after, and your little family was complete.

When it was finally time for Archie and Cassie to begin their future at Hogwarts, you couldn’t help but weep as they waved out the window of the Hogwarts Express, the siblings excited to start the next stage in their lives. Your husband wrapped an arm around you as he fought tears himself, meanwhile Teddy tugged onto your hand and questioned when he would get the chance to attend the school as well, already missing his big brother and sister. 

Remus and you had debated what house the twins would be sorted into, him adamant that they showed Gryffindor courage while you were certain that they would follow in your footsteps and be sorted into (Y/H). Your questions were answered the next morning as you received letters from two very excited Slytherins, taking after their father just as they had done in appearance and personality. You and Remus were proud nonetheless, but your husband was always saddened that they had never grown close to Harry. The divide between houses had seemingly grown even stronger since you two had attended and a friendship between the former friends hadn’t formed.

Two years later, the twins were approaching their third year as Teddy prepared to begin his magical schooling, and you began to ponder what your life would look like following their departure. You and your husband didn’t have the finances to travel and feared a life without the light of your children, and your questions were answered following a letter from Dumbledore himself. He offered the two of you teaching positions at Hogwarts, Defence Against the Dark Arts for Remus and Astronomy for yourself.

The two of you were ecstatic to spend the year with your children teaching, and walking side by side with the castle in view made you feel like a young girl again. A broken heart was all that was left, but Remus had been there to pick up your broken pieces and carry you home. But the wreckage of your life would not stay in ruins forever, as old friends and old loves remained closer than you had ever known and were about to rejoin your losing game.