Come Home + Sirius Black

PART ONE.

There was a sense of panic on Sirius Black's face when he showed up in Charlotte Wilson's living room well past midnight in July of 1980.

It was by chance, of course, that she had even been awake for his impromptu visit, and after a long battle with insomnia, she decided to go down for a glass of water.

"Charlie," he whispered.

But Charlotte lived alone, so the whispers in the dark calling her name made her scream, jumping backwards until her back hit a wall.

"It's just me!" he said quickly, stepping into the dim light of the corridor, but of course, there was a look of amusement on his face.

"Sirius," she breathed out, her brows furrowing in annoyance. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?! You bloody scared me half to death, lurking in the shadows there."

Sirius was clearly trying not to laugh, his hand shielding his mouth as he bit back a grin. "Wasn't my intention... But honestly, you should have seen your face."

She merely rolled her eyes at him, hands finding their way to her hips like they so very often did when she was speaking to Sirius.

"Right," he cleared his throat, standing straight as he finally remembered the purpose of his visit. "It's Lily... the baby... she's asking for you."

It was then that Charlotte took in Sirius' appearance. His hair was a mess — even more so than usual — and the prominent bags under his eyes was not a good sign. Charlotte felt a lump form in her throat.

"Sirius... why do you look like that? What's happened?"

He looked genuinely bewildered at her question. "What? ...No! No, no, Charlie, everything's fine. I've been up all night listening to Lily scream her lungs out, but she's fine. The baby's fine, she's just asking for you."

Charlotte let out a sigh of relief, and together, she and Sirius made their way to the Potters' residence.

☼

"Charlotte!" Lily said weakly when she arrived, hesitantly letting herself into James and Lily's bedroom, and as she held her son in her arms, she beckoned her friend to come closer. "Meet Harry James Potter."

James was smiling proudly beside her, and the couple looked just as exhausted as Sirius did.

"Oh, Lily... He's beautiful," Charlotte whispered as she made her way to her best friend's side, her eyes falling to the baby boy in her arms. "How are you feeling?"

"You try giving birth one time and then ask me that question," she said.

Charlotte laughed. "Yeah, it was a silly question."

For a moment, the four of them went silent, and James and Lily looked at each other. And then they looked at Charlotte and Sirius, who had been standing in the doorway the whole time.

"You guys will be godparents?" James asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

Charlotte stared at him dumbly, mouth gaping. Sirius, on the other hand had a wide grin on his face. "Of course I will, mate."

"Are you quite sure you know what you're doing?" Charlotte whispered.

She was touched, of course, that they thought to ask her. But given that they were in the middle of a war, were they truly the best choices for godparents? They were both in the Order, for one thing. And while they all knew (but hardly spoke of) the chances of Lord Voldemort hunting down the Potters in response to the prophecy were likely, no one in the Order was safe. And if that wasn't already bad enough, Charlotte, much like Lily, was a Muggleborn. Next to the Order, her "kind" were the next biggest targets for the Death Eaters.

"Yes, very sure," James said. "Think of it this way, if Lily and I are done in, you two can co-parent."

Charlotte rolled her eyes; James always had a knack for dark humor, and it was a miracle that he was still able to crack jokes about their very real and very risky situation. But that was James Potter for you.

The nudge that he gave Sirius did not go unnoticed by her either. Since their fifth year, Lily, Marlene McKinnon, and Dorcas Meadowes had been trying to set Charlotte and Sirius up together. And naturally, when Lily and James began dating in their seventh year, he, Remus, and Peter joined in on the joke.

Lily looked at her with beady eyes that always got her her way. "You will be godmother, won't you, Charlie?"

Almost immediately, she softened. "Yes, of course. I'd be honored."

For what might have been the first time since Charlotte and Lily met, Lily teared up, though she insisted that they were of joy. Naturally, it meant that both James and Sirius had to seize the opportunity to tease her for it. And of course, this made Charlotte and Lily tease them right back. And they all laughed.

And that was the last time she had seen Lily, James, and Sirius happy. 

Featuring

Millie Brady as Charlotte Wilson

Ben Barnes as Sirius Black