The Year I Did Not Sign Up For! (Edited)

Being the Parents

Lupin paced up and down before the fireplace in 13 Grimauld place. Something was wrong with Sirius and his pup. He just knew it. He just couldn't place it.

"I think that the carpet wouldn't appreciate having a hole Moony," he heard his husband say, as he turned a page in the papers.

Sighing, he walked over to him and buried his face in Sirius neck, breathing in deeply. The other man put his arm around him, pulling him close.

"I know. I'm just worried about Harriet, that's all," he mumbled softly.

"I'm sure our pup is doing fine. Look" - Sirius held up the envelope Hedwig had dropped next to them a few seconds ago - "She even wrote us a letter!"

The snowy owl settled on the back of a chair and began cleaning her feathers.

Lupin grabbed the envelope and tore it open. He carefully unfolded the parchment inside and read out loud:

Hi Moony, Hi Paddy,

How is everything? Wedding Life suiting you?

So, yeah, they kind of cancelled Quidditch -

"They cancelled Quidditch!" Sirius exclaimed aghast. That was a crime! Where was his coat?

"Sirius-" Remus warned.

"Sorry," he said, sitting back down.

- and replaced it with the Tri wizard tournament. I may have been selected to compete. The first task has to do with dragons -

"I'm sure she's doing fine? Really?" Lupin growled at Sirius.

"She loves dragons?" Sirius tried.

"Sirius!" Remus snarled.

"Ooh, look, more writing!" Sirius said, bringing the attention back to the letter. They were not having a fight over this. No way.

- so I'm not too worried about that. I know lots about dragons. I'm sure I'll figure something out.

Don't worry about me. I've got this.

I'll write again soon. Love you,
Harriet.

Remus started pacing again. Sirius took a deep breath and prepared himself for the next week convincing Remus not to barge into Hogwarts and unleash hell on those responsible for putting Harriet in the tournament. He had half a mind to do it himself but he knew how the justice system worked and he knew Dumbledore had the ministry wrapped around his finger. He also knew that Harriet would roll her eyes and very loudly declare, "Pads, you're embarrassing me!" and that just wouldn't do.

Sirius had decided that he was the cool parent. Cool parents gave their kids free reign, right? And taught them tricks to fool the system.

Not to mention the press interest in Harriet had become astronomical over the course of the past months. One wrong move and she would have a reputation to fix, not one to build.

The odds weren't something to go against.

"Moony," he called quietly, walking up to his husband and pulling him into a hug. "C'mon. C'mere."

The werewolf pulled him close, taking deep breaths.

"Hey," Sirius whispered, "look at me."

No response. It didn't seem like Remus was moving.

"Come on, Moony," he tried again, placing a hand on the man's cheek. "Moony?"

Still nothing.

"Remus?" he tried again. Finally a response. Soft hazel eyes gazed into slate grey ones.

"What do I do, Sirius?" Remus asked, voice cracking slightly. "We only just got her back. We can't lose her again!"

"I know," Sirius rested his forehead against Remus', not breaking eye contact, "I know. Which is why we have to trust her. If she says she can handle it, she can handle it."

"But-"

"Remus, love, we have to trust her."

Remus swallowed, briefly closing his eyes. He took another deep breath. "Okay," he agreed softly. "Okay."

Sirius smiled softly and gave his husband a quick peck on the lips, causing the werewolf to blush slightly. It was nice to know that, after twelve years in Azkaban, some things hadn't changed. His werewolf still loved him more than the moon itsself.

Their pup was pretty awsome too. Sirius was almost glad they were so good at avoiding Molly Weasley and Narcissa Malfoy's invitations to dinner. Bragging about your children was guaranteed. Sirius and Remus would obviously win, but it spared the others some embarrassment.

"You're thinking about the cub, aren't you?" Remus mumbled into his neck.

Sirius gave a soft laugh. "Mind reader!"

"Your smell changes, that's all. You smell proud and really happy."

"We have a kid, Remus. Isn't it wonderful?"