to have & to hold (the blacks, vol. 2)

prologue

A lot had happened since the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

The Black family was finally reunited, but, unfortunately, for their reunion to be possible, Sirius Black had to sacrifice himself for the happiness of his sister-in-law and his nephew.

The death of his uncle impacted Draco Sirius Black a lot. The boy did not leave his bedroom for a while, curled up in his bed, his blinds closed. Despite being in what his mother had described to him as 'the most heavenly place on earth', Draco had never once left the manor. By his father's request, he would sometimes leave his bedroom to eat with his parents and Harry Potter in the dining room.

Evangeline Black, devastated by the fate of the boy who lived, took him in, fighting for his custody in front of the Wizengamot. Eva knew that her brother-in-law would have wanted that for his godson.

The death of his godfather did not affect Harry the same way it affected Draco. Yes, he mourned his godfather, but Harry knew loss and knew how to draw power out of pain. He knew he had to be ready for whatever was coming for him that year. And he knew he had to be there for his new family.

Regulus Arcturus Black was slowly readjusting to life. It was a difficult process, but Regulus had enough patience to go through it. He wanted to get better for his family, and he was determined to regain his strength. He needed to protect his family, now more than ever.

Few people knew that Regulus was back. The Death Eaters did not see him coming back. Only the Order knew and his cousins, Narcissa and Andromeda. Despite his dislike for Hogwarts's headmaster, Regulus joined the Order of the Phoenix, much to his wife's disapproval. Evangeline did not want Regulus to get involved in this whole mess once more.

Their newfound family life was not easy. Draco's nightmares and his father's mental problems, the family had his fair share of struggles. Draco would wake up in the middle of the night, screaming. His parents would rush into his bedroom every night to calm him down. The boy would dream of his uncle's passing, his body and soul being vanished into the vail. It was a nasty image that marked Draco. The nightmares would be so bad that sometimes Regulus would have to give him a Dreamless Sleep Potion and a Draught of Peace for his anxiety and panic attacks. Both Regulus and Evangeline cursed at their cousin for killing Sirius and blamed her for their son's problem.