Sirius had a big year, even when just considering the things he had to react to from friends. Sirius lost a brother and a best friend this year. He had one friend get married and another start a whole family. Sirius lost a job and gained another where he is much happier. His apartment got blown up, and he is discovering what it’s like to live without any of the Marauders for the first time.
But the biggest influence in Sirius’ life was a shift in his perception on life. Sirius never considered himself the type to settle down, to find love and discover what domesticity was like. Then again, he’s pretty sure Juniper never planned on it either. This baby may not have been something they expected, but Sirius loves if parenthood is coming his way, that it’s coming with Juniper at his side.
(mentions of @juniperthelionheart @remuslxpns @mxdnight-marauder @the-peter-pettigrew)
Sometimes I worry I won’t find out you’ve died, I worry Valentina would forget to let me know. I sometimes wish you wouldn’t die so far from home. (Not an invitation to escape prison.)
I counted the miles when they sent Valentina there, and then I blacked out because I drank too much and I don’t want to do the math again, but I’d look it up if I could speak at your funeral. But who knows? Maybe I’ll die before you. What would you say at mine? What would you have said, if I had died in that attack? I had a dream in which my mother knew what to say, but I couldn’t understand any of it.
Don’t get too scared, I won’t die. I’m staying out of trouble.
Death reminds me that my birthday is coming up. Not spending the last one with you was strange, I felt like a Hogwarts kid. But lonelier, I suppose. I wish you hadn’t joined a cult. People should know you from the way you always remember the most random things or for writing a book. You always said you’d write a book. I wouldn’t mind if they knew you because of your crude humor or your difficult temper. But you chose to be known for joining a terrorist cult, and now I have to worry I won’t learn you’ve died. I don’t mean to scold you, I just wish you had chosen us. I thought, when I was attacked, that you would finally choose us.
I would often feel sad when you let me ramble on without letting me know if you were listening, but now it makes writing you easier. I sometimes use a dictating charm, so it feels the same. Remember when you taught me to play the piano? That was lovely. I’ve been visiting home more often, I’m trying a divination thing that involves cheese and my apartment smells like a war zone, so I’ve spent a lot of time in your office and in your piano. I also took some of your books. I might move back home someday. If I get married. (I still hope I’ll get married.) It’s a good place to raise children. Would you love your grandchildren if their blood wasn’t of your liking? Again, don’t get scared. I just would like to know.
Valentina looked changed when she came back. I didn’t tell her that, of course. Did you see her? If you did, did you believe your eyes? I know Azkaban can break anyone, and if Valentina can be anyone so can you. If you came back, and this is not an invitation to escape prison, I wonder if you’d still be the same. I knew you when you were a quirky man, and I would miss that if you come back a shell of it. I miss you anyways.
Love,
Sofiya Nott
P.S. Aurors that read my letters please know I am not in any way endorsing or promoting prison breaks.
Levi had experienced chilly weather and seen snow a handful of times growing up, but he didn’t have a concept of a true winter until he experienced it as an adult with Marcus. Now he associates it with family--with Marcus and with Millie, their winter baby. He’s excited for her first Christmas and his first winter at Hogwarts. Plus, Marcus looks good in layers.
Han doesn’t believe in love. He doesn’t see the point in commitment. There’s never been anyone who made him want more than just sex or companionship. A single night with Luka would have Han questioning that if he wasn’t refusing to acknowledge his feels.
In another life, Regulus Black is not magically better. He lives with Emmeline because he’s afraid to live alone. Zephyr still comes to help him burn his mail. He still gets into arguments with Sirius nearly every time they speak. But he is still nineteen, and he is still alive. He has an entire life to recover.
When he’s twenty years old, Zephyr Bell teaches him to drive a car. It’s fun, he thinks, and he isn’t terrified like he was the first time he stepped foot into a taxi. It never turns into a hobby, but he isn’t afraid of the muggle world anymore. He babysits Katie Bell as a favour in return, and the cats learn to like children.
When he’s twenty-one years old, he meets Henry Fawley again. This time they’re both sober. Regulus doesn’t apologize, and Henry doesn’t ask him to. They both know what it was like to be in that kind of mental place, and they both know what it’s like to be so very tempted.
When he is twenty-two years old, he inherits Grimmauld Place. He’s surprised to hear that, but there was no one else in the line of succession. He goes back one last time with his brother at his side, and they watch it burn from across the street. They go to a pub, they get very drunk, and Remus Lupin is once again dealing with shitfaced Blacks.
When he is twenty-three years old, Emmeline Vance gets married. Regulus is a bridesmaid, because of course he is. He’s her son. He braids her hair for her big day, like he did for her first date with Maura, and he listens to her talk. He’s excited, too.
When he is twenty-four years old, he and Delilah Carrow begin talking again regularly. It took them both a long time to process their grief-- there was so very much of it, after all. Regulus brings over Lyra to meet Delilah, but Gisela’s cat still remembers her. Maybe it wasn’t so long.
When he is twenty-five years old, he marries Gilderoy Lockheart. Their wedding is very glittery-- the church will probably never be free of it. Their happiness is even more lasting, though. They adopt another cat, because clearly they don’t have enough.
Mafalda hates the war, but she’ll never know that it saved her life. She still barely passes her NEWTs, she still takes a low-paying job, and for a few years, she is as content as she can be with the whole situation. Then her friends start getting promoted and married, and Mafalda realises just how far behind everyone she is. She is stuck with the same level of ambition, but with no Death Eaters to do favours for, and any attempt she makes at Ministry work never sticks because they are never there for her to sell her morals to. Her tough-girl facade begins to crumble, and she begins to fall apart.
She has always been a little wild, but it gets increasingly worse and worse. She’s in a different bed every night and blackouts become a weekly occurrence. When she starts losing memory during the day she becomes consciously aware that she is really fucking up, but at that point, she can’t bring herself to stop. She watches as others trickle off, moving away from the age when hard-partying is vaguely acceptable, and she is left behind yet again. She floats between jobs, relationships, houses, and nothing ever sticks. She knows it’s her, she is what drives people away, but it’s too late to try and fix it, and she gulps down pills with whiskey to drive it out of her mind.
In another world, in 1992, Mafalda Hopkirk writes a letter to a young wizard called Harry regarding his use of illegal magic. In this world, she is not around to do so. She dies young, but it is long after she wishes she had.
In another world, one where the war over blood status never happened, Daisy’s situation looks much like the one she’s actually living, but that world has a lot more happiness. She still has her fiance and his morbid job--take away the “noble” cause and you still have the itch at the source--but Daisy had more opportunities to help him overcome the natural prejudice he was born with as they explored the American nomaj world on his trip.
She also still has her silly best friend and her loving sister, although she doesn’t see either as often as she would like when she’s a whole ocean away. Still, Daisy has big plans to have both (and Bev’s family) around as much as possible after her wedding. Plus, she figures travel writing is a good excuse to go back and forth.
