Chapter Text
Prologue: Peverell Lines Prologue
September 1974
“How did he manage to get you all kicked out this time?”
“Set a cretin gnome loose on the heartless btich’s house elf while he was serving tea. Only took him three days to execute; he’s getting pretty good at it.”
“What did Abby say?”
“He scolded him for causing trouble; after she cursed him the other month I was worried too… But, he laughed his ass off once the boys went upstairs.”
“She didn’t?” The Director hissed nastily.
Orion saw two secretaries, where they were entering the small room that housed the elevators, quickly turning on their heels to vacate the space with the angry vampire. He said nothing, not feeling his friend should have to be self conscious for cowardly individuals, “She did. I threatened her to within an inch of her life, but it makes me terrified to go to work every other week. Reggie’s gotten good at flying under her radar, but Sirius… You know how he is, Perce.”
Percival Graves sighed as he and Orion waited for the elevator. The wizards were heading back toward his office from their ally conference, which had dragged on too damn long. Both were ready to grab their jackets and get to dinner, needing to be anywhere but work.
The Director did in fact know how his oldest godson was. Sirius Orion Black treated being in Gryffindor as a way of life. He admitted, “Britain may not have done the same Statute of Secrecy crap, but Europe’s magical family law is as ancient and shitty as anywhere.”
“Who are you telling?” The Black Lord demanded, “I don’t even know of anywhere else that magical marriage contracts are still a thing. Who let’s parents make teenagers sign something like that?” Orion growled, “Cygnus threatened to do it to his girls; I told him he’d never get another penny from our family and that’s only if I didn’t kill him. If Sirius or Reggie ever even… Sometimes I don’t know why Abby puts up with me and my family.”
“You’re his mate and he loves you. You can’t help that your father was a bastard,” Percy reminded him, “I knew the rogue wasn’t going to risk being at Grimmauld Place before he went back anyway. He’d die if Aberforth didn’t put him on that train.”
Of course, the rogue wasn’t his only nephew at Hogwarts anymore, “How’s Reg liking school?”
“He’s fine, he’s got Cissy and her friend, Severus. Boy’s not crazy about being apart from Sirius so much, but it’s part of being in different houses; he’ll be fine,” Orion was glad for his youngest niece. He was even more ecstatic that, with both boys in school, he didn’t have to spend every other week at Grimmauld place with Walburga. At least until summer rolled back around.
“I thought Sirius’ first letter was going to burst into flames like a howler, he was so excited,” Orion chuckled, “He keeps talking about getting his lion.”
“Jamie too,” Percival huffed, “We’re never going to keep them from it until they’re seventeen.”
“I want to agree with you, but Abby’s determined. I’m not getting involved, he and Sirius can duke it out.”
The vampire laughed, “I’ll put money on the boys; we’re getting too old to win against the new generation.”
The Black Lord groaned, “Don’t remind me. I’m already dreading turning fifty this year.”
“You are the youngest person in the family!” Percy reminded him, “The kids excluded, obviously.”
“I know, but it still bugs me. Besides, you’ve been thirty-five for a damn eon by now.”
Rolling his eyes the Director acknowledged, “That part’s true.”
There was silence for several long moments and Orion studied his best friend. He could tell that the vampire was lost in thought, as the Graves Lord stood perfectly still, not bothering to keep up the constant movement that he was so used to exhibiting at work, “Why don’t you just go see him? Firecall and talk? Send a letter, anything?”
The Director huffed, eyes moving down to stare at his feet, “I don’t know anymore. What would I even say?”
“I love you, I miss you, I’m not even mad anymore,” A feminine voice joined them in the little room housing the elevators, “By the way, take your pants off, because I’m coming over.”
Orion laughed so hard he had to lean on the wall beside the elevator shaft. He couldn’t deny that Porpentina Scamander was one of his favorite people. The woman took absolutely no shit from her declared work husband and he loved the way that she challenged his and his mate’s best friend. Once he could breathe, even as Percy shook his head at her, the siren exclaimed, “That works!”
“That does not work.” Percy hissed at his work wife, “Besides, it’s been decades. He may not even want to speak to me anymore.”
Now it was Tina who rolled her eyes, “Percy, the man could break out any time he wanted; he’s proven that many times. It’s his own damn castle! The only reason he’s stayed in time out is because of you. You were genuinely mad at him and he can’t stand that.”
He huffed, “I’ll think about it, just... New topic, please.”
The elevator sounded its arrival and as they all stepped in Tina acquiesced to his request, “So, how’s it feel to be an old man?”
“You are older than me!” Orion said with mock offense.
“Yeah, but now you’re officially going to be one of us!” Tina told him, “Bet Sirius has had a field day with that.”
He groaned, “Damn straight he has. I don’t want to be fifty!”
“Then don’t,” Percy said dryly, as the doors started sliding shut, “You are a siren, it’s your choice.”
Tina puffed at him exasperated, “Says the man who loved being fifty and who has stayed de-aged for someone he’s not even speaki-”
A hand dashed in to stop the doors right before the doors closed. When it popped back open and Albus Dumbledore realized who was in the elevator, they could all see that he wished he hadn’t caught it. After a moment of shock, he stepped into the golden machine with them, pressing the button for the floor below Percy’s office. He kept his back to the three and his lips tight, obviously refusing to say a word.
Percy and Orion both rolled their eyes meeting glances, before the Graves Lord took an even breath, refusing to give an audible show of his frustration, as he cast his eyes upwards staring at the ceiling. He prayed to Mary and Morgana that the ride would be blessedly short.
Irritated with his brother in law, Orion glanced over to Tina and realized that she was glaring absolute daggers into Albus’ head for ignoring her best friend and work husband. He knew that the woman was protective of Percival; had been since he returned from spousal abduction to the States with Flea. Her resentment was only intensified by the way Albus had ignored his family since their infant daughter was kidnapped by muggle extremists. Although Aberforth and Albus had started talking again, tentatively, when Sirius started Hogwarts, Orion wasn’t thrilled with him either and did not like being ignored when the brothers were supposed to be in contact.
As the door slid shut, he had a thought, “Sirius was telling me that Jimmy placed team Captain over the summer, how did it go?”
Over the years, Percival Graves had been hatefully told that vampires couldn’t feel and were heartless a million times. When he glanced toward Orion’s reflection and spotted Albus Dumbledore’s horrified expression at the nickname in the elevator metal, it became his personal mantra for several seconds, to keep himself from busting out laughing. They were all shielding at work, but he would have given anything to hear what the fae and genius was thinking at that moment.
Luckily Tina didn’t even miss a beat, popping her ‘boss’ in the shoulder, “Oh, you didn’t tell me that! Tell Jim I said congratulations!”
“I will,” He said smoothly, glancing at her with a small grin at the witch covering him. “It went very well. He managed to get invited back to lead the team again next year. Flea and I were surprised when Sirius didn’t join.”
“Heartless bitch wouldn’t sign; they required dual consent,” Orion growled, “He showed out so badly, that’s when she cursed him.”
“Jimmy mentioned she had something to do with it,” Percy acknowledged, “When he turned up at the apartment. He seemed excited to play as the team’s mascot though.”
“Getting my oldest to show out is never a challenge,” Orion admitted, “I’m sure he made a right spectacle.”
“Did he manage to get you three back to Hogsmeade before school started?” Tina asked the Black Lord.
“That he did,” Orion smiled, “Used a cretin gnome this time.”
“Points for originality,” Tina told them as the doors slid open.
Albus Dumbledore stepped out quickly, face still looking like he had tasted a lemon, and disappeared around the nearest corner. The three of them shared a look as the door started closing once more. As soon as it was shut, they all burst out laughing. Orion leaned back on the furthest wall of the elevator to hold himself up. While Tina’s head fell forward onto Percy’s shoulder, her whole body shaking.
The vampire shook his head at the two, wiping a tear from his eye, “We’re all going straight to hell.”
“Jewish,” Tina reminded him playfully for the billionth time in their fifty years together at MACUSA, “Go to confession, you’ll be fine.”
Percy snorted, “Forgive me father, for I have sinned… My best friend’s brother in law was being a prick, so we screwed with him.”
Orion laughed, “Can’t you just say mate? It’s less of a mouthful.”
“Own it,” Tina encouraged, “You’ll feel better.”
“He’s had that shit shut down for so long,” Percy sighed, “I don’t think it’s applicable if you’ve never said two words to one another.”
“Not even when Blondie went to prison?” Tina asked him, “Nothing? Are you sure?”
“Positive.”
“Albus is the master of avoidance,” Orion told her, as they stepped out of the elevator, heading for Percy’s office, “There’s a reason he took so long to confront Gellert. A blood pact promising to always love each other didn’t keep him from jack shit, and even then, Percy had already done the hard part to make The Liberator want to break that wand in half when he took Flea away.”
“Fair,” Tina moved on quickly, remembering that Percy had already tolerated talk of his other mate as much as he would today. She didn’t blame him honestly; neither of Percy’s mates were prizes in her opinion, “Where are you two heading?”
“Dinner. Care to join us?”
“Can’t, Mora had her foal. I promised to help after work,” Tina told them, stepping into her office to grab her coat, before catching up to them in Percy’s.
“The auburn hippogriff, right?” Percy clarified.
“Yep!”
“Give my congratulations to all,” The Director encouraged as she quickly took off for home. He and Orion headed back toward the elevators once more, moving to the international floo network and waiting for Abby to join them in the States for a night in New York.
When the bar owner arrived he saw immediately that his younger mate and best friend were entirely too happy, “What is it?”
“Can’t we just have a good day?” Orion asked, stealing a kiss as they finally moved out of MACUSA.
“At an international conference full of all day meetings?” Aberforth reminded sarcastically. “No. No, you cannot.”
“He’s got you there,” Percy pointed out.
Orion still couldn’t force the grin from his face as they moved toward their favorite Italian restaurant in the city, “Fine, we may have done a bad thing to your brother.”
“He had it coming,” The salt and pepper haired fae said confidently. “But, what did you do?”
By the time they finished their story, Aberforth was being held up by his mate, after Percival shared the image of his big brother’s face using legilimency. He couldn’t breathe because, unlike Percy, he knew exactly what his genius of a brother had been thinking. Fleamont was Percy and Grindelwald’s only child; that made James the Flaring Fiend’s heir. The thought of them calling the legendary and notorious Liberator’s heir ‘Jimmy’ would have just bugged the absolute hell out of the barely red haired wizard and that made his gut want to explode from the induced hysteria.
The trio enjoyed dinner, sharing the rest of their day’s experiences, both at the conference and the bar. The two government officials talked about the endless meetings they’d endured and Abby shared the letters that Sirius and Reggie sent home that day. Then they left for their upscale apartment building, where Orion kept a place in the city for nights like tonight, when they were in the States; the couple’s place just a floor below their best friend’s.
“Can’t you just move back?” Abby demanded, “Gods, it’s been decades.”
Not wanting his mate caught off guard or surprised if Percy was short, Orion sent a warning of their earlier conversation across their mating bond. He wasn’t surprised when that did nothing to dissuade his goat of a fae mate. Kendra Dumbledore might have called him the auguery of their family, but that was too good for what a determined, stubborn, irritating arse his lover could be.
“What for?” Percy asked, “The kids are in hand with you two and, as today demonstrated, your brother wants nothing to do with me.”
“Look, Perce, I’m never going to be a Grindelwald fanboy, everyone knows this,” The fae started, “But he’s your husband. You two are going to have to talk eventually.”
“And say what?” The vampire demanded, “I’ve never agreed with his politics and I’m not going to!”
“You think I’m asking you to? Me?” Abby gave him a look, raising his eyebrows, “But, I don’t think he even agrees with what he did anymore. He’s stayed there because he doesn’t feel like you want him now and everyone can see how miserable you are without the bastard. Just admit that you’re still crazy about the son of a bitch and get him moved to house arrest here.”
“I thought the point of this was to get me back in Europe,” The Director pointed out with a sad smile, trying to distract the dark fae with his sarcasm.
Aberforth snorted, “I would love nothing more than for you to come back. Commute to work if you don’t want to let Tina take over. Flea would be ecstatic! James would explode into confetti. Gods know that boy worships the ground you walk on. More than anything though, I just want you to not be miserable anymore…”
The empath fiddled with the Dumbledore heir ring on his middle finger, “Percy, I know why you left. I agree with you, he had to stop; more than anyone, I wanted him stopped. But, he did stop. He gave the wand up to Albus.” The wizard sighed, “Listen, I can’t imagine how you felt in that elevator today. And, I’m certainly not asking you to share with the class, I’m just saying think about it. You’re doing to him what Albus did to you today and that’s not right either… From what I gather even those two idiots talk.”
“They do,” Percy confirmed quietly, “My magic’s linked to anything that goes on in Nurmengard.”
The siren of the trio was angry on his friend’s behalf. Everyone wanted to never let Percy forget who he married, well before Grindelwald ever rose to power, and held the vampire’s career hostage just like the Dark Lord had his spouse. Yet when the blasted public wanted the man contained they were more than happy to put that on the Director of Security for MACUSA, who didn’t even live or work on the same continent. Orion glared at his husband, not liking the hurt that flashed across their best friend’s face.
Aberforth still pushed forward, “Do that then, if you’re not ready to see him… Just… Please don’t be miserable, especially when I know being with him is what you want. You left, you made your point, he stopped. There’s nothing wrong with getting back together now.”
By that point they had arrived in the building and were outside the Black family’s apartment. The vampire Director stared up at the ceiling, “Maybe you’ve got a point. I still don’t know what to say to him though.”
Orion snorted where he was unlocking the door, “There’s always Tina’s suggestion.”
“Ugh,” Percy rolled his eyes, “That woman’s a menace. Good night, assholes.”
He trudged up the stairs, his last words quiet, little more than a whisper, fond but distracted, as the Graves Lord was lost in his own head.
The two disappeared into their apartment after issuing farewells and Abby looked at his mate, “What did Tina suggest?” The siren just shared it through their mating bond, but the younger Dumbledore brother could feel his mate’s irritation with him. He huffed, “Someone had to say it.”
“Maybe the day your brother pulled his little schtick wasn’t the right time. You didn’t see Percy’s face when he just put his back to him like that,” Orion pointed out.
“It’s been ridiculous since James was born,” He hissed at his husband. “Percy has wanted the blond terror back for over a decade. If I’m the last one in this family willing to kick you idiots in the arse when you need it, so be it! But I will not apologize for that!” He spun and took off for the bedroom.
Still irritated, Orion called out, “Yeah, well maybe you should start with your brother, before you come for the rest of us!!!”
The door slammed and he was never more tempted to go sleep in Graves’ spare bedroom. Instead, because he did not want to have to explain the contents of their argument, he pulled off his tie and shirt. That left him in only his white sleeveless undershirt as Orion got a drink before collapsing into his recliner. He had one arm thrown across his eyes, the other holding his drink, feet propped up, when he felt the warding magic on the apartment alert him to a fire call.
The siren was just praying that it wasn’t the Ministry as he let the call come through, in no mood to have to floo across the damn Atlantic this late. He didn’t even bother to move his arm; if anyone didn’t like that he was relaxing at home, they could simply kiss his…
“Well, don’t you look like a prize.”
He recognized the voice and quickly sat up to greet his tattoo artist, Rhys Inkler. Orion couldn’t stop the smile that spread across his face, “What are you doing calling me so late, old man? How’s the baby?”
“I’m not the one turning fifty, you old bugger! And she’s still not sleeping through the night; not sure I’m gonna make it, Ori,” Rhys disclosed, unabashedly observing the Black family and Slytherin crests that adorned each of the siren’s upper arms, making sure they were still in perfect condition. They were.
“I remember those days,” He shook his head.
“Well, speaking of kids, that’s kind of why I’m calling you,” Rhys told him. When all he got in response was a confused expression the man moved to continue quickly, “Your son just walked into Tattoo Artists here in Diagon Alley; trying to bribe me for a job. He’s got three other boys with him.”
“Ahh shit!” Orion complained, throwing his arm back over his face, “Damn it all and I can’t even be surprised; his uncle is out of the country.”
The artist laughed, “Well, I told them I was going to make sure the gold they paid me was authentic. I didn’t want to tip them off that I knew you; I figured they’d just leave and get some hack job to do it.”
“You are not wrong,” Orion said, listening to the shower running in the bedroom for a few seconds, “Go ahead and do it, Rhys.”
“What!? Are you sure?”
“You don’t know them, but they will get it done one way or another. By a hack job or themselves,” Orion nodded, sure of his decision, “Go ahead. They’re all mine, you have my permission.”
“Alright man, as long as you consent,” He nodded, “They want a…”
“A lion, upper arm, where my crests are. Roaring, golden fur and red maned.”
He stared at the man for a moment, “Okay… Maybe they wanted a lion for a while, but that’s too damn specific. Have you seen the drawing they brought me?”
“No, the picture is a copy of their uncle’s. They’re getting one just like his.”
The man snorted, “Fine, then. You coming to pick them up?”
“Nah, if they can get out, then they can get back in. They always manage,” Orion told him. “Do me a favor and let them think they got away with it, huh? No reason to get in trouble with the mate.”
“Fair enough! Wouldn’t want Aberforth after my arse either,” Rhys admitted then cut the firecall off.
Orion knew that he had until Albus got back to Hogwarts. Minerva McGonagall was undoubtedly waiting on the boys and once the irritating redhead got back, she’d tell him what they got up to. The older fae would never risk not telling his brother what the boys did; then Abby would have a right fit. At least, if the boys kept their mouths shut about where, it wouldn’t be his arse getting chewed out.
Sitting and having a couple more drinks, the Black Lord thought about going upstairs and seeing Percy. He didn’t know if that would make things better or worse though. After debating for a few minutes, as the shower was still running, Orion decided to risk it.
Getting a refill he moved upstairs, barefoot, to his best friend’s apartment. The warding magic automatically unlocked the door recognizing him and Orion slipped inside, worried Percy might have gone to bed after the taxing day. Instead, he found the Graves Lord sitting at the desk in his living room, crumpled balls of paper thrown all over the floor having been cast away, while Percy scribbled on his turul stationary. After a few moments the vampire also tossed aside the one he was working on.
The younger lord did not have to ask what he was writing, “Struggling?”
“Why the fuck is this so hard, Ori?” Percival demanded, sitting back harshly, index finger going over his lip as it always did when he was frustrated, “I mean, Abby’s not wrong. I am married to the son of a bitch! This shouldn’t be a Herculean task!”
He sat on the sofa, legs extended before him, facing the Director, “What do you want to say to him?”
“What?”
Genuine confusion, it was worse than Orion feared, “You know, how you have a conversation with anyone. You say what you want to say. What do you want to say to him?”
Percy stared at him for several minutes, just thinking about the question. He hadn’t talked to Gellert in so long and, before he’d brought Flea with him to the States, they’d had it out. There really was nothing left to say about what had happened then. Gellert had already begged him for forgiveness, given up all his political intentions, and even asked him not to leave. Percy had anyway, needing to be sure that the seer was really going to stop.
There was just the here and now, but he wasn’t sure what that looked like for them anymore. He lived in the States, Flea was grown and finally had a son. James was between them and basically lived in Nurmengard when he wasn’t with Percy, but there was only so much they would be able to talk about in terms of his quidditch success.
Seeing the haplessness on his friend’s face, Orion sighed, “Maybe ask if he wants you to open the bond back up?”
That seemed to make the vampire startle. After he realized what his siren friend meant, the Director shook his head, “I never muted our bond.”
“You didn’t?”
“Of course not, I’m not your brother in law,” Percy told him tersely. “I left to prove a point, but I wasn’t going to let some mob show up on his doorstep and kill him either. If he ever needed me, I’d be there.”
“Of course you aren’t! I’m sorry, Perce, I didn’t mean-”
“No, no, it’s not you,” He moved to apologize, head cradled in his hands, “I’m sorry, this is harder than I thought it would be and I hate it.”
Orion waved him off, “Look, I know that he writes to Albus and he’s expressed how much he wants you back. He doesn’t seem to know that you’d be there if he needed you; maybe you should just tell him that. It’s a start.” Seeing the sour look that crossed Percy’s features, he raised an eyebrow, “What?”
“Nothing.”
The Black Lord thought back over what he just said and then chuckled, “Percy, they aren’t together. It’s just letters.”
The vampire was grateful that he couldn’t blush because he probably would have looked like Ilvermorny’s banner at that moment, “Are you sure?”
“Positive!” Orion assured him, “Gellert isn’t going to be with anyone without your approval, especially Albus. He knows the two of you still haven’t spoken and you’re his husband. I swear on that, Perce. Albus is just one of the only people who write to him, along with Flea and Jamie, and Lady Bagshot.”
“Okay,” The Graves patriarch accepted, staring at the blank stationary in front of him.
Orion spent the next several hours as an impartial sounding board as the other wizard painfully forged through a letter to his mate and husband. Thinking about the man downstairs, although they couldn’t get legally married because of Walburga, and the threat to Orion’s own magic if he broke the marriage contract, he felt himself melt toward his husband. Fiddling with the ring on his finger, symbolic though it may be, he still thought Abby should have given the vampire a day after what happened in the elevator. Then again, there was also the reality that they were going back to Europe at first light for work.
Aberforth Dumbledore also was not a ‘beat around the bush’ sort of individual; there was a reason he called him a goat… Maybe that was what he should get the fae for Christmas, a little billy goat. If the little terror butted his mate in the arse a few times, maybe he’d slow down in the way he did it to other people. Probably not, but it was worth a shot.
When the blasted letter was finally as complete as Percival was going to get it, Orion felt the wards flare down stairs, as the man was sending it off, “Ahh Hel and Hekate.”
“What?” Percy asked, letting his owl, Carni, a Great Horned Owl, fly out the window.
Orion rolled his eyes, “Okay, between us, the boys snuck out to get a tattoo. I’m guessing Albus went back tonight and had to turn right around when he found out.”
“Does Abby know that you know?”
“Hel is great and I’m not an idiot; absolutely not.”
“Touche,” Percy said as his friend headed for the door, “Good luck with that.”
“Let’s meet at seven for breakfast before we head back,” Orion said, already halfway out the door. He closed it and turned, finding Aberforth at the top of those stairs’ landing, undoubtedly coming to get him as he was sure the older fae asked to speak to both of them, “What now?”
He was confused when Aberforth flinched, then he realized that the other wizard thought he was still pissed from their fight. Not wanting to keep fighting he quickly corrected, “I felt Albus come in, I meant him.”
“Oh,” There was relief in the other’s voice. Obviously Abby didn’t want to fight anymore either, “I don’t know yet… I should probably talk to Percy.”
“He’s going to bed,” Orion told him. He saw hurt flash across the other’s face and, again, it occurred that he’d misstepped. Abby thought Percival had asked not to see him. Apparently he was off his game tonight and he needed to fix that before he got his own arse sold out about the tattoo, “Not that! He’s meeting us for breakfast. We just sent off his letter to Grindelwald.”
All he got was a pair of wide eyes, “Oh.”
He chuckled, “Come on, let’s go see what Sirius has done this time.”
Abby smiled at him, “One of these days it’s going to be Reggie and he’s never going to let you live it down.”
“I hope you’re right,” Orion told him, “But, so far, a warm day in Helheim still seems more likely.”
“Percy would say…”
“Hell is scorching, yes, I’m well aware,” Orion beat him to the punchline.
“He’s only been in school for three weeks,” Aberforth complained, grabbing his mate’s hand now that he realized the man wasn’t still angry at him, “What could he possibly be doing?”
“It’s three more weeks than we got last year,” Orion reminded him. Albus had been on their doorstep just after the feast ended the boys’ third year; some welcoming prank that wound up with all the teachers, and the Headmaster, doing an elaborate dance and resulted in the first day of classes being cancelled. Although Orion had sent the self-proclaimed Marauders one incensed howler, Aberforth hadn’t been able to breathe at the thought of his son doing that to his uncle and the man’s staff.
They entered the apartment and Orion quickly spotted Hogwarts’ leader and his phoenix companion. He could only assume that was a faster means of travel than floo after a long day.
Albus was sitting on the sofa awaiting them. The fae looked up and blushed, but still greeted the siren. “Orion.”
“Oh, so you do remember my name,” His brother in law didn’t miss a beat, “I was beginning to wonder.”
Aberforth snickered, always delighted when anyone gave his brother a hard time. Especially when the genius had it coming. “I love you so much,” He reminded his husband.
“I’m so sorry,” Albus said, embarrassment obvious, “I… panicked. I just… I didn’t know what to say.”
“Lesson of the night seems to be that anything is better than silence,” Orion reclaimed his chair, pulling Abby down into his lap, “So, what did he do? Paint the Great Hall in hippogriff feathers? Declare his love for the werewolf in grandeur during Transfiguration? Put cretin gnomes in old Sluggy’s office?”
Aberforth tried to hide his huffing laughter by hiding his face in Orion’s neck. Sirius did have an unbelievable amount of sexual tension with his sandy blond friend and his mate had long predicted that the two would end up together. While the fae wasn’t so sure, as he could feel both had strictly platonic emotions for one another right now, he was sure that they would be lifelong friends. He wouldn’t be surprised if their mates wound up sharing many traits with the Marauder they weren’t mated to should their stars not align.
Albus smiled. For all everyone complained about his twinkling eyes, his brother lit up like nothing he’d ever seen whenever the younger siren was around and no one complained when the dark Dumbledore twinkled. Still, he was happy for his brother. He knew the fae had stopped aging, worried about Orion’s youth when they first met, but he was hoping with the man turning fifty that they’d feel more on par with one another finally. “Nothing quite so impactful this time; although I’ve heard cretin gnomes are all the rage recently. They were caught sneaking out.”
“Oh, okay…” Aberforth was genuinely surprised. It wasn’t that sneaking out wasn’t bad, it was. The boys just got caught doing it so often, that it was usually just a firecall, not a home visit from his brother.
“I know, not when I normally turn up,” Albus acknowledged, knowing he was never going to hear the end of this from the brat. “It’s what they were doing while they were gone that I thought you’d want to know about.”
“Well, don’t leave me in suspense,” Abby instructed.
“They went and got a tattoo.”
Aberforth groaned, “Oh Hel, I can only imagine what they go too! Who the fuck gives fourteen year olds a tattoo? Would Rhys?”
“Tattoo Artist doesn’t do minors without parental consent,” Orion told him without a moment’s hesitation.
“Of course they fucking don’t! What hack job would? What is wrong with people? Bloody absolute hell, those stubborn idiots! I am going to kick their…”
Both men just let him storm off into the office, undoubtedly going for a howler, to let his son have a piece of Abby’s mind. Orion waited until he could hear the man screaming into one of the red envelopes before turning back to his brother in law, “Did they get it?”
“A lion? Indeed. As a matter of fact, they mentioned where they got it too.”
“Bloody hell,” Orion cursed, now he was in trouble too.
Albus chuckled, “That was a very… persuasive statement, but Rhys would never have done that unless you knew.”
“Yeah, I knew,” Orion admitted, “We’d just had a row over the lift incident when he popped in and they were going to do it anyway, so…”
The fae flinched at the mention of their earlier altercation, even as the siren waved off his ending. Knowing he hadn’t handled that well, the oldest Dumbledore felt absolutely terrible. He had never known what to say to Percival Graves; he’d muted both of his mating bonds so very long ago. He didn’t know what to do or how to talk to the man; it’s not like you can just apologize for decades of elected isolation and expect the hurt it caused to go away.
Gellert said that the vampire still hadn’t reached out to him either. And Albus in no way wanted to get between the two husbands… Alright, that was a bad way to even think about that… But still, he wasn’t trying to make things more complicated between the pair. So, he wrote to his friend and heard about his heartache, but continued to avoid his other mate, even as he kept in contact with Flea and aided in raising the family’s youngest like James was another nephew.
Aberforth stomped back into the room, red envelope securely in one hand, an owl in the other, “Anything else I need to add before I send this?”
“No, that’s it.”
Orion was surprised that his brother in law seemed to have zero interest in selling him out to his mate. He accepted the scarlet fae’s attempt at an apology, knowing the smoke would have to long clear between his friend and Grindelwald, before any of them would be crazy enough to try and put Percy and Albus in the same space again. So, once the howler was sent off to arrive with Hogwarts’ morning post, the Headmaster left quickly to go back and get some sleep.
The next morning Sirius and his friends endured that temper tantrum with pride, everyone in the Great Hall quickly becoming aware of exactly what they’d done and what their new brands were. Albus spotted his youngest nephew, along with Cissy, about to fall out of their seats, hysterical, while Severus didn’t bother suppressing a chorused eye roll with Lily Evans.
Apparently Abby had come to be pissed at him once he’d left, because Albus got a howler as well. He and Minerva quickly dismissed everyone to their morning classes as the cat calls started toward the troublemakers, before Sirius could actually start a strip tease at breakfast. They both knew he would.
There was some surprise when, the next day, two more howlers arrived in the same vein as the first. Then it happened again the next day, and the next, and the next. By the second week of howlers coming every day, even Minnie was giving Albus sideways looks, that plainly cited where she thought Sirius got his dramatic tendencies. The older fae agreed with her silently; that Abby ever worried Sirius wouldn’t be his son was a damn joke!
Still, everyone got used to the new normal of Sirius Black’s dad bitching about him getting a tattoo at fourteen. It actually became a standard warning for if students forgot something, their last chance to run back to the dorms before they’d be late. Almost a month after the howlers started, Albus shared a relieved look with his nephew when the first morning arrived with only a regular letter at breakfast.
The other boys looked almost disappointed, having enjoyed the creative lengths that Sirius’ dad went to as he came up with new ways to yell at his son for the same thing everyday, but James still leaned in to read over his friends’ shoulder. The quartet of Marauders were sitting at the Gryffindor table’s end, right below their instructors. From the black wax of the seal, rather than red, Albus was guessing Orion finally had enough of his husband’s antics.
Still, despite many’s apparent disappointment, and all the money that was exchanging hands, soon it was time for all the kids to get moving. As the boys took off, he believed for Horace’s first class of the day with Slytherin, the Headmaster heard them talking.
Sirius was grinning bright like the sun, “Gotta love it when the old man puts his foot down in the right direction!”
James smiled at him as he moved around the table, a bag slung over his shoulder, “And that would be any direction other than yours?”
“You’re damn straight!” Sirius said as they high fived, “Whoop!”
The sandy blond next to the Black heir crossed his arms and mocked him, “I thought your father was persona non grata and you didn’t like him?”
“Only every other week,” Sirius corrected the sarcastic werewolf. “Once you enter the shedevil’s domain he becomes an enemy of the state and should be treated as such!”
“As someone with an enemy of the state as a relative,” James put in, “That is offensive; your mother is worse.”
“Who are you telling?” Sirius asked, before snatching another donut and running off with James’ glasses, where the Potter heir had been finishing homework at breakfast.
“Arsehole, come back here!” James took off after his best friend.
Remus Lupin rolled his eyes at their antics, but ran after them for the door, “You’re both idiots!”
“Guys, wait up!”
Albus chuckled as Peter Pettigrew sprinted after his taller friends.
He shared a grin with Minerva at the boys’ commentary before she took off for classes and he waited for the hall to clear out. He spotted Lily Evans meet up with Severus Snape and Narcissa Black at the door to leave for class; little Reggie looked to trail after them until they reached the stairs. He hoped that his nephew was alright, he hadn’t wanted to check in a third time and crowd the eleven year old; siblings being in different houses always struggled, especially during their first year.
Still, he hadn’t really been surprised by the choice. Sirius took after Orion in appearance and charm, but modeled himself after Aberforth’s brashness. Reggie was the opposite, although maybe not with appearance. His little nephew shared the Dumbledore brothers’ joint hallow in his longing to shield others, while his model for dealing with their crazy family was his father through and through, subtlety and cunning to the end.
Once everyone had cleared out of the hall he moved back to his office to write several correspondences, but as the fae entered Fawkes was just coming in with a letter from Nurmengard. Albus struggled to bat down the surge of excitement that came with the raven seal, reminding himself that they were nothing more than best friends, against every insistence of the long muted bonds that he hadn’t acknowledged in all but seventy five years. And given who Gellert was married to…
God, what in the hell was wrong with him? Because when he’d first gotten a letter from G after the lift, he’d been sure what it was about, and that wasn't to follow up on their discussion of how to remove Riddle’s damned curse from his Defense position. Albus had been sure the Dark Lord was going to throttle him through the missive; actually, if Gellert wasn’t in prison, he’d assumed it would have been a howler. His first thought, almost a month ago, had been that the blond siren was going to be having Flea bring him some of those after such a mess.
Then it hit him that he hadn’t even considered how Fleamont Potter would react to their encounter; let the howlers floweth forth. Despite the fact that he had raised Flea like his own once Gellert and his husband sent him to Hogwarts, the next generation had never ceased being protective of his father. Between knowing about the vampire Director’s struggle to the position during his bachelor years, the discrimination he still faced, and that brief stint as a prisoner of his husband, Albus couldn’t blame Flea.
Not to mention the Headmaster acknowledged how very badly he’d messed up that scenario. He’d even ignored Orion! Bloody hell, what was wrong with him?
Why couldn’t he just speak and let the other man set the damn pace? Every single time he was in the same room as Percival Graves he swore to breaking the wheel; that he was going to say something to him. It always seemed like his next thought was as the vampire was walking away.
Gellert’s husband was the strongest magical presence he’d ever encountered, other than, maybe, the Liberator himself. The wizard ran the States like he was the one true king reborn, making every President’s term nominal at best, all because the people begged him not to leave. To top it all off Graves was still forty something and looked gorgeous in his suits, with his hair always slicked back perfect and…
And, as Albus pinched the bridge of his nose, he reminded himself that it didn’t matter, because he wanted nothing to do with his mates romantically. He’d fucked up his family’s lives enough, managed to let his and Gellert’s tale get so twisted already, and there was no way that he was dragging Director Graves into his messes. The man already had a hard enough time with his career and the history of one mate. That’s why he was never going to de-age, he’d decided; one lifetime was more than enough.
Opening that first letter, he was confused, then just surprised, when he discovered that the vampire hadn’t seemed to mention their encounter to Gellert at all. He had been telling the blond idiot for years to just write to the man; his siren best friend confessed years ago that Graves never muted their bond. Gellert thinking that the Director didn’t want him anymore had been ridiculous since James was born, quite frankly. If the vampire wanted to move on from his mates, it was not like he didn’t have options and yet he never dated anyone else.
Reading through the letter, he’d smiled at the overall exuberance that Gellert exuded at his husband re-establishing contact with him. Although that same smile turned slightly devious when he recognized the panic in the siren when his friend pondered what to write back. He hadn’t dared to give feedback on that, but it warmed part of Albus to know that someone could still fluster Gellert Grindelwald.
But, if the vampire was going to write Gellert anyway, why hadn’t Graves told him what happened? Albus knew that both his and the Director’s magic were linked to Nurmengard’s security, so the man clearly was aware of their communication. He probably didn’t think that Albus cared enough to even bring it up, so he didn’t either.
The vampire wouldn’t have cause to think anything else, that was for certain. He’d been muted towards Gellert since their last conversation after the fight with Abby and Arianna’s death. He hadn’t even reopened their bond during the twenty minute conversation they’d had when the siren ceased control of the Elder wand. And Albus had muted his connection to Percy when he finally heard that the vampire met up with Gellert first, calling it fate, not even a few years after Godric’s Hollow.
Honestly, though, why Graves hadn’t told Gellert about the lift was a mystery and Albus hadn’t dared to bring it up. Instead they continued talking about how to remove that damn curse and discussed how James’ fourth year was going. His friend had been saying for the last two weeks that Albie should tell his brother off for his temper tantrum. G would be ecstatic to know that Orion had done it for him.
As he was scanning the letter, the new arrival charm alerted him to an incoming student. With the briefest of glances, Albus spotted a flash of blood red hair and chuckled, “It’s only three weeks in and you’re bored already?”
Lily Evans was too advanced for her own good and tended to bounce between himself, Minerva, and Horace for entertainment. Actually, he was genuinely surprised the girl was here since she was supposed to be in potions at the moment. It wasn’t one of her subjects that typically couldn’t hold the girl’s interest.
It wasn’t until a sob reached his ears that Albus abandoned the letter and, startled, gave the fourteen year old his full attention. Fawkes was already on her shoulder, trying to help, as tears poured from the little crimson haired girl’s eyes. Her shoulders were shaking and there was a piece of parchment clutched in her hands.
Standing he rushed over to her, leaning down to wipe the tears away, “Lily, what in the world happened, sweetheart?”
Her hand shook as she extended the parchment to him.
Taking it, Albus’ breath caught.
Heritage Potion - September 21, 1974
Brewer: Lily Jasmine Evans Dumbledore Black
Status: Witch, Pureblood
Father(s): Albus Dumbledore
Carrier: Orion Black