Hello Fam :)

Happy Reading...

Sirius had three days before they went back to school. He has been at Potter Manor for two days now, and he was basking in the familial love emanating from the Potters, enjoying Dorea's fuss, and playing Quidditch with James. All the while, there was a question at the back of his mind. How safe were the Potters with him being part of their family?

Hence, Sirius wrote his next letter to a person he thought would understand him more than the Potters. While he waited for the reply, Sirius went to Charles. "Mr. P, is this house under Fidelius charm?"

"No", said Charles. "But I am thinking of putting one on Potter Manor though. Why do you ask?"

Sirius bit his lip. "Can I invite someone here? He is not a threat, I promise."

Charles looked at him for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Do you trust him?"

"I do?"

"Then they are welcome. This is your home as much as it is of James. You don't need permission to invite your friends, Sirius."

Personally, the statement didn't assure him as much as Charles thought because it reflected how the Potters were way too trusting, which would put them at risk. And when James asked him about this mysterious friend that he had invited home, he refused to answer.

XXX

Alphard Black had a peaceful life. One that he had earned in favor of leaving his family. It has been years since anyone has contacted him. He wasn't surprised because it was Sirius who contacted him because that boy had always looked up to him, but lately, there were fewer mails from him. Probably, and he dearly hoped, the schoolwork at Hogwarts was keeping him busy. Even then, he loved the boy with all his heart. Sighing, Alphard gave the owl some treats and water as he read the letter. It was really short. Sirius asked him if he could live with Alphard for a year and a half until he graduated from Hogwarts. This meant, Sirius had either abandoned his family or had had enough of them and planning to leave the family behind. Alphard could take the boy in. Since he had no intention of getting married and having children of his own, Alphard's will states Sirius as his heir and everything belonging to Alphard would go to Sirius after his death but if Sirius wanted to come live with him while he was alive, it was the least he could do.

What surprised him was Sirius asked him to meet Alphard at one of the Potter houses in France. He gave the apparition point and then the directions to Potter's house from there. It was around Easter which meant, they were on a vacation if they were in France. Why would Sirius contact him during his vacation instead of playing pranks with the Potter boy like always? With all the questions in his head, he locked his house and apparated to France hoping the kid was safe.

XXX

Charles prided in his memory because he was a damn good Auror and without his memory, it would be hard to differentiate between possible death Eaters and good people. Hence, he was very much on alert when an unknown person stepped into his garden without him ever mentioning his address. It could be a muggle since Charles hadn't thought of warding the properties from muggles except when the kids played Quidditch or performed any magic. But, the man wasn't looking like a muggle. If he didn't know better, he could be a Black, owing to his physical appearance. "Can I help you?", asked Charles.

"Hello. I am here to meet Sirius?", asked the man.

Charles's hand itched towards his wand. "And who might you be?"

"I am Sirius's uncle. Sirius asked me to meet him here."

Charles knew Sirius asked his friend to meet him but not one of his family. Hence, he pulled out his wand. "We have seen enough of Sirius's uncles harming him. If you know what's good for you, leave my house at once. Or else I will be forced to arrest you."

The man crossed his arms. "Are you seriously threatening me right now? You know I am more well-versed in Dark arts than you could ever be."

Charles smirked without lowering his wand. "Also, the reason why I don't want you anywhere near my son."

"I am not interested in meeting James", said the man with a scoff.

"Who even talked about James? I am talking about Sirius."

A frown appeared on the man's face. As he thought about his next plan, Charles surveyed the man who looked almost familiar to him. But he knew all of Sirius's uncles except-

"Alphard? What are you doing here?", cried Dorea as she came out of the house and embraced the unknown person into her arms. In true Black fashion, the guy didn't return the hug. Instead, he just stood there awkwardly.

When Dorea broke the hug, Charles raised an eyebrow at her, and she chuckled. "Alphard, this is Charles Potter, my husband. And Charles, of course, you know about Alphard."

"I guess not", said Alphard. "He just tried to hex me."

"I did not", protested Charles. "You could have just said your name instead of introducing yourself as Sirius's uncle. You, more than anyone, should know how much people love hating your family."

"My abandoned family", said Alphard.

Dorea rolled her eyes. "Okay, boys. Why don't we go inside? Alphard, I am surprised to see you after all these years. You hardly reply to my mails, and the owls almost always return with the letter sent to you."

"I didn't feel like talking to anyone related to our family. Didn't think you would contact me, and hence, I blocked all the owls from entering my home whose masters have Black blood in them or are purebloods."

Charles chuckled. "Disowned but being dramatic is ingrained in every black."

Alphard just sent a glare at him. When they sat down, Dorea asked Misty to bring some butterbeer.

"So, what are you doing here? How do you even know this place?", asked Charles.

"Sirius sent me a letter asking me to meet him. He was the only family member who can still contact me along with Andy", said Alphard. "He gave me directions and asked if he could stay with me until he came of age. He said he ran away from Grimmauld. I was surprised when I read that he was staying with you, and he asked me if he could stay with me."

"Sirius?", asked Charles, somewhat surprised. He thought Sirius was happy with them. Not even James said anything about Sirius wanting to leave. As Alphard and Dorea sat down, Charles called for Misty. "Misty, ask the boys to come here."

Misty left and reappeared with a pop. James might have asked her to apparate them to the living room. This boy would be horrible once he gets his apparition license.

"Uncle Alphard", muttered Sirius before throwing a panicked look toward the elder Potters. "How are you?"

"I am fine, Sirius. How are you doing?"

Before he could reply, James shot his hand towards Alphard with a grin. "Hello, Uncle Alphard. I heard you are one of the few sane members of the Black family."

"I see why you are in Gryffindor", said Alphard, laughing.

As James's grin got wider, Dorea called Sirius towards her and wrapped an arm around the boy. "Sirius, honey, are you not happy staying here?", she asked and rubbed his arm when Sirius bit down his lip in nervousness. "It's okay to tell the truth, sweetheart. You have the freedom to choose where you live, and we want you to be happy wherever you are."

"You are leaving me?", exclaimed James.

Charles pulled James beside him. "James, stay silent for a minute. Give him the choice."

"But dad", protested James, which was cut off immediately by Charles.

"No, James. Let Sirius talk."

Sirius took a deep breath before looking at the floor. "I am the happiest here, and hence, I want to leave this place."

"That's a stupid logic", said James.

"James, shut up", said Dorea with a stern look before turning towards Sirius. "What do you mean by that, love?"

Instead of replying when Sirius continued to stare at the floor, Alphard cleared his throat. "Dorea, can I talk to him alone?"

"Sure", muttered Dorea and watched Sirius as Alphard ushered him outside.

"Dad, Sirius isn't leaving us", yelled James.

Dorea sighed. "James, Sirius is capable of making his decisions himself. We, as his family, wouldn't force our opinions or choices on him. If Sirius wants to stay with Alphard, he can. We just have to assure him that no matter what, we will still be there for him."

"But I don't want him gone. What if his family decides to visit Uncle Alphard suddenly."

Dorea shook her head. "Alphard is disowned. It's a disgrace to the family to associate with him so the Blacks won't visit him. But even if they do, Alphard is capable of keeping Sirius safe."

"I don't want to be convinced", said James, crossing his arms. "I don't want him gone."

XXX

Outside, when Alphard repeated Dorea's question, a frantic Sirius explained everything from his leaving the Black House because of them forcing the dark mark on him to facing Voldemort and endangering everyone, including James.

"I don't want Jay to be on Voldemort's radar because of me", he said.

"Okay, I understand where you are coming from, Sirius. But answer my question first. Are you happy living here?", asked Alphard.

Sirius huffed, almost pulling his hair. "Of course, I am happy here. Who wouldn't? That's a very stupid question to ask."

Alphard chuckled, relaxing and putting an arm around Sirius. "It's a very adult thing to ask, and yeah adults can be stupid sometimes."

"All the time if you consider my parents."

"Never denying that. Coming to Voldemort, I am surprised he even attempted something like this near Dumbledore. From what I have heard, he is afraid of Dumbledore."

"Dumbledore wasn't at Hogwarts. Minnie was head in charge. We hadn't met Dumbledore before Mr. P took us home."

Alphard nodded. "Sirius, you are very welcome to stay with me."

"But?"

"But I want you to think about it. Talk to the Potters before making a decision. I would have taken you within a heartbeat if you were not happy here, but if you are moving with me, the Potters might blame themselves, and I don't think that's fair."

"But-"

"The reason why you asked me to come pick you up is very noble, Sirius. But as I said, think about it from the Potters's point of view. And once you reassure them, we could pack and leave. Is that okay?"

XXX

As soon as Sirius reappeared in the living room, James launched towards him, pulling the boy into a bear hug and dislodging Alphard's arm from Sirius's shoulder. "You aren't leaving me."

"Jay", said Sirius, his voice muffled. "I need to leave."

"We are taking Voldemort down. I need you with me to plan. You can't just leave me now."

Charles rolled his eyes. "No one is taking Voldemort down", he said before separating the boys. "James, stop imposing yourself on Sirius."

While Charles restrained James from going back to Sirius, Dorea pulled Sirius beside her. "Sirius, do you want to talk?"

Sirius nodded. "Voldemort attacked Hogsmeade because he wanted me to join him. He was never interested in Jay, Mrs. P, and I don't want him to develop a sudden interest in Jay. He might already know that I am living with you guys, which puts even you at risk."

"That's really stupid", yelled James.

Dorea pointed her wand towards James and hexed him into silence. James protested even louder, but no voice came out of his throat. "If you are moving even more, I am putting a body bind on you next", she warned the boy, quietening him down. "Sirius, it's not stupid. But think about this. Charles is in the core team assigned to take down the death-eaters. I am a healer, trying everything to keep the people on this side safe. The Potters are known to support the light. And then there is the Order, which we are very much part of. Even without you in the equation, we are still on Voldemort's radar. In fact, every pureblood of the 27 noble families who aren't in Voldemort's circle is on his radar. Because we, according to him, are the betrayers among the purebloods. James is the Potter heir. After your graduation, I am sure James would choose to fight against Voldemort instead of choosing his side. Sirius, James meeting Voldemort had happened before we had thought of, sure, but it was never unexpected. I would rather prefer him to be capable of fighting against Voldemort instead of talking his way out of trouble. And that applies to you as well. I was worried about you as much as I was worried about James when I learned about the attack at Hogsmeade. So, it doesn't matter if you stay with us or away from us, we are on Voldemort's radar, and there is nothing we can do about it except put him down as soon as we can. If you still want to stay with Alphard, I will not stop you. But I promise, this will always be your house."

In complete contrast to the pureblood behavior, Sirius threw his arms around Dorea and cried his heart out in her embrace. "I don't know what I am supposed to do, but I don't want to lose any of you, Mrs. P."

"It's okay to be confused, honey. How about you do this? Spend your remaining holidays here. There's no point troubling Alphard when you are leaving for Hogwarts in three days, along with James. Charles could drop you boys off. After that, once your term is over, if you still want to stay with Alphard, you are welcome to spend your holidays there."

James stood up from the couch and left the living room, leaving Sirius even more miserable.

Dorea pulled Sirius by his chin. "Don't worry about James, love. I will make sure he understands. All I want, Sirius, is for you to enjoy your life to the fullest. Live every day as if it's your last day on Earth, and don't let anyone interfere in your happiness. Your happiness is the only thing that matters, understood?"

Sirius nodded. "I love you so much, Mrs. P."

XXX

Sirius found James and his broom at the back of the Manor. The boy turned his head when Sirius approached him. "Jay, please listen to me."

James snorted. "To keep us safe. Yeah, I know what you wanted to say. Sorry, but I am not interested."

He then turned into a stag and refused to listen to Sirius. Sirius glared at the magnificent stag before turning into Padfoot. They tumbled on the ground and tousled on the grass. When after a long time, both of them were tired, they turned back to their human selves. The first thing James did was to laugh, looking at the messed up hair of Sirius which now had dried leaves and twigs. Sirius glared at him before trying to pull his hair and screamed when the twig pricked his scalp.

"You are an idiot", said James, and forced Sirius's hands away from his hair before carefully fixing his hair neatly.

Meanwhile, Sirius bounced on his feet. "Jay, do you really think I would be happy to leave you?"

"That's what you wanted, apparently."

"Jay, I can't forgive myself if anything happens to your parents or you because of me. More than that, I would go insane if something happened to you. I don't think the world is ready to suffer if I unleash the Black madness", said Sirius, trying to make a joke out of his words.

"I don't give a damn about the world, Sirius", said James. "I care about you. Every summer when you go home, it drives me mad if I don't hear from you for over two days. Do you know why? Because I don't trust your family at all. I don't know why we are born in the families we are born in, but if I could change anything from the past, it's where you are born. I know you trust Uncle Alphard, and you might even be safe there, but after knowing you, Sirius, I would be at peace if you were in front of my eyes. I know it's again my overprotectiveness speaking, but I can't help it. Not unless Voldemort and your whole family are gone. You are one capable wizard, but I would rather wipe them off the face of the Earth before leaving you alone. And you know if you are leaving me and staying with Uncle Alphard, it would compel me to fetch Voldemort and stab my wand into his eyes."

"Jay, I am trying to keep you safe and you are trying to be reckless."

"Yeah? I will safely stab him in the eye", said James. He sighed when Sirius huffed and sat down before sitting down with him. "Sirius, tell me one thing. Regulus is in Slytherin, and hence, he is safe at Grimmauld's place. But why do you go out of your mind with worry when he isn't with you?"

"Because you know mother. She would lose her mental stability at any time, not that she had much now, and would hurt Reg."

"Whatever it might be, Walburger hasn't raised her wand on Regulus ever since he was born", said James.

"When you put it like that, I am doubting it. Do you think she had hurt Reggie and Reg's keeping it a secret?", asked Sirius.

James groaned. "No, Siri. When I put it like that, what I meant was Reggie is safe there, but we worry about him because there could be a possibility that he could be hurt in the near future. And however small that possibility is, we don't calm down until we see him again. It's the same thing. If you are leaving me, I would be out of my mind with worry, and I would be forced to behave recklessly."

"I hate fighting with you", muttered Sirius.

"Then just stay with me", said James and ruffled his hair when Sirius leaned his head on James's shoulder.  

A/N: So, that's Uncle Alphard. I don't remember much about him, but he was disowned, and Sirius inherits his properties after Alphard dies. Correct me if I am wrong.