THERE WAS SUCH A SENSE OF RELIEF that washed over Sirius as he took in the scene of being in France, surrounded by loved ones and new faces that were ready to support Charlus' idea of happily ever after. Part of him couldn't believe they had managed to make it so far and even though he wouldn't admit it out loud, Sirius was still waiting for a moment where he would wake up in Azkaban again and everything would have only been a dream. However, he had to keep reminding himself that he knew better than most the power behind Charlus' mind and it would only be disrespectful to think it was a dream rather than the work of his husband's intricate plans.

Speaking of his husband, as Sirius looked around the kitchen where Odette was trying to fix everyone a plate to eat, he didn't see Charlus in the room. There had been such a joy to Charlus' face when he was introduced to Nicolas Flamel, Sirius thought he was going to witness Charlus faint at some point. But the two were left alone to speak alone as Charlus couldn't help but gush to one of his idols. And yet, Nicolas was clearly in the room, helping himself to some food, leaving Sirius to wonder where his husband had wandered off to?

Entering the sitting room that they had all stood in when they first arrived, Sirius quickly found Charlus settled in a comfortable armchair.

He was sound asleep.

As Maeve had pointed out numerous times, it was only a matter of time before everything caught up with Charlus. He had been up and running since waking up from his coma without getting any proper rest. Probably because he felt as though he couldn't rest until he achieved everything he set out to do. But, finally, as everything had fallen into place, it seemed Charlus finally felt relaxed enough to sleep.

Walking over, Sirius placed his hand gently on top of Charlus' head, allowing it to settle in the midst of the messy dark locks. He leaned over and placed a kiss to Charlus' forehead before grabbing the nearest throw blanket off the sofa and placing it over him. He also took Charlus' wand and set it on the small end table before he was interrupted by the sound of tapping on the window.

A small owl fluttered outside carrying an envelope, leaving Sirius to walk over and open the window to take it. He was about to call out to Odette or Louis to inform them that the post had come in, only to see that the letter was addressed to him. Confused as to who would be sending him a letter, Sirius sat down on the arm of the chair where Charlus was resting and tore into it.

Dear Sirius,

I hope this letter finds you well, I hope when this letter reaches you, you are already starting to live the life of the happily ever after that Charlus spoke about. I write this letter, not asking for your forgiveness, but only wishing you happiness. I understand that the damage done to our relationship could not be fixed with a simple apology and even if I spent the rest of my life saying sorry, it wouldn't be enough. Unfortunately, I don't have a lot of time left, but I'm glad I can leave this world, knowing you'll be happy.

That husband of yours, I wish I had taken the time to get to know him better because the short time we spent together, I could see how much he cares for you. And really, that's truly all I wanted for you in life, to be happy and find someone who loved you. I was only too blind by my own ignorance to see it until it was too late. Your father and I should have treated you better, we should have been there for you, but we weren't. We failed you and your little brother. I never got to say goodbye to your brother before he departed this world, but I was glad I was able to say goodbye to you.

I don't know when I will die, I know it is soon. However, as I told Charlus, I did not wish to die in my bed with Kreacher looking at me with those mournful eyes. Instead, I think I will find myself sitting on the shores, listening to the waves until my end comes.

I didn't get to accomplish much with my life, but Charlus gave me the opportunity to do something before it all came to an end. It was one of the most exhilerating things I have ever done in my entire life. For that, I will always be grateful.

You two will make wonderful parents to little Harry, he's only been in your presence a short while and already he seems so happy. He deserves it after all he's been through in his young life. I hope wherever you end up, you all remain safe. Keep Harry away from Dumbledore and allow him to live his life as a child should. Treat him the way Euphemia and Fleamont treated you as their own, show him that love.

And, Sirius, be kind to Kreacher. I know you two don't share the best relationship, but do not blame him. He was only doing what he was told, show him differently before you cast your judgement on him. Give him a chance to change.

With that, I leave you with one last thing, I love you. I never told you it enough when you were younger and even when you thought I hated you, I still loved you. I only hated myself for what things became between us. But I am so proud of you and I'm so glad I got to see you one last time with your beautiful family.

The letter seemed to end so abruptly that Sirius found himself turning it over to see if she had written anything else, however, where she left off was all that was written down. Sirius could feel the large lump in his throat as he lowered the letter to his lap and looked over at Charlus. Charlus continued to sleep unbothered and that's how it was supposed to be. He would probably never realise how much of an impact he had on the lives he entered. To think of what had started off as an adolescent crush had blossomed into something Sirius would have never imagined in his wildest of dreams.

"Uncle Sirius? Uncle Charlus?"

Harry's little voice brought Sirius out of his thoughts as he quickly looked up, swallowing the lump in his throat to give his undivided attention to the little boy.

"Yes, Harry?"

"Maeve said she fixed you both a plate," Harry told him, " and she said you two need to eat something. Should we wake Uncle Charlus up?"

Stealing one more glance at Charlus, Sirius shook his head. "No, let's let him rest, Harry. He needs a lot of sleep, he'll eat when he wakes up, don't worry about that. Your uncle has the appetite of a baleine bleue."

Harry scrunched up his face in confusion. "A bla what?"

"Balaeine bleue," Sirius chuckled as he pushed himself up to stand, " it's French for blue whale. You're going to want to start practising your French as soon as possible, Harry."

"Why?"

"Well, if you're going to attend Beauxbatons or should I say Académie de Magie Beauxbâtons, you'll probably need to know some French."

"Beauxbatons? What's that?"

As Sirius began to explain to Harry the different wizarding schools around the world, the two left Charlus in the sitting room as they went off to eat.

The sitting room fell silent once more as Charlus carried on with his well-deserved nap, but as his eyes remained closed and everyone else remained in the other room, no one stood witness to the little green spark that emitted from his wand.

Red for a stranger.

Green for familiar.

And if anyone else had entered the room at the time, they would probably swear on their life that they heard the sound of light hooves tapping against the hardwood floor.