Summary:Sirius had a son. Remus took him in when the world fell apart. Begins on November 1, 1981.
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What do you mean, he brought the kid with him?" Remus asked.
It was a lot for Remus to process. James and Lily were dead. Harry was sent to live with his mother's Muggle family. And to top it all off, Sirius murdered Peter. Sirius stole everything, everything from Remus in one night. Well, maybe not everything — there was still the question of the whereabouts of Sirius's son, Eliot. Remus was there for answers, but this revelation only raised more questions.
"Yes, he brought his child to the scene of the crime." The Ministry official shook her head. "The child is unharmed, miraculously, but he's quite disoriented. Keeps asking for his dad."
Remus imagined what that must have looked like. Thirteen bloodied bodies, Sirius laughing over them, and a toddler in the middle of it. He shuddered.
"And where is he now?" Remus asked.
"Sirius Black has been sent to Azkaban," She said.
"I know that, I meant the boy."
"Ah, right. He's in Ministry custody," She corrected herself. "He's being sent to a Muggle orphanage in the morning. The grandmother wants nothing to do with him, and there's no reason for a boy to grow up in a world where everyone knows his father is a murderer. It's better for him this way."
Right, Remus thought. The boy had no real family left. Eliot's mother was another one of Sirius's flings, a Muggle-born woman he met in a bar a few months after they graduated from Hogwarts. She was killed by Death Eaters shortly after the birth of their son. The Blacks were the child's only remaining family, but of course Sirius's mother wanted nothing to do with her half-blood grandchild. There was nowhere else for the kid to go. Remus had already lost everyone else tonight, and he was about to lose his former best friend's son for good.
"A Muggle orphanage?" Remus asked. "Is there... Could there be any other option for him?" He wasn't sure why he asked. He was in no state to take care of a child. How would he provide for him? What would he do with him during full moons?
The woman looked down at the file in front of her, then back up at Remus. "I suppose if someone were willing to take him, something could be arranged."
"I will," His mouth said before his brain had time to think it. "I can take him."
She peered curiously at his face for a moment, and he swore she was looking at his scars. His heart skipped a beat. The Ministry would never give him custody if they knew he was a werewolf, but there was no way for her to know what he was.
"Hm... I suppose that is a possibility. How did you know him, again?" She asked.
"Sirius and I were friends." Remus felt himself gasp and realized he had been holding his breath. "I actually used to care for Eliot on occasion." He purposely neglected to mention that he and Sirius's friendship ended several months ago. Their suspicion that the other had been the spy culminated in a screaming match in which they said a lot of things that Remus regretted. Not anymore. Sirius was the spy, the traitor who killed all of his other friends. Remus was right, and everything he said was now a bit more justified in his mind.
The Ministry woman nodded. "How long do you need?"
"Hm?"
"How much time do you need to prepare to take him in? We can supply you with some basic necessities for now, but do you have a place for him?"
Remus thought for a moment. What did he need to take care of a two-and-a-half-year-old child? There was a second bedroom in his cottage, and it was poorly furnished, but it was there. Would a child this young mind a small, uncomfortable mattress and a tiny room? It'd have to do for now. He knew there was just one thing he must do before he could take Eliot in. Plan for the full moons. He had a stupid idea, but it'd have to work.
"An hour. Two, tops," Remus said.
The woman nodded. "We can do that."
"Okay. I'll be back for him. Please, please don't send him to that orphanage," Remus begged.
"He'll be waiting for you when you get back," She said.
He nodded and disapparated to the only place he knew to go. He took a deep breath and knocked on a door he hadn't stood in front of in about four years now. He wondered, briefly, if his father still lived here. It was late, but he hoped the door would open. Much to his surprise, it did, and he saw his father staring back at him.
"Remus?" Lyall gasped. "What are you doing here — Not that I'm not pleased to see you, but this time of night?"
"Dad, I need to talk to you. It's urgent," Remus said.
"Alright, alright, come in." Lyall stepped aside to let Remus into the house. Remus walked through the doorway and instantly felt out of place. The house felt emptier without his mother there, and he felt a twinge of guilt for leaving his father completely alone for all this time.
"Tea?" Lyall asked as he walked toward the kitchen.
"No time," Remus said. "I, er, need to ask a favor."
"Of course. Anything." Lyall looked directly at Remus.
"Um, you remember Sirius?" Remus asked.
"Yes." Lyall scowled. "If this is about him—"
"It is, sort of, but listen. You might've been right about him all along. He's killed my other friends and been sent to Azkaban," Remus explained quickly. He knew his father was never all that fond of Sirius, but perhaps he might overlook that just this once. "But, well, he's got a son. I went to the Department of Magical Child Services to ask what might happen to him, and they're going to send him to an orphanage if I can't take him."
His father's expression softened. "You're adopting a child?"
"Er... Yes, I suppose so." Remus paused. He hadn't thought of it that way. He was about to be a father, sort of. "But, um... I obviously have one night a month I can't take care of him. Do you think... Do you know anyone who might take care of him for me?"
"I'd be happy to take care of him for you," Lyall offered. "So long as you come visit me, too."
"I don't want to make your life harder," Remus argued.
"You aren't making my life harder. I miss you, Remus. Please. If you come have tea with me once a month or so, I'll do anything you need for this boy," Lyall said. "I'll be there every full moon and whenever else you need it."
Remus blinked. He thought this conversation was going to be much more difficult. He cautiously took a step forward, then hugged his father briefly. "Thanks, Dad."
"Of course, Remus. Go get him. I'll be here for whatever you need from me," Lyall said, patting Remus's back.
"Thank you," Remus said. He checked his watch — he still had time. "Um, if my old room is still there, could I..."
"Go ahead." Lyall gestured to the stairs.
Remus nodded and walked up to the room that was once his. He knew exactly what he was looking for. He didn't want to go empty-handed to pick up Eliot. He remembered that at some point as a teenager he shoved some old stuffed animals into the back of his closet, concealing them when his friends came to visit one summer. He found them there and dug through the pile, looking for one that seemed new enough. He pulled out a faded plush dragon his mother gave him years ago, and decided it was the best he could do. He walked back downstairs, dragon in hand.
"Thanks for everything," Remus said.
"Anytime. Bring him around for tea next week so I can meet him?" Lyall suggested.
Remus nodded. "Sure."
And with that, he apparated back to the Ministry. He walked straight up to the desk where the same woman was sitting. "I'm here to pick up Eliot Black."
She looked up. "Ah, Mr. Lupin! Of course. You just need to sign this form..."
He filled out all of his information as quickly as possible. The woman looked over it, then disappeared into a door behind her. Remus waited, biting his nails. She emerged minutes later with a small boy with black curls and deep grey eyes.
"Moony!" The toddler shouted as he ran over to Remus and hugged his leg. Sirius always told Eliot to call Remus "Moony," but Eliot never got the ending right. He used to always say "Moo," and that was the first time Remus heard him say it correctly. Remus's eyes filled with tears, but he blinked them away.
So he does remember me, Remus thought as he placed a hand on Eliot's back. Still likes me, even. Maybe Sirius never got any of his messed up ideas into the kid's head.
"Hi, Eli," Remus said. "I got you something." He handed over the stuffed dragon.
"T'ank you," Eliot whispered, hugging it.
Remus hesitated for a moment before picking him up.
"Where Daddy?" The young boy asked.
"Er — He had to go away," Remus muttered. Had no one told him? "You're going to come stay with me."
"Yay!" Eliot shouted. "Daddy too?"
"Eliot, we've already explained what's happened with your father. You saw," The Ministry woman said.
"Pete bad man." Eliot nodded.
"What?" Remus asked, looking at the woman. "What does he mean by that?"
"He seems a bit confused about what he saw." She sighed. "Any time it comes up, he tries to tell us Peter's the one who committed the crime. Poor thing, he's so confused. It's good to see him excited to see you, though, I'm not sure he's smiled once all night."
"Pete did it."
"Yes, Eliot, thank you," The Ministry woman mumbled. "Anyway, Mr. Lupin, he's all yours. You're now the legal guardian of Eliot Sirius Black."
Remus's stomach twisted at Eliot's full name. At that moment, Remus decided that the boy must always know who his father was. Things would be too difficult to explain otherwise. No telling people his middle name, and they needed a good story to explain his last name, too. Remus momentarily considered changing it — Eliot Lupin had a ring to it — but he couldn't. Eliot certainly knew his name already, and the loss of his father was already a big enough change for now. Remus suddenly realized that he had accidentally taken on another secret, another taboo that would make both of their lives even more difficult.
The Ministry woman gave Remus a bag of Eliot's clothes and a few toys. They took the Floo Network back to Remus's cottage.
"Welcome home," Remus said as he carried Eliot to the spare bedroom. He put the bag on the floor — he was in no mood to unpack — and sat on the bed with the boy. "This is your room. You're going to live with me from now on, okay?"
"Okay, Moony." Eliot nodded.
Remus checked his watch. He had to read up a bit on childcare soon. What time should a child this young be in bed by? Surely much earlier than this. Was there anything in the kitchen suitable to feed a child for breakfast? Did he have any allergies? What did he like? Remus racked his brain for anything Sirius might've told him, but came up blank.
"Time for bed, then?" He asked.
"Yeah." Eliot yawned.
Remus walked over to the bag and unzipped it. He helped Eliot into his pajamas. As Remus looked through the clothes to make sure he had everything he needed, the boy dug through the bag and pulled out a large toy hippogriff that was almost as big as himself and handed it to Remus. He smiled down at the boy and put the hippogriff by his pillow.
"Pete mousey," Eliot said absentmindedly.
Remus's heart dropped for a moment, but he shook his head. Surely he must've misheard the child's babbling. There's no way he knew Peter was an animagus. That was impossible. Surely a child this young didn't understand Animagi.
The child pulled a stuffed animal rat from the bag and repeated, "Pete mousey!"
Ah, okay. Just a cruel joke on Sirius's part, naming a toy after Peter, Remus thought.
He tucked the child into bed. "Goodnight, Eli."
"Night, Moo," Eliot mumbled. And with that, he was sleeping peacefully, as if he hadn't just seen thirteen people brutally murdered by his father hours before.
Remus left the room, leaving the door open a bit behind him. He went to his own bedroom, sat on the edge of his bed, and cried softly. Everyone he knew was gone, save for his father and Eliot. He was, suddenly, more alone in the world than he had ever been.
Remus wondered if maybe, just maybe, one decent thing had come of all this. This innocent child had a chance at a better life. Remus was determined to raise this child right and make him a better man than Sirius ever was. Sirius Black was a scumbag, a traitor, a Death Eater... but Eliot didn't have to be. He would be raised by a different kind of monster.