Selene || Remus Lupin

Ch. 12 - The Horrific Outcome

Selene walked alongside Sirius and Harry as they slowly exited the tunnel. Selene didn't speak a word to Sirius the entire time, even though she could feel his eyes on her.

"You know what this means?" Sirius said abruptly, turning to her and Harry. "Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free," Harry said.

"Yes..." Sirius said. "But I'm also – well I assume Selene has told you – that we're your godparents."

"Yeah, I knew that," Harry said quietly.

"Well... your parents appointed us your guardians," Sirius pressed on, trying to catch Selene's eye. "If anything happened to them..."

Selene frowned. She knew what Sirius was about to suggest, and she knew that it was going to be something a certain headmaster wouldn't approve of. That wasn't something that Sirius would let get in his way, though.

"I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle," Sirius said. "But... well... think about it. Once my name's cleared... if you wanted a... a home with Selene and I..."

Harry's eyes widened. "What – live with you guys? Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to," Sirius said quickly. "I understand. I just thought I'd—"

"Are you insane?" Harry said. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

"You want to?" Sirius asked. "You mean it?"

"Yeah, I mean it!" Harry said.

Despite Selene's reservations, she couldn't help but give a weak smile. Harry coming to live with her was something she'd always dreamed of, begged for even, but Dumbledore had always put his foot down.

They fell silent again. Harry moved up to catch up with the rest of the group, but Sirius looked at Selene.

"I would have expected more of a welcome from my wife," he said with a grin.

Selene gave him a look. "Your wife is still processing the fact that her husband is not a criminal."

He looked at her guiltily. "Selene, I am so sorry... for everything... If I hadn't have gone after Peter—"

"Are you actually apologizing right now?" Selene asked him incredulously. "After I've gone all these years not even considering you might be innocent? I should be the one apologizing!"

Sirius chuckled. "How about we agree that we're both sorry, and move on?"

"Agreed." Selene said with a smile. "I'm so glad you're back with us, Sirius..."

He gazed at her intently. "You have no idea how glad I am to be back. It's been so long.... I had a hard time even remembering your faces..."

Selene didn't respond to him, but just looked at him sadly. He was almost unrecognizable as the young man she'd married, a cheerful, joking man that was handsome and always smiling. She doubted he'd ever lose the haunted look that he now wore in his eyes.

Sirius appeared to have either not noticed her looking at him, or had merely elected to ignore it, because he spoke to her again. "You know, I can't say I'm surprised about you and Remus."

Selene's eyes widened, and her jaw dropped. "Sirius, I –"

"You don't have to say anything, Selene," Sirius said, and to Selene's surprise, he was wearing a wide grin. "So? Are you two together, or –?"

Sirius didn't finish his question, to Selene's intense relief, because the group ahead of them slowed; it seemed that they were now exiting the tunnel.

The Hogwarts grounds were completely dark. It would have almost been impossible to see where to walk had it not been for the dim light emitted from their wands.