Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Sixteen - Family

Lupin still had a firm grasp on my shoulders and was now scanning his surroundings carefully.

Black particles passed my vision, and I quickly closed my eyes, checking the flame in my mind. It was still tightly contained in its cage. I let out a sigh. It wasn't me. Then what was it?

I followed Lupin's lead, scanning my surroundings. It was a street. A row of houses faced me with a park at my back. Tree's lined either side of the road, their leaves falling rapidly. I noticed a sign to my left, naming the street we stood in.

"Grimmauld Place," I read. "Should it be familiar?"

Moony turned to face me. "This is your home."

Shaking my head, I answered him, "I've never been here before."

Lupin didn't answer, turning to face the row of houses. He stood still, looking at the building with a watchful eye. I approached him carefully. "Are you waiting for something?" I asked.

"Someone."

With his words, the ground began to shake violently. I held my hands out in front of me for balance. The houses I was watching began to move, pulling further apart from the other. In the empty space between them, bricks began to layer on top of each other, a separate house building itself.

The ground stopped shaking, a post box rising from the earth beside the new addition to the street. '12 Grimmauld Place', read the first line. I looked at the name underneath it.

"Black," I breathed.

The door opened, letting my eyes see the house inside. There was no one at the door.

I gave Lupin a questioning glance. He simply nodded, gesturing to the building. "Welcome home."

I approached, my eyes scanning over the concrete ground. "Couldn't have put a little colour in?" I asked myself, reaching the steps.

One at a time, I climbed each slab, entering through the door labelled Number 12.

The entrance opened up into a hallway, a door to either side of me and one in front. A couple of paces ahead and to the left, a staircase led upwards. I didn't see an end to it.

"Welcome to Black Manor," a voice welcomed me.

I turned ahead to watch a figure step out of the door. "Father?" I asked. He smiled brightly.

"My little star."

Rushing forward, I wrapped my arms around him like I had Moony. Sirius was easier to hug, being shorter than the werewolf.

My father laughed, lifting me off my feet. "Oh, Merlin, I missed you, Lyra."

"I missed you too."

"Alright, alright, let her down Padfoot. You'll suffocate the child." Moony's voice joined ours and I heard the front door close.

Sirius let me down, placing his hands on either side of my face as he smiled. He then brought a hand to the top of my head, giving Remus a strange look.

"She's grown since I saw her last. Why has she grown?" he asked my uncle.

Moony approached, wrapping an arm around Sirius' shoulders. "She's a teenager. That's what they do."

"Right. Right. That makes sense." Sirius' gaze turned to Lupin as the tall man smiled at him.

I laughed at their interaction. "I hate to interrupt this sweet moment, but you have a lot of explaining to do."

They looked at each other fondly before passing that gaze to me. "And you'll get all of your answers."

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