Sirius, Remus and Severus made their way up the Potters driveway. It had been ten years since they had last set foot in Britain.
Sirius and Remus went out to discover the world and connect with Remus' more wolfish side. They decided that since they actually didn't have a lot of information on the werewolves other than the things Dumbledore had told him. Therefore they went to the werewolf pack where Fenrir Greyback resided. Greyback was the wolf that bit him, so they had a connection of some sort. Remus became like a cub to him, since he was still considered quite young amongst the werewolves.
Long story short, they resided with them for ten years and learned so much. Remus connected more with his inner wolf, and Sirius was with him every step of the way. They ended up getting married four years into their journey.
Severus on the other hand had travelled with his husband and son all over the world, researching potion ingredients and making new potions for both healing and other necessities. They had been on the move for ten years also. It was not planned, but it just kind of happened. This benefitted all of them though. Severus' son learned from all over the world and got to see how his dad worked. He also gained many useful skills and life experiences. Severus' husband benefitted also from this. He made connections all over the world, this could only benefit Britain in the long run.
It was by coincidence that they all met at the end of the driveway. They looked at each other and took each other in. Remus then decided that maybe he should break the silence before tension sat in.
"It is good to see you again Severus." Remus went forward and shook hands with Severus. This made the corners of Severus' mouth turn up. He couldn't keep it in anymore and actually smiled at them. Shook his head, and went over to hug them both. Sirius and Remus were shocked, he had never initiated physical contact before. When the shock disappeared, they all just stood there and smiled each other.
"Are you okay?" Sirius asked slightly amused. Severus shook his head, grin still intact.
"yeah, it's just that I haven't seen you in such a long time, plus travelling the world with my husband and son may have softened me a bit." The last part was murmured into his hand, but the others still heard it. Remus grinned and asked him about his travels. They conversed for a while until they remembered why they were there in the first place.
"So, none of us seen the twins in ten years?" Sirius' brow creased while he thought about. "Last time we saw them they were one and could barely walk."
None of them had knowledge about the supposed Girl-who-lived, they only knew about the defeat of Voldemort.
"I wonder how they are. We missed the part where they grew up and got a personality." They all shared a look at Sirius' statement.
"Well, only one way to find out." Remus led them up to the door and knocked. They could already hear all the people inside. It was quite a lot of them. They looked at each other with arched eyebrows. Why would there be this many people to two kids birthday party?
It only took seconds before the door was opened by the friendly face of Lily Potter. She squealed and gathered them all in a hug. She began to talk their ear of about all that they missed. About how Hannah defeated You-know-who, how she spoke her first word, her first time riding a broom, her first kid wand. This went on and on. Soon they knew almost all of Hannah's accomplishments, but they noticed that Lily never once mentioned Hadrian.
While Lily talked, they scanned the place and saw a lot of important people there. People they didn't even think the Potters knew, let alone the children.
A scream interrupted them. Soon they found themselves with and armful of an eleven-year-old girl named Hannah. She was soon followed by two other girls, one they recognized as a Weasley and another they presumed was new to the wizarding world. She had a gorgeous dress on and a tiara which was bedazzled by jewels.
She began immediately to talk about all her accomplishments, which weren't much by the way, after they had situated themselves in the living room after greeting James. They still hadn't seen a sign of Hadrian. Well, until Severus heard something making a sound from upstairs, as if someone dropped something. He looked up, saw nothing of course, then shot a glance over to the pair he came with. They had also heard the noise and made eye contact. They nodded their heads discreetly at each other and stood up in one fluent movement.
"If you don't mind, we want to go around the house some" Remus stated while beginning to move.
"Why don't we come wi-" James began, but was soon interrupted by Sirius.
"That wont be necessary."
They hurriedly made their way upstairs together and started looking for the origin of the sound.
Sirius began to listen through all the doors, to see if he could hear anything. Severus and Remus discussed what the origin could be. Since Sirius couldn't find anything after opening and closing all the doors on this floor. He did find a bathroom and two bedrooms, Lily and James' and what he only could guess was Hannah's if all the pink was a clue. What he didn't find though was a reason for the noise and a room where his godson could possibly live.
So when they saw the set of stairs, they only shared a glance, before going up them, curious as to what they would find.
At the top they could see a little door which was no taller than up their waists. When Sirius pressed his ear to this door, he could hear heavy breathing. He looked back at the pair behind him and nodded his head. Remus came forth and tried the handle on the door, but it wouldn't budge. He heaved a sigh and used his wand to unlock it before trying again.
This time it opened. Remus looked inside and his eyes widened at the sight. It was a little room, maybe 5 square meters with no room for an adult with their heights to stand fully up. There was a little bed on the other side of the room underneath a window which looked it belonged to a child because of the size. The room also had a little bookshelf filled with books and a wooden chest they suspected had clothes and/or belongings in it. When they heard a little gasp, Remus turned his head and made eye contact with a little kid. The kid was sitting in a little beanbag chair with a notepad and pencil in hand.
The kid continued to stare opened mouthed at the stranger that had his head in his room. When he registered what was happening, he started to panic slightly and hunch in on himself.
Remus saw the change in the kids stature and crawled inside, showing his hands in front of himself in a surrendering manner, he came closer.
"hey, hey." Remus said calmly while getting closer. "We aren't here to hurt you." His tone was soothing so that he wouldn't frighten this little boy.
When Remus was inside, the other followed through the little door opening. The pair sat themselves on the floor on the other side to room as to not crowd the boy while he was panicking.
While Remus tried to calm him, Severus and Sirius got a good look at him and were shocked.
The boy looked nine years old and had raven black hair going just passed his shoulders. He had a little stature and pale milky white skin as if he has never seen sunshine. His eyes were a bright green which seemed so dull compared to what they thought they should be. They came to same conclusion at the same time. This boy was Hadrian Potter. Their favourite honorary nephew.
Remus had come to the same conclusion as the others, but didn't let it show like the others did with their mouths hanging open.
He got closer to Hadrian, still trying his best to calm the hyperventilating boy. When it finally looked like Hadrian was calm, he moved back a bit, to let Hadrian know that he could make the first move.
The adults were awfully curious and worried. Why was he up in a little room, while the rest of the Potters were downstairs. And why did he look so small. His clothes were baggy and simple, and this room was so empty and basic compared to the rest of the house and his twins' room.
Hadrian looked up and was contemplating what he should do. There were three strange men that he thought he could vaguely recognize. Were they his uncles that he could remember from his childhood that went on a trip all those years ago?
When he looked up, the rest of the room gasped. They had only seen one eye previously, but when Hadrian moved, his left eye was revealed. It had a scar running right through it, probably blinding that eye. He had another scar shaped as a lightning bolt at his forehead.
"Are you my uncles?" he asked in a tiny voice.
The other males paused, then Sirius took the word. "Yes, we are Sirius, Remus and Severus." He was careful when he said that. He didn't want to spook him, even as he himself was digesting that his precious little nephew has scars in his face that would remain for the rest of his life.
"Why are you here?" Hadrian asked, almost whispering as if he didn't want to get caught.
"We heard a noise from downstairs, is everything okay?" Severus was smiling gently, trying not to scare him.
"oh, it was nothing." Hadrian assured them while fiddling with his pencil in his hand.
"Are you sure?" Remus made a move with his hand, as if to touch him, but remembered himself and his arm was again at his side.
"My lamp just fell over, didn't mean to disturb you." Hadrian was again looking at the floor, not used to talking to people other than his parents on a rare occasion.
"Hadrian, you didn't disturb us." Sirius smiled. "Honest, but," here he took a slight pause, "mind telling us what you are doing up here instead of celebrating your birthday with your twin?" Sirius didn't want to ask too many questions at once, so he started with easiest one that might give them the most answers.
"Lily and James said that birthdays were only for children who deserved them." It was said in a mumble, but everyone had heard.
They became worried. Why didn't he deserve to celebrate his own birthday?
"What do you mean?" Remus refrained from calling him pup, even though he really wanted to. It was something that he had called Hadrian when he was still a baby.
"Hannah is better than me and deserves Lily and James' full attention and love and deserves to celebrate her birthday because she saved everyone while I did nothing."
"Have you never had a birthday party? What about Christmas?"
At Severus' question Hadrian asked a heart-breaking question. "What is Christmas, and why should I have had a birthday party?"
It was obvious to them now that Hadrian was neglected. They didn't have a lot of information, but from what they had observed, Hadrian had been neglected and thrown away like he didn't matter.
"This is a sudden question, you don't have to if you don't want to, but can I hug you?" At Remus' question, Hadrian's eyes widened.
He nodded and threw himself at Remus and clung to him hiding his face in Remus' neck. They were shocked at his eagerness to be hugged. Had he never had a hug before?
Remus could feel Hadrian shaking in his hold, he looked down and saw that tears had started leaking from his face.
Hadrian felt so safe. He had never felt so safe near another human in his life that he could remember. These arms holding him, was the best thing ever. Why hadn't he been hugged before. He had started crying, not realising that he had. Hadrian didn't care though, he just nuzzled his face deeper into Remus' neck and sighing in content.
He was suddenly aware of another pair of arms encircling both him and Remus. He looked slightly to the side and realised that it was Sirius. He clung onto him too.
"Hadrian, do you want to come with us?" This was a question that made Hadrian freeze and look at Sirius.
"Are you sure that I wont bother you?" Hadrian was careful, as to not reveal how eager he was to escape what was basically a prison to him.
"Of course not, you can come with me and Sirius. Live with us." Remus tightened the embrace slightly, just enough for it to be noticeable.
"Please." It was just a whisper, but they had heard it.
Severus packed everything that he saw of value and shrunk it into a little bag. He took books, which he noticed were a lot of, drawing supplies, clothes, even though they would obviously go shopping for more, and a plushie he noticed in the bed.
When Hadrian saw that Severus moved his plushie, he immediately made grabby hands for it. The plushie was a dog, which Sirius recognised as a gift from him as a slight joke because of his Animagus form.
Severus didn't hesitate to give it to him. When Hadrian had his hands on it, he hugged it immediately close to his chest.
The Adults melted at the sight, but remembered quickly what they were doing. Hadrian was sitting in Remus' lap still, so Remus asked Hadrian silently for permission to carry him. Hadrian nodded and hid his face in Remus' neck once again.
Everything was happening so quickly. One moment Hadrian had sat silently in his corner sketching something, and now he was getting out of this isolation. It was a lot at once, but strangely, he trusted these people despite not having seen them in ten years.
When the adults made a move to get out of there, Hadrian stalled them.
"We have to get my letter."
"What letter." Sirius asked.
"The one from Hogwarts, it's in the kitchen on the counter." Hadrian explained quickly. "I saw it there yesterday when I was allowed to move around the house after last time being last year. It was addressed to me and everything."
Remus looked at Sirius, and nodded.
They were shocked at this information. He hadn't been in the rest of the house since last year? They were at the end of July, which meant that it had been more than seven months in that room and presumedly the bathroom.
Sirius told them to get outside to wait for him while he got the letter. Weaving himself through the crowd of people with a scowl on his face, he reached the kitchen without incident. He found the letter easily and turned to get out of this place where Hadrian obviously had been neglected.
But when he turned, he saw that none other than James Potter stood in his way.
"Leaving already?" James stood there with an arched eyebrow, arms crossed. "you just got here."
Sirius sighed, he had hoped to avoid this, but then again, this was an opportunity to get answers.
"Where is Hadrian?" If Sirius asked as if he didn't know, maybe he could get some answers.
"Oh, he couldn't make it." James looked a little worried, Sirius had yet to find out for what. "He is over at a friends house."
"Oh, really" Sirius abandoned his plans of a long interrogation pretending he didn't know and just cut to the chase. He wanted to just get Hadrian home. "because Remmy, Severus and I just found him upstairs."
When Sirius said this, he could see the panic across James' face.
"So, care to tell me the truth." Sirius arched an eyebrow at him. When James didn't answer straight away, he continued.
"I am taking him home with me either way."
At this statement, James' face hardened, and all panic was gone.
"Fine, take the brat. He was only distracting us from Hannah anyway."
To say Sirius was shocked, was an understatement. Fury bubbled in his stomach, and he clenched his fists. He couldn't even say anything. Storming out all he could think about was, what has happened to his best friend. Or, best friend other than Mooney. Remus was his husband and his best friend.
He found the other two outside. They were talking in whispers, taking into account that Remus had a sleeping eleven year old on his shoulder.
The fact that Hadrian already felt safe enough with them to fall asleep in their presence, warmed their hearts. It was probably a base instinct which still remained from when he was a baby.
When Sirius arrived, they informed him of the plans they had made while he was collecting the letter.
First, they were going to get Hadrian situated at Grimaulds place. Then Severus was going to bring his own son over the day after, so they could get to know each other. After all, they were going to be in the same year, and it would be good for Hadrian to have someone his own age. The same day they would see if they could get some shopping done for school supplies and other necessities. If not that day, the day after.
After finalising their plans, they apparated to Grimaulds place. Amazingly, Hadrian was still asleep. They went inside and found a room which Hadrian could stay, right across the hall from theirs, and put him in bed. Hadrian still clutched his plushie to his chest.
They put spells over him so that they knew when he awaked, and went downstairs to make further plans.
After all, they kind of just kidnapped a child.
Upstairs, Hadrian was sleeping in soft bed for the first time, and dreamed of a dog and werewolf.