The fire crackled in the Potter’s living room, casting flickering shadows as Sirius sat stiffly on the couch, hands clenched together. His bags sat by the door, a silent reminder of what he left behind. Fleamont and Euphemia sat across from him, their expressions warm but serious.

James hovered nearby, arms crossed, sending reassuring glances at his best friend. You sat beside Sirius, close enough that your knee brushed his, an anchor he didn’t ask for but needed.

“So,” Euphemia said gently, “you’re sure about this?”

Sirius nodded, the movement sharp. “I’m not going back.” His voice didn’t waver, but you could see the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers twitched against his knee.

Fleamont exchanged a glance with his wife before nodding. “Then you’ll stay here, as long as you need.”

For the first time since he knocked on their door, Sirius breathed. A real, full breath.

James clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Guess that makes it official, huh?”

Euphemia smiled. “You’re part of the family now.”

Sirius swallowed hard, looking away, but not before you caught the way his eyes glistened under the firelight.

Later, after the talk had ended and James had dragged him upstairs to show him his “new room,” you found him in the hallway, leaning against the wall.

“You alright?” you asked softly.

He exhaled, running a hand through his dark hair. “Yeah. Just… feels weird. Being wanted.”

You stepped closer, nudging his foot with yours. “Get used to it.”

His smirk was faint but real. “With you around? Yeah, I think I will.”