The Project | Sirius Black x reader | ✔

Dual expectance

The first snowfall of the year adorned the outside of your office window which mirrored the weather of London above ground. Your first full year outside of Hogwarts had gone by quickly, and although the war brought uncertainties and unpredictable conditions, your life had adapted to a similar routine at the Ministry of Magic.

Your secretary Damian brought your attention back from the window as he entered your office after a knock, carrying a platter with papers on top. "Good afternoon, miss (y/n)," he said as he placed the platter on your desk. "You've got quite a lot of mail today. Shall I help you look over it?"

You glanced at the pile of papers until a certain symbol on an envelope caught your eye. "It's quite alright, I can manage this much. You did good work today, so you can head home early."

He nodded with a grateful smile and left your office in a hurry. You waited for a few seconds before locking the door and grabbing the first envelope you had noticed. The symbol on the wax had a stag, it was a letter sent through the means of the Order of the Phoenix by James.

You carefully opened the envelope to see an empty piece of paper. It wasn't until you blew its surface that a small glowing light emerged and letters appeared. 

'Dear (y/n),

We write this letter to you with both excitement and heavy hearts. Lily is pregnant! We want to protect this child from the war, so we've decided to leave the Order of the Phoenix and go into hiding. 

The Fidelius Charm has been used, and Wormtail has become our Secret-Keeper after Padfoot suggested it and Moony agreed. It wouldn't be fair to put you into jeopardy because you're not part of the Order, so you will not be able to find us for the time being.

We finish this letter wishing that this war will be over soon so we can talk again. We have no doubt that if the wizarding world has someone like you, it'll be able to defeat the dark lord and his allies. 

(Y/n), we love you very much. Remember that regardless of how lonely and dark times might get, you'll always have Sirius, Remus, and Peter to look for comfort in, and we'll be thinking of you from our hideout.

There is not enough space to fill this letter with everything we want to tell you, but please take care of yourself. We'll see you when the war is over.

P.s, we'll name our child Harry or Merle.

James & Lily Potter'

Silently bringing the letter to your chest, you crumpled it in your first as you bit your bottom lip. A child... you thought, wiping your eyes. "We really have grown up."

Now that you thought about it, you had trouble remembering where James and Lily's house in Godric's Hollow was, even if you had been there recently. The spell is indeed in effect, you sighed, burning the letter with your wand.

Being unable to produce a Patronus yourself, it had always been difficult to communicate with people in the Order of the Phoenix other than Sirius, and now you knew it would be impossible to correspond with the Potters until the war was over. 

You sat down at your desk after dusting away the ashes and took the remaining letters from the tray. They were all from departments within the Ministry of Magic. You read through them one by one and wrote their replies with an enchanted quill. 

"It's also been a while since I've received word from Regulus... I wonder how he's doing," you thought aloud and stood up, organizing the new pile of letters. Before leaving the office, you swished your wand at the tea set in the corner of the room to prepare some for your return.

This task would've usually been delegated to Damian, but you didn't mind the walk to the post system of the Department of Magical Law enforcement. You deposited the letters without haste and took a longer route to get back to your office. 

Usually, you would have more things to do at this time of the day, but other than the news from the Potters, things had been surprisingly calm for once. Walking past the Improper Use of Magic offices, you spotted a familiar person down the hall.

"What a surprise, if it isn't Lucius Malfoy," you called out to him, catching his attention with a small wave.

"(Y/n) (l/n), a pleasant surprise it is." The tall man turned around with a courteous smile. "It's been a while."

"Yes. I haven't seen you since your wedding. Have you been well?"

"I have. Very busy as of late." Lucius brushed his hand down his covered forearm. "I heard you've made a name for yourself at the Ministry. I didn't expect to see you wandering about."

You continued walking towards your office with Lucius at your side. The sound of his snake cane echoing in unison with your footsteps. "I'm almost done with my daily duties. My assistant and I work efficiently, you see. But what about you? What brings you to the Ministry?"

"Just paying a visit to some acquaintances," he said. "You know how it is for people like us. We have to maintain good relations with our connexions. Though I have no doubt you're well-connected in the Ministry now, (y/n). I'm sure your parents would be proud."

"I can only hope so. I rarely hear from them." You shrugged, stopping at the door of your office. "Would you like to come in? I have some Earl Grey prepared."

"I'll take you up on that offer. I too have finished what I had planned for the day." He nodded as he stepped into the room, quietly observing for a few seconds. "...It's befitting of you, (y/n). I would be able to tell this office is yours even if your name wasn't written on the door."

"Is that so?" You tittered as you poured the hot tea into two cups. 

You didn't want to become another of Lucius' connexions in the Ministry that were used to get him what he liked, especially since you knew the two of you weren't aligned in terms of the war. Nevertheless, he was still a life-long friend of yours, and being on good terms with the Malfoys was a smart thing to do in regards to being a (l/n).

"So tell me, how are things back at Malfoy Manor?" you asked as you sat on your chair, legs crossed.

"Narcissa is with child," Lucius said as he sat across from you on the opposite side of the desk. "Expected to come in May or June."

"Oh my!" you exclaimed, "that's great news! It might be too early to ask, but have you thought of names?"

He nodded and set his teacup on your table with a small smile. "If it's a girl, we're thinking Lyra or Cassiopeia, and Draco or Caelum if it's a boy."

"Named after constellations, huh? Regardless of what you'll pick, I like all four." You smiled, swishing your cup with a small frown. You were very happy for the Malfoys, but it reminded you of the news you had received earlier, and the fact that you would not be able to see the child of another of your close friends for an uncertain amount of time.

"I've known you since you were a kid who tailed me around like a lost puppy, (y/n)," Lucius explained as he skimmed the surface of his cane with his hand. "What clouds your mind? I can tell you're stressed."

Looking away from your cup, you regained your composure and cleared your throat. "...Well, considering my position and the state of the world, how could I not be?"

"Fair point." He shrugged as he lifted his cup towards you. "Let us enjoy this evening tea away from the complications of our predicaments, shall we?"

☆☆☆

Knowing what Peter being a Secret-Keeper leads to is literally so frustrating and I get angry that I decided to follow the original timeline for this but my resolve is unshakable and the show must go on. 

^^Run-on sentences are so perplexing to me as a native Spanish speaker ^^

OH AND... Y'all know what else happened in 1979? Yeah.

-Camille