Disclaimer: I don't own. If I did, the Blacks would rule the world :P
June 21, 1982
At the Dursley household in Surrey, not much had changed in the nearly 9 months since Petunia had found her much despised nephew on her porch. Dudley Dursely was still spoiled rotten, Vernon Dursley was still angry at the world, Petunia Dursley was still obsessed with normality, and Harry Potter was still being bullied by his cousin, all the while dreaming wistfully of the days when his mommy, daddy, and two favourite uncles smothered him with love. Unknown to them, there was a woman, stumbling along the street not far from where they lived, who had the potential to change their lives forever.
Dina Ruslette was in labour. She had to find a safe place for her baby to come into this world; somewhere that his father's name wouldn't cause the child to be cast out, onto the street, immediately. This, of course, left only the muggle world. Because of this, she stumbled up the steps of the Barring Memorial Orphanage in Surrey. A strict-looking, but kind, woman answered her knock and ushered her in.
Following the woman (who had introduced herself as Ms. Davenport, the head of the establishment), Dina found herself in a sterile room, which was obviously the hospital wing of the building. There was a young girl with a scraped knee being tended to in one corner. Gasping, Dina fell into the bed located in the opposite corner to the girl; the cancer had taken most of the strength from her body and she told Ms. Davenport as much. The latter noted a distinct foreign accent in her voice (North American french perhaps).
Many trying hours later, the end was near, "Almost there Dina," encouraged the night nurse of the orphanage. "Breathe, Dina, you can do this," added the Ms. Davenport, noting their patient's slumping, exhausted figure.
"Okay, Dina, one more good push should do it," stated the day nurse, who had stayed late for this occasion, "You can do this. Are you ready?"
The pale, shaking woman on the bed clearly did not have much strength left, but she screwed up all her courage and nodded determinedly anyway. She started pushing with all her might (which at this point, wasn't very much), "Good, Dina. Push. Push," encouraged all three other women in the room. Finally, a screaming baby boy entered this world.
"A boy," stated the night nurse, "And he's beautiful. Would you like to hold him?"
Taking her son in her weak, frail arms, Dina's adoring eyes misted with unshed tears, "Please take care of him. I don't have much time left and his father is out of the picture," she begged, "Under better circumstances, he would have been the light of our lives, but as it is, that is not possible, but please," she begged again, "I still love him more than the sun and the stars and the earth itself."
"Of course we will," Ms. Davenport smiled, comforting the crying woman, "We run the best orphanage this side of the country."
"This is the best place for him. His honourary cousin, Harry, is living with those horrible people not far from here," she said weakily, trying to make the women understand.
"We understand," replied the day nurse, her patient needed sleep immediately, "Rest now, you will see us and your son again in the morning."
"Reggie," Dina managed before slipping off into a doze, "Reggie James, after his uncles. Black after his father."
As much as she hated abandoning her child here, Dina could not see any other options. She could re-enter the magical world and give herself more time before the cancer took her, but what would be the point? She would still be lucky to see her son's first birthday and he would have to grow up not only motherless, but with the prejudices which were attached to the name "Sirius Black" these days. As of right now, nobody in the wizarding world knew of Reggie's existence and that's how she hoped it would stay until his first day at Hogwarts. There once was a time, many months ago, when she had fought for Sirius' good name, but when Albus Dumbledore that one mind-bending, confusing question, she lost, not only her only ally, Remus Lupin, but also her hope.
"Are you telling me that you think James Potter trusted someone other than Sirius Black with the life of his wife and child?" she remembered the questioning tone of Dumbledore's voice. Although she believed, whole-heartedly, that her fiancé was innocent, even the tumour in her brain did not addle her mind enough to answer that question with a "Yes."
Ms. Davenport and the nurses left Dina in the hospital wing to recuperate for the night; the birth seemed to have wiped whatever strength the cancer had not robbed her of. Unfortunately, her condition didn't improve by the next day. She was lucid just long enough to kiss her son and give the caretaker of infants a still photo of a beautiful young couple, "Make sure he gets that when he's older," she rasped weakly, "That's...that's...his father...and I...on our engagement...day."
The caretaker, Miss. Peterson, was struck by the difference between the frail woman in the bed and the one in the picture. The woman in the photo had long, shiny chestnut hair, long eyelashes surrounding deep, dark brown eye, and a healthy, olive complexion; the man was slightly paler with black hair, grey eyes, a muscular build, and an overall well-maintained appearence. If his parents were anything to go by, Miss. Peterson thought, than her new ward was going to be a very handsome young man.
By the end of the day, the new mother's condition had worsened to the point that the adults at the orphanage were forced to take her to the hospital. The doctors immediately wisked her off for testing, bringing back sad results, "At this point, I believe that, under normal circumstances, she would have passed away a couple weeks ago. We see it all the time; people hold on for something to which they are looking forward. In this case, she was holding on for her son. But now, if she lasts the week, she'll be a medical miracle."
As predicted, Dina Ruslette passed away three day later, clutching her beloved son.
A/N: I wasn't going to publish this until I had the entire thing written, but I'm suffering from writers block so I'm hoping readers will read and review. Perhaps supply some ideas. Thank you :)