Chapter Twenty-Five

September the Twenty-Fourth, Nineteen Hundred Seventy-Nine

It was the brim of autumn, and the day that Lily and James Potter were set to return from their five-day honeymoon in Ireland. Remus and Peter were spending to day in Hogsmeade in order to pick the pair up at King's Cross Station, but Sirius Black and Davie Maddux were conspicuously absent. They were not, however, getting into the trouble the way they usually were, but instead, babysitting a very rowdy and rambunctious Nymphadora Tonks.

"Daddy's got the flu and Mummy says he'll give me sniffles," the pink-haired girl explained as she entertained her 'Auntie Davie' by turning the irises of her eyes into a spinning flurry of kaleidoscope colors.

"She's darling!" Davie repeated for what Sirius was sure had to be the millionth time just that day - Sirius Black could only wonder what it was with girls and little children that it turned them into what a Muggle would call a broken record. "Sirius, where are --"

"Hold on, I didn't think I was babysitting you too," Sirius laughed, coming in from the kitchen with a plate full of Pumpkin Pasties, Mallowpuffs, and a few bottles of cherry-flavored pop. "Honestly, Davie, you're so spoiled."

"I know."

"Brat."

"Why are you being so mean to Auntie Davie? She's not a brat!" Dora asked, looking perfectly scandalized. "I think she's nice!"

"Yeah, Uncle Siri, aren't I nice?" Davie pouted. Sirius reached out and pinched her cheek teasingly.

However, in quite the way that was common for little children, Dora was not content to be sitting around after partaken in a tray full of sweets. What had started off as a calm and innocent afternoon suddenly turned into Davie and Sirius having to chase little Dora around the entire house, out in the yard, on the balcony, down the banister, and back down to the living room, where she flopped down tiredly onto a sofa.

"Thank Merlin," Sirius muttered under his breath.

"I want a story!" Dora whined, though her eyes were already starting to droop shut. With both hands, Dora grabbed a hold of both Sirius and Davie and tugged them down on either side of her. "Story --"

With a small laugh, Davie wriggled to grab her wand out of her back pocket and pointed it at the bookshelves on the other side of the room, gently muttering, "Accio Book."

Carefully, an old-looking, dusty book wafted through the air and into Davie's hand - The Tales of Beedle the Bard. She opened it, and began reading a story entitled 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot' to the little girl, who had nestled comfortably into her side. Sirius gave a small chuckle at the sight, leaning his arm on the back of the sofa behind Davie. It would turn out that her very animated, whimsical manner of speaking translated well into reading stories to little children - this, he mused, must be what Davie's childhood had been like, with a mum and a dad, enjoying themselves together --

And then, Sirius paused, realizing that he'd just equated himself and Davie to a 'mum and dad' - Sirius Black? Daydreaming? Had he let all of this marriage talk get to his head? The idea, it appeared, seemed to have stuck in the past week or so. He and Davie had been staying in the house on their own - though Davie still slept in her own room upstairs while Sirius remained on the sofa - for the entirety of Lily and James' honeymoon. In fact, even though Sirius didn't have so much as his own bed in the Maddux house, he felt very much at home there, as though it were his and Davie's home.

"Rather than reveal the true source of his power, he pretended that his potions -- oh, thank goodness, I think she's fallen asleep," Davie said, looking down at Dora, then up at Sirius, shaking him from his stupor. "I didn't think babysitting would be so difficult, I've never done it before --"

"I've been the one doing all the babysitting," Sirius taunted, rapping on Davie's nose gently with the tip of his knuckle. "You've been running around playing with Dora all day --"

"Excuse me? Who's the one doing the reading?" Davie retorted in a whisper. "Honestly, Sirius --"

But she was cut off by Sirius leaning over Dora's head and placing a chaste, very un-Sirius kiss on Davie's lips, an act which caught her very much off guard. Sirius lingered close to her, leaning his forehead against hers and chuckling.

"Davie, can I ask you something?"

Davie gulped slightly, eyes widening - the wedding, watching over Dora, that kiss, had he started taken all of it more to hear than she'd expected? Could it be possible the girls were right? "S-sure," she stammered quietly.

"Do you --"

"Do I --?"

Sirius paused, and Davie's stomach churned.

"Do you hate my earring that much?"

"I do, so much that I'll yank it out!" Davie let her breath out in a sudden puff, wrinkling her nose at Sirius and grabbing him by the ear - despite the fact that it hurt terribly, Sirius gave a laugh, knowing what Davie had been thinking.

"No need!" Sirius laughed, struggling to keep his voice low as he swatted Davie's hand away, removing the dragon-tooth earring on his own and tossing it nonchalantly onto the table with a tiny clink. "Done, see? It's that easy. Lily told me you loathed it weeks ago."

"I do," Davie chuckled -- but she froze at the strange, unusually thoughtful look that flashed through Sirius' grey eyes when she phrased her assent in precisely that way.

"I do -- too," Sirius said, stumbling over his words a bit, though he quickly recovered his usual nonchalant demeanor, flashing Davie a disarming grin. "I mean, you know, if you hate it, then so do I. It's gone, see?"

"Good," Davie laughed quietly, though it was truncated by her giving a small yawn of her own - Sirius chortled.

"Alright, I think it's time we all had a bit of a rest," he pointed out - and he was evidently more tired than he let on, because within minutes, the three of them were all sleeping on the sofa, clustered together rather cozily. This was the scene that met the others when they opened the door to the house - Andromeda had arrived to pick up Nymphadora, coincidentally at the same time that Remus and Peter arrived with Lily and James.

"Would you look at that? We leave for five days and they're practically playing house together," James said with a smirk, walking a circle around the sofa, making sure not to step too loudly. None of the sleeping inhabitants stirred. Lily suppressed a squeal, and with the camera hanging around her neck, she snapped a photo of the three. However, at the sound of the loud click, Nymphadora woke up quickly -- when she raised her tiny fist to stretch her arm, she accidentally socked Davie right in the chin; this woke Davie up quickly, but, being startled, she gave a jump and hit her forehead against Sirius' forehead. Obviously, he woke up with a start as well. In a matter of seconds, the picture perfect moment had dissolved into a mad mix of yelping and groaning.

"Ouch!" Davie whined, rubbing her eyes and grimacing -- she was the first to notice that it was no longer only the three of them in the house. "You're all back!" she said excitedly, getting up and scurrying over to Lily. "How was the trip -- am I an auntie?" Davie asked Lily with a playful wink despite the fact that her eyes were still a bit droopy from sleep. Lily laugh, flushing lightly as she gave her friend a playful shove.

"C'mon over here, Dora," Andromeda said, gesturing for her daughter to rise from the couch. "Did you have fun?"

" I did!" the little girl grinned. "Uncle Siri fed me pasties and chased me onto the balcony and --"

"Thaaa-at's enough, you!" Sirius said with a nervous laugh, not wanting his cousin to know how rowdy they'd been playing with her daughter. "She's a little angel, 'Dromeda. An angel --"

"Now I know you're lying," Andromeda laughed, scooping her daughter up into her arms and planting a kiss into the little girls hair. "Anyway, Ted's feeling loads better now and we're going to have dinner and try to get this little monster back to sleep," she laughed, ruffling Nymphadora's hair lovingly. "The Floo alright, Davie?"

"Sure, sure!" Davie grinned, walking over and giving Dora a goodbye embrace. "Anytime you need a babysitter, I'd love to watch her again, 'Dromeda."

"Yeah -- quite a cozy little family if I do say so myself. Anytime you want practice playing a mum, I'd be more than happy," she replied with an impish, knowing grin. "Alright, then! Off we are!"

She made her way to the fireplace, and disappeared with a crack. Meanwhile, the others focused back on one another.

"So, dinner as planned?" Davie said with a smile, looking around at the others. "Or are the newlyweds too exhausted?"

"I'll never turn down dinner if it's someone else's treat -- you've got this covered, don't you, Padfoot?" James chuckled, socking Sirius jokingly on the shoulder.

"Yeah -- yeah, dinner sounds brilliant," Sirius said, his grin at the suggestion a bit more enthusiastic than everyone else believed the situation called for. "Somewhere nice, then?"

"No!" Davie groaned insistently. "I thought we were just going to the Three Broomsticks, I'm completely knackered after chasing Dora around all day."

"Suit yourself - it's my treat either way," Sirius said, and something in his smile seemed to catch everyone else's attention except for Davie's. Davie insisted that she and Lily need to go fix themselves up a bit - Lily had been in transit, and Davie been babysitting, so it was understandable in any case, but the boys noted that after half an hour, they looked no different apart from the fact that their hair was brushed - which, after traveling by Floo, would make no difference anyway.

When they arrived in Diagon Alley, in the fireplace of the Three Broomsticks, they were greeted as they always were - they were, without doubt, a well-loved lot, there was no way around it. They were shown to their table, and attended to quite quickly - even Sirius, who was used to being catered to in his youth, seemed unusually appreciative of how well they were being treated and how well the dinner was going.

"So, Lily," Davie said with a bright, mischievous grin as she swallowed a spoonful of her French onion soup. "Am I an auntie yet?"

"Davie!" Lily yelped, her cheeks brightening as Davie commenced to chuckle to herself.

'What's wrong?" Davie asked. "There's nothing wrong with asking, is there?"

"There certainly isn't," Sirius interrupted, clearing his throat loudly - he had been seated directly across from Davie at their long table, and now, everyone seemed to be staring - even those sitting at different tables - as Sirius got up and stood next to her. "Davie, we've -- ah," he said, wrinkling his nose and scratching the back of his neck. "We've been through a lot together. A whole lot. Enough to make me realize that I'd be a total prat not to snag you while I've got you… so -- how about it?"

"You can't ask like that, Padfoot!" Lily piped up chidingly before Davie had any chance to respond - though in fairness, Davie really didn't need any further clarification to figure out what Sirius was saying in his roundabout way. "You need to ask a proper question to get a proper answer."

"It's proper you lot want? Alright, than. Proper, it is." Sirius said with a throaty chuckle. He locked eyes with Davie and slowly dropped to one knee next to her chair, taking a hold of her hand, partially in fear that she would either faint or run away at the thought of all these eyes on her. "Davina Astrid Maddux - will you do me the honor of granting me your hand in marriage?"

And there is was again, the moment that Sirius had experienced with Davie many times before; that moment where she simply stared and stared and didn't change her expression in any way that might indicate the way she was feeling - but she always said yes after those moments, and so, for once, Sirius was enveloped with such a sense of anxiety.

And this was why her answer confused him greatly.

"I'm an Auror," she said, her voice somewhat timid and hoarse as though she were having a hard time getting the words out. "I could -- Sirius, you know what could happen to me --"

"Obviously, that's why I want to marry you!"

But Davie simply sighed, her eyes sad. "I want to marry you too, Sirius," she said, placing her hand over his. "And I will, when this entire war is over - we'll have all the time in the world. I just don't --"

"Are you saying no?"

"No!" Davie said, her grip on Sirius' hand tightening. "Sirius, I do want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I will - but if something happens to me, I don't want you to be a teenage widower. I don't want that for you."

"So --" Sirius said, feeling a bit dumb now but remaining on his knee next to Davie. "What does that mean for --"

"I'm only saying this for you," Davie said in a quiet voice, trying to make the moment as private as possible, even though they were in the middle of a pub. "I want to marry you. I want you to be with me forever - but if something happens to me, ifI don't see the end of this, I want you to be able to start over --"

"Start over?! You think I'm going to bloody pack up and move on if you --"

"Sirius, please," Davie said in a slightly choked voice, cheeks reddening at the prospect of everyone staring. "I'm saying yes, Sirius, but I'm asking you to wait. It won't be long. I know it - we just need to wait a little longer. Please understand."

Sirius paused, his grip on Davie's remaining tight. His expression was thoughtful, and for once, Davie felt what Sirius felt, waiting and wondering for a response. Only Sirius seemed to be choking on his words, because they didn't seem to want to come out.

"So," Lily said hesitantly, hoping to break the poignant silence. "Are you -- engaged, then?"

"Of course we are!" Davie said shrilly, and at that, Sirius' eyebrows jumped as though he had only then understood Davie's sentiments as something other than an outright rejection. Sirius immediately got to his feet, pulling Davie to her and kissing his fiancée soundly, not caring who was able to see.

And suddenly, in the way that was custom for the young friends, all of the tension that had been so thick just moments earlier seemed to dissolve - save for Peter, who these days seemed a bit quieter than usual, though everyone thought it had just been him being tired from work; he'd taken on a job as a clerk at Gringott's, and they were all quite assured that working with goblins all day would tire them out terribly as well.

They proceeded back to the Maddux home after a good stroll down Diagon Alley - Sirius spared no opportunity to throw around the word 'fiancee', causing Davie to laugh shiftily and turn bright red - and everyone was incredibly tired. Davie had shifted things around a bit so that Lily and James were both able to stay, at least temporarily, together in one of the guest rooms - Dumbledore still insisted that it was best for as many of the younger members of the Order as possible to stay together, and so, Remus took the other guest bedroom, and Sirius went back and forth between the study and the sofas, depending on whichever spot was more to his liking on a given evening; Peter spent more time at his own home, despite Dumbledore's directions, citing the need to care for his aging parents, which his friends ultimately were obliged to be understanding of.

Tonight, however, after everyone had settled down, Davie peered out of her bedroom door and looked down the stairway - Sirius wasn't on the sofa that evening. Quietly, she tiptoed out of her room, already clad in a nightshirt and slippers, and moved toward the study, where she saw Sirius settled in the daybed by the window.

"That can't be very comfortable," Davie said in a slightly nervous voice, causing his to turn towards the doorway immediately. "You must miss having a real bed."

"Yeah, well," Sirius laughed good naturedly, sitting up and shifting the thin wool blanket he'd placed over himself. "There aren't really any more free beds left, are there?"

"Well," Davie said hesitantly, her cheeks tingeing slightly with color. "There's -- there's one."

"D'you buy another one in Diagon Alley without me looking?" Sirius chuckled.

"No," Davie said, clearing her throat and averting her gaze shiftily - she was suddenly unsure of whether she should have acted so impulsively as to come over here to asked what she'd planned. "I mean -- well, I meant mine."

Sirius paused, staring at his fiancee in slight surprise. "Come again?" he asked with a certain degree of incredulity. "You mean -- you and I --"

Granted, Sirius had been in far less than innocent positions with girls when they'd been in school - empty classrooms, closets, behind greenhouses - but there was a certain level of intimacy and commitment behind really, legitimately sharing a bed. Not simply being in a girl's bed, but --

"If you'd like to," Davie continued, slightly encouraged by his hesitation, because it meant her was thinking it through, in any case. It meant he understood how much of a step it was for Davie to even be making this suggestion - the fact that they were engaged, that they'd actually made a mention of marriage one day, was apparently enough to change everything.

"Alright," Sirius said, clearing his throat and shifting his face into a nonchalant grin as he stood up and strode towards Davie, placing his hand into hers and nodding towards the hallway. Davie gave a delicate cough and the two shuffled off hesitantly down the hall to the open bedroom door, not noticing another door in the hallways ajar. As the two retired into what was now their room, a high-pitched, muffled giggle drifted through the doorway.

"Took them long enough," Lily whispered to James, coming back to bed from the perch she had taken, peeking through the slightly open door.

***

A/N's

That was probably not the proposal you all wanted, but please do not shoot me! There's still more to the story, as Potter fans have probably deduced. In any case, I loved writing the babysitting scene and really wanted to throw the cuteness in there, because the time is drawing near for some very dark times.

Thank you to amrawo, XangelXdevil, and Wolfy Pup for your feedback on the last chapter! My apologies to all of my readers for the delay in a new chapter, I was on spring break and was out of state for about a week, so I haven't been able to work on this story quite as much as I would have liked. Never fear! I shall not abandon you!

The next chapter, we will finally get a glimpse of a certain black-haired boy with Lily's eyes! Crossing my fingers for reviews between now and then! Cheers!