Chapter 37

After Sirius and Remus returned, the majority of the month was quiet. We stayed home, only going out for a short while and then back before dark. I attended another London Symphony concert and a musical, writing reviews for both. Sirius went to work and came home, choosing to spend the night with me rather than out with his friends or going on a mission. Not that the latter was actually a choice, of course.

I enjoyed the change, though I wasn't sure what it meant. Was it getting so bad now that he wanted to spend the remaining moments with me? Or was it getting better and he didn't need to be out as often? Both questions were plausible, but I couldn't ask for fear of upsetting him or worse. Sirius' temper had been short lately, especially when I asked about the magical world. I understood he was trying to keep me safe, but it was awfully annoying.

'When did you want to go to the Potter's? I figure after lunch would probably be best,' I said, looking up from my papers. Sirius was flipping through a motorbike magazine, his eyes catching the pictures of scantily clad girls. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. Boys.

'After lunch is fine. Prongs'll be happy to see me no matter when we show up. From what Lily said, he's about driven her crazy. Did you see the letter she sent me last week?

Smiling, I looked back down at the papers. 'I'm sure you're just as happy to see him as he is to see you. Last time I was over there, he was very antsy. Though, he was excited to see the birthday gift you got for Harry. Lily, not as much.'

He grinned over at me and I knew it was true. He missed his best mate. 'I knew Evans wouldn't like it. She probably had a heart attack when Harry opened it.'

'Something like that,' I answered, shaking my head. Shifting on the sofa, I lay down, my legs stretched out in front of me.

We were quiet again, listening to the sounds on the telly as we each looked over our items. I was skimming over the pages of my novel, not anywhere near completed, but still in desperate need of editing.

Sirius and I were rapidly closing on our one-year anniversary and I was getting nervous. It was strange to realize we had been together almost one-year. So much had happened; we had lost so many people… It was mental to think I had a long relationship after Ian.

I had been thinking about the future lately, wondering about certain things like family and us. If we had children, would they be magical? Would I have to send my children to the magic school Sirius went to? Would I have to worry about my children being involved in this dangerous yet interesting world?

'Can I ask you a question?' The words spilled out of my mouth before I could stop them. I hadn't wanted to ask, not now, not when things were so precarious. But now that I had started, I wasn't sure I could stop, or come up with a fake question instead.

'Of course,' he said offhandedly, still looking at the magazine. He glanced up at me over the paper, his eyes curious. 'What do you want to ask?'

My cheeks grew warm as I met his eyes, unsure of his reaction to my question. 'Do wizards marry muggles often? I mean, is it an oddity or is it fairly common?'

Whatever question Sirius thought I was going to ask, this most certainly wasn't it. His jaw had dropped open, forming an almost perfect circle with his mouth. His eyes, while before curious, now grew guarded. 'All the time, why?'

'I… I was just thinking about the future,' I said, pausing. 'If we were to get married and have kids, would they be magical?'

He raised an eyebrow, but surprisingly answered me. 'Usually children born to any magical adult has the ability, but even between two magical adults, there's the possibility that the kid will be born without any powers. Why do you want to know? You're not…?' He asked, a scared look on his face.

'Oh no,' I said, backpedalling quickly. 'I was just thinking about the future. Lily said something a while ago and…'

'Lily, huh? I'm sure she did say something. Lily needs to remember to keep her nose out of other people's business,' Sirius said, looking down at his magazine once again.

'Can I ask you something else?' I asked, suddenly feeling very brave. He accepted the past few questions without too much protest; maybe he would answer these as well. 'What's your family like? I mean, I know they're… they wouldn't like me…' I trailed off, feeling my cheeks grow warm once again.

If I thought his face was shocked before, he was beyond stunned this time. 'It… it doesn't matter,' he replied, looking up from the magazine once again.

'It matters to me,' I said softly, forcing myself to meet his eyes.

Sighing, Sirius closed the magazine and dropped it onto the couch next to him. 'All right, you want to know?' I bit my lip, nodding slowly; afraid he might blow up and yell at me, or worse, ignore me and go upstairs. 'My mum is pure evil. The devil himself would be frightened of her and my father wasn't much better. He died back in '79. He at least didn't try to kick me out. My brother, Regulus, was the perfect little son, perfect little Slytherin.'

I cocked my head to the side, confused. 'Slytherin?'

'At Hogwarts, there are different houses, just like a regular boarding school. There's Ravenclaw: the smart ones, Hufflepuff: the nice ones, Gryffindor: the brave ones, and Slytherin: the evil ones.'

'Which house were you in?'

'Gryffindor. So were James, Remus, Peter and Lily. My whole family, almost every single one of them, was in Slytherin so when I was sorted, it was a pretty big deal, until Mum found out I wasn't placed where I should be. She wrote to Professor Dumbledore, begging for him to move me, offering up any amount of money and treasure but he wouldn't budge. She didn't do it right away, it took a year or so, but she disowned me. Going home was pure hell. When I was sixteen, I ran away, went to live with James and his parents.'

'You don't have any relatives you get along with, other than Andromeda?'

He shook his head. 'I had a Great Uncle who felt bad for me and left me a rather large sum of money. It's how I was able to get this flat and live on my own so soon after turning 17.'

'Why 17?'

'Wizards and witches come of age at 17. It's supposed to be a big deal and most families have large parties. I had a small one at school with my mates, but that's all I wanted.'

I fell silent, absorbing this new information. He'd never spoken to me about his family before, other than the comments of how they wouldn't like me because I had no magical powers. It was nice to know; even if the knowledge wasn't something I really enjoyed learning.

He laughed and I looked up alarmed. 'What?'

'I was just picturing my mother's face if I ever brought you home to meet her. It might be amusing to say the least. We should plan that for next year,' he said with a grin.

I paled, terrified by the idea of meeting his mother. Having to meet Andromeda and her daughter was terrifying enough. 'I…' I stuttered, not sure if he was serious or not.

After catching the look on my face, Sirius burst out laughing, a loud bark of a laugh. 'Don't worry, love. I won't ever force you to meet my Mum. She wouldn't let me near the house even if I wanted to.'

'So,' I stared, 'even if you weren't disowned for being in Gryffindor, you would be for seeing me. That's what Mi…' I took a deep breath. 'That's what Michael was talking about.' I looked down at my hands, avoiding his eyes.

Crossing the short distance between us, Sirius sat next to me, taking my hand in his. 'Yes. But, we don't need to worry about that. Do we?' He reached up and tilted my chin up so that I met his eyes.

Forcing a smile, I shook my head. 'No,' I whispered.

He leaned in, pressing his lips to mine. I closed my eyes, revelling in their softness, his tongue sliding along my bottom lip. 'I love you,' he whispered when he pulled away.

'I love you, too,' I whispered back, a small smile on my lips.

'Are you going to be okay if I go visit James? '

'Sure, why wouldn't I be?' I tried to laugh, showing I wasn't the least bit disturbed by what he told me, but I knew it wasn't believable. The thought of his family honestly scared me.

Sirius raised an eyebrow before kissing me lightly on the forehead. 'I won't be gone long. No doubt Lily will want to rip me a new one for buying Harry that broom.'

'Nah, she wasn't that upset,' I said with a smile.

'I'll be back later.' He squeezed my shoulder as he stood. 'Make sure the door is locked,' he said as he reached the front door. 'I'll be back soon.'

Turning to look over the back of the sofa, I watched him disappear with a loud crack. I winced and jumped up, spinning toward the door. He had gone and even though I knew he wouldn't be gone long, I still yearned for his return. Almost a year with him. Really?

I walked slowly to the door and checked the lock. No doubt it wouldn't keep out any magical beings, but it would keep out any human thieve or trespassers.

The phone rang as I was walking back to the sofa and I detoured to the kitchen, lifting the receiver off the cradle. 'Hello?'

'Krista! It's so nice to hear your voice.' I silently groaned at the sound of my mother's voice. I always talk to her several times a week, but she still insists on acting surprised to hear me.

'Hi, Mum,' I said, sitting on a barstool near the counter. 'How are you and Dad?'

'Oh, we're all good! Alan has a new girlfriend.' My mother spends the next twenty minutes telling me the gossip of my old neighbourhood. The Cauldwells had moved out of the house next door and the Martins had moved in. My older brother had a new girlfriend and my younger sister had broken up with her boyfriend. Sadly, I seemed to be the only one in the family able to hold a relationship for longer than a few months. Who would have thought? 'So I was thinking about Christmas this year. Would you like to come here for the holiday? I was hoping to get everyone together, at least for one day. Sirius is invited, of course,' she added, as if I wouldn't bring him anyway.

'I'll think about it, Mum. We've got a few months until Christmas, it's only the end of August.'

I could hear my mother's chuckle on the other end of the phone. 'Of course! I was just thinking ahead. You know how I like to plan.'

'I know, Mum. We'll think about it, I promise.'

As my mother started talking again, I shifted in and out. 'Okay Krista, I'll let you get back to what you were doing. Tell Sirius I said hello. You know how much I like him.'

'Yes, Mum, I will. Love you.'

'Love you, too.' My mother hung up before I even opened my mouth to say goodbye. One of these days, I was going to call her back just to say goodbye and then hang up. Maybe then she wouldn't just hand up on me.

After hanging up the telephone, I headed back to the living room and sat on the sofa. I curled my legs underneath me and stared at the telly, barely paying attention to the storyline on the program. I thought back to the conversation Sirius and I just had, about family and children. Could we have a family? Would I have kids that looked like Sirius? The thought was a happy one and a smile crossed my face as I pictured our children. Someday, maybe.

AN: How about this... 2 chapters almost back to back. Thanks to: AllenPitt, grumpypirate, Bri. P, House Elf Educator and LadyStrider17 for reviewing the previous chapter. And thanks to all the people who favorited and alerted this story.

Thanks everyone!