A/N: I've been getting a few reviews well-wishing the fate of Sirius... All I'm going to say is that I've made a very tough decision regarding that. I went back and forth a lot, but I think I've made my choice! So you'll see! In other news, I've officially finished the epilogue for this (though you won't see it for a while, lol, still two more books worth of plot to get through if you'll put up with me!)
St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies, November 15th, 1995
Jules sat in the waiting room with her head in her hands. She had been inconsolable since the morning Molly had brought over hot cross buns and she'd figured out that there was something amiss. Sirius had a hand on her back and was rubbing gentle circles to try and soothe her. Remus was on her other side reading the Daily Prophet, looking far calmer than either Jules or Sirius.
The wait for the results was worse this time around. Jules looked between Remus and Sirius who were trying to make light of the situation, but both looked equally as pale and worried about it. The first time she had been alone, and as Remus and Sirius bantered about the news, the weather, the Dark Lord Voldemort, Jules almost wished that she had been alone this time too.
"Congratulations, Mrs. Black," The same mediwitch walked in, looking years older, and smiled at them. "You're about twelve weeks along..."
"Wow," Sirius breathed. "Wow... I- Another baby," He became sort of misty eyed. "One I'll be around for..."
"Damn right you'll be around for it," Remus snapped. "I swear, if I have to raise another one of your children-"
"Two, actually," The mediwitch interrupted. "The scans that the practioner did showed two babies. Twins."
"Jules!" Sirius called after her as she sprinted down the London street, pushing people out of her way. "Jules! Come on!"
Jules only slowed down as she passed a particularly fragrant shawarma place and turned to throw up over the curb. Sirius dropped to his knees beside her and covered her hands, which were holding back her hair, with his.
"Hey," He said once she had stopped retching. "You know, I really love you, because even with vomit covering your chin you're beautiful."
"Shut up, shut up," Jules moaned as she took the kleenex he pulled out of his pocket for her and wiped her face. "I can't believe you did this to me again." She struggled away from him, stood up, took a deep breath and said, "I'm thirty-five, Sirius! Thirty-five-years old! I can't... I can't chase around after two children! Not when we live in Headquarters with demented paintings and- Merlin's balls! I can't... I can't..." She had started to hyperventilate.
"Julie," Sirius said gently. He stood up after her and placed a hand on either side of her shoulder. "Julie, love, calm down... We can do this... We've done it before."
In Sirius' mind, he was picturing a baby Harry with his chubby little fingers wrapped around his own. He remembered pictures of baby Lucy with her perfect curls and grinning smile. To him, this was a second chance at all the moments he'd been forced to miss out on. For Sirius it was a happy moment.
"No! I have done it before!" She shouted. "YOU WERE IN PRISON!"
"And I'm not this time!" Sirius snapped. "I'm not leaving you!"
"What if there's a mission, hmm?" Jules rubbed a hand over her jaw. "What if you... What if Dumbledore asks you to go away? What then?"
"Then we... We figure something out," Sirius rubbed his temples. "Listen, I love you."
"You've said-" "No, listen," Sirius cut her off. "Jules, I love you. I've been waiting for this... This mundane married life for years. I'm not any good at it, and neither are you, but we can do this. I know we can."
"Right, you two," Remus huffed as he caught up to them. "I've just gotten a message from Kingsley... Emergency Order meeting."
November 20th, 1995
Dear Uncle Remus,
She's really pregnant? Really? That's something, isn't it... Is she showing yet? I mean. Why do they need another baby? Let alone two! They can't even handle Harry and I. You don't think that they'll love them more than us, do you?
I hope you're doing well. See you at Christmas.
All the best,
Lucy
Godric's Hollow, December 1st, 1995
Jules placed the wreath of holly on the white marble headstone before she knelt down on the frozen ground. In the two weeks since she had found out about the twins, her stomach had started to grow, and now was adorned with a little bump she wasn't sure looked like anything more than bloating after eating too much at one of Molly's dinners.
"Hey James, Lily," Jules whispered as she wiped some frost off the grave. "It's starting again... He's back. He's after Harry... And I don't know if I can protect him."
Her voice cracked. She breathed in some cold air and placed a hand on her slightly rounded stomach.
"I don't know what I'm doing anymore," She said. "I have no idea, Jamie. I'm pregnant, again, and..." She looked up at the stars, "And he bloody well wants to call them Castor and Pollux. I was so hoping that he'd forget about his stupid star names..." Jules almost cried when she didn't hear James' laughter ringing in her ears. "You'd find it funny if you were here... And Lily, you'd roll your eyes. We have the same argument every night... Camolapardalis and Vulpecula are not suitable names for girls... Pollux sounds too much like bullocks, even if you call him Paul... At least there was no question for you two when it came to Harry..." She tilted her head to the side, thinking of Harry and Lucy back at Hogwarts.
"If you only knew what your son has gone and done now," Jules let out a soft laugh. "Oh, James. You'd be so proud of the little git..."
Jules stayed and talked to the grave until the sun started to set. She told them, if they were listening at all, about Remus and the way that Andromeda's daughter flirted with him so blatantly. She stayed at the grave until the sun set and she was certain that someone back at headquarters would be missing her.
Ottery St. Catchpole, December 5th, 1995
Jules stood in the middle of the living room she had spent so long decorating in the hopse that she would have a family living in this house. Granted, with the twins on the way, it now seemed a little too quaint and comfortable. It was supposed to be home. Her heart ached at the lack of clothing strewn around. There were no shoes by the door. Everything was back in the accursed Grimmauld Place. It was safer, Dumbledore had said. It was better for everyone. It didn't feel that way.
Jules sat down on the sofa that she loved so much and put her hands on her stomach.
"Well, you two," She said to the tiny humans growing inside of her. "This is where you were supposed to grow up. This is where Harry and Lucy were supposed to live happy, peaceful lives. But that prick Voldemort went and ruined it for us all."
Sirius watched Jules from the doorway, in silence, not announcing his presence. He listened to her speak gently to herself. She told the unborn twins about their father, their dead uncle James and aunt Lily, and she almost sounded happy. He could have spent all afternoon just listening to Jules talking about their sister Lucy, and their cousin Harry. She omitted any fear as she talked. The cool winter air blew into the house, and made Jules turn around to face him.
"I didn't know you were here," Jules said as her grip on her wand slackened. "Don't you know? Since Dumbledore's put us both on house arrest again, I have nothing better to do than follow you around..." Sirius smiled.
"Like my own personal-"
"Don't say it."
"Guard dog."
"I hate you."
December 10th, 1995
Dear Lucy,
Do you know what your name means? It means light-bringer. When your mother was pregnant with you, she was experiencing the darkest hour she'd ever had. I hadn't seen her smile for months until you were born. You brought us both so much light and love, Lucy Layla. Don't you ever question that your mother loves you, that I love you.
No new baby or babies, as the case may be, will ever change that. You are our bringer-of-light, always and forever.
As for your father... Well, he's always been a bit of a golden retriever when it comes to new exciting news. You'll have to forgive him and just wait for the next thing to distract his attention.
How are your classes going? Your friends?
Love,
Uncle Remus
Gryffindor Common Room, December 12th, 1995
"Lucy, you're in third year. You just don't understand," Neville said in a tone of voice that was almost patronizing. He regretted it as soon as he'd said it. She'd been bothering him about going outside and building a snowman. He had wanted to. He really had, but Snape had set an ungodly amount of OWL preparation homework, and he was falling terribly, terribly behind.
It was the third year comment that made her stand up so quickly she knocked over the pot of ink on the table. Her grey eyes almost darkened like a thunderstorm brewing in the sky. Neville's breath caught in his throat because Lucy looked down right dangerous. Having been on the bad end of one of her stunning curses, he was certain that she was.
"I didn't-" He started to apologize, but she simply shook her head.
"No, you're right," She said darkly. "I couldn't possibly understand. Nobody thinks I could possibly understand anything because I'm in third year."
"Lucy..." Neville started.
"Leave me alone, Longbottom!" She called over her shoulder as she stormed up the girl's dormitory steps. "Wouldn't want you wasting your breath on a third year!" He started to run after her, but as soon as his feet hit the fourth stone step, the stairs turned into a slide and he ended up on the common room floor.
"All right, Neville?" Harry asked as he stared at Neville who dusted himself off as he got up off the floor.
"I'm fine," Neville grumbled.
Hogwarts, December 18th, 1995
Due to the obscene amounts of homework that OWL students had, Lucy hadn't seen much of any of her fifth year friends apart from DA meetings. She had been avoiding Neville since he had been so patronizing to her six days ago. Ginny was still in the throws of her first romance with Michael Corner. Lucy was infinitely envious of Ginny's romance. She often spent nights alone, listening to Romilda giggle with the other third year girls about boys. Lucy now spent most of her time being followed around by Dennis Creevey who thought it was...
"Proper cool... You know, being Harry's cousin," He had said one day, "What's that like?"
"It's like... Always being chosen last," Lucy had replied with a sickly sweet smile on her face.
As Lucy walked with the Creevey brothers to the last DA meeting of the term, she craned her neck around to see who else was in the already crowded Room of Requirement. Without realizing, she and Dennis were directly under a bit of mistletoe. Her grey eyes widened, but Dennis simply grinned at her with even more enthusiasm than he'd had while talking about Harry.
Neville felt an odd, queasy sensation as he watched Lucy enter the Room of Requirement beside Dennis Creevey. The feeling only increased when he noticed that they were underneath a bit of mistletoe. He had to turn away and threw himself back into conversation with Luna with only half as much enthusiasm as he'd had before while talking about nargles.
"Hey! Lucy!" Harry noticed what was going on with the mistletoe next. He walked over and practically knocked Dennis Creevey to the ground as he wrapped an arm around his younger cousin's shoulders. "Let's go over here, yeah... Tell me, how are things going? You aren't still upset about the whole twin thing, are you?"
"What whole twin thing?" Fred and George said in unison as they fell into step with Harry and Lucy.
"My mum's pregnant," Lucy said grumpily. As much as she hadn't wanted to kiss Dennis Creevey, she had wanted to experience something like a kiss.
"With twins?" George laughed. "They can barely handle each other-"
"Well, I think the problem is more that they have been handling each other," Lucy grumbled. Fred and George stared at her with a look of awe and pride.
"Lucy Layla Potter," Fred gasped. "Did you just make a sexual innuendo?"
"Our little girl's all grown up, Freddy!" George said as he wiped fake tears from his eyes.
Harry called the meeting to order. When it came to ordering up in pairs, Harry panicked when he saw Dennis Creevey making the B-line for Lucy. Before he could open his mouth to insist that she pair up with anyone, Neville had stepped in, directly in front of Dennis, who turned around and partnered up with his brother.
"Would you like to practice with me?" Neville asked. Lucy looked him up and down.
"I think it's a grand idea," Harry said. "You two always work so well togeth...er..." He fell quiet as Lucy gave him a scathing look.
"I suppose we could practice together," Lucy said stiffly. "But only if you don't mind if I'm unable to understand anything."
"Look, I said I'm-"
"Impedimenta!" Lucy cut him off, causing him to freeze. Harry's eyebrows raised as he looked at Lucy. Her chest was puffed out with pride as she watched Neville's eyes glance around the room. "That was the curse we were supposed to be practicing, right?"
"Er... Yeah..." Harry said with astonishment apparent in his voice. "Very good form, Luce." She was doing exceptionally well.
"Thanks," She flicked some of her black curls over her shoulder and then squared her shoulders with Harry. Neville unfroze himself and looked red in the face as though, while frozen, he'd been stewing over something. "I said I was sorry," He snapped at Lucy once Harry had gone away. She opened her mouth to object, but he did the exact same thing she had done not a moment before, "Impedimenta. Just listen, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. OWLs are really stressful, and my nan is breathing down my neck..."
Lucy unfroze and looked at the older boy for a moment.
"I'm being replaced by two children who aren't even born yet, so... I'm sorry for biting your head off," She said thoughtfully. "Impedimenta!" He froze again, but this time he had a smile on his face. The friendship was mended.
12 Grimmauld Place, December 18th, 1995
"Jules!" Sirius ran down into the kitchen where she had been spooning pumpkin flavoured ice cream into her mouth after sprinkling it with worcester sauce. Remus was away on some sort of mission, so it was just the pair of them in the hosue. Julianne had a noticeably round stomach now. "Phineas Nigellus just told me the kids are coming home!"
"The- What?" Jules put down her spoon and wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand. "What's happened?"
"Arthur's been injured, Molly, the Weasley children and Harry are all coming home..." Sirius ran a hand through his hair.
"What about Lucy?" Jules placed a hand on her slightly protruding stomach. Sirius opened his mouth as if to respond, but there was a thud and suddenly six children were standing in the kitchen, all in their pyjamas.
Julianne stood up from the table and looked at the children splayed across the kitchen. She flicked her wand around, cleaning up her ice cream and worcester sauce, and then flicked it again so that the kettle was on. Sirius hugged both Lucy and Harry while Jules went around and hugged the four Weasleys.
While she was hugging Ginny, the youngest Weasley, Fred and George began arguing with Sirius about why they couldn't go to St. Mungo's.
"But he's our dad-" Fred said sharply.
"Fred, at this point, we're not sure if your mother knows," Sirius said sternly. "C'mon... Let's all just have a drink and wait until we get word from Molly."
Jules rubbed Ginny and Lucy's shoulders as they had both decided to stay close to her side, just like when they were little girls reading stories together at bedtime.
The lot of them sat around in silence, waiting for any word. Jules had convinced Ginny and Lucy to go curl up in Lucy's bed, with the promise that she'd wake them the moment Molly arrived. Fred, George, Ron, Harry, Sirius and Jules all sat around the table. At 5:10 am, Molly entered the kitchen. She looked pale, and exhausted, but she had a wan smile on her face.
"He'll be just fine," She said tiredly. "He's sleeping. We can see him later... Bill's sitting with him now."
Jules got up and hugged her dearest friend. The two women stood there for a while, until George took Jules' place. Sirius called for Kreacher to make breakfast, but to no avail, so he went up and woke Lucy and Ginny who barreled down the stairs as though they had boundless energy. Ginny threw her arms around her mother while Lucy stood beside Jules.
"I wasn't expecting you to look so... So pregnant," Lucy whispered as she leaned her head on her mother's chest. She was glad that it wasn't either of her parents, or Remus who was injured.
"Neither was I," Jules said, rubbing her daughter's arm. Harry had gotten up to help Sirius in the kitchen with breakfast. Everything moved around them. Molly gave her thanks to Harry who then disappeared with Sirius.
Molly and Jules stood in the kitchen fussing over the stove together.
"Julie, you really ought to sit down," Molly said as her eyes drifted to the strip of exposed skin where Jules' t-shirt was now unable to reach.
"Yes, because you spent loads of time sitting down when you were pregnant with Ginny," Jules teased. "I'll be fine, Molly."
The trouble was that no one believed she'd be fine. The last time she had looked pregnant, she was also being forced to eat, living in a closed ward, and pulling out her hair compulsively. Sirius was fine, because he hadn't seen it. He in fact, loved watching her do things now that she had started to show. It was Remus who panicked at the sight of her during Order meetings, and Remus who had made her promise not to volunteer for any more missions. She begrudgingly did so, only after Snape had left the house. Once breakfast was served for everyone, Jules and Molly insisted everyone take the rest of the morning to nap.
Once the pair of them were comfortably in bed, Sirius rolled over and placed a hand on her little bump and smiled. It was a sweet gesture, but Jules was absolutely wracked with worry and wasn't comforted by it at all. She linked her fingers through his. and leaned herself against him. There was a faint knock on their bedroom door.
"Come in," Jules called out, unwilling to move to see who it was. The door swung open and revealed Harry, looking pale, peaky and anxious in the doorway. She beckoned him over to the bed. Suddenly, his teenage facade disappeared and he crawled into the bed beside her like he had when he was small. Jules wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He was almost as tall as James had been now, and was no longer the little boy she used to tote around, but it didn't matter. He leaned against her and started to tear up silently.
"Should I-" Sirius motioned to the door. Harry shook his head into Jules' neck and Sirius settled back down in the bed. Jules didn't bother asking why Harry was so upset. It didn't matter. With Harry there in the bed, she felt at ease, because at the very least he was in her sight. Harry's breathing slowed down, and, seemingly soothed by his aunt's presence he started to drift asleep despite his attempts to stay awake.
It was Jules who worried about him this time.
Godric's Hollow, May 10th, 1980
"I'm gigantic," Lily moaned as she lay on the cottage sofa. James chuckled and kissed her round belly. She was seven months pregnant and looked as though she'd swallowed a basketball.
"You're perfect," James assured her. They were both more than a little stir-crazy as they sat around their Fidelius charmed cottage waiting for Sirius and Jules to come over with groceries. There was a knock on the door, and James headed to check who it was. He saw Jules grinning at him beside Sirius who was loaded up with bags upon bags of food and random requests that Lily had made.
"What was the first thing we ever said at the same time?" James asked before he let them in.
"Yes, mum," Jules rolled her eyes. "C'mon, you need to come up with a better question. Anyone could guess that."
"Alright, er- what's our birthmark shaped like?" James said.
"Oh, you have one, too?" Sirius said cheekily. "That's easy. It's a bit like a splattered strawberry."
James opened the door and let them in with his face looking rather unimpressed with the fact that Sirius had answered it. He gave Jules a look and she just shrugged her shoulders.
"It's not my fault that you asked a question pertaining to naked bodies," Jules replied. "Lily! You're as big as a house!" Lily let out a pathetic groan and placed both hands over her face. James threw his hands in the air and turned to Sirius who had started to walk into the kitchen with the bags of food.
"I just got finished telling her that she would still be beautiful once the pregnancy was over, and then your girlfriend comes in with her little skinny arse and-"
"Prongs," Sirius looked at him earnestly. "Your wife is as big as a house. And your sister, which is exactly who my girlfriend is, is as blunt as a skipping stone. C'mon, it was bound to happen. It's nice to see you as well, mate."
The pair of them hugged and clapped each other on the back, laughing a little, until Jules ran into the kitchen and slammed the door. There was a cacophony of thumps behind her and the sounds of birds.
"Er- Jamie," Jules said with a small, nervous grin. "Is she always so temperamental?"
"She's pregnant." James and Sirius said in unison.
"Right," Jules swallowed. "So it's a good thing I found her favourite flavour of ice cream, yeah?"
James rubbed his temples with his thumb and middle finger of one hand and let out an audible sigh. Sirius just walked over to her and grinned.
"I can't wait until you're pregnant," Sirius said.
"Oh, I can," Jules chuckled. "We're not having this conversation right now, while my sister-in-law is sending enchanted birds out to kill me."
James mimed vomiting and continued to unpack the groceries behind them. He was truly glad that they were around, however. Despite the fact that he could no longer make innuendos about Sirius without imagining his sister in most compromising positions, it was always a mood-lightener to have the pair of them cause mischief and mayhem to re-enter the house.
12 Grimmauld Place, December 19th, 1995
Remus had come home immediately when he heard the news. When Jules came padding down the stairs to snack some more, she jumped a little when she noticed that three more people had entered the house since she'd been upstairs. Remus was sitting at the kitchen table with Tonks and Mad-Eye. They all turned expectantly to her, and Tonks leapt to her feet to give her a warm hug.
"Wotcher, Julie," Tonks said as Jules pat her on the back.
"Hullo," Jules said as her eyes shifted from Remus to Mad-Eye. "I wasn't expecting you home so soon."
"Dumbledore's orders," Mad-Eye stated gruffly. "How're you feeling?"
"Better now the kids are home," Jules replied. Remus and Jules shared a look for a long moment without saying anything to each other. Tonks sat back down and Jules went into the kitchen to start lunch so that when the rest of the hooligans in her house woke up, there'd at least be something for them to eat.
"We'll all be visiting Arthur today, then?" Jules called out to the three Order members at her table.
"Yeah," Tonks said, trying not to sound too enthusiastic. "The kids' trunks have arrived so they can dress like muggles..."
"Mm," Jules hummed as she enchanted the dishes from breakfast to clean themselves. Turning around, she noticed that Remus had kept his eyes on her, like she was made of glass and might just bowl over and smash into a million pieces on the floor. If she wasn't so anxious about having to step outside of the house with six children in tow, she might've cared a little more. She pulled the sleeves of Sirius' cardigan down over her hands as the kettle poured itself into a teapot for her and the toast buttered itself.
Trickles of excited voices made their way down the stairs as Fred, George, Ginny and Lucy all joined the adults in the kitchen and started munching away at what Jules had conjured up for the household. Harry came down next with Ron, and Sirius followed after them.
The house felt different now that it was full, like it had been for the summer. Molly made Jules go and sit down to eat once she was awake, and she listened gratefully to the chattering of some of her favourite voices. Harry, however, was quietly eating. Lucy kept trying to engage him in the conversation, but he'd shut down.
"So, mum," Lucy said loudly as she watched Jules put some sliced turkey on her jam and toast, "How does it feel to be pregnant again?"
"Ooh," Fred and George spun around, as Fred said, "Yeah! Twins, eh? Will you name them after us?"
Jules chewed and swallowed her mouthful. She looked contemplative about it, but before she could say anything Sirius had piped in.
"Nope, my family has a long tradition of using star names," Sirius grinned but Jules' face fell. "They'll be named after the Gemini constellation."
"What, after your grandfather?" Jules said before taking a swig of tea. "Yes, let's name our children like the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. What could possibly go wrong with that?"
"You didn't name me after a constellation," Lucy frowned. Jules smiled warmly at her.
"That's because I have better taste than your father, darling," She crooned.
"And also because you wanted absolutely nothing to do with him at the time," Remus grinned. "Being accused of murdering thirteen people does that to a relationship."
"Ha. Ha," Sirius leaned over and said to Harry, "C'mon, Pronglet... You know Castor and Pollux are great names. Put in a good word for me with your aunt."
"Pollux sounds a bit... Well, rude," Harry said honestly. Sirius feigned upset. He held his hand up to his forehead and made an overdramatic show of how deeply he was wounded by Harry's comment. Jules and Remus exchanged exasperated glances while Lucy laughed.
"Lucy," Sirius said enthusiastically. "Light of my life. Moon of my world... Only daughter... You know Castor and Pollux is better than John and Lennon."
"Mum!" Lucy turned to her mother open mouthed. "You're not calling them John and Lennon, are you? Oh, come on! That's way worse than Castor and.. And Bullocks, or whatever..."
Once the conversation and the meal was over, everyone got ready to head into London to visit Arthur at St. Mungo's. Jules watched the way Remus interacted with Tonks. It reminded her of the way he acted around her when they had been at school. In fact, the simplicity of Remus' smile around her, but the way he kept himself at arm's length was something that made Jules unable to take her eyes away. He had such tenderness in his eyes but such lines of restraint on his forehead. Sirius squeezed her hand as they sat together on the tube together, waiting for the train to travel to the stop Mad-Eye had reminded her of needlessly.
Arriving at the all too familiar department store entrance, Jules gripped Sirius' hand so tightly her knuckles turned white. She'd spent too much time in this hospital. She had seen her parents die here. She had been locked up on the fourth floor because her brain resembled that of a tortured patient, without the spell damage. As they approached Arthur's room, Jules had flashes to a similar room with her parents brandishing similar bandaging. As the young Weasleys flocked to his bedside, Sirius wrapped an arm around Jules' shoulder, knowing exactly what terrible moment this was bringing to mind.
"You know, she gave me her ring here," He whispered in Jules' ear. Jules looked over at him and furrowed her eyebrows together. "Your mum..."
"She- I- I suppose that's when it had to have been," Jules said softly. She didn't want to talk about that. She didn't want to think about the darker aspect of James and Lily's wedding day.
Lucy appeared at her side, the perfect distraction, and she wrapped her other arm around Lucy's torso. Harry hung back from the group and stood in the doorway, watching with a pained expression on his face until Molly called him into the room with Lucy. The two black-haired children looked starkly different from all of the redheads that surrounded them, but as Lucy walked over to George who looked so distressed at the sight of his father and wrapped her arms around him, Jules couldn't deny that they were all family.
A/N: I've decided to write some very cute bits with Sirius being domestic.. Mostly because while re-reading Order of the Phoenix, I've decided that domestic-Christmastime!Sirius is something I need more than air. I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Thank you all for your support! Feel free to leave me any questions, comments or concerns. xo, Sophie