A/N - Hello all! This story has made it to 100 reviews, which I thank you all for profusely! I may be doing a little prize offering for future reviewers as we go along, I'll get back to you on that for sure next chapter. I think that some of you may have been waiting for what happens in this chapter ;), plus Sirius' reaction to Daniel's appearance and lots of fluff too. Enjoy!
Chapter 38
Freedom
17 July 1996
Catherine's eyes fluttered open to see Harry sitting beside her, worriedly chewing on a thumbnail.
"Catherine," he said in relief once her eyes were fully open. "Are you all right? How do you feel?"
"One question at a time," she said with a wry grin. He blushed. "How long was I out for?"
"Just a few minutes," he said. "Your mum took the ice cream outside to keep everyone occupied." Catherine nodded absently, sighing when she realized what had happened. She closed her eyes again, trying to pretend Daniel hadn't just shown up at her front door.
"Erm, Catherine?" Harry said questioningly.
"Yes Harry," she replied, eyes still closed. There was a pause and Catherine cracked one eye to look at him. He was looking down at his lap and clearly unsure if he should say whatever was on his mind. "Go ahead and ask," she prodded.
"Who was that?" he asked. Catherine sighed again. She opened her eyes and sat up on the couch before looking at him again.
"That was my ex-husband," she said. Harry's eyes widened. Catherine shook her head. "Before you ask, I have no idea what he's doing here or why."
"I thought he didn't want anything to do with magic," Harry said quietly.
"So did I," Catherine returned just as softly. "Apparently he's changed his mind, according to his sister anyway."
"What are you going to do?" Harry asked.
"Honestly?" Catherine said. "I have no idea." The two sat in silence for a few moments. "We'd better get outside," she finally said. "The kids will be wondering where we are." Harry nodded and the two stood just as the flames in the fireplace flared green. Catherine instinctively reached for Harry's hand which he gripped tightly. She held her breath waiting to see who would step out.
After a few seconds the flames died down and Sirius stood before them. Catherine's knees buckled and she was thankful not only for the tight grip Harry had on her hand, but the couch behind her. She sank down onto it as Sirius crossed the room. Harry looked at him questioningly and he nodded. Catherine looked up and saw Harry's eyes fill as Sirius hugged him. It wasn't long before the two of them were a blurry mess as her own tears joined Harry's.
Harry pulled away a few moments later and mumbled something about the loo. Sirius watched him go before turning to Catherine. He sat next to her on the couch and took one of her hands between both of his.
"It's really over?" she asked in a shaky voice.
"Yes," he said.
"And you're free?" she continued.
"Yes," he said again, with a smile this time. She put a hand to his cheek and then completely broke down. He pulled her towards him as she sobbed, running a hand through her hair and murmuring comforting words to her. She pulled back after a few moments and raised her lips to his. He kissed her as the tears streamed down her cheeks, cradling her face gently in his hands.
"Shh, love," he whispered as he released her. "I'm here now and I'm not going anywhere ever again." She rested her head on his shoulder as her sobs slowed to hitching breaths. "You're stuck with me forever," he said with a grin.
"Lucky me," she quipped and he laughed, loud and bark-like which was almost enough to start her tears again. The floo flared again and Catherine looked at Sirius in confusion. Remus stepped through moments later. He was smiling wider than Catherine had seen in a very long time.
"Did I give you long enough?" he asked and Catherine laughed. Harry rejoined them a few seconds later.
"Tell me everything," she said.
"I will," Sirius promised. "But later. Right now all you need to worry about is that I and anyone else have been cleared of any wrong-doing, nothing critical of the Order was revealed and there will be a statement in the Daily Prophet tomorrow." Catherine hugged him again and Harry grinned and clapped Remus on the back. "And now, I would very much like to meet your children properly and maybe give them a bit of news."
"Which bit?" she asked.
"I'd like to tell them all of it, but whatever you think we should," he said.
"Let's start with who you really are and go from there all right?" she asked and he nodded with a grin. "Let me go and clean myself up and then I'll bring them in."
"You look beautiful," Sirius said.
"Yes, I'm sure with my face all blotchy and my eyes all swollen I'm just gorgeous," she said dryly. She got up and went to the loo, using the spell Myra had taught her to bring her face back to normal. She took a deep breath and then went to fetch her children from the garden.
"Mum!" Rory exclaimed when she came outside. "What took you so long? And where's Harry?"
"He's inside," Catherine said. "There's something I need to tell you." Her mother glanced at her sharply but Catherine shook her head slightly. Remus and Henry are here." There was a chorus of cheers from Rory and Miranda while Ellie shook her head and rolled her eyes at her two younger siblings. Jane's eyes widened in realization. "There's something I need to tell you about Henry." She took a deep breath and looked at her two younger children. Ellie hid a small smile. Catherine knew she had worked it out already as she knew who Sirius actually was and was well aware of the hearing that had been taking place today.
"Henry's name really isn't Henry," Catherine said. "It's Sirius." Rory and Miranda looked at her in confusion. "And he doesn't look exactly like you think he does. He was using a glamour while he was here."
"Why?" Rory asked.
"I'll explain once we're inside all right?" she said. "I just didn't want you to be surprised when you saw him. Come on." She led the children and her mother into the house. Miranda saw Remus first.
"Mr. Remus!" she shouted and ran to him. He laughed and swung her up into his arms.
"You're almost getting too big for this you know," he told her as he settled her on his hip. Miranda just shrugged and grinned at him. Rory was standing looking thoughtfully at Sirius and Catherine wondered if he was trying to work out where he'd seen him before. He hadn't been at Hogwarts yet when Sirius had escaped Azkaban, but there had been articles in the Prophet since and Catherine was sure Sirius' name was mentioned now and then at Hogwarts. Jane walked forward and stopped in front of Sirius.
"You're free then?" she asked and Sirius nodded. "I'm so glad," she said with a smile and then held out her arms. Sirius looked surprised for a moment before he hugged her. Jane patted his cheek when she released him and Catherine could see Sirius choking up a bit at the gesture. She doubted his own mother had ever touched him in anything but anger.
"Hi Mr. Henry," Miranda chorused then and Remus set her down on her feet. She ran over and hugged Sirius around the waist. "Oh wait," she said as she pulled back. "Mum said you're Mr. Sirius now."
"You know Miranda, you don't have to call me 'Mister' anything," Sirius said, tapping her nose. "Just Sirius is fine."
"I know," Miranda said. "But I like to." She shrugged her shoulders as if this should be obvious. Sirius and Remus both chuckled.
"Mum?" Rory said warily. "What's going on?" Catherine saw the look he was giving Sirius and knew that Rory had realized who he was.
"Sit down, all of you and let us explain," she said. Miranda happily plopped herself between Catherine and Sirius on the couch and Ellie perched on the arm. Rory took a chair across from his mother, still cautiously glancing at Sirius from time to time. Jane took the other chair, while Harry sat on the floor next to Sirius' legs and Remus leaned against the mantle.
"As I told you outside, Henry's real name is Sirius," she said. "Sirius Black." Rory sucked in a breath and Catherine hurriedly continued. "He was accused of terrible crimes, but he was innocent all along. He was framed by someone else. He's been trying to prove his innocence since he escaped from Azkaban, but Minister Fudge was never interested in listening. Thankfully, Minister Scrimgeour is a bit more open-minded and today, Sirius had a hearing. He was cleared of all charges and freed." Catherine looked around the room. Harry was grinning widely of course and Ellie still wore that secret smile she'd had before. Miranda looked thoughtful as if she were trying to understand everything that had been said, but Rory still looked wary.
"Rory?" Catherine said tentatively.
"Huh?" he said, whipping his head up to look at his mother.
"Is there something you wanted to say?" she questioned. "Or ask?" Rory looked down at his lap, then back up at her, then down at his lap again. "It's okay, sweetheart," she said.
"Mum, are you, um, sure?" he nearly whispered. "I mean, I saw that picture in the Prophet and er, well, uh," Rory trailed off, looking embarrassed. His eyes flicked to Sirius for the briefest of seconds. Catherine could see Harry tense, but Sirius put a hand to his shoulder and he relaxed again.
"Rory," Catherine began, but Sirius briefly touched her arm. She looked at him and nodded.
"Rory," he said. "First let me say I think it's very admirable that you're looking out for your mum like that." Rory smiled a bit before looking at his lap again. "It's a valid question after the way the press has made me look. I know that picture is a bit scary, truthfully I look insane, but when they took that so much had just happened to me. I'd lost two people that I loved more than anything. Three actually," he amended squeezing Harry's shoulder. "And they were betrayed by someone else I thought of as a brother, who proceeded to frame me for the entire thing. It wasn't my best day." Catherine glanced at Remus, whose lips were pressed tightly together. She could see the muscle working in his jaw. He caught her gaze and gave her a tiny smile that disappeared almost instantly.
"I swear to you that I will never do anything to intentionally hurt your mother or any of you," Sirius continued. "I can't promise I'll never do anything unintentionally because it seems that I am sometimes quite an idiot when it comes to your mother." Catherine snorted in amusement and Harry laughed. Sirius glared at him. Harry shrugged his shoulders, still grinning.
"And if there's anything that you're confused about or worried about, I want you to know you can always ask me, no matter what it is," Sirius said. "That goes for all of you."
"It's okay Ror," Ellie said, a bit to Catherine's surprise. "Really it is. I've known who Sirius is for a long time and well, Mum's never seemed happier, has she?" Rory looked up at his mother who smiled.
"I guess not," he said. Catherine rose and went to Rory's chair. She knelt down in front of him and took his hands in hers.
"Rory," she said and he finally looked up from his lap and met her eyes. "I want you to tell me if you're not okay with this. I won't be upset, I promise." Rory looked over her shoulder at Sirius for a moment, then glanced around the room at everyone else. Catherine sorely hoped that they were all giving him encouraging looks. Finally he smiled.
"Okay Mum," he said.
"You're sure?" she asked. He nodded, his smile widening. She pulled him into a hug and squeezed him tightly.
"I love you Mum," he whispered in her ear and Catherine hugged him tighter.
"Oh, Rory, I love you too," she returned. She finally released him and stood, turning back towards her fiancée.
"So now that you're free, does this mean you can fly with me whenever you want?" Rory asked and Sirius laughed.
"Most definitely," he replied with a wide grin. Catherine rolled her eyes. Quidditch. It always came back to that.
She looked over at Sirius who questioned her silently with his eyes. Toying with the ring on her finger, she finally nodded and walked back towards him. He put an arm around her and she took a deep breath as Sirius kissed her temple.
"There's something else we want to tell you," she said. She pulled her wand and cancelled the charm on her engagement ring. Ellie's mouth instantly dropped open, recognizing it for what it was. "A few weeks ago, Sirius asked me to marry him. And I said yes. We didn't tell you because at the time we weren't sure what was going to happen with his hearing and we wanted to wait until we knew for sure. But now we do." There was silence in the room and Catherine looked at all of her children anxiously. Finally Miranda squealed and stood up on the couch.
"Does this mean I get to be a flower girl?" she asked and Catherine laughed.
"Yes, if you want to," she said. Miranda cheered.
"Rory, I've already asked Remus and Harry, but I'd like you to stand up with me too," Sirius said. Rory's eyes widened in surprise.
"Really?" he asked.
"Of course," Sirius replied.
"Yeah, come on mate, I don't want to be the only one in stuffy dress robes," Harry said and Rory nodded enthusiastically. Catherine looked to her eldest daughter who still hadn't said anything.
"El?" she said, as she walked to stand in front of her. Ellie looked up at her, worrying her lip between her teeth. "Talk to me sweetheart." Ellie just shook her head. Sirius glanced at Jane who nodded.
"How about some of that ice cream I heard you all raving about?" Sirius said and the rest of the family filed out and into the kitchen. Sirius squeezed Catherine's hand as he passed by. Catherine sat down on the couch and pulled Ellie from the arm to sit next to her.
"What is it?" she asked. Ellie shrugged. "Come now," Catherine prodded. "I thought we were past these types of silences."
"I don't know," Ellie said. "I mean I knew about Sirius and that you were dating. I know that you love him. I guess I just didn't expect this already."
"He's been back for two years now," Catherine reminded her. "And I never stopped loving him before, you know that."
"I know," Ellie said. "It's just sort of weird I guess."
"Good weird or bad weird?" Catherine asked and Ellie laughed a little.
"Not bad weird," she said.
"Look, I know it's a little strange and it will take some getting used to. But, I'm still your mum, we're still going to live in this house, Sirius will just be here with us. And hopefully, Harry too."
"Really?" Ellie asked.
"Sirius is Harry's godfather and Harry's parents wanted him to be Harry's guardian if anything ever happened to them. Now that he's been freed, Sirius can petition the Ministry," Catherine explained. Ellie nodded thoughtfully.
"I do want you to be happy Mum," she said.
"I know," Catherine returned. "I want you to be happy too."
"When are you getting married?" Ellie asked and Catherine relaxed just a fraction.
"I'm not sure, but it will be soon," Catherine answered. Ellie nodded. "I want to ask you something." Her daughter looked up at her. "I want you to be my maid of honor." Ellie was shocked into silence.
"Me?" she finally squeaked. Catherine nodded. "But, but, what about Myra?"
"I'll ask Myra to be in the wedding too, but you're the one I want right next to me," Catherine said.
"Really?" Ellie asked.
"Really," Catherine assured her. Ellie's smile grew wider than Catherine had ever seen it. Then she threw her arms around her mother.
"Okay then," she said. Catherine hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head.
"I love you Ellie-Bell," she said.
"I love you too Mum," Ellie replied. "And don't call me Ellie-Bell." Catherine snorted and soon they were both laughing.
"Come on, I think you deserve a bit more ice cream after all this," Catherine said and the two rose to join everyone else in the kitchen.
"All right?" Sirius asked, coming up next to her once Ellie had sat down at the table.
"Yes," Catherine simply said, leaning into him.
"I take it this means our other little surprise should wait?" he questioned and she nodded.
"I think we'll let them get used to this for a few days before we spring that one on them," Catherine said, raising her left hand. Sirius caught it and kissed her fingertips.
"Fair enough," he said. Catherine leaned her head on his shoulder.
"I never thought this day would actually come," she whispered to Sirius and he tightened his grip on her waist. "You're really here and you're really free."
"And I'm never going anywhere again, love," he said, pulling her fully into his arms and kissing her temple. Catherine sighed in contentment, as she rested her cheek against Sirius' chest and looked over the rest of the occupants of the kitchen who were joking and laughing. Ellie looked up at her and grinned and Rory made fake gagging noises. Sirius flicked his hand and a blob of ice cream rose out of Harry's dish and splatted Rory on the cheek. He looked at Sirius incredulously for a second before grinning widely.
"Can you teach me that?" Rory asked. Sirius chuckled.
"Just don't tell your mum," he mock whispered. Catherine punched him lightly in the side and he kissed the top of her head.
"All these Gryffindor's in the same house?" she said. "Heaven help us." Everyone laughed and Catherine smiled. She hadn't been this happy in a very long time.
"So what now?" Catherine asked later that evening as she and Sirius sat on the couch together. Remus had gone home and the kids were all outside doing one thing or another.
"Albus still wants Harry at Grimmauld," Sirius said with a sigh.
"I was afraid of that," Catherine said.
"It's not going to be for long," he said. "I plan on filing the papers with the Ministry tomorrow after the story breaks. I'll see Washburn in the morning. Once that's done, Albus won't have anything to say about it."
"I wouldn't be too sure about that," Catherine said wryly. Sirius snorted.
"Look, our relationship still isn't public knowledge," he said. "And as far as I'm concerned it won't be anytime soon. I don't think any of our friends will talk to the press if we ask them not to. So it's not as if anyone will know he's here."
"I suppose you're right," she said.
"And we can put more wards on this place," he said. "But I was thinking of something else actually." She looked at him quizzically. "How about a holiday?"
"A holiday?" she asked.
"It's nearly Harry's birthday," Sirius continued. "We could get married either right before or right after, then all go on holiday until just before school starts again. To France or maybe Spain, Greece, wherever you want." Catherine bit her lip. There were many things wrong with this plan, but she didn't want to disappoint him.
"The enthusiasm for this idea isn't exactly rolling off you," he said dryly.
"Sorry," she said sheepishly. "I'd love to go on holiday with you, but if Albus wants Harry at Grimmauld I can't imagine that he'd let him go out of the country."
"Albus won't have anything to say about it if I'm Harry's guardian," Sirius said tightly.
"I know love, but a part of me thinks that he may be right," she said.
"So even though I'm free, you're telling me we still won't be together?" he demanded. "Harry and I will be at Grimmauld and you'll be here?"
"No, that's not what I'm saying," she admonished gently. "But we need to consider Harry's safety as our first priority. Besides there's work too. I missed so much time in the spring and I'll have to take time off after the baby comes. I don't think I should miss more. And I want to talk to Poppy about coming back to Hogwarts. She usually wants me there a couple of weeks before school starts."
"You're spreading yourself too thin," he said in concern, his hand going to her belly.
"No, I'm not," she insisted. "Working at Hogwarts counts toward my training, so I'm not working any more than I would be if I were just at St. Mungo's. I'm fine. We're fine." He looked at her in concern and she kissed him lightly to try and reassure him. "Sirius, please trust me. My healer hasn't put me under any restrictions and I've done this before. If it gets to be too much, I promise you I'll slow down. I don't want anything to happen any more than you do." He kissed her again and then nodded.
"I know, I'm sorry I'm being so overprotective, I just," he trailed off and raked a hand through his hair. "After everything that's happened I just feel like someone is waiting until I've let down my guard before they take it all away from me." Catherine hugged him, her mind instantly going back to Daniel's visit. She hadn't said anything to Sirius yet in all the commotion of the afternoon.
"What is it?" he asked pulling away from her. "You just tensed up," he explained at her confused expression. She pulled in a breath, letting it out slowly through her nose.
"Just before you arrived, I had a visitor," she said quietly. Sirius' brow furrowed and she took hold of his hand. "Daniel was here." She looked at Sirius' face and a myriad of emotions flitted across it. The one he settled on was white-hot fury. He closed his eyes, his jaw clenched and pulled in a few breaths. When he looked back up, the vein in his temple was twitching.
"What did he want?" he ground out.
"He said he just wanted to talk, but I didn't give him much of a chance," she said.
"Did he try anything?" Sirius growled.
"No, I had my wand on him almost immediately and then Harry joined me," she said. "He may hate magic, but he's not so stupid as to try anything with two wands trained on him."
"What was Harry doing there?" Sirius demanded. Catherine sighed.
"I had come into the house to get ice cream for everyone," she replied. "Harry came in to help a few minutes later, but I was already at the door at that point. He heard me telling Daniel to leave and saw me with my wand drawn and came to help." Sirius shook his head. "I convinced Harry to go back to the kids and he must have told my mum because she came in a few minutes later and threatened to call the police. That's when Daniel left."
Sirius rose and began to pace the room, muttering obscenities under his breath. Catherine watched him from the couch as his countenance turned darker.
"Where is he?" he finally asked.
"I don't know and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you," she said flatly. He glared at her.
"I'm sure Sarah knows," he said.
"I'm sure she does, but I'm not asking her either," Catherine retorted.
"Catherine," Sirius said warningly.
"No, Sirius!" she exclaimed. "You just had your name cleared today. Do you really think I'm going to let you go off and do something stupid that gets you thrown back in prison?"
"Damn it, Cat, he tried to kill you!" Sirius thundered.
"Do you think I don't know that?" she yelled back. "I was there, remember?" Sirius snarled in rage and punched his fist into the wall. He looked quite surprised at the hole that appeared in the plaster. Catherine sighed and went over to him.
"Let me see," she said, taking his hand. There were a few scrapes on his knuckles, but that was the extent of the damage. "At least you didn't break anything this time."
"I didn't break anything last time either," he retorted. She rolled her eyes. "Sorry about that," he muttered. Catherine waved her wand at the wall and cast a 'reparo'. The hole instantly mended itself. Then she wrapped her arms around him.
"Please, think about all of us before you go and do something," she begged. "Harry would never survive if you got sent away now, not to mention me. You want to be here for the baby, don't you?" He sighed and buried his face in her hair.
"Yes," he mumbled.
"Then please," she pleaded. He sighed again and nuzzled her cheek with his nose. Resting his forehead against hers and cupping her face in his hands, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. She saw his jaw unclench and the vein in his temple stopped throbbing. Finally, he kissed her forehead.
"I'm sorry," he said. She relaxed into him and put her arms around his neck. "It's just when I think about what he almost did to you," he trailed off shaking his head.
"I know," she replied, kissing him gently. She looked up at him and then realized something.
"Love?" Sirius questioned at the look on her face.
"He got through the wards," she said absently.
"Sorry?" Sirius said, still confused.
"The wards," Catherine repeated. "You had me talk to Filius about setting up similar wards for muggles who wanted to do me harm, remember." Understanding dawned on Sirius' face.
"He didn't mean you harm then," Sirius said.
"Not unless Filius didn't set them up correctly and I find that hard to believe," she responded.
"What did he want then?" Sirius asked.
"I don't know, like I said, he told me he just wanted to talk," she said. "He asked about the kids a couple of times, but I wouldn't tell him anything. He told me that Sarah could contact him when I decided to talk to him. And he told me he would meet wherever I liked and I could bring whoever I wanted." Sirius looked off over her shoulder, in deep thought. Catherine waited until he finally looked at her again.
"Maybe we should meet with him," he said. Her mouth dropped open in shock.
"Are you completely mental?" she said after a few minutes pause. "Do you think I'm daft enough to let you in the same room together?"
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," he muttered, taking a few steps away from her. Catherine cursed herself in her head.
"Sirius," she said, coming up behind him and putting a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry, it's just that five minutes ago you were ready to go and kill him and now you want to meet with him. What am I supposed to think?"
"I know, I know," he said, shaking his head and scrubbing a hand down his face. He turned to face her.
"Why do you want to talk to him all of a sudden?" she asked.
"I want to know what he's up to for a start," he said.
"I doubt he'll tell you," she replied. "The truth at any rate." Sirius looked at her solemnly for a moment.
"Still, keep your enemies closer and all that," he said.
"Why else?" she asked. He looked at her quizzically. "You said 'for a start'," she reminded him.
"I'm curious," he finally said, almost seeming embarrassed by it.
"Curious about what?" she said in confusion. He shrugged, looking away from her. "Sirius, are you…jealous?" she asked.
"No," he said, almost too quickly in her opinion. "No, I'm not jealous really, it's just," he trailed off and shook his head, raking a hand through his hair. Catherine stepped forward and put her arms around his waist.
"Do you know what my first thought was when I got that owl from Myra right after James and Lily were killed?" she asked. He shook his head. "I thought that since Voldemort was gone, I could find you and maybe we could be together again." His eyes widened. "I only stopped myself because I was already pregnant with Ellie. If I hadn't been, I probably would have left the flat right then. I thought about you constantly for the next few weeks. I stayed because I had a responsibility to my daughter and I wasn't sure that you would want me to find you. I thought about how I would feel if you were with someone else, which I fully expected you to be, and I knew I couldn't face that." She stared at him and let go of his waist with one hand to cup his cheek. "There is never any competition or need for jealousy. I am yours, always." He lowered his head and kissed her softly. A kiss that built in intensity until the two of them pulled apart, breathing heavily.
"Do you realize how difficult you're making it for me to go back to Grimmauld tonight?" he whispered, his lips grazing her jaw.
"So don't," she said, sucking in a breath as he reached the spot below her ear. "Harry can bunk with Rory."
"Shouldn't we be setting a better example for the children?" he asked in amusement. "We aren't married yet after all."
"I think once we tell them about our little surprise here, that will dash any beliefs they had in our propriety," she returned dryly. "Besides, you stayed here while I was cursed and you weren't worried about Miranda knowing. Might I remind you that's how we got into this predicament in the first place?" Sirius chuckled.
"True, but while you were cursed I was completely out of my mind with worry. I wasn't exactly thinking straight. Plus, I was sleeping in a chair or in Rory's room," he said. "And I don't think Miranda's old enough to understand what exactly was going on in your bedroom once you woke up. Ellie and Rory are a different story."
"When did you become the responsible one?" she grumbled. He kissed her forehead.
"One of us has to be," he said with a cheeky grin. "And unfortunately, Albus is stopping by later tonight to discuss things."
"It's like we're still in school, being checked up on by the headmaster," she groused.
"All the more reason to plan the wedding as soon as possible," he said, kissing her again. When they parted this time, Catherine rested her forehead against his chest, quite sure that if he didn't leave soon she was going to drag him upstairs and chain him to her bed. When she looked up at him, she saw that his eyes held the same smoldering desire. She forced herself to take a step backwards.
"I'll go and get Harry," she said. Sirius just nodded and as she left the room, she saw him turn around and brace his hands on the mantle, taking a deep breath. Catherine smirked a bit before heading into the garden for Harry.
Later after Sirius and Harry had gone, Catherine floo called Myra.
"Well?" her friend asked.
"Can you meet me at the Leaky after work tomorrow around 3:00?" Catherine asked, hiding a smile.
"Yes, but why?" Myra asked.
"To shop for my wedding dress," Catherine said nonchalantly and then covered her ears. The ear-splitting shriek that followed made her laugh.
"Look out, I'm coming through," Myra said and Catherine stood and took a step back. Seconds later she was enveloped in a bone-crushing hug from her best friend. "He's free then right? That's what this means?"
"Yes," Catherine said with a grin. Myra hugged her again and Catherine found herself crying fresh tears as she clung to her friend. When they pulled away from each other, Myra was crying too and Catherine couldn't help but laugh.
"We're quite the pair," Myra said, wiping her eyes. "Do the kids know?"
"Who he is and about the wedding, yes," Catherine replied. "Not the other." Myra nodded in understanding.
"So when and where?" she asked.
"We haven't really decided yet," Catherine said. "But as soon as possible."
"Have it my house," Myra said.
"Your house?" Catherine questioned. "Are you sure?"
"Am I sure that I want to plan a party?" Myra asked wryly and Catherine laughed a bit. "We can have the ceremony in the meadow, you should see the flowers that are blooming there right now. It's beautiful. People can easily floo in or apparate. It will be perfect."
"I'll talk to Sirius, but it sounds wonderful," Catherine said. "If you're sure." Myra rolled her eyes and didn't even respond.
"How many people?" she asked.
"Not a lot," Catherine said. "A few of our friends, my mum and Edward, maybe Sarah, Sharon and David, Elena and Sean if they can make it, your parents of course, the Weasley's, Poppy, Filius, Minerva. Albus agreed to marry us." Catherine mentally counted in her head. including the others in the Order they would invite and realized it was more than she'd thought. She bit her lip as Myra seemed to be tallying too.
"So what, fifty or so then?" she asked.
"If everyone can make it," Catherine said.
"Not a problem," Myra said with a wave of her hand. "So when?" Catherine drew her wand and summoned her calendar.
"I suppose we'll have to wait until after Harry's birthday," Catherine mused. "I don't think we can get everything together in ten days." Catherine missed Myra's look as she was still checking the calendar. "But then I'm working nearly the entire first weekend of August, so I'd have to try and find someone to switch with me, which is nearly impossible on the weekends. That means the 10th." She sighed. "I suppose we'll just have to wait."
"Catherine," Myra said. Catherine finally looked up at her friend who wore a look of part amusement, part exasperation.
"The 27th is fine," Myra said.
"But," Catherine began to protest.
"No buts," Myra replied. "Talk to Sirius and double-check with him, but something tells me he won't be too fussed that he's going to marry you in less than two weeks." Catherine grinned.
"I suppose you're right," she said.
"All right, I'd better be off then," Myra said as she stood. "Let me know as soon as you've talked to Sirius, so I can get the invitations out."
"All right, tomorrow can you come here first and pick up my mum and the girls?" Catherine asked. "I'll just come straight from work then." Myra agreed and the two hugged once more.
"I'm so happy for you," Myra said.
"Thank you," Catherine replied, trying not to start crying again.
"I'll see you tomorrow," Myra said and stepped back through the floo. Catherine smiled and looked down at the ring on her hand. Only ten days before she became Mrs. Black sounded just perfect to her.
22 July 1996
In the end, the wedding preparations had gone rather smoothly. Sirius had agreed to the date instantly of course and Catherine had found her wedding gown after only trying on three. Myra had sent out the invitations and had already gotten mostly acceptances in reply. Jane was making the cake and they'd purchased the bridesmaid dresses that weekend. Sirius had taken the boys to Madame Malkin's earlier that day and they'd all been fitted for their dress robes, so there wasn't much left to do.
Catherine had waffled back and forth, but in the end had asked Tonks to stand with her, as the two had become quite close recently. She had an ulterior motive of course, since Remus was in the wedding party as well. Sirius had just smirked at her when she told him.
"Be careful, love," he had said. "Remus can be ridiculously stubborn when it comes to his furry little problem."
"He loves her Sirius," she said.
"I know he does," Sirius replied. "That's not the point. And this mission he's going on." Sirius shook his head. Catherine had wrapped her arms around him and neither of them spoke for a few minutes. "He doesn't want to acknowledge there might be something between them in case he doesn't come back."
"He's coming back," Catherine said vehemently. Sirius said nothing, just hugged her tighter.
She smiled now, remembering how gorgeous Tonks had looked in her dress. Remus wasn't going to know what hit him.
The wedding aside, the rest of Sirius' life seemed to have gotten extremely more complicated. The headlines in the Daily Prophet had indeed proclaimed his innocence and the reaction afterwards had been nothing short of ridiculous. Thankfully, the wards around Grimmauld Place did not allow most owls through, but the park across the street was beginning to look like an owlery. The muggles were noticing, of course, and Albus quickly set up wards that diverted Sirius' mail to Hogwarts. Sirius collected it each day after it had been scanned by Filius and those letters containing hexes or love charms removed and destroyed.
He got hate mail, of course. There were many who didn't believe in his innocence but Sirius had fun practicing wandless 'incendios' on those. There were many letters of support and these Sirius answered personally. There were also many 'fangirl' letters, quite a few marriage proposals and more suggestive photos than there should have been. Catherine had been angry at first when she opened a few of them, but after a thorough convincing from Sirius that she was the only woman he ever intended to see in that state of undress again, she put them out of her mind. She just hoped the uproar would die down soon.
Catherine looked up as the floo activated and Harry stepped out. Albus had given Sirius the password after Sirius had been cleared and they had been making good use of the connection between Catherine's house and Grimmauld.
"Everything all right there?" Catherine asked and Harry nodded. It was the full moon and even though Severus was still providing Remus with Wolfsbane, Sirius didn't want Harry in the house just in case. It would be Remus' last transformation before he left on his mission and Catherine knew that Sirius also just wanted some time alone with his friend. He'd sent Harry over just before dinner.
"We'll eat in about fifteen minutes," Catherine said and Harry just nodded again. "Something wrong?" Catherine asked in concern.
"I heard Sirius and Remus talking," Harry said quietly, adjusting the small rucksack on his back. Catherine sighed silently, realizing what Harry must have overheard.
"You know then," Catherine said, not voicing it as a question.
"Yeah," Harry said, shoving his hands in his pockets.
"He'll be all right Harry," she said. "He's done this before." Harry's head snapped up at that and he looked at her in surprise. "During the first war," she continued.
"Did it work?" Harry asked. Catherine sighed aloud this time.
"Not really," she admitted. "But Remus thinks it will be different this time. He knows what he's doing for one and he knows who to avoid and who he might have a better chance of turning. Even if he can only convince them to stay neutral, he will have succeeded." Harry still looked at the ground, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. Catherine took a step toward him and put a hand on his arm.
"Stop," she chided gently. "I know you're somehow trying to make this your fault or your responsibility, but it's not. Boy-Who-Lived or not, not everything is about you, you know." Harry grinned sheepishly and Catherine recited the prophecy in her head again, her heart clenching at what Harry's reaction to it would be. She and Sirius had decided to wait until after the wedding and Harry's birthday to tell him about it. They both wanted him to have some time to enjoy himself and just be a normal teenager for a bit.
"It's not just that," he finally said.
"The hearing then," she said. Sirius' appointment about Harry's guardianship was the following day. "Harry," she said. "You know that even if Sirius doesn't get guardianship tomorrow, Professor Dumbledore will not send you back to the Dursley's nor will he make you leave Sirius. And Sirius will keep trying, even if they say no this time. Once we're married, it might be easier. Regardless, you'll be of age in a year and then no one can tell you who to live with."
"I know," Harry said.
"And it doesn't matter what the Ministry says," she continued. "You know you're ours already, don't you?" He blushed and looked away, but there was a small smile on his face that made Catherine grin.
"Come on," she said, putting an arm around his shoulders. "Rory has been dying to talk Quidditch to you all day." Harry grinned and they made their way into the kitchen, Catherine waving her wand and directing his bag up the stairs as they passed.