November 1985

Darcy woke up slowly that morning, savoring every last second of her five more minutes of sleep. She sat up and rubbed at her eyes.

"Look who's finally up", Sirius said from her doorway. "We have to get moving if we don't want you to be late for school, kiddo."

Darcy stretched and groaned softly.

"Are you feeling okay?", her godfather asked. "Usually you're up and already dressed by now."

"M'fine", she yawned. "Just tired."

"Get up and dressed, we barely have time for breakfast."

Sirius lingered in that spot until Darcy got out of bed and picked up the clothes they had laid out for her the night before. He left her alone to change and quickly finished making her eggs.

Darcy stumbled down the stairs, careful to mask the miserable look on her face. She felt horrible, but she didn't want to tell Sirius that. He already had to take care of Remus, she didn't want to make him worry about her, too.

"Come on, love. You don't have much time to eat."

"I'm not really hungry", Darcy said softly.

Sirius frowned. "Well, eat as much as you can. We have to leave in twenty minutes. Remus doesn't believe I can get you there on time by myself, but we're going to show him, right?"

Darcy nodded and began to eat. She managed to finish most of what was on her plate before pushing it away.

"Alright, are you ready to go?", Sirius asked.

"Yeah." She stood from the table and took her backpack from him. He reached for her hand and in response she held up both of her arms, silently asking to be carried.

"Weren't you complaining a few weeks ago about me carrying you to school?", he asked as he lifted her up. Not that he was going to argue, of course. He would baby her as long as humanly possible.

Darcy snuggled closer to him.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?", Sirius asked. "You're awfully quiet."

"I'm okay", she assured him. He turned on his heel and they apparated to a side street near her school.

"Look at us, right on time", he said as they walked in. Sirius kissed her cheek and set her down on the floor. "Have fun, be good, and I'll see you in a few hours, okay?"

"Okay." Darcy hugged his legs and he patted her back before she hurried into the classroom with the other kids.

Sirius apparated back home and went to check on Remus. The full moon was only a few days away, and it was already taking a toll on his best friend's health. Sirius found said best friend sitting up in bed, reading.

"I should call Madame Pomfrey and tell her you're not resting properly", Sirius remarked.

Remus glared at him. "That's not funny."

"Who said I was joking?"

"Did you get Darcy to school on time?", Remus asked, changing the subject.

"I will have you know we were there a few minutes early. She was acting a bit off this morning, she was quiet and sluggish."

"Was she feeling sick?"

"I asked her, she said no."

Just then, their telephone began to ring. Sirius jumped at the noise–he still wasn't used to that bloody awful sound–before going into the kitchen to answer it.

Darcy groaned and wrapped her arms around her stomach tightly. She really wished she hadn't eaten so much for breakfast. She would have been fine if she ate slower!

She had felt fine up until snack time. Her teacher had told all of the kids to get their snacks out of their bags, and as soon as Darcy pulled hers out, her stomach turned and she vomited. So, she was in the nurse's office.

There was a soft knock on the wall and she turned her head to see Sirius standing there.

"Hey, ladybug", he said softly. "Ready to go home?"

Darcy nodded and let him pick her up, immediately laying her head on his shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?", Sirius asked as they walked out the front door of the school. "You could've stayed in bed this whole time and gotten some more sleep."

Darcy shrugged.

"Alright, well, let's get you home and into your comfiest pajamas."

The nurse had informed him that Darcy's temperature had been taken and she didn't have a fever, thankfully.

Darcy had been with them for just over a year, and she was leaps and bounds ahead of where she was when they first got her back. She would initiate conversations, voice her opinions. However, some old habits were harder to break, such as getting her to admit when she was sick or hurt.

Sirius and Remus talked about this particular habit a lot. They didn't want to punish her for it, for fear of her thinking that she was in trouble for being sick or injured. They talked to a few other parents and came to the conclusion that eventually she would understand that they wanted to help her, and she would be more open.

Any day now, Sirius thought.

"Okay", he said once they were far enough away from the building. "Apparating might make your stomach more upset, but as soon as we get home I'll get you a potion, okay?"

"Mkay."

Darcy tightened her arms around his neck and closed her eyes. She hated apparating as it was, she didn't need another reason.

Sirius turned on his heel and in a second they were outside their house.

"How was that?", he asked her. "Did it make you feel worse?"

"A little", Darcy said softly.

Honesty! Yes!

"We'll take care of that in just a bit."

They walked inside and he put her down.

"You go get back into your pajamas and I'll grab you some potions, okay?"

Darcy nodded and walked up the stairs.

Sirius sighed. Now he had two sick people to take care of, and he wasn't sure which one would be more stubborn. He climbed the stairs after Darcy and walked past her room to the bathroom. He quickly pulled out the potion she needed and went back to her bedroom. She had opened the door after she finished changing, and was now sitting on her bed, hugging her stuffed Padfoot tightly.

"Here we go", he said, giving her an encouraging smile as he held out the small vial.

"I don't want it", Darcy mumbled.

"I know, but it'll make you feel better. You were so brave about taking one last time, remember?"

The first time she had been sick while living with them, she had complied at every step. Looking back, it was probably because she was still afraid to get in trouble.

"Please, ladybug?", Sirius tried. "I don't like seeing you so sick."

Darcy took the vial from him and drank it easily.

"Look at you", he said proudly when she handed it back. "You're better at taking these than Remus is."

She smiled at that before lying down.

"Yell if you need anything, okay?", Sirius said. He kissed the tip of her nose. "Love you."

"Love you too."

He stood up straight and quietly left her alone, leaving her door open a bit in case she needed anything.

"Congratulations, Moony", Sirius chuckled as he walked into his best friend's room. "A five-year-old is officially less stubborn about taking potions than you are."

Remus rolled his eyes. "She didn't fight you at all?"

"She said she didn't want to take it, once, and that was it. As opposed to some werewolf in his mid-twenties I know."

"Shut up. She doesn't understand how gross they are yet. You probably flavored it for her."

"I did not. You can flavor your own potions, mate."

"I do, they're still awful."

"That's life. Do you need anything?"

"No, I'm fine", Remus replied. "I'm going to try to sleep."

"Sounds good", Sirius nodded. "Taking care of two sick people. I should be getting paid for this!"

"Yes, well, this is the worst hospital I've ever been to."

"You're the worst patient I've ever taken care of. My other patient is an angel."

"Aren't nurses supposed to let their patients sleep?"

"Not if they keep talking to me first."

"Get out."

With another chuckle, Sirius closed the door and sighed. What was he supposed to do now? He walked back to Darcy's room and peeked inside. She was still sound asleep, her stuffed dog in danger of falling off her bed. He tiptoed inside and carefully moved it so it was within her reach again.

It was amazing how much a person could love someone. He certainly never thought he would care so much about a kid, even if it was James' child. But no, Sirius loved her for so much more than who her parents were.

He gently brushed some of her hair out of her face before leaving the room once more. The house was quiet until about an hour later when Darcy stumbled out of her room and into the bathroom to vomit again.

Sirius was instantly at her side, kneeling down and holding her hair back. Once she was done, he picked her up and carried her back to her room.

"Stay awake for me for just a bit, okay?", Sirius asked. "I need you to drink some water."

"But my stomach", Darcy whined.

"I know, love, but you need to stay hydrated."

She held her arms up to him. Sirius hesitated before picking her back up.

"We're feeling really cuddly today, aren't we?", he asked. He carried her down the stairs and balanced her with one arm while using the other to get her a glass of water. He held it out and she shook her head.

"Please, Darcy. I need you to drink at least half of this."

Darcy whined quietly but took the cup from him.

"Slowly", Sirius instructed.

She nodded and took a few long sips until she had drank nearly all of the water.

"That's a good girl. Let's get you back to bed, you need to rest."

"Can I stay with you?", Darcy asked sleepily.

"How about I sit with you in your room until you fall asleep again?"

She whined softly again and tightened her grip on him.

"You have to sleep, ladybug. Otherwise you'll never feel better."

"Mkay", Darcy yawned.

Sirius carried her back upstairs and tucked her into bed after she rolled onto her side. He sat down on the edge and gently scratched her back until she nodded off.

This was uncharted territory for him. But again, he supposed it was a good thing that she felt comfortable enough to be clingy.

Which would be harder: Taking care of a sick child who didn't know how to be cared for, or taking care of a sick child who didn't want you to leave them alone?

Sirius waited until he was sure she was asleep before trying to escape. He slowly stood up and managed to get to the door before he heard her voice.

"Can you stay? Please?", Darcy asked in the most adorable sleepy voice.

"If you want me to, yeah. Can I go tell Remus I'll be here with you?"

She nodded and watched with big eyes as he left.

Merlin, those eyes would be the death of him.

"I have another update", Sirius announced as he walked back into Remus' room.

"What's that?"

"Now she doesn't want me out of her sight. I swear she was asleep, but she woke up when I tried to leave her room. So, that's where I'll be for the foreseeable future."

"I'll be fine", Remus assured him. "I can summon whatever I need."

"Sounds good", Sirius nodded. "If I'm not out of there by tomorrow send help."

He went back to Darcy's room and sighed when he saw that she was still awake waiting for him.

"I'm back", he said. "Do you want me to lay with you?"

"Please?", she yawned.

"Of course." Sirius walked around her bed and laid down beside her. He extended his arm and she attached herself to him before immediately falling asleep once more.

Shoot. He was stuck, and he wasn't entirely sure where his wand was, so he couldn't summon anything that he might need to pass the time. It definitely wasn't in his pocket, he would have felt it when he laid down. Well, he figured he might as well rest up, too.

And that is how Remus found him that evening, asleep in his goddaughter's bed.

To everyone going back to school soon, stay safe and good luck!