Chapter 23:

My Secret Garden

March 29, 1986

"Sirius, sweetheart, we need to have a little talk," Kitty said as she came out of their loo, wrapped in her fluffy dressing gown. He was still lounging in bed, only wearing his pants. She had a small phial in one hand and her wand in another.

"What do you have there?" he asked, quite certain he knew what it was and what its green color meant.

"You know that night in Fiji, where we demolished two champagne bottles, and Harry was staying on Remus' side of the house?"

"Yeah," he said with a smile, remembering their hours of lovemaking. He looked at the phial again. "You'd told me to do the charm, but –"

"Exactly…but," she said with a nod. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh, Merlin, that's amazing," Sirius said, jumping out bed and grabbing her. He enveloped her in his arms and kissed her passionately. Then he slid his hand inside her dressing gown to hold her belly, his large hand covering nearly all the slight protrusion of creamy skin. "There's a little Padfoot in there."

"So, you're happy?" Kitty and Sirius had talked about children, but in a very hypothetical way and with the understanding that it was somewhere in the future.

"Happy? I'm delirious! I told you I wanted to give Harry little sisters and brothers. Which is it?"

"Yes. The potion can't tell me that, not yet anyway. I should go see the Healer soon and find out exactly when we should expect little Padfoot. Merlin help me if he's as irrepressible as you are."

"Can we tell Remus and Harry? Can I tell the world?"

"Remus, yes, Harry and the world we should hold off on. Harry doesn't understand how long six to seven months is."

"Great! I'm going over to Remus'."

"Sirius, you should probably put some clothes on before you see Remus," Kitty said with a smile. "I know you shared a room, but really, he doesn't want to see you in your pants."

"Right, clothes." Sirius pulled Kitty's wand from her hand, summoned his from the bedside table. He gave Kitty's wand back with a soft kiss of thank you. "Accio clothes," he said, and his jeans and a jumper flew out at him.

"Can I bring one more thing up with you?" Kitty hesitantly asked. Sirius turned too quickly with one leg in his jeans, and the other stuck halfway down and fell onto the bed. Kitty laughed happily. Now that she knew Sirius would accept the child, she allowed herself the excitement of the baby.

"What?"

"Can we be married before the baby comes? It will make it so much easier when we go to pass on the Head of House duties if the baby is recorded as both a Fawley and a Black from day one, not having to go through the process of adding him or her to your family book in Gringotts." Sirius pulled the rest of his jeans on, stood, and took his fiancée into his arms. His hand played with the ring on her finger, wondering what Fee and Monty would think of him and Kitty as parents.

"Pick a day, tell me what to wear, and I will marry you. It could be tomorrow; it could be in three months; I've wanted to marry you for five years." They shared another passionate kiss, and then Sirius grabbed his jumper and ran to tell his best friend about his happy news.

Later that morning, Remus was beaming when his magical pupils met him near the Floo in the sitting room. He was going to be an uncle again. He wished it were he who would be a father, but no woman would want to have HIS child. The risk was too significant. Instead, he would be the dutiful uncle and teacher to the next generation.

"Why are you so happy, Uncle Remus?" Harry asked as he and Neville waited for the Weasleys to arrive. It was unusual for them to have a Saturday lesson, but Remus had not taught on the previous Tuesday or Wednesday due to the full moon, so they were making up a lesson today.

"Life is very good, Harry. Very, very good."

"Uncle Sirius was acting all weird at breakfast too. Were you drinking Firewhisky last night?" Harry asked, and the question gave Remus pause.

"How do you know what Firewhisky is, Harry?"

"When it was my daddy's birthday, you said you were going to remember him and raise a glass. The Firewhiskey bottle was out, and I read the label. Yesterday morning you were grumpy, and your eyes were red, then Cheery gave you a potion, and you were all happy and stuff." Harry was right; he and Sirius had been rather drunk celebrating their friend. Kitty had gone to Godric's Hollow and left flowers on James' grave. They were all going to need to be more careful around the five-and-a-half-year-old. Harry was very observant.

"No, Harry, we did not have too many drinks last night. I'm happy with the world, and so are Sirius and Kitty," Remus answered. "We get to raise you, and that makes us happy." Neville watched the interaction, feeling sad. No one cuddled and talked with him that way. He missed his mum and dad as much as Harry did his; his grandmother wasn't like any of Harry's guardians.

Ron and Ginny tumbled out of the Floo, bickering. "It wasn't my fault," Ron insisted.

"Yes, it was," Ginny said back. "If your shoes had been in your room, where Mum asks us to keep them, then the twins wouldn't have hidden them in the kitchen cupboards. Hello, Mr. Lupin."

"Hello, Ginny, Ron. You're not late, as I would never start without you. Today we will visit the magical greenhouse Lady Fawley keeps here before we start our maths for the day. Who can tell me one thing we will probably see in the greenhouse?" Neville and Harry both shot their hands in the air to answer.

"Neville?"

"I bet you grow Valerian. It's very useful in several potions."

"Correct, we do grow Valerian. Harry?"

"I know we grow ginger root because Cheery uses it in her gingersnaps."

"You're right. It's also helpful when added to particularly bad-tasting potions to make them more palatable," Remus explained.

"What does palatable mean?" Ron asked.

"It makes it taste better," Remus said. The quintet went down Harry's slide and walked toward the four greenhouses behind Remus's cottage. It wasn't until they walked through an invisible enchantment line that the fifth greenhouse emerged. Remus was happily surprised to find Neville knew a great deal about plants and told his little classmates some exciting facts. He planned to talk with his grandmother about perhaps having him come over and speak with Kitty about how they use botanicals in her work.

The group walked around a bit more, looking at the Bouncing Bulbs that were carefully netted, unless they were to bounce away and the Flitterblooms. Ginny was particularly enchanted by the delicate flowers. Kitty had a partition about two-thirds of the way back inside the greenhouse, and this is where Remus had the children turn around.

"Why can't we go back there?" Ron asked, standing on his tiptoes to see.

"That is where we keep the more dangerous plants. Things which could bite you, or make your ears bleed," Remus answered, putting his hands on Ron's shoulders and turning him around toward the front where Ginny and Neville were waiting. The werewolf then turned his gaze to Harry, who seemed transfixed by the idea of the dangerous plants and forbidden areas. Unlike the little boy, he was usually compliant when someone told him no – almost unhealthily so and all thanks to his horrible relatives.

Like on the night Kitty was poisoned, Harry had a glazed, vacant look. Remus would need to tell Kitty and Sirius. "Come on, Harry, time for maths," the teacher said gently, and Harry peered up at the man and sneered. Then the look was gone, and Harry's keen gaze returned with a little shake of his head. Harry then ran to catch up with his friends.

Two days later, Kitty was making her way through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, this being only her second day back, she hadn't had her direct Floo privileges to the DMLE returned yet. She'd be happy when she didn't need to walk through the crowded room to get to the lifts. As she approached an open lift, she noticed Fudge inside and chose to wait for a different car. To her mortification, he stepped out to speak with her. The only way it would have been worse was if Dumbledore were there too. Drawing on her well of social manners and propriety, she turned when he called her name.

"I suppose you're happy?"

"Regarding?" she answered his question with her own. She knew what he was asking, but she wanted him to squirm a little.

"My reassignment; your promotion," he bit out.

"My promotion is something which makes me happy. I had expressed a desire to remain in the UK while my son was growing up. I'm thankful that my request was accepted. Are you not happy in the DMLE Patrols Office? You're right in the thick of things," Kitty said with the exceptional politeness which always drove Cornelius Fudge crazy.

"No, I'm not happy in the Patrols Office! It's worse than being with the Hit Wizards," he seethed. "I belong in the Auror Office. You know, I do. Your father blocked me from my destiny," he whinged and spread spit as he spoke. Kitty was glad she was still wearing her outer cloak, as she didn't want to wear his saliva all day.

"If it was truly your destiny, then my father would not have been able to thwart you. I had nothing to do with your transfer."

"Yes, you did," he yelled. "When you freed that murderer." Many people turned to look at the pair, and Kitty wanted to hide. She drew enough attention all on her own. She didn't need a raging idiot garnering her more.

"Sirius was proven innocent," she said quietly. "Had you simply followed regulations and given him a trial, then, you would not be suffering now." She saw a mostly empty lift just to her left and turned and dashed for it. She slid in before the gates closed and pressed her button.

Fudge remained in the Atrium, people staring at him. "She is going to pay for this."

After stowing her cloak and briefcase in her office – no longer in the large bullpen area but in an office with a door that she shared with Kingsley – she went to speak with their administrative assistant. Ailill looked like a man whose name should mean elf in Gaelic. Tall, reedy thin with angular features to his face, and an unnaturally dark red hue to his hair, Ailill was easily mistaken for a full-blooded Fire Elf, although he was only half. His employment in such a prominent place was Amelia's desire to promote cooperation between magical individuals, not divide them more.

"I need to speak with Amelia for a few minutes," Kitty explained. "When Kingsley comes in, could you tell him where I've gone?"

"Of course, Lady Fawley," he replied. Kitty had already spoken to him about calling her Ms. Fawley if Kitty was too informal. It was apparent that he was going to call her the more formal title. At least he was no longer calling her Princess Ekaterina Aurelia Lovisa anymore.

"Thank you."

The distance between the two offices was short, so when Kitty felt the twinge of a Stinging Hex hit her legs, she turned around quickly, wand drawn. There was no one behind her, although the door to the loo was just closing. Choosing not to go looking for whoever hexed her, she finished making her way to Amelia. Once inside her friend's office, the door shut, Kitty told her boss the news of her pregnancy.

"Oh, Kitty, that's wonderful," the other woman said while hugging the mom-to-be. "Do you know when you're due?"

"I think late October, although I'm going to a Maternity Healer tomorrow. I'll need to leave the office for a little while, I hope that isn't a problem," Kitty said expectantly.

"Not at all," Amelia replied. "Just make sure your assistant knows where you are. Is Ailill still calling you Princess?" Amelia indicated Kitty should sit.

"No, thankfully, but he insists on calling me, Lady Fawley. After Beltane, though, he'll need to call me Fawley-Black," Kitty slipped in softly.

"You've set a date," Amelia said happily. "Of course, you and Sirius would marry on Beltane, you've proven you're fertile." Beltane was the day of fertility and promise for the good harvests of the summer to come.

"That isn't why I picked it," Kitty confessed. "I've always wanted to be married on a holy day. I love fire festivals, and I shouldn't be showing, although anyone who has even the most rudimentary maths skills will figure out I was pregnant when we married."

"Are you doing a traditional pure-blood wedding?" Amelia asked, thinking her reserved friend would most likely not want such a thing.

"Merlin's baggy y-fronts, no!" Kitty swore. "Small, private with just family and friends near us. That is all Sirius and I want. If I desired an event, I'd tell my mother and let her arrange it."

"You haven't told your parents?"

"They know we're engaged," Kitty said with a sigh. "But…well, they were unhappy. Father said he'd hoped for a royal marriage – a deposed prince or duke – for would it have served the family well. Mother said she didn't trust Sirius. They knew I loved him, even when I was angry with him." Kitty was finding herself more frequently disappointed in her parents now that she was raising Harry in the manner Fee and Monty Potter had loved Sirius and her. "I'll invite them, but Father won't want to miss ICW rulings days, which dominate early May."

The pair discussed the wedding slightly, and Amelia promised she would go robes shopping with Kitty over the weekend. Kitty was pleased with this development, as she didn't think Remus would enjoy going with her.

"I hate to bring work into this, but a memory phial was brought in from Yugoslavia this morning. Will you look at it and tell me what you think it is?" Amelia queried.

"Absolutely." Amelia summoned her Pensive and dropped the memory in. It must have been through the eyes of whomever the Aurors had implanted into the Mulciber household, given the perspective. It seemed they were serving food to a diner party, the four identified families being present. Kitty found it strange, they had human servants – footmen in this case – although her mother had a maid and a lady's maid. When the servant made his way to the head of the table, Kitty gasped.

Propped up on pillows was a deathly pale infant. Their eyes were red.

"Whose baby is that?" Kitty muttered, her hand protectively covering her own growing child as she shivered.