Chapter 5

Every time I read that part, it makes me so mad. I completely relate to Mummy P. I couldn't imagine Papa being able to dictate my life choices. Not that he doesn't try, but that's another concept entirely. At least I can tell him to bugger off, which always starts a big row. No one tells Sirius Black to shove off without hearing an earful of exactly what you didn't want him to put his nose in.

Point being, I couldn't imagine being in Mummy P's position. The next morning, she packed up her belongings and took the first boat to San Sebastian, Spain. Abuela had a summer cottage there, and invited Mummy P to stay there as long as she wanted. It's a beautiful little place on the water.

And Daddy P (I can't call him Stephen, partially because I'm desperately in love with his quasi-namesake – again, another story) kept his word. He came home to an empty house, which completely broke his heart. However, it made him completely determined to win Mummy P's heart.

The spring passed, with Mummy P spending her days thinking at the shore. Often, her gaze turned northward towards London, although she wouldn't admit it, even to herself. And Daddy P quit his job at the bank, taking an entry-level position at the Ministry. He was a man on a mission, and he wouldn't go see her until he had accomplished his goals.

Often, Abuela would come to see Mummy P and bring Papa with her. My Grandfather Black lost his mind, more or less, when Grandma Juliana died. He walked around the house like a zombie for a week. Then, he started drowning his grief in alcohol. After losing his parents, I guess his heart couldn't take any more loss. So, he shut everyone and everything out, including Papa.

Abuela couldn't stand the idea of her grandson being raised by a strange nanny, so she took him to Spain with her. They roamed the countryside together as she made her rounds. Whenever she was in the northeast part of the country, they'd visit for a while. Life became somewhat routine after a while, and spring blossomed into summer…

~~~~~


Victoria slowly stood up, taking a minute to get her balance before letting go of the armchair. This was her least favorite part of the day – bedtime. The minutes before she fell asleep were often lonely and she worked hard to keep unwanted thoughts out of her mind. She crossed the room, picked up a quill, and crossed another day off the calendar.

One less day before the babies arrive. And one more day she managed to keep from thinking about Stephen. She set her jaw, waddled to her bedroom, and attempted to settle into bed. More often than not, the twins sensed her stillness, which inspired them to stage their own entertainment for at least an hour. They were quite active, and as Victoria ruefully looked at her figure – quite large.

But, as shocking as becoming a mother at twenty had been at first, she found herself looking forward to their arrival. She made a mental note to put the finishing touches on the nursery in the morning, wanting to finish everything before she became too large to work for extended periods of time.

She utilized a number of charms in an effort to lie more comfortably, eventually falling asleep…

The air was damp, and cold. Victoria wrapped her shawl around her small body tighter, trying to fight off the chill. She lay down on her palette and cried hot tears on the pillow, waiting for the familiar sound of the air raid sirens. This was the worst part of the night – the nervous anticipation.

"Mary?" she whispered to another little girl sleeping about five feet away.

"Yeah?" the girl hissed back.

"Shhhh! Some people are trying to sleep," came another voice.

"Sod off, Stephen," Victoria snapped.

"I would, if you'd shut your trap for five minutes," Stephen replied. "I can't get a bloody wink of sleep once the Nazis show up."

"Well, I can't sleep, knowing that they're flying for us right now," a tiny voice cried out in the dark.

"It's ok, Lara. You can come over here with me," Victoria said comfortingly.

She lit a lantern, illuminating the small wine cellar. Large barrels of wine took up the majority of the space, leaving little room for the six children who made the cellar home during the long nights.

Two months prior, the London wizarding families fled to the Gates estate, which was just outside city limits. During the day, the children continued their studies and pretended life was normal.

But as soon as the sun set, they ate a quick dinner and went to the cellar to escape the bomb blasts. The underground room wasn't large enough for everyone, so their mothers and grandmothers busied themselves with extinguishing the fires from the air raids.

A small redheaded girl flew into Victoria's arms, and they clung to each other as the sirens went off. She scanned the room; each familiar face etched with worry and fear that tonight would be the night that something bad would happen. That morning may never come.

The first bomb hit the ground with a deafening thud, too close to home for comfort. Mary Bones huddled close to her little sister Lara and Victoria. Samantha Johnson and John Britt quickly joined them. Stephen bravely pretended that he wasn't at all scared, and sat about five feet away from the girls.

"I'm scared," three-year-old Samantha whispered, beginning to cry.

"Don't be," Stephen answered confidently. "My dad's the best pilot in the Royal Air Force. He can fly faster and better than any Nazi, and he won't let any of them hurt us."

"I miss my daddy," Lara wailed. "He's on a ship far away."

"So's mine," John added, his lower lip trembling.

"Why do our fathers have to fight in the bloody Muggle war, anyway?" Mary raged.

"It's our war, too," Stephen said, scooting closer to them. "What happens if the Muggles lose and we're invaded by the Nazis? Do you know what they do to magical people? They kill us, that's what."

"That's not true," John disputed him.

"It is true. They're attacking all of Britain, not just the Muggles. Dad told me that's why he quit playing Quiddich and joined the Royal Air Force. To protect all of us," Stephen continued. Victoria looked at him, amazed. He may be a prat, but he really knew how to talk to people.

"What'll happen when the war's over?" Samantha asked, not really remembering what life used to be like.

"Well," Victoria began, "we'll sleep in our beds at night. The sky will be full of stars instead of airplanes. Our fathers will come home and we'll be families again. Oh, and the food."

"Like milk for breakfast?" Lara inquired hopefully.

"Yes. And chocolate bars," Stephen added, smiling at the memory. "We'll eat candy until we almost explode. Then, we'll walk around Diagon Alley and there will be toys in the toy stores."

"We'll have Christmas trees again," Victoria said dreamily. The other children were so spellbound listening to her and Stephen, they didn't hear the bombing outside.

"The Quiddich store will have more supplies than they can sell in a year."

"Don't forget the ice cream store! The sugar cones that melt in your mouth…"

"No more dirty wine cellar!" Victoria called out joyfully, throwing her hands up in the air.

"No more--"

Victoria woke up with a start, hearing a loud wailing. For a second, she was mentally transported to when she was a little girl during World War II. But, she shook herself out of the panicky feeling by reminding herself that this is San Sebastian, not London. And that there are no Nazi bombers here.

However, there was a piercing noise in the air not altogether unlike an air raid siren, which showed no signs of stopping. In a groggy haze, she struggled to get to her feet and walked into the nursery where a small baby lay in a crib screaming his lungs out. She reached down and scooped the little boy up, yawning.

"What's the matter?" she asked, as if he could answer her. He immediately stopped crying and smiled. "You're kidding me. Sirius, this isn't funny."

She put the baby back down and turned to leave the room. His face turned red and immediately let out an indignant howl. Victoria wearily turned around and put her hands on her hips. He grinned and looked at her with wide, innocent eyes. Juliana's eyes.

"I'm such a softie," she muttered, picking Sirius up and walking back towards her bedroom. He was asleep before she reached the hallway. "Guess you were just lonely, then. Well, I can understand that."

Victoria sighed sadly. Even before the War, her parents were always distant. Her part of the estate was at the opposite side of the house from her parents. When she woke up with nightmares, no one was around to hear her cry. It was a very isolated existence.

She swore that things would be different for her own children as she put Sirius down on the bed beside her. Other than being a bit of an attention hog, he couldn't be a better-behaved baby. Usually he was simply content to lie on the floor and watch Victoria paint.

About a month before, a minor flu epidemic broke out in Toledo. Sirius' Abuela, as Mariana was now termed, asked Victoria if she would care for the baby so that she could help out the already overworked doctors.

Victoria was all too happy to agree. The little boy was all that remained of the best friend that she'd ever had. It amazed her how much life he brought to the little cottage. He found everything highly fascinating, especially anything having to do with bubbles or making loud noises. She reminded herself to give him a bath later as she put up charms so that she wouldn't roll over on him.

"You know this is just for tonight, right?" she asked the soundly sleeping baby, before dozing off.

~~~~~


A muffled knock at the front door woke Victoria from a sound sleep. She opened an eye slowly and checked the clock. Noon. Heaving a heavy sigh, she threw on her robe, frowning when it didn't completely wrap around her. The knock became louder, so instead of finding something else to wear, she went to the door in her nightgown and an open robe that she swore fit just two days ago.

Besides, it was probably Mariana anyway. She stopped by a couple times a week to check on the two of them. Although it was her house, she always had the courtesy to knock and wait to be invited in. Victoria smiled at her kindness. If it hadn't been for the older witch's support, she didn't know how she would've made it through the past few months.

She smiled broadly before opening the door, full of cute stories to tell the doting grandmother about Sirius from the past three days. Her smile froze in place, and she stood in the doorway, staring. It wasn't the doctor at all. Victoria tried to say something – anything – but no words came.

"Hello, Victoria."

"St-Stephen," she replied in greeting, finding her tongue.

His eyes took in her incredibly rounded figure without comment. She desperately wished that her robe fit. At least then she wouldn't feel so exposed. Stephen didn't quite know what to say, either. Well, he knew what he wanted to say, but not how to say it.

"Can I come in?" he asked hopefully. She nodded curtly.

"Sure, but you need to be quiet."

"All right," Stephen said slowly, walking inside the cottage.

"He'll sleep until one o'clock or so if he's not disturbed. But, he sleeps so lightly that anything wakes him up unless he's with me. Would you like to see him? He's the only man in my life these days."

She said the last part a bit warningly. If Stephen came here to try to boss her around or take her home, he had another think coming. Victoria turned around and began walking in the direction of her bedroom, so she didn't see Stephen's face fall despondently.

It was heartbreaking enough that Victoria was with another man. She didn't need to rub his nose in it. And he certainly didn't want to meet this "other man" who was good enough to raise his children. But, he invited himself here, so Stephen followed her down the hallway out of politeness.

Victoria waddled into her room and tiptoed to the bed. Sure enough, Sirius was wide-awake, scowling. She motioned for Stephen to come closer. With slow, plodding steps he crossed the room, where a grumpy baby stared up at him. Puzzled, he looked at Victoria with questioning eyes.

"This--" he stammered.

"Stephen Potter," she said, lowering herself on the bed, "meet Sirius Black, the baby Don Juan. Somehow he has wormed his way into my bed every night for the past few weeks. If I'm this easy, there's no hope for the rest of the female population. Quite a charmer."

You're a lucky little man, Stephen thought, looking at the baby. Maybe you can give me a pointer or two when you learn to talk.

Victoria watched Stephen's face turn up in an odd smile. He began laughing, softly at first, but soon he was clutching his sides. Sirius watched him, fascinated by the bizarre display.

"What's so funny?" Victoria asked, looking at him strangely.

"I-I'm sorry," he snorted. "I thought you were…and he's a – a baby."

"Yes, Sirius is a baby. What's your point?"

"Never mind," Stephen answered hastily, trying to regain some semblance of composure. But, he immediately began laughing again at the idea of being jealous of an infant.

"So, what brings you here?" Victoria narrowed her eyes suspiciously, standing up. She levitated Sirius to her and headed towards the kitchen to fix him a bottle. "Would you like something? Tea?"

"Sure. Can I help you with something?" He watched her balance the baby, a teakettle, and a bottle all at once.

"No. I get along just fine by myself. Which brings me back to my question. Why are you here?"

"To tell you something," Stephen began bravely.

"Which is?"

"Well, remember the morning that you left and I went to my dad's firm?" He paused as she nodded while feeding the baby. "I went to ask him to help me get a job at the Ministry."

"What for?" Victoria asked distractedly, placing about ninety percent of her attention on Sirius.

"When your dad was yelling at you like you, I realized how unequal the laws are between men and women. This is probably going to sound really cheesy, but I didn't want you or any other woman to be treated that way again. So, I proposed a new set of laws to replace the old ones."

"Oh?" She looked up, now genuinely interested.

"Yes. The old common laws are gone, which means that you're a free woman. I know I promised not to come find you, but I had to tell you that. The Minister signed the new laws in yesterday. I brought you a copy."

Stephen smiled sheepishly and removed a thick roll of parchment from his robe pocket. He held it out to her. She unrolled the parchment, and scanned the tiny, precise writing. Every once in a while, an approving smile flashed over her face. It was worth all the months of work and lobbying to see the happiness in her eyes when she finished reading.

"Why did you do this?" she couldn't help asking.

"Because I love you," he blurted out before he could stop himself. "I want to make you happy, Victoria. If you want me to leave, I will. I'll walk right back out of that front door and leave you be, like I did before. But, I really want a chance to show you that I'm not like your father."

"You already did." She smiled softly and tapped the parchment lightly.

"I didn't come here with any expectations. Just to tell you that we're in no way, shape or form married, and to make you an offer."

Victoria suddenly scowled. "I don't need any blood money, thank you very much. Even though Daddy signed all of my assets over to you, now they're mine again. The law says so. Take your vault keys and go."

"That wasn't my offer. I have some vacation time built up, and I was wondering if I could help you out around here. Twins are a handful. Especially if they're a combination of us." He winked and looked at Sirius. "Now, I'm not trying to kick you out of your bed or anything. I see you have a good thing going, and I'm no home wrecker. You're the man of the house, and I respect that. Do you think that if it's okay with Victoria, that I could crash on the couch for a while?"

The baby stared at him while she burst out laughing. Stephen did have a humorous way of putting things. Although she wouldn't admit it, she always liked spending time with him.

"Ok, fine," she caved in. Her stomach fluttered a bit at his happy grin, and it wasn't because of the twins. If she didn't watch it, she could really fall for him. "Just until the babies come."

~~~~~


Loud explosions sounded in the air, making Victoria jump and look around wildly. Muffled screams and cries echoed behind her. She turned around and her knees buckled. The worst had somehow happened – Hogwarts castle was under attack. Or would be very, very soon.

She jumped to her feet, amazed at her freedom of movement without the twins. They must not be true Seers, or their powers would've brought them along for the ride. She said a quick prayer of thanks. Being a Seer was an incredible burden most of the time.

A flash of bright green light illuminated the sky. Curious, she ran then length of the Great Hall and onto the grounds. Hogsmeade was on fire, and a large skull hovered over the entire town. Victoria involuntarily shuddered at the sight of this unknown evil. Whenever this battle took place, it was not soon.

"Papa, I'm fighting. This is my battle, too. You can't make me hide in the catacombs with Nick and Meggie," a female teenage voice protested.

"You're not strong enough to fight," her father said. Both figures came into view, causing Victoria to gape at them. The girl especially, who had Stephen's bushy, caramel colored hair. She knew the man as the adult Sirius Black.

This battle was sooner than she realized. A sinking feeling settled into her stomach, knowing the futility of warning anyone of this. No matter what she said or did, this future scene would take place, anyway.

"I'm the strongest witch of my generation, and you know it. You need me," she said pleadingly.

"I need you alive. The Dark Lord has a personal vendetta with Harry. You're not his primary target. The survival of our people depends on one of you staying alive. Come on."

Sirius' voice left no room for protest. Victoria followed them, navigating the familiar pathways and tunnels under the castle. She knew these passageways by heart, realizing that they were going to the innermost catacomb. The castle was expected to fall, otherwise this retreat wouldn't be necessary.

At the doorway to the large cavern stood an incredibly tall blonde-haired woman, hurrying the students and refugees from Hogsmeade inside. At first Victoria thought she was part veela, but decided against it quickly. Powerful, yes, but the woman was completely human. She had a small boy propped against one hip, and a little girl on the other hip.

When the babies saw Sirius, they squirmed to be let down and quickly toddled to him. He picked them up and held them as if this was the last time he'd ever see either of them. Victoria knew that could very well be the truth. She brushed away tears as he led them back to the cave.

"How much longer do we have?" the tall woman asked in a tight voice.

"Ten minutes at the most," Sirius answered. "Everyone's ready. Well, as ready as we can be."

"Good. All that's left to do is seal the catacombs, then. Ginny?" The woman turned to a red-headed girl deep in conversation with a tall, messy haired boy.

"Yes?" Ginny answered.

"It's time to go, so you're in charge here. If things start sounding very bad, then start evacuating everyone through the passageways into the Forbidden Forest. But, that will only buy you a little time from the inevitable," she said grimly, taking out a syringe filled with a clear liquid. "This is sodium pentothal. If it becomes necessary, I need you to give the twins half of the vial each. They shouldn't suffer because of this. Can you do that for me?"

Ginny nodded hesitantly. "It won't come to that."

"I hope not." She hugged the teenager tightly, and turned to the rest of the small group assembled. "Time to dance."

Everyone burst out laughing at her comment. "Only you, Aunt Isabelle," the messy-haired boy said. She ruffled her nephew's hair affectionately.

"Ok. Isabelle and Harry, you're with the castle group. The last line of defense, so the Death Eaters will be weak and mind games will be fun. Use your Discerner thing for mental amusement. I'll be with Remus in the grounds. Hermione, get inside the catacombs with Ginny and the twins," Sirius commanded.

"Are you off your nut? We need her. You're the best dueler alive, so keep her with you. Hermione's a liability here with the rest of the children. Voldie won't rest until he finds her," Isabelle argued.

"Fine," he said, rubbing his eyes wearily. "Let's say goodbye and roll."

Victoria openly bawled watching Harry and Hermione, her grandchildren, she thought with pride, hug each other and make snide comments about who was going to bring down more Death Eaters. Harry then turned to Ginny as Hermione hugged the little twins. It was a truly heartbreaking sight.

"Isabelle, it's not too late to stay here with the children. You've fought so many battles, and--" She silenced Sirius by putting one finger on his lips.

"Don't talk like that. Like you're not going to make it." She leaned her forehead against his. "My babies need their father."

"And they need their mother. What if--"

"No what if's. Sirius, I've always been there for you. I'm not about to leave you now."

"Oh, Isabelle." He held her tightly. "Gráim thú." (I love you.)

"The sun'll come out, tomorrow. Bet your bottom dollar that tomorrow, there'll be sun," she sang.

"You're a nut."

"And you love me for it. Come on, sing with me. This is getting way too heavy," she insisted. "Just thinkin' about tomorrow, clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow 'til there's none."

"When I'm stuck with a day that's grey and lonely, I just stick out my chin and grin. And say," they softly sang together in perfect harmony. "Oh, the sun'll come out tomorrow. So ya gotta hang on 'til tomorrow, come what may! Tomorrow, tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow. You're always a day away."

Victoria smiled through her tears at the couple, knowing that Juliana would surely approve of this Isabelle. The two women were eerily similar, as a matter of fact. Always trying to lighten the mood by cracking some joke.

The scene began to blur. Although she tried her hardest to maintain the vision, Victoria awoke in a cold sweat, screaming. Stephen ran into the room, disheveled.

"What's wrong? Is it time?" he asked anxiously.

"No." She flung her head back on her pillows despondently. "I had a-a vision of the future. Somehow the worst happened. I don't know how, but it did. And, I don't know how it ends! If only I knew one way or the other…"

"It'll be all right," Stephen said soothingly, taking her in his arms and stroking her hair.

"No. Don't you get it? The dream means that I failed. I couldn't protect my children," she sobbed.

"Victoria, all we can do is make the best of the time in between now and then. The future's going to happen anyway, so why worry about it?"

"I guess you're right. Maybe we shouldn't tell our twins about the Light or the ancient treaties. It's been a curse and a burden to me my whole life. If they're going to face evil eventually, they should at least have a normal childhood," she said, looking at her midsection.

"If you think that's best. I trust your judgment."

"Thank you," Victoria said gratefully as he stood to leave. "Stephen?"

"Yes?"

"Don't go. I don't want to be alone right now."

"Where's your usual bedmate?" he wondered with a half-grin. Victoria rolled her eyes heavenwards.

"In his crib for a change. Please stay, just for tonight?"

"I'll stay as long as you want me to," Stephen answered honestly.

~~~~~


Bubbles and water splashed over the top of the sink and spilled onto the floor with a loud splash, causing Stephen to look up from his breakfast. He watched a very agitated Victoria give Sirius a bath. She greatly preferred the kitchen sink to the bathtub because kneeling was practically impossible these days. And if she managed this feat, getting up again was another issue entirely. No amount of charms or potions improved her mobility, which frustrated her.

"Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously. She turned her head to face him and scowled.

"I'm nine months pregnant in the middle of the summer. I'm hot, I can't move, I'm always tired and to top it all off, my back is killing me," she huffed.

"Then why don't you go lay down?" Stephen suggested helpfully. "I'll take care of Sirius. We had fun yesterday at the Quiddich shop in town. I'm sure we can find an ice cream stand or something. I'll bring you any flavor you want."

"Don't be nice to me," she warned, turning back to the baby.

"I can't help it that I'm naturally charming. It's a curse, I swear," he said with a rakish grin.

"I'd argue with that, but the proof's right in front of me," Victoria replied, looking down at her enlarged figure. She leaned closer to the sink and scrubbed away at a dark spot on Sirius' arm. He let out a painful cry, causing her to examine his wrist more closely. "Oh, no. You're kidding me, right?"

"What is it? Is he sick or hurt?" Stephen asked anxiously.

"Oh, you poor little thing," she said to the baby, plucking him out of the water and expertly wrapping him in a towel.

"What?" he repeated. Victoria held out Sirius' wrist. "Ok, he has a birthmark in the shape of the letter t."

"It's a sword," she corrected him.

"Oh," Stephen said, finally understanding the importance of the tiny mark.

"We're kindred spirits, you and I," she said softly to the baby boy. "You're the last of your people, just like I am. What are the odds of us finding each other, huh?"

"How can you tell he's the last in his line?"

"The mark turns black. Otherwise, it's a light brown that's barely noticeable. See?" Victoria held out her own wrist, showing him a tiny black shield.

"It'll lighten after the twins are born, then?"

"Exactly. You got this from your daddy, didn't you? Worthless Scottish git. Oops, I shouldn't have said that. It's not your fault who your parents are. I certainly know that. And he was a good man, Sirius, or you mum wouldn't have married him. Maybe he'll get a hold of himself." She sighed.

"Maybe," Stephen said doubtfully. Victoria obviously hadn't heard about how William had been acting after his wife died. And in her current state, he wasn't going to upset her. Especially when she let out a mangled cry and stared at Sirius like it was the first time that she'd ever seen him.

"Stephen! My vision – it's much worse than I realized," she gasped.

"Meaning? Come on, sit down." He guided her to a chair.

"Meaning that something just occurred to me. Sirius has three children by two different mothers. The oldest child, a girl, has your hair. Except it looks cute on her," Victoria teased, winking at him. It was pretty cute on him, too. "So that means that her mother is our daughter."

"So? Sirius is a fairly upstanding, decent six month old. I'm sure he'll turn out all right."

"That's not the point, Stephen. Our daughter's dead. We have a granddaughter without a mother. My baby's not even born, and she's dead!" She burst into tears, clutching Sirius.

"You don't know that for sure," he said practically.

"Then where was she! No mother would leave their child in a life or death situation to fend for themselves. And there was another teenager, a boy. He looked a whole like what our son will look like. No parents, just an aunt! Who's the mother of Sirius' other children. So, Harry's mum has a sister who marries Sirius?" Victoria mused to herself, wiping her tears onto her sleeve, not caring how childish it looked.

"Harry?" Stephen wondered.

"Yes, Harry," she repeated. "And the girl's name is Hermione."

"What kind of name is that?"

"It's from Shakespeare."

"It sounds like an infectious disease." He wrinkled his nose.

"You're talking about our granddaughter here!" Victoria pointed out, beginning to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation. "And Sirius' daughter, so bugger off."

Stephen looked at the tiny baby and just shook his head amusedly. "So, you're around to stay, huh?"

"Of course he is! We can't let him grow up by himself, right?" She looked at him pleadingly.

"Nah. He is pretty cute," he joked. Stephen had never been so happy in all his life. Victoria said "we", which meant that she wanted him to stick around.

~~~~~


A loud squeal caused Victoria to lazily open one eye to make sure Sirius wasn't hurt. The other day, Stephen bought him a baby broomstick from the Quiddich shop. Even since then, when he wasn't sleeping or eating, Sirius insisted on riding around the cottage. If anyone tried to separate him and his broomstick, he pitched a royal fit until he was allowed to return to his toy.

"Isn't five feet a little high, Stephen?" she asked, waking up a bit.

"Nah," he replied, lowering Sirius a foot or so to appease her. "He's charmed to the broomstick's baby seat, Victoria. No way he'll fall."

"If you say so," she said, not fully believing him. "You're spoiling the baby."

"I am not! Learning to fly is an essential skill. The sooner he learns, the better," Stephen protested.

"Quiddich is not a lifestyle."

"Don't listen to her speak those blasphemies, Sirius. Oh, did I show you? Since he likes his broomstick so much, I sort of picked up a couple more. I hope you don't mind," he said sheepishly, pointing to two small boxes stacked neatly in the corner.

"Mind? Stephen, that's so sweet," she beamed. "And I was kidding about the Quiddich thing. Whatever our kids want to do is fine with me. They won't have to scrape knuts to do what makes them happy."

"What are you talking about?" He looked across the living room, puzzled. Victoria sighed wearily and rubbed her temples.

"My parents didn't want me to be an artist. So, they never paid for any of my lessons or supplies. I worked in my teacher's studio for years; it was the only way I could do what I loved."

"I didn't know that," Stephen said softly.

"No one really did. One time, when we were at Hogwarts, someone pulled a prank on me and dumped all of my supplies into the lake. A whole summer's worth of earnings was gone. Oh, I cried and cried," she said with sad misty eyes. "But, someone replaced them out of the blue one day with much nicer supplies. The ones I kept drooling over in the store but could never afford. I still use the brushes."

"Really?" he asked a little too eagerly.

"Yes, I do," Victoria said suspiciously, narrowing her eyes at him. "You wouldn't know anything about that little prank, would you?"

Stephen looked at the floor guiltily. "I didn't know that you couldn't buy more supplies."

"Why? What could possibly possess you to do that?" Her anger allowed her to get to her feet much more quickly than usual, and she stared down at him, fuming.

"Because I fancied you," he admitted, his eyes still cast downwards. "Ever since when we were kids during the war. But when the war ended and you started taking your art lessons, you never gave me the time of day. I thought that maybe if you couldn't do any art, that you'd talk to me again."

"That is very twisted logic."

"I know. Look, I didn't mean to hurt you. And I tried to make things right."

"You repaid a debt." She turned to waddle down the hallway. Stephen jumped to his feet and grabbed his arm to stop her.

"Why can't you ever believe that I care about you?" he asked, placing his hands on Victoria's shoulders and looking her squarely in the eyes.

"Because no one does. I exist solely to keep a bloodline alive. People talked to me at Hogwarts because I'm rich, and--"

"And I love you," Stephen interrupted her. "You can keep pushing me away, but that won't make me stop loving you."

"Go away," she ordered, her chin quivering with unshed tears. He answered her by leaning down and passionately kissing her. Victoria roughly shoved him away.

"Tell me that you don't love me, and I'll walk through that door," he challenged. She looked out of the living room window and watched the night sky for a full minute.

"I-I can't."

Stephen's eyes lit up as if Christmas had come early. He threw his arms around her, and Victoria smiled crookedly. All of a sudden, her face twisted in pain and she doubled over. She looked at him with a panicked expression.

"Victoria?" His eyes were wide as saucers, and he led her back to a chair. "Victoria, what's going on?"

"I think it's time. But it can't be. It's too early," she exclaimed frantically.

Stephen kneeled to her level and held her hand soothingly. "It may be early, but it'll be fine."

"Fine? Fine! Are you the one who's about to give birth to twins? Didn't think so." Her face contorted as another contraction hit her. "See the blue stone on the mantel? It's a portkey that'll take you to Mariana. I really think I need a doctor right about now."

He didn't want to leave her, but he quickly followed her directions. Five minutes later, he reappeared in the living room with Doctor Piedra in tow. If she was surprised that Stephen was around, she didn't show it. She scooped up her grandson on her way to a now terrified Victoria.

"Well, Sirius, looks like your playmates are on their way, doesn't it?" she asked, putting her doctor's bag on the floor.

"Seems that way." Victoria smiled weakly. "Stephen?"

"Yes, love?"

She gazed up at him. "I've been thinking a lot lately about what you said about the future. And you're right – there's nothing I can do to keep it from happening. The best I can do is enjoy the time I have with the people I love. What I'm trying to say is, will you marry me? For real this time?"

"S-sure. Of course I'll marry you," he stuttered, practically speechless.

Mariana smiled as she walked down the hallway with Sirius to put him to bed. She laid the baby down in his crib and charmed him to sleep. It was going to be a long night from the looks of things.

In the living room, Victoria bit her lip until the pain lessened and she could speak again. "Now? Will you marry me now?"

"What?!? As in now now? You're having a baby – two babies. How can we get married when you're in labor?" This whole conversation was becoming illogical to him.

"You mean you came here without a ring?" she breathed, trying not to concentrate on the pain.

He smiled sheepishly. "Well, yeah, I brought a ring. Just in case."

"So find someone to marry us and put that ring on my finger already."

"It's an engagement ring, not a wedding ring," he pointed out as the doctor arrived back in the room. Victoria rolled her eyes.

"Then pick up a couple of wedding bands and find someone to marry us. I want to be your wife before I have these babies. It's important to me," she pleaded.

"But what if the twins come while I'm gone?" Stephen protested.

Mariana stopped attending to Victoria long enough to give him a reassuring look. "That's not going to happen. You have plenty of time to arrange a quick wedding. I'd appreciate it if you could help me get her settled into bed before you leave, though."

He nodded distractedly and gently pulled Victoria to her feet. She held onto him for dear life while she navigated her way down the hallway, looking forward to reaching her bed. Mariana promised her numbing charms and a glass of ice water, both of which she wanted desperately. Once she was more comfortable, Stephen kissed her goodbye and headed towards town.

It took him nearly two hours, but Stephen managed to find a local jeweler who would open his store after hours. He hurriedly picked up two fairly plain bands, paid for them, and rushed into the street to find a justice of the peace. Being a predominantly Roman Catholic town, most couples married in the church. He didn't even know if San Sebastian had a justice of the peace.

He ran to the wizarding part of town and asked passers-by in broken Spanish if they knew where a courthouse was. Luckily, an older woman spoke enough English to point him in the right direction. Stephen found the rickety, dilapidated looking building, hoping that there was a magistrate on duty. He breathed a sigh of relief when the clerk informed him that yes, there was a justice of the peace in the building.

The clerk disappeared down the hallway and returned with a kind-looking man in well-tailored black robes. Stephen briefly explained the situation, asking the justice of the peace if he would come to the cottage and marry he and Victoria. Seeing the man's hesitation, Stephen opened his mouth to indicate that he could pay for the inconvenience, but it wasn't necessary.

The judge smiled, went back to his office to gather the official papers, and followed Stephen back to the cottage. A much more relaxed Victoria smiled when she saw the pair enter the room. She delicately sipped her water and put the glass down on her nightstand.

"You must be the bride," the justice of the peace said with an amused smile. "I am Judge Fernandez, and it is nice to meet you."

She blushed a little and shook the older wizard's hand. "I'm Victoria. Thank you so much for coming here on such short notice and all. I'm sure you don't get many requests like this."

"You would be surprised. Since time is of the essence, do you mind if we begin?" the judge inquired. Victoria and Stephen stared at each other as if they were the only two people on earth.

"Are you sure about this?" Stephen asked anxiously.

She frowned and pulled him to her level by his robes collar. "Don't you dare get cold feet on me now. In case you haven't noticed, we're about to have a family here. So let's be a family for our children."

"Those numbing charms aren't a hundred percent effective, are they?"

"No. And they become less effective as time goes on. I'm not having these babies until you marry me, so you had better hurry up." Victoria clutched his collar tighter, and he gulped nervously. Knowing her, she wasn't making an idle threat.

Stephen extracted himself from her vise grip and took the rings out of his pocket. "Will these do?"

"They're lovely," she replied, smiling again.

Shortly after midnight, the justice of the peace began a simple handfasting ceremony. The couple exchanged vows and rings right there in the cottage bedroom. There were no flowers, no music, nothing festive at all to celebrate the marriage. But, none of that mattered to Victoria or Stephen, who beamed as the judge pronounced them husband and wife.

~~~~~

Random saga trivia: Out of everything that I've written, which is an absolute ton, this is by far my favorite chapter. When I've had a bad day and want to reread something to prove that I'm not completely daft, this is where I go. Just thought I'd share...

Like always, thanks for reading and all reviews welcome!