August 2002 – Chapter 12 – Escaped!
Remus was making ready for moving to Hogwarts. His daughter was making ready to spend her second year there. Since he was going to be teaching she would have to miss out on Defense Against the Dark Arts from her father teaching.
Remus looked at his wife. She was busily working about the house getting Holly ready for school and getting herself ready for the move.
They still only had one child. Remus still felt his heart lurch when he thought about his wife. She had been helping move a trunk up the stairs when it fell back on her and hit her. It seemed to be alright. Remus had taken her to see the doctor. She was fine and so was the baby.
Two days later she had miscarried the baby. Remus still felt guilty over the depression she had had. He had had his own bouts of depression because of his lycanthropy, but he had worked out much his.
Tenderly he held her trying to take her pain. Now they had Holly and it was enough until she conceived again. It would only be a matter of time. She had stopped using the contraceptive spell a couple of years ago and their relations were blessedly frequent.
She was humming a lullaby and it caught his attention. It was the same one that she had sung during her pregnancies. Only during her pregnancies.
He watched her as she stood up and leaned back rubbing her belly absently. He smiled. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked as he wrapped his arms about her giving her a kiss on her shoulder blades and touching her lower abdomen.
She jumped startled. "What?" She looked back at him. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know." He grinned.
She looked up at him softly. "Are you upset?" She was nervous.
"What that you are carrying my child and did not tell me?" He smiled. "No I am happy and you no doubt had a reason."
"I wanted to wait until your birthday." She said softly almost disappointed sounding.
"Well happy birthday to me." He said his eyes dancing as he kissed her mouth. His hands caressed the soft swell that somehow he had missed before.
She pulled back and looked at him. "You really are not upset are you?" She asked.
"That I will have another baby to smother with kisses." He laughed. "Hardly," He grinned.
Holly came into the room. The twelve year old smiled at her parents embracing each other. "Momma. Have you seen my jumper and skirt for school?"
"Yes. I put them by the stair." Khadja said as she pointed where Holly's Ravenclaw cloak was hanging up.
"Thanks Momma. Are you going to ride the Express too when you move into Hogwarts?" She asked her father.
"Yes, but you should find a car with your friends." Remus chided gently.
She nodded and left them.
Remus turned back to Khadja and kissed her again. He heard scratching at the front window. He knew it was Ellie with the post.
He walked in and opened the window and bent down to until the post and Daily Prophet paper from the owl's leg. Holly's Hogwarts letter was in the pile and she came to him and he handed it to her absently as he opened the paper to read it.
"Wow so much." Holly gasped reading her list.
Khadja came to her daughter and nodded. She sighed softly. "All the money she had worked to get from the bakery as a counter woman would go to the supplies as would her monthly check. This meant no new robes for Remus to teach in. At least not yet. It disturbed her far more than him she knew.
She sat down as Holly skipped out of the room her black curls bouncing on her back. She looked over at Remus who seemed frozen in place as he read the paper's front page. Something in his look made her blood run cold.
"Remus?" He asked softly.
"A prisoner has escaped Azkaban." He said in a hollow voice. As he looked at the front page still.
Her eyes widened. "I though that was impossible with the Dementors about and the water." She said softly. She took a deep breath. She knew a man there. The first great love of her life and Holly's birth father, though he had no knowledge of her since the Ministry had forbidden contact. Happy thoughts kept the people there active and they did not wish that.
She looked at Remus. "Who was it?"
He looked up at his wife's curious face. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly unsure how she would take this news.
"Sirius Black." He said softly looking at her trying to gauge her reaction to the news. It had been twelve long years since the man had been imprisoned. Perhaps he had forgotten Khadja. Or perhaps he was just wishing it.
He slowly turned the paper for her to see.
Her eyes dropped to the picture of a man holding an Azkaban prison number in his hands screaming like a mad man. She knew the face. Even after all these years she knew his face. Her blood turned to ice.
"Khadja." Remus asked concerned.
She gasped and then fainted.
Remus was making ready for moving to Hogwarts. His daughter was making ready to spend her second year there. Since he was going to be teaching she would have to miss out on Defense Against the Dark Arts from her father teaching.
Remus looked at his wife. She was busily working about the house getting Holly ready for school and getting herself ready for the move.
They still only had one child. Remus still felt his heart lurch when he thought about his wife. She had been helping move a trunk up the stairs when it fell back on her and hit her. It seemed to be alright. Remus had taken her to see the doctor. She was fine and so was the baby.
Two days later she had miscarried the baby. Remus still felt guilty over the depression she had had. He had had his own bouts of depression because of his lycanthropy, but he had worked out much his.
Tenderly he held her trying to take her pain. Now they had Holly and it was enough until she conceived again. It would only be a matter of time. She had stopped using the contraceptive spell a couple of years ago and their relations were blessedly frequent.
She was humming a lullaby and it caught his attention. It was the same one that she had sung during her pregnancies. Only during her pregnancies.
He watched her as she stood up and leaned back rubbing her belly absently. He smiled. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asked as he wrapped his arms about her giving her a kiss on her shoulder blades and touching her lower abdomen.
She jumped startled. "What?" She looked back at him. "What do you mean?"
"I think you know." He grinned.
She looked up at him softly. "Are you upset?" She was nervous.
"What that you are carrying my child and did not tell me?" He smiled. "No I am happy and you no doubt had a reason."
"I wanted to wait until your birthday." She said softly almost disappointed sounding.
"Well happy birthday to me." He said his eyes dancing as he kissed her mouth. His hands caressed the soft swell that somehow he had missed before.
She pulled back and looked at him. "You really are not upset are you?" She asked.
"That I will have another baby to smother with kisses." He laughed. "Hardly," He grinned.
Holly came into the room. The twelve year old smiled at her parents embracing each other. "Momma. Have you seen my jumper and skirt for school?"
"Yes. I put them by the stair." Khadja said as she pointed where Holly's Ravenclaw cloak was hanging up.
"Thanks Momma. Are you going to ride the Express too when you move into Hogwarts?" She asked her father.
"Yes, but you should find a car with your friends." Remus chided gently.
She nodded and left them.
Remus turned back to Khadja and kissed her again. He heard scratching at the front window. He knew it was Ellie with the post.
He walked in and opened the window and bent down to until the post and Daily Prophet paper from the owl's leg. Holly's Hogwarts letter was in the pile and she came to him and he handed it to her absently as he opened the paper to read it.
"Wow so much." Holly gasped reading her list.
Khadja came to her daughter and nodded. She sighed softly. "All the money she had worked to get from the bakery as a counter woman would go to the supplies as would her monthly check. This meant no new robes for Remus to teach in. At least not yet. It disturbed her far more than him she knew.
She sat down as Holly skipped out of the room her black curls bouncing on her back. She looked over at Remus who seemed frozen in place as he read the paper's front page. Something in his look made her blood run cold.
"Remus?" He asked softly.
"A prisoner has escaped Azkaban." He said in a hollow voice. As he looked at the front page still.
Her eyes widened. "I though that was impossible with the Dementors about and the water." She said softly. She took a deep breath. She knew a man there. The first great love of her life and Holly's birth father, though he had no knowledge of her since the Ministry had forbidden contact. Happy thoughts kept the people there active and they did not wish that.
She looked at Remus. "Who was it?"
He looked up at his wife's curious face. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly unsure how she would take this news.
"Sirius Black." He said softly looking at her trying to gauge her reaction to the news. It had been twelve long years since the man had been imprisoned. Perhaps he had forgotten Khadja. Or perhaps he was just wishing it.
He slowly turned the paper for her to see.
Her eyes dropped to the picture of a man holding an Azkaban prison number in his hands screaming like a mad man. She knew the face. Even after all these years she knew his face. Her blood turned to ice.
"Khadja." Remus asked concerned.
She gasped and then fainted.