Chapter 9 - Secrets
Ginny and Hermione were finally asleep. Megan quietly tiptoed towards the door, being careful not to wake the two girls. She smiled when she finally closed the door with a soft click and began sneaking down the corridor to Harry's room. She opened the door and crept over to his bed. She could hear him murmuring something. He cried out in his sleep. Megan felt something stir in her heart that she had never felt before. Pity. She could see that he was obviously hurting as much as she usually was inside. Harry had been happy the entire day that she had observed him, and she was startled to hear him going through pain in his dreams. Suddenly she realised that underneath it all, they were alike. Both of them were suffering more than they could allow the people who knew them to bear.
Maybe that's why I feel like I can confide in him? She thought to herself as she reached out the damp cloth and wiped away the sweat from Harry's face. He was very hot and feverish. Maybe when he's well again I can tell him about my nightmares, and about my past. He wanted to know before. Maybe he could help. She sighed wondering what was making him so sick. She didn't have long to think about it though, because the door opened and some people walked in. Megan froze.
"Who's this then" said a kindly male voice.
Megan didn't respond straight away. She didn't like men.
"Megan" she said softly.
The man smiled. She tried to remember what they had called him downstairs. Sirius, that was it.
"What brings you here Megan?" Sirius asked playfully.
Megan looked to Molly, who was standing beside him before answering.
"Mama is here" she said simply.
Sirius looked questioningly at Molly, before someone else walked in behind them.
"Megan, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed" Mel said scoldingly.
Megan stood up.
"I'm sorry Mama. I couldn't sleep" she said simply. "I wanted to make sure that Harry was alright"
Sirius looked at Mel strangely. Mel kept her eyes low, so that they didn't meet his.
"You should be in bed Megan, off you go now." she said.
Megan sighed and nodded. She left the room and Sirius turned to Mel.
"Can I talk to you for a moment Mel?" he asked quietly.
Molly looked at them curiously, wondering how her cousin would react. Mel's expression showed only sadness as she nodded resignedly and followed Sirius upstairs to the drawing room. Molly walked over to Harry and checked that he was sleeping soundly. He had stopped murmuring and was sleeping deeply. Molly sighed as she left the room and went back downstairs.
"How old is Megan?" Sirius asked in a strained voice. Mel looked up at him with anger in her eyes.
"I don't have to tell you anything" she said coldly. Sirius' eyes flashed with anger.
"I deserve an explanation" He said heatedly
"You deserve nothing from me" Mel said icily and walked towards the door.
Sirius grabbed her by the hand to stop her from leaving.
"You're my wife. I deserve to know" He said quietly.
She yanked her hand out of his grasp, her eyes flashing with anger.
"You gave up being my husband the day you abandoned me to go after your friends" she spat at him.
"What did you expect me to do? You heard the prophecy too. You knew the risk as well as I did. Harry needed to be kept safe" Sirius said angrily.
"But at that point it might not have been Harry. You never devoted much time to helping the Longbottoms did you?" She asked accusingly.
Sirius took a deep breath and tried in vain to calm his emotions.
"The Longbottoms had others to protect them. They had family. Lily and James had no one else. Albus was busy with the order, they had no other family that could help. The only living relative of James was Emily who was on the run, and the only living relative of Lily was a muggle that wanted nothing to do with her." he said coldly.
Mel looked at the wall for a minute. Anything to not look into his eyes.
"You still abandoned me" she said, her voice slightly choked. Sirius' expression softened.
"If I'd known they would come after you, I would never have left you" he said softly.
Mel's eyes filled with tears.
"What's done is done" she said in an empty voice and reached for the door handle.
Sirius stopped her.
"She's mine isn't she?" he asked quietly.
Mel was silent for a moment.
"No" she replied in the same empty voice and walked out the door.
Sirius watched her go and continued to stare for a few moments, lost in thought. He felt as if his whole world was crumbling. He sighed after a moment and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, then went back to check on Harry.
"I'm sending the boys back to the burrow tomorrow morning" Mrs Weasley said to her husband down in the kitchen. "They shouldn't be here while Harry's sick, I'm not sure if it's contagious. I'll have to send the girls away to. Perhaps the Grangers wouldn't mind taking them"
"Not Megan. She stays" Mel said quietly.
Mr Weasley furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Mel questioningly. Mel sighed.
"Megan has nightmares. It's better that she stays where I can keep an eye on her. At school she visits the nurse frequently for it, I don't want her to be a bother to Hermione's parents" she said quietly.
Mr and Mrs Weasley both nodded understandingly.
"What does she have nightmares about?" asked Sera kindly.
Mel frowned.
"I don't know. She never tells me. I have a feeling that it's something to do with my brother, but I can't be sure" she said.
Mrs Weasley looked curiously at Mel for a moment as if remembering something.
"So did you tell him who the father was?" she asked.
Mel shook her head and Mrs Weasley's eyes clouded with confusion.
"It's better that he doesn't know" Mel said simply.
"Whatever you think is best" Mrs Weasley replied looking as if she didn't think that Mel was taking the best course of action, but wasn't going to say anything about it in case they had a fight.
Mel was deep in thought and began fondling something on a chain around her neck. Mrs Weasley noticed, but couldn't make out what was on the end of the chain. Mel soon put the chain back under her robes out of sight, then excused herself and left for her order duties with Mr Weasley.
Ginny and Hermione were finally asleep. Megan quietly tiptoed towards the door, being careful not to wake the two girls. She smiled when she finally closed the door with a soft click and began sneaking down the corridor to Harry's room. She opened the door and crept over to his bed. She could hear him murmuring something. He cried out in his sleep. Megan felt something stir in her heart that she had never felt before. Pity. She could see that he was obviously hurting as much as she usually was inside. Harry had been happy the entire day that she had observed him, and she was startled to hear him going through pain in his dreams. Suddenly she realised that underneath it all, they were alike. Both of them were suffering more than they could allow the people who knew them to bear.
Maybe that's why I feel like I can confide in him? She thought to herself as she reached out the damp cloth and wiped away the sweat from Harry's face. He was very hot and feverish. Maybe when he's well again I can tell him about my nightmares, and about my past. He wanted to know before. Maybe he could help. She sighed wondering what was making him so sick. She didn't have long to think about it though, because the door opened and some people walked in. Megan froze.
"Who's this then" said a kindly male voice.
Megan didn't respond straight away. She didn't like men.
"Megan" she said softly.
The man smiled. She tried to remember what they had called him downstairs. Sirius, that was it.
"What brings you here Megan?" Sirius asked playfully.
Megan looked to Molly, who was standing beside him before answering.
"Mama is here" she said simply.
Sirius looked questioningly at Molly, before someone else walked in behind them.
"Megan, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in bed" Mel said scoldingly.
Megan stood up.
"I'm sorry Mama. I couldn't sleep" she said simply. "I wanted to make sure that Harry was alright"
Sirius looked at Mel strangely. Mel kept her eyes low, so that they didn't meet his.
"You should be in bed Megan, off you go now." she said.
Megan sighed and nodded. She left the room and Sirius turned to Mel.
"Can I talk to you for a moment Mel?" he asked quietly.
Molly looked at them curiously, wondering how her cousin would react. Mel's expression showed only sadness as she nodded resignedly and followed Sirius upstairs to the drawing room. Molly walked over to Harry and checked that he was sleeping soundly. He had stopped murmuring and was sleeping deeply. Molly sighed as she left the room and went back downstairs.
"How old is Megan?" Sirius asked in a strained voice. Mel looked up at him with anger in her eyes.
"I don't have to tell you anything" she said coldly. Sirius' eyes flashed with anger.
"I deserve an explanation" He said heatedly
"You deserve nothing from me" Mel said icily and walked towards the door.
Sirius grabbed her by the hand to stop her from leaving.
"You're my wife. I deserve to know" He said quietly.
She yanked her hand out of his grasp, her eyes flashing with anger.
"You gave up being my husband the day you abandoned me to go after your friends" she spat at him.
"What did you expect me to do? You heard the prophecy too. You knew the risk as well as I did. Harry needed to be kept safe" Sirius said angrily.
"But at that point it might not have been Harry. You never devoted much time to helping the Longbottoms did you?" She asked accusingly.
Sirius took a deep breath and tried in vain to calm his emotions.
"The Longbottoms had others to protect them. They had family. Lily and James had no one else. Albus was busy with the order, they had no other family that could help. The only living relative of James was Emily who was on the run, and the only living relative of Lily was a muggle that wanted nothing to do with her." he said coldly.
Mel looked at the wall for a minute. Anything to not look into his eyes.
"You still abandoned me" she said, her voice slightly choked. Sirius' expression softened.
"If I'd known they would come after you, I would never have left you" he said softly.
Mel's eyes filled with tears.
"What's done is done" she said in an empty voice and reached for the door handle.
Sirius stopped her.
"She's mine isn't she?" he asked quietly.
Mel was silent for a moment.
"No" she replied in the same empty voice and walked out the door.
Sirius watched her go and continued to stare for a few moments, lost in thought. He felt as if his whole world was crumbling. He sighed after a moment and blinked back the tears that threatened to fall, then went back to check on Harry.
"I'm sending the boys back to the burrow tomorrow morning" Mrs Weasley said to her husband down in the kitchen. "They shouldn't be here while Harry's sick, I'm not sure if it's contagious. I'll have to send the girls away to. Perhaps the Grangers wouldn't mind taking them"
"Not Megan. She stays" Mel said quietly.
Mr Weasley furrowed his eyebrows and looked at Mel questioningly. Mel sighed.
"Megan has nightmares. It's better that she stays where I can keep an eye on her. At school she visits the nurse frequently for it, I don't want her to be a bother to Hermione's parents" she said quietly.
Mr and Mrs Weasley both nodded understandingly.
"What does she have nightmares about?" asked Sera kindly.
Mel frowned.
"I don't know. She never tells me. I have a feeling that it's something to do with my brother, but I can't be sure" she said.
Mrs Weasley looked curiously at Mel for a moment as if remembering something.
"So did you tell him who the father was?" she asked.
Mel shook her head and Mrs Weasley's eyes clouded with confusion.
"It's better that he doesn't know" Mel said simply.
"Whatever you think is best" Mrs Weasley replied looking as if she didn't think that Mel was taking the best course of action, but wasn't going to say anything about it in case they had a fight.
Mel was deep in thought and began fondling something on a chain around her neck. Mrs Weasley noticed, but couldn't make out what was on the end of the chain. Mel soon put the chain back under her robes out of sight, then excused herself and left for her order duties with Mr Weasley.
