Chapter Fifty-One

(January 10th, 1977)

"I remember him from a book signing my parents took me to while we were in Australia on holiday..." James explained to the group. At the time a few years ago he had made some kind of connection between Sirius and Orion Black. When he first saw Kit's picture he hadn't been able to make the connection between that man and Orion...Perhaps because in the picture he looked so much younger.

But now, things were clicking, mostly because upon seeing Orion's photo in the Daily Prophet, the first thing he thought of was Kit's picture.

"You know my uncle?" Sirius asked Kit after he consumed half of his French toast in one bite.

"I..." Was all Kit could utter out, sparing a look at James. Why did he have to open his big mouth?

"Kitten?" Came the question from Remus next to her, a concerned look on his face. She could feel her blood drain (Or at least it felt that way.) What should she say? What could she say? 'Well Sirius, it seems as though with this new development I might be your cousin.' Didn't sound as though it would cut it. With little hesitation Kit stood, turned, and ran out of the Great Hall.

"What did I say?" Both Remus and Sirius asked at the same time in confusion.

Remus had stood up to follow Kit, but paused when he heard James explain to Sirius, "I don't know why she would freak out like that..."

"Why does she have a picture of my Uncle Orion though?" Sirius mused looking towards Remus as if he held the answers that unlocked why Kit did the things she did.

"I've never seen the picture in question, I have no idea." Remus explained with a shrug of his shoulders.

"It's not just of your Uncle." James told Sirius, "Kit's mother was in it too..."

Remus didn't want to hear anymore, instead of staying and listening to what the group had to say, he went in search of Kit. He'd get to the bottom of the situation...

He knew where to look, actually he hadn't the slightest clue, but after running into Nearly Headless Nick the ghost pointed him outside. He spotted her small form sitting on top of the large rocks near the frozen lake. "Kitten..." He said softly as his feet lead him to where she sat. Crying. She was crying. Tears falling down her pale cheeks, lips pressed into a thin line, and short orange hair twisted around her face with the wind.

"Ethan isn't my father." She whispered to him, looking down at her lap for a moment. At first Remus didn't understand what she meant. Ethan? The man that nearly beat her to death wasn't her father? Before he could ask, his Kitten was explaining.

"My Mum was dating Ethan while in school. He was the bad boy, he was everything she liked and more. Then one summer Mum's family took a holiday to Wales. On Holiday my Mum met a man. He...he was what she truly wanted in life, she loved him with all of her heart for the three months they spent together in Wales."

"He was so different from Ethan, and I think that's what Mum liked about him...but good things don't last forever...They couldn't stay together, his family didn't approve of my Mum, so after that summer holiday she came home broken hearted, with only one picture of them together, and pregnant."

"She went back to Ethan, and everyone assumed it was him that got her knocked up, even he thought so too. He wasn't that bright really...It was luck really, that Ethan looked enough like my real father so that there wouldn't be any questions..."

"The man in the picture, the man my Mum really loved, but couldn't stay with was never told about me. In fact, I don't think that Mum even knew where he was after that holiday..."

Remus could only look at Kit in shock when she paused for a moment to wipe her eyes. "The picture James said he saw Orion Black in?" Remus asked, drawing the words out in slight disbelief as he put the pieces of the story together.

Kit nodded, sighing as she hopped off the rocks.

"That means your related to Sirius...you're his cousin!"

"I know, at breakfast....when I saw Orion's picture, it kind of just clicked and then James opened his big mouth." She explained to him, and suddenly Remus knew why she ran off the way she did. In a moments time she found out who her real father really was, and what she was...a half-blood, not a mud-blood like everyone thought. And to make matters even more strange, she was now Related to one of their friends.

Remus pulled on Kit's arm, tugging her close to him, her form fitting perfectly against him as he spoke, trying to lighten up the mood, "Well, James has been known to be the King of the Big Mouths..."

She hadn't asked him, Remus had offered to tell Sirius and the rest of their small group of friends about why she had ran off at Breakfast. Kit wasn't sure when Remus would tell them, so for the whole day Kit took great care in not running into any of them. Skipping lunch and dinner took it's toll, and so did trying to dart from class to class without running into one of them. After all, someone usually walked with her in order to make sure that the Slytherins left her alone, thankfully as of late though no one seemed to bother her or Lily.

Kit knew she was terrible for not facing them...but, she just couldn't! She was scared, how would they react? How would Sirius react? She finally had friends and she didn't want to loose them...She knew it was irrational, why would she loose them over something so small and stupid like her real parentage? Then again, after going for so long without friends...just the smallest thought of loosing them terrified her.

Now she chewed on the end of her quill in the Library. Unfortunately, it wasn't a sugar quill...Kit didn't seem to notice as the feather went limp from being in her mouth. It was nearing ten o'clock, the Library would close soon because of curfew, and she really didn't want to face Sirius.

With Madam Pince announcing there was five minutes left before Kit had to leave, the young Gryffindor packed her school bag with her books that she really didn't even study from that evening. Her stomach growled and she prayed that no one heard the loud embarrassing noise.

For a moment she wondered about leaving the library and heading towards the Kitchens instead of going up to the tower. But with a deep breath she decided against it. She needed to face them...

She needed to find out if they hated her for not telling them sooner that Ethan wasn't her real father.

Remus told them during lunch, he retold Kit's story with no worry to how his friends would react, they were accepting of him being a werewolf, so why wouldn't they accept Kit being related to Sirius? At first the group was only a tad hesitant, Remus had Lily pull out the Daily Prophet from that morning, Orion still there waving proudly.

Remus pointed out the similarities between Orion and Kit. He pointed out how both of them had limp hair, how their faces were the same oval shape, not to mention Kit had the same sort of oddly pale skin tone that the Black family had. He would have went as far to point out matching eyes, but the picture was black and white (although Remus was still pretty sure that Kit's eyes matched Orion's as well).

After that the rest of the afternoon was spent listening to Sirius talk about how he finally had a fellow Black in Gryffindor...and how he always knew there was something about her. Around dinner time when the group hadn't seen Kit for most of the day, slight worry started to set in. Every time the door opened Sirius, James, and Lily's head's would look up in hope that Kit was walking in so she could answer all the questions they were very obviously dying to ask.

Remus knew Kit was nervous, and worried, and wanted to be alone. He told the others how Kit felt, well his actual wording was "probably felt..." after that they stopped looking up every time the door opened, and when James and Sirius wanted to go find Kit; Remus said that she just found out who her father was instead of knowing simply just what he looked like, not to mention she was now related to the Blacks, and was a half-blood instead of a simple muggle-born. It was a lot for anyone to adjust to. After he pointed out these facts, the two gung-ho boys decided that if Kit didn't come around by lights out, they would find her...but Remus doubted it would come to that.

Until the clock chimed ten and Kit was no where in sight. Peter had already went to bed along with the rest of the house, only Remus, Sirius, James, and Lily remained awake and in the common room. Sirius looked oddly nervous, his usual cool demeanour seemed to be gone as his hands gripped one another tightly in his lap. Every glance upwards was sent towards the door.

Remus tapped his foot, he knew his Kitten was scared, but was she really that scared? He was positive that if she was hurt he would know about it, he had done all the research over why the felt each other weeks ago when she felt him transform. He only knew the simple basics, that if they thought of one another hard enough it seemed they felt each other. Remus was content in the fact that if Kit was possibly hurt she would try and let him know...right?

The clock chimed ten and Sirius stood. "This is bloody ridiculous...I'm going to go find her."

About the moment he said that, James and Lily stood as well. Remus canted his head from side to side, trying to convince himself that she was okay, but then...what if he was wrong? He stood as well, and the moment he did this and the group started towards the exit of the common room, was the same moment that Kit walked in.

When Kit came into the common room, she wanted to walk right back out. Those that were left in the common were the exact people she had been avoiding for most of the day. She bit her bottom lip and suddenly felt rather...well foolish for staying out for so long. Had they really been waiting for her? By the way each and everyone of them was looking at her, told her the answer was yes. Remus had a sympathetic half smile on his face as if to reassure her...

This was the moment she was dreading...wasn't anyone going to say anything? Sirius was just standing there with his mouth hung open. The others looked at him expectantly, at least they knew that Kit wasn't about to be the one that spoke first.

It felt like hours past in those seconds. Kit wanted to run up to the girls dorms and hide, she wanted to pretend this day didn't exist.

In Kit's surprise, and everyone else's for that matter Sirius did something rather unexpected (most likely even to him as well) he moved straight forward. No words were bothered being said, as his arms wrapped around Kit.

"We sure do have some catching up to do as cousins eh?" Sirius whispered into her ear as she set her head don on his shoulder. Kit could feel him chuckle lightly, and also at that moment noted that he smelled rather odd...like the outdoors...and, dog?

Remus left after giving Kit a good-night kiss, James left after giving her a hug and saying she'd always be his sister, and Lily simply left with a grin on her face. Leaving Kit and Sirius alone in the Common Room. They both sat in front of the fire, no words trading.

Kit was relieved that he didn't hate her for being the Black family indiscretion. It was funny now to her that she even thought he (or the others for that matter) would have hated her. Then again, after going so many years without friends, having them now made her terrified to loose them.

So now she sat, very well aware that Sirius was staring at her as she gazed into the fire. "Why did you spend all day avoiding us?" He asked finally interrupting the silence in the room.

Kit shrugged, how could she explain it? "I just...I guess I was scared of how you would react. I don't know--I guess it was kind of stupid."

She looked up to see Sirius smile, "Stupidity runs in the family...just look at Regulus."

Kit grinned, "Don't get me started on that prat."

"See, already talking like a true Black too. Hmm, I can't believe I didn't notice it before." Sirius told her, moving to grab her hand and turn it over in his, before placing his hand right next to hers. His fingers were a good inch longer then hers, but Kit was fairly certain that finger length wasn't something that he was comparing. Skin tone, they had the same skin tone. As if someone hadn't ventured out into the sun for a long while, but still had some sort of life in it. "All this time I had a cousin in Gryffindor with me and I didn't know it."

"Do we have many cousins?" Kit asked, rather out of the blue, even surprising herself. "I mean--"

"I know what you mean." Sirius said grinning, followed with a shrug. "Most of the pure bloods are related to all the others. Bunch of inbreeding going on if you ask me. I'm surprised there is any intelligence left in the lot of us. But yeah, you could say we have a fair share of cousins ...some better then others." He took a moment to nod his head side to side, "But most of them are pretty...petty. There is one though, Andromeda, Andi rather, who married this really nice bloke Ted Tonks a muggle. I think they have a three year old child now..."

Kit blinked and gave a small grin, "Your family really likes those constellations and stars don't they?"

Sirius chuckled with a nod. "Yeah, it's rather...odd. I suppose you're the lucky one, Kit. Perfectly normal name."

"And my mum was on drugs...don't know how I managed to get off so lucky."

For a moment Sirius frowned, "I don't really think you got off that lucky."

Kit shrugged and leaned herself back into the sofa, finding her gaze slipping off Sirius and towards the fire. "From how you talk about your family, I don't think you got off that lucky either."

He gave a thin grin, and made some kind of noise. "I do suppose it is easy to see I'm the black sheep of my family. I just don't have the same views..." He paused for a moment, and Kit glanced over to see him glaring at the floor, "It's just so stupid. If my family weren't all...bigots then Uncle Orion and your Mum would have never had to separate, and you would have been raised in the Wizard world..."

Kit gave a small chuckle before yawning a little, "I understand what you mean, but...no sense crying over spilt milk right?"

"What?"

"Sorry, Muggle phrase I guess..."

After that Kit and Sirius spent most of the night talking, Sirius doing more of it then Kit. While the two of them had been friends, they were never particularly as close as Kit was with James, and Lily. With Sirius it was usually they hung out together because her boyfriend was one of his friends and that was pretty much that. Now however, it would seem that things were changing. They were no longer just friends. They were cousins. Family.

By the time that three AM rolled around, their eyes were both starting to shut no matter how much both wanted to stay awake and continue to talk there was simply no possible way that would happen. Eventually, they both lost the battle to stay awake, and both nodded off right there on the sofa.

Remus went to sleep feeling oddly content. Things were fine after a rather long day of stress. Kit now had family, real blood family, James thought it was great, Sirius was never happier, and things could now go on. He stretched out, letting his hands touch the headboard and his toes touch the end of the bed. If he grew anymore, they would need to charm his bed and make it bigger, that was an interesting thought. Although as he stretched in his bed...he felt as if there was something missing. A grin found it's place on his face, was he really that attached to his Kitten that the bed felt empty without her?

For awhile he laid there awake, looking up at the ceiling while listening to the sounds of his friends snoring. Lily was in there tonight, and no one ever believed how loud that girl could snore...

Finally after what seemed like hours of just laying there, Remus finally fell to sleep. He was lucky, to be able to sleep as well as he did. He had done research before, and it turned out that most werewolves tended to have incredible insomnia that lasted most of their lives. He liked sleep, loved it...or maybe it was just the fact that he was so calm and comfortable in his life?

He had great friends, accepting friends that cared for him. He had a brilliant girlfriend that didn't care one bit about him being a werewolf. His family was supportive. He got good grades. Life...was good for him and he was a werewolf. Maybe he was breaking the mold or something? He shouldn't be this happy should he? But he was...so unbelievably happy.

It felt like he only slept for an hour when he woke as the sun was starting to rise outside. With a yawn he felt around the area next to him and with an arched brow he found that it was empty. Lifting his head from the pillow, sandy brown hair was matted down on the spot he was laying on while the other side seemed to just stick up completely.

Hazel eyes took a moment to blink as he groaned, Saturday...thank Merlin no classes. And if it wasn't Saturday then by Merlin he was going to pretend that it was. As his eyes searched the dim dorm room he seen that Lily had already slipped out to the girls dorm, and that Frank Longbottom had already left. Damn early risers. He also noticed that Sirius wasn't in the dorm, and that Kit wasn't in bed...if she had been he would have noticed sometime during the night...right?

With a yawn he pushed his blankets down and struggled for a moment to get out of bed. He was going to go, find Kit and drag her into bed with him if only to be able to get a decent nights (days) sleep with her next to him. In getting up, he noticed James awaking, "Ugh...to early."

"Your telling me mate." Remus said rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he shoved his feet into warm wool slippers. He had one day seen a pair of fuzzy wolf slippers that roared in a robe shop when he bought his grey wool slippers...but that would have been going to far. Needless to say he stuck with the wool.

"What time is it?" James asked, sitting up, mouth wide as he took no care to conceal his yawn.

"Almost..." Remus gave a yawn that mirrored James's, "Bloody hell, five." He said, looking down at the wrist watch he wore.

"Sirius back yet?" James wondered, sparing a glance towards Padfoot's empty bed.

"No, I'm going to find him and Kit."

"I'll go with, then it's back to sleep for us."

"Sleep is good." Remus agreed as the two started down to the Common Room.

Remus and James found Kit and Sirius where they left them, on the sofa in front of the fire. Kit was curled up into a ball next to Sirius whose head was lulled back, and his arm hanging around Kit's shoulders rather protectively as if to make sure she didn't roll off the sofa.

James gave a small laugh, "If they weren't cousins...I'd be worried."

"Funny."

Remus didn't bother waking Kit up, he didn't want to disturb her sleep; Merlin only knew when the two had finally fallen into la-la land. He easily pulled her up into his arms, causing Sirius to stir. "I do believe she belongs to me." He told Sirius, yes Remus knew very well that Kit didn't belong to anyone but herself, although he just couldn't help saying it...referring to her as his...

"Wha...?" was the only reply from the half sleeping Sirius.

"C'mon Padfoot. I'm sure your bed is more comfortable then the sofa." James said, pulling Sirius up to stand.

The four headed back up to the dorms. Remus gently laid Kit down in his...no their bed. When he eased down onto the bed as well, he was pleased to feel her roll onto her side and place her head onto his chest. This time, he had no trouble falling to sleep.

AN: Another chapter completed. Wow, updating faster now that I write the chapters out in a notebook before hand. I just hope you liked the slightly angst, a little fluffy chapter seeing as in a few chapters the 1977 world is going to start to get a little...well, that's my secret.

I honestly do hope that you all are enjoying this, I love writing it. I'd like to note, for those that have pointed out my Grammatical errors, I'm sorry. I don't mean to make them, but I type so fast, and I tend not to read over my work, I spell check and post. But, I'll try and go back and read the chapter then fix what the spell checked missed.

Next up is a lot of everyone, but it mostly centres on Sirius. Yay! Sirius.