Chapters 16 and 17: A New Beginning
Sirius Black married Aletha Freeman on Saturday, 15 July, 1978, with James Potter and Lily Evans serving as best man and maid of honor. The next day, Sunday, 16 July, saw James and Lily's wedding, with Sirius and Aletha as best man and matron of honor. Both weddings were held in the Great Hall at Hogwarts, with Albus Dumbledore officiating. The Hall was decked with white flowers, and the house-elves created a delicious meal for the guests at the reception.
It surprised many who did not know the couples well that both weddings were held in the morning, and the reception occupied the afternoon, with lunch being served, instead of the more traditional afternoon wedding and evening dinner reception.
"It is summer, you know, and the sun doesn't go down until quite late," said Remus, trying to explain why his friends shouldn't arrange their weddings for his convenience. "And it really doesn't matter if we have to leave early. We don't mind."
"No, but we do," retorted Lily. "It would be rude of us to plan something you and Danger can't attend part of. I want you both there laughing when I smash cake into this idiot's face. Besides, I've never cared for dancing into the night."
James leered at her. "I think we'll find plenty to do that night anyway."
Lily slapped him with the scroll she was writing on. "Wash your mind out, Potter. We're not married yet."
To no one's surprise, Danger caught Aletha's bouquet, and Evanie caught Lily's.
Lily's parents, who had always been supportive of her learning to be a witch, were of course present at the wedding. To Lily's surprise, her sister Petunia, who had demonstrated a horror of anything remotely "abnormal", also attended, and brought her own fiancé.
Peter stared when Lily pointed them out. "Excuse me," he said after a moment, smiling broadly. "I need to go say hello to an old friend." He slipped out of his seat at the High Table and was making his way down before anyone could ask him what he meant.
"What in the world?" asked James, staring at his friend, who was talking animatedly at the rather porcine-looking man sitting next to Petunia Evans. He failed to see how that horse-faced creature and his lovely Lily could be related in any way whatsoever. And as for Petunia's taste in men...
Well, he had to assume that all the judgment in the family, as well as the looks, had gone to Lily instead of her sister.
"Small world," said Peter airily when he returned. "Remember how I told you once about Margie, Prongs? The girl I used to play with when I was little?"
"Yeah."
"That's her brother Vernon down there. How many degrees of separation would that be? I know him, he's marrying Petunia, who's Lily's sister, and she just married you, and we're friends..."
"So you're five degrees of separation from yourself," said Aletha.
Sirius looked him up and down a trifle blearily. "She's right," he said thickly. "There is two'f you, y'know."
"Letha, would you please take charge of your husband?" said Lily with a chuckle. "I think he's had quite enough to drink for tonight."
Both couples took a week-long honeymoon before moving into their homes, James and Lily in the house in Godric's Hollow, Sirius and Aletha into the London house Aletha had been renting half of. Sirius had bought it from the Muggle owner as a surprise wedding gift for his bride, so that she didn't have to move any of her things.
Remus moved out of his parents' house and into one of the Blacks' spare bedrooms on the side of their house they weren't using, for which he paid them a reasonable but fairly low rent. His apprenticeship in the Department of Mysteries was going quite well, as far as anyone could tell, since he wasn't allowed to talk about nearly anything he did there. Not even Danger knew what his projects were from day to day.
Peter's salary at the bookstore had allowed him to rent a flat of his own, where he lived in the happy confusion of a bachelor. His models were always out on the tables in various stages of completion, and he almost never did the dishes. He also blithely disregarded the "no pets" policy, claiming that since the stray animals he took in never stayed more than one or two nights, they couldn't really be considered his pets. Evanie came over every few days to see his latest acquisitions, cajole him into cleaning up, and make dire threats about what would happen if he let the house look like this once they were married.
Aletha's apprenticeship as a Healer began shortly after she was married. This program was four years of training, where Auror was only three. Lily, on the other hand, would be a qualified midwife next year, able not only to attend births but to diagnose and treat most of the common illnesses that plagued pregnant witches, and simply to give advice and help if a witch needed it.
James and Sirius, having passed their first round of tests, got new mentors, since the Longbottoms worked almost exclusively with first year apprentices. Gideon and Fabian Prewett were men after their own hearts, having driven teachers crazy for their combined nine years at Hogwarts. They fought hard, drank hard, lived a bit wildly, and made it a point to visit their sister Molly every week or so and spoil her children rotten.
Lily had already met Molly Weasley in April, and exclaimed over her newborn twins, who were utterly darling and impossible to tell apart. She had also fallen hard for Molly's other children, who came to visit her with their father: solemn two-year-old Percy, energetic five-year-old Charlie, and intelligent seven-year-old Bill. Molly, for her part, liked the young midwife's apprentice very much, and invited her and her young friends to the Weasleys' home, the Burrow, whenever they cared to come.
Aletha said, a touch cynically, that if she had five children she'd invite people over as well, just to watch them for a few minutes. But she too had fallen for the charm of the young Weasleys, and took Molly up on the invitation often. On one of these visits, she was introduced to Molly's neighbor Anita Lovegood, and the two spent nearly an hour talking about a Healing potion for which Anita was researching improvements, with her own money, simply because she was interested.
Soon afterwards, St. Mungo's administration came calling at the Lovegoods', and Anita ended up being hired as extra expertise on two or three current research projects in the hospital. Aletha disclaimed having anything to do with this, claiming, with some truth, that a neophyte apprentice couldn't possibly have enough pull with administration to do anything of the sort. Anita did a little genealogical research, just enough to uncover the link between the well-respected Healer Andromeda Tonks and Aletha's husband, but held her peace about it. After all, her family could use the money, and it was work she enjoyed.
The Lovegoods and the Weasleys became well acquainted with the Blacks and the Potters, and with Remus and Peter, over the course of the next year. Danger and Evanie, meanwhile, enjoyed their last year at Hogwarts as fully as they could, taking up the mantle left them by their fiancés and making mischief all over the school.
Danger's prank involving certain staircases and a pot of glue was widely renowned, but nothing topped Evanie's convincing every portrait in the castle to hide for three days, then all come out at the stroke of midnight and make as much noise as they could. Dumbledore claimed that he had nearly been deafened by Armando Dippet yodeling "It's a Long Way to Tipperary".
Neither of the girls had high ambitions. Danger loved to read and learn, of course, but she knew herself well. "If that's all I do, I get so lost in it that I forget to live," she told Professor McGonagall in the traditional talk that the Head of House had with each student before they left Hogwarts. "Besides, I enjoy doing simple things too. Making a home pleasant, and enriching someone else's life. Maybe that makes me old-fashioned and not liberated, but so be it. It's part of who I am."
Evanie was even blunter. "I've never wanted to do anything great," she said. "I don't have the brains or the drive for it. I just want to be a wife and a homemaker. I'd hoped to be a mother, but I'll have to settle for being an auntie."
"It can be quite pleasant," said Professor McGonagall with a faint smile. "You can send the children home when they begin to trouble you."
Evanie laughed. "Very true."
Both girls passed their N.E.W.T.s, Danger with high scores in everything, Evanie with decent ones, except in Care of Magical Creatures, where she scored not only an O but got a special commendation. "One of the crups was sick, poor thing," she said. "He'd gotten into some chocolate, and you know how bad that is for them."
Danger nodded. "Thank heaven we don't have that problem." Their nighttime forms being werewolves instead of true wolves, she and Remus didn't have the dietary limitations of real canines, meaning they could eat chocolate without fear of harming themselves. She was very thankful for this. Remus might have done something desperate if denied chocolate for too long.
And so, on 21 July, 1979, Peter Pettigrew and Evanie Mead were married, and on 22 July, Remus Lupin was the last of the Marauders to unite in matrimony with his love, Gertrude Granger. The atmosphere on that Sunday was almost electric, as if the castle itself were celebrating their marriage.
Both sets of parents were present, both mothers crying happy tears. David Granger gave his daughter away, saying only to Remus, "Take care of her," before going to sit down.
Remus took the two steps which brought him to Danger's side and took her hand in his. She looked up at him with deep feeling in her eyes. He felt the little premonitory tickle in his mind which meant she was about to say something –
Get off the dress.
What?
You're standing on my dress, I can't move. Get off.
Oops. Remus moved slightly to one side. Better?
Yes. Much. Thank you.
The Lupins continued to rent from the Blacks, moving up from one bedroom to the entire side of the house that Sirius and Aletha didn't use, and the two couples fell into an easy camaraderie. Danger was home all day, so she kept the house in order, besides cooking for everyone. James and Lily were frequent visitors, as were Peter and Evanie, now both living in Peter's flat. One day, Evanie came alone, obviously with something on her mind.
"He's not happy," she said over tea. "I can tell. He does the work at the shop because it pays, but he's not happy there. I wish I knew what kind of work would make him happy – Dad wants the shop to stay in the family, but he wouldn't want me to be miserable, and if Peter is, I will be."
"There might be a way to find out. Pardon me a moment?"
"Of course."
Danger shut her eyes. Are you busy?
Nothing that can't wait. What's going on?
She explained the situation, and asked if Remus had any insights.
Let me think about it a while, all right? I'll ask James and Sirius –
Don't tell them what this is about. Just make it a funny conversation, like you've forgotten about Peter and what he likes.
Don't worry, I'll be careful. We can talk about it tonight.
That night, after dinner, the Lupins said good night and went across to their own side of the house, which was furnished in a style that reflected their double nature. There were chairs and tables, but the tables were all low to the ground and the chairs large enough for a wolf to curl up in. Most of them could hold two. One of them soon was, as the newlyweds cuddled and shamelessly gossiped about their friends.
Peter likes animals, said Remus. He always has. He can be a little nervous around predators, since his Animagus form is a prey animal, but he likes them anyway. And we know Evanie does. What if they got into some kind of breeding program, like Arabella Figg runs?
Or – maybe not that, but something related. Danger had just had a brainstorm. Like Letha's mum does – rehabilitation. There have to be hurt and abused magical creatures out there. Why couldn't Peter and Evanie work with them?
Not a bad idea. Level Four at the Ministry, first thing tomorrow.
But Level Four wasn't the first place Remus went the next day. Instead, he headed for Level Two and Arthur Weasley's tiny, crowded office.
Arthur knows everyone, and everyone knows him. He'll be able to tell me who to talk to.
Sure enough, Arthur could provide him with names, but more than that, the idea caught his interest. He helped Remus send the request through official channels, but unofficial channels worked much faster, and Arthur Weasley had a lot of unofficial channels to use.
The upshot was that, within a few weeks of Evanie and Danger's conversation, the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures decided to open a new office in the Beast Division, cooperating with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The PAC-men (Prevention of Animal Cruelty) were a few of the older Aurors who couldn't do the really hard jobs anymore but didn't want to retire just yet, and they took to making surprise inspections of breeding facilities and responding to calls about possible abuse.
Of course, they had to have a place where the abused animals they collected could go. It had to be somewhere that Muggles couldn't find, somewhere with enough space for the larger animals to roam, and it had to be staffed by people who cared about the animals. It was perhaps inevitable that someone should think of Hogwarts. Albus Dumbledore thought it was quite a good idea, and signed the order allowing the Ministry to use a portion of the Hogwarts grounds as an animal rehabilitation center, on one condition.
"Me?" said Peter in astonishment when he found out what that condition had been. "They want me to head it up?"
"Dumbledore wants you to head it up," James corrected. "You and Evanie both. He knows you, he knows you'll take good care of the animals and not give him any hassles."
"But what about the bookshop?" Peter looked torn, wanting this immensely but not wanting to skip out on his current responsibilities. "Mr. Mead needs help, he can't run the place on his own..."
"I could use a job," said Danger thoughtfully. "And I've always thought it would be nice to work in a bookstore."
And so the Regulus Black Memorial Animal Rehabilitation Center was built at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, with Peter and Evanie Pettigrew to staff it, and Rubeus Hagrid and the Hogwarts Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Professor Felix Kettleburn, as their consultants. Another house was built on the outskirts of the Forest near Hagrid's, a bit larger but not much, and the buildings for housing the animals nearby, all of them connected, and the closest one connected to the house.
"So we don't have to go outdoors in the winter," said Evanie. "It gets cold around here."
Sirius' parents, to his shock, attended the dedication ceremony in September, and his mother actually said hello to Aletha, although she did so in a very frosty tone, and did not offer to shake hands. His father waited until his mother wasn't looking, then pressed Aletha's hand quickly, smiled at her slightly, and hurried away without saying anything.
Aletha looked after him, down at her hand, then at Sirius, and the two of them burst out laughing.
14 November was a Wednesday. Aletha knew she had to get up and go to work, but she didn't want to. The bed was so soft, and so comfortable... but she could smell whatever Danger was baking in the kitchen below, and she wanted some...
No, she didn't, her stomach suddenly informed her. In fact, that was the last thing she wanted.
She leapt out of bed and ran for the bathroom, making it just in time.
Sirius came in while she was worshiping the porcelain god and knelt down beside her, steadying her head. "You all right?" he said when she was done, filling a glass of water from the sink with his wand so that he didn't have to stop holding her. "Pick up a bug or something?"
Aletha rinsed her mouth and spat. "No, I don't think so. At least, I hope not."
"This has been going on for a little while now. What's this, the third time this week?" Sirius' eyes were grave. "Please don't make that old thing come true, about how Healers never go to see a Healer themselves. Talk to someone today while you're working, or check yourself over. Please."
Two "pleases" from her usually mannerless husband deserved consideration, Aletha thought. "All right. I will."
She promptly forgot about it until lunchtime, when she ran into Lily in the hospital tearoom, looking with some distaste at the selections on the counter. "Not hungry?" she asked.
"Not really. I've been a little ill lately – nothing terribly serious, I don't think, but just not wanting to eat anything."
"That's funny, me too. I've been sick in the mornings a lot..."
Lily looked at her friend, a smile playing around her lips. "Sick in the mornings, are you?"
Aletha stared at Lily. "Oh, no. No. Not that. It can't be."
"Come on, let's find out." Lily towed her out of the tearoom and down several flights of stairs, stopping on the landing between the first and second floors when she saw a familiar face. "Danger!"
"Oh, hello," said Danger, smiling at them a bit wanly. "I was just looking for you, Lily, but they told me you were on lunch break. I need to ask you something."
"I'll be with you in a minute, I'm just tending to Letha. She's been..." Lily winked. "...sick in the mornings."
Danger grinned. "Well, we know what causes that, now."
"Stop it!" Aletha felt her face heating up, and was grateful that her complexion made it nearly impossible for her to blush visibly. "All right, I'll take the damn test. But only if you two take it too. All right?"
"All right," answered the other women in chorus.
They found an empty treatment room, and Lily shut the door.
Remus arrived home from work that night with Sirius, both of them tired. Sirius, along with James, had spent the day following up leads on the few remaining Death Eaters who hadn't been captured at the Great Battle – there weren't many, but the Ministry wanted them all rounded up. The leads were generally old, difficult to verify or follow, and usually bum anyway. It was frustrating work.
Remus had troubles of his own, and those troubles could be spelled with five letters – S-N-A-P-E.
We can't help that we both work in the department. We're doing completely different projects, we never actually have to see each other – if he dislikes me so much, why doesn't he just stay out of my way?
He sighed. Oh well. If he gets his kicks by being a snarky bastard, that's fine.
I just wish he didn't feel obligated to do it to me...
"See you at dinner," said Sirius.
"See you." Remus opened his own front door. I'm home, he called.
Good. I'm in the back room.
Remus frowned. Danger's mental tone sounded... odd. He put down his bag and took off his hat and cloak, hanging them on the coat tree, and hurried back through the front room and the hallway to the room where their Floo hookup was.
He stopped on the threshold. Except for the light of the fire, the room was dark. Danger was sitting in front of the fireplace, cross-legged at a low table, with several dishes of food set out on it. "What's this?" he asked.
"Oh, I thought we could have a quiet, romantic dinner for a change. I know Letha has something she wants to talk to Sirius about over dinner, and we wouldn't be welcome." Her smile flickered into view like the flames. "Besides, it'll be nice. Just the three of us."
"Yes, that will be..." Remus' thought came to a screeching halt. "Three?"
Danger stood up and walked to him, stopping only a few inches from him. She took his hand in hers and pressed it against his chest. "One." She held it against her own chest. "Two." She slid it down between her breasts to the soft curve of her belly and held it there, smiling up at him. "Three."
Her meaning was as clear as it was unbelievable.
"You can't be... you're not..."
"You're not a werewolf any more," she reminded him. "And we are married. So I can be, and I am."
"When?"
"July."
"July." The room wasn't big enough – the world wasn't big enough – to contain all of Remus' joy. He scooped Danger off her feet, making her squeal, and spun her around, laughing. "July!"
"Yes, we certainly got right to it, didn't we?"
All Remus' tiredness had vanished in a rush of pride and love. Everything I thought I'd never have – and she's given me all of it...
I'm going to be a father!
"Do you know which it is yet?"
"No, I think I'd rather be surprised. Unless you want to know."
"No, not at all. I can wait." Remus stroked Danger's stomach tenderly. "Either's fine with me."
"Oh, good. But now the big question."
"What?"
"Who should we tell, and when?"
"Who already knows?"
"Letha and Lily."
"All right, they're trustworthy. I want my parents to know, of course, as soon as possible. And yours."
"Yes... but maybe we should hold off telling mine." Danger looked suddenly grave. "You may not know, but my mum's had a couple of miscarriages. I think we should wait until I'm a little farther along before we tell them."
Remus nodded, pulling his wife into a tight embrace. "If you say so." He kept his tone light, but the news had shaken him more than he wanted to admit. He couldn't believe how precious this little life had become to him in the few moments he had known about it.
"Don't worry, love, I doubt it's hereditary. She had a difficult time with me, that's probably all it is."
"All right."
"Since Lily and Letha know, James and Sirius will know in short order, and we should tell Peter and Evanie soon, if we're going to name them godparents." Danger grinned. "We may have to fight for that honor, though, unless they're willing to have more than one godchild."
"More than..." Remus' eyes widened. "Please tell me it isn't twins."
"Not that I'm aware of," said Danger hastily. "No, not that."
"Oh." Remus felt stupid. "All right, which of them is it? Letha, or Lily?"
Danger looked innocent. "Jumping to conclusions, aren't you? It isn't either of them."
Remus nodded knowingly. "I'm sure. It isn't either of them – because it's both, isn't it?"
Danger snapped her fingers. "Nuts, you figured it out."
"James what?" said Danger, laughing.
"Fainted." Lily was grinning widely. "My unshakeable third year Auror apprentice husband, who's faced down Death Eaters without flinching, fainted when I told him I was pregnant."
"Sirius sat there for a moment with his mouth hanging open," contributed Aletha. "And then he said, 'How did this happen?'"
"You do realize, we ought to be very sorry for Dumbledore," said Lily. "If he stays Headmaster for twelve more years, he's going to have all three of our children at once."
"A Potter, a Black, and a Lupin – the Marauders all over again!" Aletha laughed.
Danger shook her head. "The school won't know what hit it."
Peter and Evanie were delighted to hear the news, and cheerfully agreed to be godparents to all three children. "We'll spoil them for you," said Peter. "Be the fun auntie and uncle who have all the pretty animals and let them do anything they want."
"Thanks a lot," said Danger, throwing a piece of bread at him.
The elder Lupins were stunned when Remus told them the news later that month. Like Remus himself, they hadn't thought through the consequences of his being freed from the lycanthropy. Certainly they hadn't thought of this one.
"A grandchild will be lovely," said Katherine when she could speak again. "You were the most beautiful baby, Remus. I'm sure your child will be as wonderful."
"Every baby is beautiful," said John. "Congratulations, cub."
"Thanks, Dad." Remus knew, in his heart, how much his father had wanted their family line to continue. The Lupins were as old a family as the Blacks or the Potters, but they had never bothered with the pureblood nonsense – obviously, since his own mother was a Muggle. Still, the name Lupin went far back in British magical history, and Remus could tell how happy his father was that there would be another generation.
The Grangers, too, were delighted, when Danger finally told them the news at Christmas, and understood perfectly why she'd kept it from them. "How did you find out?" asked Rose, who loved to learn about the magical world.
"There's a spell. Do you want to see?"
"Of course."
Danger pulled out her wand. "Revelare Ventris," she said. A fine gold mist sprayed from the end of it and hung in the air.
"What do you do with it?"
"Blow on it."
Rose did.
Danger stared, wide-eyed, at the globe of blue mist.
"What's wrong, dear?"
So now my mum is pregnant, said Danger at the New Year's party. She's due in mid-September sometime.
"And there's more trouble on the way as well," said Lily. "You wouldn't believe who was in to see me yesterday."
"No, who?" asked Evanie.
"Molly Weasley."
What, again? Fred and George are only about a year and a half old, aren't they?
"Yes – but that's not the worst of it."
"What is?" asked Aletha.
"She's having twins again."
"Oh, geez." Evanie groaned. "Two sets of twins in a row… poor woman."
I know she loves children, but this might be a little much even for her, don't you think?
"Maybe there's something in the water," said Aletha. "Anita Lovegood is pregnant too."
"And Alice Longbottom," added Lily. "James was saying how he and Sirius might take some of their tests early, to help pick up the slack when she and Frank go on parental leave. I pointed out to him that it probably wouldn't help."
"Since they'll be on parental leave as well." Aletha laughed. "Lars Vilias must be tearing his hair out trying to figure out how he's going to cover everything this summer."
"Is it going to interfere with your training, Letha?" asked Evanie. "Having the baby?"
"No, I don't think so. There are some potions I can't deal with while I'm pregnant or nursing, but I can still learn the wanded techniques, and observe diagnosis and such. And there's always paperwork."
Yes, said Danger wearily. There is always paperwork.
Danger's prenatal exams revealed that the baby changed just as she and Remus did, becoming a wolf cub at sunset, and human again at sunrise. "He's going to be fun to deal with," she said at her four-month checkup. "Might have some trouble learning to walk human-style, since she'll only be able to practice half the time."
"Oh, he'll manage. Or she." Lily frowned. "That is really annoying. But I suppose since we don't want to know, that's the price we have to pay." She and James, like Remus and Danger, had decided they didn't want to know the sex of their child. Sirius and Aletha had opted to find out, and had discovered they were expecting a baby girl.
Peter and Evanie were a little envious of their friends, perhaps, but they had "children" of their own to deal with, and more coming in every day. Crups whose tail dockings had gotten infected, kneazles whose sense of humor had gotten out of control, a pair of Fwoopers whose owner had decided that their song couldn't really be all that bad (he was currently in the Janus Thickey ward at St. Mungo's), and, memorably, a gray hippogriff, which had been found neglected in a basement.
The hippogriff was savage to begin with, mantling and threatening Peter, but he was slightly mollified by Peter's very correct bow, and much more so by the bucket of meat Peter had with him. By the end of the week, Evanie had named the creature Buckbeak, and she and Peter were able to groom his horse half with a currycomb, while he preened his feathers himself. He was eating two or three meals a day, and allowing even some of Professor Kettleburn's more advanced Care of Magical Creatures students to approach him, once they had bowed to him first.
Hagrid met Buckbeak a few days later, and the two took to each other tremendously. By the time the snow was melting on Hogwarts grounds, Buckbeak was allowing Hagrid to handle him with a collar and leash, though Peter and Evanie were the only people he'd allow to ride him. When true spring came, they turned him loose, to live in the Forest with the other hippogriffs there, and Buckbeak seemed to enjoy himself tremendously.
But he'd still come if any of the three called him.
Near the end of April, Severus Snape's experiments of the past two years finally yielded fruit.
"I have run all the standard safety tests on it, Lupin," he said in his condescending way. "Including sampling it myself. It did not kill me, or the animal I tested it on, therefore it should not kill you."
Remus would have been more offended if he hadn't known Snape so well. This was his way of saying "I've done everything in my power to make sure this won't hurt you."
"However, there is only one true test of its efficacy. And that is to have one of you drink it. And since your wife," the word seemed to have a slightly bitter taste to Snape, "has made herself ineligible for testing potions for some time to come, the only test subject is yourself. If you would be so kind."
"What, exactly, will it do?"
"Whatever form you are in when you drink this, you will retain that form for a full twenty-four hours. At the end of that time, your usual cycle will recommence."
"So if I drink it now, I'll stay human until this time tomorrow."
"Yes."
"All right, then." Remus picked up the goblet sitting on his desk.
"Enjoy yourself," said Snape. "I would appreciate a log of your reactions, including any adverse ones." He stalked away.
Remus downed the potion in two long swallows, forcing himself not to gag on the bitter taste. I'll have to ask around and see if there's some way to make it taste better. But I shouldn't complain…this could make life so much easier…
He felt warmth move through all his veins, then settle, and pulled out parchment and quill to note it down. Was that sunset?
Yes, it was. Is it working?
Yes, it is.
Good. We can check with Andy and Letha to see how soon the baby can use it.
The only unpleasant effects Remus had to report the next day were a few twinges of pain in his joints, similar to those he had once experienced on full moons, and some minor skin irritation.
"Very well." Snape jotted that down in his notes. "I would advise you not to use this more than twice a month. Some of the ingredients may build up in your system, and it will take that long for them to be flushed out. They will not actively poison you, but their long-term effects are unknown."
"We'll keep that in mind. Thank you, Severus."
Aww, complained Danger half-heartedly.
Don't start, said Remus. We couldn't do this before, so twice a month is an improvement. And think about it logically – where are we going to go at night anyway?
Good point. We'd probably only use it for a party or some other special occasion.
Maybe when your little sister is born. The Grangers had decided that they wanted to know their baby's sex, and had already picked out a name – Hermione Jane.
Yeah, what is it with my parents and Shakespearean queens, anyway?
At least Hermione got a happy ending. Even if she did have to pretend to be dead for sixteen years. Gertrude married her husband's brother and died with poison meant for her son…
Now do you see why I don't like the name?
James and Lily were having a leisurely Sunday lunch at home when an owl flew through their window. James took the letter from the owl and scanned it. His eyebrows went up. "It's from Padfoot. Letha's gone into labor."
"Then I'd better get going, hadn't I?" Lily accepted James' hand to help her up. "And you should come along too. Moral support for poor old Sirius."
Aletha's labor went well, and it was 4:13 PM on 1 June, 1980, when Meghan Lily Black made her entrance into the world, and immediately informed everyone involved that she didn't like it one little bit.
Lily placed the pink-wrapped bundle in Sirius' arms. "Support her head," she warned. "Her neck's still too weak to hold it up by herself."
Sirius stared down at the tiny, wrinkled face, the dark hair sneaking out from under the hospital cap, one tiny hand clutching the blanket, two large eyes tightly shut – and then they opened, and looked at him...
"I thought babies had blue eyes," he said, cradling the girl carefully.
"They do," said Lily. "Most of them."
"Not her." Sirius turned so that Aletha could see. "Hers are grey."
"Hmm, I wonder where she could have gotten grey eyes?" Aletha laughed. "Let me hold her now?"
"But I wasn't done yet."
"And another one bites the dust," said James, throwing up his hands. "He's lost."
"You'll be just as bad in a month or so," warned Lily. "Or at least you had better be."
Thursday afternoon, Danger was minding the cash register at the Meads' bookstore when she felt a tremor running through her. That was no big surprise – she'd felt such tremors often in the past month – but what happened next was.
There is something running down my leg. Something wet.
Oh my God…
"Larry?" She stuck her head in the back room. "I have to go. Will you be all right here?"
"What's happening?" asked Mr. Mead, looking up from his accounts.
Danger smiled tremulously, running her hand across her belly. "It's time."
"Congratulations," said Mr. Mead with an answering smile, getting up. "Do you need help getting to the hospital?"
"Oh, I'm not going to the hospital. They're not really set up for someone like me. I'm going to give birth at home."
"Do you need help getting home, then?"
"No, I think I can still Floo. Thanks, though."
"You bring that baby in as soon as you can," said Mrs. Mead, popping her head in. "Or better yet, you let us know, and we'll come and see you."
"Thanks, Patty, I will."
Mr. Mead insisted on helping her to the fireplace, and she caught herself on the handholds Remus had installed on their mantelpiece gratefully a few moments later – her stomach had just tightened again, and she wasn't sure she could have kept her balance without them. Once the contraction had passed, she made her way ponderously over to an end table, where lay a small, tarnished, gilt-edged mirror.
"Lily Potter," she said clearly into it, and waited.
"Danger?" Lily's face appeared in the mirror. "What's going on?"
Danger laughed a bit shakily. "I'm having a baby."
"All right, I'll be over as soon as I can clear my schedule. Get yourself comfortable and don't try to do too much. Have you told Remus?"
"No, he's busy with something and I don't want to break his concentration."
"Don't wait too long. Men get touchy about not being told these things."
"I won't. See you when you get here."
"See you." Lily broke the connection.
Danger cleaned herself up as best she could while waiting, and Summoned a clean nightgown, which she changed into, thankful that all the carpets in their home had been chosen with an eye, or rather a hand, to how they felt against sensitive skin. Around the time she finished fastening the buttons in the front of the gown, she felt Remus' mental touch go from "concentrating" mode to "relaxed".
Knock knock, she called.
Who's there?
Baby.
Baby who?
Baby coming.
Well, of course… what, you mean now?
No, next year. Yes, I mean now!
Remus' first response was not verbal, consisting of astonishment mixed with quite a bit of fear, a large helping of worry, and just a touch of annoyance. You're early.
I know.
And it would have to be the one night the boss wants me to work late. There're some experiments they've been hoping to run on my wolf form, and the one potion will spoil by tomorrow night, so it has to be tonight.
How late is late?
I don't know. They've arranged for everyone to stay at least until midnight, though…
Danger sighed. I'll survive. Just come as soon as you can.
All right. I love you. And the baby. Be careful.
I will.
Lily's arrival coincided with a rather longer contraction than Danger had experienced up to now, and all other thoughts went out the window as she concentrated on having this baby.
"What are you going to do at sunset?" she asked at nine o'clock, looking out the window at the red-lit sky.
"Keep helping you, of course. Don't you know why I've been at Peter and Evanie's so much lately? They had two crups give birth there recently, I was observing."
"Well, woof woof." Danger chuckled, then gasped as her stomach took objection.
It was just luck that the moment of sunset did not coincide with a contraction, Danger thought, but it was luck she was very grateful for. She had no idea what her muscles might make of their changing forms if they had to work at the same time.
The labor hurt less in wolf form, she discovered. Too bad you can't do this, she told Lily. This cub's going to be born any minute now, I think… but of course you're the expert.
"No, you're right. Remember to breathe with them, here comes another one… ready? Push!"
He didn't understand what was happening, and he didn't like it.
There had always been changes, but they were never like this. He didn't like it. It was…
Bad.
Oh my God!
"What?"
I heard something – hold on…
Danger reached out to the source of the voice she had heard, and somehow wasn't surprised to find it within herself. Hello, she said gently.
Mm? was the response, a non-verbal sort of query – and now that she thought about it, the "Bad" she'd heard before hadn't been verbal either, that was just her mind's closest translation of it. The querying feeling was utterly general, the questioner had no understanding of – of anything, really.
My child. I'm talking to my child.
Hello, she said again. It's all right. I know this isn't very nice, but it will be over soon.
Mm? The mind had no conception of "soon", no understanding of time at all. Things were one way, or they were another. Bad.
Yes. Bad. But good soon. Danger projected soothing feelings, trying to impart some confidence into the tiny life struggling along with her.
"Danger, what are you doing?"
She looked up at her midwife. Lily, I can hear him! I can hear my baby!
Lily blinked in surprise. "Well, I suppose that's good. Is he all right? In distress?"
He doesn't like it. But we wouldn't either, if we were being taken out of a warm comfortable place like that.
"True. All right, just keep pushing. I think we're close now…"
Suddenly there was a lot of change. There was not something which there had been before…
Room. There isn't room. You're pressed, squeezed. But it will be over soon.
He didn't understand the last part, but he liked the feeling that went with it. The feeling of comfort, of safety.
And then there was a lot of that thing which there hadn't been any of, and a lot of other things too. And he didn't like most of them.
Bad!
Cold. You're cold because you're wet. But you'll be all right in a moment.
Something touched him – picked him up from the ground –
Bad! he cried in panic. Bad! BAD!
The little male wolf stiffened and whined in Lily's hands.
Lily, put him down! Quickly! You're terrifying him!
Lily instantly set the tiny cub on the floor next to Danger. "Good heavens, I didn't mean to," she said, looking shaken. "What set him off?"
Danger curled herself around the cub, who was huddled into a ball, shivering, and began to lick him. I'm not sure, she said in between murmuring comforting words. I think, maybe, that only a predator could pick him up like that in the wild. So his instincts tell him to be afraid of that. He is a boy, by the way?
"Oh, most definitely. Congratulations."
Thank you. There, it's all right now. The last one was directed to the cub, who was starting to uncurl. It's all right, isn't it?
The fear was passing. Something pleasant was next to him, and something pleasant but different had been stroking him. And now something even a little different was rubbing over him.
A towel. You're being dried off, now that you're clean.
He poked his nose against the pleasant thing next to him. Mm? he asked the voice. It was a very general kind of question – "What is this?"
Me. The second thing rubbed across him again. This is me. Your Mama.
Mama. He liked that, and the feelings that went with it. Warm comfort, and safety, and something else.
Love, the voice supplied before he could even ask. I love you.
He liked love. But there was something else happening inside him…
Bad. Mm?
You're hungry. But that can be fixed. The thing next to him – Mama – shifted, and then there was something new next to his face. Something he knew what to do with.
And he liked – oh, he very much liked – the taste that filled up his mouth when he did.
Good. Good. Gooood.
I'm glad you like it. The voice was filled with the thing called love. And that was good too.
Remus Apparated into his own kitchen. Hello? he called, pitching his "voice" to carry through the house, since his touch had told him Danger was asleep.
"In the back room," answered Lily quietly, but his wolf's ears picked it up.
He trotted eagerly into the hall, picking up a new scent. New, yet familiar…
"It's a boy," said Lily as he came through the door. She was smiling broadly. "Born just after ten-thirty. Have a look."
Remus hurried over and felt his heart racing. Danger was curled up around a tiny, dark ball of fur. He looked anxiously at Lily. Are they all right? This was early, wasn't it?
"Supposedly, yes – she wasn't due until late July – but that's probably due to your changes, like everything else. Wolf gestation is only about three months, it's not surprising that he's a little early. He's certainly not showing any trouble breathing or nursing. All in all, Remus Lupin, I'd say you have a fine healthy son."
Remus felt a weight lift from his heart as he looked back at his wife and son. What color is he?
"Mostly grey, but he has russet highlights. Very handsome. Like a fox."
Remus nuzzled his baby, sniffing the soft fur and memorizing the scent. He's so beautiful.
I'm glad you approve, said another voice, sounding tired but pleased.
How could I not? He's gorgeous. Remus lay down beside mother and baby, scooting himself closer to them until his flank was pressed against the curl of the cub's back and his back legs twined with Danger's. So. A boy. Have you thought about names at all?
Not really. But… Lily, he really looks like a fox?
"A little. To tell you the truth, he looks like almost nothing I've ever seen. But I suppose that'll pass."
I'm sure it will. Remus sighed in contentment. Why did you ask, Danger?
Because it gave me an idea. Why don't we call him Reynard?
Reynard, the trickster fox. Reynard Lupin. Remus considered for a moment. I like it.
"That's very nice," said Lily. "Call him Ray for short."
Reynard Alexander Lupin, said Danger.
Why Alexander?
Oh, just because.
All right. If you say so.
Mm? asked a tiny voice.
What's that?
That's our son, Remus. He wants to know who you are. Talk to him.
"I think this is my cue to leave," said Lily, laughing a little. "Will you two be all right without me?"
We should be, said Remus. You're sure he's healthy, then?
"Perfectly. I'll check in on you in the morning. Sleep well."
Oh, we will.
Mm? repeated the tiny voice, this time with a bit more force, as Lily began to pack up her things.
Remus twisted to look at the tiny ball of fur, which was uncurling, revealing folded-over ears, tightly closed eyes, and a pug nose, but that would change as he grew. Hello, son, he said, giving Reynard a soft lick. I'm your Daddy.
Daddy?
Yes. Daddy. Remus gave his son feelings, images, of everything a daddy did. How he held his cub safe and protected him from the mean parts of the world – how he taught his cub to be a strong, brave wolf and fight fiercely – how he played with his cub, fun games like jump-on-the-tail and wrestling...
Good, Reynard decided.
Remus looked over at Danger. I feel like I just passed my N.E.W.T.s with all O's.
I know. Look at him, Remus, just look at him! He's beautiful – and he's ours! We created him!
You're starting to scare me.
I'm petrified myself. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing...
Bad? inquired a small voice.
And now we're scaring him. No, little one, not bad. Good. Everything is good.
Yes, everything is good, repeated Remus, licking Reynard's fur one more time. Now we're going to sleep.
Sleep?
Danger nuzzled Reynard. Sleep. In her mind were feelings of peace and tranquility, of quiet and rest, and Reynard responded, yawning largely, then laying his head down on his paws. His mind's touch went from awake to asleep in that instantaneous way that only babies seemed capable of.
And if we don't want to wake him, we'd better do the same.
I don't know about you, but I just went through six hours of hard labor – pun fully intended – and I'm exhausted.
Well, then, don't let me keep you up. Remus rearranged his position very slightly, laid his head on the carpet, and sighed. Good night.
Good night.
I have a son. I have a child. Someone totally dependent on me.
It was not a sleep-inducing idea. In fact, it seemed more likely to induce absolute terror. But he couldn't go around broadcasting that – not with Reynard able to pick up on his emotions...
I wonder... if he can pick up mine, can I pick up his?
Sure enough, his son's mind was open to him, utterly secure and peaceful, needing nothing. Remus wrapped himself in that feeling, banishing his fears for the moment. He would deal with them later.
Sleep came surprisingly quickly after that.
Danger awoke early the next morning, but not before the sun. Remus lay beside her in his work robes, and between them –
Remus, wake up! Look at him!
Reynard Alexander Lupin, in the light of the sun, was a completely gorgeous baby. His skin was soft and smooth, his eyes shut tightly, and his hair, of which he had a great deal, was brown and as crinkly as Danger's own, though he did indeed have the russet highlights Lily had noticed in his fur.
I bet he has blue eyes, said Remus without bothering to open his own.
All babies have blue eyes.
Yes, but I bet he keeps them.
I won't take it. Would you mind doing something for me?
What?
Get me a nappy? It wasn't really feasible to put one on him last night, and I know we can clean the carpets, but I'd rather not have to.
Right away, my love. Remus sat up, stretched his back, and drew his wand without looking at it, since his eyes were fixed on Reynard. God, he is so beautiful.
Danger took Reynard's ankles in her hand and lifted his rear end up to put the nappy under it. No arguments here.
Reynard stirred just as Danger finished fastening the nappy. Mm? he inquired.
Morning, said Danger. Sunlight – oh, no, I just thought of something.
What?
His eyes were shut last night. And his ears. He's going to be startled by seeing and hearing – and confused when he can't tonight...
We'll help him through it. Like right now. Talk to him, get him used to your voice.
Danger was about to say something, when Reynard discovered hearing for himself. Hungry, he complained mentally, and began to fuss.
It wasn't a very loud noise, nor a very jarring one, though Danger knew it could quickly become one, but it startled Reynard considerably. Ah! was his expressed feeling. His eyes flew open, and both his parents felt his second shock as he realized a second new ability. Mm? he demanded.
You see. You hear. Danger slid her arms under the baby. You see me. You see Mama.
Bad, Reynard protested as she lifted him up, then stopped, blinking at her. Good? he asked doubtfully.
He was afraid last night when Lily picked him up, Danger told Remus. But now that he's human, his instincts want him to be picked up. So he's confused. Yes, Reynard. Good. She held him close to her. Get my buttons, please?
Certainly. Remus leaned over her and began to undo her front buttons.
Reynard blinked as a new face invaded his vision. Mm?
This boy's going to be a terror when he gets to the "Why" stage. Hello, Reynard. You see Daddy.
Daddy. A tiny hand reached up to investigate Remus' face, latching onto his lower lip and pulling.
Ouch, Remus complained, laughing mentally as he peeled the fingers off him. There, love, you're all ready.
Danger rearranged her now open nightgown and Reynard, stroking his cheek to make him turn his head, and filling his mouth with her nipple just in time to cut off his second Hungry and replace it with a contented Gooood.
After a few moments, Danger began to hum, so quietly that it didn't startle Reynard. Remus recognized the tune and joined in, adding a harmony line after the first chorus was over. By the time they hit the second chorus, they were singing the words, still quietly, but certainly loud enough for Reynard to hear. They finished the song in unison and sighed together, making Danger laugh, which did startle Reynard a bit, but luckily he pulled away instead of biting.
A knocking on the wall startled all three of them. "I'll get it," said Remus, standing up and going to the wall which divided the two halves of the house. To the uninitiated, the wall looked unbroken, but friends of the two families knew that a cleverly disguised door had been installed, so that the Lupins and the Blacks could visit whenever they wanted. Remus opened that door now. "Yes, what do you want?" he asked mock-rudely.
"A little flower told us there's been an arrival at your place," answered Sirius' voice. Danger was glad she hadn't tried to get Reynard to nurse again, since all the new things were surprising him enough that he surely would have bitten her by now. "May we come over and say hello?"
"Oh, if you must," said Remus. "Just wait a second, please?" He turned and pointed his wand at Danger. "Wingardium Leviosa."
Danger felt herself lifted into the air and floated across the room, to be deposited on the couch. Thank you, she said. Less chance of accidental exposure from here.
That is what I was thinking. "Come in, come in, one and all," said Remus, opening the door wide and gesturing to Danger like a barker at a carnival. "Come in and see the eighth wonder of the world."
Sirius, framed in the doorway, nodded. "I know the feeling. So, Danger, what's the damage? Boy or girl?"
"He's a boy. Reynard Alexander. Come on in and let him see you – he's a little surprised by all this, since he couldn't see or hear when he was born."
"He couldn't? Why – oh, right." Sirius was across the room by now, leaning over Danger and Reynard. "Well, hello there, handsome. Are you going to try and charm my little Meghan out of her shoes when you grow up?"
Bad? asked Reynard, looking warily at Sirius.
Good, said Danger firmly. She grinned at Sirius. "He wants to know if you're good or bad."
"He wants to know?"
"We can hear him," said Remus from the door, where he was now holding Meghan. "The way we can each other. But I'm pretty sure we'll be able to find a way to shut him out of private conversations if we need to."
"You hope so, you mean," said Aletha, laughing as she crossed the room. "Oh, isn't he precious. Can I hold him, or will that scare him?"
"He has to get used to it sometime."
Bad! Reynard wailed, both mentally and aloud, as Danger transferred him to Aletha's arms.
Good, said Danger and Remus together, overriding Reynard's fear. Good.
Good? Reynard stared up at Aletha, then, with a tangible decision, accepted his parents' verdict. Good.
"I'll trade you," said Remus, joining the group by the sofa. "Since I haven't held him yet myself."
"Here, I'll take her," said Sirius, holding out his arms for his daughter. "But I want a chance at him next."
"Fair enough." Remus sat down on the other end of the couch, cradling Reynard against him. "Hello, son," he said, smiling down at the baby face and the very blue eyes contained therein.
Daddy. Reynard yawned. Good.
The look on Remus' face, Danger thought, could easily have been photographed and put in a dictionary next to the word "infatuation".
"Reynard just said he likes Remus," she told Sirius and Aletha quietly. "That's why he looks like an idiot."
"At least he's a happy idiot." Sirius looked down at Meghan. "Merlin's beard, think of us having kids. It just makes me feel so... so..."
"Old?" suggested both women.
Lily's next case came on Saturday week, when Anita Lovegood went into labor unexpectedly after breakfast and her husband Gerald rushed her to the hospital. Luna Marie Lovegood was born just after noon, and spent most of her time regarding everyone and everything quietly with lovely silver-grey eyes.
"That's two grey-eyed babies in two weeks," said Lily afterwards. "Two grey-eyed girls. Getting to be an epidemic."
There was a lull for a bit over a month, in which time the new parents adjusted to life with tiny creatures which cried in the middle of the night and the middle of meals. Or rather the Blacks and the Lovegoods did. Reynard hardly ever cried aloud.
"He knows he doesn't need to," said Danger. "He can just tell us what's wrong, and we come and fix it."
"Must be nice," said Sirius, yawning. "Meghan keeps us up half the night, and we can't figure out what's wrong with her."
Reynard's wolf form continued to develop, with his eyes opening around the time he was two weeks old and his ears about two weeks after that. By the time he was three weeks old, he was pouncing on Remus' tail at night, and highly insulted that he couldn't do anything equivalent in human form. His adult coat, which resembled his human hair closely, started to show up around his nose and eyes, and he sprouted teeth, which vanished at sunrise along with everything else lupine about him.
"And a more confused little boy you never saw," said Remus. "But he trusts us that it's not harmful, and he's getting to like both forms."
"Well, I've examined that potion of Snape's, and I'd say any time after six months ought to be safe to give it to him," said Aletha. "Earlier might even be all right, but not unless you have to, just to be safe."
Molly Weasley was the next to go into labor, waking up to a saturated bed on 26 July. Arthur drove her to the hospital, since he didn't want to risk her going through the Floo in her condition, and vanished as soon as he'd checked her in, reappearing two or three hours later to be sworn at.
"At least I don't have to wonder," he said in the waiting room at 1:25. "We'll have another pair of red-haired boys, I'm sure. Boys in my family all the way back – there hasn't been a Weasley girl for nearly two hundred years..."
"Well, I hate to disappoint you, Arthur," said Aletha, coming through the waiting room door.
"What?" Arthur was on his feet.
"Oh, dear, did I say that?" Aletha clapped her hands melodramatically over her mouth. "Well, why don't you go see for yourself..."
Arthur was out the door almost before she had spoken.
"A boy and a girl?" he said in amazement, looking at the bundles beside Molly in the bed. "But – but–"
"Yes, Arthur, I know," said Molly, smiling. "But I, for one, think it's quite time we had a girl in this family."
"Well, if you say so, dear." Arthur sat down on the edge of the bed and held out his arms. "Let's see her."
Molly watched her husband's face, and saw what she had seen five times before, and would see again in a moment when he held their newest son. Arthur was in love again.
"She's the younger," she said quietly. "Our son was born first."
"How rude of him," said Arthur, rocking the little girl in his arms. "He'll have to learn some better manners than that."
Molly shook her head indulgently. Her little girl would be spoiled rotten, she foresaw, but also teased to death, and that would be her salvation.
Ronald Bilius and Ginevra Molly were the darlings of the little group of friends for five days, until Frank and Alice Longbottom presented the world with Neville Francis at 5:40 PM on 30 July. Ron and Ginny were less than thrilled with having to share the spotlight, and showed their displeasure by crying loudly any time anyone admired Neville. However, since they could be easily removed from the hospital room, this didn't do them much good.
And then, the very next day, Lily went into labor herself.
"I'd been... wondering... when it would happen," she said, panting with exertion. "I mean, I'm already... late..."
"Potter men take their time," said James, holding her hand. "I was two weeks late myself."
"You're assuming... he's a boy again... James. Remember... he could just as easily... be a girl..."
But James was right, for once in his life. Harry James Potter entered the world at 8:45 PM on 31 July, 1980, yelling at the top of his lungs and possessing both an impressive amount of his father's untidy black hair and (when he opened them) his mother's green eyes.
"Now, this is a real baby boom," said Sirius, handing Meghan to Peter so he could hold Harry. "I mean, how many do we have here? Six? No, seven now."
"Going to be eight in September," said Danger. "Bet you anything Hermione turns out to be a witch."
"I'd say we have most of a year for Gryffindor right here," said Evanie, holding Ginny.
"I'd say we have a major headache for McGonagall," said James, grinning at Lily. "She had enough trouble with four of us – imagine eight..."
"Do I have to?" said Lily. "I'm getting dizzy just thinking about birthday parties."
Remus summed it up best. "I think we're all in for a lot of fun these next several years. And a whole lot of aggravation."
(A/N: All right, there's going to have to be at least one more chapter. An Epilogue, I think, just to wrap everything up... and I'll tell you more when I write that, since it's very late and I have work tomorrow... happy Fourth of July, fellow Americans, and to everyone else, hope you had a nice day.)