A/N: Ok, first off, I want to say I am so so so sorry it took me forever to update…Being on winter break really slows down the typing…well, anytime I'm at home visiting family, I get slowed down…lol anyway, I also want to thank all of you who have stuck around to read thus far. So..yea, thank you, it really means a lot to me! ) what else, what else..oh yea, I think this chapter is a wee bit shorter than my usuals (it was longer at first, but I cut out this one scene that I thought was pretty random and didn't contribute to the plot at all…), but hopefully you'll still like it, though I also just realized its kinda fast paced..lol oh well. Hopefully, I'll be able to update soon. Thanks again for reading!
Chapter 38: Pumpkin Juice
Sirius stared blankly at Dumbledore for a moment.
"A…a divorce?" he stammered. "Professor Dumbledore, you can't be serious…"
Dumbledore sighed and looked down at his still full teacup. "On the contrary, Mr. Black, I'm afraid I am…You see, these past few months Dominique has become quite frustrated with the state of the marriage"—
"But Professor"—
Dumbledore gently held up his hand to interrupt Sirius. "You must allow me to speak, Sirius, and I asked that you listen."
Sirius nodded and Dumbledore continued.
"As you undoubtedly learned in the last few years whilst you got to know my niece, just as I had when I first met her, Dominique is the kind of woman who needs attention. She was deprived of it during the first half of her life. Her parents didn't care for her. She had no real friends, except a boyfriend that used her. She didn't get her first taste of affection until she came to Hogwarts. I cared for her. Her friends cared for her. And most importantly, you cared for her. I think I can safely say that she never experienced the kind of attentiveness you've shown her, and frankly, it grew on her. She became comfortable with your treatment, and began expecting nothing less than affection and tenderness from you."
Sirius only stared at him. What did Dumbledore mean he was this and was that…he still was all that…
"Times have become hard," Dumbledore continued, "and it has become increasingly difficult for you to operate at the high standards that Dominique has put you to, what with the war going on, your work, and all the expectations others put you to"—
"Professor"—Sirius looked at Dumbledore warily, knowing the headmaster was quite tired and not in the mood for interruptions—"I'm sorry. I just need to say this. I've got a good feeling I know what Dominique's told you, and I'll be the first to admit that there was probably truth in everything she said. But believe me, sir. I'm willing to fix things. I already have begun to. I just need Dominique to give this marriage another chance…she has to. I don't want a divorce in the midst of a war. Can you please just tell her to come home and give me a chance? I promise to rectify things…if I don't, she's welcome to leave, and welcome to all my possessions. Just…please tell her that."
Dumbledore stood up and nodded to Sirius as he headed towards the door. "Make sure to go to the Potters' tomorrow. I'll pass your message along to Dominique." And with that, Dumbledore opened the front door and left.
The following morning, Sirius couldn't help but feel slightly out of place as he stood in the kitchen, trying to figure out what to eat for breakfast—he had become quite accustomed to walking into the kitchen with his meal already prepared for him, by Dominique of course. 'I'm going to look for a house elf if she doesn't come back…' Sirius thought gloomily to himself as he settled on a bowl of cereal and milk, as that was the only thing he knew how to make…
As Sirius dumped his empty cereal bowl into the sink, he eyed the box of cigarettes that lay temptingly on the counter. He sighed as he grabbed the box and headed to his bedroom to find the lighter…
Hours later, Sirius stumbled out of his room as he buttoned up his shirt. It was time to go see the Potters. He grabbed his wand from the kitchen counter and shoved it in his pocket. As he turned to leave, he wondered if he should leave a note for Dominique, just in case she came while he was gone. Deciding it would be best if he did so, Sirius headed to his room and went to his desk to find some parchment.
"D"—he wrote hurriedly—"went to the Potters, be back shortly. Sirius."
Sirius picked up the parchment and placed it on the bed, where she wouldn't miss it. As he turned around to leave, he almost jumped.
"Hey…" she said softly. She was just standing there, one hand clutching to her purse and broom, the other around the handle of her trunk.
Sirius stared at her, suddenly not knowing what to say.
"Hey…" he finally replied.
"I'm sorry…" she said suddenly, taking Sirius by surprise. "I just…I was upset…and well, Dumbledore told me what you said…" her voice trailed off. She looked at Sirius anxiously, wanting for him to say something…
"Are you staying?" Sirius asked.
"Did you mean what you said?" she asked in reply.
Sirius nodded. "I did. So will you stay? And we'll work on…well, us…"
Dominique nodded. "I want this marriage to work."
"Same here."
"You were writing a note to me?" Dominique asked as she put her things down and walked over to the bed. "Were you going somewhere?" She picked up the parchment and read it. "Oh…" she said as she dumped the parchment back onto the bed.
"Yea…" Sirius said awkwardly. "Listen, I should actually be there by now…see, we're going to perform the fidelius charm…I'm going to be the secret keeper."
"So they're really going into hiding then?" Dominique asked.
"Yea…so…I'm just going to head on out…I'll be back as soon as I'm done, and I promise, we'll have a nice, long talk about it…and well, everything…sound good?" Sirius asked, looking at Dominique warily.
"Sure," she replied. "I'll just unpack in the meantime…"
Sirius nodded and headed towards the door. "I'll be back as soon as we're done!" he said again as he headed out the door.
As Sirius landed in front of the Potters' home in Godric's Hollow, his mind wondered to the task that lay in front of him. He would be protecting the Potters by keeping their secret…in his soul. In time, Sirius knew, Voldemort would find out they were in hiding, and no doubt he would figure out that they were using the fidelius charm. Would they seek him out? Did Voldemort know that he, Sirius, was James's best friend? Well, if he didn't know, surely the spy in the order would have told him…
'I'm not afraid of dying…' Sirius thought defensively to himself as he knocked on the door. 'But if they're going to come looking for me too…and they kill me…how will the charm be removed once the Potters get out of danger? The secret keeper has to be there to break the charm…'
"Sirius…"
Sirius looked up and found James standing at the front door.
"Come on in…" he said quietly, showing Sirius inside. Once Sirius entered the living room, he nodded at Lily, who sat on the couch with Harry. They all seemed to be forcing smiles at each other.
"Thanks so much for doing this, mate…" James said as he took a seat across from Sirius.
"Are you sure you want to though?" Lily cut in. She looked at Sirius anxiously now. "I mean…Voldemort is going to find out sooner or later that we're hiding…I'm sure he'll figure out we're using the fidelius charm…and if he does…well, he'll know you're our secret keeper…your our best friend…they'll come for you…"
Sirius shook his head. "So be it…they won't get it out of me…"
"They'll kill you…" Lily said in an almost whisper. Her eyes were rimmed with tears. Suddenly she found herself leaning forward and hugging Sirius, with Harry (who was still in Lily's lap) squashed between them.
"Lily"—
"I'm sorry…" Lily said as she pulled away from Sirius. She wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. "I hated you when we were younger…at school…I'm sorry I ever thought badly of you…"
"Lily, calm yourself…" James cut in, as he rushed to his wife's side to comfort her. "That was a long time ago…you hated me too, remember?"
"I know, I know…" Lily said, "I don't know why I'm suddenly remembering our school days…a few years ago, I never would've dreamed that I'd be married to you, James…or be putting my life in your hands, Sirius…but now…I'm so thankful that I have both of you…"
"Ah, Lily…" James said as he ran a hand through her hair, "I know how it is…our school days…man, how I wish we could go back to those days sometimes…."
"Carefree and innocent…" Sirius said wistfully, "not a worry in the world…"
At this, Lily let out something between a sob and a cry. "You guys were never innocent…" she said with a weak smile. James and Sirius laughed.
"And so we weren't…" James replied as he took baby Harry out of Lily's arms and began to cradle him. After a few moments of silence, he spoke up again. "Well…I suppose we should do it then?"
Lily turned to Sirius. "Thank you so much for doing this, Sirius…I don't know what we'd do"—
"Before you start praising me to the sky and dub be a knight…I think I have an alternate plan…that might just guarantee your safety…"
"What is it?" James asked.
"Get a different secret keeper…" Sirius replied. "I mean, I'm more than willing to do it…but…you two are worried about my safety…and I'm worried about yours…I feel like me being secret keeper isn't completely fool proof…"
"Who would we get?" James and Lily asked together, causing Harry to giggle.
"Someone nobody would ever suspect…" Sirius replied as he headed towards the fireplace.
"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Lily asked as she paced around the living room a few minutes later.
"Trust me….no one would suspect Peter…Voldemort would never think that you guys would use him…him and all his followers will probably go straight for me…it's the perfect bluff. And think about how safe you guys will be…nobody will even know…Everyone who knows you've got a secret keeper will still think it's me…it's perfect…" Sirius said.
James nodded and turned to Lily. "He's got a point….no one would think to go to Peter…I mean, he's a great friend and all…but…well, look at him…when you're putting your life in someone's hands, you usually go with someone reliable and strong, like Sirius…Peter's an underdog…no one will think to go to him…"
Lily sighed and nodded. Suddenly, she realized…
"I met Remus the other day…at Diagon Alley…he asked…I told him Sirius was our secret keeper…so…should we not tell him about the change, I'm assuming?" she asked.
Sirius shook his head. "Best that he doesn't know…" James nodded in agreement.
Just then, smoke, ashes and a blaze of fire erupted from the fireplace, and Peter Pettigrew arrived.
"So you're sure you're willing to do this, Wormtail?" James asked as he and Lily helped their friend out of the fireplace.
Peter nodded and looked from James to Lily, to Sirius, and finally Harry. "I'm honoured." He replied.
An hour later, Sirius arrived at his own house. He glanced around the place as he pulled his cloak off and hung it up. He was looking for a sign of Dominique. Suddenly he caught it when he took a deep breath. The air smelled of tantalizing spices. He followed the aroma to the kitchen, where he found Dominique standing over several pots, pans, and cauldrons at the stove. Upon hearing Sirius's entrance, Dominique looked up and smiled.
"Hey…thought I'd get started on dinner…" she said as she turned back to her cooking.
"Smells great…" Sirius replied.
"So…are the Potters hidden now?"
"Yup…"
"And you're keeping them?"
"Yup…" Sirius replied automatically. But before he could correct himself, Sirius stopped to think. 'the only reason they were keen on using Peter was so nobody would know that I'm the bluff…'
"Do you need any help?" Sirius asked, changing the subject.
"No, it's alright…it just needs to sit and cook on its own…" Dominique said as she wiped her hands on her apron. As she reached backwards to untie it, she found Sirius standing behind her, assisting her in the task.
"Thank you…" she said quietly as he removed her apron.
Dominique watched as he folded it and placed it on the kitchen counter. Sirius turned around just in time to see Dominique quickly shift her gaze towards the floor, as she tried to hide her smile.
At seeing this, Sirius couldn't help but smile as well, though he wasn't quite sure why he was smiling. "What?" he asked amusedly.
Dominique's smiled only broadened as she shook her head. "Well…it's been such a long time since we've gotten along...I have to admit, it feels a bit weird…"
At this statement, Sirius's grin only broadened.
"Well, now that you've mentioned it…" Sirius said as he ran a hand through his long hair, "I suppose it does seem a bit weird"—
"Oh!" Dominique's face lit up suddenly, and she bolted out of the kitchen.
"Er…D?" Sirius asked uncertainly as he followed her out, and into the bedroom. There he found Dominique rummaging through the closet. At long last, she pulled out a large shopping bag, from which an even larger, neatly wrapped package peaked out of.
"Remember the day we fought…I had just come back from shopping…I said I bought you"—
"a toy?" Sirius finished for her. "yes, I remember…"
"Well…here…" she said. And with a small smile she extended the bag out to Sirius. He took it, and with a bit of effort, pulled the package out of the bag. He quickly untied the strings and tore off the paper. He opened the box and pulled out the gift.
"Er…" he wasn't quite sure what to make of it. It looked sort of like a tiny chair, only without the legs….
"You like?" she asked.
"Oh…yea! It's great!" Sirius said, forcing himself to sound enthusiastic. "Um…what is it?"
"It's a baby seat…to attach to your motorbike…"
"Oh!" Sirius said, with a note of comprehension. But just as quickly, his look of understanding melted away and was replaced by confusion. "But…why would I need one? We don't have any kids…we can't, really…the healers said so…and you don't want to…" Sirius's voice trailed off. He stared at Dominique wide eyed. "You want to…?"
Dominique nodded and smiled excitedly. "If you still want to…"
Sirius dropped the baby seat and pulled Dominique in for a hug, lifting her a few inches off the ground. "Course I want to!" he exclaimed happily. He suddenly put her down and looked her squarely in the eyes. "Uh…we're talking about the same thing, right? Adoption?" he asked quickly.
Dominique laughed and nodded in return. Sirius sighed. "Good."
"Yea…I don't know what came over me…I just…I don't know…when I was out shopping, I was looking at shoes…and the baby department was right next to it…and I just sort of wandered in there…next thing I knew…I was making mental notes of which outfits I'd buy if I had a child…" Dominique shook her had and laughed softly. "I had forgotten how much I wanted to have a family…and well…I'm glad I've come to my senses…"
Sirius smiled and put an arm around Dominique. "Glad you have too—er…not that you were ever out of them…" he said quickly. Dominique laughed again.
"Right…well, listen…before we get too into this whole adoption thing…I just think we should talk a bit…about why we've been fighting a lot…I mean, we'd need to show adoption agencies that we have a stable home anyway…might as well start now…"
Sirius nodded in agreement. "I agree. And not just for the sake of getting a kid, but also for our sanity's sake…I don't want to have to go through this again…what's been happening these last few months…"
"Right…so…" Dominique started, feeling awkward all of a sudden. "well…alright, I don't think I want to start…because then I'll start pointing out everything you've done and make it out to be all your fault, and I'm sure I've had a part in this too…so…maybe you talk first?"
Sirius pursed his lips together and nodded. "Well, let me tell you first…some of our problems don't exist anymore…"
"Such as…"
"Anna…"
"Why, what happened to her?" Dominique asked.
"Well…the day you left…when I was at work…Anna approached me…woah, calm down, tiger…" Sirius said quickly when he saw Dominique sit up straighter, with her jaw clenched tightly, looking like she was ready to pounce. "Nothing happened. She approached me…we talked…she asked me out"—
"She what??" Dominique asked suddenly.
"I turned her down though, D!" Sirius said quickly. "Really…soon as I realized what I had gotten myself into with her, by being so open and friendly with her…I don't know…everything sort of fell into place with me…and well, I put my foot down and told her no. I told her that I loved you. And she left…"
"Really?" Dominique asked. She sounded half flattered, half anxious.
Sirius nodded. "And before I left work, I talked to Crouch…she and I won't be working together anymore…well, Crouch said he was thinking of moving her to another department anyway…"
"I can't believe you did that…" Dominique said, smiling weakly at Sirius.
"Yea…then I come home and find that you're gone…" he said with a small note of bitterness.
Dominique, slightly taken aback, blushed. "I'm sorry…but we had such a horrible fight before you left"—
"Don't worry about it…I was just teasing you…" Sirius said quickly. "Anyway, I deserved to get shaken up like that. Gave me a right scare…I realized I've become a bit of an ass…but listen, D…and I'm not trying to make excuses for my behavior…but you need to be understanding…just because I'm putting more time into work, or seeing to the Potters, doesn't mean I care less about you…"
"I know…I realize that now…" Dominique answered.
"And…" Sirius continued, "I don't care if I start working with veelas…you can't go and get jealous…you have to trust me…I would never go behind your back. I've never even been tempted…so long as we both do our share of the marital duties," he added, grinning mischievously, "We shouldn't have to worry about that sort of stuff. We're married and we love each other. We should trust each other."
Dominique nodded and smiled. Suddenly she looked up as sudden remembrance of something dawned on her. "Dinner…" she said, quickly heading to the kitchen.
"Just turn the stove off…" Sirius said, following her out. "I'm not really hungry…we can eat later…"
"You're not hungry?" Dominique asked with surprise as she flicked her wand at the stove to put out the fires that heated the pots. "That's a first…"
Sirius grinned his mischievous smile again. "Well, it's like you once said, I need to get my priorities straight…"
"Meaning?" Dominique asked as she dipped spooned out a sample of sauce and dipped her finger in it…
"Well, I've got other needs to satisfy besides hunger…" he said as he stepped closer to Dominique.
"Ah…well…" Dominique blushed slightly. "We'll have to take care of that now, won't we? She said as she wiped her hands with a paper towel.
"Oh yes, immediately, I might add…" Sirius said as he leaned closer to her and kissed the side of her neck.
"Right then…" Dominique replied. She headed towards the trash can to throw away her dirty towel, but stopped as she looked into the receptacle. "Er…Sirius…"
"Yea?"
"Your cigs…and lighter…they're in the trash…"
"And your point is?"
Dominique shifted her gaze to Sirius and looked at him curiously. "Did you"—
"Yea, I decided to quit…this morning, actually."
"Why?"
Sirius shrugged. "Smoking kills…haven't you heard?" he asked quite casually.
"I could've told you that…" Dominique replied.
Sirius laughed. "And so you have...well anyway, it wouldn't be very exemplary of me to smoke in front of the kids…"
"So now we're adopting multiple kids?" Dominique asked amusedly.
"Why not? Let's try to get twins…a boy and a girl…" Sirius suggested.
"Beggars can't be choosers, you know…" Dominique said.
"We're not beggars! We're applicants!" Sirius said indignantly. "Oh well…we'll talk about that all in the morning…right now, we've got some catching up to do…"
"Right you are…"
"Now, as I understand it," Sirius said as he and Dominique headed out of the kitchen, "you've been a very naughty girl…giving me hell and running off like that…I'm afraid I'm going to have to teach you a lesson…"
James paced steadily around his bedroom, staring intently at the floor. He was suddenly pulled out of his thoughts when he heard a small laugh from the corner of the room. Harry was standing up in his crib, gripping tightly to the bars. He was grinning at his father.
"Think I look funny walking around like that?" James asked, breaking into a grin identical to his son's as he picked him up. "Or do you think I'm just funny looking?" he asked, making a face at his son, who laughed in return. "Well, just you wait. You're going to grow up looking exactly like me. So you'll be just as funny looking as your old man…oh great…" James grumbled at as he put Harry back in his crib. "old man…I'm sounding like my dad…I'm not even old!" Suddenly, James heard a creaking noise from the bathroom. He turned around and spotted Lily coming out of it, holding a small stick that was now glowing blue from one tip. She looked tense.
"Well?" he asked suddenly, running up to her and taking her hands.
Lily sighed and smiled. "I'm pregnant…We're having another baby…"
James grinned and threw his arms around his wife.
A few evenings later, Dominique sighed as Sirius pulled away from her and fell next to her in bed. "We should skive off work more often…" she breathed.
Sirius closed his eyes and smiled with satisfaction. "yea…"
"Think Crouch will notice we left?" Dominique asked.
"Doubt it…Moody had a big raid, I'm pretty sure Crouch wanted to be there…he's hoping to fill up some more cells in Azkaban…" Sirius replied.
"I can't wait til this war is over…"
"Yea…things at work are bound to calm down…"
"Exactly…and James and Lily will be able to come back to work…I really miss them…"
Sirius sighed. He did too. It had been almost a week since he had seen them, when they first performed the fidelius charm. Come to think of it…
"I even miss Peter…" Dominique continued. "Haven't seen him in a bit either…"
"Nor I…" Sirius muttered. He sat up quickly in bed.
Dominique also sat up. "You alright?" she asked.
"Yea…" Sirius mumbled as he pulled himself out of bed.
"Are you sure?" Dominique asked, looking at Sirius half curiously, half frightened.
"Yea…" Sirius said again as he hastily grabbed his clothes from the floor and got dressed.
"Where are you going?"
"Peter's…I…I haven't seen him…I need to see him…"
"Why?" Fear seemed to overtake Dominique's voice. "Sirius, what's going on"—
Sirius disapparated out of sight.
Dominique stared at the place where Sirius stood seconds before. Slowly, and a bit shakily, Dominique pulled herself out of bed and began to get dressed as well.
"Well, I finally got Harry to sleep…" Lily said as she came down the stairs. She stopped at the foot of the staircase when she looked into the living room. It was dimly lit with a few small candles, and James was sitting on the sofa, with two glasses of wine at the coffee table. "What's all this?" she asked with a smile as she sat down. "Oh James," she said, pointing to the drinks, "you know I can't drink now, with the baby coming"—
"It's pumpkin juice…" James laughed. "I just put them in wine glasses to make it look more romantic…"
Lily laughed at this and took a glass. "Happy Halloween…" she said as she raised her glass.
"Back at you…" James replied with a grin as he gently tapped his glass against hers.
Just as they finished off their pumpkin juice, and James had begun to tell Lily yet another story about his maraudering days at Hogwarts, a sudden draft caused them to immediately turn their gaze to where the gust of cold air had come from; the back door, which had creaked open.