Chapter Three : Bad News, Good News

End OotP

Hestia woke with a start, as someone threw open Sirius' bedroom door.

"Sirius," came the anxious voice of Remus Lupin. "They've got Harry. In the Department of Mysteries."

"What the hell..." Sirius angrily threw back the covers and bolted to the closet . Throwing a shirt on, he snarled. "How did this happen, Remus? How did he get out of Hogwarts?"

"My best guess would be James' Invisibility Cloak." Remus sighed. "Nothing but trouble," Sirius muttered, but Remus continued. "And Harry's not alone. He's got a small group of friends with him, they all came looking for you."

"Me?" Sirius shouted, as he tied his shoes.

"Apparently, Voldemort's been getting into Harry's mind by way of Legilimency, made him think that you were in danger at the Ministry, so Harry came to the rescue."

"Damn boy's just like his father." Sirius said standing. "Let's go, Moony."

But Hestia's voice stopped him. "Sirius."

He turned to see tears in her eyes and he heard fear in her voice when she said, "Voldemort's there." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes, he is, and he wants to kill Harry. I have to go."

"You said you'd never leave me." she pleaded.

"And I never will." he said, kissing her quickly. "I'll be back, I promise. You go back to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

As he walked out the doorway, she whispered, "Be careful."

Then he was gone.

&

Hestia was pacing later on that morning when no one had returned. She had a feeling something horrible had happened, but she didn't want to think about it, yet she only wanted to know that Sirius was all right...

"He'll be fine, Hestia." said Mrs. Weasley, who was rocking anxiously in her chair.

"Of course, of course." she said, trying to think optimistically, though it was very difficult...

Suddenly, the door opened and in walked members of the Order. Hestia's heart sank at the sight of them; they looked defeated, tears in everyone's eyes. Molly stood as Arthus finally walked in.

"Oh, please tell me Harry is all right, Arthur. You-Know-Who... he didn't..." her voice trailed off, quivering in fear.

Arthus took his wife in his arms and "Shhhh"ed her. "Harry's fine, Molly. As fine as he can be anyway, considering..."

Arthur's eyes met with Hestia's over Molly's head and her blood suddenly ran cold. He shook his head and led his wife into another room, shutting the door behind them.

Hestia looked towards the door again, watching member after nameless member walk through the doorway, but no Sirius. Finally Tonks, her good young friend walked in, with her arms folded across her chest and tears streaming down her face. Hestia held out her arms to the girl, but Tonks only shook her head and walked on.

Then she heard a loud thud. Someone had closed the large front door.

It was Remus.

Sirius had not come back.

Hestia then started to panic.

"Where is he, Remus? Where's Sirius?" she said in a wavering voice, not wanting to believe.

Remus, who looked beaten and bruised, looked at Hestia with shining eyes. When he didn't answer her right away, she began to cry.

"Remus, please tell me, where's Sirius?" she begged tearfully.

"Shhh, come with me, Hestia." he said calmly, pulling her into a side room and shutting the door.

"Tell me what happened. Please tell me..."

"Hestia, there was nothing anyone could do." Remus said, his own voice unsteady. "He was fighting Bellatrix when he fell... through the veil."

It suddenly felt like her heart had shattered into a million pieces, right there within her chest, the pain was so great. "The veil?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Remus nodded, tears overflowing from his eyes. "He's gone, Hestia."

She turned away from him, not wanting to believe. But when she closed her eyes, reality set in and tears began to burn. Her shoulders began to shake and a sob escaped her mouth before she could conceal it. Remus took her in his arms, and he too began to cry; him for the best friend he had lost - for good this time - and she for the one man she had loved that was now gone forever.

&

One month later, Hestia still wasn't feeling much better. She was staying at the Weasley's home, the Burrow, since the Order had evacuated the House of Black. And Hestia was glad for it; she didn't want to be in that house any more. Every room whispered memories of him, on every painting was clearly written Sirius Black, and it ripped at her soul, making her miss him all the more.

Not at the Weasleys, though. She had Molly's compassion, always there to offer a shoulder to cry on. Ginny was always cheerful and trying to bring a smile to Hestia's face. All the dear boys tried to steer clear of her, for they knew what an emotional wreck she still was. But when they did see her, they were sure to smile and compliment her, anything that would make her feel better.

At the moment, Hestia wasn't feeling any better. It was the 3rd time she'd thrown up that morning. She was sitting on the bathroom floor, trying to keep her nauseated stomach from churning. As she began to close her eyes, her mind began to wander... It had been almost a month since she'd last seen his face, since that night he'd said goodbye. Since he'd kissed her sweetly and promised to return. Oh, how wretchedly she missed him!

Suddenly something occurred to her. She stood up so quickly that her head started spinning, but that didn't stop her. She rushed to her room and carefully looked over her wall calendar. 1, 2, 3... could it have been three months since her last woman's cycle? Could it be that Sirius was true to his word when he said he would never leave her? Could it be... that she was pregnant?

Tears once again burned in her eyes, but a grin was spread across her face. She wiped at the tears that spilled over her cheeks, then turned and ran downstairs. "Molly! Molly, where are you?"

She rushed into the kitchen where Molly was still fixing breakfast. She hadn't realized how early it was until she saw the darkness out the kitchen window. But she didn't care, she needed to tell someone!

"Whatever is the matter, dear?" Molly asked in concern. "Why are you crying, is everything all right?"

"Everything is perfect, Molly." she exclaimed quietly. "Where are the children?"

"Still in bed, as is Arthus. Why? What's happened?"

"I need your help, Molly. I need to pack, I need to get to St. Mungo's to be sure, but I need your solemn vow as a memeber of the Order that you won't tell a soul what I'm about to tell you."

Molly looked at Hestia warily, but nodded. "I swear it."

Hestia smiled, not bothering to wipe her tears away now. "I think I'm going to have a baby."

&

A/N: So after that emotional roller-coaster ride, do I even have to ask you to review? And the chapter is a little short, I know, but you'll get over it.