Lily had spent the entire night with Sirius. She never left him alone like she'd promised. He'd stopped crying right before the sun rose, which felt ironic to Lily she just wasn't sure why.
"I'm sorry,"
"For what honey?"
"Keeping you up all night just so you could watch me howl."
"You'd do the same for me, Sirius."
"I beat James's brains in if he made do something even remotely similar to this."
"Well I punched Sidney if it makes you feel better,"
"Kind of,"
"A week."
"What?"
"A week left until Hogwarts is over, for good."
"Why don't you leave all of this here Sirius?"
"I wish I could. But you don't forget your children, as much as you try you can't understand that. I'll carry Lindsey around with me forever."
"James, Remus and I are going to be here forever and after that."
"Even in death?" He said smiling at her.
"Even in death. My mother always told me that people who died merely went to heaven and waited for the rest of their family, watching over them, that kind of thing. She always said if you paid attention you could still feel their presence."
"Do you believe that?"
"Sort of. I guess it depends on how much you meant to each other."
They were interrupted when they heard the Common Room door open and Professor Mcgonnagall appeared.
"Mr. Black. Professor Dumbledore would like to see you in his office immediately. Ms. Edwards is already there."
"I'm going to get changed and I'll be right there, Professor. Lily why don't you get some sleep? You look tired,"
"Okay," She hugged him." Take care,"
"I'll be good."
"He dragged himself into his room and changed. If there was one thing in his entire life he could just avoid it was this, but he couldn't and he knew that. He'd just have to solider up and hope he could handle it. He walked into the Headmaster's office where Sidney was sitting in a chair across from the Headmaster. That he was expecting, what he wasn't expecting was Lindsey there. She was in the bassinet next the desk. She was flailing around and making gurgling noises. He just closed his eyes, took a deep breath and took his own seat. He had told himself while getting dressed he wasn't going to let Sidney bother him. She didn't matter to him anymore.
"Well now that we're all here. Mr. Black, Ms. Edwards tells me that you two have in fact decided to put your daughter up for adoption."
"I didn't consent to that Professor Dumbledore. Sidney's doing this completely on her own." He said still not looking at her.
"Do you, have an objection to putting this child up for adoption?"
"Yes! I love my daughter and I want to keep her!"
"Sirius, we've been through this already!" Sidney yelled breaking her silence.
"No you've been through this! I still love Lindsey and I want what's best for her!"
"Then let her go, because that's what's best for her!"
"No it's not! It's a way for you to run a way from responsibility like you always do!"
"You son-"
"Silence!" Professor Dumbledore bellowed getting both of their attentions. " Now the both of you will take your seats and act like responsible mature adults! understand?"
"Yes sir."
"Now, correct me if I'm wrong but Ms. Edwards wants to put the child up for adoption, and Mr. Black wants to keep her?"
"That's correct sir."
"Well then, Ms. Edwards, why don't you go first?"
"Professor. We are both 17 years old and I don't believe we have the maturity or the abilities it takes to raise a baby,. She deserves someone who's older and can actually distinguish things"
"I see and Mr. Black?"
"Putting someone up for adoption is a gamble whether or not they end up in a happy home or get thrown around in foster care until their 18th birthday."
"She'll be coming to Hogwarts when she's eleven." Sidney mumbled.
"She could be muggle Sidney! You said it yourself you're muggle-born!"
"And your a pureblood big deal there's a good chance she is a witch and you know it!"
"This isn't about whether she's a witch or not! I'm not going to gamble my daughter's well being because you want to be self centered bitch!"
"Watch your tongue Mr. Black!"
"Yes sir."
"Well then you do it!"
"Excuse me?"
"You take her. You raise her, and I promise you Sirius Black you won't ever hear from me again."
"I can't raise her alone."
"Have your little family help you. James and Remus and Lily, they'll be absolutely glad to."
"They can't feed her, they don't have a maternal bond with her! They can't tell her that her own mother loves her!"
"Then god help them!" She got up and stormed out.
After she was gone he turned around to look at Professor Dumbledore.
"Mr. Black." He cleared his throat. " I have a family in the Hospital Wing, The Truman's, they are a wizarding family, they have 2 children already their ages are 5 and 4 years old, and they wanted a third child but were in cable of conceiving one."
"They want to adopt Lindsey don't they?"
"Yes, Mr. Black. I've checked them out. They're completely capable. Their not deatheaters or apart of any other dark magic cults. They simply want another child to love as their own."
"Can-Can I meet them?"
"Of course Mr. Black."
Sirius and Professor Dumbledore went down to the Hospital Wing with Lindsey in Sirius's arms. He tried to keep his mind on anything but her, and it wasn't working well. He sat her down in a bassinet and two little kids came up to it and looked at her in awe.
"She beauful-" The little girl told Sirius.
"Yeah she is, what's your name?" He asked the little girl innocently.
"Becca-"
"Becca, huh? That's a pretty name."
"Think so?"
"Yes ma'am I do. Is that your brother?"
"Yeah, his name is Damien he's a little shy."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Children!" He heard an older woman scold lightly. She came in from behind the curtains, she wasn't very tall about Lily's height, brown curly hair and the infamous caring mother face. She noticed Sirius's presence as he stood up from the little girls height. "Sorry, they really are well behaved."
"Don't worry about it. Children will be children right?"
"I guess so- Alyssa Truman." She said as she held her hand out and Sirius shook it.
"Sirius Black."
"Sirius- Sirius Black?"
"Is that a problem?"
"Oh no, it's a pleasure to meet you sir. It's just we're the family that wants to adopt Lindsey Black- Is she your daughter?"
"Yes ma'am she is." He said quietly.
"Children, why don't you do something-something-
"Quiet?" Rebecca asked her mother.
"Yeah quiet. Mr. Black, and your father and I need to go have an adult conversation."
"Okay mommy."
"Yes ma'am."
Sirius stepped outside with Alyssa and her husband. His adrenaline had to be well over 10 times what it was supposed to be.
"Sirius, what are you going to do with Lindsey?"
"Mrs. Truman. I'm 18 years old. I'm graduating in a week all I want is what's best for my daughter. Umm her mother ran out on us about 2 minutes ago and I can't raise her by myself."
"Are you comfortable letting us have her?"
"Would you be?"
"Never- giving Rebecca or Damien up would kill me, but I promise you Mr. Black if you trusted us enough to let us raise her you wouldn't be disappointed."
"We'll have to discuss the things."
"Of course."
Professor Dumbledore walked in. "Sorry- was I interrupting something?"
"Professor? Could you draw the adop-tion papers for Lindsey please?" He asked shakingly.
"Of course, Mr. Black. They'll be waiting for you in my office."
"Thank you sir."
"Thank you Mr. Black." Alyssa said quietly giving him a hug.
"We dropped the formalities when you said you wanted my daughter." He said half jokingly.
"Of course." She said smiling.
They were doing the paperwork and they came across the line for Lindsey's legal name. Alyssa had gone to write down Lindsey but Sirius stopped her.
"You don't have to call her Lindsey if you don't want too. Her mother named her that I never particularly cared for it one way or the other."
"What's her middle name?"
"Caitlin."
"What would you have named her?"
"Left up to me probably Sara to keep the 'S.B.' initial going. But that's why I let her mother name her."
"I like it."
"What?"
"Sara Caitlin Lindsey Truman."
"She looks like a Sara doesn't she?" Her husband piped in for the first time the entire conversation.
"I wanna call her Caitlin mommy." Rebecca said like Alyssa should have known.
"Well you can call her Caitlin, honey but her real name is going to be Sara."
"Like everyone calls me Bex but my teacher calls me Rebecca?"
"Exactly like that."
The Truman's went home with Lindsey the next morning. Sirius had spent almost all night in the Hospital Wing with Lindsey, he felt he needed to explain things to her. Even though he knew she probably wasn't going to rember any of them. Sidney,Lily,James, him probably none of them. He knew it was probably for the best. He had full faith in Alyssa and her husband to take care of her it didn't make letting her go any easier. He was getting ready for graduation. He was trying to get the hat on right but it kept tilting and he was about to throw it on the ground when he heard a soft giggling from behind her. He turned around to see all four of them standing in the doorway. Lily stepped forward and started walking towards him.
"Let me help you with that."
"I think it's lop-sided."
"I think it's your head that's lop sided Sirius." James said jokingly coming over with the two of them.
"James could be right Sirius." Remus said.
Peter just came to the rest of the group timidly.
"I-I can't b-beleive were graduating."
"Seven years doesn't seem like that long of a time once your at the end of it."
"Yep."
There was a silence thick with tension.
"You guys I'm going to be okay,"
"Lily said you took it pretty hard last night."
" I did- god I sounded like I was dying, but then I realized that in a lot of ways she was wrong, but in the same way she was right."
" That's a little too cryptic for my tastes."
"In James terms He means he and Sidney together could have raised her but there was no way Sirius could do it alone."
"That's a lot of maturity for a Marauder, don't you think?"
"Well despite what you may think your not the only one who can make proper decisions Moony." He said getting him into a playful headlock knocking both of their graduation hats off.
"You guys!" Lily said picking both of their hats up.
"Yeah?" They said stopping for a moment.
"You dropped your hats."
"Hold those for a second would you?" Remus got Sirius unbalanced and Sirius fell in the floor. "Thank you." He said taking his from her hand.
They heard McGonnagall from downstairs. "7th years! Get to the Great Hall now! Or you'll be walking with the 1st years!"
"The Headmistress calls."
"That she does." Lily said as Sirius took his hat from her and placed it correctly on his head.
They graduated and Sirius smiled for pictures. It turned out pretty good in his opinion. Horrible things could have happy endings.
