Closing the door behind him, Felix tiredly dropped his brief case and hung up his coat. He looked around and heard the giggle of his son from one of the rooms. Grinning, he moved with renewed vigour through the hallway. His spouse was standing at the door to the room laughing. Louis wasn't expecting it, but was suddenly scooped up in his arms, Felix planting kisses on his neck and making him laugh. He pushed him away reluctantly and Felix noticed their guest for the first time. He was smiling at their antics, but held a tissue in his hand and had tearstains on his cheeks.
"It's alright Lou. We have to go anyway. Sirius'll be home soon." Harry said picking Crosby up off the floor. Lou frowned in worry and Harry noticed. "What I said this morning stands, mood swing or not." He added and walked out. Felix looked to Louis once they heard him floo out.
"What did he say this morning?" He asked and Louis bit his lip. If he told, Felix would probably go after Sirius and it would be going against what Harry had begged, threatened and pleaded with him not to tell. Why anyone would go through that was beyond him, but Harry had said some things that had tugged at his heartstrings and he'd agreed not to.
"Nothing, just some things about Sirius." Louis replied as Felix picked up Quillan, cuddling him in greeting.
"Oh, anything I should know?"
"Not really, it's more personal stuff, you know, marriage issues."
"Oh, sort of saw last night, they aren't exactly the world's happiest couple. What else did you find out?"
"His pregnancies are a hereditary thing, His favourite colour is blue, he really misses his mother and that Sirius is really good at blowjobs." Felix, who had just taken a large drink of butterbeer, choked on it.
Dear Lily
I know we agreed not to communicate because of James and all that, but I really need your help. Things have not improved over the past few weeks. Four days ago, we had a co-worker and spouse in a similar situation over for dinner. Besides revealing that he married his Godfather, everything went all right and things seemed to be going back to normal. But when I came home the following afternoon, he pretended I wasn't there.
We have started arguing again almost everyday and it's starting to affect Crosby. I've never fought with Harry like this his whole life and I don't know what to do anymore. Please help
Sirius
SiriusWithout asking Harry what the problem is, I can't really help you very much. Try sitting down somewhere quiet with him, talk to him about how you don't want to fight.
I will keep this short to avoid unwanted questions from nosy husbands, but I feel for you Sirius. As much as I want to kill you for hurting my baby and taking him away from me, I really do.
James nearly found your letter, I fobbed him off with excuses of an old friend, but unless you want your next owl attacked, and you know James will, I suggest you don't reply.
All my love, Lily
Two days later, while sitting in her cubicle at work, Lily received a letter written in a panicked frantic scrawl.
Please, you've got to help; I found this this morning in his notes.
A second paper was written in a familiar loopy handwriting.
Dear diary.
I hate this. It gets worse everyday. I want to die.
Lily stood up and walked out the cubicle, not knowing if she was upset or angry with her son. Striding straight past James, who frowned, she moved to the apparating area, only to have a hand attach onto her arm. She saw James looking at her with a mixture of hurt and anger on his face.
"What? Aren't I good enough for you anymore?" He said and realization dawned on her.
"No James, it's nothing like that, it's just, this is an emergency, there's three lives involved." She said, pulled away and disappeared with a pop.
Lily appeared outside the house and stormed in. Seeing no one downstairs she heard movement above her and made her way quickly up three flights of stairs. Her son came out of a room, closing the door behind him. She barely recognized him. His skin had a greyish tinge to it and he had bags under his tired eyes, which were half covered by his hair hanging limp in his face. Besides that, the fact that he must have about thirty kilograms extra weight in the form of his massive abdomen also made a change.
"Harry?" She said and he looked at her, not speaking a word but turning down the passage to the last room, like he expected her to follow. She did exactly that.
"What the hell are you thinking?" She said, grabbing and holding his shoulders in a tight grip, turning him to face her. "Are you stupid?" He frowned at her.
"Huh?"
"How can you want to die now and take two lives with you? Why would you be depressed now?" She asked and he pulled away and lay down on the bed, back to her. "Why? I want answers Harry. And I want them now!"
"You wouldn't understand." He mumbled sadly. "It's complicated." With difficulty, he turned over to face her.
"Try me."
"It's like, we've lost our spark already, since we got back. I don't know if it's me or maybe if-" He was cut off by the door opening.
"Harry? Are you here? I tried calling but you didn't a-. Oh, hello." Louis said, stopping in mid word when he stopped Lily, who seemed to be surveying him in interest. He approached the bed and looked over at Harry. "You didn't come in today, are you ok?"
"Yeah, I'm fine Lou, just a bit tired."
"Well, Isaacs told me he wants to see us both tomorrow at nine. It sounds lik-"
"Do you mind? We're a bit busy so if you could come back later it would be appreciated." Lily said through gritted teeth.
"Who are you to chase me out?" Louis said, looking at Lily with distaste. "Who the hell is this?" He said to Harry.
"Lou, this would be my mother." Harry said and snorted at the look on Lou's face. "Mum this is Lou,"
"Pleasure to meet you too." Lily said, as Lou kept quiet.
"I thought you weren't in contact with your family." Taking a hand from Lily, who pulled him up, Harry leant back against the pillows.
"I wasn't. But it seems Sirius has been." Louis, at the mention of Sirius's name, started mumbling very rude things under his breath. "And if you're going to insult my husband, please don't do it in front of me. I don't particularly like Felix, but I don't say things like that." Lily was sure only see caught Harry add in a whisper. 'Not in front of you at least'.
"I have a reason to dislike Sirius, you have no reason to hate Felix."
"I don't hate him, I never expected nor wanted to like a man who manages to subtly hint that I'm a slut, insult my son's name and call my husband a paedophile within the first ten minutes of meeting him." Louis seemed slightly annoyed at this but gave Harry a smile anyway.
"I'll see you tomorrow at nine then," He said and walked out. Lily looked to Harry, who shook his head, smiling.
"I wont even mention how those things apply to them as much as to us." He said and Lily was about to reply when the door opened again and Sirius walked in. He looked different. Not strange, but the closest she'd seen him to formally dressed (which hadn't lasted long once he'd gotten hold of the wine) was at her wedding to James. But here he was in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, his hair parted neatly and a briefcase in hand.
He looked to the bed and noticing Lily, gave a smile.
"You came." He noted. She smiled back, trying not to laugh.
"Come here, we need to sort these problems out." She said, suddenly serious.
"I'll be there now, give me a minute," he said undoing his tie and running his fingers through his hair. He undid the first two buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves then grinned at Lily. Now that was more like the Sirius she knew. He sat down on the bed next to Harry and to her surprise, kissed his forehead, lay down and placed a hand on his stomach, rubbing it slowly. Well so much for fighting.
"Well I a-" A cry filled the air and before Lily could move, Harry was up, extremely fast for someone his size, and moving towards the door to get Crosby. When he came back after ten minutes, Crosby in his arms, who was still half asleep and half heartedly drinking milk from a bottle. He sat down again and Sirius took Crosby.
He dropped the bottle and laughed as Sirius started pulling faces at him. Standing up, he held him over his head, spinning him round. Lily thought that that might not be safe for his clothes and Harry seemed to agree.
"Sirius, I don't think that's a very good idea." Harry said warningly.
"And why not?" Sirius replied but didn't stop.
"Because he just ate about a half hour ago and he's been sick for a fortnight."
"I haven't noticed anything."
"Yes, well you haven't spent the past two weeks cleaning up vomit everywhere and dealing with his diarrhoea."
"If you'd let me, I would help take care of him." Harry stood up and stood in front of him. Sirius stopped spinning Crosby and looked into Harry's eyes, which suddenly looked extremely angry. Lily, sensing trouble, tried to stop them.
"Listen, why don't you both calm down, we'll sort this out like sensible adults." Both ignored her completely, continuing to glare at one another. Lily slowly backed away.
"If you spent a bit more time here than at the office, then you could take care of him, I have no objection, god knows how many times I've tried!"
"You know, you obviously don't want me here, maybe I should just go."
"Too late Sirius, you already tried that and guess what? It was you who came running back after a few days, remember?"
Sirius didn't reply and there was a retching noise as Crosby brought up his dinner all over Sirius. He started crying and Sirius held him away from him, surveying his shirt in disgust.
"Urgh, son of a bitch!" He swore and Harry took Crosby, not caring that he was covering his own robes in vomit. He started walking towards the bathroom, but halfway there, turned round and walked back to Sirius. A sharp slap echoed across the room and Lily winced.
"And watch who you're calling a bloody bitch!" He snarled and as she watched her son disappear into the bathroom clutching his son, robes covered in sick and still heavily pregnant, she realized how much he had grown up, changing from rebellious teenager to capable mother and wife in two years. She couldn't help but feel proud of him.
Sirius followed him quickly and Lily took the opportunity to look round the beautiful room. The furniture was all dark exquisitely carved wood, cherry, she guessed. The bedcovers were white silk and stuck out against the red décor and carpet.
Sirius came out, went through another door and then back into the bathroom with an armful of cloth and a shopping bag. Once everyone was clean, changed and in one case, asleep in his mother's arms, Lily once more tried to talk to them.
"I've watched you two fight and as much as I don't want to do this it seems nothing else is going to work. You've got forty-eight hours to fight, talk, half kill each other is that's what you want, as long as you end this war between you. You're raising a child and in a while i-"
"A month and a half." They said together and she waved a hand at them to show it didn't matter.
"In a while it will be three. This is no way to teach them what's right and wrong. Now, what it boils down to, is if I come back here in two days and you're fighting, I'm telling James and giving him the address." She almost laughed at the horror on their faces.
"You wouldn't-"
"Really? It affects both of you and if it will help you sort out your problems, so be it."
So you expect us to just sort out our problems, like that?" Sirius protested, snapping his fingers. "It's not fair, if you tell, he'll eventually have to speak to Harry again, but he'll kill me!" Lily stood up and walked to the door, stopping right before she passed it.
"You should have thought about that before you married his son. Remember, forty eight hours." She said and disapparated, leaving the two in silence on the bed. Sirius broke it.
"Well, it's not much, but it's a start. I saw this today and thought you might like it." Sirius said, reaching to the side of the bed and pulling out a little black bag and giving it to Harry. He took it out and looked at it, feeling the soft material between his fingers. "I wasn't sure what size to get, but I didn't want it to be too small so it could be a bit loose." He said nervously and Harry laughed.
"I'm sure I'll grow into it." He said and hugged Sirius, kissing his cheek and giggling. "I think dinner is ready by now." He said and they went downstairs hand in hand. After dinner, which Sirius made sure Harry stayed on his lap all through, he carried him upstairs. He felt quite a bit heavier than those months ago when they'd first moved in, but nothing an ex-auror of fifteen years and Gryffindor beater of two couldn't handle.
Thank you to everybody who reviewed.
