Note:
This takes place half-an-hour or so before the fateful moment when Sirius finds out the truth about Peter's loyalty. This is, of course, an AU oneshot.
Happy Endings are an illusion.
Real life is filled with brief moments of fleeting happiness,
but ultimately every life is a tragedy that ends in death and grief.
Oliver Gaspirtz
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October 31st
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It was late at night when Sirius Black returned home.
Though he enjoyed his job that most often than not required him to disappear for an uncertain amount of time, he always looked forward when he was relieved from the position he was assigned to. In this case, he was required to be away for almost a whole week. Away from the comfort of his own home and away from the people he cherished. So this instant as he stepped inside his home was the moment he had been longing for since he woken up because he knew he would finally be coming home.
A storm was brewing when he arrived.
He briefly remembered reading in The Daily Prophet that it would rain but the time that was required of him to spend it outside proved their statement wrong. Other than an overcast sky common in this country, there was no sight of the rain. The coat he wore for most of the day had been unnecessary, but he knew it would have been worse if he was caught in the rain without it.
Silence ruled his home as he stepped through the living quarters as he walked past the dining room and into the hall. Though he was mildly disappointed by not seeing her, he was not surprised by her absence. He did not owl her, didn't inform her he was returning home soon. Had he done that, he was sure she would be in the kitchen or the dining room preparing or tidying the last touches of the dinner she would have made for him. That he was certain of. Sirius could only assume as he neared the last two rooms down the hall that she was already in bed, done with the day.
Stepping into the first room confirmed his assumptions.
Her dark hair glowed with the candle flame that stood upon the night table near her. With an arm underneath the pillow that supported her, she laid on her side facing the door, facing him. Though the room was cool, she laid without a cover. Her exposed sun-kissed legs lay upon one another with her knees slightly bent towards her body. Her peaceful appearance delighted his heart and as much as he wanted to touch her, to kiss her, to show he was finally home, he did not want to disturb her sleep.
As he was about to leave and close the door after him, a soft voice called out to him.
"Sirius?"
Turning around he saw her seated at the edge of the bed, fully awake. "Christina?"
With a smile that brightened the room, she sprang from her seat and ran up to him. He welcomed her into his arms, enfolding them around her as he did so. With his head pressed against hers, he caught the sweet scent of lavender coming from her hair. Inhaling her scent deeply as if wanting to imprint them into his memories, he held onto her tightly.
"If I knew you were returning home, I would have made something for you," she uttered as she moved to look up at him. His dark eyes caught hers but unlike his, there was a familiar twinkle in them. "I know how much you enjoy having dinner waiting for you," she grinned up to him.
It was at that moment that he kissed her, their lips crashing onto one another before she took reign of the situation. Had it not been for the fact he needed to breathe, he would have gladly given himself away. Not saying anything, he pulled her into a hug. He gave himself a couple of seconds of silence before he spoke.
"Words can't express how much I adore you," he started, as he snuggled his head down to hers. "How grateful to have you in my life; how I thank the fates for the minute you crashed into me back in Hogwarts."
It had taken him six years in Hogwarts to meet the one person who understood him; the one person who looked beyond the façade he put on for show. Only those closest to him knew what he was going through, but the girl who was trying to escape the rain changed that. He knew of the reputation he had but he could not help it while in school. However, it was the girl who landed them both on the muddy waters of Hogwarts that changed that. If not for her indifference towards him that piqued his interest that day, they would have never gotten together.
Five years later, the two of them shared a life but not without their share of obstacles.
"At least we weren't bickering back and forth like Lily and James were before they admitted their feelings," she smiled as she pulled herself at arm's length. Her face faltered, "I don't mean to ruin this moment, but I have to ask, is everything all right?"
He nodded. "Of course, why do you ask?"
She gave him another one of her smiles, "feels as if you're leaving us again…"
He chuckled at this, "I won't - not for a while at least."
Just then, a whimper was heard across the hall which naturally caught their attention. Christina pulled away from his touch as she walked past him and into the one room that Sirius had reserved to check on last. Turning around, he followed after her.
Unlike the room they last stood in, this one was made into a nursery. The soft lavender color -Christina's favorite- wall spruced up the room; the white furniture with the occasional stuffed animal neatly arranged added to the atmosphere. Sitting in the middle of the room, the center of it all, stood the white crib he bought months before their child was born. Christina's back faced him, her slender body bent over the railing. He barely could hear her speaking, but he caught the one word that Sirius had come to adore – dad.
Time ceased to exist as he watched the scene unfold. It felt surreal seeing Christina holding their daughter. With a white onesie and a pair of matching small booties, Victoria was cradled between her mother's chest and arm. "Good thing you accepted being away for days and not months or you wouldn't have seen this babe grow."
"I'm away for two days and she would have already grown from the last time I've seen her," he replied softly as he stepped closer to his family. Christina smiled at him before she shared it with her daughter. Holding the baby's hand within hers, Victoria quickly maneuvered her own so as to grasp onto her mother's fingers instead. He reached down and trailed a finger down his daughter's soft baby cheeks, "I sometimes find it hard to believe we created something so beautiful."
Christina beamed at him, "have you eaten? Here, why don't you hold her while I go make you something to eat?"
Without hesitation, Sirius took their tenth-month old into his arms. Though it was likely due to the fact of being away from home, whenever he had to carry Victoria, she would often feel foreign in his arms. It is not to say that he never carried a child before because he had with his godson, Harry. In fact, it helped that he was born about a month earlier than Victoria in which it had given him some experience in holding a baby when the time came. Unlike Harry, Victoria is of his blood and naturally the one he was always around. So while there were times that carrying her in the crook of his arms felt foreign, it also felt right.
After Christina had left them on their own, Sirius walked toward the window that overlooked into a garden. It was created months before Victoria was born, but it had been the project Christina worked on. Before it was done out of a hobby, but now with a child she wanted to create a beautiful garden outside of her room. As it was fall, not many flowers were blooming with their colors - except for the occasional white flower that he could not name; he was never interested in gardening, but now that Victoria was here, he loved standing in front of the window that overlooked it.
He looked down at his child and caught her looking out the window. It was already dark, but whatever it was that she was looking at caught her attention completely. He took this time to take in her features, the small amount of her dark hair that seemed to not have changed in quantity or length. With his free hand, he gently caressed her head which was enough to catch her attention. Her dark eyes held the glimmer that only a child could hold, an innocence not tainted by corruption.
She cooed at him as he slowly wiggled a finger in front of her. She let out a squeal as she took it into her own hands. He smiled at the thought of her running around the house in the future, her laughter filling in the emptiness of the home, a home that he longed to have. It saddened him that she would not have the set of grandparents a child deserved; the figures that are supposed to be the ones doting over a child would not be available to her. It is not like his parents or those of Christina perished, but they might as well have. He was disowned for not sharing the beliefs of his family, she was forbidden to return home for falling in love with the likes of him. It was their love for one another that they managed to live through those hard times and it was Victoria that had grown out of it.
He raised her to the level of his face; her small chubby legs kicked in the air as he did so. Her arms waved across the air before she curled a small fist into her mouth. He then pulled her toward him, kissing her chubby cheek when she was close enough. He placed her against his chest as he took in the sweet smelling scent a baby always held. Her back arched; he looked down to see her turning her attention back to the window. He joined her but unlike her, he was not sure what he was searching for. All he could see was the darkness, and the small flecks of raindrops that were sticking onto the window pane.
"What do you see?" he asked her, as he turned to give Victoria a better view of the window. She only replied with the language a baby could understand as she pointed out into the darkness. "It isn't the raindrops, is it?" For some reason, he had a feeling that she was seeing something that he could not see. It was a strange sight, but he had seen it happen with Harry before; it was something that only children their age could notice, while adults could not see beyond what their eyes looked upon. "You'll be a good girl for daddy, won't you?" he finally asked and, not expecting an answer, he leaned forward and kissed her temple.
"Sirius!"
Quickly whirling, he sees Christina standing by the doorway; she was distraught, her eyes no longer holding the cheerfulness they once held earlier. "Someone's at the door, it's urgent."
Hurriedly he walked up to her, handing Victoria without asking anything else.
Seconds later, he stood in front of the open door; rain poured behind the man who barely shielded himself from it. "It's the Potters," the man said when Sirius saw him. "I'm afraid something awful has happened," he last uttered.
There were no words that could explain what he felt, how it involved the three people he knew. They couldn't be dead, was the first thing that went through his mind before a million possibilities followed that would explain the situation.
It was at that moment when he heard Victoria's coos coming from behind, turning around he came to see the two people he loved more than words could explain. When his eyes locked with those of Christina's, he knew what must be done. There was no need for words to be exchanged, but he needed to go.
Taking in a deep breath, he gave her and his child one last glance before he walked out of his home.
Fin
Note:
I'm in the process of writing a sequel to this oneshot which I'll soon upload the first chapter in a few days :)
Thanks for reading!
