Once again thanks to every one who read the last chapter.

Chapter 38: He Asks

Monday, June 12th. It seemed like such a random date. The weather was completely opposite of Mandy's mood. She woke up feeling like there were storm clouds rolling in over her head and that the day was dark and overcast but when she looked out the window it was bright and the sky was full of sun with nary a cloud anywhere. She groaned and flopped back on her bed.

"Come on," Parker prodded her, "we have exams right after breakfast."

"You're pulling my leg." Mandy glared up at her sister.

"Not a bit. In just under two weeks we'll be out of here. Now if you don't get up, I am going to pull your leg ... all the way down to the Great Hall."

"Lily," Mandy whined.

"Come on, Mandy, get up," Lily answered gently. Mandy sighed but finally dragged herself out of the bed.

After breakfast as they congregated outside the Great Hall, Lily, Parker, and Shelly became a ball of nerves. All three were pacing and repeating things under their breath. Mandy looked at James who shrugged. In Mandy's opinion the theory exam went well. There were a few things that she couldn't remember but overall she felt really good about it.

That night just before dinner, Timmy approached Mandy. "Mandy, Professor Dumbledore would like to see both you and Sirius in the hospital wing. He didn't say why. He didn't say much of anything."

"Thank you," Mandy nodded. She sat for a moment pondering what could be going on.

"Mandy, it's the 12th," Sirius said. Her breath caught in her throat. They were finally here. Today would be the last time she saw her son. Mandy and Sirius stood and left the Great Hall heading for the hospital wing. Sirius took her hand and rubbed his thumb across her knuckles. "This is going to be hard, but I love you and I will do whatever it takes to get you through this. I promise." Mandy swallowed then nodded and leaned against him lightly. Beyond a shadow of a doubt she knew this boy–no, he was more than a boy now, he was a man–This man truly loved her and she was one of the luckiest people on the planet. They stopped outside the Hospital Wing and Sirius looked down at her. "Last chance to change your mind. We're out of here in 12 days. I'm sure they wouldn't mind letting him stay here." Mandy shook her head. She was doing the right thing. She just had to keep reminding herself of that. "Okay." Sirius led her inside to where Dumbledore was sitting with a couple in Madam Pomfrey's office.

"Miss Hunter, Mr. Black, these are the Weavers," Dumbledore said as all three stood. The woman and man smiled a little bit and Mandy did recognize them from the photo they had sent with their application.

"Black, as in—" Mr. Weaver started.

"As in the evil Orion and Walburga Black, yes. However he's nothing like his family. He's a gentle, caring, loving wizard and a Gryffindor to boot. If you can't accept that then we have nothing more to—"

"What my husband meant was as in Alphard Black?" Mrs. Weaver said gently.

"Yes, he passed on last year," Sirius answered.

"He was a good man, I knew him, not well but I knew him," Mr. Weaver said.

"Yes, he was. Left me enough to look after myself before he died."

"We'll let you say your goodbyes," Mrs. Weaver said softly.

"To Leo," Mandy said. "Leonis, like the constellation."

"Of course."

Mandy made her way back to the small room and slowly lifted her son out of the crib. "You've had quite the life so far, haven't you, babe?" Mandy asked, cradling her son in her arms and holding him close. "You're a handsome little guy. You take after your dad in that respect. I know there's no way you'll remember this but I'm going to say it anyway. I hope that the stars bless and protect you and that you never know what true fear is. Stay safe, my son. I love you." She whispered the last part to him and a flash went off in front of her. Mandy looked up to see a camera floating less than a metre from her. She looked back over her shoulder to see Sirius in the doorway with his wand out.

"Borrowed it from James. I know that we probably shouldn't but I figure one little reminder won't hurt," Sirius told her.

"Thank you. Come here." She jerked her head, motioning him over and he complied. When he reached her she turned sideways and he stepped in front of her so that their sides faced the camera. Sirius reached a finger out and Leo took hold bringing it to his mouth. Another flash went off then Mandy looked at Sirius. "Will you hold him?" Mandy asked softly.

"I can't."

"I know it's going to hurt but just once. Please, hold him."

Sirius swallowed. "I don't know. I don't think I would know how."

"Just cradle his head and bum and you'll be fine. Put one arm like this and the other like this, keep them kinda close to your chest." Mandy moved his arms into position and then gently transferred the baby into them. Then she took the camera and snapped a picture. Sirius slowly lifted the baby a little and then leaned down and kissed his forehead. "I'll miss you, Leo. I love you," he whispered against the boy's forehead.

"It's time," Mandy said softly. She took the little boy back as Sirius took the camera and the puppy from the cot flew towards her. "Did you?" She asked looking at Sirius. He shook his head. "If it wasn't you and it wasn't me then—" Mandy looked down at the little boy who had his hands around the dog's ears. "Did he just?"

"I think he did," Sirius answered. Mandy smiled then together they walked to where the Weavers were waiting.

"Here he is," Mandy said.

"He's handsome. The picture she sent did not do him justice," Mrs. Weaver said. Mandy swallowed and handed over the baby. Mrs. Weaver's eyes filled up with tears as she held the baby for the first time. Mandy's heart broke in her chest as Sirius's grip got a little tighter. Even though she knew that her son would be well loved and in a safe home far from the war that she knew was coming, it did nothing to quash the heartbreak she was feeling. She would never see her son again.

Mr. Weaver stroked the little boy's face and his eyes opened. "Wow," he whispered.

"Blue eyes run in my family. There's a chance that they could turn grey because of Sirius's family but I think that they'll stay blue," Mandy answered.

"Thank you," Mr. Weaver said, reaching for the small stuffed puppy in the baby's arms and extracting it. The moment he offered it back to Mandy, the baby let out an ear-splitting cry.

"You can't do that. He should keep it," Mandy corrected herself. "Last time we tried to take it from him for more than a few moments, he didn't stop crying until we gave it back." Mandy took the toy and gave it back to the child who instantly stopped crying.

"May we ask what you'll be naming him?" Sirius asked.

"We're naming him after my father, Jeffery Mathew," Mr. Weaver said.

Mandy shared a glance with Sirius but neither said anything about the name. "Thank you."

Mandy and Sirius watched from the window about ten minutes later as the couple made their way down the front lawn to the gates. The minute the Weavers reached the gates of Hogwarts, Mandy spun around and threw herself into Sirius's arms, tears pouring down her face. Since Dumbledore had led the Weavers out and Pomfrey was at dinner it was just the two of them. Sirius held her to him and did his best not to cry. Hers wasn't the only heart breaking and he had no idea how to make it better for or easier on her. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head finally settling on just letting her hold on to him and draw strength from him. When she pulled back there were still tears in her eyes so Sirius tried to wipe them away. She still looked very sad but not quite as heartbroken as she had been.

"Do you think—do you—could that ever be us?" Mandy asked.

"Someday," Sirius nodded, "I do love you and I want that to be us, but I'm not going to push you into that."

"I love you, too, Sirius," Mandy smiled. It was a weak smile but Sirius was glad it was a smile. "I just don't want to rush into anything. I want to finish my N.E.W.T.s, and become an Auror before I worry about marriage and kids."

"Are you saying that you'd turn me down if I proposed?" Sirius asked.

"No, I'm not saying that I'm just saying that I wouldn't set a date in the near future," Mandy shook her head. Sirius pushed some hair out her his girlfriend's face. "Come on, we should get some dinner. I need some food."

Sirius sighed but followed his girlfriend out of the hospital wing. He hated when she changed the subject like that but knew that it was her way of keeping the awkward silence short.

"Wait," Meg said suddenly.

"What?" Sirius asked.

"You have a photo of my older brother?" Meg asked. Mandy and Sirius shared a worried look. It wasn't good for them to be asking about Jeff. It was Mandy's biggest regret. "I know he was only a couple of weeks old but do you?" Meg asked.

"Yes." Mandy stood and crossed the room. She pulled a book off the bookshelf and everyone watched as she pulled out her wand and sliced the spine. "Sorry Remus," Mandy muttered. Remus always said that it was a crime to desecrate a book. She pulled the back away from the rest of the book and pulled a photo from the small space between the two. "The ones of me and him and Sirius and him have disappeared but we still have this one." Mandy handed the yellowing photo to Meg. It was the one of Mandy holding the baby while he held Sirius's finger.

"He was a cute baby," Meg said handing the photo to George who passed it to Harry and then on to Devin and Erin.

"Did you ever see him again?" Erin asked, handing the photo back to her mother.

"You'll have to wait and find out," Mandy said. She put the photo back and then put the book back on the shelf.

The closer they got to the end of exams the better Mandy felt about them. A few times she was a little concerned that she hadn't done well on her exams but going over a few things with Remus she was more relaxed and calmed, knowing she did do well. She just had to wait until the summer to get her results. Their last exam would be the Defense Against the Dark Arts exam on Thursday the 22nd.

Wednesday, while Lily and Shelly sat for the Muggle Studies practical exam the rest of the seventh year Gryffindors sat on the grounds studying for their next exam. "Take a walk with me?" Sirius said suddenly. Mandy looked at him startled but let him pull her to her feet after he had stood up.

"You think he's going to do it?" James whispered to Remus.

"Not if you ruin it," Remus answered. Mandy cast a glance in their direction but Sirius pulled her away towards the forest. Their friends continued to watch after them until they walked out of sight.

"First time I met you I was thinking 'cute, little pureblood'. You were wearing the cutest set of dress robes, your blue eyes were sparkling, and you looked like you were bored with everyone in the room." Sirius said as they walked hand in hand.

"First off: the first time I met you I was wearing a yellow and white muggle princess dress, secondly: I was bored with everyone there, and thirdly: you dumped punch on my head without saying a word to me," Mandy answered.

"Correction, I said hi before I did it. And that was only because Reg said you were mean to him."

"No, you didn't say a word to me. You were standing there by the punch table and offered me a glass. I reached out to take it and you dumped it over my head."

Sirius stared down at her wondering if it was worth fighting with her over how they met. "Marry me," Sirius said. Suddenly he slapped a hand over his mouth. He had absolutely no idea where it had come from.

"What?" Mandy asked. "That's your proposal?" Mandy stared at him in shock. Sirius lowered his hand and swallowed. He knew he had some explaining to do. "Sirius Black is supposed to be the ladies' man. The most romantic man on campus. The go-to guy. Prince Charming. A guy like that doesn't just blurt something like that out. You're supposed to be romantic. A big production. It's—Do you remember when you first asked me about marrying you? About having someone to come home to?"

"Yeah, before the baby," Sirius said.

"That's the kind of speech I was expecting. That is how you propose to someone. You lay out why you fell in love with them and then ask them to do you the honor."

"And you and I both know if I had planned this big, grand, romantic moment to ask you to marry me, that you would have said it was cliché and you would have told me no." Sirius narrowed his eyes at her and after a moment she nodded.

"Would you have really told him no?" Devin asked.

"Yeah, I would have," Mandy said. "I would have thought it was cliché and expected. Hence why I expected it. When he didn't I was shocked. In fact I had no idea what to say to him. That's why I put up such a big fight. On the outside I was spewing anything that he would believe to give me more time to process what he was asking me on the inside."

"Did you say yes?" Erin asked.

"Nope. We spent the next year together then broke up and I never married your father," Mandy deadpanned as she toyed with the wedding band on her left hand.

"Well you could have said no and he asked you again later," Erin told her.

"True," Mandy finally agreed.

"So what happened next?" Meg asked.

"I would have said no," Mandy told Sirius. "But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have at least tried it."

"Either way," Sirius said. They stood in silence for a few moments then Sirius got an idea. If she wasn't answer his blurted proposal maybe he could save this and get a definite yes from her. He loved this woman. He needed her in his life so bad that if she said no, he wasn't sure what he would do. He dropped to one knee and took her hand in his as he pulled the black box from his pocket. "Everything I said that day that I asked if you could see us settling down is still true. I want someone to come home to. I do love you and I can't see my life without you. I'm not asking you to rush into anything, I'm asking you to promise me that you'll marry me, one day," Sirius said, hopefully.

Finally Mandy's heart and mind agreed on the answer. "Yes," Mandy nodded, "yes, I'll marry you."

Sirius slipped the small ring on her finger then scooped her up and spun her around as wolf whistles filled her ears. Sirius put Mandy down and turned a resigned look on his friends. "Is nothing sacred anymore?" Sirius snapped.

"We just wanted to make sure she hadn't killed ya, mate," Peter said.

"Is that right?" Sirius asked sarcastically.

"Be nice," Mandy hissed at her boyfriend. "Thanks Pete. You never know, one day I might decide to kill him." Mandy grinned at Peter.

"You wouldn't do that, not really," Remus asked.

"I might. He is a pain in my bum," Mandy said. They turned to walk back to the lake side.

"You know how much you need him." Remus smiled.

"I guess. You're awful quiet there, Prongs. Something eating you?" Mandy looked at him. James shrugged falling into step with her. "You already told him it was okay. You're not going back on that now, are you?" She asked uncertain. She really didn't want him to pull back and make it harder for her to make a decision.

"No, it's not that. I—" James looked down.

"I love you, Jamie, I always will and no matter what happens with me and Sirius, you'll always be important to me. Always. You trust me, don't you?"

"Of course I do and I know how important I am to you—never mind. I'm happy for you both." Mandy took James's hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Remember the first time we saw the castle?"

"Don't get nostalgic, tell me what you're thinking," Mandy demanded, pulling James to a stop. The marauders continued walking giving the pair a moment.

"Part of me is very happy that you found a man that loves you very much and will always love you," James said, looking down at her left hand.

"But," Mandy prompted.

"But part of me also remembers the time when you couldn't stand any boy but me and thought they were the ickiest thing on the planet."

"Even the ickiest man on the planet will never hold my heart the way you do. I know you don't like this James and you wish we could just start all over again, hell I do too when I think about my parents, but you and I both know it's time to grow up. We can't all be Peter Pan."

"I don't want to be Peter Pan, I just don't want to lose my best friend."

"Do you remember reading those Captain America comics Talon brought over from the States?" In their previous year when Talon had returned from the States after spending six years there, he brought with him a love for Captain America comic books. It was something one of his friends had gotten him into. James had seen him reading it one day and had become hooked.

"What about them?" James asked.

"Do you remember issue four, I think, of the Avengers?"

"The one where it's revealed Bucky Barnes died."

"Yeah. Captain and Bucky were best friends and when Bucky died Captain was devastated and blamed himself but no matter what they went through they were always friends. That's us. We'll be friends until the day one of us dies. Probably both of us but definitely at least one of us. Nothing will change that, James. I promise."

"I know, I just worry about it."

"You don't have to. Everything's going to be fine."

"Yeah, okay," James agreed. Mandy smiled and they went back to their friends.

I hope you liked it. Sorry it took so long to put this one up. Please let me know what you think. Reviews make me happy.