A/N: After much rewriting, editing and thinking, what was supposed to be a Sirius/Mia centered chapter became what appears to be a multi-character one. Blame it on inspiration... So, here I give you an 11k word chapter that's 22 pages long... enjoy!
"This is nice," Sirius mumbled, sitting by his wife's side at one of the tables inside the wedding marquee and handing her a drink he's just fetched from the nearest drinks table. "How long has it been since we've been to a wedding? It has to have been an awfully long way back…"
Looking away from the celebrating crowd, Mia turned slowly to her husband, one of her eyebrows pointedly raised as she placed her glass on the table. "I don't know, Sirius… Maybe about… three years ago? Featuring the two of us as the bride and groom?" she replied dryly.
Her husband rolled his eyes in return and took a sip from his glass of butterbeer. "Alright, before this becomes an issue, I should point out that I actually meant someone else's wedding, not our own which, by the way, took place in 19 June 1994 around noon, a date I cherish every day I wake up next to my beloved wife and prized mother of my children."
That time, it was Mia's turn to roll her eyes. "Good save. Now quit sucking up – you've passed the test."
"With flying colours," he replied, grinning before he reached to place a kiss on her lips. "But, really, what I meant is that it's been a really, really long time since we've been to an actual wedding that wasn't our own. Right around since…"
"… Lily and James got married," Mia finished for him. "That's right. We haven't been to a wedding since before Harry was born." She reached back for her glass and took a sip from it. "Merlin…"
Sirius huffed. "Pitiful, isn't it? And you know whose fault it is? Moony's."
Mia furrowed her brows as put the glass back on the table. "Remus's fault, you say," she mumbled, looking across the room to where their friend was standing, talking to Remus. "You might want to explain that thought."
"Well, isn't it obvious? It's Moony's fault for being all difficult about tying the knot. I mean, he basically made Tonks drag him straight to the altar when he finally went along with it so he wouldn't have time change his mind in the meanwhile," he explained carelessly. "And what did that lead to? Us not being there and therefore extending our wedding hiatus just a little further. Therefore: Moony's fault."
"Oh, lay off him, Sirius. At least he did make you his honorary best man. He's happy now, that's what matters," she pointed out.
Her husband sighed. "I suppose you're right. But still, I owe him a stag party. One of these days…"
Mia rolled her eyes. "Only you could think of that in the middle of a war."
"Well, it's not like I'm planning to do it in mid-battle or anything, love. In fact, I'll probably leave it for after the war… provided that doesn't take too long." And that we all live through it.
"Giving a stag party to a married bloke who'll probably have a baby by then seems a bit absurd, if you asked me," she commented.
"Exactly. That's why he'll never see it coming," Sirius announced victoriously. "Now that I think of it, I never did get my stag party either."
His wife chuckled. "I wouldn't keep my hopes up on him giving you one of those," she pointed out.
"Guess will have to share his, then," he mumbled, looking thoughtful, as though he was already plotting it.
Good old Sirius, she thought. Between mad plans, endless jokes, constant randiness and unbelievable tenderness, she kept falling for him every day. And, if the universe had the decency of being kind to them, that would never change. She desperately wanted it to not ever change.
Sighing at the thought, Mia looked away, her eyes landing on the crowd that had gathered around Bill and Fleur in the centre of the marquee. The couple danced and laughed, likely for the hundredth time that afternoon… they seemed unbelievably happy, she thought. Young and in love… and, at the moment, even oblivious to the dark cloud of war hovering over their heads.
When she spotted Izzy at the main table (looking like she wanted to be anywhere but there as a very old woman Mia recognized as Moly's auntie Muriel preached by her side, constantly sipping on champagne), Mia's motherly instinct had her scanning the rest of the marquee for the rest of her children.
After Izzy, spotting Alex and Mary wasn't very hard, the first sitting sleepily on Gabriel's lap at a table across the room and the latter on Molly Weasley's arms as she stood by her newly married son, likely trying to use the baby to encourage Bill to start working on making her some grandbabies. Harry's alter-ego Barry, however, was nowhere to be seen.
True, she'd only first seen her godson in that form a few hours before but his embarrassingly short height was bound to give him away in the midst of all the redheads… On the other hand, it could also cause him to be easily hidden by the crowd.
"Where's Harry?" she asked her husband, checking if he had better luck at spotting Harry than she did.
Sirius shrugged. "Last I saw of him, he was heading out with Ron."
With that in her mind, Mia glanced the tent only to spot Ron standing by one of the tables with the twins and Hermione. She was disappointed, however, to see that there was no sign of her disguised godson among them. "Well, apparently he hasn't come back with him."
"Maybe he went to the loo or something," Sirius suggested.
Swallowing hard, Mia felt a lump forming in her throat. "You don't think there's a chance he's already…"
Her husband immediately shook his head. "He wouldn't go without Ron and Hermione. Not when he's promised he'd take them along," Sirius replied. "And he wouldn't go without saying anything to us either."
She pursed her lips anxiously. "I don't know Sirius…"
"Don't fret over him, love," he said, making another quick scan around the tent. "Look, Ginny's nowhere to be seen either, as far as I can tell," he informed his wife. "How much would you bet they're both outside enjoying some time alone?"
Mia was silent for a moment. "Oh," she mumbled before motioning to stand up. "Maybe we should just go outside and check…"
Sirius stood up too but caught her arm before she could run outside after their godson. "Relax, Mia. The wards are still up and no one can get in or out of them today unless someone from the Order who's in charge of thet lets them and we both know they wouldn't. If he really is with Ginny, we need to give'em a little time, love. You're not the only one who'll have to handle a goodbye today," he said.
She just stood there, silent for a long moment. He was right. It hasn't really occurred to her before but Ginny would have to say goodbye to Harry too. Mia sighed, then, leaning against the back of her chair. Thinking of that took her back… back to when she'd had to say goodbye to Sirius for her own protection, having no prospect of when she'd see him again. And she hadn't, for a long time – only more than a decade later had they been reunited… It made her shiver – the thought that Harry could be gone for so long too. It scared her that he was so close to leaving and even then she worried about him constantly like he was a little boy. The conflicting feelings between wanting to be supportive and wanting to be protective were overwhelming and she didn't even allow herself to imagine how much him being away risking his life would drive her into madness…
"Hey, whatever you're thinking, stop. It's upsetting you," Sirius told her, no hint of joking in his voice before he made her wrap one arm around his own and started strolling towards the marquee's exit, hoping a walk would calm her down. "Listen, the kid is fine – he's probably just inside the house or something fooling around his 'secret' girlfriend like any seventeen-year-old should. If we don't spot him in, say… twenty minutes, I'll go search for Harry myself. That's a promise."
Mia sighed at that, leaning her head against her husband's shoulder as they stepped outside, under the rose-coloured sunset sky. "It just shows how messed up the world is when I'm relieved one of my kids is probably fooling around with his girlfriend somewhere …" she said, trying to put a bit of humour into the whole thing, if anything, to convince herself to cheer up at least for the moment.
Her husband chuckled at that. "It's not like we didn't do the same at their age," he pointed out, reaching down just enough so he could place a little kiss on her lips. "Now relax, love. Have I told you how lovely you look, all dressed up for the wedding?" he asked, charmingly making his wife take a little twirl.
She smiled and glanced down at the very simple midnight blue robes she was wearing. "You have, yes."
"Good. Because you do look lovely," he repeated before tugging her against the large tent's semi-solid wall, trapping her there before he kissed the corner of her mouth that time.
"I know what you're doing," Mia stated, breathing shallowly as she felt him place a kiss very close to her neck at the same time she kept an eye out for people possibly watching them. "You're trying to distract me. In public."
"We're outside – it would only be public if I started snogging you inside the tent," he told her, his lips making their way back to the corner of her mouth. "And someone does run into us, there's nothing wrong with that. I'm just a bloke kissing his wife," he said just as his lips were very close to landing fully on hers again. "Tastefully," he whispered before finally kissing him.
Later she'd think that he'd done it again: he'd managed to distract her from reality… or rather to seduce her into distraction. But, at the moment, she didn't really care about being defeated as her lips were too busy parting to welcome him. It was a rare moment of peace and she meant to enjoy it. She felt herself grabbing the collar of his robes to pull him just a bit closer and was sure they'd end up giving anyone who saw them a show, the way things were headed. That was so not the time for a show… she thought for a little moment of hesitation before discarding that idea and just going back to kiss him.
"Oh, please, save it for the bedroom," they heard someone saying in a bored tone before breaking apart with a jump. Lulu, they quickly guessed. "I know this is a wedding with all the romance and nostalgia attached to it but, Merlin, at least try to hide behind a tree or something."
Sirius groaned. "Merlin, what is it with you and constantly interrupting us when we're kissing or…?"
"…shagging?" Lulu provided easily.
"Yes," Sirius replied while his wife looked at her mother, horrified, by his side. "Do you keep a score or something. One point if you catch us snogging, double if you catch us sha…"
Mia cleared her throat loudly, slapping her husband's shoulder so he'd get out of her way. "Sirius, will you not use the words snogging or shagging around my mother? And Lulu, will you, for Merlin's sake, not enable him to?" she requested, smoothing the front of her robes, exasperated.
Lulu shrugged. "It's not like I don't know what you're up to… Clearly your kids didn't come into the world in a cabbage patch. But, anyway, let's pretend they did. I just came here to tell you that I think I'll get going now."
"Go? You've barely been here at all," Mia replied before narrowing her eyes. "What's wrong?"
Lulu shrugged. "Nothing's wrong. Alex and Mary are getting tired and, since I'm on babysitting duty for the rest of the day, I should take them home," the older woman said.
Mia raised her eyebrows at her. Her mother's carelessly natural expression might have fooled anyone else, but not her. "And…" she urged Lulu.
"And nothing." When her daughter just kept staring at her, Lulu just huffed and gave up. "What are you staring at, Mia?"
Sirius snorted. "Wow. She's got that face on," he told his mother-in-law. "The one she always wears when she's sure one of the kids has done something they shouldn't."
"I'm not one of your kids," Lulu protested.
"No, you're my mother," Mia said. "And I know for a fact you love a good party and could easily ask Molly to let you put the kids down at one of the rooms in the house. So, why do you want to go away now?"
Lulu groaned. Mia not only knew her too well but she also was too perceptive. "Fine. I don't want Gabe to get ideas."
"What sort of ideas, exactly?" Sirius asked his mother-in-law.
Lulu glared at him for asking but ended up shrugging when she realized it was basically impossible for that question not to be asked. "Ideas to propose. Again."
"Again?" Mia asked in disbelief. "Wait he's done it before?"
"A couple of times," her mother replied.
"And you said 'no'?" Sirius inquired, frowning. "Ouch, that's got to hurt."
Lulu huffed. "It's not like that. He didn't propose propose on one knee and stuff. He just told me that sooner or later I'd marry him, I told him to get comfortable because the wait would be endless and he just laughed it off. Then another time, he did exactly the same over breakfast. Idiot. One would think that being 'dead' for over a decade would have put some sense into him."
"Yes, because wanting to marry the person you love, live with and… oh, that's right' have a grown child with is an obvious sign of madness," Sirius replied sarcastically.
Lulu gave him an annoyed look. "Go take a walk, Sirius," she suggested in an all-too-kind tone that clearly indicated a hidden threat in it.
He shrugged, not bothering to protest. "As you wish. But remember that sending me away won't change the fact that the two of you basically live like a married couple already."
That only annoyed her further. "Do I have to go fetch Muriel Prewett's cane or will you just go on your own?" she threatened.
Sirius rolled his eyes. "Sometimes I wonder why I even like you," he told her before reaching down to place a kiss on his wife's cheek. "I'll be inside, love."
"Behave," she replied with a smile.
"Me? Never. If the wedding cake explodes, it was me," he assured her, making Mia chuckle before he winked at her one last time while making his way back into the wedding marquee.
Left alone outside with her mother, Mia turned to her with an inquisitive look. "Well?"
"Well what?"
"Come on, Lu," she said. "Why do you keep saying 'no' to Gabe?"
"I'm just not the marrying type, Mia," her mother pointed out. "I find living in sin satisfying enough. I don't have to be another boring old married person."
"Thanks," Mia replied dryly, taking the insult.
"Oh, you know I don't mean it like that," her mother said, nonchalant. "You and Sirius… it's like, married or not, you're always… courting each other. Flirting and… snogging against marquees. That sort of thing. Not all couples are so lucky to end up like that, frozen in that phase when one is always trying to get the other to fall deeper and deeper for the other. And I like the way things are between me and Gabe. We live together, we have fun, we're happy… we don't take each other for granted, which we probably will if we tie the knot. Why do things have to change?"
"Maybe they won't. And if they do, change isn't always bad…"
"Maybe not. But it's no coincidence they say that you don't change a winning team."
"I never thought you, of all people, would be afraid of change," Mia told her mother.
Lulu sighed. "Yeah, well, I never thought I, of all people, would spend like fifteen years pining for a bloke that was supposed to be dead only to end up getting him back. We've been through too much to risk screwing it all up by not living one day at a time."
Sighing, her daughter shook her head. Cautious Lulu… just when she thought she'd seen everything… "Well, it's your life, Lu. I'm not going to tell you how to live it. Just please don't hurt Gabe – he loves you. You've got to sit down and talk to him about all this because one can only take being turned down so many times," Mia told her mother. "And I'm not just saying this as some kid who wants to see her parents together. You know I'm long past that. I'm saying it because I care very much for both of you and I don't want to see you alone and miserable."
Lulu huffed stubbornly. "I hate it when you sound like the mother out of the two of us," she mumbled to Mia, who just smiled in return, knowing that, if Lulu had thought she was wrong, she'd have said it without a blink.
It wasn't more than five seconds later that Gabriel stepped out of the tent, holding a sleepy Mary in his arms and an also tired Alex by the hand. For a moment, Mia had to wonder if his timing meant he was aware of being the main theme in their discussion… "You ready to go, Luce?"
Lulu shook her head in return. "Give me a minute, I left my coat inside," she replied before quickly rushing back into the marquee, just as her grandson latched himself around one of Mia's legs, oddly silent.
"What's wrong, love?" Mia asked the little boy, reaching down to caress his soft black hair.
"He's a bit bushed over missing his nap," Gabe told his daughter. "Can't be a firecracker all day, I suppose."
Mia smiled and reached down to pick her son up to her arms. "Poor baby," she said, kissing the little boy's brow. Apparently, all that energy that had fuelled that morning's bath-time battle had ran out, leaving only an exhausted little boy behind… and no doubt the following morning he's be back to spitfire mood all over again. "You're tired, love?"
Alex shook his head stubbornly. "'m not, Mama." Yet, he didn't hesitate on resting his head against his mother's shoulder and relax tiredly in her hold.
"Of course you're not," she mock-agreed with the little boy, before approaching her father to check on Mary. That one wasn't even trying to fake awareness at this point, sleeping comfortably as she sucked on her thumb. "Well,I suppose at least this means you'll have a quiet night of babysitting duty. When these two are like this, they can usually sleep for hours."
Gabriel gave her a disbelieving look. "Quiet? It's never quiet when Luce is around," he pointed out, glancing into the marquee, trying to spot her.
"Well, you have a point there," Mia mumbled in agreement. "You do know she's the most pig-headed person you'll ever meet, right?"
"Of course," he replied, smiling.
"And when she sets her head into something, changing her mind is a nightmare."
He nodded again. "So, what's your take? Should I just give up or should I go on trying?"
Mia raised her eyebrows at him as she rocked Alex in her arms. Something told her that, somehow, they were both referring exactly to the same matter – the proposal. Later, she would wonder if that was because he knew Lulu so well or some sort of auror-exclusive perceptiveness. "Go on trying as long as you're up to it," she ended up saying. "Though you might want to emphasise that a ring on her finger won't make you take her for granted and vice-versa."
"I'll keep that in mind," he promised, seemingly catching the message.
"Count on her putting up a fight, though. She hates admitting defeat," she pointed out.
Gabriel chuckled. "Don't you think I know that? The first time she ever talked to me was to accuse my Quidditch team of cheating when we beat hers at a game. And she still insists that we did – last time that game came up, she refused to address me for two days. And it wasn't that long ago."
Mia huffed. That sounded just like Lulu. "I don't think I have to tell you that I'm very glad I took after you temper-wise."
He smiled at her. "That makes two of us. We can only handle one Lulu at a time, can't we?"
"That had better be because more than one of me would be far too much wonder for the world to tackle," Lulu said as she stepped out of the tent, overhearing the last part.
"Why else?" Mia asked, forcing a smile.
Her mother rolled her eyes. "Yeah right… Just pass that kid over already," she said, opening her arms so Mia could pass her snoozing grandson to her. She seemed to be about to say something else but, just as she received the little boy, Lulu's eyes appeared to focus on something… or rather someone else behind Mia's back. "Merlin, he's one or two inches away from becoming the perfect dancing partner for Flitwick," she mumbled.
"What?" Mia said, turning around in a flash as she recognized the discription. It was with much relief that she saw Harry approaching, perfectly disguised in his 'Barry Weasley' form, with Ginny by his side in a perfectly friendly fashion that would have fooled anyone who wasn't aware of his real identity. And, Merlin, he looked awfully short indeed.
"Well, we'll just get going now," Gabe said, shifting his granddaughter to his other arm.
Lulu nodded. "And try and have a bit of fun, Mia – this is a wedding, not a funeral."
Mia turned to them again and sighed. "Alright. And thanks for… you know," she said, nodding at the children.
"Like you ever needed to thank us for that," Lulu replied, rolling her eyes as she turned on her heel carrying a completely unaware Alex in her arms.
With Gabriel following her, the two were out of Mia's sight in a matter of seconds and, by the time she turned back to Harry, he and Ginny had already split ways. The redhead gave Mia a faint smile as she made her way back into the marquee while Harry remained behind. "Hey," he said, hands shoved into his pockets and a sheepish look on his unfamiliar face.
"Hi there. Spending a little time with Ginny?" Mia asked softly.
Harry nodded and sighed visibly. "Yeah…"
"Harry…"
"Does this ever pass?" he heard himself asking his godmother. "Knowing I'm leaving everyone behind… especially Ginny… It just sucks. I mean, I know I have to go, I know it's the right thing but…"
"The heart doesn't usually take logics under consideration," Mia provided.
He nodded sombrely. "I guess it doesn't. But does it ever go away? This feeling… You got through thirteen years away from Sirius. You never looked as happy as you look with him but… you got through it and you always had a smile to spare for me and Izzy."
Mia nodded softly. "I did," she replied. "Though I'll have to admit a large part of those came when I felt like anything but smiling." She sighed and took a step towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder. It felt so odd, having a heart-to-heart with that redheaded boy camouflaging Harry, and it would certainly seem odd for any onlooker, but she knew he needed to hear some encouraging words, even though giving him a pep talk concerning his adventure was anything but what she would've wanted. "Listen, Harry, I'd be lying if I said it would go away but it gets a little easier."
Harry took a breath. That simply didn't sound possible in his mind. "How?"
Mia shrugged. "Depends… To me, eventually, something come up to fill my mind and keep me from pondering over and over again about what I'd left behind," Mia explained. "It was still there but it wasn't in my mind every moment of every day, which is the worst part. To me, that thing was getting you and having Izzy. And to you… to you it will be the Horcrux hunt." She took a deep breath and then said what Harry most needed to hear. "As much as it pains me to admit it, this is something you need to do. You're not leaving all of us behind – you're going away to fight for us and we'll be here fighting for you too. As much as it still hurts to be away from the people you love, the reason why you're going makes all the difference."
Harry huffed. "That doesn't feel like much of a difference now."
"It will," Mia assured him. "And you won't be alone – I don't think you'll realize the importance of having your best friends there by your side until it's just the three of you. Being alone is the worst part."
"I thought you'd said pondering about what you'd left behind over and over again was the worst part."
"It is. But it gets even worse if you don't have anyone around to pull you back up from that dark place," his godmother told him. "And if you need any help, Harry…" she reached for his arm and lifted it in front of him so he could get a clear view of the watch she'd given him a few days before "… don't forget you have this. We're always here, Harry, for anything. So don't even hesitate in asking for help – there's no shame on it when one has a load to carry as heavy as yours."
Harry nodded silently. "I half-thought you were just going to say everything would be alright," he confessed.
"Would you've felt better if I had?"
He shook his head. It had surprised him how much he's preferred hearing his godmother's honest answer. "Nothing's that simple these days, is it?"
"No," she sadly agreed.
He nodded and thought of what to say next but nothing meaningful would really come. He supposed he'd have to leave goodbyes for after the reception, when he, Ron and Hermione left – his mind was far too exhausted from his… non-goodbye with Ginny a few minutes earlier. "I suppose I should go back inside. Before Ron and Hermione start wondering…"
She nodded. "Go along," Mia said, knowing she'd need a moment on her own. "I'll meet you there in a few minutes.
He nodded. "Thanks," he said right before starting to walk away. Before entering the tent, though, he paused. "I wish this thing could go both ways," he said, pointing at the watch. Unfortunately, while it allowed him to send signals to his family, it didn't allow them to send some back to him.
Mia shook her head. "Worry about yourself, Harry. We'll be fine," she said.
"I hope so. I'd rather not come back to a broken home," he replied before finally stepping out of his godmother's sight.
Finally alone, Mia closed her eyes and took a breath followed by another. Harry wasn't the only one fearing that war's consequences on their family. Just thought of it made her cringe. Odds weren't generous to them – they were Harry Potter's family. Although she'd never regret having him in her family, there was no denying that put a target in their heads, though it wasn't as large as the one on Harry's. Part of her couldn't believe she'd actually said all that. That she's actually… acknowledged how important her godson's insanely dangerous mission was for the world. Another, however, was proud she'd been able to tell Harry what he needed to hear even when it praised something she positively hated…
A double-edged sword, as always, she thought as she leaned back against the marquee's wall. These days nothing was simple, as Harry had said. Nothing was plain right or wrong. For now she could only hope she wouldn't later regret letting Harry go...
Leaving his wife outside to talk to her mother, Sirius made his way back to the large circular table that he'd been occupying earlier only to find a dark auburn-haired Tonks had also taken a seat there as she had what seemed to be a one-on-one with a massive slice of lemon pie resting on the plate opposite her.
"Mrs Lupin," he addressed her before occupying the chair on his cousin's right. "How are you doing this fine day?"
"Mr Black," she replied, matching his mock-formal tone as she took a bit of her pie. "Why do you sound like such an idiot this fine day?"
"Snippy, hum? Baby Lupin is already making its magic," Sirius commented with a chuckle, looking around before he said the last part to see if they were being overheard as Remus had told him that he and Tonks were trying to keep it quiet about the baby for now. So far, aside from Tonks's parents, only they and the Weasleys were aware of it. As no one seemed to be at earshot, he found it safe to mention it. "How's the little one doing, by the way?"
Tonks's face lit up at that. "He's doing just fine," she replied, unconsciously covering her middle with her free hand.
"He?"
"Or she, for all I know," she said, taking another bite of her pie. "I just seems weird to call the kid an 'it' all the time. Sounds a bit insulting because of… you know, Remus's condition. I suppose I'm sticking with 'he' until I know otherwise. But, in any case, it's probably a boy – only a specimen of the male sort could give a woman grief like this one gives me every morning."
Sirius narrowed his eyes at her. "I'll try and ignore that comment, for the sake of our friendship," he told her dryly. "Anyway, what were you doing here on your own? Why isn't your other half keeping you company?"
Tonks frowned. "What? Can't a person spend a few minutes on their own without being judged?"
"Sure they can. Unless they're at a wedding or any other sort of social gathering and are known sociable individuals such as yourself. Spill it, Nymphadora."
She looked awfully calm at being called by her first name and even took her time to eat another bit of pie. "Remember how I always get annoyed when someone calls me that name? Imagine that annoyance mixed with a little dose of pregnancy hormones," she said in a very calm tone.
Sirius gave her a defying look. "You don't scare me. I'm used to the wrath of pregnant women."
"Not to the wrath or pregnant women who are aurors and probably know how to get away with the perfect murder," she pointed out with a little sadistic smile on her face. "They won't find your corpse for centuries."
Well, that was just disturbing, Sirius thought. "Pregnancy makes you creepy," he told her.
"I know. Isn't it great?" she replied, her grin widening to form an overjoyed one. How amazing was it that threatening people with hormones made them like ten times more scared than normal threats? "More power for me."
"Good thing you and Moony are back in good terms, then, or else he'd be on the wrong end of that power trip of yours," Sirius commented.
"Oh, well, just give it a little time," she mumbled in annoyance, entertained with her pie.
Sirius raised an eyebrow. "For Merlin's sake, not again. What did he do now?"
She huffed. "Nothing particularly bad yet. He's all… overprotective. I mean, it's still in an acceptable level for now but I can just see it escalading awfully fast…" She suddenly paused and made a face. "Wait…why am I even telling you this? From what I've heard you were just as bad with Mia."
"Well, then you should be happy to hear I'm coaching your guy into not repeating my overprotectiveness-related mistakes," he informed his cousin.
She gave him a sceptical look. "Really?"
"Really," he assured her.
"Well, then warn him of this: if controlling everything I eat becomes a thing, it's going to get messy. I'll put up with the ridiculously healthy stuff he's been coking lately, which, I'll admit is sort of a sweet thing for him to do so far, but the baby and I need our daily dose of sugar… without being frowned at while we're consuming it."
"Ah! So that's why you're sneaking around with that pie," Sirius concluded. "What's that? The third slice? Fourth?"
"Just the second… and a half," she confessed. "And you know what the stupidest thing is? I don't even like lemon. I hate it, in fact. In my book, it shouldn't even be called a fruit! Yet here I am, stuffing myself with it."
"If you think that's the oddest thing that will happen to you, I ought to tell you one thing or two about Mia's weird food mixes," Sirius pointed out. "Just thinking of it…" He made a face of disgust. "In any case, maybe I'll share that with Moony and point out that my kids came out fairly normal despite the shocking amount of tuna melt Mia consumed… and not always in a sandwich."
"Tuna melt?" Tonks asked, looking fairly intrigued for a moment before she cleared her throat. "Anyway, you go ahead and tell that to Remus."
"Of course. Anything for the mother of my future godchild," he replied.
She raised her eyebrows. "Your future what now?"
Sirius narrowed his eyes. "My future godchild – it's only fair I get one of those from Moony since I've already given him two and everything… And shall I remind you who punched him for you when he had that little bout of stupidity upon hearing of your condition?"
"You know, with you being his best friend and all, it's sort of your duty to punch some sense into him when he's acting stupid," she stated.
"And it also gives me automatic dibs on being godfather," he retorted.
"Says who?"
"Universal law."
Tonks rolled her eyes. "Universal law my arse," she mumbled, shaking her head. "Fine. You're at the top of the list – I'll give you that."
"Ah!" Sirius said, victorious.
"But you're not alone up there," she quickly added.
He gave her an appalled look. "What?"
"Look, just yesterday, Remus and I were talking about the godparent matter and, well, another candidate occurred to us."
"What? Who?" Sirius asked with highly exaggerated outrage.
Tonks sighed. "Harry," she said. "But before you say anything, hear me out," she quickly added. "You're one of the two best friends Remus has ever had, the other, from what I gathered, being James Potter, and, honestly, you're also pretty high up on my list of friends too. And that's why, when I came to you after my dear (occasionally idiotic) husband left, I fully expected you to go after him and bring his arse back to me on a platter. Don't think for a moment I'm not thankful for that. But Harry… he's part of the family too, yes, but who'd expect him, a kid who wasn't yet seventeen, to be the one to tell Remus what he needed to hear to make him realize what a complete arse he'd been when he'd left? I mean, Harry knew you were going to take care of it but still he didn't hesitate for a moment in defending this baby with that howler. He stood up for him or her the way any godfather should stood up for his godchild and that's bloody well impressive for a kid his age. Both of you would make great godfather, so… we thought we'd leave it for you two to discuss. Or maybe flip a coin over, if you'd rather leave it up to luck," she finally declared, nervously poking the pie with her fork. "Anyway, since I didn't get much morning sickness today, we figured the little one probably agreed with our choices. So, what do you say?"
Sirius took a pause to think of that and then sighed. "I say… I give the dibs up," he said.
Tonks raised an eyebrow. "What?"
"If it's between me and Harry, make Harry the godfather, not me," Sirius specified.
His cousin just looked at him blankly for a few seconds. "That's awfully selfless of you," she pointed out, thoroughly surprised.
"It's not selfless, it's right," he told her. "Harry's a good kid and, as you said, he'll make a bloody great godfather. Just forget the dilemma and let him have it. With this bloody war going on… his life's on the line."
"Maybe I should point out that so is yours," Tonks said. "And mine and Remus's and Mia's… everyone's lives are on the line. Especially when we're part of the Order."
"I don't think I need to tell you that his line is much thinner than ours, Tonks," Sirius mumbled, even though he hated to admit it.
Tonks pursed her lips together. She supposed her cousin was right about that… she'd gathered enough in the past year to understand that the Chosen One talk in the papers likely had its dose of truthfulness and that those extra defence lessons Remus had been giving Harry lately probably weren't meant to get him even further ahead of his classmates in the following year's DADA classes. She hadn't asked Remus about it and he hadn't told her much either but she knew her husband well enough to be almost sure that he was aware of the signs too but not of the actual plan. Whatever Harry was up to, it was dangerous enough for him and his godparents to try and keep the details hidden from their closest friends, either it was for Harry's or their own protection.
"Anyway," Sirius continued, oblivious to her thoughts. "My point is that I have lived: I had the greatest friends in the world; I stood up to my crappy family and gave them the most grief I could possibly give; I fell for one of the greatest girls I've ever met, married her, and had the greatest kids with her; I mocked, pranked and hexed at least half the people whose guts I hate and plan to get to the other half just as soon as I can. But Harry… his life has just started. I mean, he's been of age for a day – he still has plenty… and I mean plenty to scratch of his bucket list."
"And becoming a godfather is one of those things?" Tonks asked.
"It's probably the farthest thing from his mind right now but, yeah, I think it is. Merlin, it sucks to even think this, but this may be the only chance he gets, so, between me and him, pick him," he told her.
His cousin just observed him for a few moments. "I knew there was some reason why I liked you," she finally said. "I'll talk to Remus."
Satisfied, Sirius grinned. "Thanks."
"You know, if you didn't have such a great point and I wasn't so thankful at Harry for that blessed howler of his, that speech alone would have made me pick you. It sort of shows what a great godfather you'd make."
"What a great godfather I'll make," he corrected her. "I'm not sure if you've realized that yet but me giving that kid up for Harry doesn't mean I'm giving up my entitlement to a godchild fathered by Moony. As I've already pointed out, I did give him two of them…"
Tonks raised her eyebrows. "So, let me get this straight – you think that by letting Harry be this baby's godfather, we're technically obligated to have another kid after this one?"
"Yep," he confirmed.
"And you really think Remus will be up to it?"
"Maybe. I fully trust you to seduce him into it," Sirius stated with a grin. After all, if the woman had gotten good old 'I'll never allow myself to share the burden of my life with anyone else' Moony to marry her, she could do pretty much anything. "Come on, you don't want the little one to be an only child like you were, do you? Bet you really missed a little brother or sister to boss around when you were little."
Tonks seemed thoughtful for a moment. She supposed a couple of kids wouldn't be so hard to handle… if they took after their father in mostly good behaviour. If they took after her, however… "You know what? How about I have this one first and then get back to you about that later? At this point, my head can only process the thought of one little Lupin at a time."
"Ah, you know what would be even better? If you had twins," Sirius pointed out with a grin. "Just imagine two little Lupins crying in harmony… that's the dream."
"I'm not having twins," she said, her eyes narrowed.
"Come on. That probably wouldn't be so bad – it would be like ripping a plaster all at once. Or couple of them. Two loud squirming ones that wouldn't give you a rest for the next seventeen years…"
"I'm not having twins," she insisted. "Elizabeth checked. Now quit it."
"Alright, alright… just saying," he mumbled, biting his lower lip, trying to keep himself from cracking the last joke. Unsuccessfully. "Alright, I just have to say this last one: if you were having twin boys, you could call them Romulus and Rem… Stop pointing your wand at me!" he yelled when he saw her aiming at him.
"When I say 'quit it' these days, you'd better actually quit it," she stated, giving her wand a little twirl that had Sirius flinching visibly. Nothing happened, though, as it was just a warning. "Charlie's going to be the living example of that," she told him, putting her wand back down.
"What Charlie?"
"Charlie Weasley, who else?"
Sirius looked around the marquee and saw the guy in question sitting by his newly married brother's side, looking completely fine. For some reason, that only scared him more. "What did you do to him?"
"Why would I tell you that? At this point, not even he knows," she cryptically replied. "He had it coming for that big mouth of his, though."
Sirius swallowed hard at that. "You know what? I think I'm just going to have that talk about food limitations with Moony right now," he said, quickly getting up.
"That's right, Sirius. Run!" she said, chuckling under her breath as he quickly made his way across the room. Merlin, she just loved seeing how they cringed at her threats these days. "Start learning, little one," she mumbled to the baby, patting her flat stomach. "This is how Mummy gets all the power."
Bridesmaid duty hadn't been as bad as Izzy had expected.
Aside from a couple of minor hyperventilation episodes, everything had been very low-profile. Fleur had, in fact, not acted at all like that picture of a monster-bride the twins and Ginny had painted in her mind – she'd more like a deliriously happy (to the point of tears in one occasion) bride. True, thought, Izzy had to admit heard whispers that Madame Delacour might have slipped a calming potion into her daughter's herbal tea but that might just be bridesmaid gossip.
And, afterwards, marching down the aisle with the other bridesmaids for the binding ceremony also hadn't been that bad since, after all, all eyes had been on the bride, not her.
But not everything could go too well, could it? It almost had, she had to admit… until the reception had come and Muriel Prewett had sat by her side, of all places on that comically large table saved for the bride and the groom's wedding party and their families.
Never before had she thought she could find an elderly person that unpleasant. And saying that was an understatement. Truth was, at some point she'd been so insanely sick of listening to the woman's prejudiced comments and criticisms that she'd wished, for a short moment of insanity, that old age would do its trick and move Muriel to another completely different stage of existence…
Her brain tried desperately, urgently to find an excuse to leave but nothing would come. Something in that woman's aura was sucking her ability to think like a Dementor sucked a person's soul. Through that long hour that had actually felt like a week, she's shot looks of despair to her friends several times so they'd come and rescue her but they'd either not see her at all or pretend they weren't getting it, like had been Ron's case. Bastard.
"… Molly just had to marry herself into this… family, if that word even applies," Muriel was saying, shaking her head in disapproval. "She could have had so much better… a good marriage into a wealthy family. Like Susan did – my brother's daughter, Molly's aunt, that is. Phillip Davis gave her a good life."
Izzy, who'd been sipping on her pumpkin juice, nearly choked at that. "Davis?" she asked, recognizing it as her mother's maiden one.
"Why, yes. The Davises from Anglesey. They're all dead, now, though," the one said, her sigh being her only indication of grief. "All dead except from Susan's daughter, I think… saw the girl twice in her life at most. No idea what's of her these days. I think her name was Alicia… or maybe Amanda…"
"Amelia," Izzy instinctively said through her teeth as her brain put the pieces together.
The elderly woman shot her a sharp look. "That's right. How did you know that, young lady?"
She gulped, already regretting saying anything. For a moment, she allowed herself to picture her mother on her end of that hellish conversation. She wouldn't wish it on her worse enemy, let alone her own mother. So, faced with that, Izzy did the obvious thing: she lied. Or omitted, at least. "She's my teacher at Hogwarts. Er… the name rang a bell."
Muriel scrunched her nose. "A teacher," she repeated disapprovingly, shaking her head. "Dull profession. Then again, Amelia was an awfully dull child, if I remember well. Lacked strong blood, I imagine. She was adopted, you know? Not many people know that. Susan and Phillip were far from interested on having children – had important jobs in the ministry… foreign affairs, I think. Took most of their time. But then that Margaret Davis, her mother-in-law started hounding for a grandchild… I'm told she even told them she'd leave all her estate to some charity thing if they didn't give her one. Raving mad, that woman was,"
Silent, Izzy had to make a lot of effort not to frown at that – of all the characters on that odd story that was her mother's upbringing, Margaret Davis was the only one aside from Lulu who was fondly remembered. Certainly a person Lulu and her mother had liked so much wouldn't have pulled such a low blow… But then again, from what the Weasleys had told her of Muriel Prewett, the woman telling her own version of the story and kicking the nastiness up a notch shouldn't have surprised Izzy at all.
Oblivious to Izzy's thoughts, though, Muriel kept speaking. "Susan and Phillip didn't care much for the inheritance, of course," she said, placing them on the highest pedestal she could ever find in her own head. "Still, they adopted the girl to fulfil that madwoman's wish… Susan was too kind – if it were me, I'd just have committed her. Some lose it in their old age. Go nutters and all – not me, of course…"
Sitting silently on her chair, secretly hoping Muriel would find her as dull as she's found her mother and go away, Izzy begged to differ, disgusted at the woman's words. Hateful, hateful woman.
"Auntie Muriel," a familiar, much more pleasant voice, said behind them.
Utterly relieved, Izzy turned around immediately at seeing George standing there behind her chair. She didn't wait a second before using her face to beg him for help. 'Get me out of here', she thought as loud as she could, hoping that, by some miracle, she'd suddenly develop telepathic powers that would allow George to hear her.
He seemed to get the message well enough and didn't disappoint her. "I'm afraid your conversation buddy is needed somewhere else," he said in an all-too-sweet tone.
Muriel frowned. "What for?"
There was a pause during which George seemed to be thinking of what to say, torn between using an actual excuse or some odd retort, which he knew would insult Muriel's sanity beyond reason… and, Merlin, did that annoy her. In the end, it wasn't so hard to choose. "An emergency. Her cat's just burst into flames," he said.
On her seat, Izzy gave him an 'are you serious?' sort of look, to which he responded with a careless shrug.
Muriel seemed to catch it too and her already shrivelled face seemed to get even more wrinkles. "What do you think I am? Some senile old woman? You think you're very funny! You and that… that brother of yours. The one who looks just like you," she said.
"The word you're looking for would be 'twin'," he helpfully provided. "Come along, Isabelle."
Unwilling to give up that opportunity, Izzy stood up and moved to his side without hesitation.
"As if it wasn't bad enough you were some disrespectful clown… in my time it was disrespectful for a gentleman to call a lady by her given name," the older woman scolded. "It was Miss this, Mrs. that…"
George shrugged. "I guess it's a good thing that neither am I a gentleman, not is this the sixteenth century anymore." With that, he turned to Izzy and nodded in the opposite direction. "Come on."
She didn't even try to say anything against that, juts following him instead. Words couldn't say how grateful she was to him at the moment, despite the very lame, completely transparent excuse he'd used to get her away from Muriel. Still, she couldn't help poking fun at him a little, especially after he's been such an idiot that morning. "Shouldn't we at least pretend I have a cat that has actually just spontaneously combusted?" she asked when they were far away from Muriel's earshot.
"Pretending would only make the old bat think we care enough to fool her convincingly," he replied. "Which at least I don't."
"I could tell – that was awfully rude, you know?"
"Damn," he mumbled. "I was aiming for 'horrifyingly rude'. But I suppose I can blame this one on Fred ditching me to go snog Angie in the nearest broom cupboard. That degree of rudeness can only be achieved by the pair of us working together…"
"I take it you really don't like your great-aunt… or great-great-aunt, whatever she is," she concluded.
"You think?" he asked sarcastically as he walked her closer to one of the buffet tables. "On a scale of nine to ten, how unpleasant was she?"
Izzy took a moment to think. "Would you think I was exaggerating if I said there wasn't a scale that could accurately measure how insufferable that woman is?"
George snorted. "No one who's spent more than five minutes with her would think that," he assured her. "And, trust me, I was unfortunate enough to have spent a whole lot more time with her than that… Old bat always spent Christmas around here, you know? It was a nightmare… a nightmare Fred and I ended in our first year by putting a dungbomb under her chair. Best thing we ever did, even though that led her to write us out of her will… Worth it – by the time she eats it, we'll probably own more than she ever did all through her life."
She didn't doubt it, the way their shop was profiting these days even with a war looming over… "I guess I should be thankful she and my mum don't get along," she mumbled.
George frowned. "Your mum knows her?"
"Technically, she'd be her great-aunt too, from what I gathered. I don't think I've ever been this glad that my mum was adopted," she stated.
"Me too," George mumbled by her side, casually passing her a glass of butterbeer.
"Hum?" she asked, not quite catching what he'd said.
"Hum?" he replied in the same fashion, trying to look clueless. "Anyway, I'm supposed to pass on our most sincere apologies over you ending up seated by Muriel's side. When I spotted you, you looked like you wanted to throw yourself under the Hogwarts Express."
"That thought may have crossed my mind, among some others of a more murderous nature," she replied dryly. "In any case, why on Earth did you seat her at the main table if no one there seems to like her?"
"We didn't," George replied. "She was supposed to have been sitting over there," he said, pointing at a table by the tent's main entrance, as far away from the main table as it was possible. "But Mum insisted we placed seats at the main table for everyone from our… immediate family, which apparently includes certain members we haven't spoken to in more than a year because they're conceited bastards who only care about looking good at the ministry."
Izzy nodded. Percy, then, she thought.
"Obviously," George continued, "the seat ended up vacant and, also obviously, Muriel insisted on taking it and Mum ended up giving in – I think she's sort of afraid of her, to be honest. Anyway, none of us realized you'd actually end up by her side until it was too late – if we did, we'd have picked out two of Fleur's cousins who don't speak a word of English to flank her instead. That way, no one would have given a crap about what she was saying."
"Merlin, she'd hate that," Izzy said.
"I know – such a missed opportunity…" he agreed. "I guess we'll have to leave it for the next wedding if, Merlin help us, she lasts that long. Dad says it's the nastiness that keeps her going. Dad, the nicest person you'll ever meet. It just shows what a pain Muriel is."
"Nasty people can bring out the worst in good people," she agreed, taking a sip of her butterbeer.
"Yes they can. Now, completely changing the subject to one that suits me better, where's that dance you promised me?" he asked.
"I don't recall ever using the word 'promise' concerning that matter," she pointed out. "What do I have to do for you to let me off the hook?"
He thought of giving her the straight answer by assuring her there was no way out of that but decided to be a bit daring instead. "If you handed me, say, a thousand galleons, I might consider it…"
Izzy smiled. "Give me a moment to go borrow them from my dad," she replied, motioning to walk away before she felt him grabbing her arm before she could take a single step. The feeling itself gave her the sensation of butterflies in her stomach, she noted in embarrassment. "Hey," she faintly complained.
"Come on, the thought of dancing with me can't actually revolt you that much that you'd hand me a thousand galleons to get out of doing it. Without a word of protest, let me add. Who are you and what have you done to Isabelle Black, the girl who relieved me of a small fortune to mind the shop's cash register for like an hour?" he asked in disbelief.
She gulped. It wasn't that she hated the idea of dancing with him. Deep down, she was actually eager for it… except, it also scared her thoughtless. What if she unconsciously did or said something that would reveal her… issue? The one involving that stupid crush on him, that was. She'd just managed to act normal around him, for Merlin's sake. "I don't dance – it's embarrassing," she told him.
George raised an eyebrow and pointed at the clear space in the centre of the marquee that served as the dance floor, where Luna Lovegood and her father seemed to be performing some sort of tribal dance… "Any sort of embarrassing dance moves would pale in comparison to that."
Well, he did have a point there, she had to admit. It almost made her feel bad, just standing there and doing nothing while Luna and her father made such a spectacle out of themselves on the dance floor.
"Come on, Isabelle. You owe me – I've just saved you from Muriel's clutches," he told her.
"I owe you? Do I need to remind you of the ten years you took of my life expectancy this morning with that unbreakable oath stunt of yours? If anything, we're even," she said in outrage.
"It's not my fault you can be so gullible," he replied.
"I'm not…!"
"Oi, George," someone suddenly called, making them both turn to the source of the voice just to see Charlie approaching them, "… or Fred, whichever you are. I need a favour."
George gave him an irritated look. "Name it, brother. I swear I will do anything on my power to make it happen, or my name isn't 'whichever you are'," he said sarcastically.
Her own annoyance forgotten, Izzy bit her lip, trying not to laugh as Charlie carelessly shrugged. "Blame me, will you? You two should wear name tags all the time… although you'd probably switch them around just for kicks… Anyway, as for that favour – I need you to keep an eye on Mum while I…" he cleared his throat and glanced at a group of Fleur's part-Veela female relatives, who were standing by a table, giggling over something.
"…put the moves on our lovely new Veela cousins?" George finished for him. "You know, with all the champagne they've been downing, they're probably pretty tipsy by now. Mum would frown upon you taking advantage of tipsy girls."
"I know – why do you think I'm asking you to keep an eye on her?"
"Their English is pretty limited too. Not sure how you'll… what's the expression? Ah! Charm them," he said, making quotation marks with his hands.
"Oh, I've got that covered," he said, reaching for his pocket and removing what appeared to be a paper napkin with stuff written all over it. "I asked Tonks for help with the basic lines."
Izzy raised her eyebrows. "Tonks knows French?" she asked sceptically.
Charlie snorted. "Please… The Latin from some spells would make her cough up as it was when we went to Hogwarts. The only French she knows will be the curses she'll throw at Lupin in the delivery room." He snorted at that. "But, anyway, I asked her to use that translating charm aurors use on foreign documents. Pays up to have an old school pal in the force."
"Yeah, that must be a blast. Tell me, did you ask her that before or after we ran into her yesterday at the Leaky?"
"I asked when I ran into her," he replied. "She did it on the spot."
"Ah. Give me that," George asked, snatching the napkin from his brother's hand. When he looked at it, he frowned – that thing might as well have been written in ancient Greek because he'd have understood just the same. Clueless, he just passed it to Izzy, having heard from Ginny she was more enlightened in the language then he was.
"Well?" Charlie asked.
Izzy forced herself to keep a straight face while reading. "It… it will certainly catch their attention," she said, giving the napkin back.
"Great," the older redhead replied, walking away towards his targets with a huge grin. "Wish me luck."
You'll need it," she mumbled under her breath.
"So," George said when he was sure his brother was completely out of earshot, "what did that really say?"
Izzy gulped. "I'm not comfortable with repeating half of that out loud."
"That bad?"
"Well… the mildest part involved him comparing someone's face to a hog, so take your own conclusions," she pointed out. "At the very best, he'll get away after some slapping… Tonks must have some old grudge against him…"
"No, it's actually a pretty new one," George informed her. "Charlie, Fred and I ran into her last night at the Leaky Cauldron when she came over to order dinner or something. Let's just say Mr Dragon Brains over there made this lovely comment about the effect of pregnancy on… er, natural cup sizes, if you know what I mean. And, trust me, whatever you're imagining, it was at least ten times worse – worst joke I ever heard and I've heard a lot of them. For a moment, I thought she'd hex him where he stood but she just got this really shifty look in her eyes like she was thinking 'I'm gonna get you for this when you least expect it'. He's awfully oblivious, as you've probably noticed too."
"And, apparently, he fell straight into the grave she dug up for him," Izzy replied just as they spotted Charlie being slapped across the face by one of Fleur's horrified cousins, who also called him a very unrepeatable name in French. As the group of girls got away from him, one stepped very hard on his foot, clearly on purpose. "That's got to hurt his ego more than it hurt his foot."
"You've got that one right," George agreed, raising his glass of butterbeer to Charlie in a mock-toasting fashion. "You know, Charlie likes to believe he's a funny bloke but he seems to suffer from this affliction called 'foot in mouth disease'. If you asked me, I'd say it was from spending too much time with dragons. I mean, what's even the point of mocking any of Tonks's physical attributes when she's a metamorphagus and can change them at will?"
"You've got a point there," Izzy had to agree. "He's lucky all he got was being slapped and having his foot stepped on."
"Oh, but it isn't all. Here comes Mum," the redhead said, chuckling as his mother approached her second son and grabbed him by the ear, dragging him behind her to the exit of the tent, no doubt for a good scolding. Tonks, who now stood with Remus by one of the tables, observed the scene with a huge grin on her face as her husband eyes her with suspicion. "Well, I think it's best that we get to the dance floor before Charlie points the finger at me. Mum would never dare dragging me out too if you were around to be part of the scene it would make…"
"George…"
"Come on. It's just a dance, Isabelle," he told her. "Do it for the sake of my hide."
She was set on protesting again but when his eyes fell right on hers, the butterflies were back and she just couldn't refuse. It was happening again, she thought. For the second time in less than a week, she was about to give into something she'd been all set in not doing because of George. Damn him, she thought in annoyance. "Fine," she heard herself saying. "But just as long as Luna and her dad are around to make us look good in comparison."
He grinned. "Well, come along, then," George said, taking her hand and walking her towards the dance floor.
Behind him, Izzy gulped loudly and felt the butterflies batting their wings furiously in her stomach. It's just a dance, she told herself. Get over it already. But, of course, her body wouldn't listen. It made her feel ridiculous. Like one of those stupid giggly girls who hang out with Romilda Vane, fantasising about their future romances with famous people, ranging from Harry to the Weird Sister's base player. Ridiculous, she thought again. You're better than that.
But, suddenly, something else caught her attention. A flash of silver in the corner of her eyes. A lynx-shaped patronus, she noted when her eyes focused on it.
Everyone in the room seemed to freeze, including herself and George, who appeared to grasp her hand harder and take a step so he was partially standing between her and the lynx in a protective fashion. The feeling that something was very wrong took them all over and the seconds that passed before the massage came felt endless. And when it did, it hit them all like a train.
"The Ministry has fallen. Mad-Eye is dead. They're coming for you."
A/N: Well, not much to say... Voldemort does have the worst timing ever. I hope you liked the chapter - it was quite the ride to write and edit. Feedback is welcome, as always! Review!