Around 7 months later, Heather was sitting at home, waiting for Sirius to arrive home from Auror training, when she felt water running down her leg.
'Great!' she thought 'Is my bladder just trying to say its full?" She turned her attention to the food that was cooking on the stove. A couple of minutes later, she felt pain hit her swollen stomach. Then she realized what the wetness was. Thankfully, Sirius would be home soon. She continued cooking as soon as the contraction passed. A few minutes later, the distinct sound of Apparation sounded, and she turned off the stove, to go greet her husband at the door. Before she had left the kitchen, however, pain hit her stomach once more and she immediately sat down, timing the contraction. Sirius walked in as she did.
"Are you all right?" he asked, when he noticed the short but steady breaths his wife was taking. He approached her and held out his hand to help her, not realizing what was happening. A few seconds later she stopped breathing like that and brushed his hand away.
"I'm fine, for now, but give it a few more hours, and we'll need to go to the hospital, unless you want to call for a Healer." She said. His face dropped at that.
"Are you . . ."
"In labor?" she said, just as another contraction hit, after it subsided, she finished talking, "Yes." Sirius jumped up with a sudden burst of energy.
"We've got to go." He said. He started her into the sitting room where she sat down on the couch as another contraction hit her.
"Dinner's on the stove, it's just about finished, so can you finish it and then you can eat, I'll eat after this is over." She said. He quickly ran into the kitchen, and seconds later she heard the pan hit the ground, and the quick slurping of Sirius eating in his dog form. Moments after the noise ended, he was back in the room. He helped her to her feet, and then walked her to the front door, where they disapparated with a crack.
Meanwhile, in the house next door, Lily and James were sitting peacefully in each others arms, when they heard someone disapparate next door. They just simply shifted their position. Ever since their marriage a few months before, the only time they had been apart was when James went to Auror training, and Lily to Healer training. Needless to say, they were shocked, when someone knocked at the door, and that someone happened to be Remus.
"What is it Moony?"
"Heather and Sirius are at St. Mungos. Heather's in labor." was all Remus said, before disapparating. Lily and James looked at each other before following him to St. Mungos.
"Here you are, just get into these hospital clothes, and a Healer will be with you momentarily." The nurse said. She left Heather and Sirius in the room.
"Go let Remus know and tell him to let Lily and James know, I'll be fine for a little bit." She said.
About ten minutes later, he re-entered the room followed by Lily, James, Remus and Hermione.
A few hours later, the Healer came in and told everyone but Sirius to leave. The Healer did some measurements.
"You're dilated, okay; let me go get a nurse." The Healer quickly came back and with him came a nurse.
"Okay, you're in the clear to start pushing," the Healer said after setting up the forceps. Sirius figured they had to do things the Muggle way when it came to giving birth. "Push." Heather began pushing the baby out. After a few pushes, after each the Healer told her to rest for a few seconds, then to push again.
"Why won't this baby come?" Heather cried out at the next rest. She pushed again, and the Healer exclaimed.
"You're doing fine, just keep pushing," Heather did as she was told, "Now rest for ten seconds." After the ten seconds, she pushed again. "I can see its head." They hadn't wanted to know the gender so that it could be a surprise. "Ten seconds . . . and push." With a final push, the baby came out the rest of the way.
"Congratulations Mrs. Black, you have given birth to a healthy baby girl." Heather breathed a sigh of relief, and once the baby was cleaned up, she was handed to Sirius.
"What's her name?"
"Maria Lily." Heather reminded her husband, as that was the name that they had decided if it was a girl.
"Hello Maria." Sirius said. Baby Maria yawned for a minute, and then he handed her back to the doctor, so that he could take her to the nursery.
"Sirius, do you want to go tell the others the good news?" He leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
"You did great sweetie." He whispered, "I guess I could let James know he has a niece. He was hoping for a nephew. Wonder what will happen?" She faintly chuckled, before falling asleep. He left the room, and walked down to the waiting room.
"I hope she does okay." Lily stated, while they were waiting in the waiting room. The door opened that led to the part of St. Mungos that Heather was in, and Sirius stepped through the door.
"It's a girl. Maria Lily Black." He said. Lily saw that he was about to collapse with relief, and jumped up to help him over to a chair. Once he was in a chair, he looked up to see James getting hit by Lily. He had apparently decided to try to sneak off. He looked down and saw that his hands were shaking really bad, just before he fainted, from relief.
" . . . Look, he's coming round." A distant voice said, familiar, but he couldn't place it. He put his hand up to his head, and felt it throbbing.
"Oh . . . what happened?" he asked.
"You fainted and fell out of the chair head first." A very familiar voice said.
"So, we brought you into Heather's room." The first voice said. The very familiar laugh of James Potter filled his ears. Sirius' eyes snapped open at that. Indeed, they were in Heather's room, and she was awake, holding Maria as the rest of their party adored her.
"How does it feel to be a father?" James asked.
"I'm happy, but I'll be even happier once we're back at our home." Sirius said. It was well known by all of the occupants of the room, that Sirius hated hospitals.
"So how is Maria?"
"Well the Healer said that she was okay, no health problems at birth, she is 19 inches long, and weighs about 7 pounds." Heather said. She held her baby closer to her. A few minutes later, a rumble shook the floor of the room they were in.
"What the . . ." James started, "I'm going to check this out." Sirius made to go with him, "No, you are staying here with your wife, and daughter, I'm sure its nothing." He quickly walked out of the room, leaving the occupants to wonder.
"So, you want to leave the hospital?" Hermione said finally speaking up after a few minutes.
"Yeah, I just don't feel like its safe with this war going on." Footsteps sounded and the door opened revealing a flustered James Potter.
"Sirius, get everyone out now, He has attacked the hospital, I sent a message to Dumbledore, who I hope sent some Order members to help." They looked dumbfounded for a moment. "I think he's after Heather, and I don't know why."
"How are we going to get out, the only Floo Point is downstairs, and that's more than likely behind Voldemort." Heather said, "I can't apparate right now, and Portkeys are a no-go."
"Simple, we make a route downstairs." James said, "Who's up for a prank on the Death Eaters?" Confused faces looked at him like he was odd.
"We distract them long enough to get out of here safely." Remus said all of a sudden, James' expression brightened, so obviously Remus had figured it out.
"Find Heather Black and bring her to me." Voldemort said to his inner circle. They nodded, and split into groups of 10 with 2 of the inner circle at the head of each group. Bellatrix LeStrange, and Lucius Malfoy lead the group that immediately headed toward the section the Potters, Blacks, and Remus and Hermione were.
"I am going to enjoy torturing my cousin, and his wife." Bellatrix cackled. Suddenly the door busted open to reveal James Potter. Upon seeing them, he turned tail and ran.
"Well, after him!" Malfoy ordered. The rest of the Death Eaters immediately took off after the fleeing Potter. Soon enough, they lost him.
"Where did he go?" asked one cloaked man.
"Duh, he's got to be in one of these rooms. If he's here that means that his sister must be here. Avery, go get Lucius," the death eater said. The addressed Death Eater did as he was told, while the rest of them began to search the rest of the rooms. Coming upon empty room, after empty room, the death eaters were about to give up when Lucius Malfoy approached the only door they hadn't checked.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't my wife's cousin and his family." His drawling voice said.
"Malfoy, get the hell out of here, you weren't invited."
"Now that isn't the way you treat family now is it?"
"I don't count you as family." Sirius' voice said.
"I don't count you as family." Sirius had said, "Now get the hell out of here before I make you." Malfoy raised his wand, and just as he was about to speak an incantation, a stunner flew from his right. A few seconds later, Albus Dumbledore stood in the doorway.
"Is everyone alright?"
"Yes, sir, er, Albus." James said. Quickly packing the stuff that they had brought in with them, Sirius stood beside his wife.
"Here, let me take Maria for a second. We'll let you get dressed and then we'll get out of here. As soon as it is all clear, I'll have a Healer come watch you and Maria over the next few days." He told her. Reluctant as she was to let go of her baby, Heather knew that she had to in order to keep Maria safe. She handed the babe over to Sirius and with Lily's help walked into the bathroom. About ten minutes later both women re-entered the room.
"We're going to have to sneak out, I managed to apparate in before the anti-apparation wards went up, Voldemort must not have planned this attack for very long if he didn't have the wards ready to go."
"Which means that either someone on the hospital staff is on his side or someone else said something and someone overheard." The group of eight left the hospital room and slowly made their way down to the lobby of the hospital. Upon reaching it, Heather, Sirius, Lily and James were trapped inside of the room while the rest were pushed back into the hallway. Heather tried to run back to where Remus was with Maria, but couldn't reach them due to a barrier someone had set up. She nervously turned around, and saw the person she did not want to see at that moment.
"V . . . V . . . Volde . . . Voldemort." She stuttered.
"Ah, yes, Heather Black, maybe we can continue our discussion from a few years back, shall we." He said. "I see, my spell did its work even better than what I had hoped." He said looking in Maria's direction.
"Your spell, what does that have to do with Maria." Heather said.
"Everything, including why you are here. In this time anyway." A sinking feeling hit her gut at that moment.
"What do you mean?"
"You don't remember do you?" She shook her head no. "Well, let's see if I can fix that for you." Silently Voldemort entered her mind, and as if instinctively, her mind forced him out.
"Stay out of my mind Tom Riddle." She said. He froze at that. She did too, she didn't know where those words had come from. She had spoken them, but yet she hadn't.
"Who are you?" he asked. "How do you know that name?" Voldemort was beyond angry at this point, but hid the anger in order to find out more about whatever was possessing the young woman.
"I know about your little trinkets, your Horcruxes, the diary, the locket, the cup, the diadem, the ring. I know where each of them will be too." The eerie voice said coming out of Heather's mouth. Suddenly the presence she felt, left, and she collapsed to the floor. Sirius ran to her side.
"Heather, baby, please wake up." He felt for a pulse on her radial artery, and found one, pretty strong too, she was okay, for the time being. Voldemort looked as if he was terrified. He disapparated, and all the barriers fell.
"Heather!" Hermione screamed. Dumbledore simply levitated her over to the fireplace, where he sat her down and woke her up.
"What's going on? What was that voice?" She asked Dumbledore, who seemed to be deep in thought.
"Alas, I cannot tell you, for I really do not have an idea." He said after a few more thoughtful moments. Sirius caught up to them moments after the remark, and brought her Maria. She held her for a second, before handing her to her husband who disapparated with a crack. Heather grabbed some Floo Powder, and threw it into the fireplace.
"The Doghouse." She said. It was the term they had coined for their house when they had it set up on the Floo Network.