FOUR YEARS LATER
Elizabeth paced the living room, anxiously biting her nails, glancing at the clock. It was after eight. Sirius was late home. She sighed heavily and sat down on the sofa, thinking the worst. Sirius had spent the day at the Potters, going over their next plan of action with Dumbledore. You-Know-Who had been gathering more followers, including many of the Slytherins from her year at school, and so Dumbledore started a movement filled with good people who were dedicated to stopping the evil wizard's quest for power; The Order of the Phoenix. Elizabeth and Sirius had joined the order the moment they had left school, along with James, Lily, Remus and Peter, and had married not long after.
It had been a wonderful yet quiet day. Elizabeth and Lily had gotten ready at Lily's childhood home, selecting a long pure white dress with small red roses on the shoulder. When they had arrived at James' house, there were only five guests; Lily, James, Remus, Peter and Dumbledore, and all of them had been smiling broadly as Elizabeth walked down the aisle. Sirius himself had twinkling eyes as they had said their vows, keeping a tight grasp on Elizabeth's hands and kissing her enthusiastically when they had been finally pronounced 'bonded for life'. Elizabeth had never felt so happy. She had married the man she loved in the presence of her best friends.
She didn't feel happy now though. There was panic everywhere nowadays. You-Know-Who had spies and followers in every nook and cranny of the wizarding world, and she couldn't help but feel unsafe anywhere when she wasn't with Sirius. He made her feel as though everything was going to be all right, even though she was almost certain it wasn't.
There was a rattle at the door as the handle turned. Elizabeth shot up, her wand held out.
"Beth, it's me!"
Elizabeth didn't move.
"Tell me something only my husband would know!" she called back.
"The first time I kissed you was in an empty classroom, and you rejected me because you thought I didn't actually fancy you."
Elizabeth breathed out heavily and lowered her wand, quickly unlocking the door to reveal Sirius, a weak smile on his face.
"You're late," she scolded, but hugged him tight anyway, pulling him into the house. "Where have you been?"
"Dumbledore arrived at James' house," Sirius replied, locking the door quietly. "He needs us, now."
"For what?"
"The Death Eaters are after information," Sirius said hurriedly. "They think that James and Lily know something. I don't know what, but we need to get over to theirs, so we can help. Dumbledore reckons they would be attacking tonight."
"Sirius, you've only just –"
"Beth, this is James and Lily we're talking about," Sirius urged and Elizabeth knew it was hopeless to argue when he was in this mood. She nodded her head and took his hand, trying not to let her fear paralyse her.
"Let's go then," she said and Sirius smiled.
At James' house, Elizabeth found her friends in the kitchen; Lily, sat on a chair, running her hands through her vivid red hair; James, idly playing with the golden snitch he had stolen in his school years; Remus and Dumbledore, mid-way through a whispered conversation; and Peter, his beady eyes watching the former two intently.
"Lizzie, are you all right?" Lily asked, getting up from her chair and hugging her friend tightly. Elizabeth nodded, looking around the kitchen again. Everyone was wearing expressions of worry, although James was quick to hide his when he spotted Elizabeth's gaze.
"Dumbledore, what's going on?" Elizabeth asked, shaking off her robe. "Sirius mentioned an attack?"
"We can't stay here tonight," Dumbledore said business-like. "We know they are going to attack; Benjy Fenwick heard information and managed to get a message to me just before he was killed –"
"Benjy's dead?" Sirius interrupted, his knuckles turning white as he grasped the work surface. Dumbledore nodded gravelly and Elizabeth suddenly felt sick, not wanting to know the details. Dumbledore continued.
"The point is, his message might have just saved –"
There was a loud bang and the seven of them flew across the air. Elizabeth landed against the wall with a cry of pain, only just managing to hold on to her wand. The kitchen no longer looked recognisable, with rubble all over the floor and a large hole where the back door used to be. There were voices shouting from the dark garden and Elizabeth squinted, desperately searching around the room; she couldn't see any friendly faces.
The battle had begun.
Elizabeth gripped her wand hard, suddenly terrified, every thought involving her husband. She could feel the tense atmosphere as several black objects suddenly appeared in front of them.
"Stupefy!" she yelled, pointing her wand at the nearest shape. The Death Eater flew back, surprised by the sudden attack. Elizabeth ducked as his friend sent back a spell, just missing her left ear. She heard her friends all casting spells near her, and she ran as fast as she could, shooting spells at the Death Eaters, stopping dead in front of one, his wand held up. Elizabeth froze, thinking her life was over, as the Death Eater would clearly be able to cast a spell before she would. However, the Death Eater didn't cast a spell, and simply stopped still.
"Beth!" Elizabeth heard her husband yell as she raised her wand. The Death Eater reacted and a red spark flew out of his wand, narrowly missing her as she dodged it quickly. However, the Death Eater didn't aim another spell at her, but again, stayed still in the darkness. Elizabeth was shocked at his reaction. Why wasn't he trying to kill her?
"Snape, do it!" Elizabeth heard a gruff voice from behind her, and she ducked yet again to avoid a stunning spell. She tried to compose herself as she realised that the Death Eater who was reluctant to kill her was Severus. The rumours were true. He had become a Death Eater. However, Severus didn't seem so hesitant to attack her now. He quickly raised her wand and Elizabeth prepared to die.
Out of nowhere, Sirius ran at Elizabeth, grabbed her by the waist and threw her out of the way of Severus' spell. Remus came behind his friend and became duelling with the Death Eater, who, with a last glance at his injured sister, Disapparated on the spot.
"Beth, are you all right?"
Sirius helped her to her feet, and she nodded, brushing the dirt off her trousers. There wasn't time to talk; more Death Eaters were appearing left and right, casting curses at the seven friends.
"Stupefy!" Elizabeth screamed at a masked opponent, who was duelling with Lily. It took him by surprise and he flew across the air, blood pouring out of his mouth. Lily looked around and smiled, running across to James, who had just finished off Macnair.
"Get out of here, both of you!" Sirius yelled at them, pulling Elizabeth out of the way of a curse that flew like shrapnel in their direction.
"Padfoot, we're not –"
"James, they're after you!" Elizabeth shouted, throwing a hex at a passing dark figure, who had been running towards Peter. "You being here puts us all in danger. GO!"
Elizabeth and Lily shared a glance before the latter nodded, grabbing her husband's robe and Disapparating on the spot. Turning back to the battle, Elizabeth quickly surveyed her surroundings. Now that the smoke had cleared, she could see more clearly; Macnair lay near her feet, unconscious; two more Death Eaters were tied together with an invisible rope, their wands snapped in half; Remus was fighting a familiar looking woman, her black hair flying as she danced around the Remus' curses; but Dumbledore and Peter were nowhere to be seen.
"Bellatrix!" Sirius growled, leaping forward to help Remus, dodging a jet of red light. Dumbledore whipped into sight, taking a second to find the female Death Eater, and joined the fight. Bellatrix was now fighting three opponents, cackling madly as she deflected each of their attempts of bringing her down. Snarling, Elizabeth aimed her wand at the deranged woman but something blocked her view.
"Oomph!"
Elizabeth was thrown back, her wand clattering to the floor as she soared through the air, landing hard on the kitchen floor. Pain seared through her leg as it bent back, and black dots danced in front of her eyes. She shook her head vigorously, tasting blood in her mouth. Red, green and blue lights were still firing around the room, but the noise was dying down.
"Moony, help Beth!" she heard Sirius yell and her heart jolted. She wanted to help her husband, to stop his deranged cousin from hurting him, to protect him, but she couldn't stand on her leg. Strong arms lifted her up and a familiar face came into view.
"Elizabeth, calm down," Remus soothed but Elizabeth struggled against him, desperately searching the destroyed kitchen for Sirius. "Elizabeth, you're injured, just calm –"
"Confringo!"
Sirius' booming voice echoed through the rubble and a Death Eater burst into flames, his terrified scream piercing Elizabeth's ears. Despite the shock, she couldn't help but feel assured. Sirius was safe. She stopped fighting Remus' attempts to subdue her and allowed him to lift her up, clinging to his arms as her right leg buckled.
"Remus, what happened to Bellatrix?" she whispered, clenching her teeth, pain shooting through her body.
"She fled," Remus replied, half-carrying her to a broken chair. He pulled out his wand, muttered, "Reparo" and sat Elizabeth down on the newly fixed seat.
"Beth!" Sirius hissed, rushing over and pulling her into a tight hug. As he pulled away, Elizabeth saw the extent of his injuries; a cut lip, a black eye and several scratches down his cheek. "Beth, are you all right?"
"What's happened?" Elizabeth asked, ignoring his question. "Where did the Death Eaters go?"
Sirius didn't answer; he was too busy ripping the material of Elizabeth's jeans so he could examine her injury. To her relief, it wasn't as bad as it felt, with only slight bruising to her calf.
"Episkey," Remus said, holding his wand over her leg and with a pop, the bruising disappeared along with the pain. Helping her into a standing position, Sirius kissed her gently on the forehead, breathing heavily.
"Are Peter and Dumbledore safe?" Elizabeth asked, glancing around the room. She needed no answer, as Dumbledore approached them with little more than a scratched nose, his blue eyes losing that twinkle that usually filled them.
"I'm glad to see that you are all right, Elizabeth," he said heavily, putting a hand on her shoulder. "And, to answer your question, Peter is unharmed."
Elizabeth nodded, a brief smile flickering on her face.
"Let's get you home, Beth," Sirius said quietly.
"Elizabeth, what is it?" Sirius asked urgently as his wife played with her fingers anxiously. She had called him home with some urgent news, and although she had sounded worried in her letter, now that Sirius was here and ready to listen, she could no longer form the words.
"I – I need –"
She stopped, sighing angrily with herself. Sirius' eyes widened, obviously realising just how severe the situation was. Elizabeth felt little pity, too busy worrying about someone else. For the first time in a while, she doubted her husband's ability to do the right thing.
"O.K, you need to talk to me," Sirius said sternly, taking Elizabeth by the shoulders and stopping her from pacing the room. "What is it that's scaring you so much?"
Elizabeth looked into those thoughtful, worried eyes and decided that she would have to trust him. She certainly couldn't do this on her own. Taking a deep breath, she took hold of Sirius' hands, squeezing them tightly.
"Sirius… I'm pregnant."
Sirius froze, his grip on Elizabeth tightening. His eyes grew wider and Elizabeth waited with bated breath, praying that he wouldn't let her down. Sirius had always been a bit of a child and loved to be reckless, and a baby would put a stop to that. Elizabeth wasn't sure whether her husband would be completely capable of changing his current lifestyle, especially in the dire circumstances they were facing as You-Know-Who still kept sending his followers to attack them every chance they got.
"Sirius, say something."
He stayed silent, but moved away, running his hand through his dark hair. A weight dropped in Elizabeth's stomach and she sighed, silently devastated.
"Beth, that's fantastic!" Sirius suddenly yelled, turning around with a huge grin on his face. "We're going to be parents!"
"You're happy about this?" Elizabeth asked, as Sirius enveloped her, kissing her passionately. He was so enthusiastic, he picked her up slightly as they kissed, Elizabeth swaying in the air.
"Happy?" Sirius repeated, finally letting his wife down again. "We're going to have a baby! Beth, we're going to have a baby!"
"Sirius, I know, I know!" Elizabeth laughed as her husband kissed her again, his mouth hard on her lips. Ecstasy ran through her as Sirius rejoiced in her news. However, she still had questions she needed answering.
"Sirius, wait, we need to talk about this," she said, still giggling as Sirius positively danced around the room. "Sirius, listen!"
"Beth, what is there to talk about?" Sirius asked, taking her by the hands.
"Well, how about the idea of bringing up a baby with the jobs we do," Elizabeth said, her warm feeling of happiness slowly snuffing out. "Every day we risk our lives. We can't do that to a baby. We can't put our child in constant danger, or go off on reckless adventures with our friends."
She directed the last bit to Sirius, indicating the missions that Dumbledore would send him off on, searching for information for the order. He would be away for days sometimes, without being able to send any words of encouragement to Elizabeth, in fear of putting her in danger.
Sirius faltered, his smile frozen. The same idea must have occurred to him as he began pacing, silently mouthing words as he walked. His eyes lit up and he turned back to her, clearly having worked something out.
"I won't volunteer for anymore missions," he said determinedly. "Dumbledore can send someone else."
"Sirius –" Elizabeth said wearily but she was stopped by a kiss. She slowly pulled away, slightly scowling. "I really wish you would stop doing that."
"It's the only way to stop you talking," Sirius whispered, smirking. "Beth, you have to trust me."
"I do trust you," Elizabeth protested as Sirius put his arms around her, pulling her close.
"You trust me with your life," he said into her ear. "You trust me to make you happy and to protect you. But you don't trust me to be a father because you think I'm reckless."
Elizabeth nodded, turning her head into his chest so she wouldn't have to see his reaction. He was right. She loved Sirius more than anyone, but that didn't take away his faults. He was bad-tempered, like her, and they could have blazing rows sometimes – the war was affected them badly; there was so much stress and mistrust around them. He also liked to sneak out and mess around with James, flying around in his motorbike, even once getting caught by Muggles.
"Beth, I might be an idiot sometimes," Sirius said slowly, "but I promise that from now on, you and the baby come first. But…" He hesitated and Elizabeth drew away, raising her eyebrows slightly.
"But, what?"
"The order," Sirius said slowly. "We still have loyalty to the order."
"I know," Elizabeth said, nodding her head and hugging her stomach. "I know. We will just have to share the loyalty from now on."