Chapter 19

Grace's POV

I sat on my bed two days after my mother told me about him, writing in my journal. After all these years, I sort of figured she'd never tell me, even though I really hoped she would. And, after all these years, I never thought he was my father. Of all the scenarios, all the crazy reasons that were in my head as to why he wasn't around, this was nowhere on that list. I never thought my father was a convicted murderer.

She swears he didn't do it. She says that Professors Lupin and Dumbledore know it too, and so do Harry, Ron and Hermione. I'm the last to know. He's my bloody father, and I'm the last to know.

I wonder who else knows he's my father.

I told her I wasn't upset and at the time, I wasn't. But now, now that I've had time to think about it, I'm angry. She never told me. She never told me anything. I know, she said he played around with her memory and she didn't remember a lot of her time with him. But she's remembered since November! Why didn't she tell me then? Oh yeah, she wanted to make sure he was innocent first.

I picked up my pen and doodled in the margins of the notebook. Stars and hearts, music notes and curl-i-cues. Gosh, could today just be over with?

He's coming here… today. He'll probably be here within the hour and I'm terrified. What does he look like? I remember his picture from the wanted posters, and Mum showed me pictures of when they were younger, but what about now? Is he still as skinny as he looked in the posters? As dirty and ragged?

I'm terrified and I don't want to meet him. I know, I'm supposed to be strong. I'm supposed to be able to handle anything; at least, that's what Mum thinks lately. But I really can't. I'm really scared about this.

Professor Lupin will be here too, to make sure Sirius ~I can't call him Dad~ behaves himself. Apparently he's known for not behaving. I just… I don't know what to do.

I'll write more later; after this is over. Who knows, maybe it won't be so bad.

I stuck the pen inside the notebook and closed it before sticking it under my mattress. It wasn't the greatest hiding spot, but who was really going to check? I dropped back onto my bed and stared at the ceiling. Only an hour and this strange nightmare would be over.

'Grace! Come clean up your things,' Mum called from the living room.

Heaving a sigh, I slid off the bed and slowly walked down the hall to the living room. 'Grace, we have company coming and your things are everywhere. Go… stick them in your room somewhere.'

Mum was flustered, which wasn't a very common thing. I knew better than to comment, so I kept my mouth shut and gathered up my books and other various things. I dropped them on the bed, closed the door, and returned to the living room. Ugh. Hopefully this was over soon.

Krista's POV

Gracie was sitting on the couch, her legs curled underneath, picking at her jeans. We had already cleaned up nearly the entire downstairs; everywhere Sirius and Remus would possibly see.

After clearing out the living room, I hovered in the back room, trying to clear up boxes yet again and keep my mind occupied. As I was lost deep in my thoughts, I heard Grace yell that the doorbell rang and soon after heard the door slam.

'Professor Lupin is here, Mum!' She hollered down the hall.

I stood up and brushed off my jeans, trying to clear away the dust that had accumulated. After a quick stop in the bathroom to wash my hands, I made my way to the living room where he was waiting patiently. 'Hello,' I said with a grin.

'You're looking very happy today,' he said with a small smile. He gingerly sat on the edge of our couch, obviously still nervous about being in the same room with us. I think it was hard for him to be comfortable with us now that we knew his secret. He was still the same old Remus to me, but he thought things had changed.

'Who's bringing him here?'

'He should be bringing himself. Albus, that's Professor Dumbledore to you,' he said aside to Grace with a wink. 'Albus said he'd send him on his way after a few more quick words about keeping a low profile. Sirius was never good with being hidden.'

I nodded, my thoughts running away from me again. I faintly heard Grace and Remus talking about school for the following year, but I barely paid it any mind. What would he look like? Had he at least gotten another shower? And maybe he kept his clothes clean? I hadn't thought to purchase him any, maybe I should have.

'Mum?' I heard a soft voice ask a few moments later. 'Mum, are you listening to me?'

Shaking my head I looked up and met my daughter's sparkling grey eyes. 'No, I wasn't,' I replied honestly.

Remus chuckled in the corner, but tried unsuccessfully to cover it with a cough. I shot him a quick glare, but he ignored me and continued his chuckling.

'I asked if you had made any tea. He might want some.' Grace had yet referred to Sirius as "Dad" or "Father," but I figured it would come in time. I didn't expect her to take the news as well as she had, and I certainly didn't expect her to immediately start calling Sirius "Daddy."

'I haven't, but I can now. I'll go make a quick pot.' I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. Just as I put the pot on to boil, a scuffling noise sounded from the living room. I quickly spun around and walked back to the room from whence I came only to stop dead in my tracks.

He was there, in my living room. Staring around, confused as ever. He met my eyes and I nearly gasped at the sight of him. I was still shocked by his appearance. His clothes were at least clean, and he had managed to shave, at least a little.

I glanced over to where Grace had jumped onto the couch. She was curled in a corner of the couch, her eyes wide. They bright, sparkling grey of my daughter's eyes met the dull, lifeless of her father's.

Remus coughed, trying to clear the heaviness that had suddenly overtaken over the room. 'I see you made it just fine, Padfoot.' He stood up and shook Sirius' hand. The two quickly embraced like brothers would, leaving Grace to continue to look on in confusion, and me to flashback to twelve years ago when we were all so close.

Sirius' eyes moved quickly from Grace back to me. My hands were wrapped in a dishtowel, and I was speechless. I sized him up, my eyes moving from his head to his feet and back again. He needed a serious haircut and a clean shave, but you could slightly see the man I had once loved, and possibly still did.

'Hi,' I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper.

'Hi,' he responded. I quickly did an about-face and walked back to the kitchen where the teapot had suddenly started whistling.

Thankful for a distraction, I carefully picked the teapot up from the stove and placed it on a cold burner. Four cups were already in the drainer, so I pulled them out and placed a teabag in each. As I poured, the hot water steamed upward in wisps of vapour. 'Are you all right?' A soft voice spoke from behind me. Several droplets of hot water dripped onto my hand and I squealed in pain.

The teapot quickly made its way back onto the cold burner and I hastily turned on the tap, drenching my hand in ice-cold water. 'Krista?'

'I was fine until you startled me.' My voice held a bitter tone and I wasn't sure if it was because I was angry at him, or upset by Sirius' presence.

'I apologize. I didn't mean to startle you. Now let me take a look at your hand.' Remus walked over to me and gently picked up my hand. 'There, it doesn't look like you burned it badly. Do you want me to…?'

'No,' I said forcefully. 'No magic.'

He backed up slightly at my tone. 'All right.' He dropped my hand and stepped backwards again. 'I only came in to ask if you needed help with the tea, but I suppose you have it covered.'

I nodded. 'You can take that tray in to the room. I'll be there in just a moment.' I tightly gripped the countertop.

This was going to be more difficult than I had imagined. I don't know what I was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this awkward.

After taking a few deep breaths, I managed to release my grip on the countertop and walk carefully into the living room. Thankfully, my clumsiness didn't make a comeback and I managed to do so without tripping.

Grace was still seated in the corner of the couch, curling in a tight ball sipping her piping hot tea. Remus was on the other end, glancing back and forth between the young girl and the escaped prisoner. Sirius had taken a seat on the floor by the fireplace. I wondered if that was because he wasn't used to sitting on furniture, or because he knew that the armchair was my favourite.

'How's the tea?' I asked after taking another deep breath.

'Wonderful,' Remus replied. Grace nodded and Sirius merely looked up and met my eyes.

'Oh good. Because I'm always worried that I'm going to steep the bags too long. And when I use leaves they never turn out right. I try to avoid them like the plague, especially considering the images you sometimes end up with when looking at your tealeaves. Did you know I had my tealeaves read one time? Apparently, I had the…'

'Krista, take another deep breath and stop talking.' Remus smiled at me from his place on the couch.

I stopped talking and stared at the walls. Yet again, I had embarrassed myself by talking too much. I sat down in the armchair and continued to keep my gaze on the wall.

'How are you, Kris?' Sirius' voice startled me and the teacup shook in my hand.

'I'm well.' How do you answer that question? Did cavemen have this problem? Did they end up with two former boyfriends in the same place at the same time?

'Krista?' Sirius asked and my head snapped up.

'What?'

'You zoned out again. We've been calling your name for the past thirty seconds.' Remus was smiling at me, trying to be reassuring.

'Oh. I've been doing that an awful lot it seems.' My cheeks blushed bright pink and I shook my head, trying to clear away my obvious embarrassment.

'Yes, we've noticed.' Grace had finally spoken from her seat in the corner. She seemed to realise this, because she quickly hid behind her cup.

The heaviness held in the air as we all took turns staring at the other. Grace had resumed her gaze on Sirius; Sirius' eyes took turns resting Grace then me; Remus looked back and forth between the three of us; and I stared at the wall, avoiding everyone's gaze.

Remus coughed, causing all our attention to immediately move to him. 'Well, now that we're all uncomfortable…' he trailed off, looking at me to take over.

'I don't have that long to stay here,' Sirius said softly, looking me directly in the eye. My breath hitched in my throat as I felt myself get lost in their depths. His eyes weren't as bright as they had been, but if I looked close enough, I could see a glimpse of his former self. Only a few minutes in a room with him and I was already falling again.

'Fine,' I snapped, not letting my feelings get the better of me. 'Gracie, would you come over here please.'

My daughter's head snapped up and stared at me, silently asking me if I was mental. Remus gently nudged her leg and she sighed. She slowly placed her cup on the table and walked over towards me, crawling into my lap like she did when she was younger.

Sirius' eyes never left her as she walked to me. He studied her walk, and I caught a glimmer of a smile on his face. I glanced back at Remus, looking for the encouragement I so badly needed. He nodded slightly and offered a small smile, easing my mind and heart, but only faintly.

'I know this is strange,' I whispered to my daughter. 'But things will work themselves out, I promise.'

Gracie nodded and then shot a quick glance at Sirius, her father. Taking a deep breath, I turned to face my former lover. 'Sirius,' I started, and his eyes moved from Grace to me. 'This is going to take some time to work out, I understand that. And when you're proven innocent, we can try to make this work.' He nodded.

Another deep breath filled my lungs and I turned back to my baby. 'Gracie, this is Sirius, your father.' I turned to Sirius. 'Sirius, this is Grace, your daughter.'

The two stared at each other. The silence in the room was deafening and I frantically looked back at Remus, trying to reassure myself I did the right thing.

'Hi Grace,' Sirius said softly. His dull, lifeless eyes held a small sparkle that wasn't there when he had arrived.

'Hi,' she replied just as softly. Grace now leaned forwards a little, looking closer at the man who was her father. 'We have the same eyes.'

A smile graced his waxy features, helping to take away from the years he seemed to have suffered. 'We do. You have your mother's hair colour though.'

Grace had slid off of my lap and moved closer to Sirius. I sat and watched them interact, fear and doubt still running through my head. What if life in prison for twelve years had severely changed him? I didn't know what Wizard Prison was like, but according to Remus, it was painful and traumatising. Could he have become some sort of monster? Was I doing the wrong thing by introducing him to his daughter?

A hand gently squeezed my shoulder and I looked up. Remus' bright hazel eyes met mine and he nodded towards the kitchen. I stood up and left the father-daughter duo to talk some more. They didn't need audience.

'That wasn't as painful as it could have been,' Remus said once we were seated in the kitchen with fresh cups of tea. 'She could have run out of the room in tears.'

'Or, he could have vanished, leaving us to stare at each other some more.' I took a sip of the warm, sweet liquid and let it flow through my insides, warming me to the very core.

'No, I placed a jinx on your house, no one could apparate in or out once he arrived. He would have had to leave the normal way out the door and be stopped by the neighbours.' He chuckled to himself and we listened to the two in the other room, still talking softly.

'Was this a good idea? Was it right for me to introduce them? Even though no one but us believes he's innocent?' I couldn't help but voice my fears. If I told someone, maybe they wouldn't seem as realistic.

A soft tap sounded as the teacup was placed back on the counter. Remus leaned forward and took my hands in his. 'You did what you thought was right. Grace needed to know her father, and Sirius needed to meet his daughter. Grace and Harry might be the only things keeping him from going after Peter again. He knows he has something to come to once the Ministry finally opens their eyes.'

I nodded, but still not reassured. 'I just don't want Grace to slip up one day and mention it to one of her classmates. We'll all be thrown in prison.'

'She's a smart girl. She won't tell anyone, I can almost guarantee it.' He stood up, pulling me with him. 'What do you say we crash their little party in there? It's getting late and Sirius should get going.'

I nodded again, my gaze fixed on the ground. Remus laughed softly and pulled me towards him, wrapping his arms around me and holding me close. 'You did the right thing, Krista. Never doubt it for a second.' He kissed the top of my head and I sighed inwardly.

The doubts still floated around in my head, and occasionally I voiced them aloud. But I knew in my heart the father and daughter needed the other in their lives. One day, it would all work out, we just had to wait and see.

AN: And they finally met! Nineteen chapters later :) Thank you to: Hi, LadyStrider17, the_werewolf_gal, amrawo, Allen Pitt, Jocasta Silver, and HPGinny77 for reviewing the previous chapter! I hope you all enjoyed this one!