Chapter 19: A Baby and a Werewolf
Sirius was quivering. He felt as if he had been smacked in the face. Remus was transforming without his potion, which meant terrible danger. It was not Remus transforming that had Sirius worried. He was used to his best friend's transformations since he was a boy. What concerned Sirius most was that Cassiopeia was in labor and at risk.
Cassiopeia was groaning. "I told you I'd be in labor soon. Aren't you glad you didn't leave me now?"
Sirius only shook his head. He could not bear putting his wife through this danger and pain. Worse, he could not stand his child coming into the world like this.
"Oh, no," Sirius whispered.
Cassiopeia was still smarting from her contractions. "Aren't you glad I came with you? What would you have done if I had listened? OWWW!"
Cassiopeia doubled over. "Allow me this moment to say, 'I told you so.'"
"You can't be having the baby now," Sirius said fearfully.
"Tell that to the little one!" Cassiopeia groaned. "Oww! This little one wants out and it wants out now! Owww! Sirius, it hurts!"
Sirius ran his fingers through his hair. Tonks, who had stopped writhing in pain, was at Sirius and Cassiopeia's side.
"Oh, no. This is not…" Sirius groaned.
"Sirius, it's coming. Our baby," Cassiopeia said, breathing hard.
"She needs to get to the hospital," Tonks said.
"No, I can't move. It hurts!" Cassiopeia shrieked.
"I know," Sirius said calmly. "It's going to be alright. Lie down, Cassie, lie down."
Breathing hard, Cassiopeia lay down on the grass. To make his wife as comfortable as possible, Sirius took off his long, grey coat, folded it, and tucked it under Cassiopeia's head.
"Sirius, it's too early. I can't have this baby now!" Cassiopeia said.
A contraction tore through her again, causing Cassiopeia to scream in agony.
"Breathe, Cassie. Just stay calm," Sirius whispered. "You're going to be fine."
Cassiopeia was breathing hard and screaming as her contractions ripped through her.
"Easy, Aunt Cassie," Tonks reassured her. "It's going to be fine."
Suddenly, he was distracted by Remus's groans of pain as his body transformed into that of a wolf. Sirius was quick to jump in front of him.
"You know the man you truly are, Remus! This heart is where you truly belong. This heart, here!" Sirius shouted in vain.
Sirius wished there was a way to stop this. Alas, no matter how hard he tried, Sirius knew there was no stopping Remus's transformation. Standing in the place of Remus was a huge, grey wolf. Sirius shielded a screaming Cassiopeia. The wolf prepared to pounce, but Sirius picked up a rock and tossed it. The wolf growled and chased after Sirius.
"Sirius!" Cassiopeia shrieked.
Suddenly, Snape emerged from the Whomping Willow.
"You!" he snarled, grabbing Tonks by the arm.
"Severus, I think we have worse problems on our hands," Tonks said. "Oww!"
Just then, Cassiopeia shrieked again from her contractions. "Sirius! It's too early, it's too soon!"
"See what I mean, Severus?" Tonks asked. "We'll discuss this la-OWW! Stop touching my arm!"
"Sorry," Snape said.
"Sirius, I can't have this baby now!" Cassiopeia said, knowing it was all in vain.
"I think Sirius is a little busy at the moment," Tonks said to Cassiopeia. "Just breathe, Aunt Cassie."
From behind them, the werewolf towered over them ready to strike. Before the creature could do any damage, Tonks ducked under Snape's outstretched arm and jumped in front of Cassiopeia.
"Stop, stop, Remus! You don't mean it. You don't mean to kill them," Tonks pleaded.
Tonks only hoped that the human part of Remus would listen to her. Slowly, the werewolf backed away from them. Tonks was relieved and confused at the same time. How could Remus obey her like that if his mind was not his? Tonks did not have time to contemplate this thought. A large, black dog jumped up and bit the werewolf from behind.
"Sirius!" Cassiopeia gasped, groaning from her labor pain.
"No, I had him calmed down!" Tonks shouted.
Sirius had already run off with the werewolf behind him. Cassiopeia was breathing heavily and sweat was trickling from her forehead.
"Tonks, get Sirius!" Cassiopeia begged, fighting with her pain.
"He ran off," Tonks said.
"Get him! Please!" Cassiopeia cried.
"I don't know where he went," Tonks said before her eyes lit up, "Wait. I think it's time I used my werewolf tracking skills."
Hunting werewolves was no hard task for Tonks. She had been hunting them for as long as she could remember. Ever since she was thirteen, she was intent on finding the werewolf who attacked her. For this moment, Tonks used her skills for Cassiopeia's benefit.
"Find Remus and you'll find Sirius. Please, bring him to me," Cassiopeia said, groaning in pain again.
"I'll try," Tonks said, nodding to Cassiopeia.
Without hesitation, Tonks sped off into the darkness. Lighting her wand, she could make out footprints in the grass. She knew that the werewolf and Sirius could not be far. Within moments, Tonks found Sirius, who was back to his human form and hiding behind a tree.
"Sirius," Tonks whispered.
"Tonks, what are you doing?" Sirius whispered.
"Finding you and Remus," Tonks replied. "Cassie needs you. Go back. I'll take care of Remus, alright?"
"He'll kill you!" Sirius protested.
Tonks smirked and a laugh escaped from her lips. "Don't you know, Uncle Sirius? I've been killing werewolves since I was thirteen. I think I can handle him."
From the short distance away, Sirius could still hear Cassiopeia's screams. "SIRIUS!"
"Go. She needs you," Tonks said.
Before Sirius could do anything, the werewolf jumped out in front of him and Tonks. The creature gave a mighty swing that sent Tonks crashing into a rock and Sirius in the opposite direction.
"Sirius, are you alright?" Tonks asked.
"I'm fine," Sirius reassured her.
"Get back to Cassie. I'll handle him," Tonks told him.
Sirius knew he had to be there for Cassiopeia. However, he could not leave Tonks alone against a werewolf. Thinking of his wife and baby first, he raced back to Cassiopeia's side.
"Sirius, thank God," Cassiopeia breathed. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, sweetheart," Sirius whispered. "Everything is going to be fine. Are you alright?"
Sirius could not help the idiotic question from slipping off his tongue. However, Cassiopeia did not shout at him.
"Other than the fact that I'm in pain, I'm fine," Cassiopeia said in jest.
Cassiopeia screamed in pain again. She gripped Sirius's hand with white knuckles. Cassiopeia was squeezing his hand until it hurt. Sirius did not care for the pain. He knew Cassiopeia was in more pain than him at the moment.
Finally, Sirius nodded to Snape. "Snape, help Cassie. I'll help Tonks."
Before Sirius could move, Cassiopeia pulled him back. "Sirius, wait. I need you. Ahhh!"
"If I don't, Tonks will die," Sirius told her.
"He'll kill you!" Cassiopeia argued.
"I'd rather die than let my cousin die," Sirius said determinedly.
For this small moment, Cassiopeia was reminded why she loved Sirius. He was loyal to those he loved, even to death.
"Go!" she cried.
Sirius sped off after Tonks. Snape then knelt at Cassiopeia's side. Cassiopeia turned whiter than a sheet. If there was one person she had to fear more than Remus as a werewolf, it was Snape. She knew he did not believe her. She was terrified of what he would do.
"Oh God, not you!" she shrieked.
"Nymphadora told me to help you," Snape said.
"Her name is Tonks!" Cassiopeia snapped. "How do I know you'll help me?"
"Because I'm pretty sure your husband or your cousin will kill me if I don't," Snape replied flatly.
"I have no quarrel with you. Promise me that you'll let my baby go," Cassiopeia begged.
Snape nodded. "I promise."
At that moment, Tonks came crashing down on the grass, tossed there by the werewolf. Tonks lay gasping for air.
"Tonks! AHHH!" Cassiopeia shouted to her cousin.
Tonks ran forward to Cassiopeia's side, coughing and gasping for air. "Are you…alright?"
"Don't worry about me! AHHH!" Cassiopeia screamed.
At this moment, Cassiopeia did not care what happened to her. As long as her baby came into this world safe and healthy, she would be happy.
"I know that wolf," Tonks said.
"Tonks, now's not the time to be reminiscing!" Cassiopeia snapped.
"No, I think that's the wolf that attacked me nine years ago," Tonks said.
Tonks only knew two werewolves: Greyback and Remus. Tonight, something about Remus's transformation seemed to bring back distant memories for her.
"Okay, fine, it is! Please help!" Cassiopeia groaned.
Tonks was baffled. Was Cassiopeia actually expecting her to deliver a baby? "What am I supposed to do?"
"Don't you know how to deliver a baby?" Snape asked.
"I'm only twenty," Tonks said, confused.
"One of you better know how because the little one isn't waiting!" Cassiopeia snapped, still smarting from another contraction.
Knowing Snape to be older and wiser, Tonks trusted him. "You do it."
"Fine," Cassiopeia panted. "Snape, help me."
Tonks decided to help Cassiopeia in any way possible. She felt that she owed her after thinking she was the murderer. Tonks decided that the best way to help Cassiopeia was to keep her mind off the pain as much as possible.
"Aunt Cassie, remember when I was born how you all laughed at me crying my lungs out at Peter?" Tonks asked gently.
Cassiopeia managed a laugh. "That was the funniest thing ever. Ahhh!"
"And remember when we met for the first time at the dinner party? I said I liked you cause you thought my changing my hair was wonderful."
"Your hair still looks lovely. Ahhh!" Cassiopeia cried out. "Snape, Snape! What's going on?"
Tonks was quick to try and take Cassiopeia's mind away from the pain. "It's alright, Aunt Cassie!"
"Come on, Mrs. Black, you can do better than that," Snape said.
Tonks immediately slapped Snape. "You're not helping!"
"You can help by telling me if I can push yet!" Cassiopeia countered.
"Fine," Snape grunted.
"I think he meant push," Tonks said, grabbing Cassiopeia's hand.
Cassiopeia rolled her eyes. "Of course! Owwww!"
Cassiopeia wailed helplessly as she pushed. This pain was worse than torture by Cruciatus Curse or Dementor. Tonks let Cassiopeia squeeze her hand as tight as she liked. Much like Sirius, Tonks knew that the pain in her hand was nothing compared to Cassiopeia's pain.
"You can do it, Aunt Cassie!" Tonks said cheerfully.
"God, that hurts!" Cassiopeia panted in between pushing.
"Don't give up," Tonks said.
Encouraged by Tonks, Cassiopeia took a deep breath and pushed again. Cassiopeia squeezed Tonks's hand so tight that Tonks thought her hand was broken. Cassiopeia endured each push and screamed out each time. Suddenly, a familiar howl could be heard.
"Oh, no. That's not good," Tonks said apprehensively.
"Sirius, he's still out there! Ahhh!" Cassiopeia gasped fearfully.
"I know. I'm sure he's fine," Tonks reassured her.
In truth, Tonks did not know if Sirius was fine. She did not know if he would survive fighting a werewolf. However, she would not let Cassiopeia hear that. Tonks knew that Cassiopeia was under enough stress. At this moment, Tonks tried to give Cassiopeia hope.
"Remus will kill him! Got to save him. Owww!" Cassiopeia panted as another contraction shook her.
"I'm not leaving you with him," Tonks said, nodding to Snape.
"He promised not to hurt me or the baby," Cassiopeia reassured her. "You can be trusted, can't you, Severus?"
Severus nodded. "Of course. I'm a man of my word."
Tonks hesitated for a moment. Tonks did not want to leave Cassiopeia, but she had no choice. Cassiopeia needed Sirius at this moment. Tonks faithfully trusted Snape to look after Cassiopeia.
"Fine," Tonks said at last.
Tonks sped off to find Sirius and bring him to Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia was left with Snape. Once more, Cassiopeia was forced to push. Without the use of potions, each push was more and more agonizing for Cassiopeia.
"You know, I think for once, you and I have something in common, Severus," Cassiopeia said, breathing hard.
"What's that?" Snape asked, raising a thin eyebrow.
"I'm about to throw Sirius to the Dementors myself for doing this to me!" Cassiopeia groaned.
Much to Cassiopeia's surprise, Snape chuckled at her jest. "The feeling is mutual, indeed."
Meanwhile, Tonks raced through the forest to find Sirius. Much to her relief, she found Sirius alive. Sirius had transformed back to his human form and was fighting the werewolf with only a wand.
"Uncle Sirius, go back to Aunt Cassie!" Tonks shouted. "I'll take care of the werewolf. She needs you, Uncle Sirius."
Sirius sighed. "Be careful."
Without another word, Sirius rushed back to Cassiopeia. As soon as he reached Cassiopeia, Sirius's blood boiled at the sight of Snape. Sirius would not trust Snape with his wife's life or his child's.
"YOU!" Sirius bellowed, drawing his wand. "Get away from her!"
"Sirius, no!" Cassiopeia begged.
"I am saving your wife and child, Sirius," Snape said darkly. "You seem to be too busy fighting a werewolf. I'm not surprised."
"I'm warning you, Snivellus," Sirius said venomously. "You hurt my wife or my child, you'll beg for a Dementor's Kiss."
"What's stopping you? Have you gone soft in Azkaban?" Snape taunted.
Cassiopeia had heard enough. "Enough, both of you! Like it or not, I need both of you right now. If both of you don't cut it out right now, so help me God, I WILL KNOCK YOUR HEADS TOGETHER!"
Sirius and Snape only stared at Cassiopeia. For a moment, both of them were afraid of her. Both of them nodded, but still glared at each other. Sirius decided that the lives of his wife and child were more important than bickering with Snape.
"Alright, calm down, Cassie," Sirius whispered. "Think of the baby right now."
"I am, Sirius," Cassiopeia said.
Cassiopeia shrieked as she felt another contraction. Instantly, she clutched Sirius's hand and squeezed.
Sirius kissed the top of her head. "It's alright, sweetheart. I'm right here. Think of the baby."
"I'm thinking of the baby you put in me!" Cassiopeia shrieked. "Look what you've done to me!"
"I know. I'm an idiot who put you through this pain," Sirius said calmly. "If it's any comfort to you, you can break my hand squeezing it, if you like."
"This is all your fault!" Cassiopeia groaned.
"Shhh. I know, Cassie, I know. Calm down," Sirius soothed.
Cassiopeia groaned again, squeezing Sirius's hand.
"Push," Snape said.
"Come on, push, Cassie!" Sirius said with as much hope as he could muster.
Cassiopeia pushed again, shouting at Sirius. "You did this to me! Look what you've done, you hairy numpty!"
Sirius endured Cassiopeia's rants. He knew he deserved it. It was his fault she was in labor with a werewolf at large. It was his fault that she was in this pain.
"Come on, Mrs. Black. I know you can do better than that," Snape taunted.
"Severus," Cassiopeia breathed. "I am exhausted, I'm in pain, and I'm terrified. For your own sake, could you please spare me the sarcasm before I curse you?"
"I'd listen to her if I were you," Sirius said wisely.
"Very well, Mrs. Black," Snape said. "Push again."
Cassiopeia screamed out another push. Sirius did his best to encourage his wife.
"You're doing great, Cassie!" he cheered. "Cassie, think back to that day on the Riviera. Do you remember it?"
"Yes," Cassiopeia breathed.
"Remember how we swam in those warm waters and laid on that beach?" Sirius asked.
"I could never forget," Cassiopeia said.
"I promise we'll go to the Riviera again," Sirius whispered. "When all of this is over, we'll go back to the Riviera. You, me, and the little one. I promise."
"I'd like that," Cassiopeia said, managing to smile.
"First, I need you to keep pushing," Sirius said. "The little one needs you to keep pushing. Come on, sweetheart, push. You can do it."
Once more, Cassiopeia pushed, shrieking the pain out. "It's a good thing I love you!"
"I know, I know," Sirius said. "It'll all be over soon. I promise."
Just then, Sirius and Cassiopeia watched in horror as the werewolf snatched Tonks and slammed her into a tree. Tonks was dazed and coughing up blood.
"Tonks! Oh God, that hurt!" Cassiopeia gasped in horror.
"Cassie, I'm going to lead Remus away," Sirius said. "I have to help Tonks."
Cassiopeia nodded, and Sirius kissed her head. Sirius instantly changed back to his dog form and chased after the werewolf, disappearing into the woods. Tonks took her place at Cassiopeia's side once more.
"What are we tag-teaming now?" Tonks groaned. "I'm fine, Cassie. Are you okay?"
"It's not me. It's the baby I'm worried about! Owww!" Cassiopeia replied.
"It's okay," Tonks said, doing her best to calm Cassiopeia.
"Okay? My best friend is dangerous at the moment, my cousin is hurt, my husband could be killed, and the man delivering my baby hates me and my husband. It's NOT okay!" Cassiopeia shouted in pain and fear.
"You're going to make me panic if you do that!" Tonks gasped. "I'm fine, and Sirius will be fine, too. I have faith in that. And if Snape does anything to hurt you or the baby, I will hex him so much he won't be able to comprehend. I don't know about your best friend, though."
Tonks nudged her wand behind Snape's head, emphasizing her point. Snape apathetically rolled his eyes.
"Did I say that? Never mind," Cassiopeia said dismissively, before another pain tore through her. "Owww! Snape, is anything happening yet?"
"Uh-" Snape mumbled hesitantly.
"You better tell her the truth," Tonks said, pointing her wand into Snape's head.
"Well, one more should do it," Snape replied.
"You're almost done, Aunt Cassie!" Tonks said with a smile.
Cassiopeia was beyond exhaustion. The pain of the labor and her poor physical condition had taken its toll on her.
"I don't know if I can. It's so painful. Sirius, I need him," Cassiopeia whispered in exhaustion.
"I don't know where he went, Aunt Cassie," Tonks said. "You can do it. I know you can."
"I can't! Everything hurts. I can't do it!" Cassiopeia shrieked.
"You can," Tonks said. "If you don't, both you and the baby will die."
"I can't do this without Sirius!" Cassiopeia shouted.
"I don't know where he went," Tonks said. "Please, Aunt Cassie."
Suddenly, Tonks had a wonderfully brilliant idea. Without Cassiopeia noticing, Tonks metamorphosed into Sirius, matching him in every way.
As Sirius, Tonks took Cassiopeia's hand. "Cassie, I'm right here. You can do this."
"Sirius, I don't know if I can. It hurts so much!" Cassiopeia whispered.
"You can."
"I'm so weak, Sirius. I don't think I can go on much longer. What's the point? I'm going to be worse than dead, anyway. Maybe I should just let go. I have no strength, Sirius. I can't go on."
"NO. You won't give up. I haven't yet, so don't you give up on me, Cassie."
"It hurts, Sirius. It hurts too much!"
"Don't give up. You can do it. I believe in you."
"You won't leave me?" Cassiopeia asked.
"No," replied the faux Sirius.
"Enough with the sentimentality, Black," Snape spat.
In a flash, Tonks morphed back to her own face. "Shut up, Severus!"
Quickly, Tonks morphed back into Sirius.
"You're wasting time cheering on your wife," Snape said. "Meanwhile, the more time you spend whining, the less time she and the child have."
"I know that," said the fake Sirius.
"Then you know that if she does not push, she and the child will die," Snape said.
The morphed Sirius glared at Snape. "If you don't shut your mouth, I will shut it for you!"
"Don't fight! Ahh!" Cassiopeia cried out.
The false Sirius sighed. "Alright, Cassie, we won't as long as you hold on."
"Only one more?" Cassiopeia asked.
"Yes."
Cassiopeia turned to Snape. "Severus?"
"Only one more," Snape replied.
Cassiopeia reached for the morphed Sirius's hand.
"It's okay. You can do it," the morphed Sirius reassured her.
"Alright. Only if you believe I can," Cassiopeia said.
Snape rolled his eyes.
"Severus, please," Cassiopeia begged.
"Oh, sorry. Let's just get this over with," Snape said.
Cassiopeia was clutching the fake Sirius's hand.
"Ready?" asked fake Sirius.
Cassiopeia nodded, but did not speak. Fear and pain had robbed her of speech. She simply squeezed the false Sirius's hand.
"Alright, push, Cassie!" cried the false Sirius.
One last time, Cassiopeia screamed through another push. "AHHH! SIRIUS!"
Cassiopeia shrieked and writhed as long as she could. Finally, Cassiopeia gave one last wail at the top of her lungs. Then, only the piercing sound of a newborn cry could be heard. Snape was cradling a squirming baby in his arms.
"It's a boy," Snape whispered.
A/N: YAY! It's a boy! If you wish to find out his name, you'll have to find out in the next chapter. ;) Thank you for all of the lovely reviews. I appreciate them so much. And thank you to my friend, Roza Anne. :D
P.S. In case you're confused, Tonks transformed into Sirius to help Cassie at the end of her labor. I just wanted to clear that up in case there was any confusion. :D