Chapter Seven
Nikka looked down at the white stick in her hand, showing two very clear pink lines and swore slightly under her breath.
It wasn't that she didn't want to have children exactly, she'd just never thought about what it would mean to be a mother. She'd been really young and then Sirius, the only person she'd ever really loved, had been hurt and it seemed impossible that they'd have any sort of normal life together.
Then of course there was the rather large elephant in the room.
She wasn't yet married.
There hadn't been a child born to an unmarried DeGere in over four hundred years, probably even longer than that. And as far as the official records stated there had never been a child born to an unmarried Black.
Such things were simply not done in noble, pure-blood houses.
Nikka steadied herself before leaving the bathroom, making her way quickly through to Sirius's room in Malfoy Manor.
Sirius was looking, and feeling, much better. He could now walk around with only a stick and mostly stand and lower himself unaided.
"Nikka, you alright?" Sirius asked, turning to look at her.
Nikka nodded, "Yes… sort of." she said, sitting next to him at the small table that still held his half eaten breakfast, "You've not eaten everything again."
Sirius smiled, "It's just a lot. My stomach must have shrunk. I'll get there, eating again… what's up pet?"
Nikka took a deep breath and pulled out the pregnancy test. Sirius looked at it in confusion.
"What is it?" He asked.
"It's a muggle thing. It tells someone if they're… if they are pregnant." Nikka said slowly, "It's positive, Sirius."
Sirius frowned slightly, "You mean… there's going to be a baby?"
Nikka nodded, "Yes. It must have been when…" she blushed slightly, "When you'd just woken up."
Sirius blushed as well, grinning broadly, "I remember. I couldn't move much but you certainly hadn't lost your touch."
Nikka laughed and shook her head, "I must say, you've taken this very well. Getting pregnant while unmarried is rather scandalous."
Sirius nodded, "Well, I am a big fan of scandal, as you know. I see nothing wrong with having knocked up my girlfriend."
Nikka rolled her eyes, "It's alright for you. What is my father going to say?"
"He's not likely to disown you!" Sirius laughed.
"I know that." Nikka sighed, "It's just… I fear he'll be disappointed in me."
Sirius reached out a hand and pulled her onto his lap, "Don't worry pet. We're already engaged, we'll just get married quickly. No one is going to comment if the baby is born not quite nine months after the wedding."
"You'd do that?" Nikka asked, "We wont have much time to get a big celebration together."
Sirius kissed her fondly, "It's fine. I love you, and I will love this baby."
Nikka rested her hand over her belly, the fact she was actually growing a brand new person sinking in.
Only a few hours later Sirius wobbled slightly as he and Nikka apparated into the grounds of Lochmaben Castle.
"Are you ok?" Nikka asked, steadying Sirius.
He nodded, looking at the grass until the world stopped spinning.
"Are you sure?" Nikka asked again, "You shouldn't be pushing yourself so much. I can get Father to come to us."
Sirius stood firmly, "No. I should go to his home, that's the way it is done… although I must say, I wasn't expecting it to be quite so… castle like."
"It's called Lochmaben Castle." Nikka laughed, "What did you expect?"
"Something more manor like." Sirius shrugged, as they started walking to the grand wooden door, "I mean, it has a moat!"
Nikka laughed, holding tightly to his arm.
Sirius knocked on the door and stepped back, leaning heavily on his walking stick. The door swung open to reveal Conan, one of Nikka's brothers grinning at them.
"To what do we owe this pleasure little sis?" Conan grinned, "And Sirius, geez man, are you sure you should be out of bed? You look awful!"
"Thank you Conan!" Nikka glared, "Is father here?"
"Why yes he is, little sis." Conan laughed, "Out in the rose garden. What's going on?"
"You'll find out!" Nikka laughed, moving past him.
"Ah I see." Conan said, still grinning widely, "Dum dum de dum, dum dum de dum…"
"Oh shut it!" Nikka said, giving him a playful slap to stop him singing the wedding march.
"Quidditch later?" Conan asked, "Everyone's coming home for dinner tomorrow, we could have a three aside match."
Nikka was about to agree before she remembered that it was almost certainly not a good idea to be putting herself, and the child, in such a risky situation, "Let's see how it goes."
She hurried away as quickly as Sirius could walk, to stop Conan from asking any more difficult questions.
"So… how far is the rose garden?" Sirius asked, trying desperately not to show how much he was struggling to stay upright.
"It's not far, and there are loads of benches there." Nikka said, "You can rest."
Sirius stopped, placing a hand on her cheek, "I love you, you know that?"
"Of course I do." Nikka said, a tear dripping down her cheek, which she blamed firmly on pregnancy hormones, "And I love you too."
"I just don't want you to think I'm only marrying you because of the baby." Sirius said, barely above a whisper.
Nikka laughed, stroking his freshly shaven face, he'd taken such care to look his best for her father. He's borrowed a set of formal robes from Lucius, although the house elves had needed to take them in a bit for him and made sure his hair was brushed straight down his back.
"I asked you to marry me remember? And it was before I was pregnant, although not long before." She grinned cheekily, "Now come on, let's just get this over with."
For the most part, Nikka had a very good relationship with her family. She loved all her brothers and got on with them wonderfully. Her father was often away, as was her mother, when they were younger but they'd never missed a birthday or Christmas. They, in many ways, were a normal, boring family.
As Conan had told them, their father was tending to his large rose garden. Sirius took a moment to breath in the heady scent from the hundreds of different coloured roses. It was beautiful.
"You can really feel the fairies here." Sirius said, mostly to himself as he looked around.
Nikka nodded, "I always loved it here. Father is the third Earl to keep a rose garden here, and everyone of them is scented. Mother never saw the point in having flowers with no scent, especially roses."
"I think I agree with her." Sirius said, still smiling.
"Father!" Nikka called, spotting her father a few rows of flower bushes over.
She walked Sirius to the nearest bench and helped him to sit. Her father smiled broadly as she called, putting down his tools, striding over and hugging her tightly.
"Oh my girl!" he said, kissing her cheek, "I am so very glad to see you. And Mr Black, of course. So glad to hear you are recovering."
He guided his daughter over to the bench and they sat down as well.
"Sorry to drop in on you like this father but…" Nikka said
"Oh no need to be sorry." Her father grinned, "You are always welcome here, you know that. Now, shall we have some tea?"
Nikka nodded.
A little house elf appeared with a loud pop. They clicked their fingers and a dainty white wire table appeared to match the bench. The house elf clicked again and a tray holding a tea pot, three cups and saucers and several plates of small cakes appeared on the table.
"Is there anything else I can be gettings yous?" the house elf asked.
"No I think we are quite well." Nikka's father smiled, "Thank you."
The house elf vanished, leaving them alone in the peaceful garden.
Nikka poured the tea, adding milk and sugar to her own.
Her father took a deep drink and smiled, "So, what news do you have for me?"
"Well Sir…" Sirius paused, "I… I…"
"Father, I'm pregnant." Nikka said quickly, "Sorry, you were being too slow." she whispered to Sirius.
Nikka's father stared at them for a moment, very slowly putting his cup back on the table, "I see."
"You know Sir, that I have great respect and love for your daughter." Sirius said, holding tightly to Nikka's hand, "We would like to marry as soon as possible, certainly within the next month, to avoid any… uncomfortable questions. It would be a small wedding, just close friends and family. I have no family left of my own to speak of, which is why I would like to invite Harry, my god son and…" Sirius stopped as Nikka's father raised his hand.
"I respect you for coming here today." her father said, "It must have taken a great level of courage to come and tell me of your up coming child. You must be very happy."
"We are." Sirius said, "It was a shock, but we are most happy." he said honestly, feeling tears brimming in his eyes.
"You come to ask for my permission I presume?" Nikka's father asked.
"Yes sir." Sirius said, "I ask for your permission to marry Nikka, as soon as possible."
Nikka's father smiled, "Sirius I… no. You do not have my permission to marry as soon as possible."
"Father!" Nikka exclaimed, "I… I can't believe you! You'd be so pissed if someone refused Dimitri, Conan, Ryker, Cole or Stefan permission to marry!"
"Nikka…" her father said patiently.
"No!" Nikka snapped, "I… we'll marry anyway." she said firmly, "We don't need your permission, it was a nicety, nothing more! I love Sirius and…"
"I didn't say that you could not marry." Her father said loudly, but not angrily, just trying to get his daughter to stop talking for a moment, "I understand why you want to quickly marry and… and pretend that this baby wasn't conceived out of wedlock or whatever old fashioned ideas you may have gotten in your mind. I would be most happy for the two of you to marry, it's clear that you love one another very much."
Nikka blushed slightly, "You… you don't mind?"
Her father shook his head, "No, of course not."
"Thank you sir." Sirius said, sincerely, "Thank you."
"I do, however, object to this idea of you marrying quickly, invisibly…" her father tried to explain, "I… you have both been through so much. You deserve a day, surrounded by everyone and love. A day to be a princess."
"Father, I have no need to be a princess for a day." Nikka said rolling her eyes.
"Hey, maybe I want to be!" Sirius laughed.
Nikka looked at him closely, seeing there was more than a small bit of truth in his eyes, "Father would you give us a moment?"
Her father stood up without another word and left them, going back to the roses he'd been tending to.
"What do you mean?" Nikka asked.
"Well… I… I don't want to get married quickly." Sirius said, rubbing his head, "I… I love you and I want to show the world how much I love you. I want the flowers and the big cake and fancy clothes… maybe it's silly for a boy, but I really have always dreamed of my wedding day. Of course if it means more to you to be married before having a baby…"
"I don't care." Nikka said quickly, "I thought that you would."
"Why would I care?" Sirius asked.
Nikka shrugged, "Well… you're the heir to your house and… well what surname would we give the baby?"
"DeGere!" Sirius said quickly, laughing loudly.
"I wont inherit much." Nikka said, "Compared to all this, I have very little to give this baby. Your house has a name and…"
"I am slowly getting used to having a family again." Sirius said, "Kreacher fixing the tapestry, it meant the world to me…"
"DeGere-Black." Nikka smiled, "We should take both names, and change ours to match. When we marry but… but not now. Father is right, we deserve to have a proper wedding."
"I would love that!" Sirius said, happy tears pouring down his cheeks, "I really would love that. I already feel married to you my love, I don't care when we sign the bit of paper!"
"Me neither." Nikka said, sobbing as well as her happiness overflowed from her.
"And we deserve a party! A huge, party. With everyone we love." Sirius grinned.
Nikka nodded, "Yes. Yes, yes a thousand times yes… and our baby!"
"And our baby." Sirius said, resting his forehead against hers, the thought of the baby causing a fresh wave of tears.
"I hope they're happy tears." Nikka's father said, wondering over again.
"They are." Nikka grinned, wiping her face on one of the napkins.
"And we agree with you, sir." Sirius said, "We're going to wait to get married. If you're sure you don't mind?"
"Of course not." her father smiled, "I only care that you are happy, and… well, we've always been a very modern family." he said, snorting a laugh.
"Thank you sir." Sirius said, standing up to shake his hand.
Nikka's father pulled him into a hug, "I think, Sirius, since you are to be my son you may call me by my name. Please, call me Tavin, and my wife will want you to call her Kathleen as well. You are family now. Come, let us go and find her, give her the happy news."