Breaking Hope: Sirius Black's daughter Book 4

Midnight Memories

  "The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared."

Lois Lowry (The Giver)

***

 "You called, Professor?" I asked groggily.

"Pardon me, Miss Black, but I need this done now, as I have to leave by morning." said Professor Dumbledore indicating that I should take a seat. I sat down, my eyes on his blackened hand, something about it was different, it was calling, saying something...

"-down Martha Monrow's memories." Dumbledore was saying.

"Oh, um..who, who's Martha Monrow?" I asked.

"One of St Mungo's most acclaimed healers. She retired a decade ago, a huge loss in the medical community."

"Okay. What do we need from her?"

"You remember where we left off the last time we were here?"

"Yes. Um, um," I stuttered feeling nauseous. I swallowed. "Merope Gaunt had baby Voldemort and her duped husband left her. Her daddy came home and died of a disappointed heart. Her sister-in-law Laurelle had her baby in Azkaban and also died." I said.

"Not how I would summarise it, but I suppose that's good enough. We will forget about Merope and her child and focus instead on Laurelle and her child. Now, Martha was a nurse in Azkaban's clinic for the prisoners. She came from a humble background, not too dissimilar from yours and this was the only job that she could get. One particular day, a young woman of questionable health died on the delivery bed. Shall we?" asked the headmaster standing up and looking at the pensive.

I placed my head into the dish and fell into a dimly lit room. There were two beds inside it both were really small and of poor quality. On one of the beds, a white sheet covered what appeared to be a woman's body. Next to the bed, a young girl, no more than twenty in a nurse's uniform stood trying to calm a wailing baby in her arms. This must be Martha. The door opened an older woman entered.

"What happened?" she asked.

"The mother did not make it. A pity too, she only had a few weeks left in here." Martha said quietly.

"And the babe?" asked the woman looking at the baby in Martha's arms.

"She is well. I have examined her, nothing seems to be amiss, madam." said the young girl. The woman must have been the healer.

"A girl then? Well we lost two patients today." The healer said shaking her head sadly.

"Oh, Mr Ward did not make it then?" Martha asked.

"Mr Ward made it young Martha, barely. It saddens me that it has become my life to save criminals from death. It does not have to be yours." Said the old woman.

"I do not understand Miss." Martha questioned.

"Yes. Have you met this baby's father or her grandfather?" she asked and the girl shook her head. "Well I have. Much like the mother, bless her soul, the father is unwell in mind. He is a danger to the child and to the world! As for the grandfather, I have heard of him. He is a cruel man with no regard for people. That is no environment for a baby to live in." she explained. Martha looked at the baby in her arms, she was quiet now.

"What shall we do madam? Should we place her in the orphanage?" asked Martha.

"Nay. I have better idea. I know a couple that are looking desperately for a child. They are rich and the child will have a better fate with them. They are the Ministry's ambassadors to France, and the title is inherited, but they have no children of their own. They are willing to pay to keep the 'adoption' discreet." The old healer said.