Rough Waters |Sirius Black

Chapter Thirty Nine

Nixie sat in the living room with Sirius, Tonks, Remus and Moody listening to the other adults speak about the upcoming school year as the children were getting ready to head back to Hogwarts.  Of course, her mind began to wander as the late evening tiredness settled in, drowning out the voices that discussed all the drama.  There were sightings that Moody explained and several old followers of Voldemort were moving around quite a bit which was making the Order nervous as they tried to figure out what was Voldemort's plan. Everyone's main concern was Harry, with his scar hurting being an indicator that something was wrong, along with Dumbledore leaving them with bits and pieces of information but not the full explanation they were all hoping for.

However, even more troubles fell with the idea of Eleanor's knitting coming into play. If the knitting had truly saved the Diggory boy from falling victim to the Killing Curse, if word got around there was going to be plenty of problems.  Eleanor didn't have a logical explanation as to how it occurred according to Remus, and the rest of the group could only theorize the possible ways that the knitting had saved a life.

Nixie was about to call it a night when the group heard the sound of footsteps descending down the stairs. They looked over to see Eleanor looking over at them.

"Eleanor," Remus called out to her as he rose to his feet. "What are you doing awake? You're supposed to be asleep. You'll be tired tomorrow-"

"I want you to tell me what's going on." Eleanor said in a slightly demanding tone. " Not just some of it, all of it. Especially the parts that are concerning me, I have the right to know."

Nixie and the others looked at Remus who was placed on the spot by his daughter, leaving them all quiet until Remus nodded his head.

"Remus, you be careful-" Moody went to warn him but Remus silenced him with a glare which was unusual for the normal kind and soft spoken man.

"Eleanor is right," Remus said." She does have the right to know...at least the parts pertaining to her."

Moving over a bit, Nixie and Tonks allowed Eleanor to settle down in between them as she sat across from her father.

"Why I am a target?" Eleanor asked wasting no time in her questioning.

"Because of what you did. Your knitting protected Cedric from dying, Eleanor." Remus began. 

The poor man looked just as puzzled with his explanation as Eleanor did, along with everyone else in the room.

" I know you find that hard to believe but there is no other plausible explanation. The socks nearly melted to the boy's feet, while the rest of his clothing remained in tact. He was left with no scar. Unlike when Harry repelled the curse, he was left with the constant reminder placed on his forehead.""

"But what is it about the knitting or Lily Potter that stopped the curse from being effective?" Eleanor questioned.

"Love." Nixie answered her with a small smile at the mention of her friend. "Lily put her life on the line for Harry out of pure love for her son. She sacrificed herself for him-"

"Why wouldn't that be effective in every other scenario? All people are loved by someone, why wouldn't they be saved?"

"I don't know." Nixie said turning to the others but they didn't seem to have the answer either.

"The point is," Remus said continuing, "that you recreated something Lily did all those years ago. Maybe not in the same form or fashion-" he smiled at the non-intended pun. "But that is a major threat to those following the path of the Dark Lord. Your name is circulating, Eleanor, in circles you don't want to be a part of."

"But how? How would people know of it? No one really knew about the socks..."

"Crouch. He was watching you all year because of who you are related too. All of you were being watched without knowing." Moody said looking at teenager and then Remus.

Eleanor frowned. "What does this mean? Are they going to try to kill me?"

"Probably not at first." Tonks told her placing her hand on the girl's leg in a comforting manner. "They'll more than likely try to recruit you for your talents. That's what they normally do and when you refuse...then they will try to kill you."

Eleanor pressed her lips together as her eyes grew wide.

"You don't have to be scared Eleanor, this is why I didn't tell you." Remus said. "I didn't want you worrying. You're safe. As long as you're here or at Hogwarts you are safe."

"This is why I couldn't see Mum all summer." The girl whispered to them.

"No one knows the location of this place, except for members of the Order." Sirius explained. "And that's how it shall remain."

"You're okay, Ellie." Tonks said pulling her into an embrace. "We're not going to let anything happen to you."

"Tonks is right," Remus nodded, " my life will be gone before yours."

Nixie and Sirius exchanged looks at Remus's promise to his daughter to keep her safe, the two feeling uncomfortable with how the man had worded it. The thought of anyone losing their lives was too much.

 They had all lost enough.

Praying silently, Nixie hoped that Harry's chosen status and  Eleanor's knitting would be enough to bring the darkness down once and for all.

She watched as Remus and Eleanor hugged before the girl was sent back off to bed.

The rest of the adults eventually agreed to head out or head to bed. Nixie remained in place for a few minutes before Sirius knelt down in front of her.

"Come on," he said, " I can tell you're getting tired." 

She looked at him to see the same comforting grin that always brought a smile to her face. She reached a hand out and brushed the hair back that fell into his face slightly.

"I've been tired for awhile."

"Then get your arse to bed." He replied with a chuckle before standing up and pulling her out of her seat. 

However, Sirius was caught off guard for a moment as Nixie wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Nini I-" Before he could say anything else, Nixie pulled him towards her in a passionate kiss. He was surprised but certainly not complaining.

'I love you," she whispered against his lips.

"I love you too, Nixie. Always have, always will."