Shooting Star

Chapter Sixty-Six

Weeks passed, and then months passed, with still no word from the kids, and still no answers from Sirius.
We hadn't heard from the kids, but we had heard of them. They snuck into the Minsitry, and caused some ruckus at Godrics Hallow.
"Tell me what's wrong." I commanded when Sirius woke up screaming.
"Nothing. I'm sorry."
"Don't bullshit me, Sirius."
"It's nothing." He said softly.
"Why won't you go in the kitchen, Sirius?"
"I don't want to tell you." His voice cracked.
"I'm your wife." My voice softened. "You needn't hide things from me."
"I can't...."
"Yes you can, love."
"That's where..." He stopped talking. "Nothing, Eliza. I'm sorry." He started to cry.
"Sirius, you can tell me."
"No, no I can't. You'll hate me. I..."
"I could never hate you, Sirius." I turned to face him, slipping my hand into his. "It's all right, love. You don't have to tell me now."
"That's where I cruciod Regulus." He pressed the back of his hand to his mouth, trying to stop crying. It wasn't working; he cried harder.
Where he cruciod Regulus?
"I didn't want to. But it hurt so fucking bad. I couldn't take it any more. Regulus, Merlin. His scream." He was getting louder, his sobbing uncontrolled.
"Sh, okay. It's all right." I moved over to sit beside him, putting my arm around him. "It's okay, Sirius. Breathe."
"I don't want to. I don't fucking want to. What kind of sick, twisted bastard would torture his baby brother?"  His nails were digging into his arm, but I didn't notice.
"Sirius, hush. Look at me."
He shook his head vehemently, refusing to turn in my direction. "How could I have done that?" I thought he meant to whisper, but through his sobs, it sounded much louder.
"Sirius. Stop. Look at me. It's okay."
He got up out of the bed.
"Where are you going, Sirius?"
"To sleep on the couch." He gasped for air.
"Why?" I sighed.
"Nobody wants to sleep with the heartless asshole who--"
"Stop this." I crawled across the bed and grabbed his hand, pulling him back.
I pulled a bit too hard and he lost his balance, falling on top of me. It worked, though, so I kissed him. When I pulled back, he was staring at me with wide eyes, not moving to get off of me. "You aren't angry? Or scared?" He panted, unable to catch his breath for an entirely different reason now.
"No. Now, would you get back in bed, please?"
The door burst open and Remus came in. "Dora--" He began in a rush. "... Am I interrupting?" He finally said.
Sirius scrambled off of me. "No. I fell."
"Yeah, sure." Remus nodded, then began talking excitedly again. "Dora is having the baby."
I apparated to get Ms. Strout, the closest thing we had to a doctor, and then Sirius and I waited impatiently in the living room.
I, ever the emotional wreck, started crying.
"What's wrong?" Sirius demanded, ceasing his pacing back and forth and striding over to me.
"James and Lily." I said simply, and he knew what I meant.
We had done this same thing when Harry was born, only Remus had been down here with us.
Remus ran down stairs as dawn stretched her rosy fingers, a grin on his face. I was so glad I'd stopped crying.
He didn't say anything, but we followed him upstairs to a bedroom. Tonks laid in a bed, looking utterly exhausted, but very happy, holding a baby wrapped in a blanket.
"Thank you." I smiled at Ms. Strout.
"Of course, dear. I hope this is all over soon. We miss you." She smiled as she left the room.
"What's his name?" I asked Tonks.
"Edward Remus Lupin. Teddy." Tonks smiled.
"After the two most important men in your life?" I shot Remus a grin.
"Exactly. Do you want to hold him, Aunt Eliza?" She asked me.
"May I?" I smiled widely and took him as she handed him to me. Aunt Eliza. That's what Harry would have called me if James and Lily hadn't been killed.
"We were wondering... Could we make Harry godfather?" She asked.
"He's old enough to make his own decisions, but I'm sure he'd be honored." Sirius said, his arm around me as he looked down at baby Teddy Lupin. Teddy giggled.
"Told you you'd get married, Remus." I smiled.
"Oh, shut it."
"Oh, I meant to tell you guys. I think the kids are at Bill and Fleur Weasley's." Sirius said casually. "If you want to go tell Harry." He grinned.
Remus grinned and bounded down the stairs.
"Elizaaa." Sirius whined after a few minutes,
"What?" I asked, not looking up from the precious baby.
Tonks laughed a bit at that.
"You're being a baby hog."
I handed Teddy Remus Lupin over and turned my attention to Tonks. "Congratulations." I smiled, as I had at Lily.
"Thank you." She smiled softly, watching her baby.
"After Harry was born was the greatest time of James' and Lily's lives." I smiled, my throat burning a bit. Not that they'd had much time afterwards.
"I can imagine." She was still smiling.
"I'm gonna go see Harry." I squeezed her hand. "I'll see you when I get back."
She nodded. "Thanks."
"I haven't done anything."
"On the contrary. You held my hair back during all my morning sickness."
I laughed as I walked out.
I leaned back against the door as I shut it. I didn't know if it was normal to miss people this badly after nearly eighteen years, but I did. I missed them as I had the day after.
After I'd regained my composure, I apparated to Bill and Fleur's.
I walked in to everybody drinking.
"Hermione, what happened to your arm?" Was the first thing I said as I snatched her hand, pulling her arm up closer.
"Yes, well. You see." She cleared her throat. "We had a little run in with some snatchers, and Bellatrix Lestrange got to have a little fun."
My vision turned red for a moment at the mention of her. She'd hurt my husband and my child? I'll kill the bitch.
"Oh my God." I said. "Are you okay?"
"I'm all right. Dobby... Dobby died."
"Mum, hey." Harry said, walking over.
I eyed his cup, but said nothing. As Sirius had said, he's old enough to make his own decisions. "Hey, kid. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm all right. How are you?"
"I'm all right." I smiled and hugged him.
"Where's Dad?"
"With Tonks and Teddy."
Remus looked so happy. I almost forgot about all the memories this resurfaced in the midst of Remus' pure and utter joy.
Remus and I finally returned 'home' after he'd agreed to several more rounds of drinks and forced me in on a few.
"You're happy." I smiled as we stepped through the door.
"I'm ecstatic." He grinned.
I hugged him, and he spun me around. "I'm glad." I smiled.
"Do you know how Ginny is?" Harry had asked, and I'd had to tell him no, because I didn't know. We hadn't even come into contact with anybody besides each other, and Kingsley Shacklebolt once, in months.
I heard the baby wake up and cry in the middle of the night, but it hadn't woken me. I smiled, remembering all the nights Sirius and I had crashed at James and Lily's and woken up to the same thing.
I was staring out the living room window, looking up at the stars and trying to ignore the people watching from across the street, waiting for us to slip up and show where we were.
That was the hardest part about being here. I could handle being cooped up, and I could handle being cooped up with Remus and Tonks, and Sirius for the most part. I could even handle being watched, since I knew they couldn't actually see me. I could handle Sirius jumping at everything, and freaking out in the middle of the night. I couldn't handle the stale air, or not being able to go lay in the grass and watch the stars all night long.
"Couldn't sleep?" I heard Sirius whisper as he came up behind me.
I was sure he would have put his arms around me, had I not been pressed up against the glass to look at as many stars as I could. "No. You?"
"No. Thinking about James and Lily too?"
"Yep." I said.
He leaned against the windowsill, watching me. "I'm not letting them leave the house."
"Agreed." I said, even though we both knew James and Lily hadn't left the house either
Sirius nodded and continued watching me.
"What?" I finally asked, pulling away from the window and standing like a normal, not crazy person.
He pulled me to him, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Think Harry'll be all right?"
"I'm sure he will be. Hermione's there to watch out for them."
He laughed a bit and kissed me. With him almost sitting on the windowsill, I was as tall as him, and he didn't have to basically do toe-touches to kiss me. "I know I'm lucky to have you, and that you actually stuck around this long is a miracle."
"That's what you said after we'd been dating a month." I laughed quietly.
He had gone on a provisions run earlier today. He was heavily transfigured, of course, but still. He refused to allow Remus or me out, saying it was too dangerous, and Tonks was obviously preoccupied, so that left it up to him. He'd had to get baby supplies, and food. It had been quite amusing when he came back home with all those bags. He rang the doorbell with his nose. I thought about that, which enabled me to laugh normally, instead of cutting it short.
"I know." He smiled. "It's just shocking."
"Mostly because you're Sirius Black, and never stuck around with anybody for more than three weeks?"
"Obviously." He cracked a grin.