Rough Waters |Sirius Black

Chapter Seventy Five

"Y-y-you...wh-wha...." Nixie couldn't even bring herself to piece together a sentence as Sirius confessed the good news to her. She knew he wouldn't joke about such thing, but her eyes looked over him, waiting for him to crack a grin or laugh, signaling that it was a joke of some sort. But as Sirius stood before her, his eyes held sincerity, his hands still shook as he was still in a state of disbelief himself, and the tears were forming at the corner of his eyes.

"It's true..." He said lightly. "I'm free. I...I...I don't have to hide anymore..."

His voice cracked as he began to fully cry, no longer able to hold his own emotions back anymore. He hadn't been expecting such news when Dumbledore arrived. The man could only assume that it was bad news that the Headmaster was bringing.  When Dumbledore requested to speak to him specifically, Sirius felt even worse at the moment. He thought there was something wrong with Harry and he was filled with panic, however, Dumbledore didn't say much of anything else before he handed over an envelope with an official seal of the Ministry.

Sirius didn't have any good experiences with the Ministry and was hesitant about taking the letter, wondering if it was more bad news. He really couldn't afford any more bad news. He finally brought himself to tear open the letter and pull out the paperwork. It didn't take him long to read over the first part, which spoke about the wrong accusations against him made in 1981. He had been falsely accused of the murder of Peter Pettigrew, the murder of twelve muggles, and having any involvement with Voldemort and his ranks. 

The man couldn't speak and for several moments, he found himself unable to breathe. It was all that he wanted to hear after all those years, that he wasn't guilty. For people to understand that he would have never betrayed Lily and James and that he wouldn't harm the innocent. The truth would be revealed and he would finally be able to get on with his life as he had planned so many years ago.

His name being cleared meant that he wasn't putting Nixie's life in jeopardy as she wouldn't be married to a man that carried the title of a mad murderer. They would be able to move on with their lives when the war was over because he would no longer be plagued by the false accusations.

When he and Nixie finally started their own family, his children wouldn't have to grow up hearing such things, he wouldn't be a murderer, he would be a respected member of society. That's all he wanted, to be happy and have his family to be happy. 

Before anything else could happen, Nixie wrapped her arms around his neck and dragged him into a tight hug as she began to sob into him. It was all she wanted for Sirius for him to have his name cleared. For people to recognize that he hadn't done anything wrong.

"It's official?" She asked him.

He nodded. "I have the paperwork from the Ministry...it's done with. I...I can have my life back and...and there was even paperwork about getting compensation for what happened because I wasn't given a trial. There was a bit about getting another wand fully paid for...I...."

From where Meri was watching in the water, the mermaid couldn't help but cry for the two. Finally, things were looking up for a couple that deserved the better things in life. It was definitely one less thing that the two had worry about but it was a major weight off of their shoulders. It was something to push them both forward to work their hardest to make sure the war ended because when it was all done with, they would be able to pick up completely where they had left off without any worries.

"Who else knows?" Nixie asked Sirius as she lifted her hands up and wiped the tears off his face, bringing him to look at her.

"Besides Dumbledore and the Ministry...just you two and myself," he said. "I was with Remus and Moody but when I looked over the letter...I just had to come find you and let you know. It was the first thing I could think of doing....I'm surprised I even made it here without splinching myself, I was so focused on it and...you..."

He leaned in and brought her into a strong kiss, strong enough that even Meri had to look away for a few moments. 

"We don't have to worry about this part anymore, Nini," he whispered against her lips as he pulled away. "We're both free to do what we want...we can...we can both be there for Harry out in the open...Harry...we can be there for Harry..."

He looked down at his wife that was still in a slight daze from the kiss before she looked up at him as his words finally registered in her head.

"Harry...you mean...we could..." A bright smile returned to her face. "Do you think he would go for it?"

"Go for it?!" Meri repeated from behind them. "The boy would take an enraged gorilla as his guardian if it meant getting away from the Dursleys. You two are godsends to the boy, you don't even have to question if he would go for it in a heartbeat. Just ask him. That's the best Christmas gift that you can't wrap."

"Well...how do we go about asking to gain legal guardianship?" Nixie asked curiously. "It's one thing that we just took over but to legally do it...how does that work?"

"Here's the beauty of it, sweetheart," Meri smiled at the two. "You both can go in and ask about all the necessary paperwork and what you need. But I think you'll be just fine...you two have plenty of money, Harry has money of his own, so finances won't get in the way and you have a place to live."

The three looked over to the Dover household, all of them wearing smiles before Nixie nodded. 

"I guess the only question is, do we wait to tell Harry? Should we tell him in a letter or should we wait until we see him for Christmas?"

"I think we should wait until Christmas," Sirius said. "I know it might sound slightly cruel but I want this to be a Christmas that he'll never forget."

"Oh wait until you see the Christmas gifts that I have planned for you and Harry," Meri smiled. "You two will never forget this Christmas."

Sirius glanced over at her with a look of concern on his face. 

"I don't like the sound of that, Meri," he informed her.

The mermaid gave a shrug of her shoulders as she looked at him. "Tough luck."