Rough Waters |Sirius Black

Chapter One Hundred Twelve

Moony was going to be a father again and Nixie and Sirius couldn't have been any happier for the man and for Tonks. However, it was a constant reminder to the both of them that they had yet to start the family of their own that they wanted to. They were capable, at least, to their knowledge they were capable of. They were still young enough, Sirius' name was cleared by the Ministry, but none of that mattered during the times they were living in. The Ministry was now under the control of Voldemort, meaning they could start up any regulations as they pleased. Nixie was still waiting for half-breeds to start registering just like muggle-borns and it had left her anxious nearly every morning when she finally woke up. 

They still had Harry to worry about as well, so while they envied Remus for having another child, they certainly didn't envy the timeframe in which it was all happening. During times of war, everyone needed a little glimmer of hope, Tonks being pregnant, promised that a new day would emerge and that they were all fighting to bring a better day for those who hadn't witnessed the harshness of the world just yet. 

Remus had his own worries, believing that his unborn child could be infected with the lycanthropy. While they all tried to reassure him that Eleanor had turned out just fine, it was slightly different as he pointed out. Eleanor's mother had been a muggle, which could have changed things around, for his child with Tonks, the difference was there was magical influence. Everyone did their best to reassure the man that it was going to be just fine. He needed to keep his wits about him and be there for Tonks. She was young and going to be a first time mother. With her dear friends, Charlie and Anora back in Romania with their girls, she was going to feel rather alone. 

The couple was also actually worried about how Eleanor was going to react. They were nervous that she wouldn't be as thrilled, learning that she would have to share her father with yet another person. But they were wrong, of course, Eleanor was beyond thrilled with the idea of becoming a big sister. Already the girl was planning on knitting several things for their new sibling even though she had quite some time until the arrival. 

But Eleanor's knitting was taking a different focus as well, she wanted to learn how she could have the magical clothing keep one safe from physical attacks. It could prevent and shield against spells but it couldn't prevent physical injuries as she learned back in the Department of Mysteries. She continued to work at it in order to keep her mind off the war that they couldn't really fight just yet.

 They had to wait on Harry's word. 

But there was some good news that the couple learned from Arthur during one of the brief and rare visits in between passing time. The Potterwatch had begun, set up by those wishing to rebel against Voldemort and his followers and keep up with the news of what was happening. Lee Jordan, a friend of the twins had agreed to be the host. It was broadcast on the Wizard Wireless Network and required a password to be accessed from any outside. Fortunately, only members of the Order would regulate it with passwords of their own names. It was for the wizarding community to learn what was going on as the Daily Prophet was no longer revealing the truth until the control of Voldemort. 

The people needed the real news and they were going to get it.  The first broadcast would be taking place soon, giving members of the Order something to look forward to. Meri was thinking about coming on land for a bit, to spend some time with her daughter. There hadn't been any news in the waters for quite some time and if there was, Conch would be able to deliver any information in a prompt manner. They had to wait for the next full moon which was occurring one evening, bringing Nixie to turn to Sirius.

"You know, Remus has been extremely stressed lately," she said sitting next to him in the living room. "You know how stress wreaks havoc on him in that state. Don't you think it might be best for you to spend the evening with him? At least until he works himself to the exhaustive state and falls asleep. I know it won't be the same as having you all there as he once did..but-"

"Nini, you don't have to ramble on," Sirius replied, "I was thinking about it myself, but I don't like the idea of leaving you alone."

"I won't be alone," she told him. "You know my mother will be here this evening once the moonlight hits the water, but maybe it wouldn't be a bad idea to bring Tonks over here either. I'm sure she doesn't want to be alone for the night. We'll all stay here for the night but I think he's really going to need you during this time. He's had a lot going on in his life, the man just needs to go on a long holiday where he doesn't have to see the moon for months."

Sirius wasn't too fond of the idea of leaving. He wanted to be there for his best friend but he hated the idea of leaving Nixie, even if she was going to be in the company of others. There had been multiple people at the wedding and yet she had been the one put through the most that evening. He couldn't imagine if something had happened to her and he didn't learn about it until the next morning. But Nixie wasn't giving him much of a choice to fight it and he didn't want to argue either.

"Alright," he obliged, "I'm sure we can work this out."

Remus liked the idea of Tonks spending time with Meri and Nixie for the evening as he was "out of commission." But he wasn't thrilled about the part of Sirius staying with him, he told Sirius that he could manage but Sirius told him to shut up and deal with his company for the evening. It was never a pleasant thing to witness his best friend go through the transformation, it was haunting and painful to observe. He could hear Remus' bones rearrange, the painful screaming that turned into howling and cries into the night, it often left Sirius shaking during that part. His animagus form might have been a large dog, but in a lot of ways, he was no match for Remus and he had learned that the hard way plenty of times. 

With the werewolf legislation act, wolfsbane was not easily accessible, no matter how much money one had to their name. It was going to be like old times when they were back in school when wolfsbane didn't exist and Remus had to fight through it without any assistance. 

"Alright, Moony," Sirius said before falling into his animagus form, "it's just you and me. Please don't hurt me. Just so you know, if you hurt me in this form, I'm kicking your arse outside of it once the full moon is gone."

A long chilling howl erupted into the night air outside of the home.