24

Chapter XXIV: The Night Before Christmas

(Daphne P.O.V)

Snow danced softly outside the library windows flickering amongst the candlelight which illuminated the large room. She rubbed her tired eyes, for how long she'd been working on Grindelwald's Journal she had no idea, but she was starting to get the hang of it at least. Runes had always been something she was gifted in, it had never taken her long to memorize a runic alphabet or to learn long and elaborate chains, but Babaloniyan runes were a different animal altogether.

Half of her face rested in her palm as she sighed deeply, her mind had been unfocused since Astoria's bleeding, and with Harry's tense nature becoming more and more of a frequent occurrence, she feared that war was going to arrive at her doorstep far before she was ready, if she ever would be. She clenched her quill tightly, the grip of the pen cracking under her pressure as she felt ink beginning to drip onto her hand, Shit, she thought to herself, rolling her quill aside, desperately trying to not to damage either the notebook or the lexicon. The way the ink leaked from the crack in the grip had sent Daphne spiraling back into her memories, watching as the blood dripped from Astoria's nose haunting her, as a tear now graced her normally composed cheek.

She wiped it away furiously, her eyes filled with hatred as she turned back to the accursed journal. What am I thinking? She thought to herself bitterly, Here I am with a journal belonging to one of the greatest Dark Wizards in history and I haven't even bothered looking up blood curses. She placed her wand in the centerfold, using it as a bookmark as she turned towards the front of the book, reading each header as desperately as she could. For the most part, the words terrified her, Blinding Rituals, Spirit Dissections, Ghost Banishment, but then, she saw a header, one that sent chills of fear and relief simultaneously down her spine, Life Exchange Ritual.

She swallowed hard, how often and for how long had she dreamed of taking Astoria's curse from her, for just the mere chance of saving her sister. Honestly, if Daphne were to be true to herself, it had become a compulsive obsession, frequently keeping her up at night as she racked her mind for something anything she could do. Perhaps now, she finally had an answer. With a trembling hand, she reached forward, only to feel another hand land atop hers pushing it down towards the table. Anger filled her eyes as she turned to glare at the figure behind her, the vein in her forehead nearly erupting as she met the figure's eyes. "What the hell do you want?"

"A bit angry today, aren't we?" Krum said with a disgusting smirk, "That's alright, I like fiery girls like you."

"Too bad that we aren't compatible though," Daphne said with a click of her tongue, "I don't like smug assholes"

"Your relationship with Potter says differently," Krum jabbed back and Daphne had felt her hand ball into a fist with rage. "No need to get so angry love," Krum said calmly, "I just wanted to confirm a disgusting rumor I heard. Is it true that Potter asked you to the ball?"

"You must be as dumb as you look if you didn't get the message from the huge firework display he put on for me," Daphne spat back.

"Let's calm down," Krum said, "No need to get so grumpy. Though like I said, Fiery Girls like you are very attractive. All I was wondering was if you wanted to ditch Potter for me, I may be difficult, I can admit that, but at least I'm not Dark Wizard scum like him."

"She said she wasn't interested," A familiar voice from behind Krum called out, "Are you hard of hearing as well as an idiot because I think she made that perfectly clear." Krum stepped aside, and from behind him was a figure that brought a smile to her face. Harry stood there, his face composed and uninterested, almost as if Krum wasn't currently standing between them with a look of hatred on his face. "Why don't you go ask Lavender or one of the Patel twins if you're instant on having a fourteen-year-old girl accompany you? You creep."

This had clearly inflicted some damage on Krum's pride as he flared up, and Daphne was beginning to believe that he hadn't really wanted to go with her in the first place. Daphne had found herself thinking back to Tonks, Maybe this is all a plan, just like what Tonks said. Is he trying to use me to get under Harry's skin? But why is he so obsessed with making sure Harry fails? "I would," Krum said his composure regained a grin now plastered on his face, "But none of them have an ass quite like your bird over there."

If looks could kill, Harry's eyes would have ripped Krum in half, and with speeds that Daphne could hardly believe, Harry's hand had wrapped around the collar of the Bulgarian Champion's shirt as his hands curled into a heavy fist. "Harry stop!" Daphne shouted, "Don't do it."

Daphne could see Harry's fist trembling in mid-air, inches away from Krum's nose, hatred flowing off his body like a rapid-flowing current. "Well look at that, looks like Daphne doesn't want you hurting me, not that you could mind you." Daphne watched her boyfriend's face turn into a sneer, "Better let me go Potter, don't want to make her mad right before the ball, she might just take me up on my offer if you do."

She walked over to her boyfriend's side lowering his hands from the Bulgarian asshole as she glared up at Krum, "Sorry, but you have me all wrong." Krum sent her a questioning look that turned to one of pure agony as her knee made contact with his private areas, dropping him to the floor in pain, "Unlike the soft little girls you're used to preying on, I don't need my boyfriend to fight my battles." She took her boyfriend's hand, throwing the rest of her supplies as safely as she could into her book bag before beginning her trek out of the library, a sinister thought crossing her mind.

"Harry," She whispered, "Put your hand on my backside."

"Are you-" He stuttered with a rather cute blush, "Are you sure? You normally hate PDA."

"Yeah, but I also love watching people squirm." Before her boyfriend could even respond, she placed her lips against his, moaning softly into his mouth as Harry gazed at her with wide-eyed surprise.

His eyes relaxed, closing softly before molding into the long kiss, a string of saliva forming as they separated, "You, Miss Greengrass," Harry whispered back softly into her ear, "Are a spiteful witch." A smile rose to her face as they exited the library, Krum's groans of anguish fading further and further into the distance. Daphne held Harry's hand, rubbing her thumb against the back of his palm as together they walked through the empty halls, but as much joy as Daphne felt in her heart around the raven-haired boy, a certain sadness filled her heart, her mind reflecting on the ritual she'd just discovered, Harry, she thought to herself, Forgive me.

In her distracted state of mind, she hadn't been paying much attention as Harry guided her through halls, her focus fading in and out of reality until the two came to an abrupt stop at the front of the tapestry that hid the secret base. She followed Harry down the Devil Snared Halls before her eyes widened in shock as Harry pressed his lips against her once more. Her shock faded, however, and a smile quickly replaced it as she looked around finding the two of them in the empty room. "It's been a while since the two of us were alone, hasn't it?" Harry said with a playful smile.

"It has," Daphne agreed her mind still in a bit of a haze, "Though I suppose there is a bigger reason behind why you came to meet with me alone."

"It's that unbelievable that I want to spend time with my girlfriend," Harry said with a chuckle that forced her to roll her eyes as she squeezed his hand, "You're right though, I have to tell you something." She gazed up at Harry, her ears primed to hear his every word, "Michael, he figured out the clue, and I have a bad feeling you might be involved."

She tilted her head to the side, not quite understanding what Harry meant, before with a sigh, the Green-Eyed boy delivered what almost sounded like a prophecy. "Come seek us where our voices sound, We cannot sing above the ground, And while you're searching ponder this; We've taken what you'll sorely miss, An hour long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took, But past an hour, the prospect's black, Too late, it's gone, it won't come back." Daphne felt a chill down her spine as she heard Harry's terrifying poem before he continued, "I was talking with everyone else about it," He said with a sigh, "At first I was thinking it would be contained to just physical possessions, but Astoria brought up a good point, it is Dumbledore that we're talking about."

"What are you trying to tell me?" Daphne said fearing what Harry had begun to speculate.

"The thing that I would most 'sorely miss' in the entire world," Harry said squeezing her hand once more, "Is you." She felt her heart stop under Harry's loving gaze breaking only at the moment he turned away bashfully. "Look, I know you value your independence, and so do I, the fact I don't need to wait on you hand and foot is part of why I'm thankful we're together," He said cautiously, "But I need you to let me put a tracking charm on you before the second task, I can't let you disappear, I need you to come back to me."

She removed her hands from Harry's as she cupped his cheeks with her palms, "Okay," She said with a nod, "I trust you Harry, do what you have to do." He smiled softly before, his hand reached for his stomach, a wince of pain in his eyes that he desperately tried to keep hidden from her cautious stare. "You're hurt again, aren't you?" She asked in a more uplifting tone, trying to break the serious tension.

"It's nothing," Harry said with a smile, "Really I'm-" but before the boy could even say a word, Daphne lifted her wand, vanishing his shirt as she saw his chiseled abs and chest that would normally bring a blush to her face covered with black and blue bruises leaving her in horror. "Moody," Harry said scratching the back of his head nervously, "He doesn't take his training lightly."

"Why didn't you go and see Madam Pomfrey?" She chided as she placed the tip of her wand to Harry's chest.

"I thought about it," Harry said with a sigh, "But honestly, I wasn't quite sure how to explain all these bruises to Pomfrey without word spreading to Dumbledore."

"God you're an idiot," Daphne said shaking her head, her eyes concentrated on her healing spell, "You are so lucky you have me," she finished with a smirk.

"Yeah Princess," Harry said with a chuckle, "I know. But don't worry, I promise I'll be in moveable condition for the ball."

"You better be," Daphne said with a smile, "Or I'll have to exchange words with Moody myself."

"Hey Daphne," Harry said emploring Daphne to lock eyes with him, "I think I-" her heart began to race in her chest as her stare softened, but the next words never left his lips as he looked away with uncharacteristic shyness, "Never mind, I just wanted to say thanks. You know, for helping me."

"Always Flyboy," She said a hint of confusion and sadness in her eyes, "Always." Harry, She thought once more to herself sadly, I'm so sorry.

(Michael P.O.V)

A white glaze covered the castle ground as December 24th had finally rolled around, the Yule Ball only being one day away now and with it the revelation of the fact he and Claire Belmont were well, dating. He wasn't sure why he'd chosen to keep his relationship with Claire a secret, part of him had wanted to see the surprise on his friend's faces when he walked down the royal staircase with Claire at his side, part of him figured there wasn't a chance in hell any of his friends would have believed him even if he had told them, but more than anything, he liked the idea of having something that was uniquely his. And while he knew the truth would come out eventually, the sneaking around the castle, the risk of getting in trouble, the kissing in the broom closets while students walked by from class to class, it was magical in its own way.

All his friends knew was he had a date and everyone, but mostly Neville and Tracey had gone into full detective mode in order to figure out who exactly Michael's mystery girl was. Thankfully, Claire had been one of the view girls that Tracey had instantly eliminated, and that had made Michael's job a lot easier. What did disturb him, was the fact that despite being his best friend, Harry Potter hadn't said a word.

Tracey had gone to Hogsmead with Blaise for some last-minute Christmas Shopping, which partially explained why he and Harry had found themselves in a carriage alone entering the town past noon. Daphne had opted to stay behind claiming she had to get ready for the Yule Ball and also had wanted to spend some sister time with Astoria, and Hermione had enlisted Neville's help in figuring out the problem she was having with her herbology project. To Michael, he'd hoped it would finally lead to Neville asking out Hermione as the tension between the two had become painful. As for Daphne and Astoria, it had made sense, the two sisters hadn't had much time to spend together, but the look on Harry's face told a different story, a far different story.

His best friend looked glum, almost as if someone had run over his pet Kneazle or something, and it certainly wasn't in his character. To make it worse, it'd been a trance he'd been fading in and out of for some time. Unable to take it anymore, Michael reached over, placing his hand on Harry's shoulder, shaking him back to reality as he whispered, "Rook, you okay?"

"Yeah," Harry said brushing it off as he always did, "Yeah I'm fine." But Michael didn't buy it, he knew something was up and as a Ravenclaw, it wasn't in him to allow it to go on undiscovered. Thankfully though, it hadn't taken long for before Harry whispered clearly unable to keep his trouble silent any longer, "Actually, there is something that's been bothering me, but you have to promise not to tell anyone."

"You know I'd never do that, Potter," Michael said earnestly as he stared calmly at his friend, his disposition shifting towards one of openness.

"I did a bad thing, Michael, I didn't mean to, but I did," This had caught Michael a bit off guard. Harry and Michael were far from straight-edge kids, they were tricksters, maybe even a bit manipulative, but outright bad, never, at least, not to anyone who didn't deserve it. "Moody," Harry started, "He's been making me practice passive legilimency, it's kinda like regular legilimency, except it's done well, passively."

"Yeah, I figured," Michael said trying to bring a light-hearted air to the heavy sounding conversation.

"Well, I haven't had much practice with it and because of that, sometimes, I start reading people's minds without meaning too." Michael's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at his friend. "Last week," Harry continued, a discomfort clearly in his face, "When I was with Daphne, after I met up with her in the library, I told her about the Golden Egg clue, and I told her I was going to put a trace on her before the second task. Normally, she's all private and Miss Independent, which I don't mind, don't get me wrong, but I was really surprised when she agreed to let me track her."

"Okay," Michael said gesturing for his friend to continue.

"She told me she trusted me, Michael," Harry said, "And in that moment, I accidentally entered her mind." He looked softly at his friend wondering what he'd sensed in his girlfriend's mind that had made him feel so ill. "I cut it off as soon as I noticed what was happening, but before I did, I felt that Daphne was racked with guilt over something. I heard her tell me she was sorry in her mind."

"Maybe she was just thinking that she was sorry that she's been so distant from you or something," Michael said with a shrug, "Any chance you might just be overthinking it?"

"That's what I've been trying to convince myself off," Harry said with a shrug, releasing a heavy sigh, "But the way the voice in her head sounded, it was almost as if she was saying goodbye, like it was some kind of suicide message." Michael gripped his friend's shoulder tightly, pulling him closer as he watched Harry tighten his fist, "I've been wanting to say something, but knowing her, the fact I probed around in her brain isn't going to go over well, and I have no idea how to subtly slide what I'm feeling into a non-suspicious conversation." Harry shuttered as Michael watched his Emerald Green Eyes pour into his as his friend whispered, "I love her Michael, at least I think I do," his voice entering a soft tremble, "I don't want to lose her."

"Hey, you aren't going to lose her okay," Michael said, "She loves you too, you know, she'd never leave you, not like that. Blondie might be a bit of a pain, but she's loyal to you and way to resilient to ever throw her life away. She's going through a lot right now too, especially with her dealing with the fact her father's a death eater and the fact that we're basically kids gearing up for war, it's not too unbelievable that she just had a bad day, we all have them after all."

"Yeah," Harry said, and Michael felt a bit of relief as a fair bit of color returned to his friend's face, "Maybe you're right. I'm probably just overthinking everything again."

"Maybe Moody's paranoia is already starting to rub off on you," Michael said with a chuckle, "Trust me, alright, everything's going to be okay. And I'll keep an eye out too, if I see anything suspicious going on, I'll let you know."

"Thanks, Chipper," Harry said with a weak smile, "You know, for as lazy of an ass as you come off, you're actually a big softy. I can kinda see why Claire agreed to go to the ball with you." Michael's eyes opened wide but quickly regained their normal size as Harry pointed to his forehead, "I've been accidentally reading minds, remember? But don't worry, I won't say a word, you'll still get to shock everyone as you and Claire walk down the spiral staircase. I'll make sure I'm watching Boot and Bones' reaction too, just in case you want to save the memory."

"You, Mr. Potter," Michael said with a smirk, "Are truly a good friend." A moment of silence followed the boy's immediate chuckle as Michael turned to look out the side of Hogsmeade carriage, "Hey Harry, I know this sounds stupid and incredibly unlike me, but Claire, she's been going through a lot and I know that I'm going to be in a lot of pictures because I'm her date and all. I don't want her having the media headache of her attending the ball with some low-class wizard looming over her head."

"She won't think that," Harry started.

"I know," Michael said, "I just want this to be a good night for her, and my dress robes, they aren't exactly well… nice."

"So what you're saying is that you actually want to take time out of your day to do something for someone else, that isn't me?" Harry said with a smirk, "Is the sky falling?"

"Shut up Potter, I'm just trying to be a good boyfriend is all," Michael said looking out once more into the distance, "I'll pay you back, eventually, I pro-"

"Save it, Michael," Harry said with a warm grin, "I'll cover your new robes, you've already paid me back by solving the egg riddle for me, I guess I owe Claire for that as well." Michael grinned up at his friend as he opened the door of the Hogsmeade Carriage, "Alright, first stop, Gladrags Wizardwear, any theme you're going for?"

"Not really," Michael said with a shrug, "All I know is I need it to match something… grey."

(Hermione P.O.V)

Hermione had found herself in the Greenhouse that rested beside the castle's entrance. It wasn't that she was necessarily bad at Herbology, though if she were honest with herself, she wouldn't claim she was bad at anything. Though, to put it softly, it was safe to say that she most certainly didn't have a green thumb. Though part of her was annoyed that she required help for the first time on a project, she was more than satisfied with who had volunteered to be her tutor.

She oftentimes found herself staring blankly at Neville, part of her had found it hard to believe that the once chubby and clumsy first-year that had been her only real friend in the entire castle had grown so much over the past three years, and not just in maturity. Due to the high humidity and temperature, rather than seeing Neville in a thick coat, the boy stood before her in a plain white shirt, the water in the air creating a slightly see-through effect that created a strong thumping in her chest.

Her eyes watched as Neville's arms, defined with lean muscle held a tiny tweezer gently in his hand as he went over the Wiggentree that Hermione had been struggling with the growth of over the past few weeks. Her concentration was broken as she heard a chuckle leave Neville's form, "So that's what's been going on."

"What's been going on?" Hermione asked approaching the Hufflepuff closer than she ever had before looking over his shoulder at the plant. She watched as Neville seemed to take something from the potted soil, lifting it in the air before cupping it between his palms.

"How much have you been watering the plant and feeding it?" Neville asked calmly.

"I've been following the textbook to the letter," Hermione said firmly, knowing for a fact it wasn't a directional error.

"That's the problem then," Neville said, and Hermione could hear the grin that had grown across his face. She stared at him blankly in confusion not sure where to even start with her line of questioning, but thankfully Neville began his explanation, "You'll probably have to start feeding and watering it a bit more, it's been eating for two recently."

"My tree is pregnant?" Hermione asked, her voice laced with complete confusion.

"Kinda," Neville said as he whipped around, his nose centimeters away from hers bringing a heated blush to her face, a blush she was thankful Neville hadn't noticed as his eyes were focused solely on whatever it was that was kept safely guarded between his hand. Carefully, Neville lifted his top hand away and in the center of his palm was what looked to be a flat-face stick figure made of bark and twigs with deep brown eyes that looked so full of life. "This, Hermione, is a Bowtruckle, they're normally not very big, but even comparatively, this one is a bit of a runt."

Hermione couldn't help but smile as she watched the stick figure spring to life, climbing higher and higher onto Neville's arm. "Normally, they live in little colonies on fully grown Wiggentrees, they share a symbiotic relationship with them. The bowtruckle eats any insects that may harm the Wiggentree, but in return, they also sap a bit of water from the soil. For fully grown trees, it's not much of an issue, but for a growing tree, it can be a bit problematic."

"Still," Neville said brightly, "You should feel pretty proud, Bowtruckles only choose Wiggentrees they believe have the best growth potential to live in, he may have been causing you a bit of trouble, but he certainly seems to think that your tree is worthy of an O."

"He's so tiny," Hermione said, unable to stop herself from gushing over the small creature despite it being the source of all her herbology stress, "But you said normally it lives with a colony, why do you think it got kicked out."

"Not all bowtruckles are nice," Neville said, "I've been down to the big Wiggentree on the Hogwarts grounds, I actually spent a lot of time there two years ago when you were- That's not important," Neville said quickly shifting directions, "Anyway, my guess is that this little guy was bullied out of the pack for being smaller than others, but he didn't give up, he found himself and new home, and I think, by the looks of it, it has been going pretty well."

"He was probably bullied, huh?" Hermione spoke to herself softly, "We both know how that feels." She shook the thoughts of her less pleasant years out of her head before she smiled, "Well that settles it then, I'm just going to have to make sure I feed you extra to make sure you grow big and strong."

A strange yet cheery chirping sound seemed to spring from the tiny branch as it moved gently from Neville's hand to hers bringing yet another subconscious smile to her face, "I think he likes that idea, Hermione." She nodded as Neville continued, "Well if you're going to be looking out for him, it might be worth giving him a name, just like you would any familiar."

"Hmm," Hermione mumbled, her mind racing through a lexicon of names that had come to mind, "You said it was kind of like the protector of trees, right? So how about the name Druid?" Once again, a cheerful chirp emerged from the small twig, and she felt herself beaming under the gaze of Neville's warm demeanor.

"I think that Druid," Neville said with a kind simper, "Is a big fan of his new name." Hermione began tickling the tiny twig causing sounds similar to laughter from the bowtruckle, "Seeing you hold it like that, it's almost like a mom coddling a child."

"That just made me feel way more responsible than I already did," Hermione said with a chuckle, "Fine though, if I'm the mom, you're the dad then, you're the one who found him after all."

"Fair enough," was all that Neville said as he looked down at her, his blue eyes locking with hers. A warm flush rose to his face as he looked away shyly, but nothing had made Hermione feel as happy as that moment that he'd stared at her, almost as if he thought that she was beautiful. "It's um, it's getting late, and I'm sure we both have things we need to take care of tomorrow so-"

"Neville," Hermione said, her voice soft and shaky, "Are you, um, are you thinking about going to the Yule Ball? I know you normally go home for Christmas to see your mom and dad, but I was just wondering if-"

"I don't know," Neville said with equal softness, "I don't really have a date yet, but I think I'd like to go, it sounds like it could be fun but-"

For a moment longer, Hermione stayed silent, until eventually, this wave of either anxiety or courage took over, and before she knew it, her mouth opened, "Neville, I know that I'm not as pretty as Hannah or Lavender or Claire, but I was wondering if you'd like to come with me to the Yule Ball?" She watched in horror as Neville's eyes widened in shock, and instantly, she began to feel nauseous, "I mean, it's okay if you say no. I- just forget about it ok-"

"You're beautiful Hermione," Neville said softly, and it felt as if all air had left her lungs, "But I've always thought that. You're smart, you're funny, you're talented, you are so much more beautiful than you think you are."

"But why did you-"

"Like Hannah?" Neville asked to which Hermione shamefully nodded, "I don't know. I was a chubby, dumb, and untalented wizard, the idea of you liking me was something that didn't make any sense to me so I looked elsewhere. I figured Hannah was pretty enough and if I got turned down by her, I wouldn't have lost anything. If I got turned down by you though, I would have lost a friendship that meant a lot to me." Hermione felt her breath hitch as Neville placed his hand on the small of her back bringing her even closer, "Sorry for me not being brave enough to tell you how I felt earlier," He whispered soothingly, "I hope this can make my feelings clear."

Hermione felt as if her body had been jolted with lightning as she felt Neville's lips press gently against hers. At first, her mind raced with nonsense and doubts, but Neville hadn't pulled away, and Hermione felt a surge of confidence race through her as she pushed back against Neville's lips, nibbling his bottom lip gently before pulling apart, their faces both flushed an embarrassed red, though with a smile resting firmly on their face. She watched Neville cautiously, searching for any hint of regret, but all she read from his expression was enthusiasm and with a playful tone he asked, "So, what color should I charm my tie?"

(Sirius P.O.V)

Screaming, the sound of agonized screaming echoed in Sirius' mind as he looked down at Emmeline now resting exhaustedly in her bed, a salve coating her arms in order to help regrow the skin that had been peeled off during the procedure. He wanted to reach out to her, to hold her, to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn't. He didn't want to hurt her, and she was in far too deep of a sleep for Sirius' words to penetrate her thoughts.

"She'll be alright, Sirius," He heard Remus whisper to him, his last remaining Marauder by his side.

"I know," Sirius said, "I know she's going to be fine, at least physically, but I don't know what to do anymore." He clenched his fist, "What kind of worthless man brings a child into the world at the brink of a war, a war in which he's one of the main targets?"

"This sounds like a familiar conversation, Padfoot, we've had it before. Don't you remember?" Remus said kindly, "That's what James said when he found out that Lily was pregnant." Sirius' eyes widened, it was true, he wasn't the first of the Marauder's to have found himself in such a perilous situation, but as he thought back on his late best friend, he wasn't sure if that was the greatest of examples. "Children," Remus continued, "They inspire hope, an ideal view of what the world could be, they make us fight harder, push ourselves further, they provide a light when the darkness becomes so overwhelming."

"You know it to be true," Remus said after a short pause, "Think back on it. How much harder did we fight when we found out Lily was expecting, how much harder did James fight? He wanted to leave behind a better world for his son, it gave him something to push forward towards when all hope seemed lost. Honestly, it might be hard to find a more powerful motivator than to protect one's child from danger." Sirius felt Remus tighten his grip around his shoulder, "We're going to win Padfoot, and when it's over, you, Em, and this child are going to live a wonderful and happy life, I'm certain of it."

"Plus," Remus said with a chuckle, "Imagine how much more driven Harry will become when he learns he has a little brother or sister to protect."

"Remus," Sirius said pausing a moment before he continued, "I was thinking, if you'll accept that is, about making you the boy's Godfather."

"I'm a werewolf, Sirius," Remus said, "Just because you don't think of me as a beast doesn't mean that the ministry will ignore that fact. Plus, I think if anyone deserves it, it's Andromeda and Ted, they did a fantastic job helping raise Harry and Tonks grew up well. It's a tried and true method." A smirk grew across Remus' face, "But don't you worry, I guarantee you I'll still end up as this kid's favorite uncle."

Sirius smiled before growing solemn once more, "I still haven't talked to Harry yet. It's been weeks since the raid, and I know Tonks told him that we're all okay, but I just didn't have the courage to face him. He's destined to face the Dark Lord, what right do I have looking at him with fear in my eyes?"

"Nobody is fearless Sirius, even us Gryffindors feel it sometimes, the trick is to not allow ourselves to dwell on it," Remus said warmly, "You're a brave and good man Sirius, but you need to learn to forgive yourself. We're at war, bad things are going to happen, and you won't be able to stop all of them. But if you allow the fear of loss to paralyze you from acting, this war is already lost. Every single one of us is ready to die for this cause if needs be. Don't stop us from doing our jobs just because the outcome could hurt."

It was silent as Sirius stared blankly at the ground, taking in his friend's words, his heart pounding in his ears. He turned his head, meeting Remus' warm green eyes and slowly he nodded, "You know, it's been so long since I've talked to Harry, I hardly even know what to say."

"I don't know," Remus said with a shrug, "Perhaps a good start would be, 'Hey Pup'," He said with his best Sirius impersonation, "Turns out I'm going to be a dad, ready for a kinda-sorta little sibling. I feel that'll be a good way to break the ice."

"Ha ha," Sirius laughed benignly, "When did you become such a comedian, Moony?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," He said with a smirk, "I've always been a riot, I just didn't get in as much trouble as you or James." Sirius smiled as he pulled a small black velvet box from his pocket opening it revealing a beautiful diamond ring resting inside it, with three tiny crows, the sigil of House Black engraved into the band. He saw his friend smile and nod, "She'll say yes, Sirius, of that I have no doubt."

A soft groan escaped the white-haired woman's lips and instantly, Sirius felt Remus rise out of his chair and smile, "It looks like she's waking up, I think I'll give you two some privacy." Sirius could hardly move as his eyes seemed to have become glued to Emmeline watching her slim frame begin to stir beneath the covers of the bed. I'm here Em, Sirius thought to himself, struggling to speak, I'm here.

"Sirius," Emmeline whispered, her voice scratchy and frail, but Sirius couldn't stop tears of joy from leaking down his cheeks as he leaned forward wrapping his hand gently around her so as not to hit any of the healing skin. Her purple eyes locked with his misty grey orbs as gently she whispered, "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" Sirius questioned frantically, "What do you have to be sorry for?"

"You're crying," Emmeline said softly, "I didn't want to make you worry."

"It's okay," Sirius said in between rapid breaths, "God it's okay, all that matters is that you're awake and alright." He ran his fingers through her long and tangled hair as he placed gentle pecks against her cheek, "I love you Em, I love you so much."

She smiled up at him, it was weak but certainly present, "Maybe I should nearly die more often if you're going to pamper me like this." Sirius smirked, hearing Em's snippy attitude again had sounded like music to his ear as he gently placed his palm on Emmeline's stomach, seeing as her eyes widen in shock as Sirius smiled brightly down at her.

"I'll treat you like royalty for the rest of your life if you promise never to go and nearly die on me again," Sirius said with a soft chuckle of his own, "I need you, and a boy needs his mother."

"So the doctors told you, huh?" Emmeline said a bit downtrodden, "It's not exactly how I imagined you finding out, but no use crying over spilled milk. Sorry, I didn't tell you earlier, I couldn't really think of a good time, everything was happening so fast and-"

"It's okay," Sirius said, "All that matters is that I know now, and you and the baby are safe."

Emmeline nodded with a smile, "I'll agree to your deal, but you have to promise me the same, okay?" Sirius stared warmly down at her as she placed her hand over his, "A baby girl does need her daddy after all."

"No," Sirius teased playfully, "It'll be a boy, just watch." He wrapped Emmeline's palm around his hand and squeezed it softly, "But that sounds like a deal to me, let's make it official though."

"Official?" Emmeline asked with confusion.

But before another word could escape Emmeline's mouth, Sirius bent down on his knee, "I want to live with you, I want you to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing I see before I go to sleep. I want to start a family with you, I want to raise my child beside you. I want you, Emmeline, now and forever. Will you, Emmeline Vance, do me the great honor, of becoming my wife?"

Tears began to drop fall on the linoleum floor as Emmeline nodded quickly a bright smile on her face. Sirius looked up with the best smile he could muster as Emmeline looked as if she was struggling for words. The two grinned at each other, refusing the break eye contact before finally, Emmeline's voice rang out... "Yes".