"Harry!" Remus scrambles slowly across the rubble that had only hours

before been his best friends' house. Tears were running down his dirty cheeks

leaving white lines. He could hardly see the bits of furniture and bricks that

had belonged in one of his favourite homes.

 

"Give him to me, Hagrid."

 

Remus peered over the pile of rock that had been the master bedroom.

Sirius and Hagrid were standing next to the doorstep. Hagrid held a pile of

blankets that were softly crying out.

 

"Professor Dumbledore gave me precise orders. He said-"

 

"Give him to me Hagrid. I'm his Godfather."

 

"You can contact Dumbledore in the morning. See what he says."

 

Sirius looked disappointed but smiled. "Take my bike. That'll get Harry

there safely." He said. Remus could just make out the following afterthought.

"I won't be needing it anymore."

 

"Thank you Mr Black." Hagrid said looking slightly confused. Mostly

probably trying to work out why Sirius wouldn't need his bike, his favourite

possession.

 

Sirius turned around after the bike had disappeared and began to climb

the rubble to where Remus was standing. "Moony!"

He came nearer and Remus started to move backwards. Remus' balance wasn't

quite as good as it had been and he tripped over an armchair and ended up on

his

backside in a pile of bricks.

 

"Remmie." Sirius sat down next to the young man. "Shh. it's alright."

Remus suddenly realised that the wails he could hear were his own and quickly

tried to shut up.

 

Sirius put one strong arm around him and helped him to his feet. Once

Remus had regained use of his feet Sirius' arm stayed there and Remus could

feel

himself relaxing into Sirius chest. He held onto Sirius arm. He hardly dared

to let go.

 

"Don't worry." Sirius whispered into his ear. I'll come back once I've

sorted something out. You're not going to get rid of me that easily. I'm here

for you." The hand that wasn't around his shoulders ran down onto Remus' large

abdomen. "Both of you."

 

Remus closed his eyes. Smiling. The arms slipped away and when he opened

his eyes again Sirius had gone. It wasn't until later that he found out what

he had to sort out.

 

 

"Did you here about Lupin?"

 

"What about him. I do hope the poor boy's alright."

 

"He was dating that 'Sirius Black'. They were engaged."

 

"Poor Remus. He must be ever so upset. Imagine."

 

"That's not all."

 

"What else?"

 

"He's-"

 

"What?"

 

Arabella Figg was staring at something over Molly Weasly's head. Molly

spun around and gasped. "Merlin!"

 

"It's the spawn of Black!" Arabella hissed and Remus Lupin disappeared

into Madam Malkins with a large tub of pickle-flavoured ice cream.

 

 

Before the end of the week the Daily Prophet had been alerted to the next

generation of black 'death eaters' and Rita Skeeter had jumped at the chance

to write an article.

 

 

SIRIUS BLACK LIVES ON

 

Many of us slept easier in our beds when Sirius Orion Black, rumoured to

be Voldermort's second, was captured and sentenced to life in Azkaban, but

your fears may return anew with the announcement that the next generation of

Black has already been conceived.

 

Sources have confirmed that Black's lover, a Mr Remus Julius Lupin, is

carrying the murder's child. Many respectable sources at the ministry of magic

have agreed that this child has the potential to be as ruthless and violent as

it's father.

 

There is also worry over whether or not Mr Lupin should be allowed to

have children. I interviewed some former classmates of Mr Lupin and Mr Black.

One

man went as far as to cal Mr Lupin 'a vicious monster with no respect for

rules'.

 

The child, a girl, isn't due until December and we will have to wait a

lot longer to see if she will be as vicious as her father. This reporter,

however, doesn't think we should wait to find out.

 

 

Molly Weasly put down the paper scowling. Her husband sat watching her

face wondering what she would do next.

 

"Arthur I would like you to seal the floo from messages from the Lupin

estate." She said getting up and walking over to the kitchen.

 

"But. Molly."

 

"No but's. I don't want such disgraceful people in my house. What will

the ministry think? What might happen to the children? I don't want his

corrupting our family."

 

"Don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Arthur asked meekly.

 

"Just seal the floo like I told you to Arthur." Molly said and Arthur

complied with a sigh.

 

 

Minerva McGonagall put down the Daily Prophet, tutting to the empty

classroom. Remus had been one of her favourite students. He was kind,

hardworking

and as brave as any Gryffindor. She wondered where it had all gone wrong.

 

 

Remus collapsed on to Sirius' bed. Sirius was gone and he was past

caring. He crumpled up the letter from his parents and threw it into the fire

where

the smiling faces of his beloved were being eaten by the flames.

 

"Stupid! That's what I was!" He cried to the empty house. "So very bloody

stupid!"

 

The faces slowly disappeared into the red fire and Remus watched quietly.

The perfect smiles of the one he loved, and hated, most. He sat for a moment,

lost in memories of the past and Sirius' promise that he was there, until he

was brought back to the cheerless present by a small foot in his ribs.

 

 

"Oh Fuck!" Remus cried. Why did this child have such bad timing? He was

in muggle London, just approaching Diagon Alley, but still in muggle London and

his waters had broken. Some old muggle ladies had stopped and were staring.

Everyone else just walked on by, including some wizards and witches he

recognised.

 

"Are you alright, dear?" one of the muggle women asked kindly. Remus

stared at her. He tried to get away but she had a firm grip on his arm, which

only

tightened when she saw how troubled he looked. He stared at her, eyes wide,

and she chuckled.

 

"Don't worry dear. Is it your first? It's always harder first time round.

Do you need to phone your husband? I suppose they'll have phones at the

hospital. You could call there. I suppose your husbands at work at the moment.

That's men, always at work leaving us girls at home."

 

"Father?" Remus squeaked. His head filled with memories of Sirius'

ecstatic shouting as he jumped around Lily and James' living room. "I'm gonna

be a

father!" he'd yelled and Remus had felt so proud.

 

"The father of the baby. I'm sure it has one. Imagine not having a

father!"

 

'Imagine' Remus thought. His baby wouldn't have a daddy. No one to look

after her on full moons, no one to take her to quidditch matches. His eyes

started to sting and he felt a sob coming.

 

"I've called an ambulance." A younger woman cried running up to him. He

blinked, half to rid himself or tears and half to work out what she'd said.

 

"Why?" he asked. His voice was shaking. He looked down in the direction

where his feet used to be and saw blood. "Oh." He said. 'Oh shit the baby's

coming! Get out of here Remus."

 

He began to run - or at least waddle as fast as possible - toward the

Leaky Cauldron and Diagon Alley beyond. He pushed through crowds of muggles and

could hear their mutterings.

 

"Ugly Cow! Thought she was a man."

 

 

Remus reached his own living room and breathed a sigh of relief before

bursting into tears of pain and humiliation.

 

His stomach seemed to be ripping itself apart, and although he'd read

about this happening, he hadn't expected it to hurt as much. It hadn't

mentioned

lots of blood though. Remus decided to ask advice from a friend. He crawled

over to the fire and called the first person he thought of when he thought of

children. The floo to the Weasley's was blocked.

 

He cursed Sirius more than ever before. Wished him dead 50 more times

than on the day after Halloween and came up with several knew insults which

would

have been very useful if he'd written them down. That was only one sentence.

 

Then he took it all back and wished Sirius was right there so he could do

what he was supposed to. He was meant to be here to hold him, and tell him it

would be alright, and that he loves him, and that he wasn't an ugly cow like

that woman said.

 

Instead he had a cold, empty room with only a mangy, stray cat for

company that seemed to be there to be fed and kept mewing. Stupid Cat!

 

Remus finally looked down at the three-inch hole at the bottom of his

abdomen. Another contraction hit and as he screamed, blood spurted out of the

hole. This wasn't at all right!

 

He one again tried Molly Weasley's floo but it was still blocked. He then

tried Grimmauld Place only to remember Sirius didn't live there anymore.

Finally, he called Hogwarts, to find himself face to face with an old

classmate,

Severus Snape.

 

"Good afternoon, Lupin." Severus Snape greeted him, with his usual sneer

in place.

 

"Good afternoon, Severus." He didn't have time for games. He was starting

to feel dizzy and so decided to hurry Severus up. "Severus! Get Poppy, Now!!"

he screamed as another contraction hit. Snape blinked. "Severus, Go!"

 

Snape stood there smirking. "Tut, tut Lupin. I always thought you had

better manners than that. Now lets try again."

 

Remus fought to concentrate on the Slytherin. He scowled weakly and after

sighing asked again. "Please, Severus could you, could you get Poppy,

Please." He asked. Severus just stood there.

 

"Much better Lupin."

 

"Quickly for Merlin's Sake!" Remus cried as his arms and legs finally

gave up and he fell backwards, out of the fire.

 

 

"Where is she?" Remus asked sitting up quickly and immediately regretting

it. Dumbledore smiled but his eyes didn't twinkle.

 

"Hush, child." Dumbledore said, lowering Remus onto the pillows. "Your

daughter is alive and well but-"

 

"Where is she?" Remus asked looking wildly around the room as if she

might be right there, as if Dumbledore hadn't said but.

 

"You know you wouldn't be allowed to keep her, Remus. No one can know who

she is." Dumbledore sighed. Remus looked down instead of having to meet those

eyes, which were meant to sparkle and tell you it would be all right.

 

"Where did she go?" he asked quietly. "Are they nice? What did they name

her?"

 

"The Lovegoods. They are a nice couple that really wanted a daughter.

She'll be very happy with them, Remus. Her name is.. It's the one you chose for

her." Albus smiled at the younger wizard who was mouthing the name. Remus

finally smiled back though tears were rolling down his cheeks.

 

"It was easier this way Remus, easier never to have known her. If you

could see her you might never have let go."

 

Albus left and Remus went back to staring at the duvet, his finger

tracing four letters over, and over. "Luna"