Luckily Moira had taken over the divination class for the rest of the school year, although she still checked up on her constantly, making sure all of her notes were clear enough and that Moira didn’t need anything. Moira, bless her heart, had taken it all very well, apparently realizing that it wasn’t Cat doubting her ability to take over the class, but more a case of nerves and hormones.

“Sirius, psst, Sirius” Calli hissed softly.

Sirius stared over at her, seeing her signalling him to look down. Cat had already fallen asleep, Siobhan and Orpha had warned him this would happen more and more often as her delivery date approached, but he never thought she could drop off so fast. Taking the glass from her and handing it to Calli, he nodded to Harry as he opened the door to the hallway. “Good night” Harry grinned as Sirius carried Cat up to their bed, “don’t worry about Edana, Calli and I will make sure she eats and get her to bed.”

Siri nodded and smiled back at Harry, he was such a good boy, a son that would make any father proud. If only James and Lily could see him now, if only they could know what a fine young man he was. Sirius shook the thoughts out of his head as he felt the tears welling in his eyes. This was no time to be crying, it was a time for joy and for thanks, Cat was only a week or two away at best from having their baby. Everyone was safe and healthy, and while Voldemort hadn’t been defeated yet, he certainly wasn’t gaining any ground either.

Placing Cat gently on the bed, Sirius shook his head as he realized she had been barefoot again, he had been teasing her about the whole ‘barefoot and pregnant’ thing, at least until she started throwing things at him. Obviously the mood swings during the later trimesters were NOT something to play with. Crawling in bed next to her, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against him, his free hand instinctively went to her belly as he drifted off to sleep.

Just as he was about to fall into a deep sleep, Sirius’s eyes popped open. Her belly!!!! Where was her belly? Where was their baby?!! “Cat?! What happened, where is she?” he yelled.

“Hmmmm, what?” Cat murmured softly as her eyes fluttered open, only to close almost as quickly as she fell back asleep.

Sirius felt the terror in his chest whoosh out with his breath, it had been a dream, the baby wasn’t gone, she didn’t even have a belly, at least not yet. “I think I’ve lost my mind.” he whispered softly as he kissed her, “you’ve got to make an honest man of me, Cat. I can’t keep living with dreams like this, they’re just too real.” he sighed. He wondered if Cat would like his dreams even half as much as he did. Come to think of it, he wondered what she dreamt about, period. Did she dream of having a family with him? Or did she dream of Snape instead, reliving the physical proof of his affections for her over and over again.

Feeling her snuggle even closer against him, he pushed all thoughts of his rival from his mind. She was here with him, she had the power and the authority to bring Snape to Fernglennis if she ‘really’ wanted to. She could have insisted Rick bring him back last night if she had a mind to, but she didn’t, she took him by his hand and asked him to stay with her. That had to mean something, it just had to.

Feeling the need to prove to himself that Cat still cared deeply about him, Sirius slowly and deliberately ran his hand down her stomach, where he remembered her belly being from his dream. He smiled with satisfaction as he felt her body respond to him with soft sighs and warmth. “Mo gra” he whispered as he kissed her lips tenderly, thrilling as she returned his kiss.

Cat felt the world swirling around her, covering her with warmth and adoration as she awoke from her dreams. Her senses were overwhelmed by the scent of desire and the soft press of her flesh against another’s. Battling against her body, Cat willed herself to wake up, only to feel herself smothered by passionate kisses. “Sirius?” she gasped as she fought weakly against him. What was he doing? And what were they doing here?

Suddenly everything came rushing back to her, Rick’s visit, Severus’s letters, and then, the box full of letters from her friends. Lily’s statement that Sirius was unwed - the knowledge of which would have prevented this entire painful situation that she found herself in. James’ letter, reiterating how much Sirius loved her, how much it had hurt him that she hadn’t been there for the wedding, how he waited for her. Even Sirius’s mother had snuck a letter in, one that told her how desperately her son missed her, how frightened she was that he would do something rash, how his godson was the only thing he felt he had to hold onto since she had left.

And then there were the letters from Sirius himself; painful, heartfelt letters, begging her to forgive him, to give him another chance, apologizing for everything. But it had been the dainty golden ring in the last one that had sent her tottering over the emotional edge. It had dropped onto her lap as she opened the letter, the moment she touched it to see what it was, she heard Sirius’s voice in her ears. He was asking her to marry him, offering her this ‘promise’ ring until he could find her and fulfil his vows to her.

Her head began to swim again as she realized anyone of those letters would not only have prevented her leaving with Severus, but would have spurred her into finding a way through the barriers that had been placed between their worlds. Poor Severus, she couldn’t just abandon him, it was bad enough that she had used him like that. Although she had to admit to herself that she still carried more than fondness in her heart for him. A thought that left her feeling confused and ashamed as Sirius continued to kiss her……..

Draco looked longingly out of the windows of his mansion, he couldn’t wait for school to start up again. He needed to get away from his father and the constant fear he instilled in everyone. Sighing deeply, Draco turned from the window and looked into the mirror, scowling as the deep purple bruises on his cheek and neck stared back at him almost mockingly. He had made the nearly fatal error of intervening in one of his parent’s now infamous rows and he had paid the price. He pined for the cool comfort of the Slytherin common room, the slightly worn furniture that made him feel so at home, and even Snape’s critical voice as he berated a student over their carelessness for losing house points.

Although even he had to admit, Snape just hadn’t been himself this year, not since that new teacher arrived. They had all seen the look on his face when that oaf, Hagrid, had brought her into the great hall. It was an odd cross between seeing the ghost of someone you though was dead and gone, and seeing your dearest wish come to life. Draco had silently wondered which one was closer to the truth, but that became all to obvious over the next few days. It was disgusting, the way he would follow around after her, all but simpering over her. Where was their proud and arrogant head of house, the one who was so assured and determined. What had she done to him?

Not that it mattered much anymore, not if the rumours were true. He picked up the parchments from the table and re-read them again. It appeared Pansy and Padma Patil had become talkative over the holidays and according to Padma’s sister Parvati, there were some very interesting rumours circulating regarding Potter and that Sidhe teacher. If what Pansy had heard was correct, he would never have to worry about saint Potter again. The Sidhe had trapped him, and he would never, ever return to Hogwarts, or anywhere else again. And to make the news even sweeter, it seemed that the DaDA teacher, Lupin had gone after Potter to try and protect him, and neither of them had been heard from since.

Hearing yet another angry volley rising up from the rooms below him, Draco wondered if Potter had any idea how lucky he was not to have parents. No one to scream and yell at you, no one to strike you for any indiscretions, real or imagined. No one to fail, no one to shame…no one to have to protect from the other…..

“Gra, tell me what happened” Sirius asked as he nuzzled against her neck, planting a few tender kisses on her throat, he wanted to push her further, so much further, but he was all to mindful of what she had been like only a few hours earlier. “Please tell me it wasn’t my letters. I swear I had no idea …. I thought you had gotten them years ago” he lowered his voice as he turned his eyes from her. “I thought you had ignored them, I figured you were still angry with me.” he was unsure what to do as Cat remained silent. “Gra, please, say something….anything.”

But she didn’t say anything, Cat’s mind was still too full of images of their past. The love, the joy, the pain; everything they had shared, it had all been stolen from them. Hearing his voice but not registering what he was saying, Cat did the only thing that made sense to her at the moment. She snuggled tightly against him, finding comfort in his arms as her overtaxed mind tried to make sense of the last twenty years of their respective lives. From the moment her father had told her about Uncle Alby’s school to this very second, what had it all meant, what had it been for? She barely felt the tears running down her face, or Sirius wiping them, but she most certainly felt his lips against hers, as if attempting to coax her back into the world they shared. It was all she could do to whisper his name “Sirius”.

“Catrianna” he whispered back, kissing her tenderly as he tried to get her to open her eyes and look at him. “Look at me, gra, please. You’re breaking my heart with all of these tears. At least tell me why you’re crying, let me help you if I can.” He cringed as he saw her shake her head, although his pain was eased slightly as she buried her head against his chest. He closed his eyes as he stroked her hair, he didn’t want to push her, but he wasn’t willing to give up yet either. “Do you know why you were crying?” he asked softly, relieved as she nodded her head.

“Did I do something, Cat? Now or in my letters?” he froze as he heard her sniffle softly. “I swear to you, Catrianna, I thought you had gotten those letters years ago, I had no idea……” he buried his face in her hair. “I’m so sorry, I don’t even remember everything I wrote in them, it was so long ago. It was before Azkaban, before Lily and James….. Please, gra, talk to me, tell me what I‘ve done.”

“The ring” Cat replied so softly that he wasn’t even sure he had heard her.

“The ring? Which ring Cat? My Father’s?” he asked, wishing he had had the opportunity to go to his home and return it to her. “You know no one else but you has worn it, not even me. I couldn’t bear to look at it after you gave it back.” Seeing her shake her head no as she shuddered out another deep sigh, Sirius kissed her forehead and tried again. “You don’t mean the engagement ring, do you? I didn’t even think you knew about that until I mentioned it the other….”

“No, not that ring. ….This ring” Cat whispered as she reached down, pulling the delicate golden band from her pocket.

Sirius’s eyes misted over as he took the ring from her. He had completely forgotten about it, the memory had been yet another casualty of Azkaban and the dementors. But now, seeing it once more, the memories came flooding back to him. He had researched the spells for weeks, practicing them over and over until he had them perfect, the words, the intonation, everything had to be just right. Oddly enough, it had been Lily who had found the ring, she had been window shopping in Diagon Alley, waiting for he and James to get back to the Ministry after another raid.

James had snuck up behind her, startling her and making her giggle, Sirius had smiled, but it had pierced his heart, it had reminded him of the way he and Cat used to carry on. Lily must have seen the look in his eyes, because the next words out of her mouth were about the rings in the display window of Gemini Jewels. She had specifically commented on how much Cat would love one ring in particular; she pointed out the dainty golden band with the delicate scroll work etched into it. James had laughed, stating that she, like any other woman, would like one with a stone in it more. But Lily simply shook her head, stating that she knew her sister and ‘that’ was the ring she would fancy most of all. James had commented later that he hadn’t seen Sirius move that quickly since their Quidditch days, because within the space of only a few seconds, he had dashed inside the store and immediately bought the ring.

He had kept it next to his heart for days, only parting with it to cast each part of the spell upon it. But finally, one full moon and a fortnight later, it was ready. It would speak for him, it would burst into life the moment Cat touched it, asking her to accept itself as a token of his love, and as a promise that he would marry her as soon as he found her, and it would say all of this in his own voice.

“Cat?” Sirius whispered, wondering if it had been ring alone that had caused her so much pain. “Cat?….Please gra,…..don’t hide from me, …talk to me..” he insisted as he shifted her in his arms so she could no longer hide her face from him. “I sent it because I couldn’t find you. I swear, I would have asked you myself if I …”

“You were so sad” she whispered, interrupting him. “I felt your heart breaking more and more every time it repeated…” she sniffled softly as she tried to compose herself. “I felt as if all the pain we had gone through were suddenly made clear to me at once. And I couldn’t bear it, but I kept hearing your voice, so sad and yet so hopeful at the same time. I could feel the love you poured into the ring trying to find a way inside of me. And I realized that you still loved me, after the dance, after all the pain…. You had everything you could ever want; money, social standing, a bright future ahead of you, friends and family around you, but you were sad because you didn’t have me….”

“Gra, I’ve been telling you that for weeks.” Sirius sighed, “Haven’t you been listening?” he wanted to make a joke, to see her laugh, but words failed him as he saw the strange look in her eyes.

“Yes, I’ve heard you, I’ve listened to every word you’ve ever said to me.” she stated softly, “But I’ve always been afraid to believe you, I have so many doubts about so much….”

“What? What do you doubt, Kitten?” he asked as he kissed her softly. “Do you doubt me? My sincerity?”

“Your motivation.” she admitted as her fingertips traced the outline of his jaw.

“My motivation? I don’t understand…”

“You are alone now, I know that. You yourself have told me that you are hunted as a murderer of the worst kind by the wizarding world. You lost your name, your fortune….even your family. I was the only person who never cared about the Ministry; their laws; their decrees mean nothing to me…..and then…..when I saw you…….Gods Sirius, you looked as if you had been three days in the grave….” she shuddered.

“So you thought I only wanted you now because you were the only woman who might possibly want me?” he asked, a slightly accusing tone in his voice.

“Can you promise me beyond all doubt, that if Azkaban never happened to you, if you had remained free and wealthy that you would still be single, still ‘waiting’ for me to return? Can you?”

“I can promise you that I would have found you, Catrianna.” Sirius stated adamantly. “Azkaban didn’t change my mind about you. I wanted you before they stole my life, and I want you now, … still….always. All the Ministry did was delay the inevitable.” he smiled as he saw the glimmer of hope returning to her eyes. “Cat, did I ever tell you what the letter my father left me said?” seeing her shake her head ‘no‘, Sirius grinned even wider. “He wrote that I had his permission AND approval to marry you, he gave us his blessing….and that box that came with it? It was my grandmother’s ring, your engagement ring.” He kissed her happily as he saw her finally smile. “And do you know what else he wrote?…. He told me to wait until we graduated before having children…..if he only knew how long we‘ve waited, I think he would have left that part out.” Sirius felt tears of relief falling from his own eyes as he saw Cat toss her head and groan at his last comment.

“Sirius, don’t do it… don’t got there.” she pleaded softly, only to fall quiet as he kissed her deeply. Part of her wanted to push him away, tell him the rest of the reason she had so many doubts. Explain to him that she had gone with Severus and why. Tell him about her fears and concerns over he and Harry, ask him what he would truly do if she was carrying Severus’s child. But she didn’t have the strength or the courage to do it, not now, not yet. Instead, she succumbed to her body’s impulses, returning Sirius’s kisses as their arms enfolded one another……

“I don’t believe she could be the one doing all of this.” Tris whispered as she leaned against Orpha. “I know she has her own agenda but to go so far as to see someone like Sirius killed.”

“She’s sacrificed far more than him in the past, just look at Kitty, and Diedre, and Anna, the list goes on and on, Tristessa. What makes you think she wouldn’t sacrifice an outsider if she felt it was necessary? And then, to put that box in my closest, making it look as if I was the one who hid those letters from her” she fumed.

“So, are you going to do it? Are you going to send Kitty and the others to Dia for a visit. And do you honestly think Deo can protect them from Maharet?”

“Of course, Dia and Deo are one in the same, the land and the man are inseparable. Whatever he wishes, the land will do; whatever the land needs, he will become.” Orpha replied almost casually, “And you know how he feels about our clan, he’s wanted a full alliance for at least a century or more. Shielding our own Rion and her son from our enemies. It’s a feather in his cap, anyone trying to steal power from him will immediately back down for fear of what Clan MacLeod will do to them.”

“So it’s a win, win situation???…..do you really believe that, Orpha?” Tris asked sombrely.

“I believe he will do whatever is necessary to keep us on his side. And don’t forget, that albino dragon of his is due to wake up soon, and only the Rion can sing him back to sleep.” she added, winking at Tris “In scientific circles, I believe this would be referred to as a mutually symbiotic relationship.”

“And where, exactly, did you pick up that term?” Tris asked, a look of utter confusion on her face.

Orpha smirked, “I got bored waiting for you and Luke to finish your discussion, and the only thing around to read was one of Zach’s text books. Although what makes him so fascinated with human science is quite beyond me.”…..

“Please, Cat, take the ring back” Sirius pleaded as he tried to place in on her finger, “it was meant for you and you alone.” He saw her hesitate for a moment before curling her fingers into fists. “Cat” he sighed, “why?”

“There’s just so much to explain, we need to talk, Sirius. We need time alone, when I know we won’t be interrupted. There are things you need to know before you ask me to accept any ring from you.” Cat replied, her eyes full of unspoken emotions.

“Are you saying you won’t accept the ring? Or you won’t accept it now?” he asked, holding his breath as he waited for her to reply.

“Now, I can’t accept it now. Sirius, its so important that we talk…”

“When?” he demanded.

“When can we talk or when will I accept the ring?”

“Both. I’m not willing to put this off forever, Cat. Neither of us are getting any younger, and I honestly don’t think its possible for me to love you anymore than I already do. So….unless you have doubts about your feelings for me…?” he asked, almost hesitantly. It concerned him that she didn’t answer him, but the feel of her soft hands caressing his face as she pulled him closer and kissed him did wonders to soothe his worries. “I hate it when you don’t answer me.” he sighed as he returned her kisses, losing himself in her glorious warmth.

They snuggled for several more minutes before Sirius sighed as he rolled over onto his back. “I suppose we should make an appearance downstairs, your clan is more than slightly concerned about you, you know. Besides if we fall asleep again and I have another one of those dreams, you’re going to accept your ring whether you agree to it or not.” he teased.

“Oh, having ’those’ sort of dreams, are you?” she teased back curling up next to him, unwilling to let the softness between them end just yet.

Sirius snorted, “No, not exactly one of ‘those’ dreams, Cat. But it was wonderful all the same. You, Harry, Calli, Edana and I were all together, living in your home at Hogsmeade. And you, my love, were extremely pregnant,” he added, staring at her as she turned the most charming shade of pink. “in fact, it was so real that when I woke up I went to put my hands on your belly, and yelled out when it was gone.” he added as he placed a hand over her abdomen, eliciting a soft gasp from her lips.

“Is something wrong, gra?” he asked, his brow knitted in worry. “You aren’t hurt are you?”

Cat smiled weakly and shook her head, “No, just old injuries, I get a little skittish sometimes is all.” she lied. “But I think you’re right, we should go downstairs, Orpha and Lia are probably pacing the floor as we speak. Do they know….”

“Lia sent for both Aunt Orpha and me, I brought you up here. Oddly enough Tris was in your bed, she mixed up a potion and we got you to drink it, it calmed you down enough that you could sleep. I’m sure she’s told Orpha and Lia everything by now, besides, if there were any real worries, you and I both know this room would be full of people right now.” he added, kissing her cheek as they both laughed.

“They trust you very much, you do realize that, don’t you?” she asked as she felt his strong arms wrapping around her once more, pulling her close to his chest. “To leave you here with me, basically unconscious and defenceless, they trusted you not to..”

“I know, I know…and heaven help me, I came through again.” he sighed, “You know, my hard earned reputation as a scoundrel and trouble maker have been completely shot to Hades over this past week.” he laughed as Cat swatted him, making some unintelligible comment. “Come on, lets get going…. Hey, as long as I’m being all ‘clannish’ and all, I might as well play my part correctly.” he cleared his throat and with the most serious expression on his face, looked her straight in the eyes and asked “So, are you hungry?” even he couldn’t hold in his smile as Cat groaned loudly at him.

“Siobhan you are NOT. And if you must know, no, I’m not exactly hungry, but I have the strangest urge for some chocolate milk. It must be Tris’s potion” she mused, “I haven’t wanted chocolate milk since …..since I can’t remember when, I must have been a teenage last time I had any.” she commented as she sat up and threw back the covers.

“Hmmmm, ‘urges’ for food, emotional swings, kinda hard to tell if your swelling anywhere.” he stated as he gave her the once over. “Why, Cat, are you ‘positive’ that isn’t a ‘craving’ for chocolate milk?” He was planning to tease her much more, but he fell silent as he saw her flush red, only to turn rather pale. He quickly wrapped his arms around her, as much to support as comfort her. “Hey, whoa….you don’t look so good, gra. Are you alright? Do you need to lay down?”……

Fang shook his head as he saw the bloody mess in the dorm, Kara did the right thing in coming to get him. “Where are they now, girls?” he asked as he looked to the twins. “We have to find them before they kill each other.”

Kara and Regeane shook their heads as they looked out of the window. “Best as we can figure, Cash chased Raul into the forest. Do you really think he’s going to kill him? I heard Rick and Hamish talking about what happened to the last primogen, they say Cash killed him too.”

“Slow down girls, Cash hasn’t killed him yet.” Fang reminded them as he motioned for them to follow him. “Kara, find the other Gangrels, we have to stop him before he does anything rash. Regeane, you come with me, oh, and if anyone passes an elf on the way, make sure they send someone to clean this up. The last thing we need is a student seeing this.” he added.

As they dashed down the secret passages that led outside, Fang began wondering when ‘he’ had suddenly become the responsible one. Perhaps Mohrg was right, maybe the changes into an alpha were much more than physical after all. As much as the new changes confused and irritated him, they also gave him a strange sense of comfort, he was beginning to feel more self-assured, more confident in his decisions; although he still found himself flowing with relief now that he had Cash to rely on once again, and it seemed he could add Mohrg to his list of confidants as well.

In any case, all he knew right now was that he had to get to Cash, and pray that he could calm his friend down before anyone else died. He knew that in his heart, Cash hadn’t gone to Raul with the intent to kill, but after the last few weeks here, all the turmoil, the betrayal, the Tremere, and lets face it, Raul‘s hurtful remarks regarding Roel hadn‘t help anything….. Fang’s mind flashed back to the night that he first arrived at Hogwarts, the night that Slytherin brat had cursed Angel’s sword, turning it to glass and nearly getting her killed. It had been Cash and Sirius that had prevented the little monster from being slaughtered then, their cool heads had prevailed, saving the life of both the brat and his teacher. And now, it looked like it was his turn to return the favour…..

Tris plodded through the house, her mind reeling with everything she had recently learned regarding Maharet’s treatment of certain members of the clan. She needed something to distract her, something to take her mind off of the hundreds of different thoughts that was racing through it at the moment. She needed Remus.

A soft smile lit across her face as she pictured him smiling at her, a twinkle in his eye as he made a joke about something or another. Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard Remus’s voice from behind one of the doors, but it sounded anything but happy, in fact, he sounded downright irritated.

“Son of a……ugh…, how does Padfoot manage these things?” Remus groaned as he shook the droplets off of his hands.

“Here you go, Remus, use this.” Harry suggested, handing a towel to his friend as he and Calli looked on in dismay. “Should I go and find one of the girls? I bet Tris would be glad to….”

“No, good gods that’s all I’d need, for her to see me like this.”

“Like what?” Tris asked as she entered the room, only to stop dead in her tracks as she surveyed the scene before her. “Remus? What happened?” she asked, doing her best not to laugh at him.

“Our precious little Edana happened.” he deadpanned, as he wiped his face yet again. “I know little boys can do that, but please…PLEASE tell me how a little girl can do it?”

Tris took one look at the half naked Edana, the rather wet Remus and the two kids and completely lost her composure. “Oh no, Remus, she didn’t…”

“She most certainly did, and I don’t find it very funny.” he retorted. “Now if you can managed to stop laughing long enough to help me, I would be very appreciative.”

“Very appreciative, huh? Well, normally I’d ask for a kiss, you know, as payment. But I think I’ll collect on that a bit later, for some reason the thought just isn’t very appealing at the moment.” Tris shot back, grinning mischievously as Remus turned a deep shade of pink, as much from her comment as from the laughter of Harry and Calli.

“That comment well may come back to haunt you, Miss MacLeod.” Remus groused as he threw the damp towel back at Harry, making some comment about not encouraging her. “Besides, never once did I claim to know how to change a nappy. I can keep them occupied, rock them to sleep, I can even manage to teach them something every once in a while, but this is well beyond my scope. So help me, when I find Sirius…”

“He’s busy.” Tris replied quickly, turning away from Remus as she went to the bare Edana. “Its alright, Calli, you can let go of her now,” she stated as Calli took her hands off of the baby’s chest. “she’s not doing much rolling around yet anyway.”

Giving Harry a signal to leave the room with Calli, Remus waited until the door was closed behind them before turning to Tris. “What’s going on? He went to talk to Kitty about something, and that was hours ago..”

“I know, I’m sorry. He asked me to tell you what was happening, but I got caught up with Orpha and Lia…… I had no idea things had gotten so bad.” She continued changing the baby’s nappy as Remus hit her with dozens of questions. By the time she was done changing Edana and all of her clothes, she had explained the whole situation to Remus. “Are you going to be alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I will be…..its just…. I remember him telling me about Maharet, she was showing him things. Family histories, pictures….all sorts of stuff, he’d never really go into any detail, but it sure didn’t sound as if she had anything against him.” Remus sighed as he sat down, holding out his arms for Edana as Tris joined him. “I don’t get it, Tris. What could have happened to make her opinion of him change so much.”

“The only thing I can think of is Kitty. I’m guessing Maharet liked him as a ….uhm… ‘choice’ for some of Kitty’s cousins, but NOT for Kitty herself.”

“Why?! What’s the difference? They love each other, they should be allowed to…” Remus fell quiet as Tris placed her fingertips over his lips.

“First of all, don’t yell, it’s going to be hard enough to keep everything from Maharet as it is, we don’t need you advertising. Secondly, you know as well as I do that Kitty is bound by clan law, and that she needs to have children of her own. I know she loves Harry as if she carried him herself, and the clan will accept him as such. But she needs a daughter from her own womb. She needs to pass the power within her blood to her own daughter.”

“And……? Are you trying to tell me that Sirius can only have sons or something?”

“No, ….. I honestly think its because his blood is too strong.” Tris sighed, “My only guess is after getting to know Sirius, Maharet realized how powerful he truly was, and feared what may happen if he and Kitty ever have children together. I don’t know if its true or not, but it’s the only thing that makes sense to me.”……..

“Orpha, my dear, we need to talk.” Merlin said as he stood, stone-faced, behind her. “Things have just gotten more interesting than I had ever thought possible.”

“How so? Or are you talking about the little ‘surprise’ that was left in my closet?” Orpha scowled.

Raising an eyebrow, Merlin shook his head, “I haven’t heard anything about that, but you seem well enough…. I trust you are unharmed.”

“Oh, ‘I’m’ fine. Its your god daughter who was hurt by it.” seeing the look of worry on his face, she explained. “It seemed someone has been keeping many, many things from her. Including old letters from her friends, letters that would have ensured that she and Sirius would have found their way back to each other. Even a letter from Lily, begging her sister to return to her and raise her son.”

“Her sister…” Merlin mused, “Orpha, do you think they ever realized how true that term of endearment between them was? Do you think they suspected the truth about their father?”

“How could they? Even we were unaware of it for years. And have you ever heard Kitty refer to Magnus as anything other than her father? No, she has known no other father but him, and even though Mac Lir tells me Magnus knows the truth, I know he would never tell her. She is the apple of his eye, his little girl, his princess…it would kill him if she ever found out.”

Nodding his head in agreement, Merlin took Orpha’s hand in his own as he sat next to her. “I have even more interesting news to add into this little opera of ours. I went to see this professor of hers, I wanted to see what it was that ‘she’ saw in him…”

“And???”

“Apparently the same thing she sensed in Sirius, “ he nodded his head as he heard Orpha gasped loudly “I had almost forgotten about him, I had thought that if I could force him out of my mind, Maharet would never find out about him and he would be safe. It wasn’t until I got a close look at him, that I was able to touch him that I realized he was one of my own.”

Orpha’s eyes grew large as she realized exactly what this meant. “So if she ‘is’ carrying his child, this baby is in every bit as much danger as her last one was.” Now it was Merlin’s turn to looked shocked and confused. “Tris and I spoke at great lengths today. The only reason we could think of for Maharet’s actions were that the mixing of your blood with ours would have resulted in a child that was impossible for her to control. After all, Maharet has been so bleeding thorough about mixing the blood just right…..you do realize that Lily and Kitty’s father was one of yours as well, don’t you?”

Merlin nodded, “Yes, much to my shame and misfortune, I do know this. That is why he tried to kill out the rest of my line. He’s a very bright man, he discovered early on that every time one of my line dies, the survivors grow in strength.”

“Then that means that this professor, Kitty’s professor has been hidden from everyone. You, Maharet, that madman of hers….”

Merlin smirked, “Yes, hidden from all of us for many, many years. Leave it to Kitty to sniff him out, she probably doesn’t even realize it herself, but she’s as drawn to my blood as I am. Its only natural that she would take a husband, or in this case, a lover, from my descendants. Speaking of which, where is my little girl now? You mentioned she was hurt earlier.”

“Yes, according to Tris and Lia she was quiet a wreck. Lia had Sirius go to her before she came to see me” a warm smile crossed her lips as she continued. “He really does love her, you know. To hear Lia tell it, he all but dropped to his knees before gathering her in his arms and taking her away.” she smirked. “Luckily Tris is a bit less romantically inclined, according to her version Kitty was in such a state she couldn’t walk or even talk. She mixed a sleeping potion for her while Sirius tried to calm her down. I must say, though, I have never heard Tris speak so well of Sirius prior to today. He must have truly impressed her with his concern.”

“Is Kitty alright now? Do I need to go to her?” Merlin asked, half standing as he moved towards the door.

“Sit down and relax, our dear boy, Sirius, has worked his magic yet again. They are currently in the kitchen with Harry, Calli, Remus, Paddy and Edana, drinking chocolate milk of all things,” she groaned as she rolled her eyes. “I have the feeling she’ll be heading up to bed shortly though, she looks like she’s been through the ringer.”