“See how you like it, you big bully.” she laughed, pinching his biceps as he tried to pin her down.
“Hey…. Stop… Cat, so help me….What will your brothers say?” he gasped between laughing and wrestling with her.
“Depends on whether you tell them the truth, or whether you tell them a story” she grinned wickedly.
“Oh, yeh, what sort of story would explain all these marks?” he asked as he finally succeeded in pinning her down, her arms firmly restrained above her head.
“Hickies?” she suggested innocently, batting her eyelashes.
“Hickies?….Love bites? Wonderful, either I admit you got the better of me, or your brothers thump me for….” His sentence was cut short as Cat lifted her head and kissed him squarely on his lips. He felt his body shudder with delight as he relaxed against her. Releasing her arms, he heard himself sigh as she embraced him, deepening the kiss as his hands travelled along her curves.
“Rules” she sighed softly, kissing his neck as she place one of her hands over his, stopping him in his tracks.
“Rules?” he repeated, not sure if he liked the sound of the word.
“Yes. Rule one, if you want to act like we’re married, that’s fine, to a point. No hanky-panky until I know if I’m with child or not. And act like a gentleman in front of my family, please.”
“Agreed.” Siri grinned, kissing the crown of her head.
“Rule two, do NOT tell Harry, Calli or the others that we ARE getting married. You haven’t even asked father, and I don’t want Harry to get his hopes up until after father approves of you.”
“Also agreed to.”
Rule three, if and when we go back to Hogwarts, you MUST be kind to Severus. This is going to be hard enough on him……and on me.” Cat whispered “You ‘know’ I never would have left with him if I didn’t care very much for him. It will break my heart to have to tell him….”
“What if you ‘are’ carrying his baby, Cat? Will you tell him its his?” Sirius asked, “Or will you let everyone think its mine? After all, I will be the one raising her…..won’t I?”
Cat took a deep breath, only to let it out as a deep sigh a few seconds later. “I honestly don’t know what I’m going to do, Siri. I don’t want to hurt him anymore than I already have, and I ‘think’ ….. oh hell, I don’t know what I think. I know either way its going to break his heart. I know he wants to have a family, he misses his daughter so much.”
“His daughter?” Sirius paused, wracking his brain, had he even known Severus Snape had a child, or was it a lost memory. He certainly couldn’t picture any child, or any wife either, come to think of it. “I don‘t……he has a daughter?”
Cat shook her head, “Had….he had a daughter, she was killed, so was his wife and mother.” she explained softly. “He wants to be a father again so badly, I could tell by listening to him, watching the way his eyes lit up, ….. She was the centre of his world, Siri. I know you’ve never seen it, but Severus does have a very tender heart. He’s just very hard to get close to is all.” she insisted, snuggling against Siri as she felt him tense at her words.
“Do we…. ‘are’ we going to go back to the school? I seemed to recall Cash stating it was too dangerous to allow any of us to return.” he asked, an almost hopeful tone to his voice. “I know Harry may be upset at first, but I know he would gladly give up what he has there for his family here.” He waited for her to reply, an uncomfortable silence filling the room.
“I don’t know, Siri. So much is up in the air right now.”
“Alright, lets try an easier question, then” Siri asked, “If you are having a baby, how soon will we be able to tell? I know there are all sorts of tests and spells and …well, …stuff.” He smiled with relief as he heard Cat giggling softly.
“Stuff? My, how technical you are.” she commented, shaking her head “And yes there are, but its still far too early to try. At best, I couldn’t be more than two weeks along.”
“You’re THAT sure of the time frame?” Sirius questioned, seeming rather surprised.
Cat blushed brightly as she avoided Siri’s eyes. “We were only together for two days…..well a night and part of a day if you want to get technical….rather a narrow window.” she stated, clearing her throat and looking anywhere but at him.
Sirius smirked slightly as he saw how uncomfortable Cat was discussing the matter with him, he knew he should be upset, or angry, or at the very least hurt. But for some reason, he simply found her discomfort endearing. “Alright, narrow window…. Go on, why is it too early…. I mean, either you are or you aren’t, right?”
“In a black and white world, sure.” she deadpanned, “So, how technical of an explanation do you want? Do I need to explain all the chemical and hormonal changes that take place when a woman becomes pregnant and her body has to alter its self in order to make room for a child that will grow from a nearly microscopic speck to an armful of joy in a year? Or will, ‘its still a bit early to tell’ suffice?”
“Can you find something in between those two?” he asked, a bit dumbfounded. “Because we seem to have the mood swing thing down pat.” he added.
“I’m sorry, I just have a lot on my mind is all.” Cat replied softly. “I didn’t mean to sound cross.”
“And as soon as I figure out how to tell you, I will, I promise.” Cat swore……..
“Harry, are you sure your cousin is going to be alright?” Arthur asked, “I still can’t believe the twins did that to her. It was completely uncalled for.” he added, the tone in his voice betraying how upset he truly was at their prank.
“Don’t worry about Sara,” Meg advised, “worry about the twins. She’s the sort to get even and then some. And if you had any idea how long it took her to convince her mother to let her get her hair highlighted like that, believe me, you’d be running for the hills.”
“Ah, come on, she’s just a girl, what could she do to us?” George asked, grinning widely as he and Fred exchanged humorous glances.
“oh, boy” Harry sighed, looking imploringly at Ron, who for his part, was showing a rapt fascination with his hands. Just as Harry was about to change the conversation, he heard Molly yelling and flustering in the kitchen.
“Charlie must be here.” Arthur grinned, momentarily forgetting about Sara and Ginny who where still upstairs trying to clean the ooze out of Sara’s hair. “Come on, Meg my girl, time to meet my son.” He paused as he held out his hand for Meg, who seemed to be concentrating more on breathing than on anything else at the moment.
“Hey, Meg,” Harry nudged, “come on, this is all you’ve been talking about for days. Don’t you want to see him now?”
“Harry, I don’t think that’s the problem.” Arthur interrupted, winking knowingly at Harry. “Come on, Meggy, I’m sure he’s just as nervous as you are.”
“I don’t think anyone could possibly be as nervous as I am right now.” Meg replied as she tried to take a deep breath and steady herself……
“Mum” Charlie grinned as he gave Molly a big hug. “did she come? Is she here?” he asked excitedly as he rubbed his large, strong hands over his arms to warm himself. “Merlin! It feels good to be home, and dinner smells wonderful.” he added, inhaling deeply.
“You should come home more often” Molly admonished “they don’t feed you decent in Romania, nothing but stews and that awful, gritty bread.” She paused as she saw him grin widely at her. “Come here and give me another hug.” she insisted. She waited until his ear was near to her mouth before she whispered, “Yes, Meg is here, in the living room with your father and brothers, but she’s very nervous.”
“Good,” Charlie whispered back “so am I.” he admitted. “Can I meet her now? Or do I need to wait?”
Molly stepped back and gave him the once over with her mother’s eye. “Well, the shoes could be better, but all in all, I’d say you’ll make a good first impression. But I’m warning you now, she is dressed to impress.” she confided, winking and giggling as Charlie’s smile grew even brighter.
“Charlie?” Harry asked as he rounded the corner and walked into the kitchen. “Good, it is you, poor Meg is about to explode with nervousness,” he laughed, “We were going to bring her in here to meet you, but according to clan laws, ‘you’ have to be presented to her by your parents.” Harry read from the paper Colin had given him.
“What ‘clan laws’ are you talking about, Harry? What clan does she belong to?” Charlie asked, good naturedly.
“Uhm,….mine” Harry replied meekly “she’s my cousin, and since I already know your family, its kind of my responsibility to ….you know, … make sure its done right, I guess.” he stated, losing confidence as he went.
“Yes,” Arthur interjected “and a lovely thing she is too. Our Harry here has done this family many favours over the years, but this one tops them all.” he added as he gave Harry’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Miss MacLeod,..Cat..she and Lily …uhm.. I think they were related somehow” Arthur continued, “in any case, she’s taken Harry in as her own, and as you can see, the situation certainly agrees with him.” he added, motioning at the way Harry had grown.
Harry smirked and rolled his eyes as he noticed Arthur had stopped just short of referring to Cat as his mother. “She’s my Mum,” Harry stated firmly, “and Meg is my cousin. And Colin wrote down everything I’d need to do tonight to make sure Meg would be allowed to return if you two like each other.”
“He wrote it down? Let me see this” Charlie insisted, quickly taking the parchment from Harry’s hand before he had the chance to move. Holding it high in the air as Harry tried to sn@tch it back from him, Charlie laughed, “You know, for a seeker, your reflexes are awfully slow, I think you need more practise, Potter.”
“Charlie” Arthur warned, “that wasn’t very nice, give it back to Harry.”
“I will, I will…I just want to see what I’m up against.” he explained as he quickly read over the list of rules and customs………
“Albus?” Orpha called out softly as she appeared before his desk “Are you awake?” she smiled as she heard a muffled reply from behind a wall. “Take your time, dear. I’ll make myself comfortable.” she said as she wandered about his office, pausing at Fawkes stand to pet him, her smile growing every wider as the magnificent phoenix sang for her.
“He still remembers you, I see” Albus commented as one of the large portraits grew transparent and he walked out.
“I’m told I’m almost impossible to forget.” she taunted as she kissed Albus’s cheek. “So, off spying were you?”
“I would not refer to it as spying, Orpha.” Albus winked, “After all, I can hardly be held responsible if so many of the death eaters households contain pictures of me.”
“Ah, yes…. Those infamous chocolate frogs. I wasn’t sure if you were brilliant or completely mad when you did that. Imagine, placing your likeness in nearly every wizarding home in the United Kindom,….or at least everyone with children.” Orpha grinned.
“Yes, well, allowing them to use my likeness without any recompense helped that plan along quite nicely. Although I am afraid I shall never be a ‘collector’s item’, as it were.” he teased as he made his way behind his desk, gesturing Orpha to take a seat as well. “So, you have an interest in Professor Snape. I take it that this is directly related to Kitty’s interest in him.” he stated as he settled in his chair, steepling his fingers as he leaned back and got comfortable.
“It most certainly is! I trust you are aware of what has transpired between them?” Orpha asked.
“Not in any detailed sort of way.” Albus replied, “However, it is no secret that he and Kitty left the Yule Ball together, I can only surmise what happened afterwards.” he paused, leaning forward in his chair as he lowered his voice. “You do realize that Professor Snape has nothing but the deepest of feelings for Kitty. I can offer you my personal assurance that anything he did, he did with ……..”
“I think she’s carrying his child” Orpha interrupted handing Albus a glass of water as he began to cough. “Calm down, Alby, I’m not here to do anything but evaluate him. Passing judgement can wait for her father, I personally could care less.”
“Orpha, are you sure? About her condition I mean, I would have expected her father to have stormed the castle by now if she were pregnant.” Albus asked. Its not that the thought hadn’t crossed his mind once or twice over the past fortnight, but to have it stated so bluntly.
“No, I’m not sure, and neither is she, its far too early to tell. We’ll have to wait at LEAST another three weeks to even thing about testing her belly. And even then, I wouldn’t rely on the results, eight to twelve weeks is the time to tell and gender the child.”
“And Magnus?” Albus asked, “What are his feelings on this matter?”
“He doesn’t know. She keeps her secrets very well, and I want it to stay that way, particularly from one specific crone.”
Albus nodded, “Cash has told me of her …..meddling…. But how can Magnus not know? What about the carousel? Or have you finally managed to destroy it?”
“No, I haven’t. However it will remain still as a crypt at Fernglennis” She smirked as she explained. “It seems Mac Lir is both talented and deceitful. He created an exact replica of Magnus’s carousel, even down to the kalliope. But it’s a fake, it will never play. Her secret is safe, for now.”
Albus stroked his beard thoughtfully as he leaned back once more. “Will you tell Severus about her suspected condition? He will want to see her of course, I know he misses her terribly as it is. Once he hears this news, there will be no stopping him from finding Fernglennis.”
“Who would want to stop him? To be honest, we’ve all been rather disappointed he hasn’t managed to …….what?!” Orpha asked as she saw the look of concern in Albus’s eyes.
“Orpha, the letter you sent me…. You asked me to keep him away from Fernglennis.”
“Me?! Albus, I haven’t sent you any letters. Anything I needed you to know, I’ve told to Cash or Hamish. We already know Kitty’s letters were tampered with.” Orpha stated as she rose to her feet. …….
Severus lay in bed, watching the patterns the flames from the hearth were making on the ceiling. He had been trying to read, to study, but no matter what he read, it all reminded him of Catri. Was the only reason she had gone home with him because she had been ’manipulated’ by this Maharet woman? He knew Catri wanted children, so did he, but did that fit into this prophecy Rick had mentioned? If it didn’t, would Catri be harmed, would their child, would he? Perhaps that is why she took Black and Lupin in the first place, after all, hadn’t she been manipulated into taking them home to heal them? And Lucius had been directly involved in that, making it all the more likely that Maharet was, in some way, tied to Voldemort.
Sighing deeply, he did his best to shake the worries from his head and tried once more to read the book Rick gave him. He picked up the copy of the Tirukkural that was resting on his chest and re-read the phrase once more.
,I.
Of all a man's blessings we know of none greater than
Those who bear children of blameless character vil.
It is said that children are a man's real wealth,
He smirked mirthlessly; ‘untouched by evil’ all he’d ever known his entire life had been evil. His father, the Malfoys’, Voldemort, death eaters, there was no end to the evil he had both witnessed and participated in. In his entire lifetime, only Rick, Catri and his mother loved him for himself, where everyone else was concerned, it was simply seeing what they could get from him. His knowledge, his strength, his money….even his name; they were all anyone ever seemed to want from him, never his friendship or respect, certainly not his love.
In his entire life, it was only Catri that had been able and willing to touch his heart. Never did he see the look of fear or resentment in her lovely eyes. Never had she twisted his words, and it was only recently that his heart felt threatened in her care. But again, Severus had to wonder how much of that was the influence of others upon her. And always….always…his mind wandered back to the memory of his dream. Of the son and twin girls that he and Catri would have, of him as an old man with long white hair, Catri still at his side and his family surrounding him .
His family, his children……would he ever know such a life? Would he ever know such contentment? He read the passage over once more. ‘It is said that children are a man's real wealth, And that this wealth is determined by his deeds’
If children were truly the measure of a man’s wealth, he was more destitute than any one else in the world……
Harry shook his head and laughed as Meg blushed brightly when Charlie kissed her under the mistletoe. Actually, the only thing funnier than Meg’s sudden shyness was listening to Percy invent ways to ask her about her sister, Diane. A fact that had not been missed by Molly Weasley, but right now, she was far too busy basking in the glow of a well met match to worry about Percy just yet, although Harry had no doubt it wouldn’t take her long.
“Hey, pssst, Harry” Ron whispered “do ‘we’ have to stay here and watch this? I overheard Sara and Ginny talking, something’s up and I’d like to see what.”
Harry’s shoulders slumped visibly as soon as he heard Ron’s words. “Sara said? That can only mean she’s about to get even with the twins.” he sighed. Visions of the twins with re-arranged body part, or worse, missing body parts flashed through his mind as he excused himself and ran off to find his other cousin.
“Please, Sara, please… don’t do anything to mess this up for Meg.” Harry whispered under his breath as he and Ron ran up the crooked stairs. Just as they were deciding if they should head for the twins room first or for Ginny’s they heard several loud bangs, followed by the sound of the twins moaning loudly. “Oh no” Harry sighed.
Following Ron as they bounded up the steps to the twin’s room, Harry felt his stomach twist as he heard what sounded like small fireworks being shot off. He could only hope they weren’t being set off from any body parts, as he had seen first hand the sort of imagination Sara had from the many skirmishes amongst the cousins. But at home in Fernglennis, they could always go to an adult if things got out of hand, here it was just them, and Harry had serious doubts as to whether Meg could undo Sara’s mischief.
He skidded to a halt, slamming into Ron who had stopped dead in front of him, his eyes wide and his jaw hanging open as he stared at his brothers. “W-what happened to you two?” Ron gasped, hardly believing what he saw before him.
“SHE happened” George moaned as he stared down at himself, “we look like freaks.”
“At least YOU didn’t end up in girls stockings” Fred spat, “alright, funs over, hand over our clothes.”
“Not a chance.” Sara stated firmly. “Until you apologize to me, in FRONT of you parents, you stay dressed just like that.”
“Sure, just watch us.” George retorted as he tried to take off the purple and green dress, only to find it welded to his flesh. His eyes flashed with panic as he stared at Fred who was doing his best to pry off the ruby red stepping clogs - all to no avail.
It was at that point that Harry pushed his way passed Ron and finally saw what had happened. He grinned at the sight of the twins, and also with relief that Sara hadn’t done any actual harm to them.
“Hey, Harry, make her undo this. This is completely embarrassing.” the boys cried out.
Shaking his head slowly, Harry responded, “I’d do what she asks, I can’t undo her spells, at least not yet, Mum is still teaching me. Sorry”
“Hey, Harry, make her undo this. This is completely embarrassing.” the boys cried out.
Shaking his head slowly, Harry responded, “I’d do what she asks, I can’t undo her spells, at least not yet, Mum is still teaching me. Sorry”
“And admit to being beaten by a girl, I’d rather kiss Snape.” Fred insisted, only to cringe as Sara and Ginny laughed at them.
“Are you SURE about that? Because I can arrange it.” Sara taunted as she leaned against Ginny, her red and golden hair still streaked with green and grey.
“NO!” Harry insisted loudly. “You want to prank them for their pranks, fine. But no Snape, I don’t want to give him the chance to get a hold of Mum! She’s with Sirius now, and that’s how its going to stay, understand?” Harry stated fiercely, “And Ginny, you stay out of this, you’re not the one who would have to live with him, ‘I’ am.” he added when he saw her about to say something.
“Gheez, Harry, calm down. You don’t need to get nasty about it.” Sara chided him, taking Ginny’s hand in her own and giving it a reassuring squeeze. “I just want an apology is all…..and this stuff completely out of my hair. Uncle Sirius is aces with me, I like him, he’s a goof.” she added, grinning widely.
“Too much of one I think” Harry sighed, “I thought they would be…you know…married and stuff by now.”
“Married?!” Fred guffawed, “To Miss MacLeod? A fine bird like that? Come on, Harry…..” Fred became uncharacteristically quiet as he saw the look on Harry’s face.
“They do have a point, Harry” Ron finally chirped up. “I know he likes her heaps, and she seems to like him, but she likes Snape too. No idea ‘why’ mind you, but she does, and it has been only, what? Two weeks or so?”
“I know, I know….but I want to be a family so much. I want Sirius to be my father, I finally have a mother, and Aunts, Uncles, cousins….I may even have a baby sister or two, but I don’t have a father..”
“Whoa!!! Back up, Harry. A baby sister? He’ll have to marry her then.” Ron stated, as if this were somehow sage wisdom and all their problems were ended.
“It doesn’t happen that fast, you idiot.” George countered, throwing a pillow at Ron. “According to Bill it takes weeks until you know for sure, they have to miss their….uh…..uh…..never mind.” he added quietly as everyone stared at him.
“I’m telling Mum.” Ginny smirked, “you don’t have any business knowing about those sort of things…..unless of course you have a ‘reason’ for knowing.”
“He’s staying quiet” Fred stepped in, “no self incrimination here. However, about the dresses and shoes…..” he reminded.
“Oh yes,” Ginny piped up, her smirk growing into a wide, devilish smile, “the dresses. We MUST do something about this Sara.” she commented as she reached behind her back and brought out a camera…..
“So, Meg, why don’t you tell Charlie about yourself.” Molly encouraged “We know you’re related to Miss MacLeod and you have at least one sister.”
“Named Diane, apparently” Charlie grinned, barely noticing as Percy blushed, he was too entranced by Meg’s smile and pretty face to notice much else.
“I…I don’t know where to begin.” Meg said softly, “I live on the farm with my family.”
“Ah, yes, the farm, the farm!” Arthur interrupted, ‘Tell him were it is, he’ll never believe it.” he stated, grinning excitedly.
Meg looked from Arthur’s excited face to Charlie’s curious one. Good heavens but she adored him already, she could feel her heart flutter every time he looked at her, and that kiss! It had only been a gentle, little kiss, half on her cheek, but half on her lips as well. And she could still feel the tingle coursing through her body every time she thought about it. Licking her lips, she responded to Arthur’s cue. “Fernglennis, I live in Fernglennis, Caledonia. But that’s not nearly as exciting as working with dragons, I’d expect you’d be bored to tears with our animals.”
“See, see, I told you. What did I tell you?” Arthur grinned, nudging Charlie. Only to realize what a mistake he had made as Molly grabbed him by his arm and asked him to help her in the kitchen.
Charlie shook his head as he watched his mum dragging his da out of the room. “I’m so sorry, Meg. Sometimes my da….he just gets excited.” he explained as he moved next to her on the couch. “So, you like dragons? Most girls find them less than interesting.” he stated as his eyes locked on hers, causing him to feel slightly giddy.
“I’m not most girls” Meg countered, “and I adore all sorts of animals. Although I have to admit to being partial to the firebrands back home.”
“You’ve SEEN a firebrand?” Charlie gasped.
“Seen them? We have a stable full of them, and hopefully two new foals due this Spring.” she stated. “Why, do you like them too?”
“I’ve only ever read about them, some scholars don’t even think they exist anymore. Are they as large and powerful as they say? Can they really run over water?” Charlie asked, suddenly looking the very image of his father.
“Yes, they are huge, especially Viggo. But Aunt Kitty is the only one who rides him regularly, although sometimes he’ll let me take him for a short…”
“You’ve RIDDEN one?” Charlie exclaimed, frightening Meg. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell….its just so amazing to find out they exist and then to…..sorry.” he could feel himself turning bright red as he turned his eyes away from her. Just his luck, all this time to find a woman he likes, and he mucks it up the first time he meets her. Just as he was trying to think of a way to politely excuse himself and relieve the awkward situation he placed himself into, he felt something warm and very, very soft on his hand.
Looking down, he saw Meg’s lily white hand on top of his own large, freckled one. “Maybe you could come to my home one day….to see them…or something.” she suggested, her voice barely more than a whisper….
Molly was grinning ear to ear as she peeked into the living room and saw them holding hands. She had just known the moment she met Meg that she was the girl for Charlie. She signalled frantically for Arthur to come take a look at the couple. “See, I told you, they are perfect together, just perfect.” she beamed. Her eyes became moist as she thought ahead to the grandchildren that might be celebrating Christmas with them next year. “Can you imagine, Arthur. Next Christmas together, do you think they’ll have boys or girls?”
“Slow down there, mother Weasley.” Arthur teased, “Let’s give them a chance to know each other, and a wedding might be a good idea, unless of course you think that sort of thing is too old fashioned or something.” he added, laughing softly as Molly swatted at him.
He was about to add more to his comment, when his train of thought was broken by the sound of his sons screaming as they bounded down the stairs, only to be followed closely by Ginny and Sara, who in turn were followed by a laughing Ron and a rather winded Harry….
Charlie looked up to see two large blurs of green and purple screaming towards he and Meg. Without a second thought, he quickly wrapped his arms around Meg and pulled her against him as he jumped up and out of the way of stampede. He stared with shock as he realized the blurs were the twins, in drag, step dancing with bright red shoes. He pulled Meg even tighter against him as the twins clicked their heels, causing several small firecrackers to ignite and shoot off bright sparks.
“Charlie, help us, she’s a lunatic” the twins pleaded as they continued dancing, their skirts flipping into the air as they lifted their hairy knees and clicked their heels sending out yet another shower of fireworks.
Charlie stared wide-eyed at the twins, only to shut his eyes tightly as a flash went off next to him. Looking down, he saw his little sister taking pictures of the boys as his mother came bounding out of the kitchen, none to pleased with the sight before her. This was a complete catastrophe! Meg must think his entire family was mad by this point, he wouldn’t be surprised if she ran away and never came back now.
He was about to apologize to her for all the commotion when he heard her laughing. “Meg?” he asked uncertainly.
“I’m just glad to know this sort of things happens in other families too. I was afraid mine was the only one.” she giggled, pressing herself tightly against his chest as more fireworks went off. “So, are dinners always this lively at your house? Or is tonight extra special?” she asked, smiling brightly as she looked up into his eyes.
“Tonight? Tonight is very, very special” Charlie whispered, his fingers softly grazing her cheek……
“Rick?” Dimitri called out softly. “Is there anything I can do to help?” the young Ventrue asked as he slowly approached the Gangrel.
“No, there is nothing for us to do now but wait” Rick sighed, a pained expression on his face. He was doing his best to be as stoic and brave as the others, but it was so much harder for him. He and Roel were the youngest, they had spent the most time together, looking out for and entertaining one another when the rest of their clan was busy with their duties. Cash had even let them work together on their first few assignments, cleansing Deo’s island of those wretched revenants, safeguarding Tris and her children when she was still mortal. He simply had so many memories and they all seemed to be competing for his undivided attention at the moment.
Rick hadn’t even notice how close Dimitri was until the kinder placed a tentative hand on his shoulder. He spun around quickly, apparently frightening the childer who took several quick steps backwards. “No, Dimitri….don’t…..don’t be afraid, not of me.” Rick insisted, smiling softly as he reached out his hand to the Ventrue. He watched as Dimitri smiled nervously and extended his own hand, barely grazing his fingers against the back of Rick’s hand. “Gypsy handshake?” Rick asked.
Dimitri shook his head, laughing softly, “No, just me being careful. I’ve been gone a long time.” he explained, taking a step closer to Rick. “Cash has welcomed me back with open arms, ….but considering everything that’s happened in my absence, I’m not sure how the rest of your clan will react to me.”
Nodding his understanding, Rick quickly slipped a brotherly arm around Dimitri. “You know Cash wants you to stay with us, don’t you? He talked to us about fostering you as a Gangrel.” seeing the look of pleasant shock in the man’s eyes, Rick continued. “I’m guessing he’ll speak to both your primogen and your prince before asking you if you would agree to such an arrangement. But you are right about my clan, things are just a bit ‘stressed’ right now. But I for one, am very glad to see you back.”…..
“So, now what do we do?” Remus grinned as he twisted his arm over Tris’s belly. “And what do you call this game again?”
“Twister” Tris replied, smirking as she slid her leg under his to reach a red circle.
“Twister…..Now that is truth in advertising at its best.” he laughed, waiting for Colin to call out the next colour. “And when will they be back? I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up.”
“I have no idea, you know the Weasleys’ better than I do. I think they went there for supper and to have Meg meet Charlie.” Tris replied, only to giggle as Katie stretched over her, tickling her belly with her long hair. “Katie….. You’re going to make me lose if you keep tickling me.”
“Sorry, its not like I’m doing it on purpose” Katie replied, arching her back as high as possible to keep her hair off of Tris’s stomach, “besides, who told you to wear such a short shirt.” she added, winking mischievously at Remus who was now turning a soft shade of pink.
“Oh, I don’t know, Katie” Colin grinned, “I’d kinda like to see you wear a few shirts like that.” he teased as he walked over and kissed her provocatively, causing her to lean heavily on Tris and Remus. “Better be careful of Remus there, he looks like he may need to take another swig from that flask of his.” he added, teasing Remus and making the girls giggle. “Don’t tell me all this time with the clan is making you ‘hit the sauce’?”
“No, no, nothing like that, just a sort of …vitamins, would be the easiest explanation, I guess.“ Remus flushed a deeper shade of pink as he moved his eyes from Katie and Colin to Tris, who, he realized, had been staring intently at him this whole time. “Uhmm…I think Colin is right, maybe this game is a bit too much for an old man like me…..maybe there is something else we can play?” he suggested, averting his eyes from Tris for fear of becoming beet red.
“Okay,” Katie chimed, “how about spin the bottle?”…….
“So, you’re sure you don’t mind my family?” Charlie asked as he walked Meg into the living room as the others helped clear away the dinner plates.
“Are you joking? They’re great, they ‘almost’ make my clan look normal” she laughed, “although I’m not sure if mixing my cousins with the twins is a good thing. I don’t think that school will survive if they ever join forces.” She looked up and smiled as she heard his deep laugh echoing through the room. Sighing softly, she relaxed against the arm he had draped behind her, only to feel her heart thrill as he used it to pulled her into a soft hug. Goddess, but this felt so right, so perfect; could he actually be the one for her? Had she been lucky enough to find him so early in her life?
“I have to agree with you on that one, but I have to hand it to Sara, I’ve never seen anyone put them in line so quickly. Although I’m sure the photos helped convince them.” he added, laughing once more as he remembered the look on his brother’s faces as they realized there was no getting around Sara and her foreign spells. “And Ginny, I don’t even know what to say about her.” he added, shaking his head with bemusement.
“She and Sara do make a great team.” Meg agreed, wondering if she should be so bold as to lean her head against his shoulder. “And Sara simply adored that crown you made for her.”
“She earned it” he grinned, “I’ve never seen anything like that little dance number. And threatening to shave their legs was a stroke of genius if you ask me.”
“Hmmmm, I don’t know, your mother didn’t seem any to happy about the whole affair.” Meg countered.
“That’s Mum, after all these years, you would think she would have gotten used to it. But she keeps trying to keep them in line, bless her soul, but I think having a girl Ron’s age beat them at their own game will make her life a ‘lot’ easier.” he explained, his bright blue eyes twinkling with humour as he looked at Meg. He couldn’t remember the last time he enjoyed an evening as much as he enjoyed this one. She was so perfect. Not only was she beautiful, but she had a great sense of humour, loved animals and actually came from a family bigger than his. He just had to see her again, and soon. “So…..do you think…. I mean ‘would’ you like to see some of the dragons I work with? Not now , of course, but …you know….maybe another day….soon.” he asked nervously. He felt a warm wave of relief flood through him as Meg looked up into his eyes and smiled brightly at him.
“I’d love to,” Meg replied instantly, “I adore all sorts of dragons. Maybe after Harry and the others go back to school we can…..make some plans?” she asked hopefully……
Well, it wasn’t exactly what he had been hoping for when they had gotten lock in the room together, but it was sure as hell a nice start, Sirius thought as he stared at Cat. He watched her soft skin rising and falling as she slept, looking for all the world like an angel, ’his’ angel. How often had he dreamt of her while in prison? Even when he could no longer remember her name or how he had known her, it was still her face, her heart, her love that came to comfort him in his darkest hours.
Gently, he brushed her hair from her face, pausing only to run his fingers over her soft, full lips. He shivered slightly as he heard her sigh at his touch, if only she would wake up right now. He wanted to talk to her again, he wanted to tell her so much more, he needed her to realized how much they needed to be together. How much he both needed and wanted her.
Barely realizing what he was doing, Sirius leaned over her, kissing her tenderly as his passion rose within him. It wasn’t until his skin touched the ring around her throat and he heard his own voice professing his love for her that he became aware of what he was doing. His body trembled as he pulled himself away from her, it just wasn’t fair. He loved her more than he could ever put into words, he loved her enough to accept another man’s child without reservation, ……he loved her enough to wait.
“Oh , Gra, you have to say yes. You have to marry me.” Siri sighed as he spooned against her, doing his best to quell the throbbing that was still echoing through his body. He closed his eyes and nuzzled against her, pulling the quilt over them as he felt her shiver. “I love you, Catrianna” he whispered, “with all my heart and my soul, I love and adore you.”…..
Harry smirked back at Mr. Weasley as they stood side by side, staring at Charlie and Meg. “So, Harry, what do your little slips of parchment say about ‘this’ particular situation?” Arthur asked.
“I’m pretty sure Colin didn’t cover anything like this.” Harry retorted, doing his best to keep a straight face. “So, do we wake them? Or should we let them sleep?”
“Don’t you DARE wake them up.” Molly’s voice hissed from behind them. “They’ve both been looking forward to meeting each other for days. I won’ t let either of you embarrass them….”
“Molly, this has nothing to do with embarrassing anyone.” Arthur assured her, “but it is getting late…its well past midnight already.”
“Then they’ll all have to stay the night. Harry can stay with Ron and I doubt Ginny will mind Sara staying with her.” Molly insisted, refusing to hear any arguments to the contrary. “Harry, you’ll have to send a message back telling them you’re all going to stay the night, you can leave after breakfast tomorrow.”
Casting an imploring look towards Mr. Weasley, Harry realized very quickly that there was going to be no discussion on the matter. Sighing deeply, he stated “We all better hope I get Mum, Uncle Luke or Colin, because if its Aunt Siobhan we’re all in deep trouble.”…..
The begetting of children endowed with intelligence.
Will themselves be born seven times, untouched by e
And that this wealth is determined by his deeds