Chapter 13

Sirius pushed the door open. “Well, we’re back.” He squeezed Lyria’s hand. “Do you want me to carry you or something?”

“You seem to like carrying me,” she commented.

Sirius lifted her. “It’s a good thing to do.”

“I guess so; that way you can put me where you want me.”

Sirius grinned and practically ran up to their room and set her down on the bed. “I like you right there.”

“Oh, somehow I knew that was coming.”

“Well you only implied you wanted me. I know I’m irresistible, but come on Lyri, we’ve been home five minutes.”

“And after the last two weeks. I guess I’m just a whore. But we do have thirteen years or so to make up for.”

“That we do. And you’re not a whore. It’s not your fault you’ve got an incredibly attractive husband.”

“Oh, I suppose I do.” She grinned.

Sirius kissed her. “Yup.”

“It’s not so much attractive as an amazing kisser.”

“Hey!” He transformed into a dog and jumped onto the bed, setting his muzzle on Lyria’s stomach.

Lyria laughed, scratching behind his ear. “And a very good puppy, yes you are.”

Sirius’s tail thumped against the bed and he barked loudly.

“Stop that, you’ll wake up the entire house. Including your mother.”

Immediately, Sirius transformed back. “You can’t do that to a man, Lyri, it’s cruel.”

“You weren’t a man at that point in time. And I was scratching your ear, where’s the problem?”

“You were doing more than just scratching my ear.”

“I really wasn’t. I was petting you and scratching your ear… where’s the problem?”

“When you turn into a dog, then you’ll know.”

“I don’t foresee that happening any time in the near future!”

“Well then just trust me when I tell you what you were doing was cruel.”

“I was being affectionate with the overgrown carpet on the bed.”

“And it was making me horny!”

Lyria tried to bite back a laugh, but with no luck. “Is that supposed to be flattering? That even your subhuman side wants me?”

“And now you’re laughing at me.” Sirius stood up.

“Yes! But you’re still adorable.” She tugged on his hand gently. “Come over here.”

Sirius pouted but moved closer. “You made fun of me.”

“Yup.” Lyria kissed him softly.

Sirius kissed back. “How’s Catherine doing?”

“So far so good. Though rightly we don’t know for sure if it’s a baby Catherine or not yet.”

“Nah, it’s a girl.”

“You think?”

“It’s a man’s prerogative.”

“Well… that’ll be nice… we’ll have a boy and a girl. Connor and Catherine…”

“That’s why it’s going to be a girl.”

She smiled a little bit, placing a hand on his face. “You’re awfully cute sometimes, you know that?”

“I try for you.”

“Well mostly you succeed.”

“Good thing I do.” Sirius smiled and kissed her.

She softly kissed back.

~*~*~*~

Lyria came downstairs to find Remus and Lyndell in the kitchen with Connor. "My little boy..." She lifted the child gently. "We missed you, were you a good boy?" She looked to Remus and Lyndell.

The boy nodded enthusiastically. "Yup."

"Ah! He's talking!" Lyria felt a sudden pang that she'd missed her son's first word. She kissed the child's forehead.

"Only a few words, but they seem to be mostly 'where's mama?'" Lyndell told her.

"Well she's back now." Lyria squeezed the child gently. "Sirius'll be down in a minute... how are things?" She sat down, settling Connor in her lap.

Lyndell's gaze fell briefly on Connor. "You really want me to answer that?"

"Going that well?" She sighed.

Lyndell nodded. "We think they've got spies pretty high up...maybe even in the Order."

Lyria bit her lip, remembering the last time they'd had a spy in the Order. "Then it's not safe even here."

"Where's my little troublemaker?" Sirius said, entering the kitchen. "Where's Connor?"

Lyndell shook her head. "It's never been safe, though."

"Daddy!" Connor called out, reaching for his father.

"Even less safe." Lyria handed Connor to his father.

"Hey! He speaks!" Sirius took him.

Lyria smiled at the pair. "Only a little bit, Lyndell says."

"Well, we'll fix that soon enough." Sirius replied.

"I imagine you will... other things aren't going as well."

"We're waiting for information....Snape, Tonks, and a few others went yesterday...and Harry went with them."

"Who the hell let that happen?" Lyria frowned.

"WHAT?" Sirius bellowed. "You let him go! He's only sixteen! He should be in Hogwarts not out on an Order mission!!!!"

"It's still summer holiday, so he shouldn't be at Hogwarts, but he shouldn't be out there," Lyria corrected.

"I know, I know...Dumbledore was hesitant at first...but Harry was insistent....and Snape thought it'd 'be good for Harry to learn the trouble he's caused by surviving'." Lyndell said.

"Well if Snape survives, I think he'll find himself in some trouble," Lyria said, looking at the still-seething Sirius.

"And yet, Dumbledore trusts him enough to place Harry in his care."

"Dumbledore trusts where other people wouldn't... though I can't see him trusting Snape if he weren't sure..." Lyria sighed.

"I don't care whether or not Dumbledore trusts him, that's MY godson under his care and I don't trust him!" Sirius exclaimed.

"Sirius - you know as well as I do the reasons not to trust him, but if we start doubting Dumbledore too, we'll wind up in a whole new mess."

"All we can do is wait...and if they don't come back in a week, we'll send some more people out."

"Well that's encouraging."

"A WEEK??"

"Sirius... shh, you're scaring Connor."

"Sirius, I know you'd like Harry back as soon as possible, but we can't spare the bodies! Dumbledore said a week, so we wait a week." Lyndell told him firmly.

Sirius shook his head and handed the boy back to Lyria. "I'm not waiting a week."

"Sirius, I know it's against every bone in your body to sit here and wait, but if I have to restrain you I will," Lyria said, a warning in her tone.

"You can try." He said darkly, storming out of the kitchen.

Lyria set Connor down and charged after him. "Sirius!"

"No, Lyria. I'm going and you can't stop me." He was already halfway out the front door.

"Sirius... you can't leave your baby and me here pregnant when there's just as much a chance of us being attacked as there is of Harry getting in a situation."

Lyndell sighed and picked up Connor. Her news would have to wait.

"I can't...I can't let James down, Lyri. He trusted me, I won't let Harry be in any sort of danger!"

"Fine. But if anything happens to us here... it'll be on your head." She left the foyer and returned to the kitchen.

Sirius sighed heavily. He strongly wanted to turn around and go pick up his son....but he knew what he had to do.

Lyndell sighed. "He'll be back, Lyria."

"I guess we'll see, won't we?"

Lyndell simply nodded.

"What about you? How are you doing?"

A small smile appeared on Lyndell's lips. "I'm pregnant."

"Oh wow... that's great." Lyria smiled.

"Thanks. How was your honeymoon?"

"Nice. Thanks for letting us borrow the house." Lyria smiled.

"You two needed it."

"We really did," she admitted. "To just have nothing to worry about but... well, I imagine you can guess."

Lyndell nodded. "I should've told you...but I didn't want to ruin your time...and with Remus, Tonks and even Snape going...I figured Harry'd be safe."

"He is safe. Sirius is just paranoid as all hell." But she smiled a bit. "We're expecting again too."

"Are you?"

"Yeah."

"Lyri, that's great."

“Yeah… he thinks it’s a girl.”

“You think it’s going to be a girl?”

“Maybe. I think it might be.”

“That’ll be nice.”

“Yeah… a little girl and a little boy… and they’ll have yours to play with…”

The door opened suddenly, and Lyria looked to Lyndell, confused. Who could be coming back…?

MacNair stepped into the kitchen, wand out. Followed by a small contingent of deatheaters, he began firing curses at the three people.

Lyria gently pushed a panicked Connor behind her and grabbed her wand.

MacNair fired a Cruciatus Curse at the child.

More death eaters poured through the open door.

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