Several weeks later found Lyria lying on the bed, staring rather blankly at the ceiling.

"Lyria? Are you broken?" Sirius asked, crawling over to lie next to her.

That brought a slight smile to her face. "I don't think so... things seem to be fine. Better than fine, actually..."

"What do you mean better than fine?" He asked.

"I... I'm pregnant."

Had it not been for the fact that Sirius was lying in the middle, he would've fallen off the bed. "What? You're what? Are you sure?"

"Yeah... yeah, I'm sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah...."

A small smile appeared on Sirius's face. "We're gonna have a kid?"

"We're gonna have a kid," she confirmed.

"A real, live kid?"

"Breathing and everything, and most likely magical."

Sirius's eyes lit up with the possibility of a son he could teach everything he knew to, all the pranks and jokes....and even if it was a girl, he'd still teach her everything.

"Is this a good thing?" Lyria asked after a moment, not having looked away from the ceiling.

"Is it?" He echoed. "I think this is a great thing."

"I was afraid you'd be upset..."

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just thought you might be."

"Are you?"

"No... a lot surprised, little nervous... not upset about it, though."

Sirius smiled. "We're having a kid."

"That we are. Wonder if it's a boy or a girl..." She found herself smiling as well.

"Doesn't matter."

"No, but I'm nosy."

"I don't think it's nosy to wonder about your own kid."

"No, guess that's not the right word. Curious."

"Better word. When are you going to be having him or her?"

"Not for a while, trust me. February."

"That's....some time away."

"Yeah, I know. I'm only just about a month pregnant... I just found out."

"Wow."

"It's... sort of exciting, I guess... we get to do all this together."

"Of course we do."

She smiled at that, then frowned. "I'm going to get fat."

"That's alright. As long as you don't take up the whole bed, I won't mind." He joked.

She smiled a little bit at that. "The baby won't be *that* big... least it better not be if it wants to ever actually be born."

"And we'll get to raise it."

"Our own little person."

"Yeah..."

"And we made him. Or her."

"We did. It was fun."

"It was," Lyri agreed.

"We should do it again sometime." He flashed a grin at her.

"Oh, I suppose," she said teasingly.

"Don't want to torture you or anything, but I was under the impression that you liked it." Sirius kissed her.

"I think most of the house knew I liked it. I'm half-surprised we didn't wake your mother up."

"Well maybe we should, see what kind of reaction we can get out of the old hag." Sirius smiled mischievously.

"I'd be filth here to besmirch the fine bloodline, I imagine."

"Don't know how much more damage we could do, I've already been burned off the family tree."

"You and Lyndell both, but alas for your mother, you're the only male Black left to ensure that the family continues. So guess you're good for something," Lyria teased.

"So she lies when she calls me good for nothing."

"That she does," Lyria said with absolute honesty, then kissed him softly.

Sirius kissed her back eagerly. "I love you Lyri."

"I love you too, Sirius."

~*~ *~*~

 

“I’ll meet you when you’re done upstairs.  Don’t like that ward, I don’t,” Mundungus Fletcher told Lyndell as they arrived at St. Mungo’s.  Dumbledore had asked him to talk to a healer about joining the Order, and Lyndell had decided to visit the Longbottoms.

 

“I won’t be long.” Lyndell replied, walking up the stairs to the Spell Damage Ward and sat down next to the beds of Alice and Frank Longbottom.  She looked around the full ward and sighed.  There were more and more people finding themselves here every day…but the place seemed desolate.

 

Suddenly the place seemed… cold like… and healers were scrambling down the stairs.  Lyndell had a very bad feeling when she saw healers from every floor running down the stairs.  She got up and followed them down to the main floor.  There were maybe twenty dementors in the lobby.  A figure fell to the ground as one of the dementors released it.

 

Lyndell shoved her way to the front of the small mob of healers, her wand out.  She moved along, looking for Fletcher so they could get out of there before something happened.

 

Several healers cast patronuses and the dementors glided off, leaving the figure in a heap on the floor…

 

Lyndell glanced at the heap and thought the robe looked familiar…a sick feeling settled inside of her when she caught sight of ginger-colored hair poking out from underneath the robe’s hood.  “Mundungus!” She rolled him over…but it was too late.

 

The man stared blankly up at the ceiling.

 

~*~*~*~

 

The kitchen was full, the Order gathered around the table looking dismal.  Dumbledore had told them he’d be by later, but for now they had clustered of their own accord.

 

“I don’t get it…why would they go after anyone in St. Mungo’s?” Sirius asked, breaking the silence.

 

“Why’d they go after Bode?  Clearly they thought someone in there knew something… or else they knew we’d have people in there, in which case we’re in a real mess,” Remus said. 

 

“They’re trying to track us,” Moody growled.

 

“Thank you, Alastor, for that astonishing announcement,” Lyria said sardonically.  “We’re a much bigger threat to them than the Ministry right now… which is really rather sad.  But it’s a fact… and Sirius, if they realize you’re still alive, that’ll help them figure out where we are… now that they know we’re active again…”

 

“What are we going to do if they try and go attack us again?” Lyndell spoke up, breaking her stare at the table.  “Patronuses just drive the Dementors off…they don’t kill them.”

 

“You can’t kill them.  But if it keeps them away for now… well… we’ll be better off than Mundungus Fletcher is right now.”  Lyria said.

 

“They’re getting much bolder now that they’re under his command.  First they went after Harry last summer…and now they attack a hospital.” Sirius said.

 

“I don’t think that really surprises anyone,” Remus said rather sadly.  “I’m sure you remember before…”

 

“I’d rather forget…but they’ve never gotten this close to the Order before…never actually gotten close enough to give the Dementor’s Kiss to anyone before…” Sirius remarked.

 

“It could have been any of us…if someone else had gone instead of him….or if I hadn’t gone up to the fourth floor…” Lyndell said quietly.

 

Lyria looked over to Sirius.  They hadn’t told anyone yet; it simply never seemed to be the time.  “Yes… it could have been.”

 

“We’ll probably be seeing an increase of Dementors on the street…considering the Blacks’s…relatives.” Snape told them.  “The Malfoys and the LeStranges will know where the house is.”

 

“Snape… shut up or that chair you’re sitting on is going to wind up through your head,” Lyria barked.  “Now is not the time for you to be making snide remarks.  Sirius may have learned to hold his tongue around you, but I for one have not.”

 

“I’m just stating the obvious,” Snape snarled.  “A little hormonal today, Strider?”

 

Lyria got to her feet.

 

“You know something?  A minute or so from now you’re going to have tentacles growing out of your head, and I really don’t think anyone’s going to stop her,” Kingsley Shacklebolt said casually.

 

“Why don’t you all just shut up?” Lyndell snapped.  “This really isn’t the time to start coming apart at the seams.  Not when there’s less than twenty of us trying to take down Voldemort and we’re one man down.”  She sighed tiredly.  “Mother’s even being quieter than the two of you.”

 

“Well good for your mother, I think you’ll find my temper is quite possibly worse than hers…”  Lyria started for Snape, but Moody pulled her back to her chair. 

 

Snape merely shook his head.  “You really should keep that temper in check, Strider…could get you into trouble you’ll find you won’t be able to fight your way out of.”

 

“If you’re threatening me, I think you’ll find you’re in over your head.  I may be pregnant, but I am *not* an invalid and I *can* permanently disable you… in fact, I might just find it fun.”

 

“You might not want to go announcing the arrival of your little convict bastard…the Dark Lord will use it against you.” Snape said before turning and walking out of the house.

 

“I don’t trust that slimy roach,” Lyria said darkly, then noticed everyone was staring at her.  “What?”  She demanded.

 

“Lyria….you just told everyone…” Sirius put a hand on her shoulder.

 

She paused.  “Right.  Well… that takes care of the timing problem?”  She offered.

 

“Okay.” Sirius said, shrugging.

 

Lyndell blinked.  “I know you two are pretty reckless…but getting pregnant in the middle of a war…forget the fact that you’re not even married!  How much more irresponsible and thoughtless can you get?  You’re practically giving this kid a death wish before it’s even born.”

 

Lyria blinked.  Lyndell had been the *last* one she expected to be upset over it… though when she looked around, it was clear Dell wasn’t the only one.  “Well seeing as it’s not your child, you can keep your comments to yourself about it,” she said, suddenly angry again.

 

Harry sat outside the door, dumbfounded.  He glanced at Ron and Hermione as if to make sure he’d heard what he thought he’d heard.

 

“What were the two of you thinking? Having a child before the marriage question is even considered?” Molly Weasley muttered.

 

“Putting yourself in a vulnerable position right now wasn’t too bright,” Moody told the pair.

 

“I’m not here to be scolded for being a bad girl,” Lyria hissed.  “And if you can’t be happy that maybe there’s a little sign of hope despite all the death and fighting, then I’ll give you some death and fighting, how’s that?”

 

“Well, I believe some congratulations are in order.” Dumbledore’s voice preceded him into the kitchen.

 

“Thank you,” Lyria said simply, sitting back down.  It wouldn’t do to have fighting among themselves… they had enough fighting to do.  But if anyone else said one more word…

 

Snape followed Dumbledore back into the kitchen with a rather unpleasant look on his face.  “Tell me Strider…how sure are you of the paternity of this…child?”

 

She looked up darkly.  “Say that again,” she hissed, warning in her tone.

 

“Certainly.  I was just curious as to how sure you are that this little creature of yours won’t be barking and howling once a lunar cycle…”

 

She was on her feet before anyone could stop her, and a flash of light slammed into him, knocking him to the floor.

 

“I just thought I’d bring up the question that I’m sure is on Lupin’s mind.” Snape said, getting to his feet. 

 

Sirius pushed Lyria down into her seat and dove at Snape himself.

 

“Sirius!  Severus!”  Dumbledore said sharply. 

 

Remus had taken a sudden interest in the floor.  It *was* completely possible… and he *had* thought of it…

 

“I knew something like this would happen…I told them to stop fighting…but does anyone listen to the whack job? *NOOOO,*” Lyndell muttered.

 

The noise had woken the portrait in the hall.  Lyria got to her feet and went to slam the curtains closed, but this had a rather amplifying effect as far as the painting’s screeching was concerned.  “WHORE!”

 

“BITCH!”  Lyria screamed back.

 

“Is anyone even remotely concerned that she’s screaming at a portrait?”  Kingsley asked.

 

Tonks shook her head no.  “Apparently not…”

 

“Proud of your little accident, Black?”  Snape asked with a sneer.

 

“It’d probably be a good idea to shut up.” Lyndell snapped at him.  “I’m sure the Mrs. won’t be too happy when you show up for dinner with two broken knee caps.”

 

“If they’re endangered by you…” Snape trailed off menacingly.

 

“How drunk was she to marry you?”  Sirius asked.

 

“She wasn’t.  I don’t have to get my wife drunk…unlike some other individuals.” He gave Sirius a pointed look.

 

“Shut up, would you?”  Lyria ordered as she reentered the room and sat by Sirius.  It was… somehow reassuring to sit next to him… since everyone in the room was still gawking and commenting.

 

“We do have some rather important issues to discuss.” Dumbledore said calmly.

 

The room fell silent; it seemed as if the Order had forgotten Dumbledore was there.

 

Sirius reached over and squeezed Lyria’s hand reassuringly.

 

The meeting began.

 

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