Chapter 22

"I heard you talking to Lily earlier on." Sirius' voice was quiet as the two lay in bed. Adria had been reading a book as a first step to relaxation, but she couldn't seem to quite get into it. the book was good, she had enjoyed it for the first few chapters, but she had far too much on her mind to truly capture the feel of it. She turned to Sirius when his words floated through her ears, a frown to her lips and her hand moving to clutch his.

"I didn't mean that...to sound bad, Sirius," she whispered, eyes on him, "I'm just so sick of this world - of this man terrorising everyone we love. It was so...fucking easy for my parents to die and I think that scared me most out of everything because they were supposed to be unstoppable and they just weren't and finding that out - that they couldn't really keep themselves safe from the horrors of this world was the worst wakeup call imaginable.

Because if those two - the strongest fucking people on this entire planet, if they can't keep themselves alive then what chance do I have? do you realise how terrified I am of having this child because it's terror I've never imagined before.

My mum died giving birth to Jude-"

"Hey, no!" Sirius cut her off as soon as the words fell from her lips, and he squeezed her hand so tightly that she turned to face him, "I'm not letting you think of something like that, you are not going to die giving birth to our child, Adria. Your mother's death was one of the worst things to ever happen to both of us but that shouldn't allow you to be afraid of something that won't happen to you.

I won't let it happen to you - I don't care what I have to do, but that child and you are both going to be healthy and happy," he kissed her forehead, "I am so incredibly in love with you, Adria. You're not going anywhere."

She smiled, curling closer to him, "what do you want to do?"

"What do you mean?"

"In life. I know that you don't want to work in a garage for the rest of your life, and quite frankly - I don't really have a clue what I want to do...but what about you?" she kissed his neck, lifting her head to stare at him and watching him think of it...of what he wanted in life.

"The only thing I've ever really been good at is Astronomy, and that's because I liked it. I like the idea of it all - maybe I'm a huge joke considering the fact that I'm named after the dog star...which is amusing in more ways than one but - I don't know, it's just fascinating." His eye had a twinkle in it, Adria noticed - and she smiled.

She smiled for the way he thought of it, of magic and astronomy and the passion he had for the only subject he really did only care about, "I think you would be an incredible astronomy professor at Hogwarts...or maybe we could travel the world in search for the clearest view of the stars."

"I think you just want to get away," he tilted her head to capture her lips, "I've looked at plenty of stars, but you shine the brightest."

"Fucking hell," she whispered, shaking her head, "you know...I think I missed the cheesiness a bit."

"Oh good," he snorted, "it sure sounds like it."

She pushed his chest, sitting up with a quiet laugh, "do you think this one will ever find someone to love them."

"I hope so," Sirius said, "what about Jude?"

"I hope Jude marries someone we know. Like if Finn and Milo have a child or something...or if this one marries Eve."

"I can't wait to see Eve again," Sirius laughed, tugging at his hair getting longer, "she loves to pull my hair though."

"She's getting bigger," Adria sighed, "She'll be one in a couple of months - how crazy is that?"

"Peter is going mental thinking about it," Sirius chuckled, "do you think I've matured."

"Are you kidding? Sirius bloody hell can you remember back in third year when you were the biggest fucking arse on the planet?" Adria scoffed.

"I think pregnancy is making you swear a whole lot more than you usually do," Sirius chuckled, "you're so aggressive."

"Oh, I'm aggressive?" her eyebrow raised, "Well sorry, but it's not my fault that you're asking silly questions. I think you started maturing in fifth year. Well...after fifth year - I think...well, I think my mother's death kind of spooked you so much that you grew up."

"It makes sense," he nodded, "but I think it was mostly Douglas'. I couldn't even think of life without Jude, I didn't want to think of it and I knew that we needed to take him - I knew that no matter what happened, that boy was a part of me and I couldn't sit back and watch someone else take care of him...even if it was Alfie who would've done a great job.

It's not even that, it's not that he wouldn't but I adore Jude far too much for him not to be ours. I couldn't think of it, I didn't want to think of it."

"And you don't need to." She realised he was getting worked up about it when his hands curled to fists, and she moved to press her lips to the apple of his cheek softly, caressing the skin as she done so, "he's ours. We have him and he's not going anywhere - I won't let that happen and neither would you, so it's okay."

She smiled soothingly, eyes soft and gentle and so Adria like that he sighed, and his fist uncurled to meet her hand resting on his face, "I love you, and so does Jude and we are your family. You have us, and we aren't going anywhere."

"You are incredible," he slid his hand under her jumper, his fingertips rubbing circles along the bottom of her back whilst she could only hum, inching closer to him with every stroke along her back until she moved herself onto his lap, leaning her head on his with a smile, "I love you."

"I love you too," she giggled."

"What's on your mind, love?" he asked, moving his head to look at her, "what aren't you telling me?"

"How do you do that?!" she huffed, running a frustrated hand through her hair.

"Maybe I know my fiancée better than you think I do!" he grinned cheekily, earning a glare and a very immature look of her sticking out her tongue.

"Maybe so," she could only mutter, her hands clasped on her lap and he moved to cover her smaller hands with his own. It was a small gesture, but it meant a lot to her - he didn't want her to carry her thoughts on her own and she knew she could tell him anything, and this thought of hers had been in her head for days.

"It's just," she finally spoke after a long minute of silence, "James' parents help him and Lily out, y'know? He is so wealthy - his parents are so wealthy that they can spend their time fighting like they willingly want to do.

And...and Pete and Thea and baby Eva have no means to worry about money because Thea's parents are helping them out a lot with it all and Peter has an alright job. They're doing fine, actually, and Eva has all that she could want, so it's alright, they're alright.

We have this...amazing home - and we have Jude and good jobs, and not to mention a lot of money," she shook her head, "but...but Remus and Blair are struggling, and we know that - everyone knows that even if they might not admit it.

They're struggling a whole lot, Remus is at work when you arrive and then he works on later as if it's no big deal, and don't get me started on him working the days after the full moon as if he isn't already completely and utterly exhausted.

He's going to drop dead from stress any day now and he's only eighteen years of fucking age. Not to mention that Blair can't even work right now because she's doing everything in her power to get her sister out of her dad's custody, they had to grow up worse than we did, Sirius, they've got nothing to their name except a couple of quid and each other and exhaustion and it's so draining to watch that never mind go through it.

I can't cope with it, I can't cope with watching them go through this - they're sleeping on their parent's sofa and Isaac is on the fucking floor. They don't think they see this shit they're going through, but we can and its torture to them.

Did you know that boy, Aaron? The one that Isaac is head over heels for...Isaac hasn't seen him in months because he can't afford anything to go to him," Adria shook her head, "and Aaron is practically homeless as it is - it's just horrible to see all of this."

She took a deep breath as she finished, making herself more comfortable on Sirius' lap and he smiled, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "how much?"

"Half of it," she whispered, knowing that with the amount they had received - it was plenty for them, "I want to give them half of the money we got from the wealth - and the sum from the house too, half of it all. To get a flat, to get their own space - maybe right now, in this world, a muggle job is all Remus can get but he could do something freelance - he could write books!

He's an excellent writer - or! He could get something part time and fight in the order, with this strain on werewolves...I just - Merlin Sirius, he's my best friend and so is Blair - Isaac too but Remus...Remus was my first friend as well as Lily, the two of them were all I had for a while and I don't know." She shook her head softly, "I can't cope with the thought of them struggling, I've asked them a million times to just come here but they think they're a burden."

"Is that why you always offer them so much food when they come over?" asked Sirius, a soft laugh erupting from his lips, and a heart swelling triple the size as he stared at the girl on his lap.

"I want to make sure they're alright," she laughed softly too, taking a deep breath. It was Sirius' money as much as it was hers and she knew that he would agree but she thought it wise to make sure he was aware.

She couldn't just hand over money like it was nothing, they were a team and they had to discuss everything, but it eased her. She worried about her friends more than anything else and she couldn't help but worry about Remus and Blair.

She could give an extra sum to Isaac, to get a small flat of his own - because she could afford to do that. She never truly realised before how wealthy her parents were and she didn't need such wealth, it was split four ways because Jude was far too young for it, and even split so much wasn't even a dampen on wealth she was in awe of.

She could give a large sum to all of her friends and still have enough - and that was something that blew her mind. All she knew was that she wanted to help her best friend, her brother - her Remus, who had been there for her since the beginning and she knew that he would try and say no, but he also knew how stubborn she could be when she needed to be.

"I don't think I'd be able to ever live with myself...y'know? This money was my parents and they helped everyone they could, and I want to do the same. We don't need this much money, Sirius, even giving away such a sum wouldn't even do much because it's too much money that we have no use for.

If I didn't try and help them...it wouldn't be me - it wouldn't be what I stood for and that's helping my family, and Remus and Blair and Isaac, Merlin, they're my family."

He leaned in to kiss her shoulder, rubbing his hand over her thigh before squeezing the skin, "you're incredible."

"You think too highly of me," she laughed softly, "it's your money too and if I didn't think of it then sooner or later, you would. They need this money way more than we do, and we both know that."