Untreated Wounds | Sirius Black

Chapter 60

Though our daughter was named after the stars, she was the sun.

The warm afternoon September sun set behind us, casting warm rays against my skin. The air was beginning to cool as October slowly crept upon us and the sun was beginning to fade sooner.

Sirius had found a lookout point on the September full moon and he was taking Cassiopeia and me there. His large hand was interlocked with mine while the other held his daughter who was strapped to his chest in a baby sling.

The overalls I wore were slightly oversized, fitting more comfortably with the large post-partum pad I had to wear to catch all the blood. Beneath the overalls was just a sports bra which was accessible when Cassiopeia got hungry. Sirius had his usual attire on, a leather jacket and a band shirt. I envied that he only looked more handsome as a father while my body was a complete mess of hormones.

"How much further?" I whined, letting him drag me up to the steep and rocky terrain,

"Oh, come on! We've only been walking for an hour." Sirius pulled me up with my arm. I lunged forward, stumbling over the rocks but staying on my feet. "You didn't hold a baby for nine months though, did you?"

"I'll give you that." He chuckled, looking down at me with a mischievous grin, "Only another hour."

I frowned at my husband, narrowing my eyes at him, but he placed an arm around my waist, leaning down and kissing my frown and when his soft lips twisted into a smile against mine, I couldn't help but smile back.

I liked being a family. Despite the sleepless nights and the baby vomit, it was amazing. We'd moved once again after Cassiopeia was born, Sirius had his final mission in Edinburgh and fell in love with the beauty of the city. And I did too. Sure, we were very far from everyone, but they were only an apparition away.

The peak of the hill looked over the bustling town of the old city. The sun was setting behind the large Victorian buildings, beams of gold and pink coating and painting the homes. "See?" Sirius turned to me as he kissed his daughter's head, looking down at her with a smile that made the newborn reveal her toothless gums.

"Fine, you win." I leaned into his side, looking over his shoulder to look at Cass. Her big granite-like eyes looked into mine, her smile creeping further across her little lips when I smiled at her. Cass had this mischievous look in her eyes, just like her father always had. But when she smiled, she mirrored mine.

I yawned, placing my head on Sirius's shoulder. My eyes glanced between the sunset and Cass but Sirius had her eyes on Cass almost the entire time, smiling at her when she smiled at him and poking his tongue out at her, making her grin widen. I felt Sirius's hand stroking my hair, placing a kiss on my head in the process.

Eventually, Cassiopeia was hungry and began to cry, reaching her arms out for me and wailing loudly. "Someone wants their mummy, don't they?" Sirius asked in a gentle voice. He glanced behind and he apparated us back to the little cottage we lived in, though it wasn't that little.

It was an old brick home with a large chimney. Out the front there was a small patio made with decorative tiles and a small set of vintage chairs, the white paint they were lathered in was beginning to rust and peel. Sirius and I drank our tea there in the mornings if he wasn't on a run and if Cass was still asleep.

Vines crawled up the side of the home, along with a white orchard tree that was full of flowers beside the house. There was a large backyard too; Sirius had planted his strawberry and blackberry bushes there almost immediately. It was a lovely home. It was warm and it was full of love. Like I'd always wanted.

"It's already getting chilly," Sirius mumbled, unlocking the house with the keys. Inside, it kept the same homely warmth. On the kitchen windowsill, coriander and basil were growing in small pots and there was a dirty tea mug beside the sink.