Brain and Nerve and Bounding Heart

7- Lumen Verna

Áine awoke a few hours later to her alarm clock blaring on her bedside table, as usual. Yawning as she shut it off, she stretched and was immediately reminded of the previous night's events by the way her muscles screamed in protest. With a groan, she rubbed her eyes and got up.
Sirius was asleep still, one arm and one leg thrown over the back of the couch that looked much too small for his tall frame. She ruffled his hair gently as she passed on her way into the kitchen, smiling down at the drool that had spilled over his lips onto the pillow. Her mother was at the kitchen table with a teacup in hand, pouring over the day's paper. James was sitting across from her, watching the little television on the countertop with interest.
"Morning." He greeted as she grabbed a banana and plopped down in a chair beside them.
"Morning. How was your first night?" She asked, pouring a large cup of tea.
"Not too bad. He sleeps like a dream. He woke up once to eat but they both fell back asleep about a half hour ago."
"If ya was smart you'd be up there sleepin' as well. They sleep like angels during the first two weeks, then they get around to waking up and that's when ya really in for the fun." Her mother told him, not looking up from her paper.
"I'll keep that in mind." He nodded, then looked over at Áine. "I've just been restless. Last night was a close call. How are you feeling?"
"Like I smashed into a stone wall at sixty kilometers per hour." She answered honestly. "But otherwise I'm alright. I'm alive, thanks to Lily. And Sirius."
At that, her mother went off on a long lecture about how the lot of them needed to be more careful. Áine tuned out for the most part, thinking instead about the day ahead of her as she nibbled at the banana, and James took that as his cue to get up and clean off his dishes. Just as she was monotonously assuring her mother that she would be more careful from now on, the kitchen door opened. Mad Eye Moody hobbled in, followed by Sirius, who was yawning and wiping the sleep from his eyes.
"Alastor." She greeted, surprised. "I didn't expect to see you back so soon."
"Here to escort you into the Ministry. I heard you're worried about that sack of dung, Rook-"
"I sent him a message last night, explaining how I thought it best that none of us travel alone for awhile." Sirius interrupted loudly, glancing pointedly between Áine, Moody and Róisín.
  The older woman was observing them all with a calculating stare. She knew that there was a dark wizard out there who hated muggles and was targeting the Potters specifically, but that was about as far as her knowledge went. Áine had kept her quite shielded from knowing any more than she needed to, for her own safety.
  A moment of awkward silence stretched between them all before Róisín grabbed the cane that was rested up against the table and got to her feet.
"I get it, I'll let you have your privacy. But I mean it, child. You have to look after yourself, ya hear? No more of your damn stunts like last night. You're all I've got left."
  The older woman's voice broke a bit as she spoke the last sentence, and Áine's heart plummeted. She had never meant to make her mother feel this afraid. How cruel would it be for Róisín to have to bury not only her husband, but her only child as well?
"I promise, ma." Áine said sincerely, looking her mother in the eye and reaching a hand out to rest on her arm.
"That's why I'm here, ma'am." Alastor piped up. "We all look out for each other. She's a smart lass, she'll be just fine."
"Alright. I'll hold ya to it then." Róisín agreed, looking Alastor directly in the eye.
  Alastor nodded, staring back at Róisín sincerely. Sirius held the door open so that Róisín could exit the kitchen, and Áine's heart surged with gratitude as he followed after her, offering to help her to her chair. Alastor sat at the table as the kitchen door closed, grabbing the teapot and sniffing the contents suspiciously.
"Anyway, uh... I agree with Sirius. I don't believe that Voldemort will authorize an attack on you within the ministry itself." He began. "That doesn't mean he won't try to corner you elsewhere. That does mean that you're now going to be using either the Floo or apparition to get directly to and from work each day. No more driving that truck and no going out on your own for any reason."
"Right. I can manage that." Áine sighed.
"Good." Moody grunted, deciding that the tea was safe as he proceeded to pour himself a cup. "Go get yourself ready, we leave in twenty."
She obliged, carrying her own tea with her as she exited the kitchen. Passing the sitting room she nodded gratefully to Sirius, who sat cross-legged on the couch watching Good Morning Britain with her mother. He nodded back sleepily, and her heart swelled as she continued up to her bedroom. Dressing quickly, she then threw a little makeup on her face to hide the bruises from the previous night.
She emerged from her bedroom to find that Sirius was now holding baby Harry, a bright smile on his face. Her mother was leaned over him as well, talking animatedly to the child. Áine smiled to herself, knowing that the littlest member of their family would be well taken care of while she was at work. She only wished she could stay and spend time with him.
Entering the kitchen once more, she let Alastor know that she was ready. Lily called her goodbyes from the table, where James was now fussing over a plate of breakfast that he'd made for her. Alastor rose from the table loudly, leading the way back towards the sitting room. Sirius got up and approached her, still holding the baby.
"You take care of yourself today. Promise?" He spoke, leaning close.
"Promise." She agreed absently, smiling down at the child he held and touching her finger to his tiny nose.
"I'll go first." Alastor said, taking a handful of Floo powder and tossing it into the fireplace.
"Ministry of Magic!" He grunted, and then his body disappeared.
"Say bye-bye to Auntie Onion!" Sirius told Harry, grabbing his little hand and making a waving gesture.
"If you teach him to call me that, I'll teach him to call you Uncle DogDung. Keep that in mind." She warned quietly before taking her own handful of Floo powder and throwing it into the empty grate.
  As she stated her destination, she felt her body whisked away. The last thing she saw was Sirius' dazzling smile, their Godson clutched safely in his arms.