The Squib and the Werewolf (book 2)

15. Doe

Raya wanted to tell the Daily Prophet about how she was being mistreated by the Ministry of Magic, but the promise she had made during her trial provented her from doing so.
Which meant that Raya could do nothing to stop the aurors from searching her home every couple of months in search of Sirius.
But now that Sirius had given her access to the Black family vault, Raya could finally get her hands on the money she was entitled to.
Which meant she could buy all the things she needed to prepare for the birth of her next child.
She was also able to hire a nanny to look after the baby for several hours a day, so that Raya could have a break. As she was worried she wasn't going to be able to cope without Remus to help her this time.

In early April, Raya went into labour, and instead of suffering at home, she decided to go to St Mungo's, since the Ministry had already figured out that she was pregnant, so trying to hide her child's birth was pointless.
And after several long hours in labour, she finally gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
"You two shouldn't be here" said Raya, as Remus and Jamie stepped into the hospital room, baring gifts.
"Dumbledore gave us special permission to come and visit you once the baby was born" revealed Remus.

"Well, I'm glad to see you both. It's so nice to see a familiar face, as I've been surrounded by Healers all day. One of them had no idea who I was and asked if my husband was going to be joining me. At which point the head Healer whispered in her ear, that I was the wife of Sirius Black, and that shut her up... And one more thing, I'm glad I was unconscious the first time around, as giving birth is not fun, and I have no intention of doing that again any time soon" admitted Raya.
"I'm sorry I couldn't be here during the delivery, to support you" apologised Remus.
"That's alright. You're here now, which is all that matters. Besides, you have duties at Hogwarts that are important, and you can't come to my aid every time I summon you" replied Raya.

"Since the baby is wearing pink, does that mean it's a girl?" Asked Jamie excitedly.
"As observant as ever. Yes, she's a girl" answered Raya.
"Cool" grinned Jamie.
"Does she have a name?" Added Remus.
"I have spent a long time thinking about what to name her. And since Jamie is named after Sirius, and James, it makes sense to name my daughter after me and one of my female friends. So, I have decided to call her Sophia, as that's my middle name" revealed Raya.
"Sophia, I like it" replied Jamie.

"Does Sophia have a middle name?" Questioned Remus.
"Yes, I picked Doe" answered Raya.
"Like the deer?" Frowned Jamie.
"Yes. Lily's Patronus was a doe afterall" reminded Raya.
"I suppose that makes sense. I am named after James Potter afterall, so naming Sophia after Lily works" replied Jamie.
"One of our friends at school was also called Dorcas Meadowes, and her nickname was Doe. So, Sophia's middle name is in memory of two people"
"What happened to Dorcas?"
"The same thing that happened to all of our friends in the war. She was killed. Some say Voldemort did it himself, because she was very talented".

"So, Raya, now that the baby is born, are you going to be straight with me about who her father is? You've been putting it off for 9 months, and it's time you told me the truth. Who is Sophia's father?" Demanded Remus.
"Please don't make me lie to you, Remus, because you know how much I hate lying" sighed Raya.
"Then don't lie. I want the truth. I'm not the Ministry who needs to hear another lie, I'm your brother, so please, tell me the truth. Is Sirius her father? Have you been seeing him behind my back? I notice that Sophia has brown hair and not black hair like Sirius, but that doesn't mean he's not the father. So, is it him?" Questioned Remus.

"Fine, I won't lie to you then. But I'm not going to tell you everything, as there is too much on the line... Yes, my husband is Sophia's father. But I'm not going to tell you where Sirius is, so don't even ask, as that will save me inventing a lie to tell you" informed Raya.
"I can't believe you've been hiding this from me. I thought we didn't keep secrets from each other" replied Remus.
"I've only seen Sirius a handful of times since he escaped. It's not like I've been having tea and biscuits with him every weekend. Besides, I know that you don't fully believe me about Sirius's innocence. Which is why I didn't tell you that I saw him, and why I won't tell you where he is hiding"
"You really think that I would sell him out, even if I don't 100% believe in your version of events? You honestly think I would risk you getting into trouble for harbouring him, or risk us losing Jamie?"
"I don't know. But keeping Sirius alive was more important than telling you the truth".

"Great. It's nice to be the only one kept out of the loop" snapped Remus.
"I'm sorry" apologised Raya.
"If you have no qualms talking about this in front of Jamie, then I assume he has known all along where Sirius is?" Questioned Remus, ignoring Raya's apology.
"Jamie wanted to meet his dad, and I wasn't going to stop him. But he doesn't know exactly where Sirius is"
"It's nice to know that you can trust a 12 year old boy, and not your own brother".

"Please keep your voice down, we can't have anyone finding out who the real father is. The world has to believe that Sophia's father is some random Muggle, who's name I don't remember" insisted Raya.
"So, even after you lied to me, you still expect me to keep your secret?" Asked Remus.
"I never lied to you. I didn't answer your questions, and that isn't the same as lying. I always planned on telling you some of the truth eventually, once I had gotten my head around what I was going to do about this whole situation"
"How kind".

Remus turned from Raya, and ran his fingers through his hair.
"Please Remus, I know I hurt you, but we can't do this without you. Jamie and I need you, now more than ever. Sirius may be Sophia's father, but he's on the run. He can't be a part of her life, any more than he can be a part of Jamie's. You're the one who she will look up to, you will be the only father figure in her life. I can't raise my children without you" admitted Raya.

Remus sighed and turned back around, "You know I will always be there for your children. I would never desert them, no matter how angry I was at you".
"Thank you... If you've suspected that Sirius was Sophia's father all along, then my revelation can't be that much of a shock to you" replied Raya.
"It's not a shock, as I feel like a part of me always knew the truth. But I just wish you had told me sooner" informed Remus.

"She was trying to keep my dad safe, so please don't be mad" begged Jamie.
"I'm not mad. I'm just disappointed that your mum didn't think she could trust me" admitted Remus.
"She does trust you. But the less you know, the less danger you're in, right? And the more people who know a secret, the higher the chance of that secret being spilled. And my dad's life is on the line. It's not a secret that can risk being spilled" replied Jamie.
"I suppose you have a point. Which is why I won't ask where Sirius is, because I don't want to hear a lie, or learn something that would put a lot of people in danger"
"Thanks for understanding".