Shooting Star

Chapter Thirty-Five

"Sirius?" I whispered, rolling over in the dark to look at him.
He wasn't there.
I sat up straight, wide awake immediately. "Sirius?" I looked around the room.
He wasn't there, so I got out of bed and looked through every door. If he went out and did something stupid, I'd kill him.
There he was, though, standing over Harry's bed, hands deep in his pockets. I walked in quietly and stood beside him, watching Harry sleep peacefully. I didn't want Harry to grow up. I wanted him to sleep peacefully and be happy forever. When he was older, though, there were no promises of that.
"He looks just like James." Sirius whispered.
I nodded, and he slid his arm around me.

"Well, good morning, sleepyhead." I smiled when Harry came out of his room the next morning.
"Good morning." He rubbed his eyes adorably as he climbed into a chair at the kitchen table.
"What do you want for breakfast?" I smoothed his hair, which was messier than normal.
He shrugged.
"Pancakes?"
"Okay."
As he was eating, somebody rang the doorbell.
Who would be ringing the doorbell? Nobody rings the doorbell. Nobody even visits. Remus just walks in, and Dumbledore writes before he comes.
I went to go peak out the window to see Lucius Malfoy and Bellatrix Lestrange.
I didn't want Sirius coming home while they were here, but I didn't want to be here alone with Harry in case anything happened. So I sent a letter to him, telling him to come home.
"Harry." I whispered, picking him up while he was bringing a bite to his mouth. The fork clattered to the floor as I rushed him into his room. "Hide under the bed, okay? Don't come out unless I tell you its okay. I'll get down and look at you, but don't come out until I have."
The doorbell rang again.
"Hurry, Harry. Hide."
"Are you going to die too, Mummy?" He asked, tears in his eyes.
"No, no. I'm not going to die. Hide, okay? Be really quiet. Don't make a sound."
He threw his arms around my neck. "I love you, Mummy."
"I love you too, baby. Hide. Quickly." He scrambled under the bed obediently. "Don't make a sound." I reminded him and walked out.
Damn! I could have sent for Remus instead of Sirius. Too late.
Of course, I could be overreacting, but there's no logical reason for Death Eaters to be at my house. If Snape was with them, it might be different. But this was Bellatrix Lestrange, who had tortured Sirius, and Lucius Malfoy, the cowardly prick.
I opened the door just as the bell rang again. "Lucius." I smiled, slipping out the door and shutting it, one hand on my wand in my back pocket. "Bellatrix. What a lovely surprise."
"Isn't it, Mudblood?" She smiled creepily. She does everything creepily.
"Yes, very. May I help you?"
"You aren't going to invite us in?"
"No, I'd prefer not to."
"How's that cute little boy of yours?" Bellatrix asked.
"Very well, thanks."
"Can't we see him?" She smiled.
"He isn't here."
"Bella." Lucius said, and she shot him a glare. "Is Sirius here?" He asked.
Bellatrix tried to get past me, but I stepped in front of her just as the door opened. I turned around, praying it wasn't Harry.
It wasn't. It was Sirius.
"Well, well. How's my least favorite cousin?" He asked Bellatrix.
"Sirius. What a lovely surprise." Bellatrix smiled maliciously.
I wanted to beat the shit out of her.
"Bella, please." Lucius held out his arm.  "Sirius, your mother's dead."
Sirius paused for just a moment. "As far as I'm concerned, she's been dead. Is that all you came here for?"
"Yes." Lucius said after a moment.
"Then you can be on your way. You'd think an owl would have sufficed."
"That means that number twelve Grimmauld Place is in your possession now, as well as all of their finances."
"I don't want any of it."
Lucius held out a key. "This is for their vault at Gringotts."
Sirius simply stared at him, not looking at the key. Lucius didn't move to take it back.
I reached out and took it. "Thank you. Will that be all?"
"Yes." Malfoy said shortly.
"Is that all, Sirius?" Bellatrix asked. "You aren't upset?"
"She was no mother to me. You know that." He looked at her. "Euphemia Potter was a mother. She was not."
She spat at him. "You ungrateful child!"
I pushed Sirius behind me. "Hey!" I snapped.
Sirius pulled me back protectively. "If that's all, you wouldn't mind leaving, would you?" He asked, hands still on my shoulders.
"Not at all. Let me just go get you the son of the year award." Bellatrix smiled falsley.
"Come on, Sirius. Let's go back inside." I said quietly.
He opened the door for me, but Bellatrix burst through. Sirius ran after her. "Get out of my house." He commanded.
"Oh, Harry!" Bellatrix yelled.
I prayed he didn't come out.
"Get the hell out of my house right now." Sirius said, wand drawn.
"Haaaarry!" She shouted.
"I'm warning you." Sirius said. "Get the bloody hell out of my house."
"Harry!"
"You have to mean it, right?" He asked.
Bellatrix paused, confused.
I knew what he was going to do. "Sirius. Sirius, no." I said quickly. "If you do this, you're no better than they are."
"What are you going to do? Hex me? Fine. You'll finally be doing something right. You're the reason the Potters are dead. Because you were such a disappointment--"
"Crucio!" He yelled.
Bellatrix screamed in agony. I screamed in fear. Lucius just stood there, looking mildly shocked.
"Sirius!" I screamed.
He looked at me, eyes broken.
"Stop it! Stop it now!" I screamed. "Sirius, stop!"
He stopped, and Bellatrix collapsed on the floor. She laughed as she pulled herself to her feet. "There you go, boy! Make Mummy proud!"
"Sirius, put your wand down." I said quietly. "Now."
He put his wand down.
"Get the hell out of my house." I said, my wand pointing at Lucius Malfoy.
He grabbed Bellatrix's arm and pulled her out.
I locked the door behind them.
I stared at Sirius for a moment. He broke eye contact and looked at the ground.
I ran into Harry's room and knelt beside his bed. He stared at me, tears streaming down his face. "Come here, baby. It's okay." I said.
He crawled out and I pulled him to me, leaning against his bed. "I'm sorry, Harry. It's okay." I whispered, trying not to cry.
"It's okay, Mummy." He leaned against me, and I started crying. He kissed my cheek. "I love you."
"Mummy?" He asked after a moment.
"Yes, darling?" I smoothed his hair.
"Can I eat now?"
"Yeah." I smiled, standing up.
He slid his hand into mine and pulled me out. "Daddy?" He asked, starting over to Sirius.
"No. Daddy's in time out right now. Go eat."
"Why's Daddy in time out?" He looked up at me.
"Daddy said a bad word."
"Oh." He said, and went to the kitchen to finish eating.
I got him a new fork and cleaned up the mess from the pancake that had fallen and went to stand in front of Sirius.
He lifted his head from his hands and looked up at me, tear tracks down his cheeks. "I'm sorry." He choked out.
"Would you have done that if Harry had been watching?" I asked.
"No." He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Eliza. Please." He stood up and came towards me.
"I think you ought to go back to work." I said, not moving away, but not encouraging him to come closer.
"Eliza." His voice broke.
"Go, Sirius. I'll see you when you get home."
His shoulders slumped and he looked away, nodding. "Okay." He sat back down on the couch. I looked away. "I'll go in a minute. I just need to..."
"Take your time." I said, and went to the kitchen to sit with Harry.
He finished, and took his plate to the sink. He went to the cupboard.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
He said nothing, just took a cookie into the living room. I watched him hand the cookie to Sirius and skitter away.
Sirius smiled a little bit. "Thanks, kid."
Harry came back to me, like he hadn't done anything, like Sirius did whenever Harry was in time out.