Dark Beauty /Sirius Black/ [2]

Dark Beauty - 35.

Chapter 35

"It's nursery time, baby!" Adria announced cheerily upon arrival to Jude and Mila's room. She as singing Jude's song when she flicked her wand and opened the curtains with a giggle when the toddler groaned loudly and angrily that he had to awake from his long sleep.

He loved sleep even more than Adria did and she was surprised that she sounded so cheery in the morning, but she'd be lying if she said that didn't have anything to do with Sirius who was walking out of their shared room shirtless. He was shouting into the room that he'd make pancakes and if there was one thing Jude loved more than sleep then it was food.

Which of course made the loud groaning turn into cheering.

"Good morning, sweet pea," Adria whispered softly to a cooing Mila. She wasn't much younger than Jude, but she was developing at a slower pace than him and even though she could talk in babbled sentences, she needed a lot more care.

It didn't help that both of her parents had suddenly left her, she was far too young to understand, and Jude was too but that didn't stop the boy from taking care of her with every bone in his body. He would protect her no matter what and even when Adria and Sirius' friends came over, he really had to make sure she was alright if any of them tried to lift her or take her away from him.

"Are you excited to see Jackson today?" asked Adria. She had managed to get Mila a spot in Jude's nursery too after explaining the events of what happened to the girl's parents though it was a much-tweaked version that didn't include a trace of magic.

She had planned out everything she had to say and when the nursery heard the full version of what had happened they didn't even need to hear anything else and allowed the girl a spot. She was still growing and playing with anything a little more complicated than the baby toys she liked was too much for her.

She was only one year younger than Jude at two, and three in a few months but it was taking her a little longer to fully come into her own as a child. Grace had once commented that it took her much longer than all of the other babies that she knew from her mother group to talk and say her first words and whilst she and Alfie had gone to a doctor just in case they weren't sure they could treat her so early.

If there really was anything wrong with the girl, or something to worry about then it would usually develop in her later toddler years, like three, for example.

But Adria was sure that she was just late to the party, she was an incredibly clever young girl and loved to draw with Adria as well as read. If Adria pointed to a word, then Mila was easy to read it out to her but that was as far as her abilities went.

Adria thought that was enough.

"Mrs Sullivan is picking you up after nursery with Jackson today and you and Mila are going to go over there for an hour or so," Adria said. She hated sending Jude to Mrs Sullivan's house, not because the woman wasn't the most incredible person ever because she was but because Jude hated not seeing her for more than needed.

But she had an order mission, and even though she was lying to Mrs Sullivan about it; she really needed to go and help. She had received a letter late last night and only got it because she had gotten up to retrieve a glass of water and happened to see it on the window sill.

Another town had been terrorised.

The order had gone just last night after being unable to get Sirius and Adria's help, but they had enough skilled wizards and witches there to help them and they managed to take the brunt of it. They fought until almost all of them sported harsh wounds but not as harsh as the villagers that lived in the small wizarding town.