Redemption For A Monster (Marauder fanfic) Book Three

41- Family Reunion

Sara struggled to sleep that night, as Sirius wove in and out of her thoughts, making it impossible for her to clear her mind.
She had spent every night, for years, sleeping beside him, so to suddenly have him ripped from her side, was difficult for her to process.
Mary and John questioned Sara about what she had been up to for the past 3 years for quite some time the following day. Until Sara could not take it anymore, and decided that she needed to get away for a while.
Now that she was no longer a wanted criminal, there was one person that she knew she had to see. And that was her father, Leo Fawley, if he was still alive.

After Apparating to his manor house in the countryside, Sara waited patiently outside his front door, for his house-elf to appear.
When the door finally opened, Sara smiled down at the small creature, who looked even more pitiful than Sara remembered.
"Hello Flea. I'm here to see my father" announced Sara.
"Miss Sara, how good of you to return. Master always hoped he would get to see you one last time" replied Flea, after she bowed her head.
Sara smiled, and stepped inside the house, which looked very different, from the last time she had been there.
Sara hadn't seen her father since James and Lily's deaths, and she hadn't stayed in contact with him, after she left Remus. So she had no idea what he had been up to since then.

"Flea, where is my father?" Questioned Sara, when she realised that the house-elf was leading her upstairs.
"Master is in his bedroom Miss" answered Flea.
"In the middle of the day?"
"Yes Miss. Master is not well you see. Not well at all".
A small tear ran down Flea's long nose, and she sniffed loudly, before continuing up the grand staircase.
When they reached Leo's door, Flea knocked , before opening the door, and stepping inside, motioning for Sara to follow.
"Hello... Father?" Sara called out, as she made her way towards the bed in the centre of the room.
"It can't be... Sara, is that you?" Asked a frail voice from under the covers.

"Lumos" muttered Sara, as she raised her wand and lit up the room.
Her heart sank when she saw Leo lying in the bed, with the covers pulled up to his chin, despite it being a warm day.
His usual tidy brown hair, had turned grey, and was very thin, on the top of his head. His cheek bones were also very prominant, and his eyes looked sunken, though they seemed to lighten up, as Sara approached, and sat on the bed beside him.
"What's wrong with you?" Questioned Sara.
"I'm dying I'm afraid. I have been for a while. But I always hoped that I would get to see you one last time. I saw in the Prophet that you've been cleared of all charges, so I just prayed that you would come and visit me, now that you were able to, before it is too late" admitted Leo.

"You- You're dying?" Gasped Sara.
"Afraid so. I am an old man afterall" reminded Leo.
"I know that, but I didn't think-"
"How many of your friends parents are still alive Sara?" Interupted Leo.
"Not many. Frank's mother is the only one I can think of, who is still around. But you always seemed so young, when I was here before".
Leo smiled.
"I'm glad that you thought I was young".
"Is there nothing I can do to help?" Asked Sara.
"You can't fight old age, no matter how hard you try Sara" sighed Leo.
"Do you- I mean, do you know how long you have left?"
"The Healers say a few months, nothing more. I'm sorry. This can't be the news you wanted to hear, so soon after losing your friend Black".

Sara raised her hand, to grab hold of Sirius' ring, which she had decided to attach to the chain of the necklace he had given her, for the time being, while she decided whether or not she wanted to wear it on her finger.
"I don't know what to do now father. Sirius was all I had, these past few years, and I don't know how to live without him" revealed Sara, as tears began to fall down her cheeks.
"Hey, don't cry. You aren't alone Sara. I'm sure you've got tonnes of people who care about you, who can help you get through this" replied Leo.
"Not as many as you'd think"
"What about your fiancè? He was in the paper a couple of years ago, for being a werewolf. Did you know he was one of them?"
"Of course I did. He was one of my best friends, and the first love of my life. I was actually the first one in our group to find out his secret, and he was the first to discover mine... But things are awkward between us now, because I was in love with Sirius, and we got together shortly after he escaped Azkaban"
"Ah, yes, I can see why that would make things awkward between the two of you... Haven't you got anyone else?".

"Mary is my only other friend, who is still with us. And Harry, my godson, cares about me, I know he does" admitted Sara.
"Well then, that proves that you are not alone. Even though when I am gone, you will be the last surviving member of our family. Don't worry, I've left you everything I own in my will. You will get this house and everything in it, as well as all of my money. So you don't need to worry about supporting youself in the future" revealed Leo.
"I don't deserve it"
"Of course you do. You are my daughter. And I need to make up for not being there for you, during the first half of your life"
"It's not your fault that my mother didn't tell you about me"
"No, but I still wasn't there for you, when you needed me"
"I'm not angry at you for not being there, not any more... I know how hard it can be, to be reunited with someone you love, who doesn't know how to act around you, because you weren't there for them, in the past".

Leo frowned, not understanding what Sara was getting at.
Sara looked at her frail father, who had only a few months to live, and she decided to share with him the secret that she had kept from him all those years ago.
"I will not be your last descendent father, for their is another who shares our blood... I have a son, named John Nate McDonald, who lives with my best friend Mary, and who everyone believes to be her son. But that it is a lie, for John is mine. Named after his father, Remus John Lupin, and my mother Natasha" revealed Sara.
"You have a son?" Questioned Leo.
"Yes. He is 16 years old, and he lives a normal happy life, like any other Muggle teenager, because he is actually a Squib".

"A Squib, really? I don't think there's ever been a Squib in our family before. Not that I'm prejudice in any way" admitted Leo.
"His blood status might be my fault, for I used dark magic to ensure that he was not born a female, like me, so that he wouldn't be a Maledictus" Sara revealed.
"I see. You wished to save him from becoming a dragon like you?"
"Yes. At least as a Squib, he can have a long and happy life. Which he would not have gotten, had he been born a Maledictus... He doesn't know what I did yet. Though I plan to tell him the truth, when he is old enough"
"You shouldn't blame yourself, for doing what you thought was right... I wonder... Would it be possible for me to meet him, while I still have the chance?".
Sara bit her lip, and thought for a moment, before nodding her head.
"Yes. I think I would like it if he got to meet you".

Leo smiled, before bringing out a thick brown book from under his covers.
"In this are pictures of me and your mother, when we were together. Would you like to see them?" he asked nervously.
"I would love to. All the photos I had of my mother, were destroyed, when my house burned down, on the day the Ministry took her from me" replied Sara, as she shuffled on the bed, to get closer to the album.
"I have quite a few of her, since she was the only woman I ever loved, and we were together for several years, before we broke up"
"I can't even picture her in her human form, as it's been so long, since I saw her like that"
"Well then, let me give you a little trip down memory lane".
Sara grinned as her father opened up the photo album, and began talking through each picture, explaining the story behind every single one.