Brightest ✯ Sirius Black

✯sixty-six✯

"you feel like home, and everywhere I've never been, all at once"

The waiting room was silent. The three boys stood in front of her and didn't say a thing, too scared to open their mouths. Nothing but the sound of gentle rain on the window and the ticking of the clock on the wall could be heard. Cleo stood for a moment with a grimace on her face, hoping and praying that someone would say something. Anything.

"Okay, okay I know you all are probably so mad at me you can hardly think, but one of you should have said something by now," she shrugged, trying to ease the tension. None of them changed their expressions at all.

"What-" Sirius breathed barely a whisper.

"The-" Remus added, stuttering as he gaped at her.

"Fuck!" Peter exclaimed, way louder than intended. His cheeks and the tips of his ears turned bright red when he realized.

Cleo wanted to laugh, but she couldn't get past the look on Sirius' face. "I'm sorry," she breathed. "I'm so, so sorry."

"I mean-" Remus began, shaking his head. "You could have been dead for all we knew, you could have been kidnapped again and we could have never seen you again," he began to speak louder, his voice shaking in anger.

"I know," she said softly, rubbing her arm gently as she cringed.

"Right after we lost Luna-" his voice cracked as he said her name but he continued, "and then we thought we lost you too and..." he trailed off finally, letting a tear fall down his face.

"You guys didn't deserve it, I know," she nodded, her eyes flooding with tears too. If there was one thing she never could stomach the strength to witness, it was Remus crying. Ever since they were little; if Remus cried, so did Cleo. "I didn't mean to hurt you, any of you," she looked from Remus to Peter, who nodded softly, and then to Sirius, who seemed completely frozen. He hadn't moved a muscle since she got here. He just kept looking at her, his eyes wide but she still couldn't read them. For once, she had absolutely no idea what he was thinking.

"Did you find her at least?" Peter's voice squeaked, breaking the silence again. Cleo looked grateful, and she nodded slowly, pressing her lips together.

"And?" Remus added, wiping his cheek with the sleeve of his sweater. He looked tired.

Cleo shrugged. "It's done," she nodded, holding her chin up and taking a deep breath. A visible sigh of relief seemed to be released from everyone in the room, followed by a wave of sadness. Remus looked at his best friend, the girl who held her arms close to her body as though she was going to cave in on herself. She had changed so much over the years that sometimes he felt he hardly recognized her, but then again, so did they all.

"I understand if you guys don't want to see me right now," she said softly. "Leaving like I did wasn't fair to any of you and I know that, but what's done is done." Cleo tilted her head behind her to the door and said, "I had to come and see Harry."

"Harry?" Remus breathed with a smile.

"His name isn't Sirius?" Peter asked, chuckling and patted Sirius' shoulder. "You owe me 10 galleons."

Sirius looked down at the floor, closing his eyes as he tried to hide a smile. He looked back up and met Cleo's gaze, who looked at him with hopeful eyes. He smiled slightly again and nodded.

"Not even his middle name?" Sirius asked, scrunching his nose slightly. Cleo's lips spread into a wide smile.

"Afraid not, he's named after his father instead," Cleo shook her head.

"Arrogant bastard," Sirius muttered, looking over at Remus who laughed.

A little while later, all three of the boys filed into the hospital room and surrounded the bed, and Cleo lingered in the doorway. Sirius stood beside James as they all looked down at a tired Lily, who held a little sleeping bundle in her arms. She smiled up at all of the boys, whispering gently with Remus who was asking her how she was doing.

James threw his arm around Sirius' neck as they both looked down at the sleeping child with smiles on their faces.

"Nice one, James," Sirius whispered, eyes wide in awe at how a person could be so tiny. Sirius knew without a doubt that this kid would be the most loved and the most spoiled child in existence. James chuckled, looked up at Sirius to his right, and then glanced at the curly haired girl in the doorway who smiled at him.

"How ya doin?" James whispered so as not to wake the baby. Sirius shrugged. He kept his arms folded over his chest and stared down at the newest Potter. "You're going to have to forgive her at some point in time," James kept pushing.

Sirius nodded, biting down on his bottom lip for a moment before he whispered, "I already did." James patted his shoulder proudly and they looked back at Lily.

"Cleo," the redhead whispered, and the boys turned to make room for her around the bed. Cleo pushed off from the doorway where she had been leaning her shoulder against and walked over, standing between Remus and Peter across from Sirius and James. Remus put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side, a sign of his forgiveness. Cleo beamed, a smile wider than any they had seen in a long time.

"Do you want to hold him?" Lily asked, and Cleo nodded her head immediately. Lily grinned and held Harry out, and Cleo took him up into her arms slowly and gently. She looked down at him with a smile, a tear falling from her eye and landing on his blanket. She used one hand to graze her finger oh so gently against his cheek, feeling the softness of his newborn skin.

"Hi Harry," she whispered softly. "No one on this Earth is going to love you more than the people in this room do." She smiled down at him as his big green eyes began to open and stare up at her, and she saw Lily in those lovely eyes.

She looked up and caught Sirius watching her with an expression she couldn't place, and he smiled at her, finally. She smiled back but gasped and looked back down when Harry's little hand wrapped around her finger and held tightly. A round of chuckles circulated the room and Cleo couldn't take her eyes off of the child she held. Sirius couldn't take his eyes off of her. 

I cried writing this 

i can't tell if i want a baby or if i want a sirius 

one in the same? maybe? 

anyway, vote and comment! 

love you guys

em