Happy Very First Birthday, Baby Lupin

Happy Very First Birthday, Baby Lupin

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Chapter 4

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"So, what's the thing you mentioned to your father earlier today?"asked Sirius later that night. They'd taken their trunks to Remus's room, where the bed had been doubled in size, put their things away, and now lay side by side on the bed.

"Well," started Remus, hesitating for a moment. Then he sat up and slipped off the bed. "I'd asked Dad to get something for you," he explained, crossing the room to a little table with a drawer.

"For me?" echoed Sirius curiously. "What is it?"

"This." Opening the drawer, Remus took out a tiny jewellery box. He walked back to the bed and fell to his knees on the floor in front of his astonished boyfriend. "Sirius Thomas Black," the werewolf said, opening the box and revealing the golden ring inside, "will you do me the honour of marrying me?"

For a moment Sirius sat in a stunned silence. Then he cried out, "Yes, oh, YES, Remus! Of course I'll marry you!"

Remus smiled and slipped the tiny ring into Sirius's left hand. "I thought that we could get privately married before the baby is born, if that's not too hurried for you," he said. Then, his expression turned darker as he added, "We have, however, still one thing in front of us before we can get married."

"Oh? And what is it?"

"The Ministry.

*

"Name?"

"Remus John Lupin."

"Race?"

"Lycanthropic."

"Age?"

"Sixteen."

"Have you been sterilized?"

A dangerous glow flashed in Remus's eyes as he replied, "Yes."

"I see." The official glanced to his collague, then back at the young werewolf. "You're asking for a permission to marry a human, is this correct?" As Remus nodded, the man continued, "Is there any specific reason for your desire to get married in such a young age?"

"He's pregnant."

The official's eyes shot in an instant back up from the papers in his lap. "Pregnant? To you?" he asked sharply.

"Calm down, Jones," the other official said. "A boy named James Potter has claimed to be the baby's father, but he's given all his paternal rights to Mr. Lupin here."

"But what if he's lying?"

"Be reasonable, Jones," the other official said, sighing in frustration. "If he didn't know about Lupin's Lycanthropy, he wouldn't see any reasons for lying. And if he did know, why'd he go through all that trouble to protect a werewolf? No, the boy's just a bloody typical Gryffnidor.2

"Very well." Mr. Jones frowned down at his papers. "We have testimonies on your behalf from Albus Dumbledore, Poppy Pomfrey, and several other Hogwarts faculty members, as well as from your friends. Now, we still need Mr. Black's testimony before making the final decision."

*

"Mr. Black, Remus John Lupin has asked for a permission to marry you. Are you aware of this?"

"Well, seeing that I'm sitting here, with an engagement ring in my hand, it's rather obvious that I am."

"Do you realize that Mr. Lupin is a registrated werewolf?"

"Yes, I do, and I don't give a damn."

"Ahem... Do you understand what will follow if you marry a lycanthrope?"

"Yes. Because of your racistic laws, we'll never have children together. Every third year I'll have to tell you whether I still want to be married to him. Remus cannot divorce me without my permission, but I may leave him whenever for whatever reason, and if we divorce, I'll automatically get the kid. Also, I'm responsible of all Remus's doings, his human rights basically depend on my opinion, and I'll have to explain my child why people are saying that Dad is not his or her real father... Shall I continue?"

"I think that's quite enough," the official replied dryly, although he looked a bit anxious at Sirius's response. "But do you realize the potential danger that Mr. Lupin causes to you as a werewolf?"

"That's nil. A werewolf never harms its mate, nor it harms the mate's child."

"You seem to trust Mr. Lupin very much," Mr. Jones said, a nasty tone in his voice. "If you really love him, why did you cheat on him?"

"Because you bastards sterilized him, I had to sleep with my best friend in order to have a child whom I could raise with Remus!"

Still, the official wasn't going to give in. Instead, he asked, "Was your only intention to be impregnanted?"

"Correct. And James was all the time aware of the fact that I just wanted a child, because, by James's knowledge, Remus was born sterile."

"Fine. Do you want to say anything before we make the final decision?"

"Yes. It's rather obvious that Remus is getting the worst hand in this - like he always gets in life. I, the so-called 'better person,' will have all power over him and practically no responsibilities at all in this marriage. If he truly wants to be bound by this bond, why would you stop him? He'd only be all the better tied under your laws. Plus, I'm eight and half months pregnant, currently very irritated, and very willing to marry Remus. Are you really sure that you want to make me really angry at you by denying it?"

Mr. Jones took one look at the dangerous glint in Sirius's eyes - a sure sign of an on-coming wave of fury - and made his decision.

Half an hour later, the marriage certificates were signed.