A Happy Ever After

Wednesday, June 6^th, 2001, Grimmauld Place, London, England

Hermione stood in front of the fireplace, fidgeting. She was waiting for Sirius, who, now pardoned, was working as an Auror. He was due home any moment, and she had learned something three hours earlier that she wasn't sure he'd like.

A whooshing sound announced his arrival. Sirius stepped out of the man-sized fireplace, walked over to his wife and kissed her on the lips.

"Hello, dear," he said, smiling at her slightly frowning face. "What's the matter?"

Hermione bit her bottom lip. She wasn't sure if he'd like it or not. "You'd better sit down," she said, guiding him to a sofa in the living room.

He twisted out of her grip and turned to her, taking her chin in his hands. "What's the matter? Are you all right? You're not sick, are you love? We'll get you the best doctors if you are."

She paused, not sure how to phrase what she was about to say. "Sirius," she said, pushing him so he sat, and she sat next to him. "Sirius, I'm not sick. I'm...." She trailed off, eyes looking a bit scared. "I'm not sure what you'll think of this, if you'll be happy, but..." she bit her lip again. "I'm pregnant."

Sirius looked stunned. "With my baby?" he asked.

She looked shocked. "Of course!"

He shrugged. "Then what's there to be nervous about?" he asked her. "Except, of course, three in the morning feedings and all that."

A grin spread over her features. "You mean, you're not disappointed?"

He grinned. "Of course not! I love kids," he grinned wider. "Hell, I am one most of the time. How many weeks, months, days?"

Hermione leaned back into the sofa. "Well, the doctor said three months," she said, and Sirius's eyes sprang wide open.

"Three!" he exclaimed. "And you didn't know until now?"

"Well," Hermione said, blushing, "when certain things didn't happen for the past three months, I got worried and made an appointment, and when the doctor told me after she was done and had done a sonogram that I was three months pregnant, I almost fell off of the examining table. I was really shocked."

Sirius ticked something off on his fingers. "So... you're due in December?"

"Yeah," Hermione said, watching as her husband put his hand over her stomach rather protectively. "She said somewhere around the eighth." She glanced at her still-flat stomach. "Though, with my family history, I wouldn't be surprised if this little one was early."

"Ah," Sirius said, his other hand curling around her shoulders, "we're on time in my family, I'm afraid."

Hermione's mouth twitched. "So," she said, looking up at him and pushing some hair out of his face, "when do you want to tell Mrs Weasley?"

"Oh, God," Sirius said, horror taking over his face, "Molly is a Baby Nazi. You'd be lucky to make away with one thing that you wanted. I remember when Lily was having Harry, and she told Molly," he shuddered. "Nothing in the nursery was safe from Molly's decorating grasp. Luckily, James put his foot down and insisted they name Harry, Harry. Otherwise, he would've been Jonathan, I believe."

"Jonathan Potter," Hermione mused, looking rather amused. "He'd love to hear that"

"Don't tell him," Sirius warned. "We don't want anything that might startle him and that might lead to messing up the impending wedding, now, do we?" Harry had proposed at Christmas to Ginny, and their wedding was scheduled for July 4^th.

"Of course not," Hermione agreed.

********************

That Saturday morning, when Hermione woke up, she kept her eyes closed and rolled over to Sirius.

"Morning," he said, yawning into her ear.

"Morning," she replied, curling up.

"You know what we can do today?" he asked, prying her eyes open.

"What?" she replied, squeezing her eyes shut again.

"Shopping for baby stuff."

She looked at him, a little confused. "Sirius," she said, "we've got six months."

He nodded. "Well, yeah, but with all the stuff we do, parties, work, celebrity stuff for you, Harry, and Ron, we --you-- might not have enough time to look for a bassinet, crib, clothes..."

"Wait a second," Hermione said, sitting up. "I get to buy cute little baby clothes?"

A slow grin spread over Sirius's face. "Yes."

She shoved him off the bed. "Then get in the shower, Mr Black! We've got to go shopping!"

Sirius laughed, picked himself up, and went into their bathroom. He poked his head out of the doorway, grinning evilly. "D'you want to join me?" he asked. She threw a pillow at him. "I suppose that that was a no."

"Yes, it was. Now, go TAKE YOUR SHOWER!!!" Hermione threw another pillow at her husband.

"Mood swings," Sirius muttered, slamming the door to the onslaught of pillows.

When he exited the bathroom, Hermione went in after him and took her shower.

She came out in her bathrobe to see Sirius sitting on the bed, fully clothed, wearing jeans and a button-up long shirt. It was white with thin forest green stripes. He was lacing up a pair of black shoes when he looked up and smiled at her. She smiled back, pulled out a pair of jeans and a Weasley's Wizarding Wheeze's shirt --red with gold lettering-- and retreated into her closet to dress.

"Why won't you dress out here?" Sirius called.

"Because I'm fat!" she yelled back at him. The closet door snapped open and Sirius stood in the doorway, looking very displeased.

"You," he said, waving his index finger at her, "are not fat. You are not even showing yet. How could you possibly be fat? Besides," he said, putting his hands on her shoulders, "I happen to find pregnant women attractive. Especially," he purred, "when they happen to be my wife."

Hermione laughed and led him out of the closet after dressing and down to the kitchen so they could eat breakfast.

********************

"Honestly," she grumbled, as they got on the escalator to leave the Underground. "I'm pregnant, Sirius, not an invalid."

"Yes," he said cheerfully, "but I don't want you to accidentally leave the baby behind."

"What?!" she asked, turning.

"That's right," he said. "Sometimes pregnant women forget that, when they Apparate, they're Apparating with two instead of one and they leave the baby behind. It's awful, though you don't hear about it, as people don't like to talk on the subject."

Hermione paled. "Well then, I'm glad you told me before I Apparated anywhere," she said, turning forward again. She didn't see Sirius snigger silently.

They arrived at the Leaky Cauldron about ten minutes of a leisurely walk through the Muggle shopping district, holding hands and laughing at sale signs.

"Hello, Tom," Sirius said. Tom nodded, and retreated back into the kitchen.

People tended to still mistrust Sirius, even though his name had been cleared a year ago. While he found it irritating, it was useful, since people cleared a path for about two feet around him wherever he went. "I always have my personal space," he had told Hermione two months into their marriage.

Hermione smiled at a few of the people from her job, and saw Lance walking towards her and Sirius. "Lance!" she said, smiling. "How are you? Oh," she said, motioning towards Sirius, "Lance, this is my husband, Sirius Black. Sirius, this is Lance Greenberg, from work."

"Nice to meet you, Lance," Sirius said, shaking Lance's hand.

"You, too," Lance said congenially. "So, what are you two doing here today? Hermione usually likes to sleep for half a day on her day off." His eyes twinkled.

"Well..." Hermione said, as Sirius curled a hand around her midriff. "Don't tell anyone, okay? We're shopping for baby stuff."

"Baby stuff?" Lance asked, his eyebrows arched inquisitively. "Who's-- Oh," he said, turning red. "Congratulations, Hermione, Sirius, I hope everything goes well. And, if you'll excuse me, I have to go now. Hermione, I'll see you on Monday." He hurried out of the Leaky Cauldron, tugging at his collar.

"What was with him?" Sirius asked as they walked to the back room with the trashcans.

Hermione pulled her wand out and tapped the bricks. "I'm not sure. Lance is usually very calm and collected. I think he and his girlfriend have just broke up, so maybe relationship stuff makes him upset? I'm not sure." The archway finished forming, and they stepped into Diagon Alley.

They walked for about five minutes before they found a very large store called 'Baby Kangaroo', a popular baby store with baby clothes, furniture and knickknacks.

"After you, my dear," Sirius said, bowing Hermione into the store.

"Thank you, dear sir," she said, taking his hand in hers.

They had barely entered the store when an attendant rushed over to them. "Hello, I'm Gerald. How may I help you?" he asked, smiling very widely.

Sirius blinked for a moment, then collected himself. "We're looking for clothes, a bassinet, crib, changing table, armoire, dresser, shoes, highchair, carrying basket and a monitor," he said, right on beat. "But we're only looking right now, since we don't know the sex of the baby yet."

"Well, then," Gerald said, smile in place, "let me show you around."

********************

Monday, August 6^th, 2001, St. Mungo's Obstetrician's and Genecology Ward

Hermione and Sirius sat in the examining room, waiting for the Healer to come in.

Five minutes later, a rather harried-looking woman came in, reading a paper off a clipboard.

She looked at Hermione. "Hermione Black?" Hermione nodded. "Good. I was afraid that I'd gotten the wrong room again." She laughed. "And you must be the father," she said, looking at Sirius. "I must say, you look somewhat familiar. Have I seen you here before?"

"No!" Sirius said, taken aback and slightly insulted. "I'm Sirius Black, nice to meet you."

"Mhm. Now I remember where I've seen you. All those posters," the Healer said. "Hermione, I'm Estelle Gentry, your Healer for the duration of your pregnancy."

"It's nice to meet you, Estelle," Hermione said, from her seat on the table.

"It's nice to meet you, too. I understand that we're going to be seeing whether you're having a boy or a girl."

"That's right," Hermione said. "Sirius and I are very excited. This means we can finally start to decorate."

Estelle laughed. "Well, it won't take long, and it's not going to hurt, either. Now, sit back, relax, and let me see your tummy." Hermione pulled the dressing gown off her stomach. The OB-GYN's office had had special ones especially for pregnant woman with a flap that went over your stomach, so you wouldn't have to be embarrassed at all. "Well, it looks like you're coming along beautifully, and there doesn't look like there's anything wrong with you, or the baby, but we'll see in a minute, won't we?" She pulled her wand out, and touched the tip to Hermione's belly button. "Videre infans!"

Upon Estelle uttering those words, an image of a baby, curled up in fetal position, appeared over Hermione's stomach. The illusion stretched, and in the few seconds it was stretching, Hermione and Sirius discovered the sex of their baby.

"Well," Estelle said, cancelling the spell, "it looks like your baby is developing well and is healthy, Mr and Mrs Black. Come back to see me in a month or so."

********************

Thursday, August 10^th, 2001, The Dining Room, Grimmauld Place, London

They had invited the Weasleys, Harry, Remus and Tonks, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Luna, Ron's fiancée, over for dinner to announce the Big Event.

"So, Hermione," Harry asked, a few places down the table from her, "what's the big news?"

Hermione glanced at Sirius, who nodded at her as if saying, 'It's all yours, babe'. She frowned at him and he rolled his eyes back and walked over to stand behind her as she stood to give the announcement. She cleared her throat. "Ahem. Hello, everyone. Sirius and I have invited you here to announce that," she grinned, "we're having a baby!"

Every person in the room's mouth dropped two inches.

"No way," Ginny breathed. Hermione nodded at her. "Oh, Hermione! I'm so excited for you! Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

Hermione nodded smugly. "Yes, but I don't think we want to tell, do we, Sirius?"

Sirius grinned teasingly. "No, I don't think so," he said. He turned towards Molly Weasley who was writing things down on a scrap of parchment and counting something off on her fingers. "Now, Molly, we love you, but we don't need your help preparing with the baby." When she started to turn, he hurried on. "Because you're so busy with Harry and Ginny's wedding. Plus, we wanted to find things on our own."

Molly looked at him sternly. "I'm giving you this list of what babies need, anyway," she said, handing him the parchment. "You'll find it useful."

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley," Hermione said, kissing Molly's cheek. "We appreciate it, really."

Molly smiled at her honorary daughter. "Oh, Hermione, you'll be such a good mother," she said, smiling. After a moment, she hurried off, muttering something about getting some chocolate.

Harry came over and hugged Hermione lightly. "Congrats, 'Mione," he said, kissing her cheek. "Good luck, and remember, the name James is mine!" He turned to his Godfather and hugged him tighter. "You take care of her and this kid really good," Harry warned, "or you'll have me and Mrs Weasley to worry about."

Sirius laughed and hugged him back. "Don't worry about it, Harry."

Meanwhile, Ginny was advancing on Hermione, an unyielding look in her eyes. "Hermione..." she said.

"I'm not telling you, Ginny," Hermione said, "and that's final."

Once everyone had left, Hermione plopped onto the couch in the living room and heaved a sigh. "Ugh, I love all of them, but I am so glad that they're gone!" she said to Sirius, who came offering ice cream. "Thank you," she said, snatching the Death By Chocolate ice cream from his hands.

He laughed. "Anything for you, babe."

********************

Friday, August 11^th, 2001, The Burrow

"So, Fred's going to moderate," Mrs. Weasley said, passing around quills and inkpots. "We're going to bet on which day around the due date--which is in December--the baby will actually be born, and whether it's a boy or a girl."

"Okay," everybody responded.

"I think I'll go for the fourth, and that it'll be a girl," George said, scribbling down his bet on the parchment.

"I'm going for the twenty-sixth and a boy," Ginny said. She passed the parchment to Percy.

"Hmm... The fifteenth and a girl," Percy said, and passed it to Charlie.

"Nineteenth and a girl," Charlie said, and gave it to his father.

"Second and a girl," Arthur said, passing it to Molly.

"Thirtieth and a boy," Molly said, smiling. She handed it to Ron.

"Twelfth and girl," Ron said, and he passed it along to Bill.

"Eighteenth and a boy," he said, finishing his bet with a flourish. He handed it to Fred, who spelled it into the safe place and they all Disapparated to their different homes.

********************

Thursday, September 20^th, 2001, St. Mungo's Obstetrician's and Genecology Ward

Hermione lay back in the now-familiar position on the table and watched as Estelle spoke the spell on her pillow-thick stomach.

The illusion popped up, and a baby, no more than a pound, appeared, curled up. The baby's mouth opened, and it yawned.

Estelle smiled. "It looks like it's coming along well. The baby looks to be about a pound."

"A pound?" Hermione asked a bit frightened.

"Yes, it's normal for six months, dear," Estelle said, patting Hermione's arm. "It's in the last three months that the baby becomes the size it'll be when you go into labor."

"Oh," Hermione said. "Well, then. That's okay, I guess."

Estelle smiled. "Well, the visit's over, you can go back to work, I daresay, or whatever you occupy yourself with. I'll owl you when you should come in for your seven month check-up."

********************

House-Elf liaison, Department of Non-Human Creatures, Ministry of Magic

Hermione left the elevator and waddled towards her office. When she passed Lance's he called to her.

"Oi, Hermione, where were you?" he asked, leaning back in his swivel chair.

"I went for my six month check-up," she said, leaning against his door jam.

"Where's Sirius?" Lance asked.

"Oh, he couldn't come because of work, so I'm off to owl him. What's new, Lance?"

"I've got a new girlfriend."

Hermione laughed. "I'm glad to be married and off the dating scene. I'd never go back."

Lance grinned. "Well, she claims an acquaintance with you. Her name's Lavender Brown."

"Lav? I haven't seen her since graduation!" Hermione said excitedly. "Are she and Parvati still designing clothes?"

"Yes, they've branched out into baby things, I've heard," Lance said, smiling. "She said she'd owl you sometime if you'd like."

"Oh, that'd be wonderful!" Hermione glanced at her watch. "Eep, I've got to go owl Sirius. I'll see you later, Lance!"

"Bye!"

********************

Dear Sirius,

The doctor said that the baby is doing fine and "coming along nicely." She also said that the baby was a pound and I was a bit scared until she said that that was normal and that they don't become baby-size until the last trimester. I'll see you later! Love you!

Hermione

Hermione sent the owl and went back to her desk to finish a deposition.

The reason she and Sirius didn't write the baby's name in their inter-Ministry letters is because Bill, Charlie, Percy, Arthur, Ginny, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Harry, Ron, Alastor Moody, Dumbledore, and Remus all monitored their mail and read it to see if the mentioned the slightest detail about the sex of the baby.

Of course, Hermione and Sirius knew that their friends read their mail, so they never did mention the sex in the letters.

********************

Black and Shacklebolt's office, Auror's Department, the Ministry of Magic

"Sirius, come on," Kingsley said, pleading, "tell me if it's a boy or a girl. Just one word."

"No," Sirius said, writing something on his report.

A paper owl flew in and dropped a letter on Sirius's desk. Sirius grabbed it and opened it hurriedly.

"Is it a love letter, Sirius?" teased Kingsley when Sirius finished the letter and put it back on his desk.

Sirius glared at his partner. "King, shut it."

Kingsley tried to look innocent. "Sirius," he said, picking up a photo of a six-month's-pregnant Hermione with her head in Sirius's lap, "we've worked together for, what, twenty years? If not more. And you are so mean to me." Kingsley sniffed.

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Shut up, King, I know you read my mail. I know that when I get up to get coffee you're going to grab that letter off my desk to see if it's from Hermione and if she mentioned whether we're having a boy or a girl." He got up and left the room, presumably to get coffee.

Kingsley snatched the letter from Sirius's desk and read it several times before Sirius re-entered the room and plucked it from his fingers.

"Even though I know you won't listen to me, please don't read my mail," Sirius said calmly. "It's rather private and Hermione and I know everyone reads our mail, so we're not going to put whether it's a girl or a boy in our inter-Ministry mail."

"Look, mate, I've got a running bet with Bill Weasley that it's a girl. Now would you please just tell me?" Kingsley said, pleading a bit.

"No," Sirius said, sitting down. Kingsley sighed, and they went back to work.

********************

Friday, November 9^th, 2001, St. Mungo's Obstetrician's and Genecology Ward

Hermione was lying on the table, watching Sirius pace back and forth, wringing his hands. He had missed the seven-month check-up because of an unexpected raid on the Avery residence, and was nervous about what his child was going to look like after two months of not seeing it.

"Sirius," Hermione said wearily; she had been up until eleven the night before, finishing a contract. "Would you please stop pacing? You're making me dizzy."

"Oh, sorry, love," he said, kissing her forehead. "I'm just a bit nervous."

"That's understandable," Estelle said, walking in with her ever-present clipboard. "You're about to see a baby that is now about four or five pounds."

"Really?" Sirius asked, excited.

"Would I lie to you? No. Well, let's get started." She performed the spell and the baby appeared, uncurling and stretching out, toes hooked under something.

"Ow, ow!" Hermione said, staring at the little figure. "Those toes are hooked underneath my ribs! That hurts! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!" Her cries subsided when the baby's toes unhooked themselves from her ribs and the baby curled up into the fetal position again.

"Now, now, dear," Estelle said, "wait to yell at them until after they're born. It's easier."

********************

Tuesday, December 18^th, 2001, Hermione and Sirius's Room, Grimmauld Place

Hermione glared at her now beach ball sized stomach. "Out! Get out!" she said to her unborn child. "Eurgh! Please get out!"

"I really don't think that 'Eurgh' is a word, my dear," Sirius said, looking up from his book, Pregnant Witches, And The Wizards Who Love Them.

Hermione glared at her husband. "When your ankles are the size of guavas and your midriff is an ungratified beach ball, then and only then may you make smart comments, Mr Black!"

4:45 AM

Hermione woke up suddenly, drenched in sweat and something more watery than sweat that felt like another bodily fluid. She leaned over and shook Sirius.

"Sirius! Sirius, it's time!"

"What?" he asked groggily.

"Go get the suitcase and-- Aaaahhh!" She broke off due to having a contraction.

Sirius took her hands; she squeezed very hard and he tried not to flinch. "Okay, okay. Breathe, hee-hoo, hee-hoo. There you go. Okay, I'm going to get dressed and here's your dress and then well go." He jumped out of bed and pulled on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then grabbed the ready-packed suitcase and put his arm around Hermione's expanded waist.

Hoping he had retained his talent for Apparating multiple people, he closed his eyes and slammed them to the Maternity Ward at St. Mungo's.

6:00 AM

"All right, Hermione," Estelle said, from the action zone of the delivery room, "you're doing well. Now, push."

Hermione pushed. "AAAAAAAHHHH!!!" she screamed. She was holding Sirius's hand, and his face was contorted with the pain of her death grip.

"Okay, stop. You're doing well, but this baby isn't ready to come out yet. You're almost there, don't worry. I'm going to leave and don't push until I come back." Estelle smiled. "You're doing a good job, Hermione, just do what I say, okay?"

"Okay," breathed an exhausted Hermione.

8:12:12 AM

"Ok, Hermione, one huge push and-- There!" A baby's screams filled the air and Estelle held up Sirius and Hermione's baby. "A healthy baby boy. Born at 8:12 AM, December 18^th, 2001," she said, for the benefit of the intern who was scribbling things down. "Mr Black, if you'd be so kind as to cut the umbilical chord?"

Sirius trembled as he took the scissors and snipped the connection between his wife and his son. Estelle tied the chord and wrapped the baby in a blanket before handing him to Sirius.

"Enjoy your son, Mr Black," she said, smiling. "I've got another delivery to handle, excuse me."

Sirius walked over to Hermione, who was regaining her wind and handed their son to her. She cradled him in her arms and he made cooing sounds at her.

"So," she said, looking up at Sirius, "what d'you think we should name him?"

"I like Orion," Sirius said, stroking his son's full head of black, curly hair.

"And I like Tyler for a middle name," Hermione said, kissing the boy's head.

"Then he's Orion Tyler Black." Sirius smiled at his son and his wife, picked up the camera and snapped several photos of the occasion. "Beautiful," he remarked, kissing Hermione's head. "Thank you."

********************

Thursday, December 20^th, 2001, The Living Room, Grimmauld Place

The Weasleys, the Potters, Kingsley, Remus, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and the soon-to-be Mrs Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood, were waiting in the living room to see Hermione and the new baby.

Sirius was grinning at all his friends. "Hermione'll be down in a few minutes," he said. "She's nursing the baby."

Bill and Kingsley were in the corner settling the bet. Bill was betting on it being a boy, and Kingsley had his money on a girl. The bet was fifty Galleons.

"So, Sirius," Molly asked, "have you got the nursery all decorated?"

"Yeah," Sirius said. "I did that two weeks ago. I took the week off and painted and installed so many things I that when this kid doesn't like nursery stuff, I'll just give him or her," he grinned as his friends groaned, "a new bedroom."

Hermione walked in then, carrying Orion in her arms. "Well, everyone, this is Orion Tyler Black. Who wants to hold him?" Everyone scrambled to get in line to hold the baby while Kingsley wrote Bill a check for the owed money.

Molly had gotten to Hermione first and cooed at little Orion. "Oh, Hermione, he's an angel," she said, smiling. "Better than all my boys, that's for certain."

"Hey!" protested the Weasley brothers. "Not fair!"

One by one, everybody had the chance to hold Orion and they all told Hermione and Sirius what a cute baby he was.

After about an hour, they all left to go home because Hermione was tired.

"Well," Sirius said seriously, "I think he'll have to do." Orion cooed at his father smiling and giggling. "Orion," he told his son, lifting him into the air, "men don't giggle. From now on I want a deep manly laugh, you hear me?" Orion promptly spit up on him from the excess moving. Grumbling, Sirius handed Orion back to Hermione. "Take your son, witch," he said looking distastefully at his shirt.

"Well," Hermione said, mouth twitching, "if you didn't throw him up in the air like that, he wouldn't spit up on you."

Sirius frowned at her as they laid their son down in his bassinet and turned on the baby monitor. They walked to their room and got into bed.

After he turned the lights out, Sirius rolled over to Hermione and whispered to her, "Thank you."

********************

Sunday, September 2^nd, 2012, Platform 9 ¾, King's Cross

"Mum, Mum, I want to go, too!" whined Cecilia Black to her mother. "Why does Orion get to go, and not me?"

"Because he's eleven, Cecilia, and you are nine. In two years it'll be your turn," Hermione said, exasperated. "Sirius, help me out here."

Sirius grinned at Hermione and picked Cecilia up, hoisting her on his hip. "Now, Cecilia," he said, "you're too big for temper tantrums. Besides, don't you want Orion to do spells for you when he comes home for winter break?"

"Hey, who said I would!" protested Orion, wheeling his trolley along the train for his father to load it on the luggage car.

"Come home or perform spells?" asked his mother.

"Either."

"I do," said Sirius firmly. "And you're doing both. Be nice to your sister. When your mother and I croak, she's all you'll have left."

"Thanks," Orion said sarcastically. Hermione smacked his head lightly. "Hey, what was that for?"

"Be nice to your sister," Hermione warned. "Or I won't be sending you any sweets."

"Okay."

"Hermione, it's 10:57, he's got to get on now," Sirius said. He hugged his son. "Have fun and don't get into too much trouble."

"It's okay, Dad, Tom and Freddie are here," Orion replied cheerfully. Thomas and Frederick Weasley were the twin sons of Fred and Angelina Weasley, and had been born shortly before Orion.

"That's what I'm afraid of," Sirius muttered as Hermione bent over to hug her firstborn goodbye.

"Have fun, love, and try to keep your shoes clean, and don't forget to study for tests," Hermione told her son, kissing him. "Now get on the train and remember to owl us as soon as you've been sorted. Love you. Bye!"

Orion got on the train with one minute to spare and as the train went down the tracks they all waved bye to each other. "Bye!" Hermione, Sirius, and Cecilia called to Orion as his head retreated into the car.

They turned and left, Hermione crying a little, realizing her baby was growing up.

********************

Dear Mum, Dad, and Cecelia,

Freddie, Tom and I have all been Sorted into Gryffindor! What luck! Classes begin soon, so I've got to go and eat. I love you and miss you. Mum, could you send Beany along? To my dorm, so not everyone sees him? Thanks.

Love to you all,

Orion Tyler Black