Love Lost is Love Gained

By: Peony Boffin and Ruby Burrows

Prologue: A Window to the Past

It was getting late; the bright green numbers on the digital clock declared that it was quarter to one in the morning. On the road, only one car was visible.

Sirius Black looked over at his wife, even after four years of dating and over a year of marriage, he still could not believe how fortunate he was to have her. A gentle rustle in the back seat turned his attention away from his wife and to the infant sleeping soundly in her carriage. Shadows moved across her face, illuminating her dark hair... Sirius's hair. He smiled at the small form of his six month old daughter.

"Beautiful, is she not?" He heard a musical sounding voice whisper.

"Yeah," he replied, looking up at the face of his wife. She smiled, then sighed, keeping her eyes fixed on the road.

"What's wrong?" Sirius asked.

"Huh? Oh, well, it is-it is nothing."

"Something's wrong, I know it."

"Well, do you think it to be a... wise decision?"

"Do I think what was a wise decision?" He asked, even though he knew the answer.

"Making Harry her Secret- Keeper?"

"We've been through this Aiedail, you know that they're after you, and it is only a matter of time until they come after her, this is the only way to make sure she is safe."

"What if something is to happen to Harry? I believe then the charm will be lifted."

"Lily and James won't let anything happen to Harry."

"I suppose."

"You suppose what?"

"I suppose that you are correct, they will not let anything happen."

Sirius looked back at his daughter, she was awake now, her deep blue eyes that mirrored his own were looking back at him curiously. She smiled, and he smiled back.

"I'm glad she and Harry get along so well."

Aiedail nodded.

"You expected them not to?"

"Well, of course they would get along!" There would be no way they wouldn't! That would be unacceptable." Sirius said resting his feet on the dashboard.

"You should not do that."

"Do what?"

"Put your feet there."

"Why not?"

"If we crash it shall break both your legs, and I am not certain if I would be able to heal them."

"We're not going to crash."

"Nothing is certain; you know that I am not accustomed to Muggle driving methods."

That was true; Sirius knew everything a person could know about Aiedail.

"Want me to drive then?"

"Please tell me that you are using sarcasm. If you were to drive there would be no doubt of a crash."

Sirius stuck his tongue out at her.

"Sirius, do you think you could be any less mature?"

"Oh, I have ways to go until I break the immaturity record."

"And what is the record?"

"I dunno the mature and responsible thing to do would be to go and look it up. But I'm not going for the responsibility record, now am I?"

"No, but I wish you would."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I believe it to be self-explanatory."

Sirius snorted. "You sound like Remus."

"Thank you."

"That wasn't a compliment."

"Either way, Remus is the responsible one. And there has to be at least one responsible adult in this family."

"And that's you?"

"It is obviously I. If you were to look at yourself from another persons point of view would you trust yourself with the life of our daughter? Sorry, but you could not keep even a Chia Pet alive for more than two weeks."

"I kept it alive for a month! Thank you very much."

Aiedail laughed.

"I'm serious!" Sirius yelled.

"I am aware that you are Sirius, Sirius. But you should be more serious about how long you are capable of keeping things alive."

"You're trying to discredit me!"

"Let us see: Chia Pet- 1 month; goldfish- 3 weeks; Sea Monkeys- an amazing 16 hours-"

"How can you tell if a Sea Monkey is dead? You can't!"

"Either way, dead or alive, you flushed them after 16 hours. Now, oh, yes, cactus-2 months. I never understood that, because one does not have to actually take care of a cactus, only water it every few weeks. Where was I? Oh, Tomogatchi- 2 days."

"The battery was dead!"

"And the responsible thing would be replacing them, but you threw it into the garbage disposal."

Sirius grumbled, there was no way be could argue with that. He decided to humor his wife and take his feet down.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Sirius didn't reply.

"Are you going to give me the silent treatment now?"

Sirius stayed silent.

"Alright then, how about I purchase you a new Tomogatchi?"

Sirius looked over at her and smiled, "It better not be purple this time."

"Alright."

He smiled again and looked out the window at the passing scenery. He heard Aiedail humming softly.

Aiedail finally broke the silence," You do realize that not a lot of women would put up with you."

He smiled, "And that's why I love you."

"Because I tolerate you? James tolerates you. Does that mean you love him?"

"Yep, I'm madly in love with James. I may be leaving you any day now for him."

"I love you, too."

"That's what I thought."

"You are just being conceited now."

"What? I don't think I've ever been this insulted in my whole life!"

"You probably have."

"Not by my own wife."

"Until I met you I would never have dreamed of insulting anyone. I learned it from you, so it is your fault."

"Yeah, are we there yet?"
"Almost."

"Well, hurry up."

"Why? You have nothing planned."

"Shows how much you know."

"You are correct. I am sure that you do not have anything planned."

"Yeah, okay, I'm tired; I want to go to bed."

Aiedail looked at him curiously, "So there is a way to tire out Sirius Black."

"Yeah, but don't go spreading it around."

Aiedail turned to look at their daughter as they pulled into the drive of a beautiful Victorian house.

"We are home," she whispered.

Sirius exited the car, opened the back door and took his daughter from her carriage. He held her up so she blocked the almost full moon from his face, as Aiedail walked over and stood next to him. Then all three of them, Sirius carrying the yawning baby, made their way up the porch and into the house.