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"Hedwig is waiting for you in the kitchen" Sirius called up the stairs.

"Thanks" I called back, still glaring at my reflection in the mirror. It was the middle of December and I was seven months gone. I felt, and looked, like a baby elephant.

I waddled down the stairs, gripping onto the banister for dear life. Every morning I idly wondered how I could connect the kitchen and my bedroom to minimize the journey. By the time I arrived in the kitchen I was glad of the seat.

Hedwig hopped over to me and perched herself on my shoulder.

"Hello" I cooed gently, rubbing her white feathers.

She gave a content 'hoot' in reply and moved down to glean some refreshment from my pumpkin juice.

"Any cravings this morning?" Sirius asked, dishing enough egg and bacon onto my plate to feed at least three teenage boys.

"Nope," I laughed, "we shall be having a normal breakfast this morning"

A smile spread across his face too. Doubtless he was reliving the order of anchovies and olives I wanted for breakfast then morning before.

I broke the seal on the letter Hedwig had presented me with and let the words wash over me. It was like any other letter I'd received from Hogwarts, full of stories and news. These letters were obviously co-written, as it was easy to differentiate between Ron's scrawl and Harry's tiny scrunched up writing. Ginny's elegant cursive even appeared from time to time.

Reading the letter filled me with both joy and sadness. Harry went into great detail about a spectacular catch of the snitch he made in an important match between Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Ron wrote proudly about his mastering of a new charm. He had been struggling with it since his last letter so his sheer jubilation made me laugh. Ginny's contribution was just to keep me up-to-date on the gossip that was circulating the school – reading it made me feel as if I was in the loop and not completely ostracised in an old creaky house in London.

I had to squint to read the last words on the parchment, which were scrunched into the very bottom of the sheet.

'Mum says you must come to spend Christmas in the Burrow and she said no excuses.'

"Anything interesting?" Sirius asked conversely.

"They…uh…want me to spend Christmas in the Burrow" I muttered, folding the letter carefully.

I could have imagined it but I was sure that a shadow fell over Sirius' face when I uttered those words.

"Oh? Will you?"

I took a moment to weigh up the options in my head. Of course I wanted to see my friends and there was nothing quite like the hectic Christmas cheer found in the Burrow. But if I went Sirius couldn't come. Dumbledore was very strict on this, not even the Burrow was a safe place for him. I couldn't leave him alone at Christmas time but at the same time I couldn't ask him to risk his safety for me and come with me.

For months Sirius had been my constant companion now. He had rubbed my sore feet and indulged all my random cravings. When the baby kicked for the first time, it was his hand I pressed to my belly to share the moment.

If I went to the Burrow for a few days, as requested, he wouldn't be there. He wouldn't be the first face I saw in the morning or the last at night and, for some reason, the very idea made me ache inside.

"You know the smell of meat makes me nauseous, I'd just be looking for trouble by going there for Christmas dinner" I assured him, being careful not to allude to the real reason. "I might pop over for an hour in the evening but I see no reason to leave when I am so happy here."

An instant smile, full of warmth, coloured Sirius' face.

"We might order in Chinese for Christmas dinner" I mused as I dug into my breakfast.

"….order in?" Sirius repeated uncertainly.

Baffled by the wonders that had never reached the wizarding world I assured him that I would show him on Christmas day.

I was starting to feel like the queen!

I was ordered to sit in a comfy armchair that was conjured up and placed next to the fire while the Christmas Eve soirée happened around me. If I so much as moved either Harry or Ron leapt to my aid.

It was very odd having this many people in my lovely new decorated kitchen (which had elicited many oohs and aahs from the new comers). Every now and again I would search the crowd for Sirius' face, just to glean familiar comfort from it. Sometimes he was smiling and laughing, sometimes he was in deep conversation and sometimes he was watching me. Whenever our eyes met a thrill ran through me and I couldn't but smile.

About two hours into the party, he appeared at my side.

"You're looking pale" he declared, worry tinging his voice, "are you feeling ok?"

"It's weird having all these people around, isn't it?"

He smiled down on me, "it is a bit nosier than we're used to. Does the baby mind?"

I assured him that the baby was kicking away happily, seemingly she was quite enjoying the chaos. I placed his hand on my bump to prove my point. His smile widened to colour his whole face with glee.

"Can I give you your present now?" he asked.

"It's not Christmas yet" I pointed out.

He turned his wand toward the clock that had stopped working some time ago – though it was such a pretty antique I had left it on the mantelpiece. Under the influence of his wand the hands dutifully moved from their position at nine and three to both point to twelve.

"Close enough?" he asked mischievously.

"Close enough" I giggled. He helped me up and brought me to the ground floor drawing room – a room he had cleared especially for me so I wouldn't have to traipse up and down the stairs ten times a day.

"I couldn't decide what to get you for Christmas" he began once we were settled on the comfortable sofa. "I was thinking something for the baby but I wanted to get you something too – something special, not just something you see on Christmas day and then never look at again.

"When James and Lily died, I inherited everything and I will pass it onto Harry when the time is right. But I was looking in Lily's old jewellery box a few weeks ago and I found a bracelet that James gave her when she was pregnant. It meant the whole world to her and she never took it off. Obviously I wasn't going to give you Lily's bracelet but I think I found something that may fit the bill.

So…" he took a big square box from inside his pocket. The wrapping was so beautiful I hesitated to tear it.

Sirius sat on the edge of his seat, as I carefully undid the ribbon and undid the sticky tape holding it together without destroying the wrapping paper. Inside the box was a beautiful necklace that I suspected was platinum. The chain was intricate and glistened slightly under the candle light. The pendant that dropped from the chain was a very delicate flower. Every petal was so carefully crafted, it was almost as if a real flower had been coated it this precious metal.

"It's an enchanted necklace. When the baby is born his or her birthstone will appear right…there" he explained pointing to the centre of the flower where there a little gem was glistened contently. "It's a diamond for now, if that will suffice!"

"Oh Sirius" I gasped, utterly speechless.

"Do you like it?"

"It's so beautiful. Could you put it on for me?"

He practically bounced off the chair in his eagerness to fulfil this request. Once it was secure he knelt in front of me to survey his work.

"It can be exchanged if you don't like it" he assured me anxiously fingering the pendant.

"I love it, honestly. There is nothing more perfect in the whole world."

I gazed into his dark eyes. There I saw all my feelings mirrored exactly, the fear, the nerves, the comfort, the joy.

He placed his hand on my cheek. "It looks beautiful on you" he muttered. "Perfect."

"Happy Christmas my angel" he whispered before gently kissing my tear stained cheek.

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