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           [Wristbands: Chapter Sixty-Two]

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         It had been a week since Hogwarts started up again. Of course, the new graduates did not go—but the day was still spent mourningly, reading the Daily Prophet and seeing all the articles about school starting up once again. The closest Aspen and Sirius would have again to going to school is sending their daughter off in the decade to come. Unless one of them would become a professor, which was highly unlikely. Sirius hated going to classes, he only enjoyed Hogwarts because of everything other than learning. Although, Aspen did enjoy learning. She was just way too impatient, self-conscious, and skittish to become a professor. One wrong look from an eleven-year-old and she'd have a panic attack in her office.

Over the course of a week and a half, Cassie managed to learn how to morph her left arm into whatever she wanted. She was playing peek-a-boo with James when it first happened. He was covering his face, to act as if he were gone, and when he finally uncovered his eyes he shrieked when he saw Cassie doing the same. But with one tiny baby hand, and a ginormous hand that looked exact to his.

When she took her nap that day it went back to normal, but it did cause a major freakout to the new parents. Sirius even had to send a letter to his cousin, Andromeda Tonks, who he hadn't spoke to in years, to ask how to fix their daughter seeing as Andromeda was the mother of his second cousin Nymphadora who was also a metamorphmagus. Also known as the other Black who shared the same metamorphmagus gene.

        That next day was actually going to be the day where Sirius was going to meet up with his cousins for the first time, in a long time. He was even going to bring Cassie, too, so she could meet her big-metamorphmagus cousin. Though, Aspen had other thoughts about it. "Aspen, she'll be fine, we'll be fine." Sirius reassured as he made a bowl of popcorn. They were going to watch a movie to end that long summer-hot day. Marlene brought a bunch of Disney movies with her, they were going to watch Pinocchio. Cassie was already put to bed, and everyone else was either sleeping or out. "We're just going to go out and eat, maybe even walk around London for a bit. Whatever Cassie allows us to do before she starts fitting."

"I understand you believe that Sirius, but what if they have . . . other intentions." Aspen said as she sat at the bar table which was cluttered with baby bottles and remnants of Cassie's dinner from a few hours before. No one ever volunteered to clean the mess, not even Sirius, Aspen was led to be the one needing to wipe up whatever goup and grime her daughter would leave.

"Oh yes, because my cousin and her five-year-old daughter are going to mug us and bring us to Voldemort," Sirius said with blatant sarcasm, "let me remind you that she was deemed a blood traitor seeing as she married a bloody muggle, too."

"Sirius," Aspen whined, "you should understand my hesitation in this. I understand she has a daughter, but so do many other death eaters! When have you last spoken to this cousin, anyways? It's been how long since you were disowned . . two-three years? Your parents made it very clear you were disowned, too, if I remember. Has she not thought of hitting you up to see how you were doing?"

        "Aspen, let me remind you that socializing is a two person thing." Sirius said, frowning. "she has not contacted me, nor have I contacted her. We just simply lost touch seeing as she was disowned when I was only a child."

       "That's true," Aspen stated, she then finally sighed as she grabbed her hair in annoyance. "I'm sorry, I'm just paranoid, y' know? Everyone's going missing nowadays, and people at betraying each other left and right."

       "I get that," Sirius said as he waited for his popcorn to actually pop. It was then silent for a few moments before Aspen continued.

      "But?"

    He sighed and turned so that he could face toward her, "but I feel like that you don't care about what I say. You're either making fun of me, or telling me what to do. There's no in-between."

        "Oh, wow, okay." Aspen said, blinking in surprise at his sudden outburst. "You do understand that when I tease you, it's a joke, right? I always make sure I tell you I'm kidding, and you should know that too because I love you and I would never mean to say anything bad about you. And for making decisions, you have all the say in the world. You just don't say anything, it's like you're an actual ruddy lapdog."

       "Me, a lapdog?" Sirius asked, laughing in disbelief as he spoke. "you're the one that always follows me around. And if I'm not with you for longer than five minutes, you bloody complain as if I've abandoned you."

       "Sirius, I get that you have no bloody sense of time, but when I complain about you being gone—it's because you're actually gone!" Aspen hissed in a whisper. "Remember those first few weeks of our daughter being here? You probably don't because you were either sleeping off a hangover, or out drinking with the boys. Leaving me at home doing all the work. And now? I don't bloody follow you around at all, that's you following me around as if you were, like I said before, a lapdog!"

        "I'm sorry if I wasn't that around back then, but I was stressed, okay? I'm eighteen, I shouldn't have a bloody daughter right now. I barely know how to take care of her myself, that may . . . be a reason as to why I follow you," Sirius confessed, bowing his head down. "I was practically raised by house elves, who I would then witness being executed when they would do nice things for me. Being a parent isn't something I was really expecting to be, I have no training at all."

      "Sirius," Aspen said, a pitying frown on her face, she hated hearing how terrible his childhood was. He deserved so much better than a prejudiced family who disowned him for being humane. "I'm eighteen too, I understand how you feel. My mum . . she left me during my teenage years and then my father, well, couldn't handle raising a motherless child. I'm almost as clueless as you are in this parenting shindig, that's why we need to be together and not get into petty little fights like these. You helped me this year more than you could ever imagine, did you know that I could barely have a conversation without needing to flee? I can help you now if you just help me, we need to be there for each other to lean on."

"I'm sorry I got so angry," Sirius frowned as his popcorn began to pop. He then chuckled as he looked toward the popcorn, clearly trying to relieve the tension between the pair. "that was a small fight," he observed, "my popcorn hasn't even finished yet."

"That's because you're so bloody slow at putting the bag on a plate," Aspen said with a smirk. Sirius rolled his eyes, but with a smile, as they then waited in silence for the popcorn to be made. The only sound was popping, it was actually kind of soothing. Next, the smell of popcorn entered the kitchen which made Aspens mouth water. She couldn't wait to pour loads of butter into the bowl and eat every single kernel.

       Suddenly, startling them both, a large light entered the middle of the kitchen. They immediately drew their wands, then realizing that it was a patronus rather then a person. Though, they still held onto their wands in case. The bright blue Phoenix flew through the kitchen. Aspen didn't recognize the patronus, neither did Sirius as he looked at it in confusion. It looked to be in a hurry as it flew around, it looked as if it were being chased by something. Out of nowhere, it stopped flying, it looked right towards Aspen and let out a mighty squawk. Immediately after, it evaporated in thin air. Actually, the mystery patronus seemed to have blown up.

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AUTHORS NOTE:

Short chapter, pretty much a filler for what's going to happen next chapter. Someone who was in this story a while ago will be coming back, bring your tissues m8s it's gonna be a ride.

December 11, 2018
1,470 words