A/N: Be prepared for a bit of a time jump. I haven't had much inspiration lately for this story, but I'm determined to finish it because we've all been on such a long journey with Eva. I hope you don't mind the time jump. It's only a few months, and the story will pick up where I have inspiration again. Thank you!!!

"how wonderful life is, now you're in the world"

*

Unlike her father, Sirius and Eva's daughter was early.

 Remus joked that it must have been a Taylor trait because he'd never known a Black to be anything but fashionably late in all his life. Eva thought that her eagerness to arrive was due to the stress of Harry competing in the Triwizard Tournament, something that sent her into weekly hormonal hysterics. Sirius claimed that his daughter just couldn't wait to meet him any longer.

She was born on the second of April in a Muggle hospital near Scarborough on a rather rainy morning that turned into the sunniest afternoon they'd ever known. Black hair, green eyes, and the most beautiful little laugh. 

Remus spent the night pacing the hospital, unable to sit still even for a minute. Sirius never let go of Eva's hand.

They all cried that day. 

"Eva," Sirius whispered in awe, pressing a kiss to his wife's forehead as he sat down on the bed beside her. "She's got your eyes." 

"I think I've heard that one before." Eva laughed as she looked down at her daughter, unable to tear her gaze away. "I never thought I'd get to be a mum. This feels like a dream."

"I love you," he said, those three words suddenly taking on millions of new meanings. "I love you so much, Blondie."

"I love you, too."

A nurse poked her head into the room, smiling at the couple, completely unaware of everything they'd suffered and overcame to reach this very moment. "There's a man here to see you. Shall I let him in?"

"Yes!" Eva and Sirius blurted out at the same time, laughing as their little girl giggled back at them from her pink bundle of blankets.

The nurse had scarcely left before Remus ran into the room, stopping short at the sight before him. He stood still for a moment, perhaps questioning his place.

"I phoned Newt and Queenie. They send their love. Harry fell asleep on one of the chairs, he'll be in soon," he muttered, quickly moving to give Eva a kiss on the cheek. "I... wow... she's so... small." 

His face broke into the biggest grin Eva had seen him wear since the old days. 

Eva laughed. She couldn't seem to stop laughing. Everything was just so warm and bright and happy. "Do you want to hold her?"

His eyebrows shot up. "You sure?"

"Rem," she said in a teasing voice, "I'm quite sure."

Carefully, she transferred the baby from her arms to Remus'. He looked at her for a moment as a single tear trickled down his scarred nose. 

"Wow," he whispered. "She's beautiful, you two. Really."

"Just like her mum," Sirius replied, ruffling Eva's curls playfully. "A real heartbreaker. And she's never ever going to be allowed to date. Ever. I'm suddenly looking at Rapunzel's tower in a whole new light. I think I have enough Galleons saved to build one right next to the cottage-"

"Sirius," Eva chided gently. 

He held up his hands in surrender. "Okay, no tower, but also no dating."

Remus chuckled and asked, "does your little heartbreaker have a name yet?"

"Yeah, she does," Eva said. She quickly glanced at Sirius, who nodded. "We'd like to introduce you to Mona Minerva Black."

They'd discussed names for months. There were so many people they loved, so many that deserved namesakes. In the end, though, Sirius and Eva agreed to name their daughter after those that were still with them, not those they had lost. 

The memory of the dead was an unfair burden for any child to carry. 

"No star names?"

"No star names," Sirius confirmed. 

Remus chuckled. "Minnie'll be honored. I'm kind of shocked she's not here yet. I'm sure she'll stop by at some point. How did you come up with Mona? It's pretty."

"That part was a bit tricky, actually," Sirius said with a knowing wink to Eva. "It was the closest thing to 'Moony' either of us could think up."

Remus' eyes widened. "What?"

"You're our best friend and brother. You never stopped looking out for us. You took care of me." Eva smiled through her own tears and rested her head on Sirius' shoulder. "We wanted to name our daughter after her godfather."

A few more tears slipped down Remus' face, and he didn't say anything for a long time after. He couldn't. But they understood.

Harry was the next to come in, his glasses askew, shirt wrinkled, hair an absolute mess. McGonagall had snuck him out of Hogwarts for the day, knowing that Eva would want her godson to meet her daughter as soon as possible. 

Hardly anyone else knew about Mona. After the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, Eva had taken the rest of the school year off. She blamed her "poor health" on stress and depression. Given her past, no one questioned it.

Funny, she thought as she glanced back and forth between her godson and daughter, they look like brother and sister. 

And they were. 

Harry was a bit awkward at first, as awkward as a teenage boy could be in this situation, but he covered it up by profusely congratulating both Sirius and Eva over and over again when he didn't know what to say.

For once, Eva didn't feel empty inside. She felt the absences, of course, as she always did. There were too many she wished could meet her baby girl, but they had been stolen away before their time. And yet, as she looked upon her family, she felt... whole.

This was love.