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fifth year,
protect my family
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For the first time since she was a toddler, she finally got to spend the Christmas holidays with her brothers. They had agreed on no presents as they had more important things to think about than presents, Laura was only three weeks away from her due date.

Little baby Burke could be born any day now, their grandmother decided to join them for Christmas, she was excited to meet Laura. Aimee waited for Charlie to come downstairs, he had been fighting with the Order, against the Dark Lord.

Since she had been living with her brothers they kept her up to date on what the Dark Lord had been up to. Including how their mother is one of his followers. She didn't have a dark mark, though she thoroughly supported his cause. She saw Charlie sneak past the living room into the kitchen.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, noticing his slight limp as he walked.

"Better than ever, you want some breakfast?" he asked, she nodded sitting down at the table.

"You don't look so great," she commented

"Aimee, I can assure you I'm fine, I just twisted my ankle, no big deal," she nodded

"Grammy's here," Amelia sang as she walked through the door, Aimee rushed over to her, wrapped her arms around her.

Their grandmother made her way through the home, seating herself in a cosy spot in the living room. Amelia sat next to Laura she had become extremely irritable, during the last month of her pregnancy. She couldn't find a position that she was comfortable in.

Jacob tried his best to make her feel comfortable, even offering her a potion to help with Laura's back pain. Then Charlie reminded him that potion could have a bad effect on a muggle so it was just best to stick to muggle remedies. The family sat down for their Christmas Eve dinner, her eyes glanced repeatedly to the clock.

7:30 pm

8:45 pm

9:15 pm

11:45 pm

"What do you keep looking at the time for?" Theo asked her.

"I invited Sirius for Christmas, he said he'd get here late,"

"Why didn't you tell us he was coming?" Jacob asked

"I did, I told Charlie and he was fine with it," she said, the three younger brothers shot their eyes over to Charlie who leaned on the door frame with his arms crossed.

"If Aimee has a boyfriend, who she really cares about, I'd like to meet him," Charlie said, he winked at her.

A knock was heard at the door, Daniel Jacob and Theo eyed the door, Daniel and Theo hurried to reach the door before she did, she tripped Daniel jumping over him. She jumped on Theo's back, pulling him down to the floor, she fixed her hair a little.

"Hi," she said, as she opened the door, "did you find the place alright?"

"Yeah, no trouble," he said, leaning down to kiss her, though he quickly changed his mind when he saw Theo and Daniel he chose to kiss her cheek instead.

"Hi, you must be Sirius, I'm Charlie Burke," he held his hand out to him

"It's great to meet you," Sirius said, shaking his hand, Charlie gestured for him to come in.

"You know, Theo, Jake and Danny," Aimee said, "this is Laura Wilson, Jacob's girlfriend, and my Grandmother Amelia,"

"It's a pleasure to meet you all,"

"Have you eaten yet dear?" her grandmother asked

"Yes, thank you though for the offer," 

"Very polite isn't he,"

"Yes, Grammy," Aimee tried to hold back her laughter.

"We'd love to stay, but I think you need somewhere a little more comfortable to sleep," Jacob said, helping Laura up, off the sofa,

"I think we're going too," Daniel said, "night grammy," Daniel and Theo both left for their bedrooms, Charlie was evidently exhausted, having only stayed awake, to greet Sirius when he arrived.

"Are you staying awake for a bit?" Amelia asked she nodded "Alright, don't stay awake too long," she placed a kiss on her forehead,

Aimee sat on the sofa, Sirius slumped down next to her, she shuffled closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. He kissed her head, sliding down the sofa, so he was laid down, she laid on top of him, wrapping her arm around his waist.

"I'm so glad you came," she said,

"So am I," he glanced up at the clock, 12:00 am

"Merry Christmas, my angel,"

"My angel?" she questioned

"Yeah, does that bother you?"

"No, I just didn't think I was an angel-

"Which would you prefer, baby, angel, princess, darling, Juliet, duchess, my queen-

"Any of them though I must say you have a lot,"

"I need a lot depending on what mood I'm in," she chuckled, lightly kissing him,

"I love my Lion, you're my Lion Lover,"

As Aimee said the last two words, she realised that the teasing comment her cousins made, were actually true, she did have a lion lover. She was a Lion's Lover. Sirius traces his fingers along her back, the safe feeling of being in his arm was enough to send her to sleep. 

As the hours went by, he needed the toilet, he managed to manoeuvre himself without waking Aimee. He lightly crept upstairs trying not to wake her brothers or grandmother, after he had gone to the bathroom, relieved that he didn't wake anyone. 

Just as he was about to lay back down with her he heard tapping on a window, he cautiously approached the window that the noise was coming room. He took a deep breath, opened the window, stood on the ledge was a crow. 

"I'm hearing things, birds can't knock," he tried to get the bird to leave, he smirked, turning into Padfoot, he growled at the bird. The crow didn't budge, morphing into Mr Burke, 

"Impressive, for a wizard your age," he said, Sirius turned back to himself

"I didn't know, Aimee never mentioned-

"Forget it, Charlie didn't mention you would be here," Mr Burke, creased his brows, "why are you here?" Sirius hesitated for a moment, remembering what Aimee always said about her father. 

"Aimee invited me, I'm her boyfriend now," he smiled, lowering his head, "Is that okay with you?"

"I want my daughter to be happy, if that's with you, then I'm happy for you both," Mr Burke offered Sirius his hand, he smiled shaking it, "I'll come back another day, take care of my daughter,"

"I'll look after her," he smiled, then he realised he knew about it, "Wait," he said,

"Yes?" 

"You won't tell my parents, will you,"

"No, you might not believe it, but your father was once a good man, I wouldn't have been his friend otherwise,"

"I'm sorry, I can't see that," Sirius said, not believing for one second that his father was a good man. 

"He's changed I noticed it when I first saw you boys, you wouldn't even look up at your parents, no child should feel that way," 

"That's why you sent, your sons away,"

"Yes, I'll do whatever I can to protect my family, that includes you and Laura too," 

"We aren't your family though,"

"Family doesn't end with blood, Sirius," he spoke, "blood makes you biological related, family is those who make you feel safe, those you can count on, that's family, you make Aimee feel safe, to her you're family, that makes you my family," 

Sirius was stunned he didn't know what to say, everything he had ever been taught about the Burke family was lies. Mr Burke was friends with his father but they were like two sides of a coin one dark the other light. 

Orion had taught him that blood was family, the Black family was the only family he'd ever have. The Burke's taught him that family are those who you can trust and have full faith in them, enough that you could put your life in their hands.