Rihanna's Son

Anne held her daughter's hand while Remus had Damien's as they walked to the nearby hospital. The pond with fountain along with the birds gave it a serene look that belied the gravity surrounding the building. The children pointed and pulled on the adults' hands, but neither gave in. Anne promised that after their visit they could chase the ducks for a little bit. She whispered to Remus that it tended to calm Damien down after seeing his mother.


"Mommy said she used to have a real smart kitty named Morrigan."


"Morry was special. She liked to chase after gn--er, rabbits and such that used to get into your grandmother's garden. She was a very useful pet." Morrigan had been a three quarters kneazle/cat who had looked after Rihanna better than any bodyguard. The two of them had been closer than a girl and her pet should be, but after Remus had been bitten, the family had started living in virtual seclusion. No one had known about his 'affliction', and without interacting with other wizarding families, there was no way any one would know. In some ways Remus had been envious of the cat's closeness to his sister. Remus looked down at the little boy holding his hand so trustingly. His nephew, black haired, black eyed somber child, with his mother's facial structure.


"Can I get a cat when I live with you, Uncle Remus?" The boy's question shook him out of his reverie. He smiled softly down at the boy's innocent face.

"I think we may be able to come up with something. How are you doing? Tired?"

"Nope. We walk here all the time." He pulled his uncle's arm along, anxious to go see his mother. Anne smiled at him and followed with her daughter guiding her in turn.

No one spoke as Damien guided the small party into the hospital and to the elevators. The ride was quick, to the fifth floor. The four of them entered a room at the end of the hallway, Damien greeting the nurses in the hallway like an old friend.

A tiny figure lay under a blue blanket, her back to the door, facing the open window. Wispy, barely there strands of her hair lay on the pillow. Damien let go of Remus' hand and rushed around the foot of the bed, to face his mother. She was half the size of what he remembered, more the size of an 11 or 12 year old. Rihanna was thin and frail. The severity and the truth of her illness finally settled in the pit of his stomach like a lead weight. Rihanna was going to die.

"Rihanna?" He breathed her name in the quiet room. Damien rushed around the bed to face his mother, his little face lit with the news of his uncle's arrival.


"Mommy? My uncle's here." He looked over his mother into Remus' dark eyes. Remus watched the frail being move a little under the heavy blanket. Anne and Heather moved to the side silently as Remus followed his nephew, so he could see his sister for the first time in over five years. He barely held the gasp in. Her once beautiful auburn curls were gone, strawlike bits sticking out of the knitted hat snugly covering her head. Her cheeks were sunken in along with the deep dark circled area of her eyes. They opened slowly, a small smile lighting her face, the skin drawing taut over the lips, cracking them, her body so weak and dying that they didn't even bleed. Remus' eyes filled with heavy tears which he refused to shed in front of the children and Anne as he turned away from his sister for a moment.

"Annie? Can you take Damien down to the play area?" Rihanna's voice whispered through the quiet room. Annie, her eyes shining with her own unshed tears, agreed, took her Godson's hand and led him from the room.

"We'll come back in a few, Damien. Mommy and your uncle need some time to talk." The Muggle woman's voice cracked, but stayed strong for the sake of the children.

"Remus? Please, turn back around." Rihanna urged her older brother.

"Dammit, if you had stayed in London, St. Mungo's would ha--"


"No, they couldn't. It's one of the rarer cancer's, Remus. Even magic can't cure this one. I went to Salem when I first discovered my illness. I considered letting Annie have custody of Damien, but he needs his family." She coughed and Remus handed her a disposable cup of water on her nightstand. She lifted it to her lips gratefully and sipped slowly. She pressed the button on the side of the bed, raising her head so she could sit comfortably. Remus could see that she was skeletal, that she probably weighed only a little more than her son.

"Why did you leave? Annie said something about Lucius?"

"She discovered my involvement with Damien's father. He would have used it as blackmail material against him or you. Voldemort's back, isn't he?" Her fearful eyes caught his. He nodded regretfully.

"The Ministry won't allow me to take custody of Damien, Rihanna. They've tightened their restrictions on werewolves. The only way I could is if I were married."

"I want his father to have him." She said firmly. "I want you to bring him to his father."

"And who is that? No one seems to know that answer except you, little sister." He reached forward and pushed a bit of hair away from her eyes. "I almost thougth he was Sirius. You didn't go visit him in prison, did you?" He half joked, half hoped. She smiled but shook her head.

"I never liked Sirius, Remus, you were the only one who thought we belonged together. You need to sit down, though."

"I am not going to like this, am I?"

"No. Damien's father was one of my best customers, always visiting the shop and me. We knew each other somewhat in school, but he was in your year, so three years older than me." She sipped some more water, her throat parched from talking more than she usually did.

"I know him?"

"Yes." She smiled at him, waiting for the pieces to fall into place. He sat heavily in the chair near the window and stared at his sister.

"You're fucking joking? Severus? Sni--"

"If you use that horrible name Sirius and James called him, I will use the last of my breath to hex you, Remus J. Lupin! Severus is a wonderful man! He treated me like a woman, not like the werewolf's little sister. He loved me, Remus."

"Why'd you leave if he loved you so much?"

"Lucius saw him visit me after hours once. Bastard watched us through the front window. We were going to tell you about us, but the next morning Malfoy came in and threatened to hurt Severus if I didn't offer my 'services' to him too." She sneered. On her face, it looked terrifying, a monster's mask stretched over someone's face. It sobered Remus, reminding him that the last moments he'd have with his sister shouldn't be words spoken in anger. She had been in love with Severus Snape and bore his son; he'd have to deal with it. "I was terrified. You were being persecuted by the Ministry, Severus was still worried about The Dark Lord rising again, Harry Potter had just started at the school, so I ran away. If no one knew where I was, no one could use me against you or Severus. About a week after I moved here, I discovered I was pregnant. I was so very scared, but I couldn't risk contacting either of you." She stopped talking, her eyes drooping low as she gasped for more breath. Remus grabbed the mask by her pillow and covered her mouth and nose with it. She took a few good deep breaths and sighed before coughing into the mask.

"Do you need a nurse?"

"After Damien leaves. I won't take the pain killer while he's here. It makes me sleepy." She frowned and closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away for a little while. "Remus, I don't have much time. I wrote a letter to Severus. It's there in the top drawer. I want you to take Damien tomorrow to his father. I don't want my baby here when I die. I want him to have some good memories of me instead of these ones of me lying on death's door. Annie will be here and she's been put in trust as my final executor. She already knows."

"I wish you'd been able to contact me earlier. I like her, little sister." He had taken the envelope out of the drawer and pushed it into his deep inner jacket pocket. "I wish there was something I could do, something more to help you with this." He waved his hand about the hospital room.

"You're helping me in the best way by getting Damien back to his roots. He's magical. It's been hell trying to keep that the daycare and babysitters there." She breathed in the mask again. She smiled at Remus and he was reminded of her when she was in school, following him and his friends around. She'd had a big crush on James, but had gotten over it in a few months. His eyes refilled with tears, this time allowed to overflow down his cheeks. "Remus, forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, brat. You did what you thought was the best. But with mum and dad dead, Sirius, James and Lily gone, it's just me left."

"You have Damien now, and Severus. Sirius is dead?"

"He got out of prison; we found out Peter was the traitor. Sirius died fighting with Bella last year. There's something else you need to know. Severus is a wanted man, on both sides of the war. He...killed Dumbledore."

"I don't believe you!"

"He did, but it was on Albus' order, luv. We thought the lie would secure him in His graces, but it pissed him off. He's put a price on Severus' head."

"The two of you can keep Damien safe. You're all he has now." Her eyes drooped again.

"Do you want me to leave?"

"No! Go get Annie and the kids. I want to say good-bye to my baby. You're to leave tomorrow with him, understand."

"Alright, Rihanna. If that's what you want." He leaned over and kissed the paper dry skin over her cheekbone. He wondered if one of his tears fell on her skin, if it would soak right up as arid as she was. He stood, wiped his face dry and straightened his spine. he'd fought with Death-Eaters and turned into a beast once a month; he could face an almost five year old boy losing his mother and gaining a father.

Remus rushed out of the room down the hall to the waiting area, where he'd noticed a play area for children. He waved through the glass to Anne, who gathered the children up to visit with Rihanna. Holding hands, Damien and Heather skipped down to his mother's room. Anne walked with Remus.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lupin. Seeing her for the first time in such a state is pretty scary. I should have warned you better, but I think I couldn't have done the situation justice."

"You've been wonderful, Anne. Thank you for being so helpful."

"Ri's like the sister I never had. I'd do anything for her. She told you about leaving?" He nodded. "I tried to talk her out of it, but she's adamant. I'll help you pack for Damien, and you can go through her apartment and pick out things you want me to ship back to you."

"I feel like shit talking about this when she's only a few feet away."

"I know. Come on, the kids wear her out quickly and I don't want to miss any time with her." She sniffed and entered her friend's room where Damien was sitting on the edge of his mother's bed and Heather sat in the chair Remus had so recently vacated. Both children were telling Rihanna about their walk, taking turns and finishing each other's sentences much like George and Fred Weasley. Their little arms were waving around animatedly as they described the birds they planned on feeding and the dogs they passed. Although Damien wanted a cat, Heather had been begging her mother for a puppy for the better part of a year. Anne rolled her eyes as she advanced on Rihanna and kissed her cheek hello.

"Thanks for bringing Remus here, Annie."

"Nothing any sister wouldn't do. Damien asked for pizza tonight. What do you think?"

"Whatever you guys choose. You'll make me envious. All I'll get is pudding and blended veggies. Maybe you can bring some in for me tomorrow." Rihanna joked as Anne propped herself on the ledging in front of the window.

"Mommy? When you get to heaven, can you tell God to send you back?"

Remus drew in a sharp breath, but this must be something he'd asked before since Anne and Rihanna gave him sad, indulgent smiles.

"I told you, Damien. It's a one way trip. I'll always be there watching you, though. I'll be Santa's helper, telling him whether you're being naughty or nice."

'My vote's for naughty, considering who his father is.' Remus snorted at the thought. He still couldn't think about Severus being with his sister in that sense. He got lost in his memories of his sister while the four of them talked. If he had his way, he'd just stay here with Damien, but America's laws were tougher on werewolves, than Britain's. Here, he'd have to be tagged and monitored constantly, and he'd not have the wolfsbane potion that Severus was so adept at brewing. He'd been making and fine-tuning the potion for the last six years. Remus almost gasped aloud as he realized that Rihanna must have urged Severus to start making the wolfsbane when they started their relationship. Now, they were bound together by Damien, and their love for Rihanna.

a/n~~Sorry bout the late update. damn real life! Well here's #3 and #4 is being written as we speak. I don't really want this to be a long story.

Please review, I don't know what you want if you don't tell me kiddies lol!

thanks for being so patient with my slow butt, well see you soon,

marti