I'm not a kitten... Okay, I'm Kitten

Chapter 18 - Pt.2

Lucius held out his arms with a heartbroken look on his face. "I would never send you away, little beastie. However," he said, trying not to react to her teary eyes. "That decision lies with your parents, rather than myself."

"But..." Ellie's lip wobbled. "But I like it here. You sing to me. Auntie Cissa plays dress up with me and Toppy. Draco is teaching me and Koty how to read music and Koty tells the best stories. I don't want to go! Daddy, we don't have to go, do we?" She let go of Lucius and ran to Sirius.

Koty bit his lip, fighting off his own tears. He loved hanging out with Ellie, acting like a big brother to her, as he was supposed to be with the Potter's baby. That's twice now he's missing out on being a big brother! But he wouldn't say anything. He couldn't. Magically manipulating his father was wrong, despite not having realised it sooner. He would have to be very careful of that in the future.

"I think that you, me and Papa need to go have a talk, don't we?" Sirius said, hugging the upset little girl to his chest.

"Why?" The wolf demanded. "Apparently no one can hear me anyway. You might as well just say whatever you're thinking."

"Fine. What do we have in Bucharest?" Sirius asked flatly. "A house? I've got them all over the world. Friends? We only see them once or twice a month anyway. Family? They're all here! Children for Ellie to play with? There are none, because we live in the middle of nowhere!"

"What about my life?" Remus prompted. "I can't work here! I can't even access our accounts unless you're there!"

"No one in our family even has to work!" Sirius pleaded. "Not for the next ten generations, if we mind our purses. Is working needlessly more important than our happiness?"

"And my own happiness means nothing? Is that it?"

"Why should it?" Sirius asked, letting go of Ellie. For a few seconds, he simply forced himself to breathe. "Toppy!"

When Toppy popped into the room, Ellie immediately grabbed the elf's hand. "Master Doggy called Toppy?"

"Would you be a dear and take Ellie back upstairs for a bit? Maybe you two could spend a little while gathering up some of your best outfits to prepare for a fashion show!"

"What an excellent idea!" Narcissa said, facing the pair. "Toppy, I want you to collect all of the clothes we've grown out of, and shrink them to fit you both."

"Mistress wants Toppy to wear wizzie clothes?" Toppy's eyes were wide as tennis balls.

"I see no problem, if it's just for play. When the fashion show is over, all of the clothes can be put back. Perhaps Bimi and Sippy would like to join you."

"If my friends aren't busy, I'm sure they would love to help too!" Koty added with a small smile.

"Toppy will sets up a grand show for her family, oh, yes!" Toppy grinned widely. "Mistress Ellie, we be's getting lots and lots of clothes for little Mistress, Master Kitten's friends and other elfies! Little Mistress will smile then!"

"'Kay," Ellie sniffled and they popped away.

"D'you even know why you can't access the Black family vaults without me being there?"

Remus crossed his arms, looking pissed. "Well?"

"Because we've not been married for years."

"Excuse me?" Remus scoffed. "I was there when we married, and I don't remember divorcing you."

"There is a clause," Sirius began slowly. "It's in all Black family marriage/bonding contracts. Ours was legally dissolved on December 9th, 1981."

"How?" Remus asked, clearly not believing it. "How was our bond dissolved six days after we married? We were still on our honeymoon."