Raya loved living with James and Lily, as it reminded her of the old days, when she used to stay with him and his parents during the holidays.
Harry was a joy to be around as well, and Raya couldn't wait to have a child all of her own very soon.
But despite being content with the Potters, Raya wasn't truely happy again until Sirius returned home.
And by the beginning of October, both Sirius and Remus had returned from their missons, safe and sound. Which put Raya's mind at ease.
Since Raya's due date was fast approaching, her and Sirius had to start preparing for the arrival of a baby. And one problem they came across, was where they should put the child.
Even though there were many rooms in the house, in their minds certain ones were out of bounds.
The master bedroom remained empty, as that had been Euphemia and Fleamont's room. And even though the manor belonged to Raya now, she still didn't want to take their bedroom.
The rooms that James, Peter and Remus used to use when they stayed there, had also been left the same, in case they ever needed to return at anypoint.
Sirius and Raya slept in her old room, which is why they decided to give Sirius's room to their child, so that they would be close to their baby at all times.
"Tell me why I can't do this with magic" groaned Sirius, as he began dipping his brush into the red paint pot.
"Because you will only make a mess. Besides, I can't use magic, and I don't want you to be the only one who had a hand in decorating our child's room. I also think it gives the room a more personal touch if we do it by hand" admitted Raya.
"Fair enough" sighed Sirius.
"I can't wait to see the room when it's finished, because it is going to look amazing. Of course, we will have to repaint this room if our future child doesn't end up in Gryffindor" said Raya.
"I don't mind if our kid isn't in Gryffindor, even though it's the best house. I just pray that they don't end up in Slytherin" replied Sirius.
"They might not get into Hogwarts at all. They might be a Squib like me" Raya said sadly.
"There is nothing wrong with being a Squib. And if our child doesn't have magic, I will still love and protect them, no matter what".
"Do you think we are going to be good parents?" Questioned Raya.
"Of course we are" answered Sirius.
"I'm just worried that we won't be as good as James and Lily" revealed Raya.
"We won't parent our child in the same way as them, because everyone has different techniques when it comes to raising children. But that doesn't mean we will be bad parents, just because we do things differently to them"
"I'm terrified I'm going to be a shit mum"
"You will be a great mum, I'm sure of it"
"I hope you're right".
"I know I am... But speaking of raising and protecting children, we are changing the Potter's secret keeper" informed Sirius.
"What! Why?" Questioned Raya, as she stopped painting and turned to face Sirius.
"For security reasons" answered Sirius, as he put down his brush.
"But who are they using instead? Don't tell me Dumbledore managed to convince James that he is a better choice for secret keeper than you. Because I trust you way more than I trust him"
"No, it's not Dumbledore"
"Who then?"
"Peter".
"Peter? But I thought the whole point of you being the secret keeper, was to keep me and Peter safe as we are the weaker ones in the group" said Raya.
"You won't be in any more danger, I promise. But everyone is going to assume that I am the secret keeper, so the death eaters will still come after me. And if they kill me while I am the secret keeper, then the protection around Godric's Hollow will fail, and James will be in danger. However, if no one knows that we made Peter the secret keeper, then the Potters will always be protected. And since Harry could defeat Voldemort and become the saviour of our people one day, his safety is what matters most" explained Sirius.
"I'm not sure that I like this plan. Is James really O.K with placing his life in Peter's hands?" Asked Raya.
"It may have been my idea, but James has agreed to it, in order to protect Harry. Dumbledore is convinced that there is a spy in the Order, which is why no one is going to know about the switch, not even him" informed Sirius.
"How did Peter take the idea of being the new secret keeper?" Quizzed Raya.
"He was rather shocked at first, but in the end he agreed to do it"
"And how did Remus take it?".
Sirius sighed and bit his lip, causing Raya to frown.
"Why haven't you told him?" Demanded Raya.
"Because I don't want anyone non essential to the plan, to know about the swap" answered Sirius.
"You told me" pointed out Raya.
"You're my wife, so I can't keep secrets from you. And you need to know whether or not you are married to James's secret keeper"
"Why can't Remus know? He can't be the only Marauder that doesn't know. I get keeping the secret from Dumbledore and the rest of the world. But I can't see why you have to keep it from Remus. I don't want my brother being left out, because if that were me, then I would hate to be the one not told everything".
"Raya, there's something I need to tell you... I think Remus might be the traitor, which is another reason I want to change the secret keeper without telling him" revealed Sirius.
"Tell me you're joking" replied Raya.
"I wish I could" sighed Sirius.
"Remus is my brother, he would never betray me, or anyone else. He is a Marauder, and we are all a family. I trust all of you, and I know that none of you would ever become a traitor".
"I don't like being prejudice towards werewolves. But Remus has spent a lot of time among them recently. And they are all on Voldemort's side" reminded Sirius.
"He went undercover with the werewolves on Dumbledore's orders. And being a werewolf doesn't make him a snitch. Don't forget, that my father's prejudice towards werewolves is the reason Remus ended up getting bitten in the first place" snapped Raya.
"I know. But while he was with his people, he might have been turned to their way of thinking. It's hard to resist Fenir Greyback, sometimes. And Voldemort promises to give werewolves more rights. So, it makes sense that Remus would become a spy for him".
"But Remus hates Fenir as he's the one who bit him, so he would never join him. And Remus wasn't even here when everyone in the Order started dying, as he was on Dumbledore's stupid misson" reminded Raya.
"Exactly. Him not being around to watch those in the Order all die, makes him even more guilty. And the fact that none of us 5 have been killed yet, confirms my suspicions that a Marauder is the traitor. Because no one wants to give up their best friends first, which might have been why Benjy and Edgar went before anyone else. But it won't be long before one of us is killed" replied Sirius.
"You're wrong! My brother is not the traitor" insisted Raya.
"I love Remus like a brother. Which is why I really hope that I am wrong about him. But, until I can prove that he is not the traitor, we all need to be careful with what we say around him" warned Sirius.
"You can't be serious" replied Raya.
"I wish I wasn't. But keeping a little secret from someone you care about, is not worse than putting your friends in the ground. Which is why I need you to promise me that you won't tell Remus about the secret keeper change, or that I am suspicious of him".
"I don't think I can do that" informed Raya.
"Please Raya, I wouldn't ask, if it weren't of the upmost importance. So please, for me, don't tell Remus" begged Sirius.
"Fine. But, you have until Christmas to prove that he is the traitor, or I am telling him everything" announced Raya.
"Since I have no other choice, I accept your terms"
"Alright then... Let's get back to work, since we have a room to finish"
"Yes, we do".