Disclaimer: This world belongs to JK Rowlings- I own nothing.
Chapter One
The Girl Covered in Egg
June 19, 1981
It is when you least expect something to happen when that one thing usually does happen, and it was within the market town of Todmoreden that this proven true. It was well into the evening when most people were on their way home from a hard days of work, and others were calling their little ones inside to wash up for diner. But Pete Craig was doing neither. The elderly man sat by his door waiting, for what even he did not know, but he would knew he would know when he saw it.
What he did know however is that his neighbours were barking mad, they were anomalous, there was most certainly something dodgy about them. Pete Craig has seen things, very strange things, that would scare young children and most women stiff. It's not like he was spying on them, oh, no, Pete Craig was no peeping-tom. He just happens to be in all the wrong places at all the wrong times.
He had gone out for a stroll just over a year ago, when Paul Ross's niece and her little daughter moved into town. A few days after their arrival Mr. Craig was out on his daily walk, when something perplexing happened. Now, it wasn't a strange sight to see Mr. Craig walking about, he did this often, it wasn't even strange when he decided to greet his new neighbours. What was strange is that Mr. Craig hadn't seen Paul Ross in many weeks and he hoped that the man was well. It was that night when Mr. Craig went over to call on the Ross's hoping to find that all was well.
Mr. Craig had no family left of his own and so he was quite taken by the Ross's, until he went out one afternoon to call on them. From what Mr. Craig had seen, the newcomers were friendly enough, the young woman was pleasant and her daughter was offend seen in the front garden, picking various flowers before running inside. That little girl was adorable, Mr. Craig had thought, but a tad too young to be off on her own.
Looking from the front window Mr. Craig saw a female figure on the sofa freeze, before putting down a rather large book. He followed her gaze, and saw it, it was the Strange, the blaze in the fireplace turned to a shocking green. It was then that the most particular thing happened: a man step out the emerald flames. The woman, picked up a stick gave it a good wave and the burgundy curtains flew over the front window. Mr. Craig had never ran so quickly before in his life.
Since then, Pete Craig has taken it onto himself to find out what was wrong with these people. He had to as it was his duty. However a large part of Mr. Craig had long given up finding anything else so strange from his neighbours, seeing as he hasn't found anything out yet, though, a small part of him said, he would soon. People like Paul Ross don't just disappear without a word.
It was when the sun had set over the hills, quite a few hours later that small part of Mr. Craig was proven corrects. Mr. Craig decided it was time for a cup of tea seeing as he saw nothing more sinister then a squirrel, when he heard a faint Pop. The older man spilt his tea down his from and bolt to the window to see a young man. Closer to a boy than a man, in Mr. Craig's option. Mr. Craig watched as the man-boy walked across the pavement, he was no more than twenty-four, he was a dark coat and trousers that were the same colour as his hair, he was, also, carrying a small bright pink package. Even in the dim lighting Mr. Craig knew the young man was the type to send all the young girls into a frenzy. That's not what Mr. Craig found peculiar, the young man was not there no more then a minute before. It was as if he just popped out of the air… expect that wasn't possible.
Mr. Craig watched, barely breathing, as the young man walked up to the Ross's home. He watched as the young man reached out his hand- this was it! This had to be it! Mr. Craig finally had proof! And the young man… knocked?
.
Mr. Craig's snooping was not unnoticed by the young man. The young man made a special note, to warn Celina of the elderly man, who could mean danger and in times like this the less danger the better. At least, when it came to Celina Ross. The young man, straightened himself and glazed around the street, narrowing his dark eyes at the old man's house, before he knocked on the door. This man's name was-
"Sirius?" A voice cried as soon the door was opened, a young woman stood in the doorway. Her dark golden-brown hair was pulled into a lose braid over her shoulder, her bright blue eye's glittered with unshed tears, she looked the same as before, a year ago, except for the dark circles under her light eyes.
"What are you doing here? You told me you couldn't come!"
The man, Sirius, smiled weakly. "You forgot the question, 'lina." Was all he said.
"I doubt anyone would come to this horrible place. There's too much…" She trailed off, but the man knew what she meant, not many of their kind would come to Todmoreden, the history was exceedingly brutal. "Get inside, Sirius, you're letting the cold in!" Celina exclaimed pulling the man inside the house.
"Would you like some tea?" She asked with shining eyes. He chuckled before shaking his head. No, Sirius did not want tea. "No? Is there something you do want?"
So, she was still angry, then.
"Where's Nima?" Sirius asked, glazing around the hallway and into the kitchen. The child wasn't anywhere to be seen, there was however, toys laying about, a bit of colouring on the walls and various photographs of the small girl, all of these things proof of her existence.
"Noreen was colouring, last I checked. By now, though, she could be anywhere…" Celina trailed off, if Sirius didn't know any better, sadly. She met his eyes, before nodding, "I'll go find her, then. Make yourself at home. You'll stay that long, won't you?" She asked critically.
Sirius looked at her very seriously.
"Yes." He said, the package in his arms wiggled.
Sirius caught Celina looking at the bundle curiously, "That better not be alive." She said, before walking away to find the toddler.
Sirius wondered into the sitting room. There wasn't much furniture, except for a coffee coloured sofa from Celina's childhood home that sat peacefully across from the fireplace and two mismatched armchairs. On the fireplace mantel where photographs of the small girl, in the most recent; she smiling widely, her curly caramel hair pulled up in piggy tails on both sides of her head, waving madly at the camera. There were others, of course, but Sirius spent most of his time looking at the waving girl, he could barely see her dark eyes, Sirius noticed with a sigh of relief.
"Who are vou?" A small voice demanded.
Sirius, slightly startled, frowned. He didn't like being caught by surprise. Behind him was the little girl from the photographs, her curly hair much shorter only coming up to her chin, her dark grey eyes wide. Her slimy, yellow arms were folded across a cherry red nightgown, that had water sopped down the front, her legs were also wet. If Sirius didn't know any better it almost looked as if she had got into into a fair amount of eggs.
"A friend." Sirius said.
"No!" The little girl said passionately, "I know awl my friends, and- and I've never, never ever, met vou." She shock her head wildly, her curls creating a halo around her head.
Sirius decided it was best to grin, instead of grimace, he had suspected this.
"Yes, you have-"
"No!" She shouted.
"When you smaller," he continued as if the girl hasn't interrupted.
"I've not small." The girl said with distaste, "I've gonna go get Mummy, and, and dan she kick vou out. Who are vou, Mr. Stranver?"
"I'm Sirius." He said, rewrapping a small part of his bundle.
"No! I wonna know vou're name," She demanded, "I'm 'oreen."
Sirius chuckled. Will it be like this each time I come by? he wondered.
"My name is Sirius," he explained.
"Do you're mummy hate vou? 'Cause dat a bad name." She said, tilting her head to the side like a puppy when it hears a high pitch sound. She dropped several colouring sticks, crayons Sirius thought they were called, onto the floor.
Sirius laughed, if truth be told it almost sounded like a bark, the girl couldn't be more right. Noreen, grinned at an adult's approval, even if she really didn't understand.
"What's vou got?" Noreen asked.
Sirius grinned even wider, "A gift." He said.
"For Mummy?"
"No-"
"Ooh! Ooh! For me?" Noreen yelped, jumping forward in front of Sirius.
The strange young man carrying a pink wiggling bundle, could only grin at the toddler. Sirius hadn't been expecting her enthusiasm, the last time he had seen Noreen was over a six months ago and she spent most of the afternoon hiding from him. That was the third time he saw her, and he didn't even consider that one a visit seeing how it ended in a shouting match with Celina, there may have been a hex or two thrown in. However, the first time Sirius had ever lay eyes upon the girl was when she was a few days old, back then Sirius was too mortified to so much as touch her. By the end of that first day, he ended up feeding Noreen, and making faces at her, and held her in his arms while she slept. It was hard to believe how much Noreen had changed in-between these times.
"It's for you." Sirius confirmed. He lowered himself to her level, offering the cloth buddle to the toddler. Noreen only stared at Sirius, her eyes as big as Snitches. "Alright there, Nima?"
"Moved!" The toddler exclaimed, clamping her hand over her mouth, covering up a very toothy smile. Indeed, as if to prove the child's point the bundle moved once move. "Ooh!" Noreen giggled.
After a moment of the toddler's shrill giggles, Sirius took the honour of moving the blanket for her, causing her shriek in sheer delight much, much louder than before. Sirius flinched at the sound.
A small black creature, with a white tipped tail and paws, inched it's way out from under the blanket. To Celina Ross's later dismay Sirius had brought her daughter a puppy.
"Ooh!" the toddler repeated with a look of pure astonishment, "Ooh!"
Sirius laughed once more, he was doing that a lot tonight, as her eyes went wide and she clapped in delight.
"What so funny?" Noreen asked her ear touching her shoulder, which only made Sirius grin wider at her. "You've mad." She said matter-of-factly.
"So I've been told."
"By who?" Noreen asked between giggles, as the puppy sniffed her outstretched hand.
"My friends." He said grinning at her. He couldn't seem to be able to not smile at her.
The toddler looked at him in disbelief, her dark eyes shining in the dim light. "You have friends?"
"Yes." Sirius conformed, holding back laughter.
"Oh," Noreen sighed, "is Mummy a friend?"
Sirius got up, and sat down on the armchair closest to him, in a fashion that reminded just a bit too much of his father. Sirius sat, there in that dark blue chair, for a long moment just memorizing the egg covered child. He studied how her hair curled around her ears, or the way her grey eyes would shimmer in the lamp light. His favourite was when her nose would scrunch up when she laughed. Sirius tried to memorize the exact sound of her laughter when the puppy nipped at her egg covered fingers, because Sirius did not want to forget any of this.
He didn't want forget Noreen when he walked out that door to go to the Order of Phoenix meeting tonight, but he knew he'd have to. He would have to for both the toddler's and her mother's safety. Sirius sighed.
Noreen looked up at the man, as if she had forgotten he was there. "Is Mummy a friend?"
"Yes." Sirius sighed.
"I has a friend," Noreen informed him, "he name Emeric. I calls him 'Emmy' and-and he get awl mad and stuff, and-and" Noreen took a deep breath. "He no like it when he be calls 'Emmy.' He get so mad dat he no talk to me 'til tomorrow."
Noreen paused to pet the puppy a bit more, only to stare at Sirius with a sad look he thought only Celina Ross could ever produce. "It make me real, real sad when Emmy no talk to me 'til tomorrow, so I get awl mad at him to. And- and den I no talk to him eider 'til after lunch. Dat makes him madder to, so we gets into another fight. I no like it when Emmy be mad at me." Noreen concluded.
"Do you vou're friends gets made at vou? While I forget-ed that Emmy and I stopped fighting, so I calls him 'Emmy' again and- and den he throwed his chalk at me. It hit me here," Noreen pointed to her left shoulder, "and I forgets that we be friends and I calls him a 'prat.'" Noreen looked up at Sirius, and tilted her head to the side, "What a 'prat'?" she asked.
Sirius stared at the child contemplating on how to answer her question. He didn't get the chance, however, because the toddler continued, "Mummy said it a bad, bad dang to calls peoples. But it can't be 'cause dat be what she call Daddy awl the time. And dat be what she call the paper news when she mad at it. She also calls it other words, but I thinks those are bad-er, dan a 'prat.' And- and now Emmy won't talk to me at awl. I even said, 'sorry,'" She pulled her hand away from the puppy and counted them, before showing him three fingers, "three times. But Emmy still be mad and stuffs, and it's already past tomorrow!"
Sirius looked at Noreen, this was not how he expected this night to go, not at all. He spent a few seconds gaping at the toddler debating on what would be best to say to her. Sirius had always prided himself with being able to talk to anyone, children, adults, his peers, but now that he thought about it; the only younger children he talked to was his cousin's daughter and she was a little over eight years old now, and his best mate's boy, Harry. Maybe Harry Potter didn't really count, he was just under a year old and couldn't say much more than "Ma", "Da", "foo", and "no," so the only conversations Sirius ever had with him were mainly one sided. And, of course any of his peers, who talked to Sirius walked away mad or insulted- he wondered if this was because he had snugged half his year's girl population, before leaving them there. Whatever the reason was Sirius Orion Black the Third, also known as Padfoot, who was able to swoon any girl out there, could not find the words to talk to, two year old, Noreen Ross.
"What does 'lina call your dad?" He asked, instantly regretting saying anything at all. The toddler sighed irritability and glared at Sirius as if he should know the answer to his own question.
"A self-righteous prat, sometimes a git, but-but sometimes Mummy is real, real mad Mummy calls him a piss-artist. What's a 'piss-artist'?" Noreen shrugged. "But I has never met him. Mummy says he be in dah war. That means he be fight awl the bad peoples." She explained. "But I has never meet-ed him and Mummy says she no know when he come back." The toddler paused to look at Sirius in the eyes.
"Are you in da war, Misver Sirius?" She asked."Yes." The man answered."Oh!" Noreen clapped her hands together in hard slap, making the puppy next to her jump and scatter away. The girl got up and ran over to Sirius, putting her hands on his knee. "Do vou know Daddy?" she asked.
It was at that moment that Celina walked around the corner into the sitting room. "There you are, Nora. Oh, Merlin! What have you got on you?" She questioned the toddler with a raised eyebrow. Little Noreen jumped, and looked down at her arms before staring at the ground, like only guilty little children could so. "Nothing!" Noreen exclaimed.
"I can see that. Come here, let's go clean up that 'nothing' off of you." Celina ordered. Noreen looked at her mother in horror, before yelling, "No!" and dashing toward the doorway, which Celina had just left. Luckily, or unluckily, depending how one looks at it, Noreen must have offend participate in this move due to Celina grabbing her around the waist, and dragging the screaming child into the kitchen. There Sirius could hear Noreen's continuing squeals and the running of water. Sirius sat in stunned silence. He had no plans of talking to Noreen, he thought she might have run off again to hide in the cupboard or something. Merlin, he needed a fag.
He sighed once more before a wide grin spread across his face. Noreen had talked to him actually sat near him and held a conversion, a real conversion. Of course, it may have about her little friend being mad at her, but Sirius got to talk to her. Much more than he hoped for, even if she only stayed to pet the puppy.
The puppy. It took Sirius many hours to hunt down a perfect little fur ball. It had been James who gave him the idea. Sirius had dropped in for breakfast, mainly because Lily made the best breakfast but also because he hadn't seen the Potter's for days. James was playing Harry making him laugh by performing a few simple charms and the child's laughter had everyone smiling. For the first time in weeks Sirius allowed himself to relax and then Lily ruined the moment by asking about Noreen.
Lily was just as bad as Celina, both of them were always on his case. It didn't matter how many times he explained it, Lily would not give up. Celina did gave in a little, but she has never been as stubborn as Lily Potter. Sirius thought that maybe Celina understood it a little better than Lily, but for whatever Celina's reason was he wasn't positive.
Sirius was hoping Lily Potter wouldn't verbalize her concerns about Noreen that day, but she did. She talked about how he should there, how he needed to protect Noreen, and when he argued that he was protecting her by staying away, she was about to lose it. Luckily for Sirius, James made a joke about Sirius's Animgus form (a big black dog) running back and forth in back garden barking at the Death Eaters to keep them away. Lily didn't find it funny, but it gave Sirius an idea.
Where he may not be able to protect Noreen at home a dog might, where he couldn't watch out for her a dog might, where he couldn't be there for her a dog might. A dog might at least give her a small piece of him until all was safe in the Wizarding World again and he could come home, at last.
_
A/N: For now this story is on hold. I wanted this first chapter out to get a little of a feed back before finishing the first few chapter. As always let me know what you think, good or bad it's welcome.