Before You Read:

James and Lily are very much alive, and Sirius never went to Azkaban for reasons I have yet to decide. Since there isn't much on Daphne Greengrass (canon), I pulled some inspiration from Astoria and made things up along the way. For those who have read my other story, hi there and welcome! This little idea popped into my head when I realized how many Sirimione fics are out there and although they're a wonderful pairing... I've begun to loathe Hermione (which I'm appalled over believe me).

I'll point out the sizeable age-gap pairing here. If you're uncomfortable with the idea - don't read.

Disclaimer: Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 1

It Happened on the Job

February 1988

Sirius Black stood in the rubble of what was left of the parlor room. He gripped his wand tightly, a thick layer of dust coating his tense shoulders. "You lot should've waited for my orders." The quiet hardness behind his remark was the calm before the storm.

The newest recruits cringed away from the stony-faced Head Auror, knowing full well of what was to come.

Quick footsteps that crumbled the debris beneath them announced the arrival of one bruised up James Potter, "Give them a break, Sirius. They're my responsibility. These were the last of the Death Eaters, and I thought I'd take your advice and show them some real action. They stayed out of our way well enough." James shook out his hair, ridding it of some bits of plaster, "But, if you still want to yell at someone, yell at me."

Sirius gave his best friend a once over, shaking his head at the state he was in, "Oh, I'm sure Lily will have some words for you. Go get yourself checked out by the healers." There was a bite behind his words that caused the two friends to exchange calculating looks.

They rarely ever fought as partners, but when Alastor Moody retired as H.A. and gave the position to Sirius, well, things changed. Sirius now worked alone and took on the most grueling missions, arguing it was fair given that he had 'no one at home to mourn him if he died.' James thought the idea was mental, and the matter elevated when Sirius assigned him to train recruits and deal with only second level cases. A month they ignored each other. In the end, Lily and Remus had no other choice but to confiscate their wands and lock them in a room together to work it out.

Today, the dynamic was back to normal, and both men had learned to draw better lines between their work and home lives.

"We got them, Sirius." James pushed proudly, placing a hand on Sirius's shoulder, wincing as he did so from the large gash in his side from an ugly hex.

Grey eyes narrowed reluctantly, "We knew the Carrows tortured their victims for as long as possible. If the newbies hadn't apparated so close, they wouldn't have heard us and the Greengrass family would still be alive."

There was a nervous clearing of the throat, "Excuse me?"

Two heads snapped to a massively built recruit. The young man took a step back at the ferociousness, and James's usual patience snapped, "What the bloody hell is it?!"

As a proper frightened group, they pointed past Sirius, towards the dewy grass clearing where the debris did not touch.

Sirius's hateful glare landed on a young girl staring fixedly at her bloodied hands. His expression dropped immediately, and he uttered an explicit word.

The child, wearing nothing but a white nightgown that dusted the sticky blades of grass, cast her doll eyes up to him. "Are you in charge, sir?" Whispering the question, a sudden gust of wind carried the high soprano voice far away from the ears of the average wizard.

Sirius and James glanced at each other, taken aback by the girl's strength and made their way to her; all thoughts of fighting were forgotten.

Sirius knelt to the small creature. He was accustomed to children - what, with being Harry Potter's godfather and loving his cousin's daughter, Nymphadora, to pieces. Yet, the little girl before him was the most innocent thing he had ever seen. It took him a solid second to put up a wall from his Auror persona, the man he sometimes didn't even recognize, to prevent from frightening her.

"I'm the Head Auror. Sirius Black at your service." He held out his hand, and she hesitated, biting her lip at the rusty colored splatters of blood on her palm. "Would you like for me to clean them?"

"Yes, please." She presented her outstretched hands that shook only slightly, and Sirius took another wondering gaze up to James who was standing jaw slacked.

Sirius never dealt with young victims on the job. His line of work focused on level one individuals and groups who thankfully knew that children alongside them would only pose as a complication. He had, however, reviewed nightmarish cases where the kids left alive became shells of empty personalities or were found so distraught that they had to be put under powerful Calming Draughts. Sirius guessed he was lucky in that regard.

He tergeo-ed the dainty hands twice. "There you go, sweetheart. Are you hurt?" In his mind, Sirius was already planning to get her to St. Mungo's and contacting Child Services.

A subtle frown appeared on her pale face at the form of endearment, and then she shook her head with certainty. "No, sir."

Sirius studied her, but she was telling the truth. His well-developed animagus skills came in handy more often than not when spotting out liars. "Could you tell me your name?"

James knelt besides him, "Please."

The little girl's bright brown eyes darted from James and back to Sirius, "I'm Daphne Greengrass." Her breathy voice cracked, and she jolted in surprise that it had.

Sirius had a light-bulb moment. His face fell in sympathy, and he berated himself for not making the obvious connection sooner. Daphne was a pureblood. She was raised to be extraordinarily well-mannered and to hide her emotions from an early age. He understood perfectly, for he was taught the same principles, but that didn't mean he agreed with them one bit. Sirius could only imagine how much pain she was burrowing away right there and then; her house was in ruins, and her family was dead, yet she was still standing.

Daphne took a steady breath before she rooted him to the spot with her determined gaze, "Thank you for catching those monsters, Mr. Black. They hurt - hurt Stori." A lone tear escaped when she blinked, and her fingers darted up to wipe it away before it could even slide down to her cheek.

Throat tight, moved by the girl's bravery, Sirius gave her an encouraging look, "You can cry, Daphne."

"Ladies are not supposed to cry in the presence of gentlemen," Daphne told them almost snobbishly, her concealed sadness taking a momentary backseat while her mind returned to familiarity. Sirius reckoned it was a phrase she'd probably been forced to memorize after an unfortunate mishap in public when she'd been younger.

She tucked a caramel curl behind her ear as she found the need to explain herself further, "It's not proper, and men care of such things."

"I certainly don't care, do you, James?" Sirius tilted his head, trying to get the poor, sweet creature to trust him.

"Not one bit." James shook his head back and forth to make his point.

Daphne's brows pulled together, and her voice was laced with a wobbling uncertainty, "You won't get angry?"

Her parents had done a number on her, he thought, disgust coursing through him. "Of course not." Sirius repeated his earlier statement with what he hoped was a comforting tone and the slightest tweak, "You may cry, Daphne."

As suddenly as if he'd cast a spell, her lower lip trembled and the tears in her eyes overflowed like rivers down her cheeks as she began to weep.

Sirius courteously spared her a long moment before he took her into his arms and stood up. The sight and sound of her suffering broke his heart. After such a demanding day, it was too much: her pain and his surprising eagerness to help.

He mind-linked James, "Can you take her to St. Mungo's? Get her checked out and see if there are any other relatives listed in her file. Child Services opens late, and I need to get a report out on this case."

"No problem, mate." James opened his arms, his eyes taking on that fatherly worry he'd developed over the years with his two children.

A guarded expression, masking his inner turmoil, Sirius handed the girl over with a courteous excuse and quickly took his leave.

If he had time, he would've gladly given it to her and the many other things - experiences he neglected in his life. However, the truth of the matter was that he, Sirius Black, was Head Auror - no one else. He was in charge of commanding and keeping an extremely skilled team, people he had grown to care for, alive and functioning. The reputation and position he held, Sirius credited to the focus and hours he put into his work. There could be no distractions for him.