"Ha ha!" Mira Celaeno cried triumphantly, spinning in circles. Laughter ringing through the empty train station, the two girls danced in their robes. Sirius sat back with Remus, grinning as they watched the pair. Shaking back his hair, the teen called out happily, "Hey, girls, want to come over here and show us how well you dance?"

"Ha, ha, ha," Alice called back sardonically, smile betraying her cold tone, "you'll have to do better than that to trick anything out of us Black!"

Face falling in mock despair, Sirius slumped into his chair, starting as Celaeno bounded into his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck and squeezing him happily. "Don't look so crestfallen Sirius! Come dance with us!"

"In the middle of an abandoned train station?"

"Why not?" Celaeno asked, grinning. "Alice and I are. And nobody's here to make you feel silly. You too Remus, let's dance!"

Remus laughed, looking at Sirius and shrugging. "If you can't beat 'em, join 'em."

"Isn't that an American expression?"

Looking at Alice, Remus shrugged. "Heard mum say it the other day. Come on Sirius, you may as well."

Grumbling as he shoved Mira Celaeno from his lap, Sirius turned deeper into his chair. "You're supposed to be the reasonable one, Moony. I don't want to dance."

Propping her chin on his leg and pouting, the girl looked at him through large, luminous eyes. Turning away, Sirius insisted, "Don't try it Mira, I'm the master of puppy dog eyes. You go dance with the creatures you're friends with."

"You're friends with us too, aren't you?"

Too loyal to resist her soft inquiry, Sirius winked at her and ruffled her hair lightly. Bouncing to her feet, Cela linked arms with Remus and Alice, "Come on! Let's leave that one here and go exploring!"

Laughing as he watched Cela prance off with them, Sirius called, "Hey, Mira! You said dancing, not exploring!"

Turning back, Alice stuck her tongue out at Sirius and let her laughter ring out. The young man leaned further into his chair, smile lazy and satisfied. When he heard the sound of footsteps his smile became wicked, and he closed his eyes, transforming into Padfoot and waiting for the trio to emerge. Eager to pounce on them, he felt his eagerness fade into anticipation as he realized there were more than three pairs of footsteps, and he doubted any of them belonged to the light-footed Mira Celaeno, the steady Remus, or the happy Alice. Backing under the seats, he watched the covered feet pass by, long robes waving as the group walked. Definitely more than three people, he realized, using his dog senses to the fullest to see if he could tell who these people were.

Instantly able to recognize the robe-wearing crew as wizards, the over-perfumed smell of Mrs. Malfoy, the snooty-cologned Procyon Venatici, and the meaty smell of McNair reached his nose. Fighting the canine urge to bark at them, especially at McNair, Sirius listened, recognizing Misters Lestrange, Crabbe, and Goyle. Of course, Lestrange was the only powerful voice of the group, as Crabbe and Goyle seniors were as dumb and nonsensical as their children. "Come, this way. The Dark Lord has chosen well, nobody would ever suspect our meetings to begin at an old muggle filth house. We must meet his messenger and go to him. There is work that must be done."

"Stop spewing, Lestrange," Venatici growled, "What has our Lord called this meeting for, if you're so knowing?"

"Your daughter has been making dangerous friends, we hear. You question our Lord and he may believe that it with your encouragement that Mira Celaeno is making such foolish moves."

Sirius swallowed as he heard the murder in Procyon Venatici's voice, "That brat is no more my daughter than any other muggle-loving filth. You make dangerous mistakes by assuming that any of her decisions are my concern. When she comes to her senses and realizes the error in her ways, I may begin to accept her as my own. Should anything she does begin to threaten our Lord, I would kill her myself without remorse. I would like to see you, gall-less pig, be willing to do half as much for our Lord's cause."

"Don't try to compensate by insulting me, Venatici. Just make sure you remember where your loyalties lie."

"There is no need to remember, Lestrange; I never forgot. My daughter is none of your concern. Should she begin to be, I give you full permission to take care of her as you see fit. Now, enough stalling, lead the way."

Waiting, ears, eyes, and nose alert for any signs of their presence, Sirius peered out from under the chairs. Heart racing, he turned and raced in the direction the others had gone. Cela needed to know the threat posed by her own father. Thinking nothing of getting caught, nothing of still being in dog form, he ran, transforming as he saw Alice laughing as Celaeno and Remus stood with laced hands. The three froze as they Sirius run toward them, face pale. Grabbing them, he pulled them back to the little cottage Alice's family owned. Slamming the door shut, he cast a sealing charm and a silencing charm on the doors and windows, turning to Cela. "Death Eaters."

"Here?"

Looking at Remus' incredulous expression, Sirius nodded, surprise spreading across his features as Cela rolled her eyes. "Didn't you know? That's why our parents chose here. So they can be close to all the action."

"Your dad's a Death Eater."

"I know."

Freezing, Sirius looked at her, "Then why the bloody hell didn't you stay with your mum? Why would you choose to spend time with him?"

"Because Lily asked her to. And because her father has power over her still, if he demands her presence during the summer holidays she can't just choose to stay with her mum. If her mum and stepdad had made plans, she could have, but not for no reason. He would've dragged her here by her hair."

"Why would Lily ever ask you to stay with a Death Eater?"

Looking at Remus and Sirius, knowing that Sirius wanted an answer to Remus' question as much as Remus did, Cela sighed and explained carefully, "Where they're going it would be really obvious if an owl came every morning with the Daily Prophet. So she said that if there was any way to let her know exactly what was going on to let her know. She's worried about her parents, you know, they aren't exactly safe with her being a witch and all. Vega has no concept of secrecy, I can find out exactly what's going on before it happens if I'm here. There's no way I would potentially jeopardize my friend for a slight difference in comfort. And after all, with Alice coming I knew it would be fun enough to be worthwhile anyway."

"Slight? Cela, you're dad was with a group of Death Eaters when I was listening. He said right there that he would kill you himself if it helped their cause. You can't be serious."

"You're Sirius," Cela pointed out gently, looking unfazed. "Look, Sirius. I know what my father is capable of, better than you do. But even Procyon Venatici would have a bloody good reason to hurt me for someone else's sake. He has no idea that I even know who Lily Evans is, and I plan on keeping it that way. You're being foolish, the associations they would be talking about for me turning into a blood-traitor and all that posh would be you."

"Me?"

Alice rolled her eyes as realization hit Remus. "Of course. Pureblood, influential family, Gryffindor in the same year, openly against Voldemort, obviously no problems with muggles or muggleborns, you and James are exactly the kind of enemy they don't want to be making."

"They also think James and I are too stuck-up and frivolous to ever be a threat to them."

"But combined with a person like Cela, especially with Dumbledore backing you, even without James you could pose a credible threat. That's what they're worried about."

Sirius looked at Alice, the words seeping into him. Reaching out, he touched her arm gently and smiled, "Well, if they're going to worry about us, let's give them more than they ever bargained for."

Relieved that Sirius was no longer worried, Cela leaned into Remus, pulling him to the ground and resting on his shoulder. Eyes travelling up to Sirius and Alice, motioning them to sit, she entreated, "I don't want to give anybody anything right now. Let's just sit and talk, okay?"

Eyes narrowing inadvertently as Remus leaned and kissed her gently, Sirius sat in the plush armchair as Alice stretched beside the fireplace. "You're so cute Mira. Ha, ha, ha."

– 02 – 02 –

"Ha ha!" Mira Celaeno exclaimed, one arm tight around Sirius as she sat securely on his back.

Alice laughed, tripping over herself and snorting as Remus grabbed her arm and yanked her after him. "Come on Quirke! Now's not the time to be a klutz!"

Growling at Remus as she looked back at the monster chasing them, she laughed. It was a sight she would never forget. Cela was balanced delicately on Sirius' back, laughing as she waved her free arm around while Sirius stood as straight as he could, face in a mock grimace as he held Cela tightly in place. Vega laughed from where she stood on the porch. It was a funny sight, and she loved seeing her older sister happy.

Though Vega's intentions were pure and childish, it was a good thing that none of the four noticed as she took a picture of their gaiety. If they had, suspicion may have outweighed goodwill and their joy may have been ruined. However, Sirius continued to run, letting out a barking laugh as Celaeno leaned forward and cried, "Move faster, Siri! You two had better do better than that or I'll jump you both!"

Slowing down as they felt laughter overcome them, both Remus and Alice shrieked as Mira Celaeno flung herself off Sirius' back, catapulting into them and knocking them onto the sand. Falling down beside him, Sirius laughed hysterically, tears filling his eyes as the four of them lay entwined together on the sand. Sitting on Remus, head in Sirius' lap, and feet pinned down by Alice, Mira Celaeno laughed helplessly and tears of mirth streamed over her cheeks. "Ha ha," Sirius managed breathlessly, laughter escaping through his words, "you should have seen your faces! Ha ha! That was priceless! Ha ha, Mira, you are my goddess!"

Laughing, Celaeno reached up and kissed Sirius idly, her I know! echoed by her happy laughter. They remained there, content to just laugh and sit in the bright sun and warm sand. Leaning against a stick of wood he had conjured, Sirius winked as Remus propped himself up. The girls remained where they were, Alice's hands behind her head and Mira Celaeno content with her head in Sirius' lap. Running his fingers idly through the girl's hair as he watched her fingers wrap around Remus', Sirius asked, "What're we going to do now? We can't just sit here for the rest of the day."

"Why not?" Alice asked. "We are at the beach, Black. That's what a lot of us do at the beach. Just sit in the sand all day."

"Or go play in the water!"

The other three looked at Mira Celaeno's curiously, entertained by her childish outburst. Flushing at the gazes being sent her way, she buried her face in Sirius' leg and asked, voice muffled by his trunks, "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Laughing, Remus squeezed her hand as Sirius ruffled her hair. "You're so weird, Mira."

"Funny, Black," she said with a glare, lifting her head from his shorts for a moment before returning to her former position. "Can't you see me laughing? Ha, ha, ha."

– 02 – 02 –

The door slammed and the two boys groaned, sitting up with a jolt as Alice ran forward and yanked the covers off of them. "Geroff, Quirke," Sirius snarled, grabbing the blanket possessively as Remus turned to go back to bed without it.

Slapping them both, Alice hissed, "Wake up! It's midafternoon! You've missed lunch even!"

"We're growing boys, Alice, we need our sleep," Remus slurred, closing his eyes.

Biting her lip and realizing that she couldn't wake them before telling them, she said softly, "Cela got in a fight with her dad. He's punishing her."

This woke both boys up instantly and they jumped out of their beds, feeling their blood run cold at the terror on Alice's sweet face. "Where is she?" Sirius demanded, throwing on his shirt as Remus did the same.

"Come on."

Running after the girl, Remus and Sirius hoped that the horrified features of Alice Quirke were an exaggeration of Venatici's violence. Flinging the door open, Sirius ran into the room and cried angrily, "Stop it! Leave her alone!"

"Finite Incantatem," came Procyon Venatici's cool voice. The silent scream that been pouring from Mira Celaeno's mouth became a very audible gasp as she slumped to the floor. "Well, well, Mr. Black. What can I do for you?"

Dropping down beside Celaeno, brushing her hair back and feeling the hot sweat pour over her face, Sirius looked up with murder in his eyes. "She's your daughter! You used an unforgivable on your daughter? Monster. You don't deserve her."

Raising an eyebrow coolly, he looked down at the dishevelled girl. "She doesn't look so good. She should have thought about that before disgracing our blood."

"It's the same as everyone else's!"

"That, Sirius Black, is an ideology that will get you the same treatment she received. But, if you grovel well enough, I will punish you in a more muggle fashion."

"Go ahead! Just leave her alone!"

"Crucio," Venatici said levelly, as though it didn't matter. Sirius closed his eyes, bracing himself for the pain. As he heard Mira Celaeno's ear-splitting scream he acted like a man possessed. Growling, he was mobilized as he heard the cold ha! through her screams.

Blood rising in his throat and pounding in his ears, Sirius roared and flew at Procyon Venatici. Hands grasping the man around the throat, he felt a wave of relief as Celaeno's screams stopped. Suddenly pinned against the wall, Venatici's wand at his throat, Sirius found himself looking into dark, pitiless eyes. Certain he was going to die, he stared back levelly, bracing himself and feeling a wave of shock as he heard the desperate cry. "No! Please, leave him alone! Don't hurt him!"

Two pairs of dark, shocked eyes turned to Celaeno as she stood, shaking and sweating as she steeled herself. Dropping Sirius to the floor, Venatici began to laugh, "You've got sand, girl. I'll tell you what. Because you still are a pureblood, I'll send you and your little posse to clean a room muggle-style. You'll be returned whenever I decide to send for you, and consider yourself lucky."

Voice suddenly dropping back to the hesitant whisper, Mira Celaeno nodded carefully, "Yes, Father."

Sirius ran to her, grasping her hand and feeling himself jerk as he found himself in a completely different room. Looking around, he watched Remus run over to Cela and hug her fiercely. "Are you okay? Cela, look at me."

Pale features still sweaty, she smiled softly and kissed him, deepening the kiss gently until Sirius growled from behind them. "Get a room."

"You're in it," Alice pointed out, examining the door-less, window-less room they were in.

"Are you ever on my side in these things?" Sirius demanded, pacing the room as Remus took Mira Celaeno into his arms and held her. "You're supposed to be at least a little protective of her too, you know!"

"No, that's Lily. Besides, I like Remus," Alice countered lightly, dropping down beside Celaeno and softening. "Are you okay? I didn't know what else to do."
Smiling and hugging Alice tightly, Celaeno murmured, "It's okay. Though I wish you hadn't gotten Sirius and Remus into this too."

Freezing, features darkening with rage, Sirius whirled around to her and stormed, "What the bloody hell is that supposed to mean? We were trying to help, Mira! Would you have rather Venatici kept it up?!"

Turning a withering eye onto Sirius, shaking her head as Remus began to add to his friend's words, and voice soft, Cela clung to Alice. "He's just getting warmed up. You've confirmed his worst fears, and he's going to hurt you for it. I don't want any more people getting hurt for his idiocy."

Sirius stiffened, rage still on his handsome features, but Remus' voice softened. "Cela? What were you and your father arguing about that was worth an unforgivable?"

"What else?" Cela replied. "Blood, as usual. He knows I don't support them, and he's trying to get me out of the way. Apparently it's a bad thing if I associate with other muggle-lovers, and he wants to remedy that by marrying me off to some good, pureblood boy. Father's already made insinuations about both of you, and he gave fair warning that should either of you interfere with his plans he'll take you out of the picture. I told him to bugger-off and that if I wasn't worth his time he should go waste it elsewhere."

"And my coming in?"

Turning to look at Sirius, Mira Celaeno managed softly, "Put you and Remus on his list. I didn't want Alice to tell you. I wanted to keep you out of his mess."

Remus shook his head, taking her face in his hands and wiping the tears off her cheeks gently. Pressing his lips to her forehead, he let Sirius speak for them both. "Like hell we'd sit here and let you deal with by yourself. And we're part of it now, whether you like it or not. So get used to us."

She smiled, looking up at him with glittering eyes. "Don't say it if you don't mean it, Sirius. Live up to your name this time, for me."

Kneeling down beside her, tapping her face with a crooked finger, Sirius grinned. "I'm always Sirius. And you really are stuck with us. At least us three."

"Lily would be here if she could," Alice said, nodding her agreement and squeezing Sirius' hand as he helped her stand.

Bracing his hands on his hips, Sirius looked around the room and pointedly ignored Remus and Celaeno's gentle kisses. "So what are we supposed to do until Venatici's good graces let us out of here?"

"We're supposed to be cleaning up a filthy room, muggle-style," Celaeno said softly, jumping as a loud pop filled their ears. Looking down at her dusty, ragged muggle clothes, Cela smiled bitterly and eyed the now-gruesome room warily. "See?"

Barking lightly, Sirius swung her to her feet and laughed. Nothing could dampen his day, now that Mira Celaeno was safely away from her father's clutches and he was with friends in a hidden room. Even muggle cleaning could be fun… He roared with laughter as Mira screamed, her hair drenched and the dirt on her rags settling in a puddle on the floor. Turning, she beat him across the arms and screeched at him, his chest heaving with laughter as he looked at the wet girl. His laughter died abruptly as he felt himself drenched with icy water, wet dirt weighing his own rags down. Turning to Remus with a death glare, he couldn't help but laugh as Remus shrugged innocently. "What can I say? You wet my girl."

"Your girl am I?" Cela asked, tapping her foot and not looking at all intimidating in her wetness. As Remus nodded smugly she charged at him, knocking him to the ground on sitting on his abdomen, laughing manically as she pinned his arms down. Wicked grin plastered across her features, her voice dripped was sarcasm. "Of course I am, how could I forget? Your little doll. So sweet and innocent, right?"

Remus began to nod, certain that sweet Celaeno would do nothing. It was Sirius and Alice who laughed next as Cela leaned down and kissed him deeply, standing and accidentally stepping on his crotch as she slipped. Groaning as curled into a ball, he glared at her. "Demon-child. If I never have children it'll be your fault! I thought you wanted kids."

"Ha, ha, ha," she said, her genuine laughter fading into playful humour. "Not yours. I fancy having better looking children if I have them."

Sirius snorted, occupying himself with scrubbing a particularly dirty section of the floor as Remus glared at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," Celaeno sung, kissing Alice on the cheek as she dropped down beside Sirius, helping him eagerly. "I dunno, Alice, what do you think? If I had kids with Sirius they'd be gorgeous, wouldn't they? Or what about that Wood character, he's quite attractive."

Grabbing her by the waist and whirling her into a deep kiss, Remus growled, "You say that like I'd have you."

Now Sirius really snorted, face going into the dirty floor just before he began coughing. Forgetting her pseudo-argument with Remus, Celaeno turned to Sirius and began patting him on the back, waiting for his fit of coughing to subside. Raising an eyebrow, she looked and him and said coolly, "Don't push your luck, Lupin. You almost killed your best friend here. How does that make you feel? You should be ashamed! Get on your knees and start helping!"

Clapping Sirius on the back and laughing as Sirius coughed again, Remus knelt down beside them and together the four began to scrub. It was going to be a long day...

"Ha ha!" Sirius exclaimed, feeling disgusting and grimy as he looked around the spotless room. "It's just like magic!"

"Except done completely muggle-style," Remus droned, leaning against the wall in exhaustion.

Acting like a mother hen, Sirius ran at his best friend, waving his arms wildly, "No! No! No! Get off the wall! You're going to mark it with your dirtiness! Away from my precious walls!"

Celaeno raised an eyebrow, ignoring Alice's giggles as she asked coolly, "Isn't your dormitory always a pig sty?"

Remus nodded, grunting as Sirius elbowed him and beamed. "It won't be anymore! I like this clean-ness! It feels very clean."

"No kidding, Padfoot," Remus growled, rubbing his stomach. "And what is it with people injuring my lower body parts? It's a conspiracy."

"Exactly, Remus," Cela crooned, leaning over and kissing him deeply. "We work for the Ministry, you know. We're deliberately trying to injure you. To prevent the reproduction of such genes. Or maybe Sirius is just jealous."

"Me? Jealous? Of that one!" Sirius pointed an accusing finger at Remus, looking horrified at the suggestion. "Why would I be jealous of him? We all know I'm God's gift to women! Why would I be jealous when I'm obviously the better looking of the two?"

"Then why I am kissing him and not you?"

Speechless, Sirius frowned. "Wait! That's not fair! You cheated!"

"How did she cheat? By being smarter than you?"

His wide grin betraying him, he threw his head back and laughed. "Ha, ha, ha. You think you're so funny, don't you? Ha, ha, ha."

The sound of their laughter echoed in the room as they sat together. Perhaps because they knew there would be precious little laughter in the coming days, but for now their laughter was rich and pure. Ha, ha, ha…