Disclaimer: All rights go to JK Rowling. Anything you don't recognize is mine.

Hello again! I know, I can't believe I updated this fast either, but being sick means I have a lot of time on my hands at the moment. I start my new semester next week though, so I probably won't be able to get updates out as quickly as this one, unfortunately :(

Thank you to everyone who has followed from The Clockwork Locket! It's so good to see so many of you amazing readers return for the sequel! And to all the new readers, thank you for joining this crazy journey as well!

Happy reading!

Chapter Two

The Return

Sirius Black couldn't remember the last time he had ever been nervous.

Even when he was young, nothing could faze him. All he would do was flash an arrogant smirk, reply with a sharp quip, and take everything thrown his way in stride. It had earned him the reputation of the careless, unflappable pure-blood rebel – a reputation that was slowly being chipped away the longer he sat in the Hastings' living room.

Their arrival had started off well. Sirius, James, Remus, and Peter had used the Floo network to get from Potter Manor to the Hastings' Muggle household (after Mr. Potter had pulled a few strings with his contacts in the Department of Magical Transportation, of course), where they were greeted by a sunny room and Cassie's smiling aunt, Olivia. Despite Peter's green face, the mousy boy thankfully refrained from vomiting on the rug, and after polite introductions, Olivia had invited them to sit while she fetched some tea.

Cassie was still upstairs packing, the older witch had explained before heading to the kitchen, which left the Marauders alone in the living room, crammed onto one small blue sofa while Cassie's cousins sat on the floor, playing with building blocks. The two children had barely glanced their way, even when the Marauders had stepped out of the emerald flames in their hearth. Cassie had written in her letters that both her cousins were magical, and Sirius guessed Olivia had told them quite a bit about the Wizarding world already if they weren't even impressed by Floo travel.

But now that Cassie's aunt had returned, a cup of tea in her hands as she sat in the loveseat across from the Marauders with their own tea, Sirius Black realized that he was, in fact, nervous.

Perhaps it was because of Olivia's calculating stare as she took in the Marauders one-by-one, that razor-sharp intelligence and cutting judgement all pure-bloods seemed to possess pinning him in place. He doubted that, though. He'd dealt with enough pure-bloods in his life to be accustomed to that brain-picking gaze. Or maybe it was because of how similar Cassie and her aunt looked to one another. It was a trend he was beginning to notice; how all the Alderfair women looked like exact replicas of each other. He'd had enough of that with Cassie and her ancestor Miranda; but with Cassie's mother and aunt on top of that? It was almost too much for him to bear.

But the worst conclusion Sirius had come to since he'd stepped foot in the Hastings' house was that he was worried of how Cassie's new family might perceive him. And even worse – if they approved of him.

Since when had he ever cared for someone's approval? He had never been apologetic before about who he was or what he did. But sitting on that sofa, crushed between James and Remus, Sirius Black was nervous about how he would come across to Cassie's relatives.

Bloody hell.

"You have a lovely home, Mrs. Hastings," said Remus, taking a polite sip of his tea and smiling. Sirius repressed the urge to snort; Remus John Lupin, as charming and angelic as always.

"Please, call me Liv," Cassie's aunt said. She was smiling right back at Remus, her eyes soft and kind. Sirius took a gulp of tea to hide another snort. Of course, no one could ever resist Remus and those damned eyes of his. Liv's gaze switched to her children. "Ben, Mia. Did you say hello to our guests? They're friends of Cassie."

Cassie's cousins paused in their demolition of their block-city and turned to the Marauders. The oldest, Ben, waved to them. "Hi, Cassie's friends." The Marauders waved back, but the youngest, Mia, merely sized them up.

She tilted her head. "Which one of you is Cassie's boyfriend?"

James choked on his tea. Sirius cast him an annoyed glance before summoning a nice smile for the girl, hoping it didn't look pained as he said, "That would be me."

Mia stared at him for a long moment, unimpressed. James was beginning to turn red from smothering his laughter. Sirius's smile wavered. Had he done something wrong? Why was she looking at him like that?

She scrunched her face. "I thought you were supposed to be cute?"

James laughed in earnest as Liv swooped upon her daughter. "Mia! Don't be rude!"

"Tough luck, Sirius," Remus said, slapping Sirius's knee as Peter giggled nervously beside Remus. "How does it feel to have your ego crushed into the dirt by a six-year-old?"

"From the mouths of babes," James said, wiping a tear from his eye. "Oh, that was brilliant!"

"Yeah," Sirius said. Mia turned her back on him – a clear dismissal – which miffed him even more. "Brilliant."

"Sorry I'm late, guys. Are we ready?"

Sirius's annoyance was gone instantly at the sound of that voice. He nearly jumped from the sofa like he'd been shocked, almost upending his teacup in his haste to stand.

Cassie stood in the entrance of the living room, a wide smile on her face and her luggage packed at her feet. Sirius's heart sputtered, then began racing double-time at the sight of her. A month – that was how long they'd been apart. Hardly a great length of time. Then why was he drinking her in like he thought he'd never see her again?

Her dark hair still hung long and loose, glimmering with shades of red and gold when it caught the afternoon sunlight streaming in through the windows. Her eyes were tired, the light in them dulled, but they were still the same lovely shade of brown, still curious and observant, never missing anything. He was relieved to see that her skin had regained some color from the sun; she'd been so pale, so pale and so sad the last he'd seen her, at her parents' funeral. But his gaze couldn't help going straight to the short skirt she was wearing and the bare legs it showed off, and his heart rioted.

She'd always been taller for a girl (there was a scary moment he'd had last term when he'd realized that she was almost at eye-level with him, but luckily, he'd had another growth spurt since then), but he'd never much paid attention to her legs; they were always hidden underneath stockings, robes, or pants, and the few dresses he'd seen her in had been modest. But there they were: smooth, tanned, and unfairly long. And toned. Had she been working out?

Sirius forced himself to stop staring, afraid that he would start drooling on Liv's rug if he continued to look at Cassie's legs. But that green top she was wearing did the same for her arms, and Godric, did it fit in all the right places…

Sweet Merlin, he thought. Get a bloody grip on yourself, Black.

Sirius swallowed, meeting Cassie's gaze. Her eyes were gleaming when they locked with Sirius's own, and judging by the mischievous tilt to her lips, she could very well guess where his mind had been.

"Hi, Cass," Remus said warmly, wrapping her in a tight hug.

"Merlin, Remus," Cassie exclaimed, holding him at arm's length. "How did you manage to grow since the last time I saw you? It's only been a few weeks!"

"Like a weed, this one," James said, clapping Remus's shoulder. "We used to be the same height last year, believe it or not. And now he's at least a head taller than me!"

Cassie didn't deign him with a response, instead tackling him into a hug. "Stop talking and hug me, nerd."

James made a big show of rolling his eyes and mouthing See what I put up with? at Liv, but he was smiling as he returned Cassie's embrace.

Cassie and Peter bumped fists (which seemed to be their new thing) and grinned at each other, and suddenly it was Sirius's turn.

He'd planned out what he would say to her once he saw her again (or if they'd been alone, what he wouldn't say). But all his suave remarks, witty jokes, and cocky banter disappeared as she breezed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hello, Sirius," she said. He couldn't answer, too entranced by the way her body pressed into his and the scents of jasmine and violets that washed over him.

"Princess," he managed to say. Merlin, what was wrong with him? He couldn't even summon a simple wink?

She drew away, smiling, and he desperately wished that they weren't surrounded by people in that moment.

"Well." James clapped his hands. "Let's get this party started, shall we?" He stooped to kiss Liv's hand. "Mrs. Hastings. A pleasure. Thank you for the tea."

Liv watched, amused, as James retrieved Cassie's trunk and lugged it toward the fireplace. Cassie merely shrugged at her aunt, as if to say Just go with it. Liv smiled. Watching the exchange, and seeing how relaxed and unguarded Cassie was around her aunt, Sirius was relieved. He knew Cassie missed her parents terribly, but being away from the stifling pure-blood culture she was raised in…He could tell that she was thriving.

A twinge of pain went through the healing wound on his chest at the sight. He rubbed at it in annoyance. Damned thing. Just when he almost forgot about it, it would make its presence known again. He looked up to see Cassie watching him and dropped his hand at the question in her gaze.

Later, his eyes promised.

After a moment, she nodded.

While Remus and Peter collected the rest of Cassie's luggage, James vanished in a blur of green flames and a shout of, "Potter Manor!" Remus and Peter followed, leaving just Sirius alone with Cassie and her family.

Sensing that they wanted some privacy, Sirius cleared his throat and handed the pouch of Floo powder to Cassie. "Just follow when you're ready."

She nodded and took the pouch, then pecked his cheek quickly. "See you soon."

Sirius finally seemed to regain some sense over himself, for he winked at her before strolling to the fireplace. He waved to Liv. "It was nice meeting you." Ben had the decency to wave good-bye to him, but Mia watched him step into the hearth like he was a particularly nasty slug she wished to crush beneath her shoe.

Ignoring the death glare he was receiving from a six-year-old girl, Sirius stepped into the emerald flames, declared "Potter Manor!" and disappeared in a blink.

"Is there a reason why Mia looks like she wants to pummel my boyfriend into the dirt?"

Liv snorted. "I couldn't tell you, Cassie." She shrugged. "Little bugger's headstrong, though, I'll give her that."

Cassie laughed. "No kidding."

She'd already hugged her cousins good-bye. It was strange, how much she'd grown to care for them over the course of a month. But they were her family now. And after all Will had done…

Well, she'd choose two innocent children over her brother any day.

Liv stood close to her in front of the fireplace. The flames had died down since Sirius had been whisked away, but Cassie still held the last of the Floo powder in her hands. She turned to Liv.

"Thank you," she said. "For everything. I know it can't have been easy, taking me in so quickly and unexpectedly, but I appreciate everything you've done for me. Will you tell David I said that?"

"Of course." Liv brushed a lock of Cassie's hair behind her shoulder. "I want you to know that you'll always have a place here, Cassie. You're family." She gave her a watery smile. "I'd do anything for you."

Cassie nodded, her throat tight. She prepared to step into the fireplace, but she paused.

"Did my mother ever try to contact you?" she asked.

Liv blinked. "Initially, yes. Eleanor…was more forgiving than our parents were when I turned my back on our family name." She sighed. "I don't want you to take this the wrong way, Cassie, but I always suspected that your father had a hand in keeping Eleanor's life separate from mine. Your mother and I…we loved each other. More than sisters typically do sometimes. We'd always been very close. But these last few years…our communication waned. The last time I spoke to her was on her birthday in April."

Her aunt looked so devastated that Cassie could do nothing but reach out and hold her. Liv trembled in her arms for a brief moment, but she sniffed and pulled away.

"Go," Liv said, smiling softly. "Be with your friends. No need to sit here and watch an old witch cry."

Cassie scoffed. "If you're old, then Dumbledore must be a living fossil by comparison."

Liv laughed, and her smile was so reminiscent of Eleanor's that Cassie felt a swift punch to her gut. She stepped into the hearth so her aunt wouldn't see her tears.

"I'll try and see you before I leave for Hogwarts, all right?" she said, fishing in the pouch for the powder.

"All right, love. Be safe," Liv said. She suddenly grinned. "And you failed to mention how handsome your boyfriend was when you spoke of him. Or that he was a bloody Black. So you can look forward to that conversation next time I see you."

Cassie grimaced. "Sorry?"

Liv shook her head, but blew her a kiss. "Take care, Cassie."

Cassie gave them all one last wave. "Love you! I'll send goodies from Hogsmeade when I'm back at school!"

Ben and Mia cheered as Cassie threw down the powder and the hearth erupted with emerald flames. "Potter Manor!"

And then she was spinning. So fast, so dizzying, that she thought she might lose her lunch as she tumbled out of the fireplace, about to fall face-first into a stark tile floor. Luckily, before she could break her nose, strong arms caught her and hauled her back to her feet, steadying her as she swayed.

"Easy, Princess," Sirius said. He smirked at her. "Try not to puke, yeah? Minty just had these floors cleaned."

"Who's Minty?" she said, blinking to put the tilting world back in focus.

"The house-elf," James supplied. "A mean one, too; I thought she was going to wring my neck when I accidentally wore mismatching socks the other day."

"Serves you right," Cassie said. "Mismatching socks are a sin."

James held up his hands. "Apologies, Princess. I didn't know you were a part of the fashion police now."

She rolled her eyes. "My mother was the editor of the Wizarding world's most influential fashion and gossip magazine. You think you have it bad from your house-elf? Try growing up in my place."

"Valid." James grinned. "But you're here now, Princess! Let's do something! We can swim, play Quidditch, get drunk—"

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon, James," Cassie said. "Your alcoholism is showing."

"Oh, Cass." James threw his arms around her. "I missed you."

"It's been a month, freak," she said, groaning under his weight. "I can start sending you my used panties if you're that obsessed with me. Though I expect payment."

Peter was staring at Cassie in horror. "Wait. Is that really a thing?"

"Now look what you've done, Cassie," Sirius said, shaking his head. "You're starting to give poor Wormtail ideas."

Peter turned red. "She is not—"

"Anyway," Remus broke in. "James is right. We should do something."

"Agreed," Cassie said. "But first." She held out her arms. "Group hug."

And when the Marauders crashed into her with laughs and tangled limbs, she felt like she was home.

Cassie was roused from her evening doze by a knock coming from her bathroom door. "What?"

She was splayed out on the bed in one of the Potters' many guest bedrooms, freshly clothed and dried after the luxurious shower she'd taken. They'd spent the day swimming in a watering hole on the property, and she was drained and content from an afternoon in the sun.

The door opened and Sirius padded in, barefoot, wet-haired, and clad in a thin T-shirt and pajama pants. Cassie was so tired she could barely muster any drool at the sight of his muscles straining against the fabric of his shirt, but she still eyed him appreciatively as he plopped on the mattress beside her.

"I knew I was sharing a bathroom with somebody, but I didn't know it was you," she said, her voice muffled slightly by the pillow.

Sirius grinned. "You can thank James for playing matchmaker on that one."

She hummed, closing her eyes again. Sirius brushed back the damp strands of her hair, and she nearly purred when his fingers traced along her scalp, sending shivers down her spine. She nudged closer to his hand and he chuckled. "You're like a cat, y'know that?"

She arched her spine, stretching like a feline would. When she lowered herself back to the mattress, Sirius was watching her with dark eyes. "Have you started wearing ridiculously short things just to torture me, Princess?"

Cassie looked down to her pajama bottoms – which were quite short – and bare legs. She raised her brows at Sirius, though her belly squirmed in excitement at the look in his gaze. "It's summer, and it's hot, Sirius. I'm not going to wear trousers because you can't control yourself."

"Oh, I can control myself." He hooked his leg under her stomach and flipped her on to her back. She giggled as he pulled her up into his lap and secured his arms around her, though her laugh turned into a gasp when his lips touched her neck. "I just don't want to."

"Smooth," she joked, though her spine locked when his lips went from grazing the side of her throat to the shell of her ear. "Very smooth, Sirius Black."

"What?" His hands rubbed soothing circles over her arms, and she tilted her head back onto his shoulder, breathing in the fresh clean scent of him – mint and something like pine. "I missed you."

She smiled, keeping her eyes closed as his lips danced across her cheekbone and down her jaw. "I missed you, too."

His arms tightened around her. "Tell me you were okay at your aunt's house."

"I was." She squeezed his hand in reassurance. "Really. It was…nice. For nothing to be happening for once. Almost feeling like I was…normal."

"Good." He nipped her earlobe, and her toes curled.

"What about you?"

She felt his muscles tense and opened her eyes. He was looking down at her, his silver eyes darkened to iron. Her breath hitched at the intensity in his gaze.

"Tomorrow," he said finally, relaxing. "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

She nodded, reaching up and threading her fingers through his wet hair. His lips continued, across her forehead, down the bridge of her nose, as his hands began to roam up her sides, his thumbs circling across her rib cage, brushing the swells of her breasts. She shifted in his arms, heat pooling in her core, and he let out a soft groan.

"Just tell me when," he said, kissing the bare skin of her shoulder, "and I'll stop."

That had always been the agreement between them. The barrier. Despite the few passionate snogs they'd had, Cassie had never let it extend beyond that, and Sirius had never pressured her for anything more. She wasn't scared of him; she knew that. And Godric, she always wanted to push against that barrier, wanted to let him have all of her, but she just…couldn't. Not yet. That was another level that would be added to their relationship, one that needed to be handled delicately in all its complexity, and she couldn't do that right now. Not when she was too busy sorting through every other shitty aspect of her life.

"Okay." Her voice was breathless as she lifted her mouth to his, but he caught it hungrily. She tightened her grip in his hair, and his hands moved to cup her breasts, his tongue darting out to flick her lower lip.

She opened her mouth to him, and he swept in, taking all that she offered. Cassie had almost forgotten how easy it was to get lost in him, how easy it was for him to melt her with his touch and then build her back up again. Godric, she'd missed this. She'd missed him.

They continued like that for a while, until the shadows in her room turned from blue to black, and the stars had come out to shine. Afterwards, they rested in each other's arms, occasionally playing with the other's hair, too tired to move, but too content to sleep just yet.

Sirius kissed the top of her head. "We haven't talked about Will. Do you want to?"

Just hearing her brother's name sent a spike of pain and fury through her chest. She knew she would have to talk about him at some point, but right now, he was the furthest thing from her mind.

So instead she just kissed Sirius's hand and said, "Tomorrow."

Please review! I love hearing your thoughts!

I apologize for the lack of Marauders, but they'll be here for a while to come.

Next Chapter: The Rebel

xx