Star: Hey guys! Here is where the chapters start to split, at least for now. Wolf will do the next chapter and then I'll do one after that. I would like to thank you guys for reading this. It means a lot for you to read our story. If you haven't read NeonDomino's stuff (and there is a ton of stories) then you really should! I read almost all of her stories and have yet to be disappointed by them. I also have some other stories on my other account which you could read if you're interested. I realize those haven't been updated in a while either but I've been busy and my muse left on an extended vacation to Bora Bora without me. I'm assuming the vacation is over since my writer's blocks are all but dissipated now and I'm writing again. Anyway, long note over, enjoy! ^.^

Disclaimer: All that is Harry Potter is but a dream of mine to own. A dream that has yet to come true.

Chapter Two - Sirius

Sirius looked down at his hand and sighed. He missed the dark red of his string. Anytime he cast the spell now, it just made him sad. He had cut the string with good intentions but less than a year later the Black had run away. His parents tried to force him into a marriage with an absolute troll of a witch who only had time for shopping and kicking house-elves. When Sirius had put his foot down things escalated violently. A few hours after that his Uncle Alphard had found him on his doorstep beaten and bruised.

From that moment on Sirius was no longer the heir to the House of Black. He was no longer the disgraced son of Walburga and Orion Black. He had become Alphard's heir and found himself in a loving house for the first time in his life. The best part had been Alphard's acceptance of Sirius' soul mate. The only problem? Sirius no longer had a way to find him. His uncle offered to help him in any way he could to try to find a way to reconnect the string but so far nothing had come up.

Sirius had finished school in the mean time. He had found himself suddenly a target with a lot of his classmates so in an effort to ensure his safety, Alphard brought him home and home schooled him. The only hiccup was his NEWTs. They were Ministry required testing in order to become a full fledged wizard.

"You are not going to Drumstrang to take those tests. They'd likely fail you just to please my sister and her husband." Alphard had been saying that for weeks now. Every time Sirius had brought up his NEWTs the response had been the same. 'Not at Drumstrang.' The Black sighed and cast his patronus, preparing for his NEWTs. The shimmery wolf howled and started to run around the room.

"But I need to take the tests. The Ministry doesn't issue them at the office this late in the year. They won't make an exception for me either. Home-schooled wizards take their tests in February. It's May now. How else am I going to take them if not at Drumstrang?" The wolf barked and nudged at Sirius' string hand.

"You know, sometimes I think your patronus is more of a pet than a guardian."

"Changing the subject again Uncle." The teen let his spell drop and the wolf disappeared. Alphard shook his head with a smile. His nephew was more than ready for his NEWTs...and even more so to have his soul mate.

"Well as it happens I've been in contact with other schools. Like I said Sirius. You will not be taking them at Drumstrang. They are biased and will do whatever your parents ask if it meant funding." This caused Sirius to stop in the middle of transfiguring the vase into an owl. It left the blue vase with a beak and talons. The thing hopped for a moment, hooting, before falling off the table and smashing on the floor.

"You've been talking to other schools?"

"Yes, because you do need the testing done. Just not-"

"Not at Drumstrang, yes. I know. So have you heard back?" Alphard smiled at the hope in Sirius' face. He knew which school his nephew was hoping to hear from.

"It's only for the testing but as it happens, Hogwarts students take their NEWTs next week. If you think you're ready, you can sit in and take your exams with them."

"Really?! I can go to Hogwarts?"

"For the testing. I do expect you to come back home after you're done Sirius Orion Black." The elder Black knew all too well how much Sirius had dreamed of going to Hogwarts, and just how excited this would make his heir.

"Absolutely! Just, let me see the Great Hall first. I have to see that ceiling. Oh, and the Quidditch Pitch. I heard it's bigger than Drumstrang's. And the grounds. Did you know they put a Whomping Willow on the grounds? Can you imagine?"

"Like I said Sirius, you do have to come home."

"Yes, definitely. Merlin, I'm going to go to Hogwarts for my NEWTs." Sirius had a grin that looked like it was going to split his face. Alphard laughed at his nephew's enthusiasm.

"Tuesday. You go on Tuesday."

"But it's Saturday now."

"Yes, I'm aware Sirius."

"I get to go to Hogwarts in three days. This is going to be awesome!" The old man just smiled at the teen and motioned to the broken and mangled vase on the floor.

"Clean that up and fix my poor vase. I don't want one that makes noise. I gave the one I had to your mother on her wedding day ages ago."

"I know. I broke it when I was four." Sirius quickly fixed the blue vase and transfigured it back to it's original state.

"Good. That thing was an insult to vases everywhere."

"It was an insult to everything. Mother was livid and quite swift in her punishment. Alright, I'm off to bed. Love you Uncle."

"Good night Sirius. Don't stay up too late reading again or I will lock all my books on werewolves up so you can't get them." Sirius looked horrified for a moment but knew that Alphard wouldn't really do it. Not when it meant as much to him as it did.

"Understood. I swear, no more than an hour. I'm looking into the mating bond right now. Given the strings and the nature of mating I wasn't sure if black-banded wolves would be free to mate someone else like black-banded people can get together and marry and stuff." Understanding flashed across Alphard's face as he looked at his nephew.

"You're worried your mate will find someone else." Sirius nodded softly.

"He doesn't know I'm alive... hell for all I know he could be dead by now. I don't have the string to tell me anymore." Deep sadness and dismay overtook the gray-eyed teen's face. He missed his string.

"What does your heart say Sirius?" Sirius looked at his string-finger for a moment before looking back up at his uncle.

"Alive. He has to be."

"Then he is. And for the record, wolves only mate once. They won't take someone else. Given the strings, they already know they have a mate. If it goes black then it's like losing their mate. They won't take another. They might date and be with someone else, maybe even marry, but there is only one mate for them. You were it Sirius. Your soul mate, whoever he is, won't mate someone else. You were it for them." The young Black nodded and headed upstairs to his book. There were still more things to research.

Tuesday came slowly for Sirius but finally he was stepping out of the Floo and into the headmaster's office.

"Welcome to Hogwarts, Mr. Black. It is a pleasure meeting you. When Alphard contacted me I replied immediately. You were supposed to come here to begin with so how could I deny a would-have-been-student the right to sit his NEWTs here?" Albus Dumbledore shook Sirius' hand and led him out of his office. The teen's eyes went everywhere, trying to take everything in as he was led through the castle to the testing room. What he hadn't expected was for that room to be the Great Hall.

"Don't mind the ceiling. You'll be able to look at it later. Focus on your NEWTs first Mr. Black. Oh, and good luck." Dumbledore left him with a stern looking woman with a bun.

"Sirius Black?"

"Yes ma'am."

"This way. I'm Professor McGonagall, one of the teachers that will judge your practical magic skills alongside the Ministry officials. Here is your seat, do not start until you are told." With that the woman walked away. There were tons of students around him whispering. He caught a few of them mentioning him. Some mentioned his brother and how they looked alike. Sirius looked around to see what his might-have-been classmates looked like.

Some of the students looked more than ready for the test, like the red-head a few rows back. Others looked ready to vomit, like the tawny-haired teen next to her. He actually looked a bit ill if Sirius were to guess, especially since the dark-haired kid with glasses handed the boy something to drink saying it would make him feel better. The grey-eyed teen didn't get to look at anyone else before Professor McGonagall started to talk again. When she was done the tests started.

Sirius had been among the first to finish and since he was in the front row, was able to move on to his practical tests rather quickly. The Ministry officials were quite impressed with his transfiguration levels, but noticed he was lacking a bit Charms. Still, he passed with flying colors and was fully instated as a wizard. Once they let him go, he began to explore.

The entire day was spent looking at the castle that he wished had been his school. Sadly, it was never to be and as the sun started to set Dumbledore led him back to his office to Floo home.

"I trust you had a good time today Mr. Black."

"Yes sir I did. This place is brilliant. I wish I could've attended."

"As do I. You would have been comfortable here I believe." Sirius couldn't have agreed more with the headmaster. It was an entirely different school than Drumstang was.

"Go on home and get some sleep. I think you earned it after the tests today."

"I wish. I can never sleep on nights like this." The old man gave Sirius a puzzling look.

"On nights like what Mr. Black?"

"Full moons. I can't sleep on full moons."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"My mate. He was-is, he's a werewolf. I can't sleep knowing what's happening to him on nights like tonight."

"Ah, I see. Have you met him yet?" Black curls moved as Sirius shook his head.

"No sir. Don't know how to anymore. I cut my string to protect him from my parents...they were going to kill him."

"When did this happen, if you don't mind my asking."

"About a year ago now."

"I'm sorry Mr. Black."

"I'm working on fixing it, and please sir, it's Sirius." Dumbledore gave him a kindly smile, offering a bowl of candy to him.

"Butterscotch? No? Well if you know your mate was a werewolf then you already have a better chance of finding him than most. After all, how many black-banded male werewolves who never met their mates could there be? Just have some faith Sirius. I wish you the best in all your endeavors and should you ever need my assistance in anything, don't be afraid to ask." Sirius shook the headmaster's hand again as he stepped into the Floo.

"Thank you sir. Good-bye Professor."

"Good-bye Sirius."

After that Sirius started activism work for the betterment of werewolves everywhere. He got a job in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. He joined the Beast Division and worked in the Werewolf Registry. Sirius found himself meeting a lot of werewolves on a day to day basis and found most of them were actually quite kind. They didn't want to be werewolves and thought of it as a curse that made them less of a person.

Sirius disagreed entirely and started to work on getting werewolves the recognition they deserved. They weren't animals to be caged or put down. They were just as human as the next wizard 29 days of the month. They didn't deserve to be treated this way. The teen found himself angry at the thought that his mate was being made to feel this way as well. There was no way he would ever allow his love to feel like he was worthless.

The grey-eyed wizard started small with simply getting the word out there and shining a light on the treatment of werewolves. Then he started to take it further with baby steps; stopping the discrimination of werewolves in the workforce, getting fair trials, having children. So long as precautions were in place for full moons, werewolves were actually some of the most loving parents a child would ever hope to find.

He spent a year working in the Ministry, doing everything to make life better for wolves. He hadn't found his mate yet. Most of the black banded male wolves had already met their mates and those that hadn't weren't into men. Professor Dumbledore had been right, his mate was a one-in-a-million kind of find. There were very few like him.

It was around August of the following year that the insatiable desire to go to Rome hit Sirius. He knew of the research center for werewolves there and that was perhaps the best place for him to go to find a lead on his mate. Alphard had agreed with him, that he should go. So, with his uncle's blessing the young Black had called the institute. He explained why he called and wanted to know if there was a way to come and visit or maybe even help out at the Institute.

As it happened, they needed wizards to help with potions and spells and things that were in progress. The man on the phone asked for Sirius to send in his information and they would look at his application to see if there was a place for him.

The reply was almost immediate. There was a place for him to work at the Institute. Sirius was thrilled. It felt like a huge step forward in his never-ending search to find his soul mate.

"This is fantastic Uncle. I'll be working with werewolves from all over the world and this way I'll be able to search for my mate and possibly get to help werewolves everywhere with my work." Alphard smiled at Sirius, reading his acceptance letter to the Institute.

"That's wonderful Sirius. I know you'll find him, owl me the moment you do." It made everything so much easier knowing that his uncle was behind him all the way. Sirius had no fear for his mate when it came to Alphard. The teen nodded and ran upstairs to start packing.

The days leading up to Sirius leaving were spent reading up on everything there was to know about the Institute and werewolves. During that time, he noticed Alphard starting to cough more and more often. His uncle claimed his was fine when Sirius had questioned him and urged him not to worry about him. Sirius had only under the promise that Alphard would go and see someone about his cough.

The day the young Black was supposed to leave he came downstairs to find his uncle collapsed on the floor in the kitchen, a broken cup of tea nearby. Sirius rushed to Alphard's side and attempted to wake him up. When he didn't, the teen called for help.

Alphard Black had slipped into a coma. The mediwitches of St. Mungos couldn't diagnose what was causing it but that it was causing his body to weaken. Sirius never left his side, fearful of losing the one relative he felt he had left. The days passed slowly and he let the Institute know what was going on. The deep seated need to go to Rome hadn't dulled but the pull to stay with uncle was stronger.

On October 15th Alphard Black died at 3:41am. Sirius cried for a long time, holding his uncle's cooling hand. The days passed by quickly after that. The funeral, which had the normal Black family turn out; the will reading, which his mother left in an extremely furious manner; and then back to the silent house that was now his. Alphard had left everything to Sirius and now the teen didn't know what to do with it. Everywhere he looked he saw his beloved uncle.

Sitting down in the living room, the now 20 year old noticed a letter addressed to him on the coffee table. The letter was in Alphard's hand. With slightly shaky hands, Sirius picked up the letter and opened it.

My dearest nephew,

By now you have probably heard of my death. I am sorry I was unable to meet your soul mate before I went. I know you found him though. Your love for him burns brighter than most people who have met their string ends. The wolf, who ever he may be, is very lucky to have you. I should hope he knows that.

I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was ill. I didn't want you to postpone your trip due to me. I'm an old man and I wasn't about to stop you from living your life. I can only hope you don't hate me for too long for not telling you. It's a sickness I've had since Henry died. He was my soul mate and when he started to die I used an old Black family spell to try to save him.

It had failed and infected me with Death instead. I only had a number of years left to live after that and my time is running short. I do want to tell you that you've made the last year of my life a happy one. It brought me great joy to have you in the house. My wish is that you bring your mate here and live as happily as Henry and I did.

Everything I have is yours Sirius. You made an old man believe that his family wasn't all dark and twisted again. You brought happiness and laughter back in this old house. For that, I'm forever grateful. Good-bye my dear Sirius. Please, know I went peacefully and trust that you'll see me again one day. When that time comes I will happily introduce you to Henry.

Live your life to the fullest Sirius. Be happy, and never stop seeing the good in the world.

I love you very much,

Alphard

Sirius felt tears trail down his cheeks and drop onto the letter, smearing a few words. His uncle knew he had been dying. He didn't say anything so Sirius would leave to Rome. He wanted his nephew to live his life and go find his soul mate. It was both heart warming and heart breaking.

A few weeks later Sirius had packed the house up and made sure it was clean when he left. It would still be there when he returned. He needed to go to Rome. Not only for himself but fulfill his uncle's wish for him. He was going to live his life.

"Hello Mr. Black. Welcome to Instituti Lycanthroporm or the Institute of Werewolves. We're very happy to have you here and our condolences on your uncle's passing. Alphard has been a great benefactor of the Institute for the past few years." Sirius' eyebrows rose in surprise at the woman's words.

"My uncle donated money here?"

"Yes, a rather generous amount. He said that his eyes were opened when someone important to him became entangled in werewolves and he wanted to help. I'm assuming that he was talking about you." The Black smiled softly. His uncle was something else.

"Yes, I suppose he was."

"Again, our condolences. Right this way Mr. Black." The blonde girl started to walk down the hallway.

"Sirius, please. I'd rather be called Sirius."

"Yes, of course. I must say, your work in England has made waves. Several of the wolves here are very eager to work with you. They want to meet the man working so hard to better our lives." She stopped outside a room with two beds in it.

"Here is your room. You would've had a roommate when you first came but he left just yesterday. Although we would've checked to make sure it was ok first. He was a werewolf."

"I wouldn't have minded. If I did I wouldn't be doing what I do." The woman beamed at him brightly.

"Too true. Now, you'll be working mainly with the black-banded werewolves. It's hard for them to transition to life without their mates and seeing as you are in the same boat as them we thought it would be good for you to sit in on their groups and talk to them." Sirius nodded and set his stuff down before laying on the left bed.

"Funny, that was where your roommate slept." Sirius turned to the door, the faint scent of chocolate and parchment hitting his nose. He found it oddly calming.

"Great minds must think alike. Thank you. Oh, I didn't catch your name." The gold-eyed girl turned back to the doorway with a smile.

"Myra. My name's Myra. See you at group tomorrow Sirius." It was only then the Sirius caught sight of the black ring on her finger. His hand automatically went to the black band around his wrist before moving to the deep red ring he'd gotten last Christmas to show that he still had a mate. A mate that he would hopefully find here.

There you have it~
I did want to point out that I know Alphard wrote the letter saying that Sirius found his soul mate. He hadn't intended for Sirius to find him unconscious in the kitchen. He wrote the letter as if Sirius found his soul mate because he fully believed Sirius would find him in Rome. Just in case that wasn't clear in the letter.

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