Finding Andromeda
Originally written: 11.07.16 – Rewritten: 05.02.17

DISCLAIMER: See chapter one.

Part II

Alert steely grey eyes travelled across the dark ceiling of their bedroom, following the slight cracks that flowed across the shadowed expanse – visible only by the street lights streaming in through the gaps in the curtains.

Sirius exhaled exasperatedly and allowed his eyes to absentmindedly trace along the narrow fissures, constructing nonsensical patterns. He studied the shaded plane for a long while before he sighed silently again and glanced around the room, his eyes landing on the veiled window.

Sirius Black was annoyed, to say the least. He was tired, but unable to fall asleep. He had spent most of the night tossing and turning in his bed, trying (and failing) to get to sleep; he had done everything he could think of to try and get himself to nod off.

He had tried solving mental mathematical (and Arithmancy) problems, but he had just ended up getting frustrated that he couldn't check if his mental answers were correct. He had tried just lying there with his eyes closed, but his tumultuous thoughts had persisted. He had even tried counting imaginary Diricawls but none of it had worked.

In the end, no matter what he tried, he was still unable to fall asleep.

So, Sirius found himself idly tracing the fractures above him hundreds of times, creating non-existent patterns and images as he waited for either sleep or daylight to come.

A soft snort brought Sirius' attention away from his futile thoughts and back to reality. He half-begrudged the figure lying in the bed next to him, sleeping soundly.

Turning his head on the pillow, Sirius observed the lightly snoring sleeping werewolf at his side. He smiled lazily as he felt that warm, comfortable bubble – the one he felt every time he looked at Remus – expand and settle pleasantly in his chest. For a short while, he watched Remus sleep, smiling at how peaceful and unguarded the other wizard looked when asleep.

For a brief moment, as he watched his werewolf dream, he felt at peace too. But then again, Remus had always had the unique ability to make him feel calm and collected – whether he was awake or not.

Despite feeling at peace, Sirius still felt wide awake and restless.

Looking away from Remus, he looked back up at the ceiling and absently traced the patterns on it again as he tried to sort out his jumbled thoughts.

He had been trying for hours to get to sleep, and he couldn't. He couldn't because he had too many thoughts plaguing his mind; he was too busy thinking about their conversation and Andromeda and all of the questions and worries he harboured.

Would they really be able to find her? And, if they did, would she even want to see him? What if she didn't want to associate with anyone from her past? How would she react if they found her? Everything would be different, he knew, if they did manage to find her and meet her. But, then, what if they didn't find her? What if he searched again but it was as pointless as the first time and she was lost to him again?

Sirius exhaled wearily and turned onto his side, facing Remus' sleeping profile.

He didn't know if he could handle searching and failing again. He had already lost his cousin twice; the first time being when she ran away, and the second when he couldn't find her. He didn't want to hope too much, only for it all to be a disappointing waste of time.

Sirius glanced at clock on the wall behind Remus, illuminated by the bright waxing crescent moon and street lights. 2:47(AM), it read. He huffed and glared at the clock. He had been trying to get to sleep since just after 11PM and he was beginning to feel agitated.

Taking one last moment of contemplation, Sirius decided he needed to move and relieve some of the restless energy he felt. He carefully threw the sheets off of himself, stood up and crept to the door, mindful not to wake Remus. Closing the door behind himself gently, he trudged down the hallway of the flat to the kitchen.

He decided he would have a cup of coffee. He had heard that it helped Muggles to stay alert but it had the opposite effect on him. For some reason, coffee didn't make him feel awake, it made him feel relaxed.

He flicked the kitchen light on and moved over to the kettle to make his beverage. Coffee quickly made, he sat down at the small table and stared unseeingly into his cup.

Staring into the dark liquid, Sirius thought back to the last conversation he had had about Andromeda. It had been with Remus and it hadn't been that long ago, if he recalled correctly; three, maybe four months earlier?

Sirius and Remus sat in their flat, eating delicious Muggle pizza and drinking a couple of Butterbeers in their bed at 11:56(PM). They had been out earlier that night having drinks in The Hippogriff's Neck with their mates (James and Lily, Peter and Mary, and Frank and Alice).

That evening, James and Lily had made an announcement; Lily had told the group that they were expecting. Had been for about two months, apparently, and in her speech, she had talked about family and how important it was.

The married couple had then asked Sirius to be Godfather to their child and Sirius had gladly accepted, ecstatic that his best friends were expanding their family. The night had carried on pleasantly, the group drinking and laughing and joking around as if they were in school again.

However, later that night when Sirius and Remus had gotten home, Lily's talk about family and its importance had got him thinking.

He had family, of course – the Potters and the Marauders. But of biological family, he had very little. Well, at least few that he actually cared for. The chat about family had made him think about his own and how little he had.

"Lily's right," he blurted out, lying on the bed with his navy dress shirt unbuttoned and hanging off him haphazardly. "Family is important," he reiterated before he took a bite of his pizza.

Remus hummed his agreement and took a large bite of his own slice. He was sat next to Sirius, legs crossed and wearing only a pair of boxers and an oversized greying T-shirt. He watched Sirius interestedly, seemingly wondering where the Animagus' mind was heading.

"I haven't seen my family in years," he continued as Remus nodded along slowly. "Sometimes, I wonder how they are," he admitted quietly. "Only Regulus, though. And Andromeda. I don't care about the rest of them." He paused and stared at his pizza pensively. "Merlin, I haven't seen Andy in years... I wonder how she is now..." he trailed off thoughtfully.

Remus watched Sirius for a moment, swallowing his bite and debating his words, before he tentatively asked, "How long has it been? Since you've seen her, I mean."

Sirius pondered the question carefully before he answered, "Erm... I was eleven, I think, when she was burnt off the tree, so... Nine years? Nearly ten, maybe?"

Remus nodded slowly. "Do you want to see her again?" he asked gently.

Sirius shifted on the bed and sat up to face Remus.

"Yeah," he whispered faintly, the alcohol he had consumed that evening making him more open. The word was spoken so softly that Sirius was unsure whether he had even said it, or if Remus had heard him. "But," he continued with a shrug, "C'est la vie, as they say."

He chuckled mirthlessly before he took another slice of pizza and folded it over to make a pizza sandwich.

Remus stared at him thoughtfully before he shifted to sit next to Sirius, both of them leaning back against the headboard. He manoeuvred himself so that his arm rested around Sirius' shoulders, and he pulled Sirius into his side. Sirius allowed himself to be guided and he leaned into Remus' embrace dutifully, his head resting back on Remus' shoulder.

"You've got us, you know?" Remus murmured into his hair. "You've got me. And James and Lily. And Pete. We're your family. And you're ours." He paused and Sirius looked him in the eye. "I know it's not the same. But you do have a family. You're my family."

Sirius gazed at him and nodded, smiling gratefully before they simultaneously took a bite. "Yeah," he agreed, snuggling into Remus' side a bit more. "You're mine, too."

Sirius took a sip of his coffee and thought about that conversation.

He wondered how long it had been on Remus' mind for the werewolf to bring up the topic now so out of the blue. Remus must have thought about it a lot, he reckoned. But, then again, Sirius knew that Remus was always thinking. His brain was always working, always analysing and contemplating and reflecting. It often took him a while to fall asleep on a night, hence Sirius' reluctance to be loud and wake him up.

Taking one last gulp, Sirius finished his cup of coffee and moved over to the sink, deciding to wash the mug manually instead of using magic. Normally he would use magic – washing by hand was something Remus and Lily did – but, at that moment, he felt cleaning the Muggle way was needed.

Remus always claimed that washing dishes was 'therapeutic'. Sirius, however, never found it helpful; he just found it annoying, with the water and the drying. Still, despite this, he decided to do it the Muggle way.

He didn't have his wand, anyway.

He washed the cup, dried it and placed it back in the cupboard. Finished with that, Sirius flicked the light off in the kitchen and tiptoed down the hallway to the bedroom in the dark.

Silently, he entered the bedroom and gently shut the door behind himself before he stealthily made his way to the bed. On the way, however, he swore under his breath as he nearly tripped over some discarded clothing on the floor. Luckily, he managed to catch himself from falling on the wall.

Straightening up, he climbed into his side of the bed and quietly pulled the covers back over himself. He lay as still as he could in the bed for a moment, trying to conclude whether or not he had woken Remus up, before he shuffled and tried to make himself comfortable. Once suitably comfy, he lay still and hoped for sleep to claim him.

"You okay?" Remus mumbled tiredly, making the Animagus jump a little.

Sirius inwardly cursed; he had thought (hoped) he had managed to make no noise. He hadn't wanted to wake Remus up.

Remus rolled over onto his side to face Sirius, and Sirius turned his head to look back. As he looked at the moonlit face of his partner, he noticed the concerned glint in those familiar hazel-amber eyes.

He swallowed and nodded. "Yeah," he croaked before he cleared his throat, slightly embarrassed by the break in his voice. "Yes, I'm fine."

The werewolf studied him for a moment, his face unreadable, before he smiled supportively (knowingly and understandingly) and shuffled closer to Sirius in the bed. He flung his arm over Sirius' waist possessively and rested his head on the Animagus' shoulder.

Sirius shifted as well and tilted his head so it rested atop Remus' slightly. His hand moved up to hold onto Remus' arm, securing their hold on each other, and they lay like that in silence.

Sirius began to feel sleep overtake him and he realised that Remus' calming effects (and the hot beverage) were working. He could feel himself growing tired. As he lay there, Remus' heat warming him up and their mixed scent surrounding him, he also realised that no words were needed; Remus already knew, evident by the protective hold the man had on him.

Soon enough, Sirius' worries trickled away into the recesses of his mind and allowed him to fall into a deep dreamless sleep.

Sirius stared up at the massive building hesitantly.

It felt different, that morning, to be stood outside of the Ministry of Magic. He had been in the establishment multiple times before – he worked there, for Merlin's sake; he was there five days a week! – but looking at it as he was, it just felt... different. The building looked taller, more intimidating.

Though, Sirius supposed, the MoM never did look comforting or solicitous in the past. Why should it now?

The people in there were all Ministry workers, and Sirius didn't know for sure if they would help him. Yes, he had friends in there, but it wasn't the Auror squad that he needed help from. He needed people who worked in the other sectors of the institution, and he couldn't help but wonder why they would help him.

Although Sirius was friendly with those outside of the Auror precinct, he wasn't exactly friends with them. A lot of people who worked in the Ministry still saw him as a Black, no matter how hard he tried to change their perception of him. It didn't matter that he had been disowned or that he was as far from a Black as possible these days; he was still a Black in their eyes, and that made some friendships hard to obtain.

"It's going to be fine," a soft but firm voice sounded from his right. Sirius reluctantly looked over to find Remus' calm face and demeanour. "I promise," Remus smiled honestly.

Sirius nodded, feeling a bit calmer as he looked back at the tall structure.

It was as if Remus always knew what he was thinking. Most of the time, he was glad that Remus could read him like a book but sometimes he begrudged it because he often thought he couldn't read Remus at all.

Remus was an enigma – not just to him but to everyone else as well, he knew. That didn't make it any easier, though. He had spent the last ten years getting to know Remus – two of those in Remus' bed – and he had thought that, by now, he would have had Remus all figured out. But he didn't. Remus was still a mystery to him; always calm and collected, rarely ruffled by anything.

Sirius had only seen Remus angry or affected a handful of times but even with those insights that he knew no one else saw, the werewolf was still a conundrum to him.

Sometimes, he envied Remus' placid nature, but quite often he didn't. Because, with Remus' lack of show in emotion, Sirius knew that the werewolf often had trouble communicating his feelings; Remus, despite being an articulate man, found it hard to express himself.

Sirius, however, had no qualms with expressing himself. In contrast with Remus, he found it easier to talk openly about himself and his feelings. His problem was that he couldn't hide how he felt. He seemed to feel everything more than others; his emotions were pure and deep, and it was hard for him to suppress them sometimes.

"Sirius?"

Sirius snapped out of his reverie and looked at Remus. He realised, by the look on the werewolf's face, that his attention had been called for a few times already.

"Yeah?"

"Okay?" Remus asked, tentatively slipping his hand into Sirius' and squeezing it lightly.

Grey eyes flicked down to their joined hands briefly before they returned to Remus' face. Sirius swallowed thickly before he nodded as confidently as he could and forced a tight smile. Remus smiled back supportively, earning himself a less tense smile from the Animagus, and gave Sirius' hand another quick, consoling squeeze before he let go and walked up the steps towards the large front doors.

Sirius gave the building one last cursory glance before he followed behind Remus at a more sedate pace. Remus waited by the large doors until Sirius was at his side again before he reached and held one of the doors open for Sirius.

Sirius hesitated for a split-second before he nodded thankfully at his partner and walked into the building slowly, Remus following after.

As he stepped into the building, he noticed that there was a definite ambience of difference to the place. He had stepped through those doors a plenitude of times but, for some reason unbeknownst to Sirius, that day felt momentous.

It was technically his day off and he didn't usually go into the Ministry on his days off, opting to spend his free time anywhere else. He only went in if he was on-call and called in or if Remus needed to sort something out. Occasionally, if he and James had a particularly difficult case, they would go in to work on it.

Sometimes, when Remus had to work and Sirius was off, he would take food in and they would eat together. But, he realised as he looked around the busy reception hall, it felt different even from those days because neither of them were there to work; they were there to find someone.

That day, Sirius realised with a heavy feeling in his chest, he might be about to reconnect with his favourite ex-Black.

For a moment, he just stood there, glancing absentmindedly around the large room. He started when he felt a hand rest on his back, and he turned to find Remus smiling at him placidly.

"It's going to be okay, Padfoot," Remus said, turning Sirius' body to face him. Sirius allowed himself to be guided and Remus placed his hands on Sirius' shoulders. "Okay? We'll find something," he said, softly confident.

Sirius nodded and Remus studied him for a moment before he slowly trailed his hands down Sirius' arms to clutch the Animagus' hands. He gave Sirius' hands a quick squeeze before he nodded, turned and headed in the opposite direction in which Sirius was to go.

Sirius watched his significant other disappear into the crowd before he turned and headed toward the staircase, electing to get some exercise and release some of his pent up restless energy.

While Remus was off meeting with someone in the Archives section of the Ministry (how Remus knew them, Sirius didn't know, but he didn't ask; he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know), Sirius decided he would go up to the Auror offices and see some of his fellow workmates.

Since he and James (and a few others) were off this weekend, he knew that Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody would be in – the paranoid Scotsman worked every day, 24/7 – along with Kingsley Shacklebolt, Marlene McKinnon, Frank Longbottom and Hestia Jones.

Sirius stepped out onto the Auror floor and walked along the corridor to the offices. Walking into the office, he noticed McKinnon flirting with an oblivious Shacklebolt at their joint desk. He decided not to bother them and instead looked over to the desk at the top end of the room. There, he found Moody sat alone at his solitary but large desk, feet up on it, looking extremely bored, and definitely not doing any work. Sirius smirked as he walked over.

As soon as the superior Auror spotted Sirius, he dropped his feet onto the floor roughly and looked Sirius up and down before he gestured for the other wizard to take a seat. Sirius nodded curtly and took the proffered seat.

"Why're you here?" Moody asked bluntly as he leaned back in his chair and regarded Sirius.

"Well, hello to you, too," Sirius replied satirically. Moody just stared at him. Sirius shrugged and replied, "I'm here for personal reasons. Came in to ask for a favour."

Moody eyed him suspiciously before asking, "What do you want?"

Sirius leaned forward in his chair, elbows resting on his knees, and inhaled subtly. "I want to find someone," he answered. "Someone I haven't seen for a very long time."

Moody hummed noncommittally and glanced around the office. His eye(s) landed on Sirius again. "Who is it you're looking for, then, Black?" he asked, sounding genuinely half-curious.

Sirius sat back in the chair. "Andromeda. My cousin. She was... kicked out of the Black family when I was young," he explained.

Moody nodded understandingly. He may have been a very stoic and seemingly unfeeling man but Sirius knew he was secretly – very, very deep down – caring. Moody knew that Sirius didn't have much biological family he cared for.

"Best to go to the Archive for that, Black," he suggested.

Sirius nodded. "Yeah, I know," he grinned crookedly. "Remus is there now."

Moody nodded his acknowledgement. "Lupin's here?" he questioned.

Sirius nodded.

Moody knew about Sirius and Remus' personal relationship – all of their friends, and most of their colleagues did – and he seemed fine with it. He was fairly open-minded for a Pureblood Wizard.

While being gay in the Wizarding world was fairly accepted, many Pureblood families looked down on it because, to them, it was a way of stopping Pureblood families, bloodlines and names from being carried on.

The Scotsman frowned and looked at him. "So, why are you here?"

Sirius' brow furrowed before he realised what his boss meant. "Oh, erm, I just thought I'd pop in and see you," he reasoned lamely. It was half-true; he also didn't know anyone in Filing and Archives, and he reckoned he would be a bit useless down there.

Moody raised a sceptical eyebrow but just shrugged his brow and replied with a mumbled, "Okay." For a moment, they were silent before an almost-nefarious smile emerged on the Scotsman's lips. "Want to help me do some paperwork?"

Sirius glanced at the stack of paper and considered it. He reckoned that Remus might be a while, and he was quite bored. Plus, he had nothing else to do and he was, if he wasn't being too modest, absolutely brilliant at paperwork.

Sighing mock-dramatically, he took a section of the papers and began working on them. Moody took his own section and his face stretched into what Sirius supposed was meant to be a smug grin, but instead made the older man look constipated.

The smugness, Sirius reckoned, was because him helping meant that Moody would have less work to do and therefore would probably be able to leave work a bit earlier.

Sirius was okay with it, though – doing some of Moody's work – because it was Saturday, and that night, some Aurors (and their partners/friends) had decided to go out for a drink – Sirius and Remus included.

Peter would be showing off his new Healer girlfriend, since Mary had called off their relationship once again. And James and Lily would be there, too. But, as Lily was pregnant, she wouldn't be drinking. She had also banned James from drinking; a solidarity thing, James had reiterated mournfully.

Sirius did the paperwork expertly, paying little attention to the world around him, and waited for Remus' return.

Sirius leaned back in his chair and extended his arms above his head, stretching languidly.

He had been hunched over Moody's paperwork for nearly an hour and they were almost done. He and Moody had talked at odd intervals but most of their attention had stayed on the paperwork, both trying to get it finished as soon as possible. Sirius only had five sheets left to check over while Moody had a few more.

Moody sat back in his chair as well with his usual frown, and huffed. Sirius knew how he felt. Paperwork, especially for an action-filled career like theirs, was always tedious and he didn't like doing it too much. But it had to be done to ensure the right people stayed locked up and the public stayed safe. That was why Sirius always did his paperwork straight away and efficiently; something that he, admittedly, learned from Remus.

Remus was always telling him to do his paperwork as soon as possible and Sirius had learned his lesson the hard way when one weekend, he hadn't listened to Remus and he had had to stay in the Ministry for the entire weekend to complete all of his paperwork. That weekend he had missed out on Bonfire Night and spending time with Remus, but Remus' lesson had finally sunk in.

Ever since then, Sirius had made sure to do his paperwork immediately as to avoid a repeat situation. Moody, however, didn't have a Remus to teach him things and he didn't do his work until the last minute. And that was why he was stuck there on a Saturday when he could have been at home doing...whatever it was that relaxed him. Well, that and it was his workday.

Deciding they needed a break, Moody and Sirius stood up and went into the small Auror kitchen area to get a beverage. When they walked back, mere minutes later, they found Remus sitting casually where Sirius had been sitting minutes before, sifting through the papers on Moody's desk.

Moody sat down in his chair, sipping at his steaming cup of coffee, and watched Sirius and Remus. Sirius stayed standing, staring at Remus expectantly. He didn't know what he was expecting. Maybe for Remus to say that they couldn't find her; maybe for him to say that they had found her but she had changed her name and clearly didn't want to be found?

After a moment, Remus looked up and smiled, placing the papers back on the desk.

"I've asked," he began calmly. "They're going to look for her file as soon as possible but it might take a little while. They're busy with the Talkalot/Pearson case, trying to dig up dirt for the courts. They said they'd contact me when they find it," he finished stolidly, emphasising the 'when' and making Sirius feel hopeful.

Sirius grinned shakily and nodded. "Thanks," he said as he pulled up a chair from the opposite desk and put the cup of tea down. He sat down next to Remus and pulled the paperwork towards him. "We'll go after I've done this," he offered, looking down at the paper.

He was oddly glad of the work; it was a welcome distraction from his whirling thoughts and it managed to quench his anxiety, giving him something to focus on. Remus nodded and leaned back in his chair while Sirius started on finishing the paperwork. He nudged the cup of tea towards Remus who took it and took a sip.

"Hello, Moody," Remus greeted, putting the mug down.

Moody nodded curtly. "Lupin," he returned in his gruff voice before he smiled minutely. The Scotsman rarely smiled but Remus had that effect on people. "You going to be there tonight?" he asked as he returned to his paperwork.

Remus nodded. "Yes," he answered verbally. "James and Lily are going to be there, too. As will Pete and his new girlfriend."

Moody grunted.

From the corner of his eye, Sirius could see Remus fidgeting – foot gently tapping up and down and hazel-amber eyes searching around the room interestedly. Sirius took a sip of the tea before he handed it back to Remus along with a couple of sheets. Remus smiled at him and took both the paperwork and tea, his eyes immediately scanning the scrawl.

By the time Sirius had finished, Remus had already checked his section twice over and finished the tea. Sirius was, not for the first time, in awe of his partner's endurance and quick-working. Moody still had a couple of pages left.

Sirius shuffled his pile neatly, planted them on top of the overwhelming stack and stood up. Remus, however, stayed seated and watched Moody. Sirius watched the rough man as well, clearly understanding that Remus thought they should wait for him to finish his section. After a few moments, Moody looked up, sensing the two pairs of eyes on him.

"You can go," he Scotsman said, also understanding that Remus thought it would be rude to just leave. "I've got other stuff to do before I leave."

"Sure?" Remus checked; Moody nodded, smiling. Remus nodded back, stood up and pushed his chair under the desk. "Alright, see you tonight," he said politely while Sirius returned his chair to the other desk.

Moody grunted in response and Remus chuckled as he and Sirius walked out of the office and eventually out of the building. Sirius felt more at ease once he was out of the building, and he turned to Remus as they stood on the bottom step.

"Food?" he suggested.

"Yes," Remus replied emphatically, looking at Sirius. "We're going to find her," he said, inspirited.

Sirius smiled and nodded, feeling cautiously optimistic that they would. He was anxious that they wouldn't, and nervous that they would, but he felt he was ready for the outcome. Whatever it was.

Sirius watched in a strange trance as the cream paint covered the wall smoothly, the paintbrush in his hand stroking across the flat surface easily and spreading the viscous liquid evenly.

It was oddly satisfying, he thought; therapeutic in a way – the way the paint spread blissfully across the wall, coating it beautifully. He understood, now, Lily's want for the room to be painted the Muggle way.

Sirius had been working nonstop all day. He had started work early, just before 8AM as to start their new case immediately, and had finished just after his shift ended, finishing that day's paperwork.

He had planned to go straight home after work and have dinner with Remus, maybe have some fun and watch some TV. But then, just before their shift ended, James had asked (actually, he had begged but the stag Animagus would never admit to that) for Sirius to help paint the nursery and Sirius, being the good friend he was, had said yes.

He had Flooed Remus to explain that he would be home late, to which Remus had replied that he would be too, and Sirius and James had gone to the Potter home to paint the nursery.

Lily had made them some sandwiches to eat while they painted, and they were on their second coating – the first having been dried via magic. The actual painting, however, was done by hand.

Lily had practically forced them to paint it the Muggle way, saying that it would be 'fun' and 'better for the baby'. Neither Pureblood had quite believed her reasoning but they hadn't argued with her. The redhead was deadly enough when she wasn't pregnant; the hormones had only served to increase her psycho-ness.

Sirius had chosen that evening to tell James about his and Remus' quest to find his cousin, blurting it out in the middle of a perfect brushstroke.

Before, he hadn't had time to; they had been out drinking with everyone or too busy with their new case. Sirius knew he had to tell James – Potter was his best mate and practical-brother, after all – but he couldn't find the right time. Until that night, that is.

James stood up and pushed his glasses up his nose with the heel of his hand, not wanting to sully them. He looked at Sirius with a curious frown, his mouth open in the way that it had when they were in school and he was trying to figure something out.

"You're going to do what?" he questioned.

Sirius looked at him and grinned when he saw the dry paint flecked in James' dark hair from their previous paint fight. Sirius didn't know who had started it – himself most likely – but the room, along with themselves, had gotten messy. They had cleaned it up before Lily saw but she had quickly figured it out, them being covered her biggest clue. Luckily for them, she seemed to be in quite a jovial mood and didn't seem to care too much.

"I'm looking for Andy again," he repeated. "Moony reckons we can find her."

James nodded slowly and started swooshing his paintbrush across the opposite wall with abandon. "That's... good, right?" he asked.

Sirius watched him paint without precision for a moment before he answered, "Yes. Why?"

James shrugged. "You just sound a bit... I don't know..." He paused and studied Sirius. "Odd. Apprehensive, maybe?"

Sirius shrugged and returned to painting. "I am a bit, I suppose. I mean, there is a chance it could go like it did the last time. There are no guarantees we'll find her. But Moony is optimistic and if there's any time to look for her, it's now."

James moved to stand beside him. "Have you found anything yet?"

Sirius shook his head. "No."

"When did you start looking?"

"A few days ago? We only started talking about it about a week ago."

James moved to stand in front of him, blocking the wall. Sirius stepped back, feeling a little too close to his brother in all but blood.

"Why am I only just finding out now?" James asked incredulously.

Sirius shrugged.

"There was no time," he explained. "We had people around us all of the time, or work, or the baby scan. I just couldn't find a good time to mention it. Plus, it would have been pointless if nothing happened. But I would have told you regardless," he assured. "When I found the right time. Now's as good a time as any, right?"

James stared at him for a long moment before he smiled and nodded.

"Yeah, I suppose there was a lot going on," he agreed before he clapped Sirius on the arm. "I'm glad you told me." He turned around and both he and Sirius began painting the same wall. "So... What's been happening, then? Tell me everything."

Sirius nodded and paused, wondering where to start.

"Okay... Well, we – me and Moony, that is – talked about it about a week ago, and it stayed on my mind. So, last weekend, the day when we met Pete's new girlfriend?"

James thought back and nodded.

"Well, we were both off, so Moony suggested that we go to the Ministry. You know, to see if there was any information. Since then, we've just been waiting for a word from Remus' mates down in the Research and Archives departments. They're busy with some big case, so we haven't really heard anything from them yet."

James hummed and nodded slowly. "Right," he murmured. He flung an arm around Sirius' shoulders and pulled him into a sideways hug. "Well, I hope you find her, mate. I know you've wanted to for a while. Keep me updated, yeah?"

Sirius nodded and brushed over the wall smoothly. "Yeah," he promised. "Will do."

"Hey," James chirped, obviously attempting to lighten the mood. "You'll never guess who I saw today..."

Sirius listened and painted the wall, feeling like a weight had been lifted from his chest.