The Demon Named Sirius
Anica jumped up in fright when she saw Draco directing his wand at her new beloved dog. Hearing the sound come from his daughter, Sirius was torn from his thoughts and saw a letter in Draco's hand with a wand directed at his face. "What the hell are you doing, Draco?"
"I knew something was off," he smirked, not once taking his eyes off the large and now standing dog. "Ani, get behind me. I knew it. He's too attentive to just be a dog."
"What are you talking about?" grabbing the closed envelope in her hands, Anica gasped and stayed where she was, "Why do I have a letter addressed to Sirius Black? Maybe the owl made a mistake, Draco."
Shaking his head, Draco took another step towards Sirius. "Remember what I told you Ani… about Black? That he's an Animagus, remember how I told you that his animal form is a very large, almost wolf-like black dog."
When the letter hit the floor, Sirius realized that he had been caught. Standing there in his human form he saw the fear in his daughter's eyes and hatred in Draco's eyes. He was glad that Draco was quick to put Anica behind him, but hurt that they both felt the need to have to protect her from him. Staying where he was, he looked down at the letter and noticed that it was in Harry's handwriting. He looked around for the owl, but didn't see one.
"I can explain."
Draco didn't lower his wand, but his glare suddenly softened. "Oi! Ani, you said that your parents just dumped you off at the orphanage when you were one?"
"Yeah," she nodded her head, staring into the surprisingly soft eyes of Sirius Black.
"And you found the dog a week ago?"
"Yeah."
"Potter killed Voldemort two weeks ago," he lowered his wand completely now. "That's why I felt a need to protect you when I first saw you."
Sirius cocked his entire head to the left while Anica did the same. "What?"
Chuckling, Draco shook his head. He kept his wand in his hand, but had it lowered. "I thought you looked familiar that first time I saw you. Remember when you asked me why I was following you that night I protected you from those two brutes, and I said I saw you at the store with Margo and felt a sudden need to protect you and keep you safe?"
"Yeah," her voice was unsure.
He nodded his head in the direction of the very amused Sirius Black. "Your name is Black. You were dumped at the orphanage the night that the Potters were killed and the day before he got sent to Azkaban for his framed killing spree. I thought I recognized you and felt the need to protect you ever since. A week after Voldemort is killed, you come across a very large demon looking dog that protects you from Edward and Margo and even myself. You said he turns away when you change right?" when Anica nodded her head, Draco rolled his eyes, "Well ain't it obvious then?"
"Ain't what obvious?" she raised her eyebrows in confusion, "I'm still just trying to figure out why Sirius Black is standing in my room and pretended to be a dog this past week. I thought he was the good guy?"
"I am the good guy, love," he said, glad to finally use his voice for once and to be able to actually speak to his daughter. "And what Malfoy's trying to say here is that-"
"-we wouldn't be lying if we told my mum we were blood through the Black side after all," Draco grinned.
Looking at Draco as if he lost his mind then back at Sirius who was also very mental, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and gasped. Looking from the mirror to Sirius and back to the mirror, she covered her mouth with her hands. "You're my father."
They all just stood there for a couple minutes allowing it to sink in. Sirius couldn't take his eyes off his daughter who couldn't take her eyes off him either. If she shouted for him to leave he would. It would hurt him, but he would do anything she asked of him. Anica was just trying to let everything reach her mind right now. She tried to make sense of it, but all she could think of was how she now had a father. And he had been protecting her this past week. Draco rubbed his face with both of his hands. He was in a mix between excited and nervous. All these years; eleven years of being best friends and taking each other as blood siblings, and they had been blood cousins. Her father and his mother were first cousins. He just couldn't believe that her father was Sirius Black.
"W-Why did you dump me?" Anica finally asked.
"Only three people knew I had a daughter," he told her. "Remus Lupin, and James and Lily Potter. I didn't associate with anyone other than them. The night that James and Lily were killed, I hid you. I hid you amongst the muggles to protect you. I knew that they would come after you. The next day I was sent to Azkaban."
Reaching his hand out, Draco took Anica's in his and gave it a squeeze. "It makes sense Ani. Think about it. If Voldemort knew that you were the daughter of Sirius Black you would've been killed, and if any of the good guys knew, you would've had it worse off there than you did here, at least until the ending of third year, if you were even still alive then."
"After I left Azkaban I wanted to find you," Sirius continued talking, still not moving. He didn't want to scare her. "But I didn't want to drag you into the war. So I stayed away."
"And now?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. "You came looking for me now because Voldemort's dead?"
"Honestly," he shook his head, "I was just exploring when I found you-" he saw the hurt in her eyes, and quickly held up his hands, "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad that I did see you that night. I don't regret it at all, but I wasn't ready to go out searching for you. I thought you were happy and I didn't want to ruin it. I mean what was I supposed to say to you, 'hey I'm your biological father. I gave you up because an evil dark wizard killed my best friend and his wife and tried to kill their son so I wanted to protect you, but he's dead now. So come and hug Daddy' I didn't want to scare you," he sighed. "Of course I didn't know you already knew all about this world."
"That's why you attacked Draco then?" she asked him. "Because you didn't know I knew about you guys and you thought he was going to kill me?"
He nodded his head, "I was hesitant to not turn and kill him right then, but then I saw how scared you were when you saw the state he was in. And as I listened to you both talking and watched you guys, I saw that he was just as much a victim in this war as anyone else."
"Oh shit!" Draco said, the realization kicking in that Sirius Black now knew some of his secrets.
Realizing what Draco was thinking, Sirius shook his head. "Your secrets are safe with me Draco. I'll be sure that the Order and the Army know that you are in fact on our side though," he smiled warmly at him. "But I won't say anything else."
"Yeah, thanks," Draco nodded his head, suddenly feeling very dizzy.
Anica continued to stand there, taking in everything that she was being told. She wanted to hate him. She tried to hate him. But she couldn't. He gave her up to protect her. Sure, she's been getting abused every day of her life and treated as a slave, but it could've been worse. She could be dead by now. And she did meet Draco through all of this. "Okay," she nodded her head, "Okay then."
"Okay what?" he cocked an eyebrow.
Smiling, she said, "Okay. You're my dad and I'm your daughter. I mean I get why you did what you did. And I'm glad that you did that. You and Draco are both right. I could be dead already if I stayed in that world, and if I wasn't living in the muggle world, I never would've met Draco, and without me to keep him planted he might've went over to the dark side. So thank you. For doing what you did."
"So we're actually cousins then," Draco grinned and elbowed her gently in the ribs. "My mum and Sirius are first cousins."
"Oh right," she also grinned. "And to think all this time, we thought we were just playing pretend."
Grinning widely as he watched them both with sincere smiles on their faces, he said, "So what do we do now then? Would you like me to give you your magic back?"
"Magic?" her and Draco both gasped.
He chuckled. "Yes – magic, you're a half-blood. Your mother was a muggle and well I'm a pureblood. You have magic, but when I gave you up, I did a binding spell so you wouldn't show any of it. If you want though, I can take it off now."
"No," she shook her head, "I don't want to have any magic. I'm fine just being a muggle."
Draco nodded his head in agreement, "I wouldn't trust her with any magic anyway, she would be dangerous."
Feeling a bit more relaxed and comfortable, the three of them all moved over onto the bed and started to laugh a little bit. They continued talking; Draco telling Sirius a couple of embarrassing stories of the daughter he never got the chance to watch grow, and Anica slapping Draco over his head and telling on him for being a prat. This was all new to Sirius. He was used to laughing and joking with the younger members of the Order and with the members of Dumbledore's Army, but this was new to him. Now he was laughing and joking with his daughter and his nephew. A daughter that he hadn't seen since she was only one years old, and a nephew that he always considered a threat and tried to actually kill before. He liked this feeling though. It was nice, like he finally had his own real little family to call his own. Well of course he had Tonks, but now he had Anica and Draco as well. He would have to introduce them all.
"Oh," he said suddenly, jumping up. "The letter."
"Oh right!" both Draco and Anica leaned forward, watching him as he opened it.
Padfoot,
Moony told me that you have a daughter. He said it was meant to be a secret, but we don't feel the need of that. Voldemort is dead now so it's safe to bring her around, if you want to. I'd love to meet her. He told me stories of when we were just babies. It only feels right that I meet her. After all I am like her brother in a sort of way – you being her actual father, and my godfather. I'm glad to hear that you're doing find and you found her. I know you'll murder me for sending this out to you because you're living as a dog with her, but she needs to know the truth. Invite her for dinner once you reconcile.
- Harry
"I want Draco there," Anica said once the letter was read aloud.
"What?" Draco began to choke.
Nodding her head, she looked up at Sirius. "I understand what you did. I'm even willing to call you Dad if that's what you want me to call you, but I'm not giving up Draco. What you've overheard today isn't nearly a quarter of what we've been through together. He's literally saved me from dying millions of times. He is my best friend, my brother, and now apparently my actual blood cousin. I know they don't like him, but I won't go without him."
"I wasn't planning on separating you two," Sirius smiled. "I'll just write to them and tell them what I said I would," he smiled at Draco, "I'll explain how you and Anica knew each other for all those years and how you're really on our side and whatnot, but I won't tell them any of your personal secrets," he turned to his beaming daughter, "Or yours."
Anica looked up at Draco, and he realized she was staring at him for him to answer. "Alright," he grinned. "I'll do this dinner thing with all of them. Just cause I don't trust any of them with Ani though. And don't get me wrong Sirius. You may be her father, but I'll still kill you if I have to. You better not hurt her."
"God Draco," the blushing girl rolled her eyes, "You're so embarrassing."
Laughing at the scene in front of him, Sirius grabbed papers and a pen so that he could write out two letters. He explained to Anica that he saw her owl his first night at her house, when she was in the shower, and that he sent out an owl to Remus Lupin, who is her godfather, and that he suspected her of knowing somebody in the magical world, but that he never imagined it to be Draco Malfoy. He had to admit though. He was very glad that it is him and not someone else. Draco is proving to be very worthy enough of protecting Anica. It looks like he puts her first every time before himself or anyone else. Sirius liked that. And Anica trusted Draco, which was a very good thing.
Moony,
You told! But I thank you. I was still playing the pet role. Come to find out, she knows all about me, not that I'm her father, but of my name and how I was in Azkaban. She knows everything about this world. Come to find out she was being kicked by some older school boys when she was seven and Draco Malfoy came to her rescue. They've been inseparable ever since. He's free from Azkaban and came straight to her, and before I could attack, she was crying over him and healing him up, crying about how she thought he was killed in the war. I listened to them for a good four hours before I got Harry's letter. Draco held his wand out to me, but realized I was her father, and she noticed it as well when she saw how similar we look alike. Tell the others for me will you? He's a good person and he really did fight on our side. I promised I wouldn't give out secrets I heard, but Lucius abused him and Narcissa. He was forced with the Cruciatus Curse to become a Death Eater. I believe him. They're close. They didn't even realize they were family, but they were calling each other blood siblings. We're going to do a dinner. I'm sending Harry those details, so I'll have him meet with you. But yes, I trust Draco. I'm even calling him my nephew now. I pity the boy and my daughter. Both seemed to have it rough. I learned while listening in on them, that there are two sides to every story. Can you believe I actually cried while I listened to his? Lucius is a sick bastard and he deserves life in Azkaban. I'll explain more when I see you. Give my love to Tonks and Teddy.
- Padfoot
Harry,
Thank you for sending that letter. Now my daughter knows me. We'll love to do a dinner. How's three nights from now at Grimmauld Place? Say seven? Of course, this means everyone better be there. I want to show off how beautiful my daughter is. Oh, and Draco Malfoy will be attending as well. I explained it to Moony so talk to him, but I'll explain a little more when I see you. He's a good guy actually. And Anica loves him like a brother. They've known each other since they were just seven and she refuses to give him up. He's here right now actually. Nearly hexed me when he realized the dog he's been petting is Sirius Black, thought I was trying to hurt Anica until he put two and two together. All these years they thought her being a Black was just a coincidence. And while I was listening in on them – don't tell him I told you this part – he had only nice things to say about each of you. And Anica seems to know all about you lot as well. It seems that Draco has been keeping her extremely well informed over the years. He even brought her an owl before his first day at Hogwarts so they could write every day. Give my love to everyone, will you?
- Padfoot
A/N: I know this chapter is short, but the next one will be longer. Promise! And the next chapter is when Charlie finally comes in so yayyy. What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Will everyone think Sirius has lost his mind or will they turn against Anica for having such a relationship with Draco?
