After saying goodbye to all of their friends, Dani took off, striding away very quickly. Sirius wasn't sure where she was going, but after a glance back at Remus for help (which he didn't get), he hesitantly followed her.

Dani started for the barrier with Sirius trailing behind her.

She strode out of the train station, and into the sun, towards a powder blue Mustang convertible. Dani chucked their feather light baggage into the magically expanded trunk. She hadn't so much as looked at Sirius since they got off the train.

"Uh…Darling?" Sirius asked as she hopped over the side of the car, into the driver's seat, and buckled her seat belt.

"Hmm?" Dani asked absentmindedly as she checked her mirrors. She felt so right being back in her baby again.

Sirius hesitated, then opened the passenger side door and got in.

"What are you doing? Where are you parents?" Sirius asked cautiously.

Dani shot him a look that made it very clear that she was vastly superior to his stupidity, then slipped in the key and started the car.

"New York." She said obviously.

"Then…Where are we going?" Sirius asked. He felt so stupid for asking, but he kind of had to.

Dani set Tori into his lap, then pushed a few buttons that were sitting innocently next to the radio.

"Home." She said firmly, then she drove away.

Sirius watched his friend as she drove out of London, and into the country in amazement. She looked as if she'd been driving all her life! He instantly wanted to compete.

About an hour into an unpopulated road, Dani pushed a button, and with a huge crack that was at least as loud as a clap of thunder, they were cruising along a completely different stretch of road.

"Uh…Dani?" Sirius asked fearfully.

"Hmm?" She asked, getting rather tired of driving with a passenger.

"Did we just Apparate?"

Dani nodded and continued driving.

Before long, the area became more and more and more populated. Stoplights appeared, and tiny stores popped up everywhere.

They passed a few signs that Sirius didn't pay enough attention to to read. He was busy calming Tori, who was pacing back and forth on the front seat.

Dani took a few shortcuts, trying to avoid as many people as possible. Even in a Muggle disguise, she didn't want to attract too much attention to her car.

Finally, she pulled into the driveway of a small, rather shabby house that seemed to have Chinese restaurants, and clothing stores everywhere around it.

"We're here!" Dani said excitedly. She took Tori from Sirius' lap, and pulled the keys out of the ignition. She shot a nervous smile at Sirius, then strode up to the house as bravely as she could manage.

Yes, she was still a little anxious. She didn't know how her parents would react to Sirius. Or worse, how he would react to them.

Sirius followed her excitedly. He loved new people!

Dani used her keys again to unlock the door. She pushed it open nervously. Sirius watched on with a little bubble of excitement growing inside of him.

The door was green at first sight, but at second glance, it had blue streaks painted all over it. He immediately liked it. It was just like Dani--amazingly outstanding, but not in an obvious way.

"Mom?" Dani called, confused. "Dad? Is anybody here?"

"Daniel!" a woman's voice called from inside.

Dani cringed. She hadn't been called by her full name in months.

She followed the sound of her mother's voice into the living room. She frowned slightly, reaching for the light switch.

Why was it so dark?

Sirius had an idea.

"Surprise!!!!" was screamed from every direction.

Dani beamed. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. "Hi!!!"

It seemed to Sirius that everybody that she'd ever looked at was present, but in reality, it was only her closer friends. She had quite a lot of those.

A wave of hugs followed, and a good number of questions about Sirius came up.

"Guys?" Dani called. Quiet fell around the crowd like a curtain. She wouldn't ask for their attention during a party unless she had something important to say.

"This is a friend of mine from school…Sirius Black."

A number of girls swooned at the sheepish smile that he sent out into the crowd.

"Girls, be nice." Dani instructed sarcastically.

The notion was indisputably booed.

The crowd subsided hours and hours later, leaving many, many presents behind for Dani, and many, many phone numbers for Sirius.

To be fair, Dani hadn't said that he was hers, but they'd never talked about it, either, so she didn't know if he was.

Dani found her parents as the crowd died down and introduced Sirius formally. He shook her dad's hand, and kissed her mom's cheek as if he'd known them for a long time. They were instantly taken with him. And his British accent was just charming!

Her parents went to sleep, leaving Dani and Sirius alone in a living room full of gifts.

"So…" Dani said quietly to Sirius a few hours into the morning (Think three o'clock). "Want to help me…open presents?" she asked suggestively.

Sirius laughed softly, "Now, now. None of that!"

"Why not?" Dani said with a voice that was the perfect mixture of innocent and alluring. A quiet groan from Sirius, then Dani was being dipped back and kissed deeply.

"Oh, hello, there…" Dani muttered happily against his lips.

Sirius smiled charmingly, and whirled her back up into a standing position, which she took reluctantly.

"Come on, let's go get our stuff out of my car," Dani suggested sleepily.

He smiled, and took her hand, then led the way to her car.

"Did I mention how undeniably hot this car is?" Sirius asked cheerfully.

Dani smiled. "No, but I assumed you thought it was."

She popped the trunk, and Sirius began pulling heavy-looking bags out.

Dani helped him carry the bags up to the house. She took him to the guest bedroom, which was right next door to hers, then climbed onto the bed that was to be his. She sat uncomfortably, thinking about what she was about to bring up.

"So…" she said uncomfortably. "…Are you planning to call any of those girls?"

Sirius' eyes widened, and he nearly dropped his trunk. "No!" He exclaimed. "What about you?"

"What about me?" Dani asked innocently, "We've never really talked about this…"

Sirius took her hand out of her lap, and raised it all the way up to his lips. "I don't want anybody else." he said softly, his breath on the back of her hand making her feel a little light-headed.

Dani blushed slightly. "I don't want anybody but you." she said softly.

Sirius leaned forward slightly for a light kiss.

"There." He said, as if the conversation was over. "We've talked about it."

Dani sighed. "No, we haven't." she corrected. "I don't know what I am to you."

Sirius hesitated. That was enough for Dani. She knew what he was going to say, and she couldn't take the devastation that filled her heart because of it.

She slipped off the bed, and down the hall to her own room. She was on the verge of closing the door behind her when it banged open, with Sirius as the culprit.

"Dani," he said very seriously. "I don't want anybody else, because I don't love anybody else."

The breath caught in her throat. "Really?" she whispered.

He nodded nervously.

"I love you, too…" Dani said softly.

Sirius leaned his head back slightly in relief, then whipped it forward, and kissed her, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. He could easily reach both of his elbows around her. Was that a little bit strange?

"I can't believe I've never told you that…" he muttered against her neck. She felt so right in his arms. How had he not realized?

Dani lifted her head slightly to his shoulder. She softly laid kisses along his neck, and up to his ear, which she could barely reach on her tiptoes. She felt his fingers tighten, and a huge swarm of butterflies swept through her.

Then, he softly kissed her forehead.

"Goodnight," he whispered.

Dani smiled up at him. How was it that he was so perfect?

"Sweet dreams," she whispered back.

One floor up, Dani's father smiled to himself.

His little girl was growing up.

And she was doing a good job.

A/N-Aw. I don't want to toot my own horn, but I'm going to, because I think that chapter is soooo cute!!!

~Dani