Greetings from Sin City! Here's Chapter 10 coming to you from Las Vagas!

Chapter 10:

Lily apperated in front of the house that Sirius was hiding out in with a pop, after making sure that everything had apperated with her, she walked up the front steps and entered the house. She found him in the kitchen, cooking something.

"You should be in bed." She ordered, "If you've got pneumonia."

"I feel fine."

One of Lily's eyebrows rose. "Bed." She all but ordered.

"I'm cooking." Sirius tried to convince Lily to let him stay up.

"Sirius Orion Black." Lily's tone got flat. "You have pneumonia, go to bed."

"But..."

"Bed!" Lily's tone allowed no argument.

"But what about the hot cocoa?" Sirius pointed to what he was making on the stove.

"I'll finish it." Lily said, she pointed up the stairs firmly.

"When am I going to be able to meet Harry and Ariadne?" Sirius asked as he started to head up the stairs.

"When you're free and don't have pneumonia." Lily said. "Which reminds me, Moody contacted me about your case, it goes to trial in January."

Sirius sighed heavily. "I've gotta be here for another month and a half?" He asked.

"Looks like it." Lily said, "But Madam Bones is the one who is going to be the judge for your case, and it's the soonest we could get her. She's really fair and she'll give you a fair hearing."

"But I'm not supposed to be at this trial?"

"I think it would look funny if you escaped but you knew when and where your trial would be and you showed up."

"If it's in the prophet I can say I picked one up from a rubbish bin."

"If you go to your trial, you'll probably be given Veriteserum." Lily said. She patted Sirius' shoulder; he stared at her for a moment as Lily spoke. "We'll figure something out Sirius, go up to bed and I'll be up with the hot cocoa soon."

Sirius nodded and went upstairs. Lily got the Potions out that she'd brewed for Sirius. She'd had to get to the black market to get some of the ingredients; she hoped they were good; Sirius needed the medicine she'd brewed.

The hot cocoa was soon finished and she took some up with the medicine for Sirius, after making sure he took it they both started talking.

"Are you dating anyone?"

"No, I don't really have the time." Lily said, "I'm raising Harry and Ariadne and working part time for a potions distributer."

Sirius nodded and they continued to talk. Lily stayed long after the time she'd promised her children she'd be back. Sirius seemed lonely and she'd missed talking with her friend. Finally though, she had to leave. She made sure that Sirius had everything he needed for a while so he wouldn't have to get out of bed and he could rest. After leaving the house, she apperated home. Harry and Ariadne were in the parlour, reading. Severus was there, as well, which surprised Lily, She'd asked her next door neighbor to stay with her children while she'd been out of the house.

"What took so long Mum?" Harry asked, "I thought we were going to Honeydukes."

"I'm sorry Harry," Lily apologized, "I got to talking with Sirius and lost track of time. It's too late to go today, we can go another time." She turned to Sev. "What brought you over? I thought you stayed at Hogwarts on the weekends."

"I managed to get some more of the ingredient you asked for." Severus took a package from his robes and handed it over to Lily.

"What ingredient did you ask for Mum?" Ariadne asked, she looked up from her book.

"Sev, you're a life saver." Lily proclaimed, she turned to her daughter "I needed more Tarantula venom."

Ariadne had started to get up to look at the package, but she stopped, halfway up from the couch. "We better stay away from it then," she said, I was reading the book Uncle Sev got me for my birthday, and it said that it's really dangerous." For a moment Lily thought she saw something close to pride in Severus' eyes. Ariadne was only seven but she had began to take after her mother's love of potions.

"It is dangerous, but it's also vital for the medicine's I'm making for Uncle Sirius." Lily said.

"I must get back to Hogwarts." Severus said, he stood from the chair he had been sitting.

"All right, I'll owl you with our Christmas details."

Severus nodded and left.

"Mum, I know you don't know where Uncle Sirius is, but do you think he'll send Christmas gifts?" Harry asked. Lily had told her children that she didn't know where Sirius was, chances are they wouldn't be questioned abut it in any way about Sirius, but she'd rather lie to them now to keep them safe then to tell the truth and put them in danger.

"Maybe." Lily said, it depends on if he can get to Gringotts to get some money." Lily said. She knew that the Goblins would help Sirius get into his vault. If she'd learned anything from her dealings with the Goblins it was that they'd be more willing to help Sirius, an escaped felon, into his vault, then to help her get her money.

"Can we buy Uncle Sirius Christmas gifts too?"

"I think he'd be happier with homemade gifts." Lily said, Plus, homemade gifts are harder for Aurors to track, She thought.

"What do you think he'd like for us to make him?"

"Once he's free, he'll have to have a house somewhere, we could make him stuff to hang on the walls." Lily suggested.

"I'll write him a book." Ariadne decided, "About a snail and a frog."

"A snail and a frog?" Harry laughed as Lily headed down to her potions lab to put the tarantula venom up. She'd join her children's in arts and crafts once it was safe. As she walked down the stairs to the basement, Lily faintly heard her daughter say "Harry! Look! A shooting star, wish upon it, if we wish hard enough maybe Uncle Sirius will be here for Christmas!"

Weeks past and finally, it was Christmas Eve, the house was bursting with Christmas secrets and both Potter children were still wishing that their long lost Uncle Sirius would be able to visit. They knew it was unlikely, but they, like all children wished for the impossible at Christmas.

"Mum, do you think he's warm?" Ariadne was the one to ask, "It's so cold outside." She was looking out the front window, as if thinking that he'd walk right up the front garden.

"I'm sure he's fine." Lily averted her eyes when Harry looked over at her, she knew her son was beginning to figure things out, she'd been gone more then usual, Harry was smarter then he let on, he knew something was up but he wouldn't say anything unless he had proof, as of yet, he didn't have it.

"Lily!" Dora Tonks' head appeared in the floo.

"Yes?" Lily went over to the floo and knelt.

"When would be a good time for us to come over tomorrow?"

"Can Fantasia spend the night?" Ariadne had turned from the window when she'd heard Dora's voice.

"Not tonight, we've got Christmas traditions," Dora said, "my mum already told me that was the answer if anyone asked."

"Anytime after 9 am would be fine." Lily told the 6th year.

Dora nodded and then she disappeared. Just then there was a bark and a scratch at the door. Harry had been walking by it and he opened the door. A big white dog stood shivering on the front step and Lily raised an eye brow at the dog, had Sirius actually changed into his animagus form and come over?

Mum look, he's cold!" Harry said, he knelt and took the Dogs collar in one hand and led the dog in. He stood shivering in the front hall as Lily continued to look at him. She could see now that it wasn't Sirius, this dog was white and she knew that Padfoot's animagus was black.

"Let's bring him into the kitchen and warm him up." Lily said, "I'll dish out some food for him."

Soon the dog was curled up on the rug in front of the oven, lapping some left over's from a bowl that Lily had set in front of him.

"He doesn't have a tag on his collar." Harry said, "Can we keep him?"

"Let's make sure his owner isn't looking for him first." Lily said, "We'll make some posters and send them around the neighborhood."

"Mum, is this Uncle Sirius?" Harry then asked. "I know his animagus form is a dog."

"Uncle Sirius' animagus form is a black dog." Lily told her children, she put a bowl of water down in front of the dog and scratched his head, the dog looked up gratefully and then started lapping up the water, alternating between the bowl of food and the bowl of water.

"What should we call him?" Ariadne had another question.

"Why don't you two come up with a name and if no one turns up for him that'll be his name." Lily suggested.

It took a while but before bedtime, the dog had a new name: Snow.

Please Review!