Chapter 10

A Long Lost Road

A Harry Potter fanfic

Disclaimer: I now have to admit to the fact that I don't technically own Calli's last name. Damn. It.

Dedicated to Aerus Bookworm aka Justine who also believes she deserves some credit. (though I must admit she does)

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My pocket had felt unusually empty ever since, I had slid my special luck charm into Harry's hand when I had left Headquarters last night. My charm was a slip of paper with my mother's writing on it. Always have hope, because others do. She always said that when I was worried or scared. When I explained it to Harry I was happy to see that his eyes brighten slightly. When I walked into the Auror department of the Ministry the following morning, he was once again the main topic of discussion. I saw Tonks' bright pink hair in a corner whispering with Kingsley, so I meandered over there trying not to look suspicious. Some of my co-workers could get really suspicious, really easily.

"Hey. What's up?" I asked quietly bending over top of the desk that they were currently sharing. Tonks looked up and jerked her head just behind my head. I pretended to stretch behind me so I could look. The only thing I could see, and needed to, was a fluffy pink bow on top of a short little woman's head. How I had missed her before was way beyond me. I turned back and raised my eyebrows.

"Ah." I said. Kingsley pursed his lips and nodded.

"Yep." Tonks replied.

"She's sitting in on Harry's trial?" I guessed. Not that I really needed to.

"Good guess." Kingsley said.

"That's not gonna be good." I stated plainly.

"You know it." Tonks said, sitting up and nodding to Kingsley.

"Sirius has been left alone for too long, go do something." She said as the fluffy pink one started walking towards us. Kingsley nodded and walked off quickly, leaving us in his dust and both wishing we could go with him. Then seconds after he left the tell-tale cough was uttered from directly behind my head. I plastered a smile on my face quickly before I spun around to look at her.

"Ma'am." I nodded and she smiled back.

"Hello." She half cackled- half sang. It was like someone combined a frog with a canary and dyed it pink. My face twisted in disgust for a few milliseconds. Not pleasant, in anyway shape or form.

"Was there something you needed?" I managed to say without spewing my guts all over her pink shoes. She kept smiling as she handed me a file folder and then handed one to Tonks. How she could keep smiling like that was beyond me. It was like some kind of serial killer granny Barbie. I skimmed through it quickly. It was Mad-eyes file.

"I wanted to know if you could tell me anything about these two men. Just make some notes about them after you ask around and then just owl them to me when you think they are substantial enough." she explained then spun on her heel and walked away. I turned to Tonks, she also looked as if she was going to puke if she caught sight of anything else that was fluffy and pink.

"I have a feeling were going to be chained to our desks until after Harry's trial." I pointed out. She nodded.

"Me too." She agreed.

"Why would she give me Mad-eye's file instead of you?" I wondered aloud. Tonks rolled her eyes at me.

"For the same reason she gave me the guy who mentored you's file." She answered sarcastically.

"Okay, don't take your anger against Mrs. Fluffy Bunches out on me." I raised my hands up in surrender so that she wouldn't launch a fist at my face. She had in the past when I had made a stupid comment. She raised her eyebrows while smirking at me.

"Mrs. Fluffy Bunches? You have been spending way too much time around Padfoot." She announced. I glared at her.

"Shut up." I retorted burying my face into the file and magicking myself some coffee, while she laughed at me. I had a feeling this file was going to be some hard reading and a really long day.

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I groaned after twenty pages of the very excruciatingly hard readingof Mad-eye's file. If I was already dying this far into the file imagine how much worse it could get. I had read novels less thick than this file. I looked up at Tonks while stretching, she had fallen asleep. I sighed and looked at my watch, I couldn't even begin to hope of going home soon. Not that I would be going home anyways. I had promised Sirius that I would go to Grimmauld after work so I could get his mind off of things concerning Harry. It was kind of pathetic in a way, the fact that for the past month and a half I've spent more time at Grimmauld than I spent at my own home. Tonks muttered something in her sleep that I couldn't make out until she shifted in her chair and repeated the word.

"Remus" She sighed as her head lolled to one side. I raised my eyebrows and tried desperately not to laugh hysterically at her. I made sure that I would tell her later and now she couldn't say that she didn't dream about him. It would be my undying amusement for at least the next year or two. I glanced at my watch again.

"Sweet Jesus. How long can this day possibly take?" I asked myself out loud. Two desks away an Auror named Dawlish looked up at me. Then without me realizing what he was doing stood up and walked over towards us. He seemed nervous and was strangely fluttering about.

"What's the matter with you?" I questioned teasingly, nodding at his tight fists to make him aware of the fact that his hands were shaking slightly. He sent me a small sheepish smile.

"I was wondering if I could ask you something." He answered and I nodded.

"Sure." I responded smiling in an attempt to encourage him to ask me what he wanted to.

"Would you be willing to go to a dinner or a lunch with me?" He asked and I raised my eyebrows, I wanted to be sure on the terms before I agreed to anything.

"Like on a date?" I wondered cautiously. He bit his lip.

"Um... yeah that was the idea." He answered. I felt a wave of horror wash through me and I hoped it didn't show on my face. If it did Dawlish didn't show it. I took a deep breath before responding as calmly as I could without running full blast for the door.

"I'm really sorry but there's someone else. And I care for them a lot." I left my explanation hanging there in the hope I wouldn't have to make something up on the fly for a lie about Sirius. I chomped down on my bottom lip hard when I saw his shoulders sag a little bit in disappointment.

"Do I know this guy?" There went what little hope I had that that question wasn't going to arise. I sighed slightly.

"No he lives in Canada." I offered hopefully. I decided that Sirius looked slightly Canadian, not that I had ever met a Canadian. Dawlish nodded sadly and meandered off back to his desk. I turned back and let loose a breath I had been holding in. I looked at Tonks who was still sleeping and sighed again and set up a super sensory charm in case of the return of Fluffy Bunches or anyone else, then almost literally launched myself into Mad-eye's file. I would take his super hard reading over being asked out again any day.

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I was still engrossed in my reading when the super sensory charm I had casted went off three hours later. I, in my scramble to sit upright, scattered papers all over the table, mixed up the papers to make them go back into their file folders, smacked Tonks across the face to wake her up, uncast my charm so that whoever was coming wouldn't hear it and probably changed my hair colour twenty-five times in the process. When I glanced up to see who it was I was met face to face with Arthur Weasely, who was somehow managing to look concerned and smug at the same time. I gathered that all the Weasleys had that talent because I had seen Charlie do it successfully and had seen the twins manage it as well. I glared at the man while Tonks was letting loose a long and very wide string of profanities under her breath and glaring at me.

"Was there something you needed Arthur?" I asked trying to seem civil. He just laughed and dropped a piece of paper onto my file folder.

"Just a bit of information concerning your research." He answered then walked off. I rolled my eyes and turned to Tonks who was still trying to glare a hole into the side of my head. I smiled innocently at her and tossed her the paper so that she could have the honour of reading it. She softened her glare only slightly as she bent her head slightly to read it, then crumpled it up into a ball and chucked it at me. It was a simple message, but it was enough to make me smile in joy and sigh in relief. Harry was cleared of all charges and was going to Hogwarts as soon as term started. I looked up at Tonks again and she had the same look on her face as I did.

"Thank goodness." I sighed happily. Tonks giggled.

"Padfoot is going to be very pleased." Tonks stated and pointed at my watch. I jumped out of my chair happily after I looked at it. I could finally go home. Tonks looked at me sadly, she had to work for an extra two hours.

"You slept almost the whole day now you can actually do something." I pointed out slightly teasingly. She had a good reason to be exhausted, we had both worked late yesterday and then Tonks had a guard shift for the Order all through the night. She nodded and waved her hands at me.

"Why are you still here? Go!" She demanded and tossed my new reading material at me and pointed her finger at the door. I laughed as I walked out and apparated to Grimmauld almost instantly.

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Since I had apparated so fast and while I was still walking, I stumbled when I landed on the front step of Grimmauld. I ripped open the door and raced inside. I had to use some very fancy footwork so as not to collide into anyone as I went running for the living room which Sirius and the Weasely children were making livable again. I ripped open the door to that as well and tossed my arms around the only black haired man in the room. Sirius was obviously not expecting it because he stumbled backwards slightly while he wrapped his arms around my back to steady us. I pulled away and he raised his eyebrows at me. I only smiled as I gave my good news.

"Harry's been cleared!" I cried, my face feeling like it was about to burst because I was smiling so large. Sirius face mirrored mine and scooped me back up and spun me around wildly. I shrieked with happiness as he did so going faster and faster. When we stopped I was laughing so hard I couldn't inhale properly. Molly was holding her hand to her mouth as if she was trying not to shout for joy like I had just been doing. I saw Ron and Hermione hug but then separated and looked awkward.

"When did you find out?" Sirius demanded still smiling like a mad man.

"Arthur told me just before I left work." I said. All the Weasleys who were standing in the room were nodding happily and I noticed the twins sneaking out of the room whispering to each other. That was not going to end well.

"No more chores for today I think we all deserve a break." Molly announced and ushered every one out the door and shut it behind her. Sirius pulled me into another hug. I giggled and pushed away from him.

"Someone's exceptionally giddy." I pointed out, still laughing slightly. He gave me a goofy grin.

"I am." He replied. Then I had a thought.

"Promise me something." I said looking at him. He sobered quickly.

"Anything." He stated.

"Don't mope around because Harry doesn't get to stay with you." I replied quickly. I knew he had been feeling kind of torn between wanting Harry with him and wanting Harry to be cleared. He sighed and nodded.

"I promise." He said. I nodded.

"I guess I kind of killed your joy didn't I?" I asked. He quirked the side of his lip up.

"Nothing could kill this joy." He answered then full on smiled again. I smiled right back. Sirius, not that I would admit it to his face, was very right, nothing could kill this joy.

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I've started writing poetic endings... that's peachy. I felt like that was a good place to end it. I should probably have Calli go on patrol again shouldn't I? Any who you read now you just need to review please.