Remus laughed at the look on Natalie's face when she stepped out into the Weasley's backyard from the kitchen. She was eyeing the broomstick he was holding with intense distrust. He held his hand out to her. "It's alright, Nat, it won't hurt you."

She didn't take his hand; instead, she stuck her fists in the pockets of her periwinkle robes. She frowned. "We're not- flying- on that- thing?" she stuttered, her eyes wide.

Remus chuckled. "We have to. Unless you've learned how to Apparate overnight."

She looked at him with interest. "Appa-what?"

He shook his head. "Never mind. Muggles can't do it anyway." When she took a step backwards, he reached out to grab her wrist. "This is the only way to get to Sirius, Natalie."

Her brown eyes remained glued to the broom as she whispered, "I don't like heights."

"Too bad." He smiled as Molly walked outside and placed a picnic basket full of food on the ground beside them. "Thanks, Molly, you're the best." Mrs. Weasley smiled and gave him a hug. "Be careful, please," she whispered as she hugged Natalie. "We'll see you soon."

Remus had conjured up a kind of harness on the broomstick for the trunk by the back door. Inside were freshly laundered robes for both of them, blankets, a dozen rolls of parchment, some quills and ink, a handful of old Witch Weekly magazines Molly had lent Natalie to while away the time, a cauldron, and the potion ingredients that Remus would need for the next full moon. He was still rather weak and pale from his latest illness. Natalie was glad the trip would soon be over so that he could relax. Tacari's cage sat on top of the trunk, while he perched on the fence post marking the edge of the Weasleys' property, blinking sleepily. She eyed the broomstick again. She wasn't sure how she felt about this mode of travel.

Remus swung a leg over the broom and held a hand out to her. "Sit behind me," he told her. "And hold on tight."

She inched towards him. "Promise you won't let me fall?"

He smiled at her reassuringly. "Cross my heart."

She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist. Suddenly, they were rising, higher and higher, until Mrs. Weasley was just a tiny dot waving from the doorstep. Tacari flew beside them, his wings beating soundlessly through the air. Natalie squeezed her eyes shut and buried her face in Remus' shoulder. He laughed and she felt the wind whipping her brown hair around her as they flew above the clouds, racing towards the sunset. If this wasn't the only way to get to Sirius, she thought as they dove to avoid a flock of passing geese, I would never have agreed to this.

It seemed like they'd been flying for hours when Remus finally yelled, his voice carried to her by the wind, "Hold on, we're going to land!" Natalie held her breath and felt her stomach plummet as the ground rose to meet them. They landed easily, and she immediately clambered down and sat on the hard earth, gulping for air. Remus was laughing as he held out a hand to pull her to her feet. "You okay, there, Nat?" He held her tightly for a few minutes until her breathing slowed, and she was finally able to look around. They were somewhere high in the mountains- she could see a village far below them. That must be Hogsmeade, she thought. The air was cold up here.

At a loud bark, she turned to see a large, shaggy black dog racing down the slope towards them. Remus held her back when she tried to run to him. "Easy, Nat," he chuckled. "We'll be able to talk to him soon enough."

The dog approached them and nuzzled Natalie's hand, licking her fingers excitedly. With a wag of his tail at Remus, he turned and trotted back up the slope. They followed, Natalie carrying the broomstick while Remus dragged the trunk along behind him. They followed the dog up the mountain until Natalie thought she couldn't walk any farther, before Sirius disappeared into a fissure in the rock. Natalie slipped in behind him, and was shocked to see that the cave opened up into a large room, tall enough for even a man Sirius' size to stand up in. Animal bones littered the floor, and she realized with a lurch in her stomach that Sirius had probably been living off of rats in want of human food. She was glad Mrs. Weasley had thought to pack the picnic basket.

Remus entered and looked around, nodding. "Not bad."

Sirius had transformed back into his normal shape and walked quickly forward to shake Remus' hand. "Thanks for coming, Moony," he said heartily. "I've been lonely as hell."

He turned to envelop Natalie in a strong hug that smelled of sweat and dead rats, but she didn't care. It was so good to be in his arms again. He kissed her hard on the mouth. Gesturing around the cave with a guilty look, he explained, "I know it's not the best accommodations-"

"We'll fix it up in no time," Natalie insisted. She walked over to the trunk and began unpacking while the two men wandered outside to talk. She dug a pit in the middle of the cave, close to the entrance, and laid the blankets out around it to make pallets for them to sleep on. She slipped past Sirius and Remus at the cave entrance with a wink and wandered down the slope for firewood. When she returned, her arms full of twigs and dead branches, Remus laughed. "What's this project?"

"It's for the fire," she panted. Sirius and Remus exchanged looks. "What?" she asked impatiently.

Sirius turned and walked back inside the cave, beckoning for her to follow him. When he saw the pit that she had dug, he smiled. He reached inside his robes and withdrew his wand. With a flick of the wrist, he lit a fire. Natalie stared at him in disbelief. Being a Muggle suddenly seemed like a lot of hard work.

Remus walked over and took the wood that she was carrying, saying, "It's alright, Nat, you didn't know. But from now on ask one of us before you go doing any hard labor, okay? We can probably save you a lot of trouble next time." He walked over to the cave entrance and dumped the firewood outside.

Natalie turned to glare at Sirius. "You could do that this whole time?" When he gave her a sheepish grin, she waved an arm at the inside of the cave. "Why didn't you fix this up before? Sirius, you could have gotten sick, sleeping in this weather with no blankets, and no fire, either!"

Sirius grinned. "Yes, Mother."

Natalie sighed. "Oh, well, there's nothing for it, then," she said, and sat down on the blankets that ringed the now cheerful fire. Sirius came and sat next to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. "Don't pout, love," he teased her. "I'm just a man. I needed you to come and fix this place up with a woman's touch, make it a right old home."

She elbowed him in the ribs and made him laugh again. Remus carried the picnic basket Molly had sent over to the fire, and Sirius' eyes followed it hungrily. "I smell chicken, mate," he said thickly.

Remus nodded and tossed him a chicken leg. Natalie frowned as he tore into it, rather like a dog. Remus chuckled and passed her some bread and butter. "Dig in," he said cheerily. "Dunno how long we'll be here, so we might as well enjoy the fare while we have it."

Sirius looked up from the chicken bone he was gnawing on. "Not long, I think," he replied. "Harry's first task is in a few weeks."

"What is it?" Natalie asked, worried.

"Dragons," Sirius said glumly. "If someone's trying to get him killed by having him named champion, they're doing a good job."

"Dragons?" Natalie couldn't believe what she was hearing. "They're real?"

Remus nodded, passing Sirius another piece of chicken. "Didn't you hear Molly talking about her second son, Charlie? He's a dragon trainer, out in Romania, I think."

Natalie's jaw dropped. "How's Harry supposed to get past it?"

Sirius shook his head. "It's up to him," he replied. "I tried to talk to him this evening, before you arrived, but we got cut off." Remus nodded sagely, but Natalie was confused. "You used a telephone?"

Sirius gave her a strange look. "A what? Fellytone?"

Remus laughed. "No, Nat, you can speak to someone through the fire. They'll only see your head, though. Not as complete as traveling by Floo powder." He knitted his eyebrows and frowned at Sirius. "Say, where'd you have a fireplace to talk from?"

Sirius shrugged. "Broke into a couple's house. They were out at the time!" he said quickly, seeing Natalie open her mouth in horror. "No harm done."

"Sirius, you can't just break into people's homes, that's-"

Remus held up a hand. "Come now, Nat, it's not as if he can just stop someone on the street and ask if he can nip in for tea, now, can he?"

Natalie shook her head. "Oh, Sirius, if you get caught-"

He laid a hand on her arm. "I didn't," he said soothingly. "And now it's done. You and Remus can take messages to Harry for me from now on." He yawned. "That's a worry for tomorrow," he said sleepily. "I'm ready to doze off, you two." He laid aside the chicken bones he had collected and stretched out on his back on the blankets, resting his head on his arms. "I'll see you both in the morning," he murmured around another yawn.

Natalie felt herself getting sleepy just watching him. Remus chuckled. "Get some sleep, Nat. I can clean up. I'll wake you at dawn." Natalie obeyed, feeling herself slip into a deep slumber.

Harry,

Good luck on your challenge today! Remus and I will be in the stands

to cheer you on! We will meet you on the lawn in front of the steps

afterwards to celebrate. Snuffles, of course, sends his best wishes.

See you soon!

Natalie

Natalie sat in front of the fire the next morning, picking at her breakfast. She was too excited and nervous to eat. Tacari had just flown off with her note to find Harry in time for the morning post. All she could think about was the dragon Harry was going to have to face. Sirius wasn't faring much better. He was absent-mindedly digging a hole in the dirt with his shoe as he stood at the cave entrance, arms folded across his broad chest, watching the sun rise. Natalie laid her plate aside and went to stand beside him. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he smiled at her. "He'll be fine," he assured her. He tried to smile convincingly, but failed. She could hear him grinding his teeth again. "I just wish I could be there!" he spat out, frustrated.

"We discussed this already, Sirius." Remus spoke up from the corner of the cave where he was sitting. "Even if you go as Snuffles, someone will notice if the same black dog comes to every challenge."

Sirius didn't seem convinced by this argument, but wisely kept his mouth shut.

A few hours later, Remus stood and stretched. "Are you ready, Nat?" he asked mildly. "We need to leave now if we're going to walk there in time."

"We're walking?"

He frowned at her. "Would you rather fly?"

Natalie pictured the earth growing smaller and smaller beneath her again and hurried to braid her hair, muttering, "No way am I ever getting back on that thing."

They waved goodbye to Sirius at the bottom of the hill. He looked sullen and sad, and Natalie blew him a kiss as they turned to leave. Remus helped her down over the larger rocks, and soon they were walking through the town of Hogsmeade. Remus explained to her that Hogsmeade was the only full wizarding town left in all of Britain. She thought that she'd like to come back and explore one day when she had time. There was the Three Broomsticks, a pub full of all kinds of creatures even this early in the morning, Honeydukes, a candy store, and Zonko's Joke Shop. She tried to peer in the windows but felt Remus tug insistently at her hand to get her to keep moving. Soon they arrived at Hogwarts, and Natalie felt her breath catch. The castle sat on the top of a hill, with many turrets and towers. It looked very forbidding from the outside. Remus only smiled and kept walking, and as they drew closer, he pointed out some of his and Sirius' favorite spots to rest around the lake and on the grounds from when they were students here.

As they rounded a corner towards what Remus called the Quidditch field, they heard a dull roar. It was the sound of many voices talking all at once. Natalie squeezed Remus' hand when she saw the rows and rows of bleachers set up around a giant pit. They were full of witches and wizards, and what must be the entire school. Suddenly, they heard a voice calling to them over the others. "Professor Lupin! Natalie! We saved you a seat!" Natalie craned her neck to see Hermione waving from where she sat next to Ron on one of the top rows. They climbed up to them, and Ron scooted closer to Hermione so they had room to sit. Natalie smiled. "How are you two?"

Before Hermione could answer, a blast sounded from a horn. Hermione bounced in her seat and clapped her hands. "Ooh, look, they're starting!" she shouted. Natalie held on very tight to Remus' hand and looked down into the center of the stadium, where one by one the champions faced a different dragon.

They watched as the first three champions struggled to make their way past the dragons to collect a golden egg from the nest. Natalie winced as the other Hogwarts champion, Cedric, was hit with a blast of fire from a dragon's snout. In its fury, the dragon stomped on all of her eggs, crushing them.

Finally, Harry appeared. Natalie's heart leapt into her throat. He looked so small. How could he defeat a dragon the size of a house? She looked over at Remus, who seemed to be thinking along the same lines that she was. She looked down and realized that she was squeezing his hand so tightly that her knuckles were white. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to see Harry get hurt-

"Go, Harry! He did it, Ron, he got the spell right!" Hermione was jumping up and down, her hands to her face.

Natalie opened her eyes. Remus was leaning forward, a wide grin on his face. "Nat, look!" he yelled, pointing. "He summoned his broomstick! They're on even footing now- that boy can fly almost as well as James could." He sat back, laughing. "'Atta boy, Harry!"

She looked down into the pit and saw that Harry was on his broomstick, flying back and forth just out of reach of the dragon's flame. It had its eyes narrowed and was swaying to keep Harry in sight. He was climbing, little by little, until the dragon was forced to sit upright. At the last second- he dove, swooping between the dragon's legs and grabbing the golden egg underneath. Next thing she knew, Natalie was hand in hand with Remus on one side and Ron on the other, the children chanting "HE DID IT! HE DID IT!" She felt her heart swell with pride. Sirius would have loved to have seen this, she thought.

They met Harry on the front steps of the school, Hermione racing forward to throw her arms around his neck, Ron right behind her. Remus shook his hand heartily. "Good job, Harry," he said enthusiastically. "You fly as well as your father." Harry blushed at the high praise, and Remus ruffled his hair. Natalie stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. "Sirius would be so proud of you," she told him. Harry squeezed her shoulders. "Thanks," he whispered in her ear.

Harry led them into the Great Hall, where four tables sat side by side, with a fifth facing them. The top table appeared to be where the professors sat. Natalie followed Remus to a table draped in scarlet and gold. This was where the Gryffindors ate. They squeezed onto the bench between Ron and a smiling, round faced boy Hermione introduced as Neville. Natalie looked around in awe at the golden plates and goblets on the table. Remus placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled. Suddenly, all heads turned to the table at the top of the hall. There was a very old wizard taking his seat in the very center of the table. He had a long, flowing beard and hair that glistened silver. A pair of crystal half-moon glasses perched on the end of his rather crooked nose. Natalie recognized him at once as Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Harry looked down the table at her and grinned. Food materialized on the plates in front of them- almost, Natalie thought wryly, as if by magic. Remus lifted her plate and began piling food on it. He leaned over and whispered, "We should lift some of this for Sirius." He winked.

They ate and laughed with the children. Natalie was having a wonderful time. The food was excellent, and she couldn't help noticing how happy her best friend seemed to be at being back at Hogwarts. He had some color in his cheeks and looked relaxed for the first time in weeks. She smiled. The only way this day could have been better, she thought, was if Sirius was sitting here among us.