The trio made their way to the stile at the end of the road leading out of Hogsmeade, passing Dervish and Banges, just before 2 o'clock. Dobby had provided some extra food for them to share with Snuffles, so much so that the bag was cutting into Harry's shoulder. The March weather was dry, but the winds were cruel, whipping their faces. A large shaggy black dog awaited them at the end of the lane. They followed after the trotting dog towards the foot of the mountain that towered over Hogsmeade.

They entered a narrow split in the rocks that opened into a cave. At the back was Buckbeak the hippogriff. After the set of teens and the horse-eagle bowed to one another, Harry turned to Sirius. The man did not look well, having longer hair and being thinner than the last time Harry had seen him. Harry handed the bag of food over to him and he let out a cry of relief and gratitude.

Sirius tried to convince Harry that he would be careful and he had nothing to worry about, but Harry only felt anxiety. Ultimately, Sirius sighed and the grin left his face. "Your last letter worried me. The Prophets I've been able to get my paws on don't bode well, either. People are getting worried."

He went on to detail what he knew about Bartemius Crouch and his son, including the tale of the junior's subsequent death behind the bars of Azkaban. He spoke about Bertha Jorkins and the contradicting statements of Bagman in regards to her memory. Sirius thought it was getting late, but Harry had one more thing he wanted to talk about.

Handing over the article from that morning, Harry let Sirius scan over it. "Did you hear anything about Elle Lucas while you've been out around town?" He proceeded to explain what he'd seen firsthand at the Tasks and their other encounters.

Sirius mulled over the words on paper, looking thoughtful.

"I can't say I've heard much, she is from another country, though. Lucas seems familiar of a name, but I can't put my finger on why. From what you've written, she seems like a nice girl." Sirius hummed as he scratched his head. "This article could be quite a bit exaggerated, considering who wrote it."

"But there is also a grain of truth somewhere," Hermione pitched in. "There was in the article she wrote about me, so there must have been something she found to latch onto."

"Yes, but I don't think you'll find the answer without some serious research or asking one of the Lucases yourselves. Just keep doing what you've been doing. It doesn't seem like she has an agenda as far as you're concerned."

As the trio got up and collected their things, he offered one last piece of information. "Honestly, I'd be more concerned about her brother and what type of accident he was involved with. There is nothing more frustrating or incredible as family and no emotion as destructive as jealousy."

Sam chased after Elle, now that she had stopped forcibly dragging him down the hall. She was still walking at a determinedly fast past. While Sam knew that she looked like she knew exactly where she was going, he had a feeling she was just prowling around until her initial wave of anger left her. He'd dealt with her angry on very few occasions growing up, as she was normally a very happy girl. Few things rattled her, but she'd been prone to large mood swings since The Accident.

She had unknowingly led them to an inner courtyard when she stopped and looked around. He could tell she was a bit confused as to where she was and he had to stifle a small laugh when she huffed and harshly plopped down on the ground in the center of it, ignoring the many stone benches around the perimeter. He walked over and seated himself next to her as she wrapped her arms around her legs. She brought her knees up and leaned a cheek on one to look at him.

"Do you think I did it?" she breathed and he could hear a shaky quality in her voice. He frowned and mimicked her position.

"No, you know I don't. You told me what happened that day. I believe you." He bumped his shoulder into hers. "You know Jay, Caroline and I all believe in you."

She nodded and turned to rest her chin on her knees. "I just feel so guilty all the time. I know I could bring him back, but Jay won't let me try anymore."

"He just cares about you is all. He wants you to be happy and safe."

Her eyes took on a cold quality as they snapped back over to him. "What would you know about? What would Jacob know about any of this? He never had to go through this like I have, missing Derek!" Gray-green irises burned into his own russet ones. "I could feel him in my head, in my heart, every day of my life until one day he was ripped away! You can't understand!"

Slowly, Sam untangled him limbs and stood up, sandy colored bangs hiding his expression. Her sharp eyes followed his movement.

"I'm going to pretend that you didn't say that because I know you don't mean it. I'll just remind you that there's a reason Jay is the only one who can truly understand what you're going through. I don't want to fight, but I won't listen to you when you're being so self-absorbed."

As he took his first step away from her, Elle jerked forward a little. Eyes widening, she felt them stinging and she curled into a tighter ball. She could hear his footsteps on the stone floor.

"I'm sorry…" She cried. She couldn't see him turn and look at her over his shoulder.

"I know. Come find me later. We'll get Jacob and all go visit Derek." He saw her move her head, possibly indicating a nod, but it was impossible to tell with how withdrawn her posture was. He hated leaving her like this, but he wasn't Jacob and he wasn't Caroline. He certainly wasn't Derek.

As he stepped through the courtyard entryway, he though he saw two flashes of orange.

A/N: I know it's been a while. I got caught up in some of the later chapters and over the winter holidays spent a lot of time with my mom as we got through the first anniversary of my dad's death. I'm not super happy with the Harry/Sirius conversation, but I think that's all Sirius would be able to say on the matter as he was in jail during the conflict and doesn't know a lot about American wizarding families. Sam and Elle's part just made me feel bad…

Zabeth