Chapter 11

Emmeline spent the rest of the week working. While she had lost three clients, she had a handful of others to maintain, and the uncertain state of the Wizarding world meant she had a lot of money-moving to do in order to ensure that her clients' assets didn't dwindle in the event of a market crash. Most of the money was moved into Muggle investments. She was waiting for word to break that Voldemort had returned. The entire financial system would fall apart: Wizards would be withdrawing all of their galleons from Gringott's, and the market would bottom quickly.

The crash didn't come. There was no reporting whatsoever of Voldemort's return, which she found decidedly odd. A Patronus arrived that weekend using coded words to relay the message that the Order would be meeting that night. She took a deep breath, knowing she would be facing Sirius again, Sirius and Remus both in the same room actually, but it was necessary. They needed to figure out how to be a trio, and she would keep them locked in Number 12 Grimmauld Place all night if she had to.

The foreboding mansion was already filling with Order members when she arrived. The air was filled with riotous cursing.

"FILTHY BLOOD TRAITORS! DISGRACE TO MY HOUSE! ABOMINATIONS!" cried a portrait on the wall.

"Mrs. Black?" said Emmeline.

The portrait paused, sneering at her down her long, straight nose.

"Emmeline Vance?" asked the portrait of Mrs. Black.

Emmeline nodded, and the portrait burst into curses anew, calling her all sorts of names, including a few that Emmeline was sure that sailors wouldn't dare utter. She spotted Sirius down the hall and gave him a small smile, and he returned it reluctantly. Remus hadn't arrived yet. She made a beeline for Sirius's side and guided him by the elbow into the kitchen.

"What?" he whispered.

"Brought something for you," she replied deviously

With a wave of her wand, a bottle of firewhiskey appeared from out of her bag. Sirius's eyes bulged and and a huge, conspiratorial grin split his face in two. She poured them each a shot. With eyes dancing merrily, he clinked his small glass to hers and downed it.

He coughed royally, sparks of flame shooting from his mouth as he gasped, but when he recovered, his smile was a mile wide.

"Thanks," he said.

"Come on, let's join the meeting," she said, nudging him forward.

Remus was seating at the table when the pair walked in. He gave her a resolute smile, and she slid into the chair across from him, Sirius taking a place at her side. The meeting was mostly sharing information and asking questions, trying to determine why the Ministry was so determined to deny Voldemort's return. No real change in plans. Emmeline would be with Remus the following night, who would be locked away for the full moon, and then she would take over guard duty at the Ministry of Magic.

After the meeting was over, Emma saw Sirius speak briefly to his young cousin, who grinned at him and nodded. Nearly everyone else left, but the witch (whose hair was orange) remained behind.

"Thought we could enjoy some of that Firewhiskey," said Sirius.

Remus made to stand, but Sirius clasped a hand on his shoulder and pushed him down into his seat.

"Stay, mate," he said. There was apology in his tone. Remus nodded.

"Come on, Emma," he said. "Let's go pour."

She followed him into the kitchen, leaving Tonks and Remus sitting at the table. Emmeline gave Sirius a curious gaze.

"Wasn't sure if we were ready for it to be just the three of us," he admitted, and then looked to make sure no one else was in the room. "And Nymphadora couldn't take her eyes off him. Did you notice?"

Emmeline smiled. She had noticed, and while some small spark of jealousy remained in the back of her mind, she couldn't help but hope Remus might find something he enjoyed in the young witch. They poured four Firewhiskeys and headed back to the table, where Remus was smiling reticently while Tonks told a story, exuberant hands flying and knocking a whiskey out of Emmeline's hand. Remus's quick wandwork caught the glass and whiskey in midair before a drop could be spilled. He guided the glass to place in front of Tonks, and once they all had a glass, Sirius held his up in toast.

"To old friendships," he said to the group, and then nodding to Remus and Tonks, he added, "and new."

They all murmured agreement and the clinking of their glasses filled the air before they each downed them in painful gulps. Fire shot out from Tonks's nose, and Remus's eyes were watering.

"Might have to switch to bourbon," choked Emmeline.

"Nonsense!" insisted Sirius through coughs.

A few drinks later, they were all laughing raucously, having pulled out the Exploding Snap set and suffered more than a few singed eyebrows. Remus was currently pointing his wand haphazardly at the piece of orange hair that was still on fire on Tonks's head.

"So, Nymphadora," began Sirius.

Tonks's hair turned crimson and her face set in a scowl.

"Sorry, sorry," said Sirius, taking a sip and shaking his head at the burn. "Tonks. Do you have a boyfriend?"

Her hair returned to its orange hue. She cast a surreptitious glance at Remus, who was completely oblivious to the woman's interest in him.

"I did," she said with a shrug. "Big lad. Good-looking. Royal git. Ended up asking me to metamorph into the girl at the market he was hitting on. Said it would spice up the relationship."

"Sounds like a prick," dismissed Sirius.

"Metamorph?" asked Emmeline.

"Ya, I'm a Metamorphmagus," explained Tonks, and without further warning, she shifted her features so that they fair resembled Emmeline's.

Remus did a double-take. Emmeline was impressed. Sirius was scrutinizing Tonks's appearance.

"Nose is too small," he corrected. "Hair's a bit too dark."

"Eyes aren't green enough," added Remus, though he flushed when Sirius and Emmeline turned to look at him.

Tonks hadn't given his input much thought, however. She was busy fixing her appearance, and soon, she had imitated Emma's appearance precisely. Sirius looked a bit puffed up with pride at his cousin's abilities, though he had little to do with them.

"Impressive," said Emmeline, toasting the carbon copy of herself.

Hours crept by, and soon Remus was stretching and standing from his seat. He was always a bit tired on the night before the full moon; Emmeline was surprised he'd made it this long.

"I'm heading back to the flat, Emma," said Remus as he stood. "I'll see you at home."

Emmeline nodded. Tonks was glancing between the two of them, looking a bit confused and surprised.

"Oh, are you two together?"

"No!" said Remus, Emmeline, and Sirius all at the same time. They exchanged a glance, embarrassed smiles spreading on all three faces. Emmeline turned to Tonks.

"We've just been roommates for a while," she explained.

"Ah," said Tonks, who looked placated, though perhaps a bit uncomfortable with the arrangement. "I should go, too."

"Remus, maybe you should make sure Tonks gets home all right?" asked Emmeline.

Tonks's eyes lit up. Remus blustered uncomfortably, but Sirius ignored him.

"Yes, please, Remus," said Sirius, pushing them both toward the door. "I'd take my darling cousin home myself, but I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't appreciate me leaving Headquarters."

Remus looked at Emmeline with an exasperated expression, but she merely pushed him along behind Tonks, who had begun to chat with him about her job as a Junior Auror. Remus followed hesitantly, but they soon disappeared from the property together, leaving Sirius and Emma alone. She stared at him; his entire countenance had changed as soon as Tonks and Remus had stepped out the door. His eyes were nervous, a shadow of pain shining in them. She began to move toward him.

"Maybe you should go too," he said nervously, stepping away from her.

She furrowed her brow, feeling stung by the rejection.

"Do you want me to leave?" she asked.

Sirius gazed off into the distance and waited a long time before responding.

"I scare you," said Sirius.

She looked at him. He was decidedly avoiding her gaze.

"Sometimes, yes," she answered quietly.

He closed his eyes and a pained look cross his face.

"There are parts in me that are broken, Emma," he said hoarsely. "Parts that might never be fixed. I thought when I left Azkaban, when I got away from the Dementors. . . I thought I'd be right as soon as I was away. But I'm not. There's a . . . a crack in my soul."

Emmeline stared at him. There is a healing in making love; that much she knew from a decade of Remus's transformations at the full moon. Sometimes, when a man thinks he is losing himself, the feel of a woman can bring him back. This Emmeline knew, and she approached him. His eyes were still closed, the pained expression still lingering on his face, as she slid her hands around his back and under his shirt to feel the bare skin beneath. His brow furrowed as though he wasn't sure how to react to her touch.

She pressed her lips to his unshaven neck, and her hands slipped his shirt over his head, leaving him barechested. He was tense, twitching like a flystung horse. Her hands smoothed over his skin, feeling sparse dark hair on his chest and then traveling lower to find the trail of hair leading into his trousers. She grinned wickedly when she saw his eyes had opened and were gazing at her wandering hands in undisguised lust. She began to unbuckle his belt, lifting her lips to his.

"I love you," she whispered against his face.

"I love you," he groaned, his body now responding to her touch without its owners permission. His hands sought her curves, tracing her hips and reaching around to grasp her arse firmly.

His trousers dropped to the floor and he stepped out of them automatically. Without warning, he lifted her up, wrapping her legs around his hips, and carried her up the stairs. She fastened her arms around his neck and laughed when he wobbled slightly at the top step. Once he'd got his balance, she kissed him on the mouth as he continued his journey toward his bedroom, kicking the door open and depositing her on the bed.

He began working on her clothes, worshiping each new exposed inch of her body reverently as he slowly peeled off her jeans and shirt. She lifted her back from the bed so he could unfasten her bra, but his fumbling fingers couldn't undo the clasp. Emmeline sat up and released the clasp, pulling the garment off her arms. His expression was transcendent. For though this was not the first time they'd been together since he'd returned from Azkaban, it was the first time he'd truly been allowed to explore her body unhurried and re-memorize all its curves and valleys. Her hips had grown a few inches since the last time he'd inspected her, and her breasts, though fuller, had also migrated an inch or two toward her navel. She found herself blushing before his awed gaze, moving to cover herself with her arms.

He would have none of that. He batted her arm away and attacked her breasts with his mouth, his whole body shuddering against her. After massaging and kissing both the right and the left, his mouth descended further. When she felt his hot breath against her center, even through her panties, she cried out.

"I feel like it was yesterday that I last did this to you," he said in a husky voice as he pulled her panties down her legs.

When his tongue instantly found her clitoris and stroked it in precisely the way she adored most, she couldn't help but think that though it had been fourteen years, he hadn't forgotten the technique. It did seem like only yesterday. Her voice was letting out tiny moans and gasps. When she felt his tongue slide down to her entrance, she whined at the distraction, wanting nothing more than his mouth on her clit again, but he continued to tease her, licking her folds gently until he finally returned to the sensitive bud. He sucked and licked with ferocity. She gripped the sheets tightly, bucking her hips against his mouth and at last, she cried out his name as orgasm crashed over her.

"Oh, stop, stop, stop!" she whined, pushing his head away. "Too much, it's too much!"

He came up grinning like a Cheshire cat, clearly quite pleased with himself. He climbed so that he was on top of her, his lips meeting hers in a searing kiss, and she could still taste remnants of herself on his tongue. She threaded her fingers in his black hair, pulling his face close and wrapping her legs around his hips. He thrust against her and she gasped at the feel of his erection rubbing against her wet core. He kissed her lips, her jaw, her hair, her neck. She was aching for more as she pressed her lower body against him, begging for him to satisfy her need.

With one trembling hand descending between them, he guided his shaft into her. She bit her lip as he slowly, so slowly, pushed into her. He let out a strangled cry when he was finally buried inside her. Sirius stayed frozen for a moment, his cock twitching in anticipation as he fought to maintain control over his body's impulses. Impatient, she grabbed his buttocks and forced him to thrust, eliciting a rumbling groan from his throat. He slid in and out of her rhythmically as she kissed him, rocking her hips against him.

Though she loved being face to face with him, seeing his eyes close in ecstasy and feeling the press of his lips against hers, his erection was missing the sensitive place just inside of her. She pushed him off, leaving him momentarily confused and stricken, but when she got on her hands and knees and beckoned him toward her, he nearly howled in anticipation. She felt his calloused hands grab her hips, running his fingertips up and down her bare back, and when he entered her, she gasped as the head of his cock brushed against her inner walls. His fingers were digging into her hips as he pulled her back onto his shaft again and again

Her back was arched and her breath heaving as she felt the beginnings of a familiar buildup to climax. Some vague part of her brain suddenly began comparing the experience to Remus. Though she tried to brush the thoughts away, she couldn't help but notice that, for all Sirius was an excellent lover, something about the angle of his shaft did not hit her in the right place. She couldn't help but think that if she were making love to Remus, she would have got off by now.

Shaking her head to clear out the thoughts, she shifted again, moving so that she was lying on her stomach with Sirius atop her. Her eyes closed and she let out an involuntary moan as he finally found the perfect angle within her. He rocked his hips forcefully against her, and her moans spiraled into wails of pleasure, and soon, she felt her inner muscles clamping down on his shaft, shuddering and crying out at her orgasm's peak. He spent himself inside of her moments later, thrusting slowly twice more before rolling off of her and lying prone on the bed, gasping.

Tentatively, she rolled over and snuggled against him, pressing her lips gently onto his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead.

"Do you think we'll ever be the way we were?" asked Sirius in a husky, sated voice.

Emmeline stretched languorously before relaxing against him again.

"I don't know," she said. "A lot has changed, Sirius."

He nodded against her.

"But I want to try," she added.

She could feel his lips curve into a smile against her hair.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you, too," she said, and she felt her eyes falling closed as sleep claimed her.