A/N: You'll notice, once you read this chapter, that it's not exactly like my preview. I warned you;) Seriously, though, it took a while, and I ended up writing another chapter first, but it's done. I decided not to write some drawn out Order meeting, focusing this chapter on our favourite (or mine, at least) animagus. There is now a definite direction although I'm not sure you get that in this chapter. It is, like the title, a bit of a distraction;) Thanks for the reviews. Let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: Do I always have to type this in? Oh, yeah. Please don't sue me. Just borrowing.


Chapter Eleven: Distraction

The last week of July was one Remus would have rather forgotten. It had taken him longer than usual to fully recover from the full moon, the pressures that had been weighing on his mind agitating the wolf, but once he had, he jumped back into life at headquarters with both feet. Before his monthly sabbatical, he'd been working on research on Dumbledore's behalf. It was a task he enjoyed – searching old texts, ancient spellbooks, translating forgotten languages and transcribing runes. He was glad for an excuse to read, use his mind and put in practice the skills he'd honed at Hogwarts. He would have been content had it not been for the dark subject and the things that plagued his mind – namely Harry, Sophie and Kate. He, like Sirius, felt Harry should be at headquarters, safe and under their constant protection, instead of roaming the streets of Little Whinging, exposed and tailed by cloaked Order members. Unlike Sirius, he didn't voice his opinion. He thought it best not to question Dumbledore. He was sure he had his reasons.

As for Sophie, after attending her first meeting, where he'd proudly introduced her to old and new members of the Order of the Phoenix (watching as those who'd known his mother studied her face with awe), she'd been given her first assignment. True to Dumbledore's word, it didn't consist of guarding the prophecy housed in the bowels of the Ministry (a task Remus thought was much too dangerous for her) but she was given the task of guarding Harry for four shifts that week. He wasn't sure she would be in less danger on that assignment but was sure that, for those hours she watched over him, James and Lily's son would be safe.

He was finally able to talk to Sirius about the last thing that worried him late one night after a discussion with Arthur and his eldest son, Bill (who was also a new member of the Order) over the best approach to take with other magical creatures in trying to recruit them to their side. They talked for hours and only broke up the impromptu discussion when Molly came into the kitchen in her dressing gown to remind her husband he had a job to get to early the next morning. She also managed to goad her son into staying the night and bunking with his youngest brother, Ron. Remus was actually surprised at how easily the long-haired redhead gave in to his mother and he and Sirius exchanged amused looks as the Weasley men were escorted upstairs by the formidable matriarch of their family. Remus and Sirius were left alone to tidy up the kitchen and headed up to bed fifteen minutes later.

"Imagine being a grown man and having your mum still watching over you," Sirius commented, an edge to his voice, as they both got ready for bed in the room they shared.

"Oh, I don't know," Remus responded, thinking of his own mother and how much he still missed her, "It wouldn't be the worst thing." He knew Sirius felt very differently.

Sirius cracked a smile. "Well, 'course not. Not your mum." He gave a comical waggle of the brows, the sour note in his voice gone.

"Watch it, Padfoot," he warned, though it was in jest.

Sirius, who once commented that Remus' mother was "quite a fetching bird," had taken to flirting shamelessly with Sylvia Lupin as a teenaged boy. Remus' mother, of course, found it amusing (and, he suspected, was even a little flattered by the attention) and his father took it in stride ("Your mate's lucky he's charming," John Lupin once told his son after witnessing Sirius sweep his wife up in his arms and plant an uncomfortably long kiss on her face).

"Sorry, Moony, I can't help that your mum was such a stunner." He had his back to him but Remus suspected he was smiling wickedly. "It's a shame you didn't get her looks."

"And it's a shame you didn't get your mother's either," he retorted dryly.

Sirius froze for a second before turning around and bursting into laughter. "It's good to know you've held onto your cruel streak after all these years," he said chuckling.

"If I still had my cruel streak I'd have told you you actually resemble her somewhat." He smiled as he said this.

Sirius pulled the covers down and slid into bed. "Well, if a dozen years in Azkaban couldn't do it, I reckon I'm safe."

Remus couldn't see his friend's face from the angle of his bed, but could hear something hollow in Sirius's voice at the mention of the prison.

"It's good to know you've still got your ego intact after all these years," he said flippantly, trying to lighten the mood.

There was quiet laughter from the other side of the room. It made him wonder what Sirius was really thinking.

"Not to worry, Padfoot," he went on, feeling the need to fill in the quiet lull, "your good looks and charm remain intact."

Sirius slid to the foot of the bed, peeking out from the thick velvet bed curtains gathered at the posts and gave him an odd look. "Oh,really."

Remus realized how his statement sounded, and braced himself for the ribbing he was about to get. "I mean, from the reaction of some of our female colleagues, you've nothing to worry about," he added quickly in an attempt to derail the coming jibe.

Sirius only smirked but, thankfully, said nothing – at least not for a moment.

"Well, I have noticed Jones watching me lately, and Vance, she's been practically undressing me with her eyes."

At that statement, Remus had to laugh. That's the Sirius Black I know, he thought. Always humble.

Remus felt a positive energy coming from the other side of the room for the first time that week. Seeing as how Sirius had become sullen over his situation, waiting for any news from Scrimgeour about clearing his name, and increasingly frustrated about Harry's, alone and isolated from those he cared for most, Remus was glad. He wondered if it was the time to bring up what he'd wanted to talk with his oldest friend about – putting Kate's name up for consideration to join the Order.

"Alright, Moony, what's on your mind?"

Remus looked up from the spot he'd been unconsciously staring at on the floor to see Sirius eyeing him with concern.

"What gave it away?" he asked.

Sirius rolled his eyes as if the answer was the most obvious thing in the world. "Three things I could always tell – when you had something on your mind, I won't go into the other one, and when James had to pee."

Remus snorted and shook his head, aware that Sirius didn't want to mention what he remembered about their false friend, Peter.

"Well?"

Remus took a breath and dove into his tale about Kate – how she was dissatisfied with Corcoran's response to the rumours of Voldemort's return, how she herself was worried and how she seemed frustrated that there was little she could do. Remus laid it all out for his friend, who listened passively, never revealing what he thought for a second as Remus came to the conclusion that he felt that Kate and the Order would benefit from each other. When he was done he waited for Sirius to respond to the unspoken question that lingered in the air.

Sirius shifted on the bed as he contemplated what Remus had told him, then finally spoke.

"I just have one question."

"No, I'm not sleeping with her," he answered quickly, "and I never have."

Sirius tried – and failed – to stifle a smirk. "I wasn't gonna ask," he said.

"Oh." Remus felt like a dolt. "Go on," he said, dreading what the question would be. He suspected Sirius never liked the idea of his lycanthropic friend having lived in a pack of werewolves (even if it was for the Order).

"Do you trust her?"

"With my life," he stated. "With my daughter's life as well."

Sirius stared at him for a moment. "Is that where she was – Sophie, I mean – last year? Was she with Kate and the pack?"

Remus had never mentioned it, but he and Sophie had referred to Wicklow at times in his presence. He nodded, hoping that with what Sirius knew about his past with Kate (about how he saved her life and why), he wouldn't put it together. The last thing he wanted was to betray his daughter's confidence, no matter how unintentional. Whatever Sirius was thinking, whether or not he approved of the way Kate lived, however, he didn't voice his opinion.

"Then you know what to do," he stated, sliding back on his bed and disappearing behind the billowy bed curtains on his grand four-poster.

Remus settled into his own small bed, feeling the weight of his decision lightening a little. Still, he wondered if bringing Kate into the Order of the Phoenix (and away from Corcoran) was the right thing to do.

He was caught up in his thoughts that he'd almost forgotten Sirius was there, until he heard the familiar voice half-whisper in the dark.

"Never once?"

8888888

Sirius woke up from a particularly nasty dream flush with fear and slick with sweat. The images lingered in the corners of his mind as he forced his eyes open, begging the light coming in from the tall, slim windows around him to clear them out of his mind.

He'd had it again. The nightmare he detested more than the others. In it, he was held down by cold, groping skeletal hands as a long spindly finger reached out and etched a symbol on his chest, the long, jagged fingernail carving into his flesh like an acid-tipped knife held over a flame. He could feel the pain shoot through his body, and he opened his mouth to scream but the only sound he heard was a faint rattling breath and the pounding of his own heart.

Awake in his childhood bed, once grand but now less so, he reminded himself he wasn't there anymore. Though the nightmare had been real, it was in the past and though he felt, at times, he was in another prison, the Black family mansion could never compare to Azkaban, no matter how oppressed he felt within its walls.

Sirius sat up, leaning on his left elbow while his right hand subconsciously flew up and rubbed the spot on his chest where the rough tattoo adorned his flesh. His fingers lightly traced scar tissue, raised and bumpy, sprawling over his chest – a permanent map of his terror.

"Are you alright?"

Sirius jumped, startled by Sophie's voice coming from across the room. He shifted and poked his head around the velvet curtains and saw her standing by Remus' neat, made-up bed.

"Where's your father?" he asked, wondering about the time and why she was standing in his bedroom.

"He had something to take care of," she said, "he should be back later this evening."

Sirius was about to ask her what she was doing in his room when he noticed a clean pile of laundry sitting on Remus' bed.

"Hope you don't mind," she said quickly, sounding nervous, "I didn't know you were still asleep. I just had to leave these for my father but I'll be out of your way in a minute."

"It's fine," he mumbled, aware he was shirtless and pulling the sheet up to his neck, "I have to get up anyway."

He reached out and picked a tee shirt off the floor and pulled it over his head while Sophie laid her father's neatly folded clothes in a dresser drawer, her tense back to him as she moved purposefully.

He was wearing a pair of worn grey pajama bottoms Remus had given him the first night he showed up at his tiny cottage and though they still fit, they were much more snug than when he'd first put them on a month ago. He reluctantly slipped out of his four-poster, aware his body was covered in a cold film of sweat which had been quickly absorbed by the white tee shirt, giving it a see-through look.

Just as he noticed this, Sophie turned around and quickly averted her eyes as she spoke.

"Uh, Molly's on her way to the grocer's," she said, looking around the room, "she was wondering if you wanted something special. I could still catch her, if you like."

Sirius grabbed his faded black shirt from the back of the chair by the desk and pulled it on, covering the telltale signs of his night terrors. "There's nothing I want she can get me," he grumbled, feeling the constant frustration about his lack of freedom rearing up suddenly.

He realized he'd made Sophie even more nervous, and felt the need to clarify. "I meant that food won't make the fact that I'm still stuck here any better."

Sophie smiled sympathetically. "Maybe we could go for another walk, you could stretch your legs, get some air."

Sirius didn't want to admit he'd been thinking of just that ever since the day they snuck out of headquarters and headed for the park.

"Sounds good," he answered ruefully, "there's just one problem – or rather, a whole house full of them."

Sophie stopped averting her gaze and fixed him with a mischievous look. It jolted him and he got a tiny shiver from the intensity of her eyes.

"That just makes it more of a challenge," she stated, her voice matching the look in her eyes.

Sirius had to admit Remus' daughter was full of surprises but he knew he shouldn't be shocked at her excitement over breaking the rules. She was the daughter of a Marauder, after all.

"What if Molly catches us?" He couldn't help but voice the thing that concerned him most. Molly tended to prowl the corridors at night, checking on her children – especially the twins – who, Sirius thought, would have made great Marauders.

Sophie closed the drawer and turned around. "Does she frighten you?" she teased.

He smiled, feeling at ease. "A little," he admitted.

She let out breathy laugh. "Me, too," she said.

They stood in awkward silence until the sounds of Molly's shouting from below filled the house.

"I should go," she said, moving towards the door, "let you get dressed and uh – "

"Yeah," he agreed as his mother's shrill voice joined Molly's screams, "I should see to that."

She opened the door a fraction then hesitated. "So we're on, then?" she asked, as the noise suddenly stopped.

He looked at her, debating whether or not to risk an outing with so many people in the house, especially Remus. He quickly gave in to his basest instincts. "Sure," he said, "It's a date."

Sophie gave him an odd look.

"I mean yes," he corrected quickly, suddenly mortified at the thought that Remus' daughter might think he was hitting on her.

She pressed her lips together and nodded once, trying to suppress a smile. He felt more mortified by her reaction. She obviously thought the idea was ridiculous.

"See you later," she said and closed the door behind her.

Despite the awkward conversation, Sirius felt much better than he had when he woke up. The nightmare seemed distant, like the memory, in the cold light of day (or rather, his childhood bedroom) and he set about making his bed (for once) and picking out a new pair of trousers and a soft, cotton shirt from the half dozen that Remus had picked up for him at some muggle shop before heading into his private bath and washing away the evidence of his nightmare. Feeling refreshed and elated at the thought and anticipation of sneaking out later that night, he went about the drudgery of his day with newfound enthusiasm.

Unfortunately, his mood didn't last as long as he'd hoped.

As Sirius rooted in the pantry that evening, checking to see what Molly had purchased earlier that day, he heard the kitchen door swing open and shut.

"Hiding in the pantry, Black?"

Sirius didn't have to step out and look to know exactly who it was.

"What do want, Sniv – Snape?" he said slowly, deliberately, as he closed the pantry door.

Severus Snape stood by the door, looking like a drippy, oversized vulture. He realized how hot it must be outside.

"I'm looking for your little friend," he sneered, his eyes narrowed and his long, hooked nose slightly raised.

"If your referring to Remus," he responded through gritted teeth, "he's not here." It irked him immensely when Snivellus referred to Moony that way.

"Figures," he said, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

It gave Sirius tremendous satisfaction.

"Though I can't blame him. Being inside this mausoleum all day – "

He deliberately stopped, pulling a face like something had suddenly dawned on him. Sirius wasn't fooled by the poor performance.

"I don't mean to offend, of course. It's just some of us prefer to actually do something instead of cowering indoors."

The last few words hit a nerve and Sirius was pulling out his wand from his pocket before he realized it.

"Hey!"

Sirius dropped his arm as Emmaline Vance walked in.

"I thought you boys were supposed to play nice," she said, her green eyes flitting from Severus' outstretched arm to Sirius' tightly gripped wand. Despite being less than a decade older, she'd been their DADA professor in sixth year and was well acquainted with their feud.

"I'm not sure Black knows what that means," Snape drawled, his wand still pointing at Sirius.

"Of course I know what it means," he said, looking deliberately at Emmaline and ignoring Snape (he knew the greasy git wouldn't dare cast a spell in front of a witness), "but boys will be boys." He flashed a wide smile and Emmaline's serious face immediately relaxed.

She shook her head and smiled despite herself, as she gently pushed Snape's arm down to his side. She remembered the argument he used to make whenever she caught him and James (and occasionally, Remus) in a prank.

"I seem to remember how you two like to play," she responded, walking to the center of the room and placing herself between them. "It's not always conducive to getting along."

Snape seemed more annoyed than ever by Emmaline's words and actions. He tucked his wand back into his robes and stood rigid and still, looking like a gargoyle.

"I have no intention of 'playing'," he spat, "I'm here to see Lupin."

Emmaline looked over at Sirius inquisitively.

"Like I said, not here."

Emmaline looked back at Snape. "Perhaps you could leave a note," she suggested lightly.

Snape's face twisted into a look of suppressed rage as his coal eyes flickered from Emmaline to Sirius, and Sirius could see him forming assumptions.

"Well, if the daughter's here," he said in a low dangerous tone, "I'll have a word with her." He gave Sirius a hard, triumphant look that Sirius didn't quite understand.

"Is Sophie here?" Emmaline asked, looking back at him.

He nodded. "I'll get her," he said, and left the kitchen, 'accidentally' shouldering Snape as he walked out of the room.

He found Sophie in the attic, along with Molly, her children and Hermione, scrubbing out the long, dingy room in preparation for Buckbeak, who was being hidden on the grounds of Hogwarts for the summer but had to be moved. Hagrid, who'd been watching him, was leaving on a dangerous mission in a few days time and wouldn't be able to care for Sirius' animal friend. The mention of Snape caught everyone's attention and the twins gave Sophie a look of sympathy (he could see the anger flashing in their eyes) as she followed him out of the room. Sirius was aware that the Weasley children loathed their Potions professor, and he assumed Sophie wasn't fond of him, either, but now he had the feeling there was something more to that hatred.

"What does he want?" Sophie asked, jolting him out of his thoughts. The edge in her voice seemed to confirm his suspicions.

"He won't tell me," he answered in irritation.

They walked down silently past his mother's portrait and when they got to the kitchen door, he hesitated. "I won't leave you alone, if that's what you want," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

She crinkled her brow and smirked at the same time. "No worries, dad," she whispered back, "I'll be fine."

The word threw him. He didn't know what to say. Sophie took his silence as the end of their short conversation and pushed through into the kitchen. All he could do was follow.

Severus was standing by the table now, still rigid and haughty. Emmaline looked like she was suppressing a smile or a grimace, he couldn't be sure.

"Miss Lupin," he said pompously, "I'd like a word." He looked pointedly at Sirius. "Alone."

Sophie crossed her arms and stared him down but didn't respond. Emmaline moved towards the door, placing a hand on his arm. "Shall we?" she asked, pausing at his side.

"Just a minute," he said, and she moved away to wait at the door.

He turned to Sophie once more, despite her suggestion that he was being as overly protective as Remus (though she hadn't said it in so many words), and asked if she wanted him to stay.

Her eyes, looking darker than usual, raked over his face before settling on his lips. "No thank you," she said firmly, "It's fine." He didn't miss the fact that she wouldn't look him in the eye.

Feeling like he should stay, he walked out into the darkened stairwell uncertainly, escorted by Emmaline, who watched him carefully.

"Look at you," she said as they walked out into the main floor corridor, "worrying about your mate's daughter." She smiled and elbowed him playfully. "It's sweet."

It had been quite a while since it had happened, but he immediately recognized the female behaviour – Emmaline was flirting with him.

"You should see me fret over Harry," he retorted smoothly, in a velvety voice he hadn't heard in many years but recognized quite well.

Emmaline giggled and slapped his arm lightheartedly and it amazed him how easily it all came back to him as they settled into the small front parlour and amused themselves and each other with witty, playful banter and subtle suggestive remarks, until they heard the front door slam loudly and his mother's portrait began to curse and wail once more.

It occurred to Sirius, as he pulled the curtains over the goggling woman's disturbing face, Emmaline waiting patiently in the other room, that he really was glad he hadn't gotten his mother's looks.


Like I said... :)

In the next chapter, the gist of the conversation between Sophie and Snape is revealed, and yes, Harry's troubles are about to begin... I'm hoping to post it more quickly. See you soon!