Okie Dokie :D Here is Ch 12. Its in Sirius' POV by the way and i hope you like it :) If you have any comments or questions just contact me :) And PLEASE review! Im begging here! Enjoy :)

Sirius POV

Pulse pounding in his ears, harsh pants escaping through clenched teeth, Sirius stood stock still in the hush of Melanie Strider's living room, staring towards the front door, like the other occupants of the room. Seconds passed in tense anticipation before another firm knock resounded on the door, pushing Sirius into action.

Sirius spun to face Melanie, dark eyes wild, survival instincts kicking in. "Melanie, do you have any weapons in the house?", he said, words rushed and deathly quite.

The girl slowly turned to him, striking blue eyes wide in fear and incomprehension. "Wha…what?", she stuttered, her mouth slow, her words slurred.

Sirius growled and snapped his fingers in her face. "Weapons! You know, guns, tasers, batons.", he hissed, another knock on the door making his already clenched muscles seize. "Bloody hell. They found us already! I need to get back to the Tower, and these kids gotta come with me. Or we're all dead."

"What the bloody hell do you need weapons for?", the feisty redhead, Lily he remembered, hissed back at him, emerald eyes narrowed in anger .

Sirius ignored her completely and continued to stare at the frozen brunette before him. "Melanie! Weapons! Now!", he grunted, taking hold of her arms and shaking her lightly.

Melanie blinked and came back to herself, shaking her head slightly. "Umm…n...no. My…my parents don't believe in vi…violence. They're…they're doctors.". she whispered, eyes flicking back and forth nervously between Sirius and the front door.

Sirius scowled and spat a vulgar curse, hands raising to pull at his hair despite the flaring pain. "Of course her parents wouldn't believe in violence. That would just be to easy. Ughh! Bugger! What now?"

The black haired man exhaled sharply and spun to face the lanky teen beside him as an idea dawned. "You! Go into the kitchen and get me the biggest butcher knife there is!", he ordered quietly.

Amber orbs went wide and the boy's jaw went slack. "W…wh…wha…?"

"Just do it!", Sirius hissed urgently as the knocking became more frequent.

The teen cast a questioning glance at Melanie who just gave a small, uncertain nod and with that the boy ran into the kitchen. A few seconds later, he came stumbling back into the living room, face flushed, sharp metal glinting menacingly in his palm. Sirius unwillingly tensed as the boy advanced with the weapon but relaxed as he noticed the sandy haired kid didn't even know how to hold the knife right.

"H…here.", the kid gulped, holding the knife out in a shaking hand.

Sirius snatched the medium sized serrated weapon from Re…rem…whatever his name was and spun back to Melanie who was still staring wide eyed at the door. "Melanie, come with me.", he whispered and grabbed her elbow, dragging her to the entryway, ignoring her friend's protests. As they walked, the blood that was leaking from him and the pain of his injuries became lost in the heady rush of adrenaline.

"Wh…what? N…no! Let…let go of me! Padfoot! Let…me go! I…I don't…what…what if…?", she stuttered, trying to tug away, a whimper working its way from her lips as she saw the front door, fear taking over.

"Melanie, Melanie, look at me! Look. At. Me.", he hissed, grabbing Melanie's chin and turning it sharply towards him, making her look him in the face. Sky blue eyes, wide and bright with unshed tears met his own, pink lips trembling as she tried to hold back her tears. "Listen to me. I'm not going to let anything happen to you alright? I just need you to open the door and if it's not anyone you know, just look at me and I'll take care of it. I won't let you get hurt. I promise. But you have to open the door now ok?", he said, soothingly, keeping his eyes locked on her own to convey his…sincerity.

A small spark of shock went through him. Even though it was his job to protect the people of London, Sirius felt a…more potent urge to defend this girl…to shelter her. He wasn't expecting that and his brow furrowed in confusion. But he shook his head to clear it. Now was not the time to dissect his odd compulsions. "Oi you daft nutter! Pay attention or you won't protect bloody anyone!", he thought to himself angrily.

Slowly, Melanie took a deep shuddering breath and nodded, an unlimited amount of trust shinning in her transparent orbs. He carefully let go of her chin and gently pushed her towards the door, shuffling to stand behind the wooden entrance. He lifted his left hand and held up three fingers, his right hand clenching on the plastic hilt of the knife. "Hopefully, there is isn't a horde of Death Eaters on her doorstep."

"One…two…three!", he mouthed and Melanie reached out, grasped the door knob and pulled the door open.

A gasp flew from Melanie's mouth as the cold air rushed in and Sirius started forward, ready to take care of the threat, but suddenly the brunette held up a hand, masking the gesture by placing the appendage on the frame of the opened door. Sirius frowned and froze, knife raised in the air, ready to attack, to defend. He could see Melanie's profile over the lip of the door and he saw the girl's lips twist up into a shaky smile.

"Ana! H…hi! Umm…wh…what are you doing here?, Melanie stuttered, making Sirius cringe. "If this was a Slytherin, we'd all be dead. She so obvious it hurts!"

"Oh, Melanie…hi! Um sorry to bother you but…its just…I saw Remus come in with you and I remember yesterday was his birthday and I…uh…came to give him this. Is he a…available?", a quiet, female, voice stammered back and Sirius slowly lowered the knife. Obviously, this person was someone Melanie knew. But he knew it was best for no one to know he was here.

"Umm…well…you see…", Melanie faltered, biting her lip as she tried to think of an answer.

Trying to help, Sirius slowly reached up and touched one of Melanie's fingers that was wrapped around the edge of the door. The brunette jumped slightly and her gaze flickered to Sirius to see him shaking his head before it jumped back to the girl at her door. "S…sorry Ana but…uh…Rem is taking a shower at the moment. We…got a little wet on the walk home.", Melanie responded, giving a nervous chuckle.

"O…oh. I see. Well…could you give him this for me?", the visitor asked timidly, suspiciously, a brightly wrapped box abruptly breaching the threshold.

Melanie took a step back in surprise but slowly reached out and grasped the medium sized green parcel. "S…sure.", Melanie answered, bringing the box under her arm. "I bet he'll love it.", she smiled.

The girl chuckled nervously. "I hope. Well,…um I'll see you later. Bye.", the girl called as Sirius heard her turn and run back into the still falling rain.

"Bye.", Melanie whispered as she took a step back and shut the door. Instantly, her eyes found Sirius' and she gave a small, genuine smile, her eyes sparkling in relief and in happiness. Sirius' heart skipped a beat at the sight but he quickly passed it off as fading adrenaline. "Yeah? And what about the time in the hospital when you realized she had come back for you? Or when you two were on the floor and she admitted she had just committed a felony for you? Or how about when she nearly broke down in that parking lot and all you wanted to do was hold her?", his mind taunted him but Sirius shoved the thoughts away.

He was grateful, not attracted. Besides, he knew many attractive women, women who were experienced and could give him a good time, not some naïve little kid.

"Sure. Just tell yourself that.", his mind whispered but Sirius ignored it and extended his left arm towards Melanie.

The brunette's face twisted in confusion but Sirius ignored it and lightly grabbed the box in her possession. "What…what are you doing?", Melanie asked in puzzlement, tightening her grip on the package and drawing it back.

"I need to check what's in the package. Just to make sure it's safe.", Sirius said, continuing to try and take it.

"What? No. It's a present for Rem.", Melanie refused, taking a step back and hugging the box to her chest, defiance bright in her visage.

Sirius growled in annoyance, all previous tender thoughts vanishing. "Why is this girl so stubborn?"

"I know, but something harmful could be in it. So, I need to check it. Hand it over.", Sirius commanded, holding out his hand.

Melanie scowled and shook her head, wet pieces of hair sticking to her face and neck while others flew around her. "No. It's Rem's. And there is nothing harmful in this box. I knew the girl who gave it to me. Ana Hughes could never hurt a fly. She…well she fancies Remus a bit. She's not a…a…a…", she trailed off as her brow furrowed in thought.

"A what?", Sirius asked, his own brow creasing.

"A…sli…slithrin?", she finally said but it came out more as a question as her mouth fumbled over the letters.

His brow furrowed more as he repeated the word in his head. "Slithrin? Slithrin…wait does she mean Slytherin?"

"Do you mean a Slytherin?", he asked harshly, the word sending rage and hate spiraling through his veins.

The girl nodded spastically in response. "That's the word! That's…that's what you're worried about right? I…I mean I remember…you called me that the last time and well I just thought…you seemed so angry before.", she muttered, becoming more unsure with each word, gazing at Sirius as if for approval, her entire posture screaming 'I'm sorry!'.

The male mentally flinched. "Way to go you arse.", a voice that sounded suspiciously like James whispered.

Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair, about to confirm, when pain licked its way across his torso, making him lean back against the wall for support, an inarticulate noise issuing from his throat.

"Oh!", Melanie suddenly exclaimed, making Sirius glance up at her through pain narrowed eyes. "Your injuries! I forgot! We should get back to the living room so I can fix you up!"

Sighing, Sirius nodded and relaxed slightly as he took a step forward but immediately came to a halt. A bemused expression settled itself on Sirius' face as he looked up at Melanie, elegant eyebrows forming a drastic V over cloudy eyes. The small entryway he was in titled violently on its side, and an intense sense of vertigo slammed into the eighteen year old. The man tittered to the right, stumbling before collapsing unto the bottom of the stairs. Agony exploded in his chest and his head fell back with a groan, stars dancing before him.

"Padfoot!", the man heard Melanie call, but it was distant and distorted, echoing and resounding in his skull. Sirius looked up through strands of his disheveled hair as black began to creep into his vision in time to see a fuzzy figure rush towards him.

"Bugger! No! This cannot be happening now! I have to stay awake! Slytherins could come and these kids won't have a clue what to do! The boy can't even hold a knife! It's my job to protect them! And James! No, I have to stay awake! Havta…stay awake…stay…awa… ", was the last thing Sirius thought before he fell back and the darkness completely engulfed him.

Sirius groaned at he slowly swam back into the realm of consciousness, trying and failing to grasp the last fading tendrils of sleep. His head throbbed, his arms and legs burned, and his throat felt seared. Overall, Sirius Black felt like bloody rubbish and waking up wasn't sounding so appealing at the moment.

"Every time I wake up, I feel like I've been hit by a bloody train!", he mentally complained. But knowing he wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, the black haired male squinted open his eyes with a tormented huff…only to find light brown orbs, the size of small plates, inches from his own.

"BLOODY HELL!", Sirius gasped in shock and in his half awake state he tried to scramble away, only to smash his head on the headboard above him so hard his teeth clacked together and double the intense throbbing he was already experiencing. Another groan of pain slipped past his lips and Sirius squeezed his eyes shut once more. Snickers slowly reached his ears and the eighteen year old felt a flare of recognition and annoyance as he cracked open an eye to glare at the figure beside him.

"What the bloody hell was that for Prongs! Like I want to wake up to that in the morning!", he growled, tasting blood from the laceration on his tongue he had just given himself.

The brown eyed boy just grinned back in response, propping his head on an arm. "Good morning to you too and you should be honored to wake up to my gorgeous face Pads. Many girls are."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "Yeah? Well, tell McGonagall I think she has horrible taste and needs to sort out her priorities.", he retorted.

James wrinkled his nose, pushing his glasses up. "Now that's just wrong mate."

Sirius smirked and went to sit up but blinding pain brought him back down to the mattress. "You alright there mate?", he heard James ask as Sirius writhed in pain.

"Bloody brilliant. I think I just might go skipping down the street singing God Save The Queen.", Sirius replied through gritted teeth.

"Always knew you were a poof.", James replied smartly.

Sirius growled and threw his arm out to hit his friend but only met soft sheets. "Why the bloody hell are you so cheerful? As I recall, you got shot as well.", he complained, opening his eyes to glare at James again.

The brunette boy smirked and bared the underside of his elbow where Sirius could barely make out a small puncture wound. "True, but I had a little date with someone named Morphine while you were snoring."

Sirius scowled. "I see you met Melanie then. Bloody addict."

James smirked in response and reached out to pinch Sirius' cheeks. "First name basis already Pads? Aww is little Siri in love?", James taunted.

The grey eyed man scoffed and smacked the annoying hand away, despite the twinge of pain. "Please. I don't do love. And besides, I could do so much better than that squirt."

That God awful smirk just widened. "Whatever you say Pads, whatever you say."

Rolling his eyes, Sirius decided to change the subject. "So, how long have I been out?", he asked, turning his eyes on his best friend.

The brown eyed teen shrugged. "Not sure. Woke up about two hours ago, in excruciating pain I might add, and your girlfriend was hovering over us like some mother hen. She fluttered around like some frightened butterfly and finally gave me the sweet elixir known as morphine. And then when the agony receded and I could see again, she explained who she was and what had happened. And…", James went on but Sirius abruptly cut him off.

"You didn't give her your real name right?", he blurted, heart rate spiking.

James faked a gasp and widened his eyes until they looked downright cartoonish. "Bloody…was I not supposed to?", he whispered frantically, covering his mouth in mock horror.

Sirius scowled and gave his partner a shove. "I'm serious mate! And don't even think about saying it.", he hissed, as James opened his mouth to repeate the worn out joke.

Thwarted, James rolled his eyes dramatically and shoved Sirius back. "Give me some credit mate. I have been doing this as long as you have remember?", he reminded, thumping Sirius in the forehead.

Sirius just grumbled something unintelligible and turned his eyes away from his friend to take in his surroundings. Predictably, it was the room he had woken up in two weeks ago. Plain, simple, ordinary, safe. Words that could never describe Sirius' life. Even the picture of Melanie and her friends seemed to taunt him, the three laughing teens gazing back at him as if to say 'We're happy and you'll never be'.

"Oi! Quit scoping the place out as if Malfoy is going to pop out of the bloody closet! You're making me nervous!", James hissed, flicking Sirius in the ear, which effectively pulled Sirius out of his musings.

"Well pardon me for being cautious. I mean its not like we got bloody shot or anything.", Sirius replied with glare.

Suddenly, a light sparked in James' eye and an impossibly wide grin wormed itself unto his face. "Yeah but your little girlfriend is on our side. Unless her parents went traitor and are secretly agents of the Dark Lord."

A few moments of incomprehension passed before Sirius's jaw collided with the floor. "You're taking the piss outta me!", he gaped.

The brunette's head jerked in disagreement and he reached behind himself to Melanie's bedside table. "Nope. Completely serious. Look!", he nearly gushed, shoving a small picture into Sirius' outstretched hands. Two pairs of wide eyes, one ecstatic one unbelieving, fell to the worn paper in between them.

Three figures stood in the portrait: a man, a women, and a girl about ten. The man stood on the left, tall and imposing, with dark brown hair and calculating blue eyes, and a smile from ear to ear. The woman on the right was of soft and gentle features with auburn wavy hair and warm brown eyes, her smile caring and timid. And the girl between them was a combination of the two, having her father's bright blue eyes and mother's loving demeanor. Sirius turned the picture over and saw a small scribble across the back.

Jacob and Kathryn Strider age 30

Melanie Strider age 10

With a gulp, Sirius looked up into his friends beaming face. "Prongs…this…this is…", he trailed off, shocked into speechlessness.

James nodded vehemently, the stupid grin still etched on his face. "I know mate! I couldn't believe it either. I mean we just coincidently found two of the most famous Gryffindors of all time!", he crowed.

Sirius blinked and frowned, turning his gaze back to the picture in his hands. "But…she said she had never even heard of the word Slytherin, and she had absolutely no clue bout the brand mate.", he whispered skeptically.

James shrugged and shook his head, moving to lay back with his hands behind his head. "So she lied to keep up appearances. So what? She saved your life twice and broke you and me out of the heart of Slytherin territory. One little lie isn't much Pads."

Sirius shook his head. "No, you didn't see her Prongs. She really had no idea what I was talking about.", he said, locking eyes with his best friend.

James' forehead creased and he opened his mouth to reply but a timid knock on the door shut him up. As one, the two teens faced the doorway and watched as the door creaked open.

Wide blue eyes peeked around the doorjamb, shy and wary and immediately shot towards the bed, finding the blue-grey orbs of Sirius effortlessly, as if they were drawn by magnets, and happiness flooded into them. "Padfoot! You're awake! How…how are you?", she gasped ecstatically, quickly walking up to the bedside, a smile splitting her face.

"Brilliant, but he's been missing your engaging presence.", came the cheeky reply.

Melanie balked and a red flush spread up from her neck to cover her cheeks as her eyes fell to James' stupidly grinning face. "Wha…what?", she stammered, the flush growing darker.

"Well you see, Pad…", his reply ended in a yelp as he went tumbling to the floor, thanks to a well placed shove, smacking the unforgiving wood with a resounding smack.

"Ignore him. Morphine makes him stupid.", Sirius addressed the gobsmacked Melanie, speaking over the vulgar words that were currently spewing from the ground.

The young girl shakily nodded but stooped to help the fallen James anyways. Struggling, she managed to pick up the angry man and place him back on the bed. Once seated, James spun to Sirius, his glasses askew and his face twisted in anger. "You're going to pay for that you git!", he exclaimed, moving to cuff Sirius on the head. But before he could connect, Melanie's hand whipped forward and seized his arm in mid air.

Caught off guard, the bespeckled boy spun around and gazed at Melanie in a mixture of annoyance and surprise. Embarrassed, Melanie released his arm and took a step back, averting her eyes to the floor. "Ah…s…sorry but umm…Padfoot is injured…well I mean you both are…but he hasn't had any morphine and uhhh…fighting isn't going to help either of you.", she finished lamely, keeping her gaze glued to the ground.

Out of his peripherals Sirius saw James smirk smugly at him as if to say 'Aww, she worried about you' but he chose to ignore his infuriating partner. "Speaking of morphine, you have any more?", Sirius asked briskly trying to quell the emotion that wasn't embarrassment from fluttering in his chest.

Still embarrassed, Melanie nodded without looking up, and quickly walked over to the desk across from the bed, never lifting her head. Halfway across the room, the girl tripped over the corner of the carpet, stumbling and just barely catching herself on the edge of the desk.

"And this is the daughter of the infamous Striders?, Sirius thought unbelievingly, raising an eyebrow in disbelief at James. The brunette boy seemed to know exactly what he was thinking as he just shrugged and smiled in nonchalance.

Rolling his eyes, Sirius turned his attention back to Melanie to find her filling a syringe with clear liquid. When the plunger was full of the pain relieving elixir, Sirius held out his hand. "Give it to me.", he commanded.

Melanie furrowed her brow and opened her mouth to argue but instantly shut it. "You'll win anyways.", she muttered, reluctantly placing the syringe in his outstretched hand.

Sirius smirked. "At least she learned that.", he thought smugly as he eased the needle into the crease of his elbow.

The plunger met the base quickly and Sirius had to suppress a sigh but couldn't quite stop the content smile from spreading across his face. "Thank God for drugs."

"Whose the bloody addict now?", James taunted, nudging him in the side.

Irritated, he turned to tell James off but suddenly an ear shattering yell exploded from downstairs.

"MEL!", screeched the voice of Melanie's irritating red headed friend.

Shocked, Sirius' hand jerked and the hair thin needle snapped in half, the bottom portion still imbedded in his skin. "BLOODY FREAKIN HELL!", he shouted as blood welled from the wound, the broken needle glinting silver in the river of red.

"Padfoot!", Melanie cried rushing forward to assist him but Sirius turned away harshly, his back facing her as he swung his feet over the opposite side of the bed.

"Leave me alone.", he hissed, trying to staunch the blood flow and not pass out from the pain spiraling in his body from the sudden and drastic movements. She hadnt done anything but he needed an outlet for his anger and unfortunately, Melanie was the best candidate. "Buggering shite! What the hell was that? Well this is just brilliant! How the hell am I supposed to dig this bugger out now?", Sirius yelled internally.

"But…", she stuttered.

"I'd listen to him if I was you.", James supplied and after a indecisive moment he heard Melanie mutter a reluctant agreement before leaving the room, the lock audibly clicking into place. Silence ticked by, interrupted only by Sirius' enraged mutterings and pants before smothered laughter reached his ears.

Sirius' eye twitched. "Stop blooming laughing and get your arse over here and help!", he growled at the snickering James.

Still biting his, James walked around the bed to stand before the bleeding teen. "Sorry mate…it's not my fault Miss Strider makes you so flustered.", he cheekily replied, another shit eating grin worming its way onto his face.

A few seconds later, the house echoed with James' howl of pain and Sirius' familiar barking laughter.

So? :) If i get at least five good reviews, ill update faster :D and just so you know BIG revelations are coming up in the next chapter! :D So just press the little, pretty, button below and make my day :)