Author's Notes: Hope you like!
Chapter 21: Tonka Trucks and Owl Post
Kali,
HELP! I need to find a way to go looking at houses without making Mrs. Potter sob.
-Pad
Kalina giggled and scribbled back:
Pad,
You could just say that you wanted to go looking at houses…I'm sure she wouldn't mind.
-Kali
Sirius cringed, and hurriedly wrote back:
Kali,
You don't understand, Mrs. Potter thinks of me as another son. Granted, I think of her as the Mum I never had…but that's not the point. She'd bawl if I told her I wanted to live on my own…besides- they make the motorcycle stay outside, and I want to go buy a house for myself.
-Pad
Dipper flew into Kalina's room about an hour later, stuck his leg out and stalked off once Kalina removed the note. She rolled her eyes and grinned, grabbing her quill.
Pad,
Fine. Hehe. Sirius- would you like to go look at houses today? Mum and Dad wanted me to write anyway and ask you, The Potters, Moony, Worm and Mel and Lil to come for a BBQ tonight, along with anyone else you all want (see how I get out of inviting people?). We could get the rest of the Marauders and look at houses for you and then come back to my house and meet everyone for the BBQ. Owl me if you want to and I'll go shower and be over in about an hour, unless you want to come pick me up on that motorcycle (hehe, nudge nudge, hint hint). Oh, and if Mrs. Potter starts to cry, let me know and I'll floo over quickly.
-Kali
Kalina had to coax Dipper out of his nook and bribe him with lots of owl treats before he would consent to flying with the letter again. Dipper got to the Potters' house about an hour later, landing on the kitchen window, hooting softly. Sirius pulled the letter off of Dipper's leg, examined it quickly before showing it to James.
"You tell Mum…I'll get Moony, Worm and Lil and make Moon invite Mel…God speed Pad…god speed." James said hurriedly, not wanting to be around when Sirius spoke to his Mum.
Sirius walked over to Mrs. Potter who was reading in the den. James disappeared upstairs, planning on notifying Kalina immediately when the breakdown began.
"Morning!" he said cheerfully.
Mrs. Potter looked up over the top of her book, her reading glasses sliding down her nose, "Morning Sirius…" she said warily, "Where is James, what have you two done now? And what was it, short straw or rock, paper, scissors?"
"James, is up writing to Remus and Pete…oh…and Lilly." Sirius said, adding Lilly last to touch on her soft spot.
Her expression immediately softened, "Lilly? So this isn't some intricate plot?" she asked, smiling.
"Nope. Kal owled me this morning, and her parents asked for her to invite us all to a barbeque tonight. They invited you and Mr. Potter as well. And we figured," Sirius paused; this was the moment he was dreading.
"Oh a barbeque, that sounds lovely. But why are you all talking so early? Were you thinking of getting together today before meeting us for the barbeque?" she asked, interrupting Sirius, giving him a moment to prepare himself.
"Yeah…well…when Great-Uncle Alphard died…in his will he left me a number of things, including the ability to buy my own home…"
A small smile appeared on her face as her eyes began to tear, "I see…and?"
Damn, she's going to make me say this whole thing isn't she he thought to himself. "Well…Kal was thinking that maybe it would be fun to go look for a house today…to see if there is anything I like…I mean…I love you all…you're the family I never had…but I can't live here forever…I mean…I can…but I'm sure you wouldn't want me to do that…I eat a lot…and get annoying…and…but…" Sirius paused, he was babbling like he always did when trying not to upset anyone, "But I can't stay forever and I need to be able to learn to live on my own…and I kind of want to live on my own."
Mrs. Potter smiled, "Well…I can't say that I didn't see it coming…as long as you promise to visit, I won't say no…not that I can really; it's very sweet of you to ask. Anyway, I'm sure Kalina will take good care of you." she said, dabbing her eyes.
Sirius found the comment about Kalina interesting seeing as she wasn't going to be living with him unless he could convince her, and her parents to let her. "Well…umm…shall I tell Kal that you answer is 'yes' to the barbeque?"
"Oh, um, yes! Sounds lovely." Mrs. Potter said distractedly, smiling again.
"Well…I'm off to owl Kal back…umm…bye!" Sirius said, backing out of the room and rushing up the stairs to the room he was staying in.
James walked in seconds later, "Well?"
"Well what?" Sirius asked as he scribbled on a piece of paper.
"Well…did she sob? Did she try to get you to stay?"
"Nope. Just said that I better visit."
"I hope it's that easy when I move out."
"It won't be"
"Damn"
"Although, she does have a soft spot for Lilly."
James chucked a pillow at Sirius' head as Sirius let Dipper fly out the window. Sirius grabbed the pillow, "This means war."
An hour later, Dipper flew into his owner's bedroom where a wet-haired Kalina was brushing her hair out. He hooted and went and landed in front of her on her dresser.
"Thanks Dipper." she said, pulling the letter off of the owl's outstretched leg.
iKali,
She didn't sob! Happy dance! I'll be over in about 45 minutes to get you...I think I'll bring the bike…something told me that you might want a ride. James said that he'd meet us there with Worm and Moon. Lil and Mel can't come this morning, but they'll be at the BBQ. Oh, that reminds me, Mrs. Potter said that she and Mr. Potter would be there, so let's your parents know. You're a genius babe! This should be an interesting day.
-Pad
Kalina laughed and finished brushing out her hair. She then padded softly into the kitchen and picked up the Babbler- her parent's invention that they had come up with based on the muggle Telephone.
"Hi Mum!" Kalina said into the bottom of the Babbler, with the top of it up to her ear.
"Hello Kal! Did you write to Sirius?"
"Yup. They can all come, everyone. Oh, and Sirius wants to go house shopping today."
"What?"
Kalina laughed, "His great-uncle left him the ability to choose a house and he wants to go looking for one, and so we're all going."
Kelly let out an audible sigh of relief, "Just don't ever make me be the one to tell your father when you're actually choosing a home for you and whomever you marry."
Kalina laughed again, "No problem Mum. We'll be back by 6:30 latest. I have a distinct feeling that there may be a few more people coming, so maybe if we make some extra food…"
"I always do…I'll make enough for 5 extra."
"Brilliant. Well…Sirius will be here in about a half hour so I'll let you go now. Love you Mum."
"Love you too Kal. Don't forget to finish packing your knick-knacks before you go. We'll get those out this week."
"Yes Mum."
"Love you Kal. I know this will be hard, but just remember we love you too. See you tonight."
"Tonight." Kalina said, hanging up the Babbler on the wall hook.
She threw her head back and let out a sigh of frustration, she didn't want to have to talk to Sirius about this, but she was going to have to.
Kalina went into her room and charmed her hair dry, and then began placing her knick-knacks into a box, wrapping them in a bubble-wrap charm. When she was done, she got a head-start on the book shelves, figuring the more she had taken care of, the less she would have to do- thus giving her more time with Sirius.
Kalina jumped up and ran down the hallway as a knock sounded at the door. She wrenched open the door to see Sirius standing on the porch looking slightly put-out.
"What's the matter Pad?" she asked immediately.
Sirius sighed and side-stepped, revealing a tiny girl standing behind him, "Kali…my cousin Tonks…Tonks…Kal." he said, introducing them.
The little girl was as cute as could be, "Hi Tonks!" Kalina said, "So are we still going house shopping?" she asked Sirius.
"Yup. About 2 seconds after I sent Dipper out, Kaleidoscope came in through the window interrupting a crucial pillow fight. Andromeda needed me to baby-sit…and since I have back-up today, I figured I'd risk it."
Kalina raised an eyebrow at the "back-up" comment, "It can't be that bad." she said.
Sirius smiled grimly and then let out a bark-like laugh, "Just keep an eye on her hair." he said.
Kalina sighed, she knew better than to ask; he wasn't telling any more. "Let me go get my boots, then we can go."
She walked down the hallway back into her bedroom and slid on her boots, grabbing the leather backpack that she had for the day. She wrote a quick note to her Dad, realizing that her Mum probably wouldn't remember to tell him; especially if they were in different departments that day. Kalina went out onto the porch with Sirius and Tonks, shut and locked the door and then smiled at Sirius, "I'm ready when you are."
Sirius smiled back, "Let's go then. Tonks…lead the way."
The little girl ran down the steps to the driveway where a motorcycle stood propped up on its kick-stand. Sirius hopped onto the bike and Kalina lifted Tonks up so she could ride behind Sirius and in front of her. Kalina put a helmet on Tonks and then got on the back of the bike. Sirius started the bike, shifted a number of times and then took off into the air.
"I told the rest of the Marauders to meet us outside the Cauldron in the alley." Sirius yelled above the wind and the purr of the engine.
They landed just outside of London on a deserted street, somewhere near Grimmauld Place. They rode right up to the Cauldron and in the front door. Right inside the door was a new room that Kalina had never seen before; it was a room for the transportation devices of the wizarding community. There was a spot perfect for the bike and Sirius directed the bike into the spot, turning it off and returning the key to the chain he now wore around his neck. He got off the bike and picked up Tonks, letting Kalina get off. Tonks was dozing and Kalina took her and placed her on her left hip, letting Tonks' head rest on her shoulder. Sirius grabbed Kalina's hand and they left the room. The Cauldron was loud and slightly smoky, but Tonks slept through it all.
A shopkeeper that Sirius had made friends with the a few years before suddenly came out of one of the booths, "SIRIUS!" she exclaimed.
"Vena!" Sirius said, hoping that after a few pleasantries they would be on their way.
"Nice to see you again! And who is this? Where are your manners? Why don't you introduce me to your wife!"
Sirius grew slightly wide-eyed at this, "Oh…umm…well…see…she's…"
Kalina found this all very amusing, "Kalina. Kalina Black. You'd think he'd remember after this many years." she said, rolling her eyes.
Vena laughed, "Nice to meet you! You are beautiful! You two are absolutely adorable together! Good to see someone finally managed to get this one to get married; when I first met him I doubted anyone could ever get him to settle down, but I see he's met someone who can."
Vena laughed again, and Kalina laughed. Sirius laughed out of bafflement and amusement at the game Kalina was playing.
"Oh and who is this little angel?" Vena suddenly asked.
Both Kalina and Sirius remembered Tonks at the same second. What Sirius didn't realize was the little girl had just woken up because of the noise in the bar and the slightly obnoxious voice that Vena was using. Tonks sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily.
"Oh…" Kalina started.
"She's quite obviously your daughter! I mean, she has Sirius' hair and your eyes m'dear. And look at that nose, definitely her mother! Although, that face is definitely her father!" Vena exclaimed.
Sirius rocked back on his heels slightly; the world started dimming before he remembered to breathe. He looked over at his "daughter" to see that Tonks did indeed look rather like himself and Kalina. i"Oh damn."/i he thought to himself.
"Why aren't you three just the perfect family! And I must say, Kalina dear- whatever you did to lose the weight you gained with that one really worked! You don't look like you've ever been pregnant a day in your life. You take it slow now you two!" Vena said, her voice reaching a rather annoying volume.
At that moment, Tom the barman walked by and from the looks of it almost passed out. Kalina smiled politely, it was time for her to take care of her duties as a "wife" and get her "family" out of the present situation, "Well thank you! A healthy diet really does it all…anyway…It was lovely meeting you, but we really must be on our way, we have some house…um…shopping to do…some errands…all that fun stuff."
"Of course, of course. I mean, what else would a family being doing in Diagon Alley on such a beautiful Saturday if it weren't errands. It was lovely to meet your family Sirius. Kalina, a joy. And as for you little one…" Vena said, patting Tonks' cheek, "you are the sweetest thing I have ever seen…so beautiful!" she said, finishing with pinching the little girl's cheeks.
Tonks began to tear up, "Mummy…" she said softly in a sad voice.
"Oh dear…well…I'll let you go!" Vena said before disappearing as quickly as she had appeared.
Tonks let out a small sniffle, "Siri…" she said, reaching her arms out to Sirius, who took her hoping that it would keep the sobs at bay.
They quickly headed towards the back of the bar; hurrying so they wouldn't be stopped by anyone else. As they closed in on the exit, an angry Tom stood in front of the door, arms blocking their escape route.
"You two come with me!" he said, backing into the alley.
Tonks reached her arms out to Kalina, and Kalina took her from Sirius as they walked out the door.
"I can't believe you two!" Tom shrieked, "Not even 7th years and already with a family? How are you going to get through Hogwarts now? You should both know better than to…ahem…cough…cough…ahem!"
Sirius was taken very aback and Kalina tried to keep a sleepy Tonks from the shrieking fit she sensed was coming.
"Kal, I'll meet you in the alley." Sirius said, making Kalina open the wall and walk into the alley, "Tom…listen…"
"AHEM! I can't believe you!" Tom bellowed.
"TOM! That's my cousin! The little girl is my cousin! NOT my daughter…and you should know Kalina is not my wife! Vena just thought that! Besides…Tonks is 4! You just saw us not a month ago, obviously not married and no kids in sight."
Tom's face had a mixed look of pondering, confusion, and embarrassment on it, "You mean…you two aren't parents?"
Sirius sighed and inwardly rolled his eyes, "No."
"Oh. Well then. If you see Kalina's father…I'd suggest you run. Have a nice day!" Tom said, rushing into the bar.
Sirius opened the wall and headed out into the alley. James, Remus, Peter, Kalina and Tonks were all sitting at some tables at the soda fountain across the street.
"Kal…you should probably call you father." Sirius said, taking Tonks from Kalina.
"Oh sh-…he didn't!" Kalina exclaimed.
"Language. Yeah…Tom." Sirius said, hoping that Mr. Daniels couldn't get to the alley and find them too quickly.
Kalina pulled out a strange looking object and pressed a button on it.
"Hi Dad!" Kalina said.
She held the phone about a foot away from her ear and still covered her ear with her shoulder her father was yelling so loudly.
"DAD! Calm down!" Kalina said, getting up and walking around the corner going to explain the situation to her father.
"Soo…going to explain?" James asked in a bemused fashion.
"What?" Sirius asked distractedly, wondering if an Auror would attack someone holding a child.
"About why when our old friend Vena suddenly came out of a store Kalina shrieked 'Hide me!' and dove behind us…or perhaps about why this call to Kalina's dad was so important."
"Oh…that…well…" Sirius started.
He explained what had happened in the Cauldron and by the end of it; the Marauders were rolling on the ground laughing hard enough to break ribs.
They were still laughing five minutes later when Kalina came back and said to Sirius, "He understands now…and promises not to kill you…but I couldn't get you out of a stern talking to."
Sirius laughed in relief, "Well…as long as I get to live 'til tomorrow…"
It took about another 5 minutes to get Remus, Peter and James to stop laughing, by which time Kalina and Sirius had figured out where the realty office was and Tonks had woken up completely and was looking from one person to another with her eyebrows creased in a concerned manner.
Remus was the first to recover, "But Pad…Tonks there looks nothing like either of you…except Clips' blue eyes."
Sure enough, when everyone looked, a brown-haired, blue-eyed little girl gazed serenely back at them. Sirius sighed, "I gotta watch that hair." he mumbled, confusing everyone at the table.
Kalina smirked, "Well…let's get going…today's going to be a long one…I can see that already." she said, standing up and walking in the direction of the realty store.
James snickered, "Of course, iMrs. Black/i…whatever you say…wouldn't want your hubby to beat me senseless."
Kalina turned on her heel and met James nose to nose, "He won't have to…because we both know iI/i will." she said, smiling sweetly and then turning around again.
The rest of the group laughed and Tonks ran up to Kalina, reaching her arms up, asking to be picked up. They walked down the street, joking and laughing until they came to a sign that read: "BAPHM Realty" in bright silver letters with a purple background.
They walked in the door to find an immaculately decorated office and to hear the shriek of "KALINA!"
Kalina looked up from the brochure she had picked up and shrieked, "HANNAH!"
A beautiful woman came out from a back-room of the office and came up to Kalina. Sirius quickly grabbed Tonks before she got smushed in a hug. "Hannah! I haven't seen you since last year!" Kalina exclaimed excitedly.
"I know! How are your Mum and Dad?" Hannah asked.
"Oh they're doing great…busy as usual…said to tell you if I saw you that we love the house…and of course…with all that is going on with it right now…" Kalina said, trailing off, her tone apparent that it wasn't a topic to be spoken about that day, "So how is Tom?"
"Wonderful! He's doing so well in Med school right now…working on a new potion these days."
"That's great!"
"How may I help you today then?" Hannah asked.
"Well, I'll let Sirius explain to you what he's looking for and what the situation is."
"Alrighty. Come with me into this office and we'll look at some listings and we'll look up your great-uncle's file."
Sirius raised an eyebrow and Hannah laughed, "We've been waiting for this. Ever since the will went into effect, we figured we should have the file open. I'm sorry about the loss."
Sirius followed Hannah into a bright office that had dozens of pictures of homes on the walls.
Peter, Kalina, James, Remus and Tonks decided not to go into the office and opted to sit and either look at magazines, or in Tonks' case- build things with the building bricks that were out for little kids. Eventually, all 5 of them were playing with the blocks, reconstructing Hogwarts and the Shrieking Shack. Hannah came out of the office and went into the one across the hall, and came back with a foot high stack of papers.
"SHIT!" they heard Sirius exclaim as the pile was sat in front of him, and he started to look at what the papers were: house listings.
Hannah came out laughing a moment later, "Kal…I do believe he's going to need a pro-house-shopper to help here. Otherwise…I think he's going to drown."
Kalina laughed, "Be right back." she said to Tonks and the rest of the Marauders.
Sirius sat gaping at the large pile of papers in front of him, and Kalina could help but laugh a little. "Pad…lets go out into the front…we can have the other 3 help us look."
Sirius nodded mutely, it was the second time in a month that he was bombarded with paper in massive quantities. Kalina grabbed the papers and went out into the lobby with Sirius following behind her.
"Okay, what kind of house do you want?" she asked.
Sirius sat down on the floor by James, Peter and Remus and a thoughtful look crossed his face, "A wood-sided house…so it looks log…but isn't…a huge garage…lotsa bedrooms…and bathrooms I guess…a lot of land..."
"Okay…let's go with that first." Kalina paused and picked up her wand, aiming it at the stack of papers, "Ut is orator!"
Papers shot out of the pile, crumpling themselves into balls and flying into the trash bin. The pile was a quarter as large as it was before. "What else?" Kalina asked calmly, as though she did it every day.
"Umm…a big kitchen…umm…I dunno…what would you want in a house?" Sirius asked, finding a sly way to get her to help choosing.
"Probably wood floors…lots of windows…surrounded by pine trees…a cliff for the hell of it…with a beautiful view…lots of storage…a fireplace…a patio…definitely a big kitchen…big closets…secluded…very secluded…calm…out of town…"
Sirius picked up his wand, "Ut is orator!"
Three-quarters of what was left zoomed out of the stack, throwing the extras away.
"Any ideas mates?" Sirius asked.
"Pull barn" James said immediately.
"Fenced in" Remus said.
"Basement" Peter added.
"Oh…big great room…screw family and living rooms." Sirius suddenly added.
Kalina laughed, "Ut is orator!"
Three-quarters of the papers that were left zoomed away into the trash bin.
Hannah came over to the group, "I see we've narrowed down the houses."
Kalina hopped up off the ground and handed the brochures to Hannah, "Yeah…So can we go see them today?"
"Of course! While you all were working on finding the houses you wanted to look at, I got some transportation arranged. If you'll just follow me. I'll program it and we'll be on our way." Hannah said, heading towards a back office.
Hannah ran the brochures through a machine at the back and then messed with a few buttons on box on the wall.
"Here we go! The house-seeing-elevator!" Hannah exclaimed.
Two doors opened and the Marauders and Tonks stepped in with Hannah following them.
"We'll go to the ones nearest the office first…and work our way out."
There were buttons on the wall, all labeled with numbers starting from 1 and going up. Hannah pressed the first button and the elevator disappeared with a pop. Seconds later, they appeared again, but in front of a house.
Sirius stepped off first and gasped. Everyone else pushed off the elevator and stopped dead in their tracks. A ten story house loomed in front of them.
"No way" Sirius said, "It doesn't have a fence."
Kalina thought he was teasing and said, "Well…you can always have one put in…"
"Too right!" said James, catching Kalina's tone.
"Let's go look!" Sirius yelled, and ran up to the house.
The rest of the Marauders looked at each other in horror. Kalina picked Tonks up and put her on her back to give her a piggyback ride.
Sirius was already half-way up the first 5 flights of stairs. Peter, James, Remus and Kalina all walked over to the center and looked up to the top, seeing an unending staircase wrapped around the inside of the house. The staircases themselves had house elves head mounted and hung on the walls.
Kalina and James looked at each other, "Grimmauld Place." they stated simultaneously.
James and Remus bolted up the stairs after Sirius, plugging their ears after a strange haunting sound came to them. Both stopped when they felt their minds being tugged to come farther up the stairs, but a sensible part told them not to.
"CLIPS!" Remus yelled, "You'll have to come get him…quick! We can't go any farther."
Kalina was baffled by the statement, but figured she should get a move on. "Worm, watch Tonks…don't let her wander off."
Peter's eyes widened as Kalina ran up the stairs two at a time, "What the hell am I thinking?" she suddenly said aloud, and dissapparated with a crack.
She arrived seconds later a mere flight of stairs behind Sirius. She ran up the stairs as fast as humanly possibly. There was a door at the top of the last flight of stairs and Sirius was getting there quickly. Kalina ran and tackled him just before the door. Sirius looked at her with a strange, not-quite-all-there look and then pulled her head down and kissed her hard. Kalina rolled her eyes, and grabbing his wrist, disapperated. They arrived, standing, downstairs just before Remus and James got to the bottom of the flight of stairs. Kalina pushed Sirius away just a bit, not that she wasn't enjoying the situation, but they were getting teased badly enough that day as it was.
Sirius quickly realized what he was doing and backed away. Kalina turned bright red and started looking around; heading towards the kitchen for Tonks and Peter weren't at the bottom of the stairs anymore.
"Kal, they're out here!" Sirius yelled; he had left the house after Kalina had wandered into the kitchen.
Kalina got out of the house as quickly as she could, slamming the door behind her.
"What do you think?" Hannah asked.
The boys looked at one another, and Sirius shook his head, "It's not going to work."
"There seems to be a Siren upstairs."
Hannah's eyes widened, "That's new. The people who own this house are extremely strange…perhaps they added it. Ugh."
They filed back into the elevator, and Hannah pressed the next button. As they stepped out of the elevator, everyone cocked their heads to the side.
James found his words first, "It's pink."
"Yup" Sirius said.
"That's weird"
"Yup"
"Think it's pink inside?"
"Probably"
They walked into the house anyway, holding their breath as they walked over the threshold. Kalina spun on her heel and got out of the house as fast as possible; James, Remus, Peter and Tonks right on her heel. Sirius only lasted moments longer before he sprinted out the door back into the elevator.
The next five or so houses went just a bit quicker, and after that, the doors of the elevator would open and they would know at first glance whether or not the house was interesting enough or not to go look at.
They had been at it for about 3 hours- James, Remus, Peter and Tonks we all sitting in the back of the elevator having competitions over how long each person could hold their breath. Hannah pushed the third to last button on the wall, and when the door opened, Kalina gasped.
Everyone turned to see a beautiful wood house. It was exactly what they had all described earlier in the day, down to the "cliff for the hell of it".
"I'll ta-"Sirius began, before Kalina clapped her hand over his mouth.
"Let's go take a look everyone."
Kalina picked up a sleepy-eyed Tonks and walked off the elevator. Sirius followed her, and Peter, James and Remus followed. The house was completely surrounded by beautiful pine trees, and the light from the setting sun streaked through. Sirius opened the door to the house and was awe-struck. The entryway had hard-wood floors and had a clear view to the back of the house where light was streaming in the window. There was an archway entrance into a room on the left of the entryway.
They walked into the room to find a dinging room area that had a small arched doorway that led to the kitchen. The dining room had a dimming light switch with a simple hanging fixture. Kalina carried Tonks into the kitchen. The kitchen was hardwood just like they had seen thus far in the rest of the house. The countertops were a cream color and the cabinets were cedar. Kalina set Tonks down on the countertop next to the sink as she crouched down to check out the drawers. Sirius walked in, and noticed a slightly mischievous look on Tonks' face. He looked at her hands which held a little sprayer and the water was running.
Sirius had enough time to think, i"Damn"/i, before he was completely drenched in water.
Tonks looked up at Sirius with big huge puppy dog eyes, "Sorry."
Sirius looked at his pink-haired cousin and said, "I'll give you a five second head start…go."
Tonks took off around the corner giggling and screaming.
Kalina stood up and put the sprayer away, looking at Sirius curiously. She cocked her head at him, but rolled her eyes at him in the end, "Pad…let's just go look at the rest of the house…mmm-k?"
Suddenly, Sirius took off through the great room with its great big windows that showed the view off of the cliff, for the trees cleared just a little ways from the deck and showed the view to the edge. He slid on the wood floors as he rounded a corner and sprinted down the hall. He passed 7 secondary bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.
Tonks was giggling and skidding around corners until she found the stairs. She ran down them as fast as she could and saw Remus. She ran up behind him and hid behind his knees, burying her face into the back of his knees with her arms wrapped tightly around them. "Don't let him get me!" she squealed as they heard Sirius pound down the hallway upstairs.
Sirius meanwhile rushed past closets and the master bedroom that was at the end of the hallway on the left while he rushed down the stairs to the basement on the right. Sirius rounded the corner and only saw Remus downstairs. Kalina came up just behind him and sat down on the bottom step.
"Where's Tonks?" Sirius asked, panting.
Remus evaluated Sirius' condition and then he took one look at the pink-haired figure behind him and then he looked back to his friend who was advancing toward him menacingly, water dripping from his hair and boots. He turned back to the little girl, "You did this?"
She smiled evilly and nodded.
Remus snickered, "I should have known."
"Where'd the little hooligan go?" Sirius asked.
Tonks squealed and hugged Remus' legs tighter, "I haven't seen her."
"I just need to talk to her about responsible pranking…not pranking the one who taught her all she knows."
"And all you know…" Remus muttered.
"What?"
"Nothing…Padfoot…you can't prank a 4 year-old."
"She's not a 4 year-old! She's a mini-Marauder…all minis are fair game!"
"Pad…I think you've lost your mind…she's 4!"
"So?"
"Pad…c'mon…you feeling the need to reek revenge on a 4 year-old?"
Sirius thought for a moment, mumbled something about "Just wanting to teach her a lesson." but then turned around and said, "Well, let's go and finish looking around."
Sirius headed towards a door at the right side of the basement, and as Kalina got up to go, Tonks came around to the other side of Remus.
"Thank you Remy!" she said sweetly, hugging him tightly, "I love you!" she said, and kissed him on the cheek.
Then she ran out the door.
Kalina walked over to Remus and said, "Come on Moon…and stay away from Tonks…wouldn't want Mel to get upset with you."
Remus laughed and followed Kalina through the door that Sirius had passed through. They looked around the garage and found Tonks running from Sirius.
Tonks ran and jumped into Remus' arms and Kalina went and grabbed Sirius' arm. Remus took Tonks and snuck out leaving Kalina and Sirius alone. They finished looking in the garage and then went back upstairs where James, Peter, Tonks and Remus were waiting, talking among themselves.
"Wanna go look around outside?" Sirius asked the group.
James shrugged, and Peter quickly copied, as Remus said "Sure." and Tonks grabbed Kalina's fingers.
They went out to the grounds and found a pull-barn. There was a loft area for extra storage, and the area underneath the loft had shelves and hooks to hang things up. The pull-barn was huge, and Sirius, Remus, Peter and James' eyes lit up with excitement at the pranks they could plan and test in there.
As the boys began to gape and plot, Kalina walked with Tonks out past the tree line. Tonks found a snail on the ground just by the trees and refused to go a step farther.
"I wanna put it in my pocket!" she said, jutting out her lower lip, and looking mournfully at Kalina.
"Tonks, if you put it in your pocket, it'll smush, and then he'll be gone forever."
"It's a girl. Not a boy. Boys are icky."
"What about Remus?"
Tonks giggled, "He has cooties too."
"What's the snail's name then?" Kalina asked.
Tonks had a thoughtful look on her face, "Hmm…her name is…is…Confetti."
Kalina stifled a laugh, "I see…so…would you like to stay right here with Confetti, or come with me?
"I'm gonna stay with Confetti…I don't want her to get lonely."
"Okay then. But you may not move from this tree. If you want to come out to where I am, you need to tell me okay?" Kalina said
"Okay!" Tonks said, squatting down and picking up her snail.
Kalina walked out to the cliff, and a beautiful breeze blew around her. The air was cool, and Kalina felt at home. She looked down off the edge of the cliff, and saw it dropped straight down into a canyon that snaked through the bottom. There were other ledges all around, but the one she was standing on seemed to be the only one that was really accessible. There was a small trail that was about 2 or 3 feet wide that led down the side of the cliff. Kalina made a mental note to go check it out later. A bird of prey screamed high above the canyon walls, and Kalina felt the part of her that loved the stars soar on the wings of the bird.
A sound pierced the silence: "EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!"
Kalina turned and her heart dropped into her stomach as her eyes focused on a purple-haired blur come streaking towards her. And the cliff.
The heads of the four boys turned as a shriek full of fear filled the air.
The blood drained from Sirius' face and he ran out of the pull barn towards the origin of the scream; James, Peter and Remus following Sirius out of the barn.
Sirius sprinted through the trees, his heart pounding and the bitter taste of fear filling his mouth. He knew the scream, it wasn't the giggly shriek he had heard moments before, which he could tell without question had come from his cousin. The scream was full of fear, and he knew it was Kalina's scream. She never screamed; even when something dangerous was going on, and with each thud from his boots his mind came up with more and more thoughts about what had made her scream.
He burst through the trees onto the cliff, and skidded to a halt- Remus, James and Peter coming up right behind him.
Kalina was sitting on the edge of the cliff with her legs dangling off the edge. Her arms were wrapped around a silver-haired child who was fighting tooth and nail to get away from her- in the direction of the drop to the canyon floor.
Sirius pushed his hair out of his face and walked over to Kalina. Once the pounding in his head subsided, he realized that Tonks was sobbing. He went up behind Tonks and grabbed her securely in his hands, holding her close. As Tonks sobbed into his shoulder, he put his hand out for Kalina, and pulled her to her feet.
"CONFETTI!" Tonks sobbed into his ear.
James looked at Kalina, "Confetti?" he asked as Sirius tried to calm his cousin.
"Her snail. She found this snail out by the trees. Named it Confetti. I told her to stay right there, and walked over here. Next thing I hear, she shrieks and comes running at the cliff. I caught her in my arms, and had to sit down she was fighting my hold so hard. She threw the damn snail over the cliff."
"CONFETTI!" sobbed Tonks again.
Kalina went and slid her arms through Sirius' and grabbed Tonks. She lifted Tonks out of Sirius' arms and went and sat down by the trees, patting Tonks' back lightly.
James, Peter, Remus and Sirius went over to the edge of the cliff and looked down towards the bottom.
"That's not a fall I'd want to have." Peter said darkly.
James let out a low whistle and ruffled his hair.
They all looked up at each other, "Let's go down!" they said in unison.
Sirius walked away for a moment and went over to Kalina and Tonks. Tonks had stopped crying, but her lower lip was still jutted out and her eyes were still watery. Tonks stuck her hands in her pocket, and then reached up to Sirius, asking to be picked up. Sirius moved to pick her up, and she smushed her fingers into his shirt and then stuck them in her pockets quickly as Sirius picked her up. As her head came level with his, Tonks pulled her hands out of her pockets and then, did something that made the Marauders gasp. She ran her hands through Sirius' hair. She giggled, and Sirius smiled accommodatingly at her. He went to fix his hair and gasped; he pulled his fingers down to find them covered in peanut butter.
Kalina bit her lip hard, but James, Remus and Peter were rolling. Tonks giggled at Sirius' predicament, and said to him, "Siri…you look funny with peanut butter in your hair."
James, Peter and Remus started laughing even harder at the nickname that Tonks used for Sirius, but Sirius didn't notice. He just stood staring at his fingers.
James recovered first, "Let's go down the path here." he said, starting down the trail Kalina had noticed minutes before.
Sirius set Tonks down, and she ran over to Remus. "What am I supposed to do about this peanut butter!" Sirius asked
"According to the brochure," James said, pulling it out of his pocket with a flourish, "Down the trail there is, and I quote, 'A lovely spring with cliffs for diving and jumping pleasure.' Thus, mate; there'll be water for you and your hair."
Sirius' face brightened, "Alright, let's go."
He turned around to Kalina as the other Marauders started down the trail with Tonks. She was fairly pale, her hands were shaking and her lip looked as though it were going to bleed.
"Kali?" he asked, crouching down in front of her, eyebrow quirked.
"That was the single scariest most moment of my entire life." she said, her voice a whisper.
Sirius quirked an eyebrow at her, "Tonks coming at the cliff?" he asked.
"You wouldn't believe how the world slowed down as I saw that little girl come running at the cliff…I thought she was going to jump, not understanding what would have happened…" her voice trailed off, and Sirius almost see her thinking about what could have happened if Tonks had flown off the edge, "What if I hadn't caught her?"
Sirius pulled Kalina off the ground and pulled her into his arms, causing her to laugh a little bit. Sirius was slightly confused, "Hey? What's so funny?"
Kalina stepped back, showing him her shirt which was also covered in peanut butter from the hug. Sirius pulled her into a tighter hug, and grinned, "Don't think about 'What if'- you caught her and that's all that matters. Now…let's go…this peanut butter is starting to get crunchy in the sun."
They ran down the path, skidding and slipping on loose gravel until they came up behind the other Marauders and Tonks who were all casually hiking down the trail. They turned a corner that led down under an arch that led into a cave of sorts. The cave had no ceiling and was very open, and had 100 foot sheer walls on three sides. There were steps carved into the cliff side on their left, leading down to the water. They cliff extended out about 10 feet and then took at least a 25 foot drop. They noticed a cliff that was a little bit higher and one that was a little lower with about a 10 foot drop.
Remus picked up Tonks, and the group moved towards the edge of the cliff. Kalina and Sirius edged in front of the group a bit, and James and Peter exchanged an evil look.
"One" mouthed James.
"Two" Peter mouthed, reaching his arms out.
"Three" James said aloud, ramming his outstretched hands into Sirius' back as Peter rammed his hands into Kalina's back.
They both went off the edge, flailing their arms as the water quickly approached. With a loud splash they both hit the water.
James, Peter and Remus all looked at each other.
"7?" Peter proposed.
"Nah…8.7" Remus said, gazing at the water.
"No, no, no…I'd give them a 9.8…I mean…simultaneous…relatively small splashes for this size drop…no screaming…and if we give them any lower of a score…there is a good chance that our deaths will be just a bit more painful."
Remus nodded, "Too right mate…too right."
Kalina and Sirius resurfaced, and Kalina rolled her eyes, "Pad…you still have peanut butter in your hair."
Sirius went back underwater as Kalina swam for the shore, pulling herself up onto the little flat area that then gave-way to the staircase. She twisted the water out of the front of her shirt, and twisted the water out of her hair only to be sprayed again as Sirius got out of the water and shook his head like a dog. Kalina glared at him as her bangs dripped water into her eyes and the rest of her clothing dripped large dollops of water onto the dirt. Sirius grinned and went to wipe a drop of water off her face that had landed on her face when he shook his hair. His finger went up to her face, and she pushed hard against his chest, making him stumble backwards towards the water as she grinned mischievously. He smirked, grabbed her around the waist just as he completely lost his balance and fell back into the water, bringing her with him.
Sirius came up first and Kalina came up moments later, a look to kill in her eyes. Sirius pulled himself out of the water just as Kalina did. He pushed her back in and began running up the stairs, draining water from his hair and clothes as he ran. Kalina resurfaced, calmly got out of the water and walked tranquilly up the stairs, dripping the whole way.
As Sirius reached the top of the stairs James turned and said, "We gave you a 9.8 on that first splash…but that second one…tsk tsk tsk…6…and that was generous."
Sirius cocked an eyebrow at James, but turned around to see Kalina almost at the top of the steps. He backed slowly away as he caught sight of the evil glint in his girlfriend's eye, "Now Kali…Kal…you wouldn't want to push me off would you?"
From the evil smirk that graced her wet face, Sirius found his answer. Kalina quickly wiped her face of all emotion and walked towards Peter first. Peter subconsciously backed towards the edge of the cliff with each step Kalina took. Peter passed James and James joined Peter in backing away from Kalina. Peter went off first, yelping as the drop had come up on him unexpectedly. James had turned to watch Peter's splash, and found himself in the air after Kalina pushed him off.
Kalina turned around, and her sight settled on Remus.
"Now 'Clips…I didn't do anything…I don't have to be pushed off…shit…" he said as Kalina advanced towards him.
Remus set Tonks down and decided to back towards the ledge where everyone else had jumped.
She came up within three feet of him as he stood on the ledge. Remus stopped for a moment as asked, "Alright with you if I jump?"
Kalina shrugged, she didn't care how he went over the cliff as long as everyone was wet. Remus jumped off, whooping as he went down.
Sirius was sneaking out as Kalina turned her gaze back to him. She got in the way of his escape and he gave her a pleading look, "Please?" he asked.
"Nope."
"Please?"
"Uh-uh."
"Please."
"No way in hell."
"Please?" he asked one last time.
Kalina rolled her eyes and reached out to his stomach at started to tickle him. Sirius tried valiantly to control his laughter and not to back up, but couldn't get away. He kept backing up closer and closer to the edge of the cliff. He was standing right on the edge as he said to her, "Kali…c'mon…please?"
"Nope." she said sweetly, tickling him again as he stepped backwards and fell towards the water laughing. Tonks had snuck down the stairs, and Kalina noticed that she was heading towards the smaller cliff. Kalina ran down the steps and grabbed Tonks, "Here…let's go down to the bottom, then you can come swimming with us."
"Okay." she said, an evil grin spreading across her face.
Kalina took Tonks to the bottom the stairs and let her run towards the water. The three boys who had been swimming towards the side watched as Tonks jumped, ready to be there in a split second if she needed help.
Sirius snuck out of the water after Tonks had swum over to James and Remus, grabbed Kalina around the middle and threw her into the water. She came up and swam over to the edge, holding her hand out for him to help her out. He fell for it and reached his hand out to her; Kalina grabbed it, and yanked him into the water.
"Oldest trick in the book Pad…jeez!" she said playfully, sticking her tongue out at him.
After a few more minutes of swimming around, they all went and got out of the water, and Kalina went to cast drying spells on everyone.
Everyone was dry except Sirius and herself, and as she went to cast the spell on Sirius, he stopped her. "I'm going to go jump off one last time." he said, and ran up the stairs.
Everyone was confused but ran after Sirius; he didn't stop at the main cliff, but proceeded to the highest one. Kalina rushed after Sirius and came to a halt on the cliff beside him.
"It's a long way down…" she said softly, her voice wavering a bit.
"I'm gonna jump…This is gonna hurt…" he said, saying the last part softly- almost to himself.
He stepped toward the edge and Kalina grabbed his hand and stepped forward with him. Sirius turned and looked at her quizzically.
Kalina smiled and shrugged, "You jump I jump."
Sirius grinned and they both jumped at the same time, flying through the air. They were enveloped in water at the same moment. They swam over to the side, pulling themselves out of the water, and then walked slowly up the stairs.
"That looked painful." James said, smirking.
Sirius looked at him, "There are going to be bruises galore tomorrow Prongs." he said, grimacing as Tonks came and poked his leg.
They left the cavern, opting to go back to the house rather than proceed farther down the trail. They chatted about the house as the trucked back up the trail, but Sirius was unusually quiet.
They walked through the trees, past the pull barn, and back into the house. Sirius went and looked around again, stopping and gazing out the big front window at the sun before turning around and saying to Hannah, "I'll take it!", his face showing how pleased he was.
"Alright then!" Hannah said enthusiastically.
With a snap of her fingers, a quill and some parchment appeared and she brought them over to Sirius. They went into the kitchen so Sirius had a place to sign, and after a few moments of looking over the contract that said basically that Sirius would take the house as it was, so on and so forth, Sirius signed the contract with flourish.
The parchment disappeared, and Hannah turned to Sirius and shook his hand, "Congratulations Mr. Black! And welcome to your new home!"
She handed Sirius a key and they all headed towards the door. Everyone else went to the elevator, but Sirius said, "One second mates, I want to look at something."
The group shrugged, and continued to head to the elevator. They waited for a few moments and then Kalina went back inside.
She found Sirius looking out the front windows with a glazed look on his face. Kalina came up behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist and resting her chin on his shoulder. "Hey there Tiger." she said softly.
Sirius sighed, "Hey babe."
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"Just thinking."
"'Bout what?"
"How perfect this house is."
"Pad…how perfect uyour/u house is."
"Yeah…my house…" he said musingly.
"Ready to go?"
"Yup."
They left the house- Sirius locking the front door and hanging the key on the chain around his neck along with the motorcycle key.
They walked off the front porch and headed back to the elevator. Sirius stood in the front of the elevator looking back at the house. "iMy house/i." he thought to himself, smiling.
The elevator doors closed, and they were transported back to the realty office. Sirius had Hannah make copies of the key and Kalina invited Hannah to come over with Tom if they wanted for barbeque that night, before they left the office. Kalina pulled an object out of her purse, pushed a few buttons and then put it up to her ear.
"Hi Mum!" she said, "Yup…Fine thanks…Yes-it's beautiful! You'll have to have Sirius tell you all about it…Hannah showed us around…Yup…Tom's Hannah…I invited them to dinner…How did Sirius do? Oh just fine- he got better at it…Do you need anything before we come home?"
She paused, grabbed a piece of parchment and a quick-quote-quill, sucked on the end, and then handed them both to Sirius.
"Desserts: Pie, cookies, ice cream. Red wine…and brown sugar…" she said, and the quill scribbled away, "Got it. We'll be there shortly."
They walked down towards Ollivander's. There was a food shop near the apothecary, and Kalina went in.
She came back out about 10 minutes later as the clock struck 4. She handed the bag to Sirius, sticking her tongue out at him as she picked up the pink-haired four-year-old who was reaching up for her. They walked back to The Cauldron and as Kalina was telling Peter, James and Remus where to floo to, a highly obnoxious screech of, "Sirius!" filled their ears.
"Oh shit." Sirius swore.
Kalina turned around, a fake smile of happy surprise plastered on her face, "Vena!" she said, her voice artificially peppy.
"Darling!" Vena drawled- the firewhiskey bottle in her hand explaining the slight slur in her voice, "How old is that darling child of yours?"
"4..but we really must be going." Kalina said, trying to back away.
Vena wrapped an arm around Kalina's shoulders and said, "You…you're…HICCUP!...a lucky woman…HICCUP!...some women don't get the chance to have a…HICCUP!...life with their soul mate…HICCUP!...and have a…HICCUP!...family with them…HIC!...lives end…HIC!...early…HIC!...but life goes on…" Vena hiccupped.
Peter, Sirius, Remus and James stood there gaping as Vena babbled and Kalina seemed to grow pale.
Kalina's head began to throb, she felt a little sick to her stomach, "We have to go…NOW!" Kalina said, panic lacing her voice.
Peter, Remus and James flooed away quickly and Sirius grabbed an unsteady Kalina around the waist as she held tightly to a yellow-haired Tonks. Vena continued to babble after them as Sirius guided Kalina around tables to the closet where the bike was.
Suddenly Kalina said, "You know- if Tonks really was our daughter…and everything else was the same…like our ages…we would have had to have been ijust/i 12 years old when I got pregnant…and almost 13 when I had her." her voice was faraway, and her breathing was unsteady.
Sirius stopped what he was doing and gazed at Kalina in a very concerned manner; she was pale and her eyes were very dark- almost black, and slightly glazed. "Kali? What's wrong baby?"
Kalina shook her head slightly and although she was still pale and her eyes still dark, they were clear again. "Huh? I'm fine…let's go…please?"
Sirius cocked an eyebrow at her, but got on the bike anyway, taking the key from the chain and starting the bike as Kalina set Tonks behind Sirius and climbed on. They rode through the streets until they got near Grimmauld Place again and then took off into the air. Sirius glanced over his shoulder at Kalina and put a hand back to her, grabbing one of hers and squeezing it reassuringly; she squeezed his hand back, but not in her usual way- it was much weaker.
They arrived back at Kalina's house about 20 minutes or so later; Sirius brought the bike right up by the garage door and turned off the bike.
Kalina picked Tonks up and Sirius grabbed the grocery bag before they headed up the stairs to the front door. Kalina opened the door and they walked into the front hall. She took off her boots and helped Tonks take off her shoes; Sirius slid his boots off and followed Kalina into the kitchen where the heavy smell of marinating meat wafted from.
Kelly came out of the kitchen and smiled at the three, "Hello! Hello Sirius! Leo wanted to talk to you, he's on the back deck…Oh, James, Remus and Peter are there as well…Leo is probably telling them a story."
"Um…where should I put the grocery bag?" Sirius asked a bit sheepishly.
"Oh…let's see…just plop it on the counter…Thanks so much!" she said, grabbing some wine glasses and something to uncork the wine bottle with, "And this must be Tonks!" Kelly said, noticing the orange-haired girl in her daughter's arms.
Tonks grinned and reached for Kelly.
"Come here sweetheart…we'll find you a snack…" Kelly said, taking Tonks and heading towards the pantry.
"Just not peanut butter Mum!" Kalina said suddenly, still not looking like herself, but definitely sounding more like herself.
They heard Kelly laugh and acknowledge Kalina's plea before they went out onto the back deck where Leo was sitting, telling some story to the rest of the Marauders who looked enthralled by the tale that was being retold to them. Mr. and Mrs. Potter were sitting, and Mr. Potter seemed to be helping Leo retell the story.
Kalina went up behind her dad and kissed him on the cheek, "Hi Dad!" she said, giving him a hug.
"Hey there kiddo! Here…pull up a hammock…we're telling one of your favorite stories!"
Kalina pulled a hammock over and motioned for Sirius to come over as she plopped down onto the hammock. Sirius sat listening to the story about school and Quidditch games, rocking slowly with Kalina until Kelly called for her from the kitchen.
Kalina walked into the kitchen and found her mum talking to Lilly, Mel, Hannah, Tom and two people who she could only assume were Tonks' parents. Lilly and Mel chatted with Kalina for a few minutes before they went out onto the deck. Hannah and Tom joined the ever-growing group outside a few minutes later and Kalina and Kelly kept chatting with Andromeda and Ted until Kelly convinced them to stay for dinner. Once everyone was out on the deck, Kelly turned to Kalina, "Hun, you don't look like you're feeling so well."
"I'm fine Mum…just had one of those moments today…still feeling it a bit."
Kelly smiled at Kalina before giving her a hug. "Why don't you show your friends around the grounds?"
Kalina smiled, "Sounds good." she said before heading out to the deck, "Want to go for a walk anyone?"
The rest of the Marauders, Lilly, Mel and Tonks stood up, and came over to Kalina. She opened the gate to the stairs that led off the deck and started to go down when her dad called her name.
"Kal…the dogs are out…I think they're playing in the mud."
"Thanks Dad!" Kalina said before proceeding down the stairs.
The group kept close behind her and just before they turned the corner to head down the second flight of stairs when a rumbling and clattering could be heard.
"Here they come…" Kalina said in an amused voice.
Two wolf-like dogs rounded the bend and came running up to Kalina. They bowled her over, licking her face and then moving back farther in the group. Suddenly, a third, younger looking dog rounded the corner and joined the other two. Kalina managed to get a hand through the collar on the youngest one, and Sirius got the collars of the other two which calmed the three dogs down a great deal.
"Akiak…Zeak…Denali…come on pups." Kalina said as the group got to the bottom of the stairs.
Kalina grabbed three chains and hooked them to the collars of the dogs, handing two of the chains to Sirius and taking the young dog for herself. They walked around the grounds until they came to a massive space of land that was mud- pure, sticky, messy, gooey mud. Tonks' eyes widened with joy, and Remus just managed to grab her before she took off into the mud.
"What's this for?" Sirius asked, waggling his eyebrows at Kalina until she gave him and incredulous look and smacked him hard in the stomach.
"You'll know in just a minute…come here…I want to show you all my baby…" she said, turning and walking to the left.
Everyone turned and looked at Sirius with looks of curiosity on their faces. Sirius held his hands up in surrender, "I didn't do it!" he joked and quickly went after Kalina- the dogs tagging along after him.
The rest of the group followed and the arrived at about the same time as Kalina and Sirius at a large barn.
"Usually I keep it in the garage…but Daddy moved it out here because we had a barn."
She threw the doors open, and in front of them sat a massive truck that was lifted up and set on humongous mudhogs. "My baby." Kalina stated fondly, motioning to the truck.
"So…" Mel began, "Mud…the truck…SWEET!" she suddenly exclaimed
Kalina smiled a mischievous smile and the others began to catch on. The truck wasn't in perfect condition- far from it in fact. Many parts were dented in, and there were long scratches in the paint, the running boards were dented and the headlights were cracked, the front bumper was bent in and the whole truck was caked in mud. "It's gorgeous isn't it? Ready for a ride?" Kalina asked, gazing lovingly at the black, mud-caked vehicle.
Kalina took the chains from Sirius and led the dogs into the kennel that ran along the barn. Kalina climbed up on the tire, grabbed the open window and edged along the running boards until she got just behind the driver-side door and she swung it open, sliding into the driver seat and sliding the key off the clip that was hooked to her belt loop. Sirius handed Tonks up to Kalina, and she strapped Tonks into the seat next to her. James gave Lilly a boost up into the back, and Remus did the same for Mel. Peter tried to clamber up one of the tires but kept slipping; James and Remus had already hopped into the bed of the truck and strapped in to the seats in the back, so Kalina leaned down and grabbed his hand. Peter grabbed her wrist and Kalina pulled him up so he could edge along the running boards and strap-in in the back.
Kalina turned the key over, started the truck and put it into drive. She slowly pulled out of the barn, "Everyone strapped in?" Kalina asked over the noise of the engine.
When everyone had either nodded or yelled their assent, Kalina turned to Sirius, "Keep an eye on Tonks…this'll get extremely bumpy."
Kalina flipped on the radio and "Summer of '69" came on over the speakers; she hit the gas and the truck They ran over rocks and stumps straight towards the mud. Peter figured out where they were going and said, "Clips…the windows…the windows are down!"
Kalina turned for a split second and smiled, "Yup. Stuck that way too!"
She stepped harder on the gas and they plowed into the mud, spraying everyone in the truck. Kalina slowed up, and turned to look at James and Remus who were looking in the rear window, covered from head to toe in mud. She grinned and sped up again throwing the truck into turns and singing along to the song on the radio. Mud was spraying everywhere, but Kalina looked unhappy with what was going on. "Pad…open the door…I don't think it's throwing enough mud." Kalina said, sounding genuinely concerned about the amount of mud that was flying through the air.
Kalina opened her door just as Sirius did and they both stuck their heads out, looking down. When they came back up, Lilly, Mel, Peter and Tonks starting laughing madly- their faces were coated in mud.
"Throwing enough Kal?" Sirius asked, wiping mud off of his face.
"Yeah…for now." Kalina said in the most serious tone she could muster as she wiped the mud from her face and flung it at Sirius.
For a half-hour they drove around, flinging mud into the air, getting covered in mud. Tonks was giggling and squealing the whole time as she threw mud this way and that. Kalina flipped on the windshield wipers and kept the mud off as best she could. They only got stuck once, in the middle of the field of mud. The Marauders had hopped out of the truck and Kalina had trudged through the mud with the cable from the winch and hooked it to a post that was on the outskirts of the mud. Sirius had flipped the winch on and they guided the truck out, getting covered in even more mud if it was possible. As the sun set they drove slowly back to the barn and Kalina parked the truck. They all hopped out, laughing and joking, scraping as much mud as they could off before they got the dogs out of the dog run. Kalina let them out but didn't put them on their chains; instead she let them run out in front of the group.
When they got back to the house the adults were all chatting and drinking red wine. Leo sighed, and smiled good-naturedly as he stood up and went and grabbed the garden-hose that was by the house. Kelly went and grabbed a wash-tub to fill up with water and led the group over to the other side of the deck and Leo sprayed everyone down. Tonks refused to hold still, and Sirius ended up wrangling her into the wash-tub and managed to get covered in mud again. Sirius tried to rinse the mud off of Tonks, but was only succeeding in getting wet.
"Tonks! Hold still!" Sirius said, trying not to yell.
Tonks giggled, "Nope! You need to be wet, wet, wet Siri!"
Kalina walked over, "Want some help?"
"Please?" Sirius asked.
Kalina knelt down beside Sirius, but Tonks only saw this as one more target to get wet. Sirius turned his head for a split second and Tonks grabbed the hose and turned it on Kalina and Sirius, drenching them from head to toe. Eventually they managed to get all the mud off of Tonks and then set her free to bother Ted and Andromeda.
"Anyone want a sweater?" Kalina asked before she went inside.
A number of people threw their hands into the air, and Kalina grabbed Sirius and pulled him after her. They walked down the hall towards a black door and Kalina opened it.
"Here…help me grab some sweaters…and blankets…and pillows…" Kalina said, noticing things that she would inevitably be told to go get at some point in the evening.
"There's a lot of boxes in your room…" Sirius mused, looking at empty shelves with rings of dust from where knick-knacks had previously sat, and then looking at the boxes stacked in corners and at the end of her bed
"Um…yeah…well…" Kalina stumbled, looking under her bed for something.
"Well?" Sirius asked- a feeling of foreboding settling uncomfortably in his stomach.
"Um…can we talk about this later?" she asked, looking farther under her bed.
Sirius went over to the other side of the bed, and pulled on her feet- pulling her out from under the bed, "Kali." he said, looking in her dark blue eyes.
"Mum and Dad…they've been transferred…again."
Sirius pushed a strand of hair out of Kalina's eyes, "Which means?"
Kalina sighed and looked away from Sirius' gaze, "Which means that we'll be moving…about two weeks before we would head back to the school."
Sirius pulled her into his arms in a tight hug- he had no clue as to what to say to Kalina's sudden announcement, and so he just sat there with her.
Someone knocked on the door, and then let themselves in. Mel came over and smiled, "The parents are getting antsy…you should probably come out now."
Sirius and Kalina stood up, and the three split the sweaters, pillows and blankets among themselves and then they headed back out onto the deck.
The adults were making up plates of food and had setup another table for the teens and Tonks to sit at for dinner. They ate while chatting away about the summer, and Sirius' new house. Sirius didn't bring up the topic of Kalina moving again, he didn't want to think about it at that moment- there was too much going on.
They were munching on desserts when all of a sudden an owl flew over to the adults and it dropped a letter into the pudding. They all jumped up and gathered around the letter. Nymphadora and Ted came and grabbed Tonks.
"We'll send you some money tomorrow Sirius. Thanks for you help today!" and with that, they disapperated.
Kalina looked at her parents, took a deep breath and nodded.
Mr. Potter spoke up first, "Kids…we need you to stay here…we'll be back soon. Don't leave…and if anyone besides us comes here, get to the barn."
With that, the adults were gone. The group looked from one to another, and Kalina grinned, "Want to drag the hammocks around the television?"
"The what?" Peter asked.
"Mum and Dad decided to buy a muggle television…thought it was a good idea. We run it off magic..."
"Sure!" Lilly and Mel said at the same time.
James and Sirius went and moved the television out onto the deck and Kalina went in and grabbed a movie.
There were four hammocks on the deck and the boys dragged them over to the television as the girls took the food inside the house. They piled blankets and pillows onto the hammocks and Kalina put the movie into the television and pressed play. "What's the movie?" Lilly asked.
"Blazing Saddles." Kalina laughed and she made Sirius scoot over in the hammock.
She snuggled close under his arm, her foot out pushing the hammock back and forth softly. They sat together rocking in the hammock throughout the movie.
"Now go doooo…that voo-dooooo…that you doooo…So. Well" Kalina heard the movie say as her eyelids began to droop.
She heard the faint sounds of gunfire as the world went black. A putrid smell reached her nostrils and she felt a strong urge to lose her dinner. She reached for Sirius but he wasn't there. Kalina tried to sit up but couldn't; there was something chaining her down- a collar around her neck and shackles on her wrists and ankles. Her breathing became shallow and she felt cuts all over and suddenly realized she was laying in a pool of blood- her blood. Her heart rate sped up and suddenly, the world was lit with green light. A man walked through a door she hadn't seen before. "Lady" he hissed.
He came and knelt beside her head and ran a pale, spider-like finger down her cheek and down her throat, pulling at a scab across her esophagus. The chains released her and he waved his fingers and she floated up into the air onto her feet. Suddenly he moved his hand in a swift motion and she was slammed up against the wall and the world went black again as a wicked laugh pierced her ears. The world was bright as she opened her eyes- she was dancing in a white dress, the bodice laced tight. The necklace that wrapped around her throat tensed each time her mind told her to run. Different men who seemed familiar approached her, kissing her hands and then pulling her close, taking turns spinning her across the dance floor. The man from the darkness came and took her from the arms of another. He kissed her hand and pulled her back to his front, kissing her neck lightly. He spun her around and pulled her close- his breath stank of evil and he didn't feel human. She closed her eyes and suddenly she was in the darkness again.
A different man stood above her, and then another, and another; each time the man came closer and closer to her- each time she felt more disgusted with herself. She tried to leave and pull into the stars, but as she did a pain like a knife slitting her rushed through her arm and suddenly she was lying in blood again. Then a man she felt as though she knew and two women were in the darkness with her- her body was broken and she didn't care anymore- she was as good as dead in her own mind, only her soul remained intact and that wasn't by will. The man was hooded and knelt down and traced the outline of her face. His voice seemed familiar as he spoke, but she couldn't place it, "He's dead. Your beloved 'soul mate' is gone…dead…and he didn't even know you were alive."
One of the women approached her; the face of the woman was also familiar, but sunken in, as though it rarely saw sunlight and that its owner had been through hell and back. "I killed him." she hissed into Kalina's ear, "He begged for mercy he did…such a sissy…couldn't take an ounce of pain…nearly lost it when he lost you…he thinks you're dead…or he thought at least- he would have killed himself he couldn't stand the pain. It's your fault you we…you know it is…"
The other woman was whispering into the ear of the man standing next to her. She and the other woman left a moment later, but the man stayed behind. "You don't believe them…but he is…" he said, joy evident in his voice.
Kalina tried to scream but couldn't. He kicked her hard in the stomach and she heard ribs crack. She whimpered but knew that like before she couldn't do anything. He knelt over her and began to kiss her neck- she was shackled and when she tried to move they pulled tighter. He hit her again and again, and then he was blasted away into a wall. Another man she felt she should know came in, hooded and dressed in black. He came and slammed her into the wall with a swift motion of his hand, "You're going back to him…no…not that one…he died…didn't they show you?"
He pulled something out of his pocket and pressed something on it and it began to play in front of her eyes. He fell again and again, dying before her eyes, over and over, and she felt her soul being ripped to shreds. Tears sprang to her eyes and she began to cry.
"He's dead…he never looked for you…he didn't care…and now…you will be put to use again." the man said in a deep and deadly voice that she recognized.
He kicked her in the stomach and she screamed from the depths of her soul as her heart broke again and the pain ripped her body open.
Kalina sat up screaming, covered in sweat. A hand clasped over her mouth and she was pulled into strong arms. It was completely black out except for a few stars.
"Ugg…Pad…whatsamatter?" someone yawned.
"Nothing…'Clips just tried to fall out of the hammock…" the voice next to her replied, trying to hide the panic and worry.
Kalina's heartrate calmed and she stopped trying to fight the hold of the man beside her.
"Kali…what's the matter…what's the matter…" the calming voice asked.
Kalina swallowed and turned into his chest, burying her face and starting to cry. It had been so real, i"Please god no…"/i she thought to herself.
"Shhh…Kali…shhh…it's okay…I have you now…whatever you saw, I'll protect you…I'm here…don't worry…"
Kalina moved closer to him as he rolled onto his back so they were in the middle of the hammock instead of laying precariously on the edge. He pulled the blanket over the top of them and held her closely, keeping the slow rocking motion of the hammock going with a whisper of a spell.
His calm breathing lowered her heart-rate and she felt her tears stop as he kept whispering calming words to her. She turned her head up to the stars and felt him pull her just a little closer as she snuggled her head under his chin. Kalina felt safe in his arms.
"I'll always be here Kali baby…don't worry…I'll be here if you need me…and if you don't." he said, making her smile just as he had intended to.
Sirius began tracing light circles on her back while whispering to her. Soon her breathing was normal again, and then grew slower as she fell into a calm sleep.
Sirius lay awake for a while longer, worried about the woman who lay in his arms- that was twice today she had screamed; and something told him that her dream wasn't about Tonks running towards a cliff.