A/N: Thanks to fireboltcrazed for your review. I appreciate it:D Not beta'd, so I apologize if there are any glaring errors.

Disclaimer: Not JKR. Not even close. Just borrowing.

Chapter 21: Come Undone

Padfoot had braved many things. He'd braved a young werewolf when he himself was a young (though fully grown) pup, new to the world as an animagus; he'd braved acromantulas and centaurs and other creatures in the Forbidden Forest – creatures that did not take kindly to three animagi and a werewolf invading their home and using it once a month as their playground. Padfoot had even braved a dozen years alongside Dementors, feeling the icy cold trickle of fear that, while muted, still settled uncomfortably over him whenever they came near. He'd braved icy waters, too. Deep, black, icy waters that stung every canine limb, searing white-hot to his very bones, as he paddled to shore and freedom one summer night not that long ago. Padfoot remembered the piercing coldness. It was nothing like the icy chill of the pond, which was uncomfortable nonetheless, but Padfoot, like Sirius, knew that he would be able to swim to the surface easily because he had braved worse.

The wolf was another matter.

Padfoot felt the wolf struggling beside him as the murky waters enclosed them its biting embrace, squeezing out air from lungs; felt its paws scrabble against his hind legs, desperate for purchase. He felt it panic as he tried to grip the scruff of its neck with his jaw, bucking and rearing as they sunk lower, the beast wild and angry. As soon as they hit the bottom, Padfoot broke free and the wolf, which was quickly losing its struggle for air, went limp. The animagus took his chance, biting the thick furry scruff. Limbs numb and heavy, he propelled them both to the surface. As soon as they broke the icy surface, the wolf began to struggle to breathe. The cold biting air filled Padfoot's lungs and stung but he ignored the pain and paddled back to the edge of the pond, and the wolf clambered onto the bank and dropped into the snow.

Padfoot dropped his cold, wet, furry body beside it, struggling to breathe and shivering wildly. Somewhere in his canine mind he knew what he needed to do but his body would not respond as quickly. He lay for a moment unable to move, then the large black dog struggled unsteadily to his paws and approached the wolf cautiously.

The wolf's limbs twitched and its side heaved up and down, but the fight that had been in it was gone. Padfoot whimpered and nudged the wolf and it responded with a whimper of its own. Then, before his canine eyes, the wolf began to shudder and its limbs began to crack as the fur receded, revealing pale white skin, and the young woman appeared.

Sophie lay, naked and bleeding, curled up on a patch of frozen earth before him, her chest heaving, soft whimpers escaping her pale lips. Padfoot bounded away instantly, towards the tree and transformed, accio'ed his wand and clothing and quickly pulled on his trousers and shoes, ignoring the stinging in his limbs and the biting chill in the air around them. He ran back to where Sophie lay, and wrapped his shirt around her, then gently lifted her into his arms.

The cottage was close by, so he ran through the woods to the clearing, rapping himself on the head to Disillusion himself and the injured woman in his arms as he stepped out of the trees. Sophie moaned, tiny sobs escaping her dry, cracked lips as he ran down the lane to the end where the Lupin family cottage stood, dark and empty and safe.

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Remus looked around the room for his daughter but found that she was gone. In his haste to shore up details of his next assignment, he'd stopped to talk to the others even though it was Sophie he'd needed to speak to. During the meeting, though he had barely looked her way, he'd known that something was wrong; he'd felt it. The feeling had come over him in soft, lapping waves, so subtle he barely noticed. It wasn't until the meeting was over that the sudden absence of it alerted him.

"Have you seen Sophie?" he asked Tonks, who was lingering by the door.

She smiled. "Left as soon as the meeting was over," she said. "Would you like me to help you find her?"

Remus felt a pair of eyes on the back of his head from across the room. "She's probably up in her room," he answered, "I'll just go up and find her myself." His words were not unkind, though they had a definite air to them.

Remus pushed the door open slowly and as he passed, he whispered more warmly, "Perhaps you could check the Drawing Room."

Tonks made no sign that she had heard but he knew that he would find her there, if the last month between them had been any indication.

He headed into the main floor corridor and up to the next landing, where he was startled as he bumped into Severus coming down the stairs and looking disconcertingly smug.

"Is there something you were looking for Severus?" he asked, surprised to see him still in the house.

"You borrowed a book. I needed it back."

Snape held up a battered copy of A Compendium of Poisons, which he'd leant him for research.

"Of course."

He wondered what had come over the Potions master. He had never dared venture farther into the house than necessary, yet he'd taken it upon himself to head upstairs to the Drawing Room, where the antique desk was piled with books and parchments for research on Dumbledore's behalf, and chance another confrontation with Sirius. Or perhaps that was just what he had been looking for.

"Do you mind?"

Remus realized he was standing in Snape's way.

"Oh," he said, stepping aside, "Sorry."

Snape didn't move.

"Looking for your little friend?" Snape asked silkily.

Remus didn't like the look on his face. It was entirely too satisfied.

"No, actually. I'm looking for my daughter."

At this, Snape smiled, though it looked more like a sneer.

"Well, I daresay you find one, you'll find the other."

"Is that so?" Remus threw out casually, wondering at once where this conversation was going. If Snape was looking happy, he knew it didn't bode well for him.

Instead of explaining himself, Snape made a gesture towards the corridor below, just beyond the banister, which was visible from their spot on the turn of the stairs.

Remus turned around in time to see the top of Sirius' head pass, and he leaned over and caught the sight of Sophie beside him. He watched, confused, as they stopped at the front door and quickly slipped out.

Together.

His stomach lurched with panic. What was Sirius doing, stepping outside of the house? Was he mad? What was Sophie doing with him? Where were they going and why? All of these questions raced through his head before he his body reacted and he bounded down the stairs.

He reached the door and pulled it open just as Sirius and Sophie Disapparated with a tiny pop and he found himself staring into the dark, empty lamp-lit street.

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The tiny bathroom in Lupin cottage gleamed bright under the candlelit sconces, white tiles reflecting the warm glow though in truth the room was almost as cold as outdoors. Sirius cast a warming spell and room quickly heated to a more comfortable temperature. It was then that he finally settled Sophie down onto a bed of towels strewn hastily on the floor.

She was shaking, teeth chattering and lips almost blue, her slight body cold to the touch. Thinking quickly, Sirius waved his wand over her, assessing injuries and casting a special warming spell over her that he'd learned in fifth year after Peter fell through the ice on the lake in school and had to be rushed to Madame Pomfrey's with hypothermia. It had been a frightening incident and Sirius, who couldn't fathom losing a friend, had pestered the Healer until she taught him how to cast the advanced Healer-trained spell. After that day, Sirius had made it his business to learn advanced spells, secretly researching healing texts in the library, determined to know all he could, just in case. That knowledge came back to him now, as he raked his grey eyes over the young woman on the floor.

Draping another towel over her gently, he drew her a lukewarm bath, then helped her sit up on the soft bed of towels.

Sophie, though still shivering, was alert and responsive. There were angry red welts all over her body where her skin had torn to accommodate the change and fused together when she changed back, and her face was streaked with dirt and dried tears.

"You need to get warm," he told her. He noted she needed to clean up as well.

She looked up at him as he sat perched on the edge of the bathtub, but didn't respond. He was thrown by the look in her eyes, which were almost vacant, like she'd given up. It pained him to see her like that, the quietly vibrant girl who'd stood up to him only a few months ago.

Sirius stood, took her hands in his and gently pulled her up. She complied but stood there unmoving, unresponsive to his soft-spoken words.

He realized she must be in shock, though her eyes moved around the room and her lids blinked back what he was sure were fresh tears.

"Sophie," he whispered, "you need to get in the bath. You have mild hypothermia. This will make you feel better."

He ignored the sting in his own limbs as her eyes, round and ominously dark, locked with his but she still said nothing.

"Your father must have noticed us both gone by now. He'll come looking for you. You don't want him to find you like this, do you?"

Her bottom lip began to tremble and tears spilled down her cheeks.

Realizing she wouldn't be able to do it herself, "I'll help you," he said.

He waited for her reaction but she didn't respond. Hesitating, he waved his wand and charmed a towel from the floor so that it seemed to be held up by invisible hands between them and reached around it, pushing his shirt, which was unbuttoned, off her shoulders slowly. She let the shirt fall to the floor.

"You need to get into the tub," he said.

She didn't move.

Holding back a sigh, he placed his hands on her shoulders and guided her into the tub. She moved only when he prodded her but she lifted one foot then the other into the warm water and lowered herself in, pulling her knees up to her chest in the same position she'd been in on the floor.

The towel fell and Sirius, averting his eyes, reached for the bottle of shampoo, then hesitated once more before pouring the sweet-smelling liquid into the palm of his hand. She flinched a little when he touched the top of her head but didn't move again while he massaged, shampooed and rinsed her hair. Then he took the washcloth in hand, rubbed it against a bar of soap and gently rubbed the dirt off her shoulders, moving around and washing her back, her arms, as she sat immobile and quiet. He moved around the other end of the tub and slowly reached into the water. She allowed him to gently lift her leg and he rubbed away the dirt from the dirty soles of her feet then quickly washed her leg then repeated it with the other. He noticed the flow of tears had stopped and her breathing was less erratic as he dipped the washcloth into the clean water (the dirty water disappearing in the charmed tub) and rinsed the soap from her skin. All the while Sirius tried not to think too much about what he was doing, hurrying the task without moving too quickly and alarming her, but anxious to get her cleaned-up, dressed and resting just in case Remus showed up.

His thoughts turned exclusively to his mate as he performed the task, feeling oddly detached. He didn't know what he would tell his friend about the events that had transpired in the woods – he wanted to spare his mate the anguish of what he'd witnessed and he didn't want Remus to see his daughter in this state. There was also a hint of self-preservation in his motives. He had a feeling Remus would be very uncomfortable with what Sirius was doing at the moment, despite what he'd done in the woods to help.

When he finished, he cast a few spells to check that the hypothermia had subsided. Satisfied that it would be safe to take her out of the bath, he charmed the towel once more and took Sophie by the hands, pulling her out of the water just as he'd prompted her to stand from the floor. She rose and stepped out of the tub, never letting go of his hands and the towel wrapped around her, tucking under her arms like a sarong. He led her out into the small corridor and into her bedroom, then dug in the cupboard and chest of drawers for something for her to wear. He pulled out a white cotton eyelet nightgown that was torn and frayed at the hem and sensible pair of knickers, also white cotton. He felt the urgency to get her dressed, imagining Moony bursting through the door at any moment, and held the clothes out to her. She didn't move.

Frustrated but trying not to let it show, he groaned inwardly as he waved his wand, blasting her with a drying spell and attempted to untangle her hair and then turned his head as he slipped her arms, one by one, into the nightgown and pulled it over her head, the towel dropping to her feet. The knickers, he realized, would be another problem. It occurred to him as he bent down and held them out and she stepped into them – slowly and at his prodding – that he'd been in the reverse of this position many times before but never imagined, in all his years, that he would be helping a woman put her knickers on. Even in this situation, anxious and fraught with pain and confusion, the irony wasn't lost on him.

It only took a few steps and a small push to get her under the faded coverlet on her single bed, but she held tightly to his hands and her eyes seemed to plead with him not to leave her alone. Feeling his throat constrict as the emotion she'd been stifling poured into her large, childlike orbs, he sat down beside her on the edge, and gently pulled a hand free. "It's okay," he breathed, stroking her hair with his free hand like he imagined Remus had done countless times, "You're safe." Soon her eyes were fluttering and more quickly than he imagined possible, she was asleep.

He sat, unmoving, on the edge of her bed, as she clung to him unconsciously. He watched her sleep, her eyes moving rapidly beneath the purple lids, and he imagined that she was playing some horror over and over in her head.

Sirius waited until her hand became slack in his to leave the room. He went directly into the bathroom, spelled away her bathwater and refilled the tub. Stripping off his clothes, he sunk into the lukewarm water and immediately felt the chill that had become permanently housed in his bones from the time his body hit the icy pond, slowly dissipate along with the panic and fear. All that was left in his head were questions.

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Remus continued to stare into the night, his mind reeling with questions until he felt the door slip from his fingers as Snape pushed it closed and came round to face him.

Remus shot a look down the end of the corridor, where the door to the kitchen was softly creaking open and not wanting to let on that there was anything wrong, he quickly pushed Snape into the front parlour, cast a silencing charm and shut the door.

"What did you do?" he accused.

Snape's thin brow shot up. "Me? What would I have to do with Black leaving?"

Remus glared at him. He seemed to almost flinch.

"I assure you, I have nothing to do with your friend's foolish antics."

Remus wasn't sure but it felt like the truth.

"I would appreciate it if you kept this to yourself," he said finally, imagining that Severus would go straight to Dumbledore's office the minute he returned to Hogwarts.

Snape appraised him with cold black eyes. "You're not worried, then, that Black leaving here against Dumbledore's orders may have put the whole Order in jeopardy?"

"No," he answered firmly, though he didn't believe it, "I'm certain he'll be back very soon." The cold eyes threatened to bore into him. "He can't have gone far."

"And your daughter?"

Remus' jaw clenched of its own accord. "What about her?"

"You're not worried that being with Black puts her life in jeopardy?"

"Sirius would never do anything to risk my daughter's life," he answered defensively.

His harsh tone made Snape smirk. "Then perhaps you should be worried about her virtue," Snape added, still smirking, "unless some lucky little Gryffindor's already taken care of – "

Remus did not remember lifting his arm from his side, but suddenly his fist slammed into the side of Severus' face. Snape stumbled backwards, catching himself before falling to the ground and he whipped his wand out just as the door flew open.

"Oi!" came a sharp cry as a jet of red light cracked through the room and Severus' wand flew out of his hand.

"There'll be no hexing here," Tonks said with an authoritative tone Remus had never heard before. Her eyes fell over the livid bruise that already decorated the side of Severus' face. "What in bloody Merlin's gotten into the both of you?"

Snape narrowed his eyes, simmering with quiet rage. "None of your business," he said with a sneer, "now hand me my wand and I will be on my way."

Tonks shot a quizzical glance at Remus but he quickly looked away in shame. She hesitatingly held out Snape's wand and he snatched it out of her hand as he bolted from the room and, as was his habit, slammed the front door behind him a moment later. But this time, the inevitable hollering that followed never came.

"Would you like to tell me – " Tonks began as Kate entered the room.

"Is this a habit, then?" Kate asked, her deep blue eyes falling on Remus the moment she stepped into the room, "You and your mate take it in turn to duel with that man?"

"It was nothing."

"Right," she muttered, then turned her icy gaze to Tonks, "It's a good thing you were here, to save these silly boys from themselves." Remus knew that biting tone well. Before Tonks could respond, she turned her intense stare back on Remus. "Just tell me one thing," she breathed, moving closer, her face coming inches from his, "did he deserve it?"

Remus huffed in answer, all too aware of the uncomfortable air that had settled over the room and Tonk's grey eyes flitting from him to Kate.

"Thought so."

Kate smiled, looking both innocent and devious in the way only she could manage, and stepped away. "Well, then," she said, her voice returning to its normal range, "I think I'll go up to bed." She turned and walked the short distance to the door, then paused as she opened it. "Is Sophie in her room? I wanted to say goodnight."

"She's gone out," he replied evenly, surprised that he sounded so calm.

"Oh. Guess I won't." She flashed Tonks a smile, and left the room.

Remus and Tonks stood quietly in the parlour for a moment, listening as the floorboards creaked from above before either one attempted to speak.

Sirius left," he said in a matter-of-fact tone, refusing to meet her eyes.

"What?" gasped Tonks.

"With Sophie," he added, finally fixing his hazel eyes on her. "I need to find them."

She nodded and headed for the door. "Let's go."

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Sirius didn't linger in the tub very long. He didn't want Sophie to awaken suddenly and find herself alone. He knew what it felt like to wake up from a nightmare only to find that it was real and that you were all alone in it.

He dried off and padded softly to Remus' room, digging in the mostly-bare cupboard for some clean clothes. He found a pair of grey slacks that looked a few decades old though they were well-cared for, a plain white oxford he suspected Remus had last worn years ago, judging by the musty odour, a pair of patched briefs and a mismatched pair of darned socks. Pulling them on, he felt a pang of pity at the sad state of his mate's wardrobe, which only added to the heavy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

He debated contacting Remus, but something stopped him. It was late, and if Remus hadn't already realized they were gone, he might not notice until morning. He didn't feel much like explaining, as he would only be able to tell his mate what had happened but not why, and he felt like he needed to assess Sophie's mental state before doing anything definitive. No, he thought, I'll just have to wait.

Sirius went back to the bathroom to tidy up, picking all the towels off the floor and trying his hand at laundering spells. For the most part, they worked, only failing to erase the dark outline of Sophie's muddy footprints. He then collected the wet, cold clothes off the floor. It was then that he remembered the envelope. Fumbling in the pocket of his trousers, he found it. It was caked with dirt, smeared with blood, half-torn, wet and wadded but still legible.

Forgetting the pile of clothes by his feet, he sat once more on the edge of the tub and carefully flattening each sheet of paper, he began to read.

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Remus hadn't been sure where he was going when he left headquarters, but an hour later he realized trying to find two people in a city as large as London was a fruitless effort. Still, Tonks, who no doubt had known that from the start, had been sweet enough to tag along and help him search the handful of places he thought Sirius might go, no questions asked.

Outside the gates of a park by the Thames, Remus and Tonks conceded defeat.

"We might as well head back," she suggested, "just in case they're already there."

Remus knew that she might be right, but something told him he wouldn't find his daughter at Grimmauld Place when he returned.

"Did Sophie seem strange tonight?" he asked, settling onto a low cement barrier by the park entrance.

Tonks' eyes raked over his face, as if she was seeing him for the first time. "To tell the truth, I wasn't really paying attention." She flushed a little and her eyes were tinged green.

Had he not been worried about Sophie and Sirius (and still feeling unsettled by Snape's suggestion), he might have given more thought to the odd behaviour, but preoccupied as his mind was at the moment, he just brushed it away.

"I just feel like, " he began and paused, weary of saying too much, "I feel like there was something wrong."

Tonks sat down beside him, her head coming just above his shoulders and her feet dangling slightly off the ground. Well, let's see," she began, screwing her face up in concentration, "she came into the kitchen with Hestia, they sat down and we talked." She paused as if recalling some part of the conversation, but if she remembered she didn't share. "Then you came in and gave her a letter, she read it and the meeting began."

Remus was struck at once by what she said. "The letter," he whispered in dawning comprehension.

Tonks turned her head, her face half-hidden by shadow. "Do you know who it was from?" she asked.

Remus recalled the name in the corner, which reminded him of something he'd read recently in the Daily Prophet, some useless bit of information he'd picked up and stored in his head.

"Remus?"

He quickly put the facts together and came up with an incomplete answer. There was something missing, some fact that was out of his grasp – something only Sophie knew.

"Are you alright?"

Remus forced himself to look at Tonks just as he realized something. "I know where they are."

Her eyes were light and searching and he could see she was truly concerned, if a little skeptical. It was madness, he realized, that he would suddenly proclaim to know his daughter and his best mate's whereabouts after searching aimlessly for over an hour.

"Where?"

He sighed, thinking of what he might find, dreading the answer to the question slowly forming in his mind, and hoping he was wrong about what that missing fact might be.

"Home," he said, "the cottage."

He expected Tonks to jump up and lead the charge to his house, though it wasn't necessarily what he wanted. When she didn't, he noticed the look of reservation on her face.

"What makes you think they're there?" she asked, her fingers clamping firmly round his wrist.

Remus looked down at her hand then back at her. "A hunch," he answered, not wanting to explain any further.

"You're probably wrong," she said quickly, standing up and stepping in front of him, "there's no way Sirius would do that to you – "

"Tonks!" he interrupted just as quickly as he realized just what she was thinking, "if Sophie was upset, that's the first place she'd go."

Tonks looked a little relieved. "Oh," she said, her hand falling away, "upset."

"What did you think – "

"Nothing!" she squeaked, looking sheepish. "Maybe you should lead the way." She looked at him expectantly.

"I can go by myself," he began, "there's no need – "

"Nonsense! I'm coming," she exclaimed, then realized she sounded pushy. "I mean, if Sophie's upset, maybe I can help…"

Remus smiled, despite his growing worry. Tonks always managed to be endearing in her sincerity. It was what he liked most about her.

"Thank you," he said, though he wasn't sure it was a good idea for Tonks to tag along. "I'd like that."

Tonks took his hand and led him cover, where they Disapparated from the cold London night to the edge of the woods by the Lupin cottage.

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Sirius wasn't sure how long he sat on the edge of the chipped, white tub, clinging to the letter in his hands, the rest of the papers discarded like scattered leaves on a forest floor. By the third time he'd read the note, he was sure he knew why Sophie had been so upset.

With his own eyes he'd witnessed what Tristan Cates was capable of, and in his own way he'd tried to stop him, though he doubted he'd done much to change anything, except maybe give the Slytherin a limp.

What he didn't know were the details – what the evil bastard had done to Remus' daughter to cause a reaction so strong, so dangerous, so out-of-control, because it was obvious to him that something had happened. It was obvious that Sophie had been hurt in some way.

Thinking back to the scene in the back of Hagrid's garden, he began to form scenarios in his mind and had to stop himself before he, too, was tearing through the dark, cold winter night to hunt down Tristan Cates.

The next chapter should be up very soon... hope you liked it!