Natalia was the last guest to leave that night and she parted with a bear hug for Audrey and a promise to meet in Hogsmeade in two weeks' time. Everyone went to bed early, knowing the Hogwarts Express would wait for no one in the morning. But Audrey couldn't sleep. This was her last night with Sirius in Grimmauld Place, and as much as she was prepared to move to Hogwarts, she dreaded leaving Sirius's side. They had less than a fortnight of bliss together, and she wished greedily for more.
She wasn't alone in her sleeplessness – she could feel eyes watching her blonde hair behind her. "You awake?"
"Yeah," Sirius replied gruffly.
Audrey rolled over to face Sirius properly. They were in her bed, and Sirius's pale skin shone brilliantly in the black night compared to the dark décor surrounding them. She couldn't see it in the shadows just then, but her trunk was packed in the corner. It had taken longer than expected to sort her belongings, as Sirius insisted on "helping," which led to quite a few interruptions.
"I'll be back often enough," she said, not for the first time. At this point, Audrey wasn't sure if she was reassuring Sirius or herself. She brushed a stray hair from his brow. Sirius didn't reply but grinned and gave his head a shake so that his hair fell fully into his face.
"Ah, c'mere! Let me look at you!" Audrey laughed. They wrestled with one another, which unavoidably turned to kissing and then to fucking until the dim blue light of dawn peeked through the bulky curtains.
They drifted into a quick slumber which was abruptly ended by clamoring all over the house. Molly was barking orders at everyone around her, and every inch of the house seemed to pound with running footsteps.
"Walk of shame's unavoidable for you now," Audrey said.
"I can't be shamed in my own house," Sirius laughed. With a reluctant groan he rolled out of bed and pulled on his robe. He leaned back to Audrey and gave her a quick peck. "I'll meet you down there."
Audrey somehow found the motivation to get out of bed herself and dress in her finest Muggle attire. While she wouldn't be on the train with the students heading to Hogwarts, she was going to help escort them to King's Cross station. Admiring her blouse, skirt, tights, and heels in the mirror, and her hair tied in a tight bun, she could have been any Muggle commuter off to her office job.
She dodged the kids on the stairs and snuck into the kitchen for a quick breakfast. Somewhere in all the commotion, the curtains covering Sirius's mother's portrait had flown open, and the woman screeched her disapproval at the chaos.
Molly took no notice as she ushered the first round of students toward the door. "Come now, Tonks will be waiting at the car on the corner. Ron, you've jam on your shirt. And – oh, for Merlin's sake!"
A large black dog bounded over the trunks in the hall toward them. Harry was beaming as Sirius sat in front of him, wagging his tail with glee.
"Oh, I suppose… sure, why not? It'll be your head anyway," Molly said, rolling her eyes. Dog Sirius looked back at Audrey with a wink and padded his way out the door and into the sunlight.
Audrey grinned, impressed Sirius had taken advantage of the confusion to venture outside. The door clicked closed behind him, and she felt a strange tightness in her chest. As much as she knew how happy he'd be to leave the house, he was vulnerable. Any number of people could recognize him and report him to the Ministry. Or worse.
She distracted herself by trying to resolve the latest addition to the chaos and headed toward the portrait of Mrs. Black. She saw Audrey coming before she could even grab hold of a curtain. The woman actually fell silent for a moment, but it was only to rebuild a fresh, personalized rain of abuse.
"Don't think I don't know what you're doing here, you filthy creature!" Mrs. Black shrilled. "You're after our money, and you'll have none of it, you whore! My traitorous son still has pure blood in his veins whether he likes it or not and he'll never mix with the likes of a dirty Mudblood like you!"
It seemed like an eternity before Audrey could finally cover the portrait, ending Mrs. Black's tirade. She knew there was no love between Sirius and his mother, but the pure loathing that seethed from the mere preservation of Mrs. Black stung. The woman knew what was happening under her roof and predictably didn't approve. Audrey wasn't foolishly hoping for her consent or anything, but it was very strange to see such revulsion directed toward her from grey eyes and an arched brow line that she had come to know very well.
"You coming?" Remus asked her, rousing her from her spiraling fears. Fred, George, and Ginny were bickering behind him, the last group ready for the train.
Audrey nodded and assisted in ushering them all into the waiting car that sped off to King's Cross. Once they crossed the threshold to Platform 9 ¾, she saw Molly giving last hugs to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Ginny and the twins rushed to join them. Audrey walked with Remus who approached an old woman wrapped in many shawls.
"Wotcher," the woman said with a wink, and Audrey laughed with delight when she recognized it was Tonks, using her Metamorphmagus talent to the extreme.
Then the three of them gave the kids their goodbyes, with Audrey remarking she'd see them shortly at the welcome feast. Sirius put his two front paws on Harry's shoulders so that he nearly stood upright.
"Honestly, will you please act more like a dog?" Molly whispered urgently.
Sirius retreated so that he was back on four legs, but Harry had gotten the message and grinned his own goodbye at his godfather. As the kids boarded and the train began to pull away, Sirius chased after it, leaping effortlessly between others on the platform, until the Hogwarts Express was out of sight.
"Well, I'll be back to the Burrow then," Molly sighed. She looked uneasy with no one left to fuss over. She gave the three of them enormous hugs as Sirius trotted back to them. "All of you are welcome in my home at any time. Please, Arthur and I would love visitors." She turned to Sirius who sat in front of her patiently. "And thank you for having us this summer. I hope to return the favor and have you over to mine when this is all over."
Sirius nodded and then let his tongue loll out, panting mildly. When Molly had Apparated, Tonks spoke up.
"I'm starving, lads, anyone fancy getting lunch?"
"I think one of us has had enough public exposure for one day," Remus said. "But I think Audrey should be fine taking the dog home on her own."
"I suppose so," Audrey said, as Sirius barked joyfully.
Tonks grinned, emphasizing the wrinkles of her disguise, and grabbed Remus by the shoulder with a gnarled hand. Remus was fighting a smirk as they disappeared with a loud crack.
Audrey reached to take hold of the scruff of Sirius's neck and Apparated as well. She made sure they appeared in a secluded copse of trees in Islington Green. At this hour, there were likely loads of Muggles on the street, bustling through their day. Once they hit solid ground, Sirius took off through the park, bounding gleefully through the grass as a light breeze rustled his fur. Audrey sighed happily watching him gallop through a posh-looking couple's picnic. Next thing she knew, the black dog was charging at her and before she could brace herself, he leapt on her and sent them both crashing into the ground.
"Oi, I could have broken something!" Audrey shouted, but she laughed as Sirius climbed on top of her, licking her face.
"You should really have that dog on a leash," a rough voice said from the path near them.
Audrey scrambled to her feet. "Sorry, sir, I've forgotten it. He won't cause any trouble."
"He better not. Or I will contact the – appropriate – authorities." The man was dressed in a corporate business suit that didn't match his gruff voice. Sirius let out a low growl at her side. There was definitely something off about this man.
"We'll just head home, I reckon," Audrey said hurriedly. "Come on, Brando."
Sirius was at her heels as she guided them out of the park and down a side road. She took a few loops around the neighborhood, looking over her shoulder to make sure they weren't followed, before she felt it was safe enough to head into Number Twelve. Audrey locked the front door once they were safely inside and turned around to see Sirius transformed back into a man in the foyer.
"Maybe that was too much of a risk," Audrey said, biting her lip. "We should have come straight here."
Sirius was grinning, his grey eyes gleaming. "No, that was just a good bit of fun. Glad to be outside for once."
"Do you think that man recognized you? I didn't like the look of him."
"If he knew it was me, I'd have been snatched up by the Ministry in a heartbeat," Sirius said, rolling his eyes.
"But what if—"
"Audrey, please," Sirius pleaded. "That was the first time I've left this house since I met you. Don't soil it."
Audrey still felt tense but she nodded. "You know I could have really hurt myself when you crashed into me like that."
"Consider it returning the favor," he said with a smile. He took her hand and placed it on his torso, precisely where she'd healed his broken rib only weeks earlier. "You know, this is the first time we've had the place to ourselves."
Audrey raised an eyebrow. "And what are you going to do about it?"
"Oh, I've got plans for you," he growled, placing his hands on her hips and pressing her into the wall. Delighted, Audrey kissed him, pulling his face close to her. After a moment, Sirius moved away from her, and Audrey pouted.
"Not here," he said. "This is not the place for a proper businesswoman."
Audrey looked down at her outfit and laughed. She had a run in her tights and a large dirt stain on her skirt from when she'd fallen in the park, and she could feel large pieces of hair falling out of her bun. Hardly the composed look of an executive. Even so, she let Sirius take her hand and lead her into the board room. He lit the candles with a quick flick of his wand and then lifted Audrey easily so she sat at the edge of the massive oak table.
"Much better," he said, and he pressed his lips into her neck.
Audrey gasped when she realized what he was doing. "You tosser! All of Hogwarts will see that at the feast!"
He finished leaving his mark with a small kiss. "Just wanted to give you something to remember me by," he mumbled into her collarbone.
Audrey tried to feign annoyance, she really did, when he ripped open her blouse, scattering buttons all over the hardwood floor. But she couldn't stifle her laughter as Sirius groaned, "God, I've been wanting to do that all day." And she couldn't kick off her heels and roll down her tights fast enough when his hands made their way up her thighs.
They only got around to making sandwiches for lunch two hours later and were chatting happily when Remus finally came home.
"About time you showed up," Sirius called out to him. "We were waiting hours for you. We were about ready to ring the guards."
"Oh, fuck off," Remus muttered, breaking out into a surprising blush and striding upstairs.
Sirius looked back at Audrey at the kitchen table with wide eyes. "Well, that's interesting."
"I can't even tell if he had a good time or a poor one," Audrey said shaking her head.
"Either way he seems determined to be in a fouler, so thanks very much for leaving me in such good company," Sirius said.
Audrey sighed. "I really am heading off soon, aren't I?"
"Stop that, you've an hour left with me, and I won't see you spoiling it by getting mopey."
Audrey cocked her head to the side. "Whatever will we do to lift our spirits?"
Sirius grinned but before he could reply, Remus stormed into the kitchen and began rummaging loudly through the cupboards.
"Don't mind me, I'm just getting some tea, and then I'll leave you to it," he said sharply.
Sirius and Audrey exchanged bewildered looks, and Audrey asked, "Where did you end up going with Tonks?"
Remus watched the kettle boiling for a moment. "The Leaky Cauldron."
They waited. Finally, Sirius said, "Has something happened? Because you're about ready to shatter my kettle there, mate."
The kettle indeed had begun to glow a dangerous red, like it was seconds from exploding and sending shrapnel across the kitchen. Remus cursed under his breath and muttered a charm so that the kettle returned to its normal shade of black. He made his tea in a hurry.
Finally, he sighed and brought his mug to his lips. "Food and pints, that's all. Nothing happened."
"Do you wish something had happened?" Audrey dared to ask.
"Don't be silly," Remus said, giving her a strange look.
Audrey wondered if this might be a conversation for "the lads," so she announced, "I'll just get my trunk and be right back."
She took her time collecting her things and changed into her professional black robes. When she made it to the foyer, Remus was ready to head back upstairs.
"Sorry for being stroppy earlier," he said, with a sheepish smile. "Have a good school year, though I'm sure I'll see you around here a fair amount."
"I'd say you will," Audrey nodded.
"You'll be grand up there, you know." Remus gave her a warm hug. When he let her go, he looked behind him to see Sirius leaning against the wall. Then he gave her a wink – a Tonks move, Audrey thought to herself – and disappeared up the stairs.
Audrey gestured to her work clothes. "What do you think?"
"So academic, it suits you," Sirius said. He approached her and ran a gentle hand along the collar of her robe. "You can't even see it."
"Are you disappointed?"
"No, because I know how relieved you are to maintain a good reputation, for one day anyway."
"I can soil my reputation well enough on my own without your help."
"A hickey from a convicted murderer escaped from prison would definitely impress the boss, you have to admit."
Audrey snorted. "Look who thinks he's tough! Dumbledore knows the real make of you, but nice try. Besides, I think he'd be happy for us, finding love in a hopeless place."
"Love?" Sirius's eyes widened, and he smiled broadly.
Audrey blushed deeply. "Oh, well… I meant…"
"You can't take it back now!" Sirius laughed. "I know exactly what you meant alright! Come here."
He took her face in his hands and kissed her. When he pulled away he was beaming. "You're so cute when you're beet-red like this."
"Oh, come off it," Audrey said, feeling her cheeks flush a shade darker.
"Talk about a note to end on," Sirius said, eyeing her with interest. "We'll definitely have something to discuss when I see you again."
Sirius kissed her again, and Audrey could tell this was the goodbye kiss, the last one. It was tender, as if he were memorizing the way her lips felt against his so he could relive it while they were apart. After a long while, their lips separated, but their embrace was closer than ever.
"I miss you already," she told him, her arms around his neck.
"Me too," Sirius murmured into her hair.
With great effort and one last deep inhalation of his scent, Audrey disentangled herself from Sirius and stepped away. She took hold of her trunk and squared her shoulders. Looking deep into his grey eyes which were growing sadder by the second, she decided she didn't want him to have any doubts. She would leave him squirming for a change.
"I love you," she said.
Audrey saw Sirius's jaw drop just as she turned on the spot and surrendered to the black nothingness of Apparition.