Maddy awoke to feel Sirius's arm draped over her waist like a dead weight. He must be sleeping hard; she felt pulses of warmth on her back every time he exhaled. She stretched her toes, feeling extraordinarily groggy, as if she'd had too much to drink the previous night. Must have, she thought, recalling the evening before when they had been down by the lake with a few bottles of wine. Her bleary eyes barely made out the time on the nearest clock, though the room was bathed in light. The hands indicated ten-thirty.

She bolted upright in bed, causing Sirius's arm to plop to the mattress. He sat up, startled.

"What is it?" he rasped.

"We overslept. It's already ten-thirty!" She rolled over to face him and sank her head back down on the pillow.

"Mmmph. Thought something was wrong. How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Why?"

Sirius shrugged a shoulder slightly and lay back down. "You ... fell asleep rather quickly last night. Out like a light, you know." His eyes seemed to search her own.

"Shit!" Maddy exclaimed, propping herself up on her elbows. She suddenly remembered something.

"What?" he asked quickly. He sat up again.

"Mum's letter, about trying visions. I need to get on that now. I've waited long enough."

Sirius pulled her close so that their lips were almost touching. "Listen. Why don't you wait until after the wedding?" He grazed her lips with his own. "It's only two days away. Then worry about it." They laid back down, and the kisses continued, ghosting over Maddy's face, then moving down to her neck, making her sigh.

Sirius whispered to her in between kisses. "Do you want to go out? Or stay here a bit longer? Just so you know, I think we've seen most of the sights out there." He waved a hand toward the window, then slid it under her body. "Personally, I'd rather make love to you, but it's completely up to you, dear."

Maddy stretched slowly, enjoying his touch. "I want to stay here."

He was satisfied the subject had been forgotten.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

"Let's stroll around for a bit before apparating back to the hotel," Sirius suggested that evening. "I want you to see Annecy at night."

He and Maddy had just finished dinner in a tiny pizzeria in the town, and were both full to bursting. Their table was outside under an awning, and looked over one of the tiny canals that threaded through the town. Sirius sat back in a post-prandial stupor, gazing out at the inky waters dotted by the dark forms of swans gliding by.

"Sure, if I can get manage to get out of this chair. If we eat like this every night, I'll have to use a new charm on my wedding gown," Maddy said. She drained the last of her beer and set the glass down, trying not to emit an unladylike belch. A cool breeze floated over the canal, and she gathered her wrap more closely around her.

"Is everyone coming tomorrow?" she asked. She knew Sirius had spoken to Remus earlier that day, but hadn't caught up with him on all the details.

"I think the Weasleys, Tonks, Remus and uh, well, that's about it. Oh, and Kingsley. Albus will be here Saturday, and McGonagall, who's coming via portkey with Harry, Hermione and some of the Weasley kids. They're going back early Sunday morning before anybody at Hogwarts is up."

"Oh, wonderful! I was worried the kids wouldn't be able to get away." Maddy thought of Umbridge, and an image popped up in her mind of the headmistress flashing a wand in her face. She blanched and gripped her glass before she could help herself.

"Mad, you okay?" Sirius frowned and leaned forward.

She relaxed her hold on the beer glass and tried to laugh it off. "Yeah. Just hadn't thought of Umbridge in a while. Talking about the kids reminded me of her."

The trip to France had helped tremendously in Maddy's recuperation from all the trauma she had endured, but she couldn't help thinking of Bellatrix and Malfoy on occasion, wondering what they made of her disappearance. She had managed to avoid thoughts of the headmistress, though, at least until now.

"You'll never have to worry about her again," Sirius assured her. "I won't let her come near you." He smiled and leaned over again, this time to kiss her. She returned it, softly.

"Want to take a walk?" Maddy asked.

Sirius nodded, and they pushed their chairs back. They strolled over the canal to watch the swans for a few minutes before continuing up the street and into a narrow alley that led to the village's main street. Maddy stopped midway and pulled Sirius over to the wall, where she threaded her fingers through his hair and kissed him deeply. After several moments, she stopped, and he leaned against the wall, holding her close.

"Well, that was certainly ... stimulating, Ms. O."

"You won't be able to call me that in a few days," she whispered.

"Yes I will. The O can stand for other things. Y'know, for the times when you make all that noise." He kissed her back, but softer this time.

"Good point. I really dragged you over here for another reason, though. To speak to you."

"Really? Because I'll need a few moments, anyway. May as well talk."

Maddy laughed.

"What did you want to talk about?" he continued.

"Us. I assume most people have a standard premarital conversation."

"And the purpose of this meeting is ...?"

"The usual. Air grievances, you sign the contract stating you'll never look at another woman for the rest of your life. Attached via ball and chain to me from now on. Those types of things. Come to think of it, that part should probably be left 'til after the wedding. Don't want you scarpering beforehand."

"As if I would. Look at another woman, I mean. Or scarper. So where's the contract?" He pretended to look in his coat for something to write with.

"No, I'm joking, of course," Maddy said. "What I really want to tell you is, how much I love you. I – I don't think there's any way for me to say it so you'll know how much. Sirius – " She paused, thinking of the right words, and pressed her hand to his lips when he tried to interrupt. "I just love you more than anything. You've always been in my heart, even when I was a child. I can't imagine what my life would be like if you weren't in it. I want you to know that I'll always be honest with you, respect you, and love you. You ... you are so wonderful. I don't know how I managed to be so blessed. I just want to tell you I'll be a good wife to you."

When she stopped, he gathered her in his arms and held her tight. He kissed her hair. "Madeleine, I'm not wonderful like you think. I don't deserve you. You're so lovely. Beautiful, clever, sweet. I'll be a good husband to you, as well. You've no idea how good it feels to know that, all those years, that you thought of me. No one ever came to see me in prison, except for you. Even my own mother wouldn't. And you are the reason I'm here now, and free. I hope you understand why I want to protect you."

He held her even closer to him, wishing she really did understand. An inconvenient thought had lodged in his mind as she poured her heart out, and some words Remus had once spoken came back, even as he answered her. Do you ever think about the consequences of your actions?

They broke apart and continued, hand in hand, up to the main street. Most shops were closed at this hour, and all was quiet, other than the odd couple here and there window shopping as they were. Well, all was quiet other the noise in his own brain that continued to chastise him. You would obliviate the woman you love? What kind of man are you?

Once they had apparated safely back to their suite, Maddy prepared for bed. Sirius waited for her to finish, then brushed his teeth. He wiped his mouth and looked in the mirror, halfway expecting it to voice its displeasure with him as well. But it wasn't a magical mirror, and only his reflection stared silently back, frowning. What, Black? No bright ideas now? You can't exactly tell Mad what you've done, can you? She'll never marry you. Damn, you think you were unworthy before...well, guess what? You'll lose everything.

Sirius slid into bed next to Maddy and put the light out. She snuggled up next to him at once.

"Mad, do you mind if we wait until tomorrow? I'm knackered."

"No. Go to sleep, love," she answered softly, and splayed her fingers over his chest. She was soon asleep, herself, but Sirius lay awake for quite some time, listening to her breathe.

How could you obliviate her? he argued to himself. Well, she was miserable; beside herself, even. And I couldn't let her consider going after Bellatrix. I won't lose her to that bitch.

He wished fervently that James were here to tell him that it was all right, because Moony certainly wouldn't. Sirius could just see the cocked eyebrow and frown of disapproval on his face. You'll have to tell her, Sirius. And before you go through with this. You can't just go around obliviating people whenever it's convenient for you. Your wife especially.

I can't do it, Sirius countered. Or maybe I'll tell her, but afterward. And it wasn't convenient, it was necessary. I wouldn't hurt her for anything.

You know this will come back to you. Albus knows about the vision. Wonderful. Now Remus had displaced James as the new voice of his conscience. Sirius tried to mentally boot him out of his brain and conjure Prongs, who was much more sympathetic.

No, I'm marrying her first. I'll deal with the consequences later. Another thought stopped him cold. Could Mad have their marriage annulled? What if she was angry and hurt enough to do that? Maybe he should never tell her what he had done. Just let the guilt eat away at him, just as fear for his life had been doing to her a few days earlier.

Sirius closed his eyes, wishing for sleep, but it didn't come for quite some time. The first pale light of dawn peeked through the curtains before he finally gave in and drifted off.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy woke up to the sound of soft snores. Sirius's head was buried in a pillow, and once again, he seemed to be dead to the world. She kissed his hair lightly and swung her legs over the side of the bed. Walking over to the drapes, she opened them a tiny bit. It was going to be overcast today. She hadn't been thinking much about the weather, but she hoped their wedding day would be nicer than this. She looked out at the lake, where she could see the shapes of anchored boats as they bobbed lightly in the water. The long platform was deserted, with beach chairs neatly lined up in case it turned out to be a good day for sunbathing.

Maddy remembered her mother's letter, and Sirius's anxious request that she wait until after the wedding to attempt a vision. Well, what was wrong with this morning? He appeared to be out for a while, and nobody was around down there. She looked back at him, then grabbed a jumper and jeans that she had draped over the chair from last night. Her trainers were missing, however. After searching for a few minutes, she gave up and whispered the accio spell for them, pointing her wand around the room. They immediately slid out from under the same chair, and Maddy sighed. She pushed her feet into them and grabbed the room key. Might be better to take the wand this time, she thought, then she paused. Where had that come from?

She shrugged to herself, and quietly stole out the door with her wand, padding down the hallway. Once outside, she went straight to the place her mother had told her about. Maddy sat down on the wooden planks and was reminded of someone she had seen practicing yoga here when they first came. She pictured herself in a downward dog pose and laughed to herself. Sirius might find that position very stimulating, if not amusing. She took a deep breath, tried to shake off a distracting image of him naked, and concentrated.

What exactly was she supposed to concentrate on, though? Her mother had been vague about that, as usual. The thought occurred to her that fixing her gaze on the stationary boats might help, since the sun wasn't really out today. She exhaled and took another breath, wondering who to attempt as a subject. Sirius was out, of course. Maddy was past the point of needing to see him, after all. An image of Malfoy, with his haughty sneer, appeared, and she stiffened. Absolutely not. It would be nice, though, to see someone who really had it coming to them. Malfoy was just a little too close to home right now, though she was irritated with herself that he still managed to bother her. Bellatrix, perhaps? Maybe that wouldn't be too upsetting, especially if she saw her locked away in Azkaban again, or something equally satisfying.

Maddy trained her eye on the gentle movement of water and shifting boats, and concentrated. Sooner than she expected, the morning light faded, replaced with black. Shiny black tiles, in fact. She saw bursts of color reflected off them, and, in her mind, moved over to inspect them more closely. The familiar sound of laughter made her turn around. Bellatrix was spitting on something. Maddy made her way over to see Tonks lying supine on the ground. The other witch had moved on, though, and Maddy watched her stalk someone else with her wand in a defensive posture.

"What the bloody HELL are you doing?"

Someone shook Maddy violently, and she gasped. Her eyes had been open, but unseeing. Jolted into the present, she blinked and grappled for balance as she turned to face Sirius, who was seething.

"I told you not to do that!" he shouted, and his voice carried over the water.

"Sirius – what's wrong?" Maddy blinked again several times, trying to shake off the image of Bellatrix. "You scared me half to death!"

He stood glaring down at her. She noticed his shirt hadn't been buttoned and his hair was still rumpled from sleep. He was barefoot.

"I asked you to wait. Why couldn't you do that?"

She staggered to her feet, looking him up and down. "What does it matter? I need to know how to do this! And you should lower your voice."

"It matters," he hissed, "because ... well, what if you see something that frightens you? I mean, you see these things, but you've no idea what their context is. You might misunderstand something."

Maddy rolled her eyes. "Isn't the point that I'm supposed to practice, to get better at it? Maybe this could be a really useful thing for the Order, if I'm good enough. Have you thought of that?"

"So who were you trying to see? Me?"

"No! Someone else. I'm afraid Tonks is going to be hurt. And perhaps I could have figured out why if you hadn't interrupted!"

"By whom?" Sirius asked, his voice lower now.

"Bellatrix Lestrange. She did something to her, but I couldn't tell where it – "

He gripped her chin. "Do not try to see her, ever again! Do you understand me?"

Maddy wrenched away and glared at him. "What is your problem all of a sudden?"

His voice escalated again. "My problem is I want to protect you. I can't keep – " Sirius broke off.

"Can't keep what?" she asked.

"Nothing," he muttered. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I just don't want to see you upset. Why don't you come back inside with me?"

"Well, I'm officially upset now. Thanks a lot!"

Maddy rubbed her eyes. There was no point in trying to see anything else; she wouldn't be able to concentrate if her life depended on it. Sirius held out a hand, but she ignored it and began to walk up to the hotel. He was forced to trail along behind her.

Once upstairs, she opened the door to their suite and flung the key on a console table. Sirius closed it behind him and followed her into the living area. He took her arm more gently this time and turned her around.

"Madeleine. I lost everything once, for twelve years. I will not lose you, not to that worthless hag."

Maddy frowned. "You're not going to lose me, ever. Certainly not because of Bellatrix. Why are you so worried about her?"

"Look what she's already done to you!" Sirius touched the place on her back where his cousin had branded her. Maddy tensed. "See? What if you were to see something like ... Bellatrix coming after me? You'd try to get to her, wouldn't you?"

"Well, I've no reason to believe she's going to, for one thing. But yes, I would."

"I'm telling you to stay away from her, no matter what."

"You can't ask me to do that."

"Yes, I can. I'd lock you up first."

"Oh, Sirius, how medieval of you. Don't be ridiculous. You're not going to lock me up." She sighed. "What if you had known she was going to hurt me? You'd have done whatever it took to stop her, wouldn't you?"

"I'm more experienced – "

Maddy shook her head. "Always comes back to that, doesn't it? Yeah, I get it. You think I'm a pathetic fighter."

"I don't! You've just inexperienced. You've never had to do it before. I don't want to take a chance on something happening to you!"

"Yes, well, likewise, and you're just going to have to live with that. Listen – " Maddy held up a hand when he started to say something else. "I'm done with this conversation. I'm going to take a shower."

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

No matter what Sirius thought, Maddy wasn't about to ignore her mother's instructions. She let the water pour over her and scrubbed her hair angrily. Flecks of foam scattered on her shoulders, tracing tiny white streams of soapy water down her skin. She still felt groggy from the disrupted vision, and the clouds in her brain had finally dissipated. What on earth was his problem, anyway?

"Mind if I get in?" Sirius opened the shower curtain, naked and holding a wand.

"Shower's too small," she said.

"I thought you might say that. There are ways to remedy the problem." Sirius pointed his wand, and Maddy almost lost her balance as the tub area expanded.

"Care to warn me first before you do that?" she snapped.

Sirius ignored her, setting the wand down over the sink before he stepped in. Maddy turned away from him and began to rinse. His hands covered hers, stroking the wet strands of her hair to remove traces of shampoo.

"I'm really not in the mood," Maddy grumbled. "In case you were wondering."

He took a bar of soap and stood behind her, lathering her back. "I understand. Neither am I, but I need to shower, as well. May as well conserve water." His attempt at a joke was met with silence. But he put a few fingers to the back of her neck, stroking it, and she hung her head to let him cleanse her. "Mad, it's just – after what just happened to you – I was terrified. I couldn't do anything for you, and I hate feeling helpless. I think those visions can be dangerous. Who knows what you might see?"

She turned around to face him. "I think they've been rather helpful. And I won't stop."

Sirius sighed. "Fine. Please just wait until after the wedding, though."

"All right." She switched places with him so that he was under the spray of water. "I think this is what Mum's letter meant."

"What?"

"The thing she told you not to do. I suppose. I can't imagine what else it could be."

He froze. He had forgotten about that admonishment, and at a most inconvenient time, too, but he had a suspicion that Maddy's mother had known fully well what he had done. Too bad she didn't bother telling him how to fix it.

They both dried off and got dressed. Sirius peered outside, where it had started to rain.

"I think I'll go for a walk," he said quietly, and Maddy looked at him in surprise.

"In this weather?"

"I'll dry off soon enough." He stepped into the loo for his wand and slid it into his jacket. "I'll be back before long." He gave her a whisper of a kiss on the cheek and was out the door before she could say anything else.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Mid-April rain around Annecy decreased the temperature by quite a bit, and Sirius walked through the drizzle with hands securely clenched in his pockets, exhaling little clouds of breath. He paid no attention, though. The need to get out by himself for a bit, just to think about things, had become overwhelming since he had overheard Madeleine's revelation to Dumbledore.

Dirty gray clouds hung over the lake, making the mountains invisible. Sirius wished he weren't so far from Godric's Hollow at the moment. He could use a little imaginary parley with Prongs, but he wasn't energetic enough to apparate that far today. But the thought of speaking to Remus in the flesh later filled him with as much dread as a trip to the headmaster's office, so it was to be James. He recalled a place he had seen in Annecy town that would do. Slipping under a tree where he was well-shaded from eavesdroppers, Sirius disappeared.

He popped back up in the alley where he and Madeleine had stood the previous night. It had been a slight risk, but Sirius figured no one would be about in this weather. He exited into the main street and tried to remember which way to go. After making a few wrong turns, he spied a small church and adjoining cemetary at the end of a lane, and turned in that direction.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Maddy stood out on the balcony, her hair still damp from the shower. It didn't matter, anyway, with the steady drizzle pattering down on her. Raindrops fell on the lake, resembling tiny needles endlessly pricking the surface of the water. The morning's dreariness reminded her of Grimmauld Place, for some reason, and her thoughts traveled back to the previous summer, when she had first seen Sirius. Maddy had all but shelved the memories of her early morning excursions back then, but when she recalled her secret apparitions away from London, and running along the strand at the coast, she felt a sudden burst of pent-up energy and made up her mind to do the same thing now.

Retreating back indoors, she searched for her trainers once again. They were sitting out now, at least, and were easier to find. Once she had put on the appropriate clothing, she was ready.

Maddy slid her wand up the long sleeve of her shirt and stepped out into the hallway. A maid was already about, vacuuming the carpet, and smiled as Maddy passed. She bounded down the stairs to the main floor and ran directly into a man.

"Oh! Uh, désolé," she muttered, hoping she was saying it the right way.

He staggered backward and began to say something rude in French, but then realized who had just bodyslammed him. "Ah – Madeleine! Comment allez-vous?"

Maddy stared at him. The man didn't look familiar, but he appeared to be a hotel employee. She supposed she had seen him around here somewhere. "Tres bien," she replied after an embarrassing pause.

He continued in French, but stopped abruptly at her look of confusion, and realized she must not understand him. "Victor, remember?" he said in a heavy accent, and gestured to himself.

Maddy nodded, pretending she did remember him. "Oh ... yeah. Hi."

He wasn't fooled. "Le bouteille ... uh, bottle? You asked me for an empty bottle. Just a few days ago. You were screaming ... very upset. At the lake. You don't remember?" Victor acted as though she were simple. Crazy Englishwoman, his tone suggested.

Maddy shrugged. "I'm sorry. I think you have me confused with someone else. I don't know anything about a bottle. Um, au revoir." Screaming? She stepped around him, continuing down the hallway, but looked back once to see him still watching her.

Once outside, she followed a winding path around the back of the hotel and through a small garden. The rain had abated only a tiny bit, and the chilly air made her breath visible in little cloudy bursts. A bicycle path began just beyond the garden, and she picked up her speed there, jogging at a slow pace for a few minutes.

She thought of Remus and Tonks, but especially Tonks. The events at Hogwarts seemed light years away now, despite the jarring recollection of Umbridge, and Maddy decided she would ask Tonks to stand up with her after all. She was really the only friend she had now, anyway, unless she counted Molly Weasley, who could be better compared to an annoying and meddlesome aunt.

Running helped to clear her mind, and Maddy picked up her speed again as she passed a stately house close to the lake. She thought of their home in Hogsmeade, and realized she missed it terribly. Good thing Remus was able to stay there and watch over it for them. Annecy was beautiful, and a perfect place for a wedding, but Maddy was ready to return home soon. Was she expected to keep a low profile whenever they went back? She didn't think Sirius was all that worried about the Ministry, at least for his own sake, but she did wonder if she was high on some death eater's shit list now. Especially Malfoy, after what she had done to him. She still felt a surge of pride at her grandmother and her little Gaelic spell, and she hoped that the disgusting wizard was still incapacitated by it. Trying to stay under the Ministry's radar was going to be beyond tiresome, though. Maddy resolved that when they returned, she was going to continue brushing up on defensive spells. To hell with Malfoy and Bellatrix, and the Ministry.

Finally, she slowed down to a stop, and leaned against a wooden post. The lake was still visible from here, and clouds had begun to lift, exposing more of the mountains. Sirius had excellent taste, as always, and Maddy felt a rush of affection for his thoughtful nature, despite her anger at his inexplicable outburst earlier. So the visions were coming true, after all. She had no doubt of it. They would be married and someday have two children, at least one of them a boy. No matter what Sirius said, she knew he would be called Regulus, though why was still a mystery. She rather liked the thought of pieces that were missing from the puzzle, though, and was glad she had never seen more than those tiny snippets. It made them coming true much more interesting. However, visions could be very useful for the Order. She would be sure to speak to Albus about her mother's letter. Maddy felt sure that as she matured in that ability, it would prove much more serviceable, not to mention unique, than how she wielded a wand in a fight.

Still, though. Malfoy's apparent disgrace in the future, as seen in her moment of desperation, seemed too good to be true. She wasn't sure she wanted to put too much trust in it, and Albus's advice to her, spoken many times, echoed that sentiment. Merlin, wouldn't that be nice, though? To see him locked away in Azkaban for good. She hoped they put him in Sirius's old cell. The other thing she had seen at the same time, though ... Harry winning against Voldemort? It was really just a fleeting image of a headline in the Prophet, and if Malfoy's fate was too good to be true, well, this would be just unbelievable. Maddy loved Harry and hoped he would let her act as godmother when she married Sirius, but him against Voldemort? And winning? She wasn't about to put any blind trust in that one, either.

Maddy looked at her watch and realized she had been gone longer than she meant to be. The rain, as if on cue, came down more heavily now, and she looked up, wondering wryly if a dark cloud had settled just over her. She didn't feel much like running now, and was chilled from her wet clothing. Looking around her, she tried to find a good spot to apparate back to the room, but nothing seemed adequate. She finally settled on walking in the rain. It felt good to be away from Sirius for a bit, anyway, just to process and analyze thoughts she had filed away for a while. Despite the inclement conditions, she felt rejuvenated, and her anger with him had dissolved.

Finally she could see the hotel ahead, and picked up her speed one last time. She raced until she had reached the front door, then stopped in front of it, chest heaving. Two men and a woman stood just inside, and Maddy recognized Sirius and Remus. She had no idea who the woman was, though. She opened the door, and they turned to look in her direction.

"Mad! You're soaked!" Sirius kissed her, his lips warm against hers. "Where've you been?"

"Just went for a run," Maddy answered, still a bit breathless. "Hello, Remus! I'd hug you, but I think I need another shower first."

The woman walked up next to Remus, and Maddy looked closely at her. Before Remus could respond, she spoke.

"Wotcher, Maddy!"

"Tonks?" Maddy looked her up and down. She had completely changed her appearance, and now had sleek black hair that hung straight down her back. "You look like ... oh, who's that muggle singer? Wait ... Cher!" She laughed at the resemblance, and Tonks grinned.

"Thought I'd try something a bit different than the usual," she answered. She looked around the lobby. "Beautiful place here. We can't wait for tomorrow!"

"Hello, Maddy. You look lovely, as always," Remus said, his eyes twinkling.

She snorted. "Right! Think I'll clean up first. Then you can say it. How are you?"

"Very well," he said, though his smile faded a little and he seemed pale. Maddy remembered the approaching full moon next week, and assumed that was the reason.

She took Sirius's hand briefly. "I'm going to change and clean up a bit. Maybe we can get some lunch after that?" She glanced back at Remus and Tonks, still disconcerted by the woman's ease in changing her appearance.

"Sure," Sirius said. "I told them we should wander around Annecy for a bit, before the others get here. I'll go with you. Your room's taken care of," he said, turning back to Remus.

The other wizard tried to object, but Sirius shook his head. "Everyone else's is, as well. Don't bother. Just get the keys." He clapped Remus on the back. "We'll meet back here in an hour or so, then we can catch up. Sound good?"

Tonks answered for him. "Absolutely!"

Sirius set off for their room along with Maddy, leaving the other two to get settled in.

oOoOoOoOoOoOo

Once they were back in their suite, Maddy peeled off her wet clothing and shivered.

"Where did you go?" Sirius asked.

"I felt like running, so I got on the path next to the lake. Bloody hell, it's freezing in here!"

She walked into the bathroom, and soon Sirius heard the sound of a shower at full blast. He followed her in, but leaned against the doorway. Behind the shower curtain, she rinsed off quickly, then let hot water pour over her until the chill was gone. She slid the curtain aside and started when she saw Sirius looking at her.

"Oh! Didn't know you were standing there. Need to use the loo?"

"No. I need to talk to you, actually." His pulse quickened and he looked down. This was James's idea. Sirius had hoped to get out of doing this before the wedding took place, but his conscience refused to cooperate. Best just to get it over with and hope she would forgive him. James had assured him of that, at least. Sirius wasn't about to tell her the whole story of the vision's contents, though. Not right now.

"About what?" Maddy had wrapped one towel over her hair after drying off, and another one around her body. She was busy scraping the dregs of moisturizing cream from the bottom of a jar. She spread it over her face.

"Something I did. I need to apologize."

Maddy looked at him. "This morning, you mean?"

"Well ... no. Yesterday morning."

"Almost forgot, I ran into some bloke named Victor on my way out, who insisted that I was screaming down at the lake the other day and asking for a bottle. Can you believe that?" She grinned. "I suspect he's a nutter."

Sirius had already forgotten about Victor's presence. Jesus, it was probably too late to back out now. Maybe.

"You know what? We can talk about it later, after meeting Remus and Tonks."

"No, tell me now. What's wrong?" She released the towel and grabbed a comb and began to smooth out the tangles in her hair.

He tried to think how to start. "Madeleine, you were practicing divination. Down at the lake a few mornings back."

She frowned. "No, I wasn't."

"Yes, you were." Sirius was gentle but insistent. "Something upset you, badly." He sighed, wanting desperately to get this over with, but he couldn't exactly rush the explanation.

"Sirius, what are you talking about?"

"It's why I ... well, I woke up this morning and you were gone. I knew you were going to try it again. I was afraid of what you'd see. And you were doing it. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

She put the comb down and turned to him. "There was no vision, Sirius! Not from the other day. I tried to concentrate a few times after Mum's letter, but never really got anywhere with it 'til this morning. You're wrong."

"Mad, it upset you so badly you spoke to Albus about it yesterday morning."

"Am I in some bizarro world or something? I had no vision a few days ago!"

He took a deep breath. "You did. I know because I obliviated it."

This stopped her cold. "What?"

Sirius put a hand on her shoulder. "Mad, you were distraught. That Victor bloke ... he found you screaming. He thought you were having a seizure. You were screaming ..." my name, he wanted to say, but he couldn't tell her that much. The words froze in his throat.

"You couldn't do that." Maddy shook her head and stepped back. His hand fell to his side.

"I panicked. I couldn't calm you down. You wouldn't tell me what it was about, but it was eating away at you. I went after you yesterday morning, thinking you were going to try and see more. But you were meeting Albus. I heard everything you said."

"Would you like to share it, since it no longer exists in my memory?" Her shock began to thaw out, heated by fierce anger that was taking over.

"Bellatrix hurt someone."

"Tonks, you mean. You obliviated me over that? For crissakes, can't we just warn her?"

Sirius wanted to say yes. But he didn't think she would really believe it. "No. Somebody else was hurt. Please don't ask me any more about it."

"Don't fucking ask you? You're the one who took it away!"

"And I only did because you were miserable. I couldn't stand seeing you that way!"

"So next time I see something unpleasant, you'll just obliviate me again, so I'll be nice and happy?"

"I was afraid for you," he explained, desperate for her to understand. "Mad, we're being married tomorrow!"

"I am aware of that, yes."

Sirius ignored her sarcastic tone and went on. "I was afraid you would be so upset and worried that you wouldn't enjoy the day. And to be honest, your mother was a real git for even suggesting doing this before our wedding."

His characterization of Carol O'Hannon made her even angrier, and she shoved aside the annoying kernel of truth to that statement.

"Leave my mum out of it, if you please!"

"Fine. I'm telling you, I'm sorry. I will never do it again. But please listen to me, Madeleine, do not attempt to see anything. Not right now, anyway. Okay?"

"Sorry? Guess I ought to thank you for telling me now! At least you didn't wait 'til after the wedding to drop that little bombshell."

"I was going to," he admitted. "That would have been wrong, though."

"Wrong, huh? Well -" She broke off as she thought of something else. "What about the bottle? What's that mean?"

"The bottle is where you preserved the memory."

"Ah. And where is this bottle?"

"Albus has it. You gave it to him."

The thought that she could remember absolutely none of that whole episode infuriated Maddy.

"Tell you what. You, Remus and Tonks go to Annecy by yourselves. I wouldn't be very good company just now. I need to think."

Sirius stared at her, and his heart sank even lower. He had wondered if this was coming. Perhaps James was wrong, after all. She might never forgive him for this.

"No. Please come with me, Mad."

She shook her head. "I want to be alone. Give them some excuse for me."

He looked at her, silently pleading for her to understand. But Maddy said nothing further, and looked away as if to dismiss him. He put his wand into a pocket of his coat and walked out.