As for this delay. I'm very sorry! An enormous mess was left by a renter which I have spent the last few weeks cleaning up. Remodeling is both time-consuming and tiring. I have gotten to be better friends with a paintbrush and a hammer than I ever wanted to be.
I should be officially back now, though. Saturday is the last day for it.
Harry was beginning to wonder where, exactly, they were heading when the path bent for a final time and it was just suddenly there! A wizarding castle rose with stately grace and delicacy from the surrounding forest as though it had been crafted as it grew. Harry didn't think he could see a sharp corner in it anywhere and it looked like it was built on the principle that gravity was only a suggestion to be followed only when the builders felt like it. Harry looked over and caught Hermione's eye. She looked amazed too and - he fought back a smile - looked like she was trying to puzzle out the enchantments holding it together. Merlin, apparently, also caught her expression.
"Built by magic with a great deal of help from the elves," Merlin told them, smiling with a touch of deserved pride shining in his eyes. "This castle took many years to construct, but I daresay it is beautiful."
"More than beautiful," Ginny whispered.
"Elves?" Hermione demanded, her voice sharpening until she sounded remarkably like Professor McGonagall. "You have house elves?"
Harry tensed. House elves were a very sensitive subject with Hermione. Rowan and Merlin gave the girl a puzzled look and Lupin looked back as well, clearly wondering what was wrong.
"Why wouldn't we have house elves?" Rowan answered.
Hermione fluffed like an angry cat and Harry stifled a groan. It looked like the rebirth of S.P.E.W. "I suppose they don't get proper wages, or holidays or pensions? It's slavery, Professor!"
"Hermione!" Professor Myfanwy snapped in a tone that commanded instant obedience or else and Hermione's mouth snapped shut with an audible click. "Do not jump to conclusions. It is very noble to help those that can't help themselves, but I don't think you've done your research on house elves."
"Research, Professor?" Hermione blinked. "I've spoken with Dobby and seen what Mr Crouch did to his house elf Winky and . . ."
"Dobby's former master was Lucius Malfoy, correct? And Bartimus Crouch was . . ." Rowan sighed and shook her head. "Without speaking ill of the dead, suffice it to say that those two are not exactly typical of wizarding families. Aside from the demon blood, my family is a far more typical household. Let's go inside and Grandfather can explain it a bit better while I find Ger and get a spare cloak."
"Are you going somewhere?" Harry asked, noticing a suspicious darkness leeching into Rowan's eyes again.
She nodded briskly. "To the Malfoys. To find Sirius."
Ger drew his wand and glanced at each of the others. "Stay behind me," he instructed. "You don't have wands, and we don't need to give any remaining Death Eaters a bit of target practice. The others nodded, falling back to stay out of the way. Sirius took a step backwards, but then frowned and transformed into Padfoot. His dull claws clicked faintly on the marble floors as he joined Ger at the front of the group and woofed softly at him. Ger grinned faintly and nodded, then turned his attention forward and led them all off again.
Several more turns and a few more hallways brought them out into the main passageways of the castle. The voices they'd been hearing finally resolved themselves into easily recognizable, and very familiar individuals.
Padfoot paused just long enough to hear his name on Rowan's lips before breaking into a fast lope and skidding over the marble flooring. She'd said she wanted to find him, and he intended to make it easy for her to do so.
He could hear the others clattering behind him and he let out a loud bark to announce their presence.
Harry called his name and Rowan emitted a little cry that sounded suspiciously like a quickly repressed sob. She and Harry both sank to their knees to wrap their arms around Padfoot's scruffy neck.
Sirius transformed back into himself before she had any time to pull away, and pulled them closer. He wasn't entirely surprised to feel a trace of tears dampening his eyes. They were all right. Voldemort hadn't taken any more of their broken little family this night.
Thinking of family, Sirius decided he'd better mend a bit more of that before Fate took any more shots at his life. Struggling to his feet and dragging Harry and Rowan with him, Sirius quickly shifted both hands to Rowan's waist and lifted her above his head.
She laughed. "Put me down, Sirius!"
"I'm free, Rowan!" he grinned, setting her back on the ground, but not relinquishing his hold on her waist. Suddenly he pulled her closer, laying his chin on her hair. Rowan sighed and wrapped her arms around him as well, laying her cheek comfortably against his chest. Then his news seemed to sink in and her eyes snapped back open. Rowan leaned back as far as his arms would let her, eyes wide in shock.
"H . . . how?"
"Ger saw Peter," Morgaine supplied, grinning. "more importantly, Ger recognized Peter. Sirius can prove his innocence."
Sirius grinned and winked at Harry. "If you still want a new home, Harry, the offer is still open."
Harry's eyes glowed with laughter and pure joy. "When can I move in?"
"Just as soon as I discuss something with your godmother," Sirius grinned back at the boy. Then he turned back to the woman still folded securely in his arms. "Marry me."
Startled silence met Sirius's almost-demand. Rowan stared up at him, looking like she didn't quite know what to say and Sirius smirked internally. Even after nearly twenty years of friendship, he could count the times he'd actually stunned her speechless on one hand. And not for lack of trying.
Remus began to laugh. "Now that," he managed, "is the Sirius Black I remember!"
Merlin began chuckling as well as varying degrees of shock appeared on several other faces. "Very convenient, granddaughter," he commented.
Morgaine shot her younger brother a scathing look before he could say anything and he shut his mouth with a snap. Harry glanced over at his friends, catching three pairs of eyes and got a confused shrug from them.
Sirius looked slightly puzzled. "Convenient?" he asked, then looked back down at Rowan with a teasing grin. "Rowan? Aren't you going to ans-mph!"
Sirius found his words and his breath stopped as Rowan closed the small gap between them and cut him off with a kiss. It was very sweet, though slightly sad, with a slight wildness to it he'd never felt before. Still slightly chilled from the outside air, she tasted like a winter's night.
Rowan broke away before thought abandoned them completely.
"We need to talk," she told him.
Sirius replied with a distracted "Hn?" as he tried to resolve her words against what they'd just been doing. That made her laugh and she reached up to brush a light kiss against his mouth. "About Harry." Rowan pulled away completely to confront the amused faces of their audience and Sirius mentally grumbled that talking about Harry was the last thing on his mind at the moment.
"Perhaps you two should include Harry in your discussion," Merlin's voice interrupted, sounding suspiciously light, as though he was barely restraining laughter at their expense. "We should begin the ritual at dawn."
"Dawn will be fine, but I'm letting you handle that part, Grandfather," she told him firmly. "You can explain to Harry whatever he wants to know while I speak with Sirius. We'll be back before dawn."
Her grandfather smiled knowingly, but nodded and turned to the others to begin issuing orders. Seemingly satisfied that things were in good hands, Rowan curled an arm around his waist, and Sirius fought a smirk down and covered her hand with his own. He would enjoy continuing their 'conversation' of a few moments ago. A sharp nail pressing into a vulnerable tendon disabused him of this idea. "Don't even think it, Padfoot," Rowan told him sweetly. "I said 'talk' and I meant verbal discussion."
Grandfather – Harry still had trouble thinking of the kindly wizard as Merlin – began herding everyone off into various tasks almost immediately. It was, Harry suspected, a way to keep them all busy and thinking of things other than what had just happened.
"Morgaine? Go send an owl to Dumbledore and speak with the Weasleys. I'm sure Ginny and Hermione will be glad to help you. Remus, I believe you're on good terms with our head elf, Perry?" Grandfather asked, turning slightly to regard the werewolf. At Lupin's nod, he continued, "Excellent. You and Ron can arrange rooms and something to eat for everyone. With everything that's happened, warm beds, tea, and a hot meal should appeal to everyone."
Harry remained quiet, feeling alarmingly tired all of a sudden. Merlin's enigmatic blue eyes seemed to miss very little, however, and Harry was gently pulled out of his exhaustion by a strong hand on his shoulder. "And you, Harry, will come with me." Merlin began leading him deeper into the twisting passages of the castle, away from the others. "There are many things you should know about. Not the least of which is Voldemort's probable reaction to tonight's events."
