A/N: Yay! I have reviews! And my Sims game is working! And I only have one week of school left! Happy days are here! Thank you to everyone who reviewed…here's the next installment…

Sirius said nothing, and just stood there, staring at her with those sunken eyes, showing no expression whatsoever. Arianna hardly dared to breathe.

For a while, they just stood there, staring at each other. Arianna was too scared to talk again, and besides, what would she say if she wasn't? What do you say to your convicted murderer brother who has just escaped from Azkaban? She didn't know. Frustrated, she started to think about all the things he had done to melt her fear. Betrayed his best friends, killed twelve innocent muggles with one curse…Anger rose up above the fear. It gave her courage, which she needed. Angrily, she thought of what to say and spat them out as viciously as possible. "What in bloody hell are you doing here?"

Sirius looked startled at her tone. "Ari, I—"

She didn't let him finish. "Did you come to murder me, too? Like Peter, and those muggles? Betray me, like Lily and James? I warn you; I have my wand," she said breathlessly, reaching into her bag to touch it.

Sirius shook his head desperately. "No—"

"Or," she added, cutting him off again, "Did you come here looking for shelter? Did you honestly think even I would bloody care for you, after all you've done? Hah," Arianna spat on the floor in disgust. She glared at him as sinister as possible. "You ruined my whole life. After you went to prison, everybody shunned Mum and I. We had to move away; become Muggles. I don't trust anyone anymore. And it's all your bloody damn fault! So just… sod off!" Anger was blinding her. She moved forward and slapped him on the cheek, her eyes watering.

He turned away, holding his burned cheek for a moment. Arianna flung her bag on the floor and walked to the couch, trying to restrain her herself from getting even more violent with him. Tears flooded out.

Sirius recovered quickly, and he croaked out, "I didn't come at all."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked bitterly, not looking at him.

He walked over to where she was sitting. "You brought me here."

"What?"

"When you left this morning, there was a dog in your apartment. Now when you come back, I am here, but no dog."

Arianna was beginning to see where this was leading, but she refused to believe it. "So?"

"Don't you get it? Arianna, I am the dog. The one you nursed and fed. The one you set out pillows for. I'm an Animagus." He lowered his hand from his cheek and faced her.

What was he talking about? He couldn't be an Animagus, could he? Her mind was reeling. "You can't be an Animagus," she countered, finally looking at him. "People would know. They keep records of people who try out that spell!"

"I never registered. Would you like me to prove it?" he asked suddenly.

"No," she said, realizing that he must be. He always loved dogs, she thought wistfully. Shaking her head quickly, she went back to being yelling at him. It was how she dealt with fear. "That's how you've been getting around! That's why no one's caught you yet, even though it's been a fortnight since you were shot! You've been traveling as a dog! I've got to tell someone!" She bolted up from the couch, but he wrestled her back down in an instant. "What the h—"

"Arianna, you've got to listen to me. You don't know everything. You can't—"

"I can do whatever I damn well want to! What do you mean I don't know everything? I know that you bloody betrayed your best friends to Voldemort and killed thirteen innocent people! I know that you escaped from Azkaban. That's enough for me to turn you in!" She growled as she tried to fight her way up. He pinned her down on the couch. She quickly kicked him off, and stood, leaving him sprawled on the floor, clutching his leg. Chest heaving, she reached for her wand. She realized it was in her bag, which was sitting right next to Sirius. She looked up, only to see him holding her wand in his large, rugged hands.

She gulped and tried not to look scared. "Give me my wand," she hissed.

Sirius looked at it for a moment. Then, quite suddenly, he threw it over to her and she caught it, surprised. "There. You're armed. I'm not. Will you listen to me?"

Arianna breathed in huge gasps. She didn't want to listen; she wanted to yell out some curse that would kill him. "No. You probably know how to do spells without a wand. From Voldemort."

He laughed. "Do you honestly think I'd kill my own sister? My own flesh and blood?"

"Why not? You killed Peter. And you were responsible for James and Lily's deaths." Stop talking! She told herself angrily. All it takes is a few words. A few words and he'll be gone, never to kill anyone again. Do it for yourself. For Peter and James and Lily. For Mum, Ail, Mel… and all those Muggles. For Harry…

He sighed, slowly getting up. "Sadly, the first isn't true. The latter…well, I guess in a way it is." His tone dropped considerably.

His words confused her, and she unconsciously lowered her wand. "What are you havering about?" (Haver: British slang for "ramble")

"It's a long story. Are you willing to listen?"

No! Arianna's mind screamed. No, I don't want to listen! I'll just get rid of you now…But her curiousity got the better of her, as always. It was a good thing, she guessed, for there was no way she could actually kill him. He was still her brother, even if he had done horrible things. "I guess," she gave in, laying her wand across her lap, keeping it still in reach just in case.

She listened to Sirius' hoarse voice tell his story for what seemed like hours. When he was done, Arianna was speechless. Finally, she whispered, "Sirius, do you have any proof of this?"

Sirius bit his lip. "No, I don't. All I have to prove that this story is true is out of my hands. A few would swear on anything that it is true, but I hardly believe even you would listen to them."

Arianna was silent. Her mind was swirling. His story sounded very unlikely, but then again, what was likely these days? Somehow, she couldn't see Peter working for Voldemort; nor could she see Remus as a werewolf. He had been sick a lot, but still…

Sirius sighed. "Look Ari, I'm not asking you to believe me. I just needed to tell you the truth. You deserve to know what happened; after all you've been through. Right now I have absolutely nothing to back up my story except for my word, which probably counts for little more than naff. (naff= basically, crap ;) I owe it to you, though." He suddenly smiled a little. "Just like I owed it to Harry…"

"You told Harry?"

Then Sirius told of his adventures of Hogwarts with a cat, Harry and his friends, and Remus Lupin. Again, Arianna was silent afterwards. He had given her even more to debate about. Though most of the evidence proved Sirius guilty, there was still a chance that Sirius' story was true. And of course, she wanted to believe him. He was her perfect older brother; she had fantasized for years about how they could be wrong, how he was innocent…but of course she had given up, for everyone thought differently.

Now, the decision weighted on her shoulders. Sirius had said that she didn't need to believe him, but she thought she must decide anyway. If he was telling the truth, she had her brother back, and as long as they could find Pettigrew again, everything would be wonderful. If he wasn't…Arianna didn't even want to think of what would happen then.

Sirius looked from side to side and put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Ari, I'll leave now. My business is done here." He started to head for the door.

Arianna reacted fast. "What do you think you're doing?" she snarled, getting up and blocking the door.

Sirius looked at her, obviously surprised. "Leaving," he replied.

"So you're telling me you have a place to stay," Arianna said, thinking fast, weighing her chances.

Sirius forced a laugh. "Who would shelter a convicted murderer, even an innocent one? Of course I don't have a place to stay. But," He reached for the knob. "I'll change into a dog. I'll get by."

This is a serious risk, she thought to herself. But what else can I do? I'm not about to leave him out there, not if there's a chance he's innocent. Hopefully, he's not lying. She snorted out loud. "Yeah, right. Sirius, you're going to stay with me, at least for tonight."

Sirius looked at her, dumbfounded. "B-But…you don't even believe me! How do you know I won't kill you during the night? How did you know someone won't find out? How…?"

Arianna held the door closed. "I know what I'm doing, Sirius. Just be thankful I'm letting you stay. I know I'm risking a lot." She stared hard at him. "You're my brother. I can't leave you out there, no matter what I think you've done. I know you would do the same for me if our roles were switched. Now, sit down on the couch. I'll go ask one of my neighbors for a razor."

Sirius sat down, looking very grateful. Then he realized what she had said. "A razor?"

"Yes, a razor. Honestly, Sirius, have you seen yourself? You look like one of those old religious pensioners, except somewhat younger. Where are those scissors?" Arianna dug around her apartment.

Sirius smiled. "Well, they don't give haircuts or let us shave over in Azkaban. All we really do is eat manky food and get scared out of our bloody wits by the dementors. I was able to improve my appearance a little bit last year…but I suppose it's grown back…"

"Aha! Here they are." She handed Sirius a pair of scissors. "Now I'll go next door and see if Mr. Querty has a razor you can use…I sure hope you remember how to shave, cause two-year olds know how to do it better than I."

"Of course not, Arianna. The thing I want the most is for me to look like some daft bloke, with only a half shave, and dozens of cuts from the blade…"

Arianna laughed a little. Ankara hadn't affected his sense of humor considerably—he was still the master of lame jokes. "And I hope you know how to cut hair. I'm a veterinarian, not a groomer, for heaven's sakes…"

"Bugger, Ari! You're making me remember too much! Don't you know what twelve bloody years in Azkaban can do to a person? You forget everything!" Sirius wailed in mock distress. "Can't I use your wand?"

"Yeah, right, good one," Arianna said, smirking.

~ * ~

Arianna was finding it harder and harder every second to not believe his story. He seemed so good, so normal…so like he used to be. He didn't seem like a convicted murderer and minion of Voldemort. Still, Arianna thought darkly, it could all be an act. Don't trust him too much. You'll probably regret it later. Don't let your guard down just because he's normal. She tried not to let her thoughts show on her face as she watched Sirius try to cut his hair. It was fairly easy because he was failing horribly.

"Are you sure I can't just use your wand?" Sirius complained. "This mirror isn't clear enough,"

Arianna shook her head giggling. "This is your punishment," she said sweetly.

"Awww…give over …Why do I have to do this anyway?"

Arianna stared hard at him, bewildered. "You're telling me you like looking like Rip Van Winkle, that Muggle in that story we read once?"

"What do you mean? It's better than it was. I shaved a little since I got out of Azkaban."

Arianna looked at him pitifully, as if to say, 'Codswallop.'

Sirius laughed a little and held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, fine. What about your wand?"

Arianna twiddled it in between her fingers teasingly. "Well, I don't know…"

"Ari…"

"Fine," she gave in. Walking over, she muttered a quick spell so that his hair was cut the way it used to be. His beard disappeared, too. "What did they do with your wand, anyway, Sirius?"

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. They took it away. I bet what's left are small pitiful splinters, though. Most likely snapped in half." His voice held a bitter undertone.

Arianna winced. "Blimey," she said, finishing up and walking away. She left her wand on the table.

Sirius eyed it carefully. "Ari, you left your wand on the table,"

She hadn't exactly noticed, but tried to be calm about it. "So?"

"Aren't you afraid that I'll grab it, shoot some *deadly* curse at you, laugh maniacally like a dimwit and run away?"

Arianna laughed. "You said you wouldn't earlier."

"Yeah, but I thought that you didn't believe me."

Arianna looked thoughtful, and suddenly she found herself speaking. "Call it a feeling," she started dreamily, "but I don't think you would, even if you lied to me before. I've been thinking about it… You could have killed me last night, without me even knowing you had been here. But you didn't." Oddly enough, as she spoke the words, she believed them, too. Somewhere in her heart she had always known that he was right.

"Besides," she continued, walking up and patting his bandaged leg, "You couldn't walk far with this."

He looked sideways at her. "You sure about that?"

Arianna laughed. "Of course I am," she said, sounding surer then she actually was. She hastily changed the subject. "You can sleep on the couch."

Sirius' expression changed dramatically. He immediately looked extremely offended. "What kind of service is this? Here I am, mortally wounded, almost on my deathbed, and you get the nice homely bed?!?!"

"Hey, it's my apartment," Arianna argued. "Stop being so dramatic. You are not mortally wounded, and certainly not on your blooming deathbed. You can hobble around."

Sirius sniffed indignantly. "Fine then. Some doctor you must be."

"Only to you, dear brother. Only to you."

~ * ~

Matt Jarvis absentmindedly played with a sweet wrapper on his desk, folding it into halves, fourths and even eighths before unfolding it again. He ripped it several times before he noticed what he was doing. He sighed in frustration and threw the little pieces away, resting his head on his desk. He should have left hours ago, but was still here at the Magical Menagerie, thinking.

He'd seen her again today. Arianna Newmoon, the "new witch". She wasn't exactly new anymore, as she had been working for at least two months now, but the name had stuck. She was usually quiet, but had loosened up a bit since her first days. Matt had a feeling she was hiding something. She rarely truly smiled and never talked about anything personal. She bit her lip whenever people made dumb jokes and didn't like nicknames…Matt smiled and laughed a little at how she had reacted to him simply calling her "Ari".

He liked her, despite how odd she acted. In fact, maybe it was because of that. Whenever he saw her, he felt warm inside, something he had never really felt before. Not for the first time, Matt wondered if his feelings for her extended beyond friendship. She was rather pretty in his eyes…

"Matt? Are you still here?" Matt turned around in his seat to see who was asking. It was William, the head doctor and owner of the place. He usually stayed late to close up.

"Yeah, I'm still here. Don't worry, I'll close up. I…I just want to stay a wee bit longer."

William smiled at him, putting his hands in the pockets of his robes. "Thinking great thoughts?"

"Actually, I sort of am," he said. He hesitated thoughtfully. "What would you say if I told you I fancied someone?"

William laughed. "I would say that it's about danged time. Honestly, Matt when was the last time you fell in love? Five years? Six?"

Matt laughed, too, almost bitterly.

"So, Matt, who's the lucky girl?" William inquired, interested.

Matt grinned. "I never said I was," he pointed out slyly. "I just wanted to know what you would say."

William looked disappointed. "All right, fine then, don't tell me. I don't know about you, but I'm going gaffe. You staying?" (gaffe=home)

Matt sighed. "I guess I'll head for gaffe, too. Are all the animals fed?"

William took out his wand and muttered a quick spell. "They are now," he replied.

"Well, aren't you the laziest head doctor I've ever seen…" William laughed as Matt started to pack up his stuff. He zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. Turning to William, he said, "Bye. I'll see you tomorrow, right?"

William nodded and headed for the front. He reached in the bars of a cat's cage and patted it gently before leaving. Matt took a look around to make sure everything was right and walked out. By this time, William had already Apparated away. Matt locked the door securely and Apparated himself home, still thinking about Arianna.

~ * ~

Matt appeared near his small home. Not many Muggles lived in his area; so it was okay do things like that around here. His house here was the one he had grown up with his mother in, but she had died about a year ago. It was hard for Matt to keep up with all the bills and he was already thinking about taking second job or something. He knew he could just try to find a cheaper place to stay, but somehow, Matt didn't really want to leave his childhood home. He had grown attached to the purple shutters and blue furnishings, not to mention the many memories the house held from his childhood.

Matt laughed to himself as he got his wand out to open his house. To his great surprise and shock, the door was already open. Matt knew he had locked it earlier that day. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he walked in, keeping his wand close at hand in case he might need it.

No one was in the hall, or the kitchen. The living room was a different story.

Sitting on Matt's off-yellow couch, was a tall man who bore a striking resemblance to Matt himself. Someone Matt didn't think he would ever see again. He smiled at Matt strangely. "Hello, again. Long time no see, huh? Well, it's finally time. Now that your blasted mother's gone and my master has finally risen, we can get back to work. Sound good?"

Matt backed up. "Father…?" he whispered. "I…" He stuttered, trying to find something to say.

"You don't have to say anything, my son. Just come with me," Matt's father said, his eyes glowing a little strangely. He stood up and touched Matt's arm. Suddenly Matt was not in his living room anymore, but rather, thousands of miles away.

A/N: Once again…review? *looks hopeful* Hmm…lots of strange things here, huh? Arianna's got a secret admirer…who *coughs*hasaninterestingbackground*coughs*. But more about that later. ^_^ Yes, it's a cliffy, for all those evil authors who have left me on them. :-p

Lily Smith—Thanks a bunch for reviewing the first time I posted AND the 2nd time. Kudos to you—I'm glad you loved it so much that you came back and looked for the next chapter! ^_^ Hope you liked this one, too.

flourishes— eh…sorry about that cliffhanger thing…you'll have to deal with this one as well. Don't worry, most likely the wait won't be long. I really like name definitions too…especially when they signify something about the character (is this a hint? I have no clue *cough*)

Xue rui chi—Thanks! (I wish you said more so I could reply more…*hint*

Melockerty—Hehe…hope you're satisfied now. Thank you for reading and reviewing.

Disclaimer: Matt's mine! William's mine! Arianna's mine! All the other stuff that's mine is mine! (lol) Everything else is J.K. Row ling's. Rip Van Winkle belongs to some old dead author up in heaven somewhere. *shrugs* I don't 'member what his name was.