Chapter 18 – The Final Reconciliation

Disclaimer: I don't own anything that belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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Sirius woke up to hear the sound of a bell ringing shrilly. It took him a couple of seconds to shake off the lasting remnants of sleep and work out it was the doorbell. By the time he had managed to get up and go downstairs, his sister had broken in and was now staring at the large pile of mouldy pots and pans in his kitchen with her hands on her hips.

When he poked his head around the door, she spun around and fixed him with a glare. "You're a pig."

Sirius shrugged tiredly and attempted to find the teapot under a pile, which he supposed was his laundry.

"Which means that either you and this Heather creature have been getting on really well, or she dumped you on your rear and you've been hibernating. Do you know how many times I've owled you in the past week? I've been desperate to know what happened between you two."

Sirius grunted and threw half of his laundry on the floor.

"Do you even know where your wand is?" Thalia sighed, before getting out her own and zipping the laundry clean, stacking it neatly. "I'm guessing by your noticeable silence that the happy event that I was expecting has gone out of the window."

"What do you want, Thalia?" Sirius snarled. "I'm not in the mood for your interference."

Thalia pursed her lips. "I wasn't aware that I was interfering, Sirius Black. I was trying to help."

"Help? What, by ruining my life?" Sirius spun around, his eyes blazing, looking for someone, anyone, to blame. As his sister continued to look at him in silence, his eyes grew desolate. "She left me, Lia."

"After you had told her that you loved her?" Thalia asked softly, knowing that her brother was in pain.

"No. She had already packed when I arrived home; the same day you told me to tell her."

"Why?"

"She didn't really say."

"And you didn't ask?! Oh, Sirius, what are you doing standing here? Why aren't you following her, persuading her to come back? What's wrong with you?"

"What's the point?"

"There's always a point. If you love her, then she must be worth fighting for. Take my advice, love, go after her. Make her explain."

"I don't know where she is. Besides, I tried to see her once, but she wouldn't listen."

"Don't let that stop you, Sirius. There must be someone that she has told. Who is she close friends with?"

Sirius sighed. "Florence… and Branson Leggett." His bleak look held a spark of anger as he said the second name and Thalia was intrigued.

"Branson Leggett?"

"Don't tell me you know him as well?"

"Never heard of him."

"Supposedly, he's a friend of Snape's."

"Snape. Severus Snape? He has friends?" Thalia smiled. "That wasn't something I was expecting. He always struck me as something of a mutant when I saw him in school."

Sirius shrugged. "And, what's more, he and Florence are an item."

"Again?" she sighed. "That girls' got some serious issues, beginning with taste." Thalia wrinkled her nose at the thought of Snape and it brought the beginnings of a smile to Sirius' face. "So, although asking this Branson bloke is out of the question, why don't you ask Florence? She's bound to have told her."

Sirius' brow puckered slightly in thought. "Actually, I think I will," he said firmly.

He strode determinedly through to the sitting room and to the fireplace and threw some floo dust into it. He called for Florence and within moments, her head appeared.

"Oh, hello, Sirius! This is unexpected," Florence commented.

"This no time for niceties, Florence. I need your help," Sirius said anxiously and Florence's smile faded, only to be replaced with a frown.

"Of course, anything. What is it?"

"Where is she, Florence?" Sirius asked desperately. "Where is Heather?"

Florence shook her head. "Anything but that, Sirius. She's sworn me to secrecy."

"Why?"

"She's hurting, Sirius. She hasn't told me exactly why, but I'm guessing you're at the bottom of it."

"But I haven't done anything!"

"Not that you can think of. Remember, a woman in love is very sensitive."

"She's in love with me?" A silly grin spread itself across his face and Florence paused.

"Yes… but wait! I'm still not going to tell you anything," she affirmed.

"What if I told you that I loved her?"

It was Florence's turn to smile. "You do? Oh, Sirius, that's so great!"

"But I can't do anything about it until you tell me where she is." Sirius knew he was onto a winner.

Florence looked slightly doubtful. "Oh."

"Is that an 'oh' I'll tell you, or an 'oh' sod off?"

"I don't know…"

"Our happiness depends on you, Florence."

"Sirius, you were always a slimy bastard," Florence hissed. "Stop putting pressure on me. She'd kill me, if she knew that I told you – she'd never trust me again."

"I assure you, Florence, that, if you tell me, she'll be thanking you forever after."

"You're so arrogant," Florence grated.

"Nope, I'm just sure I can make her happy. Are you going to tell me?"

Florence sighed, knowing her number was up. "I'll make a compromise: I'll tell you where she works and then you can visit her there. That way, she can still escape if she has to. I won't tell you any more than that."

"Thank you, Florence. You're a love and I'm forever in your debt," Sirius promised and Florence sighed in aggravation before revealing the information and, shortly after, leaving the conversation, before he charmed anything else out of her.

Sirius turned to his sister in triumph and she grinned at him.

"Now, that's the Sirius I know. Go get her! I'll try and do something about this mess," she promised.

Sirius swept her into a hug. "I love you, Lia," he whispered, before dashing out of the door.

"Err… Sirius?" Thalia called after him. "You might want to get dressed first. You'll scare the poor girl."

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"Heather?" Sirius got off the park bench when he saw her familiar figure move away from the large building.

"Sirius? What are you doing here? Are you following me? I want you to leave me alone." Heather's eyes were shifty as she looked for a quick escape route. She veered to the left, avoiding him, but he stepped into her path.

"Will you just talk to me for a minute, please? I have something to say to you," he admitted firmly and she paled.

"I don't have anything to say to you…"

"That doesn't matter, because I want you to hear me out," he interrupted, but she carried on speaking.

"…and I'm sure that you don't have anything to say that I want to hear. Therefore, please excuse me."

"Just before you left, you said you would floo me." Sirius stood his ground and Heather stopped in her tracks, spinning around and giving him an incredulous look.

"Merlin, Sirius! You of all people should know a brush-off when you hear one!"

"I won't be brushed-off that easily."

"I can see that." Heather eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want Sirius; make it quick. I have things to do."

Sirius gazed at her trim figure in its blue, business-savvy robe and sighed. "Just tell me one thing, Heather, why did you leave? If you tell me, I'll leave you alone." He stood strongly in front of her and she knew that she wouldn't be able to escape without telling him the whole story.

"Ok…" She gave in reluctantly, knowing there was no hope of flight. "I thought things were going really well… apart from the occasional fight, but I sort of like fighting with you – not that I like fighting with you, but I like sparring with you. Do you know what I mean?"

"Not in the least, but carry on."

Heather frowned slightly. "Well, it started when you invited me to move in with you – I definitely thought I was taking advantage of you, like some sort of money-grabbing hussy."

"You're not one of those."

"I hope I'm not one of those."

"I think you'd know if you were. I certainly would. Carry on…"

"I would, if you'd stop interrupting!  And then I really got to know you and really started to… like you. Until the night my ex-fiancé came."

"You didn't like me after then?"

"Of course I did! Let me finish. You know what happened that night; it made me think that maybe I could persuade you to feel the same way about me. All the signs were pointing that way – even Florence said that she thought you had feelings for me. It was all dandy; all fab and great…"

"I do have feelings for you," Sirius murmured.

"…and then I saw you kiss that woman in town and it was…"

"You saw what? I kissed no one… oh! Heather, that woman was my sister!"

"…as if a flash of lightning had struck me; bright lights were dancing in front of my eyes…" Heather steamrollered on, ignoring Sirius' interruptions in a bid to get it all out and escape.

"Don't you think you are being a bit melodramatic?"

"… each one of them saying: you are so stupid; he could never change from being the most wild wizarding bachelor there is…"

"Now you're overestimating me."

"He can never settle down; especially not with a frump like you."

"Heather, you are not a frump."

"He's just spinning you another yarn, like the one he spun when you were at school – the one that took ages to get over."

"Oh, Heather…"

"But this time it's different, because you feel more than a crush. You're in love, and that makes you stupider than the rest, because you'll never get over it…" Heather paused as tears clogged her throat. "Don't you see? I had to leave or I'd never have a chance of surviving."

Sirius stood there looking at her, his face pale. "I would never set out to hurt you."

"I know you wouldn't deliberately hurt me, but it's your nature to flirt with other girls. You couldn't help it, but every girl would strike me through the heart."

"You really think I have no control over my actions?" Sirius said through gritted teeth.

"Of course you do, but…"

"That was what you were implying. Now see here, Heather. That woman I met in town was my sister, Thalia, and what you witnessed was a purely brother-sister greeting. And the reason why I have not settled down, am not married, is that I had not met anyone I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. I am not a wild party animal who doesn't care who he gets involved with. How many times have you seen me out with a girl in the past two months? Once and that was only when you first moved in. You want to know who that was with? It was with my other sister, Helena. And do you want to know the reason for my lack of dates? It's because I had already found a girl that I fell in love with." Sirius paused for breath and Heather paled.

"Was this wanted you wanted to tell me? You wanted to rub in the fact that you loved someone else? I don't really want to know who it is, thank you, so I'd better go then, hadn't I?" She turned to go but was stopped when Sirius reached out to grab her arm. He pulled her back to face him.

"It's you, you ninny! I love you," he confessed softly and Heather just stood in front of him in acute shock. "Won't you reconsider pushing me away? You had a very strong argument going there, but I seem to have refuted every one of your statements. You can trust me, Heather. I love you."

"Are you sure? I mean, are you sure you love me? Don't you say that to all the women you date?"

Sirius let out an aggrieved sigh. "No, I do not! I believe you are the first woman I have said that to in my whole life who wasn't a family member or a very dear friend. Satisfied?"

"You mean it?" Heather allowed a small smile to escape and Sirius' attitude softened.

"Yes, I mean it. Would you like to reconsider dumping me on my rear and return to my – our house? It hasn't been the same since you left."

Grinning, Heather nodded and was enveloped into a large hug.

"I hoped you would say that… I mean, I knew you would never do it, but I hoped you would," she sighed into his chest, and felt him chuckle.

"What do you mean I would never do it? I just did! I think being away from me has made you lose your wits," he laughed. Heather poked her finger in the centre of his chest.

"I still have all of my wits, thank you very much. And I'm beginning to regret forgiving you so quickly. I could have held out and made you suffer-"

Before she could say another word, Sirius silenced her with a long-awaited kiss.

"So," Sirius raised one eyebrow when they came up for air, "does that mean that you love me, or are you stringing me along?"

"Oh!" Heather gasped, "Of course, I do. Didn't I tell you?"

Sirius shook his head slowly, a lazy smile spreading over his face. "It's about time you told me; I was going mad."

"Speaking of going mad, you know I'll eventually end up driving you insane, right?"

"You've been slowly driving me insane from the first time I met you. I just needed a jumpstart that's all," he admitted with a grin.

"Hmmm," Heather was suspicious. "I'm supposed to believe that you liked me from the first? You couldn't even remember my name!"

"I don't know how I did that – every part of you is imprinted on me now, like a brand."

"Ouch!" Heather grinned. "Anyways, can we get out of the cold? I'm getting goose pimples…"

"Are you sure that's not from the incredibly gorgeous attractiveness of me?" Sirius teased and Heather blushed.

"Nope. I think it's because of the cold," she squeaked.

Sirius sighed. "I'm really going to have to teach you how to stroke a man's ego…" Heather's blush increased and Sirius grinned. "You've really got to get that one-track-mind sorted out."

"Me?!"

"Come on. If we don't move now, we'll never move."

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"This is where you've been living?" Sirius' face wrinkled in disgust.

"Hey, don't insult my home! Anyway, it's not that bad… when the water is working and the heating hasn't broken down. Besides, I'm so high up that people won't notice if I do a bit of magic now and then."

Sirius hugged her to his side fiercely. "I can't believe you've been living in this dump for a week, just because you thought I was in love with my sister. I couldn't last here a day…" he declared and changed his mind, remembering Azkaban and the places he'd had to live after he escaped.

As if knowing what he was thinking, Heather planted a kiss on his cheek. "Well, everything is going to be alright now."

"Yes. Now, go and pack up your stuff and we'll be home before you know it!"

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Heather paused as she stepped into the hallway for the first time in weeks. "Sirius! It's so clean! When did you manage to make it look like this?"

Sirius hid a smile. "Well, after you left, I figured that I had to do it myself, and it's really not that bad…"

A cough from the next room made him stop.

"Lying to your girlfriend just moments after you've got her through the door? Shame on you," a woman's voice chastised.

Heather gave Sirius a worried look. "What? Who?"

Thalia popped her head around the lounge door and Heather's eyes widened.

"It's you!"

"Heather, this is my sister, Thalia."

Heather smiled cautiously.

"She's absolutely lovely, Sirius. Not your usual type, but charming just the same." Thalia smiled. "So, you're the first girl that broke my brother's heart… and you have appeared to have fixed it again. What talent!"

Heather winced and Sirius gave Thalia a warning glance.

"Shouldn't you be leaving now, Lia?"

Thalia grinned. "Like that, is it? All right, I've cleaned your home, now I have to go and clean mine."

Sirius grinned. "Off you go, then." He pushed her out of the door.

"I should have known she was your sister. Even Branson suspected that she might be…"

Sirius frowned. "Leggett visited you? You let Leggett visit you and you wouldn't even tell me where you were?"

Heather winced. "Uhh… yes… But, he didn't stay for long. In fact, he got rather annoyed with me for leaving you the way I did."

"Too right." Sirius grumbled, slightly put out.

"Besides, Bran is a great friend."

"Sure, he is. Do you want a cup of coffee?" Sirius moved towards the kitchen but stopped when Heather grabbed his arm.

"Don't believe me, do you?" She gave him a big smacking kiss. "Maybe I'll have to persuade you…" She paused. "But coffee first."

Sirius grumbled.

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"Hmm…" Heather reached the landing and looked from one bedroom to the other. Should she go in Sirius', or would he think that she was too forward? She decided to go in her own and then he could find her, if he wanted her.

She was just opening the door when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs. She nearly fought the urge to dash inside her bedroom, but not quite.

"Hey, where are you going?" Sirius called, eying the hastily closing door.

Heather froze and peered around the edge. "To bed," she squeaked.

Sirius' face betrayed his disappointment for a moment, before he gave her a gentle smile. "Ok. I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well." He moved into his own bedroom.

Heather shut the door and grimaced. So, he wasn't going to make the first move. That would mean that she had to… "Damn men for being so unpredictable!"

Right, to plan her method of attack. She started to root through her wardrobe to look for something flimsy to wear. That should give him a kick-start into saying yes, she though mischievously. Finding a ridiculously short and skimpy blue silk nightie, she shrugged it on.

Her face must look a mess from all that crying, she guessed. Moving into the bathroom, she re-applied her makeup and smoothed down her hair, making it look as neat as possible.

Bolstering all her courage, she knocked on Sirius' door and waited.

Within seconds, it had sprung open and he was standing in front of her, wearing only his habitual shrug-on robe. Heather's eyes widened.

"Hmm… Sirius, I…"

Sirius seemed to be having the same trouble. "Heather? What are you-" His voice cracked. Cracked! Like a fourteen year old! He coughed and started again. "Err… what can I do you for? I mean, what can I do for you?" he corrected hastily and Heather smiled slightly.

"I was wondering if we could have a little talk?" She tried to keep her voice level and moved into the room, allowing him to get a closer look at her. He had a quick image of his face, like a cartoon wolf with eyes boinging out and jaw hitting the floor, and inwardly berated himself for watching too much television.

"What about?"

"Well…" she hadn't thought this far ahead. Making it up as she went along, she sat down on his bed and patted the space beside her. "Sit down?"

As if she had pulled him with string, Sirius sat and gazed at her. "You look…"

She raised one eyebrow. "Hmmm?"

Sirius realised that he had been staring at her an inordinately long time without speaking. "You look breathtaking."

Heather smiled. "I bet you say that to all the girls."

His expression changed then. He grew serious, and somehow, darker. "No. Don't you dare think that. Ever."

She nodded, a sudden tightness filling her chest. "All right. I won't."

He smiled. "So, what was it that you wanted to talk to me about… in that ensemble?" he swallowed hard.

Heather blushed slightly. "Uh… Actually, I wanted to forgo the chat and sleep with you. The chat was just an excuse to come in," she confessed quickly, leaving Sirius with his mouth agape, a stunned expression colouring his features.

"But I thought you were tired."

"Not anymore," she shrugged. "I'm wide awake now. So, how about it?" Heather asked nonchalantly.

"You don't have to ask me twice!" Sirius leaned in towards her.

"Hum… Sirius? There is something I have to tell you," she remembered and he stopped, his lips almost touching hers.

"Can't it wait?" His eyes shone with impatient desire for her.

"No," she squeaked. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Sirius moved away from her again, leaning back on the pillows, and nodded slowly.

Grabbing the remnants of her courage with both hands, she admitted, "I have only done this twice. Uhh… and neither times were exactly earth shattering. So, just don't expect this to be the sexual event of the year."

"You don't expect to enjoy it?"

"Oh, I don't mean me! When you kiss me, I get all tingly and I'm sure that I… well, I'm just telling you this so you don't go into this with high expectations," she finished, avoiding his eyes.

"Don't worry about me."

"You are very attractive. I suppose you must be like a sexual veteran?" Heather asked and his eyes gleamed.

Sirius leaned back against his pillows. "Hmm…" he answered without not really answering at all.

Heather eyed him worriedly, her hands fidgeting in her lap. She didn't know how he felt about her admission at all.

Sirius' smile faded slightly and his face softened. "Is that why you left so quickly that morning after you were drunk? You're inexperienced?"

Heather blushed slightly. "It was one of two things. Partly the fact that I was lying in bed with a man that I loved and I hadn't a clue how I got there and also the inexperienced thing. You see, apart from a quick fumble with Callum Quinlan behind the statue of Burdock Muldoon before we got on the Hogwarts Express on the last day and, of course, that really bad time with Irfon Donnelly, I haven't really got close enough to anyone do the dreadful deed." Heather shook her head with a grimace. "I can't believe I slept with an Ancient Runes Professor!"

"You and Callum Quinlan had…" Sirius looked shocked.

"Florence wouldn't go out with him because of Snape and, of course, you would never go out with me, so we sort of communed for the sake of self-pity," Heather smiled slightly. "I guess that's not really a good reason to lose your virginity."

Sirius shuddered. "…behind Burdock Muldoon. Who knows who could have caught you…"

"Any number of people, I guess. At the time, we just didn't care. He was quite dishy, you know."

Sirius snorted sceptically. "I remember him as being the only airhead in Ravenclaw."

"Ah… you and Snape do have something in common, after all!"

"What?!"

"Never mind."

"Hey," Sirius caught on to something she had said before, "what do you mean 'the dreadful deed'?"

Heather blushed again. "Nothing."

"Is that how you see making love – as some sort of awful endurance test? If it is, sweetheart, then I won't pressurise you; I can wait-"

Heather raised one eyebrow. "I don't know about you, but I can't really wait that much longer to get my hands on you."

Sirius smirked briefly before his face turned serious. "Are you sure? I really could wait, you know. It would mean taking lots of cold showers, satisfying myself with wildly carnal fantasies…"

Heather's features softened. "I know you could," she said, ignoring his attempt to lighten the situation, "but I am one hundred percent sure that you will be better than three thousand Callum Quinlans put together!"

Sirius paused. "Was he really that bad, then?" he asked with a half-smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Do you want to hear all the sordid details? Because I'm sure I can whisk them into a pensieve and you can relive the magical event all by yourself!"

"Hmmm… That's a thought," Sirius considered the idea mock-pensively. "But I think I have something better in mind," he promised, his eyebrows dancing, as he pulled her in closer.

When they came up for air some time later, Sirius grinned. "Hey, do you think Rita Skeeter would be interested in your story? I can just see it now: 'Captain of Irish Quidditch team procreates behind statue of former Ministry Head." It's got a nice ring to it, don't you think? I can see us getting loads of money out of that one…"

"Sirius, do you mind? I'm in the middle of trying to seduce you, here!" Heather complained as she began undoing the ties on his robe. "It wouldn't hurt for you to act at least a little interested in what I'm doing!"

"Oh, sorry. I assure you that my heart's palpitating, my breathing has quickened and my…" He cupped her hips and brought her into close contact with the lower part of his body. "Well, you can feel that bit for yourself," he teased.

"That's more like it!" Heather exclaimed breathlessly. "I just hope you didn't get that reaction from thinking about Rita Skeeter, or her head will be the first on the block."

Sirius smiled, placing both of his hands on each side of her face and looking deep into her eyes. "There are no worries in that area, my love. You are my one and only…"

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Authors' Notes:

Hello!

Hope you enjoyed the SUPER-LONG chapter! Special thanks and a great big hug to all those who read and reviewed! I can't believe how many of you there are out there who love my story!

Harriet Potter – It's ok! You can ask any question you want! Harry is going to be in the next chapter, definitely. I don't know why I've left him out 'cos it seems strange for a godfather not to keep in contact with his godson. Oh, well…

Drachenaugen – You're right! In truth, I couldn't remember which way round it was (stupid me!). Thanks!

The Elfin Child – I don't mind your random statements. I sorta do the same things as well – especially the blank screen thing!

Sam - *laughs* As mentioned before, Harry will definitely be in the next chapter!

Starlight – So you've been sucked into reading ANOTHER one of our stories! J

And big thanks to all the support I have received from the following wonderful people:

Keeper of the Moon, Honor Blaze Pendragon, UbsessedWitFire, sirius the homicidal maniac, sapphireskies, Hopeful Writer, blackcandy, Sunkistgrl, Prankster Queen Keeper of the Moon, Evermind, Annoriel

Oh, and just one thing: there's only a couple more chapters to go…

Love,

Squirrel. xxx.